Extend Your Vacation Travels!

Clancy & Shayna in Miami

When your vacation is over, you start to look forward to next year’s. Our folks take Shayna and me all over the place. We love to hit the open road, and once we’re back at the gallery we start planning our next road trip, inspired by art from so many places. This week we’d like to invite you to come along with us as we explore the world through art. You don’t even have to leave your favorite chair!

1. Photographer Alan Brown took this timeless photograph while traveling in China. The mist-shrouded clouds and mountain peaks are mirrored in the water, creating a dreamlike effect. What is the title?
2. An Artist’s Proof refers to a special part (generally less than 10%) of a limited edition traditionally reserved for the use of the artist or publisher. In modern times, these prints are identical to those in the rest of the edition. If you were traveling in Paris, how would you say Artist’s Proof in French?
3. When traveling in the tropics, you’ll see plants called birds of paradise. They are named for their resemblance to rainforest birds having exotic, trailing plumage and elaborate courtship rituals. It is also the title of a giclée canvas by an artist whose father was a renowned fine artist and celebrated illustrator. Name the artist. (And for extra credit, what was his father’s name?)
4. King Penguins are the subject of a striking original giclée photograph by world-renowned artist, author and naturalist Anthony Eaton Cook. To which southernmost continent must you travel to find king penguins in the wild as he did?
5. The easiest way to get from one point to another in big cities is by cab. Checker Taxi was an American cab company. The cabs were first made in Joliet, IL then Kalamazoo, MI. But their prototype was based on a model from The Great Kettles. Name the artist/author who painted the FIRST Checker Cab.
6. Artist Rod Chase painted a twilight scene entitled Dawn’s Early Light. What famous national monument visited by millions of tourists from all over the globe does it depict?
7. This fairy tale castle was commissioned as a personal refuge by King Ludwig II who died prior to its completion. Just seven weeks later, it was opened to the public. When you travel to Germany you can tour it. What is the name of this castle and also the limited edition by artist Robert Finale?
8. Imagine if you were on an expedition, hiking in the Arctic, when suddenly the wind picked up, obscuring your vision with blowing snow. At that very same moment, an enormous polar bear appears in your path! This is the startling subject of White Encounter. Name the artist.
9. Cao Yong painted a tranquil Hawaiian dock on the island of Maui, located in a historic town once considered the world’s whaling center. What is the title of this artwork?
10. Robert Bateman painted these ancient ruins found in Ireland. The focus is a Romanesque arch carved with faces of early Christian saints. What is the name of this mystical limited edition?

ANSWERS TO WEEK #4

1. After School Lessons
2. No Swimming Lessons Today
3. School Yard
4. Teachings of My Grandmother
5. Bonnie Marris
6. Mother Nature
7. College of Magical Knowledge
8. Stringing the Children Along
9. Morgan Weistling
10. Off to School

If you’re reading this, thank a teacher!

This week Clancy and I are paying tribute to America’s educators. My brother and I have had more classes than you would believe, and our folks are always finding new things for us to learn because it’s fun. We hope that you’ll have fun learning more about artists and their work as you answer this week’s questions. (And thanks to our favorite teachers, Dru and Libby!)

1.  Artist Jim Daly takes a nostalgic look back in this heart-warming giclée canvas. It depicts a little boy getting extra help with his multiplication tables from his devoted teacher. Generous with her time and knowledge, she is dedicated to helping him succeed. What is the title of this artwork?

2.  Friend to both fishermen and hunters, Labrador retrievers are powerful swimmers. Artist John Weiss depicts a mother Lab and her pup along the shoreline watching the crashing waves. Because of the bad weather, they are experiencing what has come to be known as a calamity day. What is the name of this giclée canvas?

3.  Artist Lynn Kaatz paints rustic scenes from a bygone era. In this colorful giclée canvas, you’ll find horses and buggies, an old one-room schoolhouse, girls jumping rope, a seesaw and a maypole. What is the title?

4.  Howard Terpning, a famous artist of the American West, painted a Native American girl watching her grandmother make a beadwork design on buckskin. Such lessons were an important part of the culture of the Blackfoot tribe. Elders were honored and traditions were handed down through the generations. What is the title of this artwork?

5.  Baby animals are just like children in that there are many important things they must learn in order to succeed. Different species require different skills, and in order to catch fish, bear cubs must adapt to the water. Testing the Waters depicts a mother bear introducing her cubs to the water. Who is the artist?

6.  Artist and author Dean Morrissey wrote and illustrated a series of best-selling children’s books detailing the adventures of Joey, who meets a number of legendary figures in his travels. In this work of art, a wise woman instructs Joey: “The right path is never clear, but the journey is always a journey forward, never back.” Who is this famous woman from folklore in Morrissey’s artwork entitled The Wooden Swan?

7.  In James Christensen’s world of fantasy, there is a place where characters from all realms go to contemplate, meditate and develop. Their library is filled with volumes that impart knowledge giving access to all sorts of magic. What is the name of this school, located in the mountains in a land a little left of reality?

8.  In this adorable work by artist Steve Hanks, a teacher is taking her little charges on a field trip. Knowing that little ones are easily distracted and might wander off, she has come up with a novel way of keeping everyone safely “in line.” What is the name of this delightful limited edition?

9.  Long before modern schools and computers in the classroom, children were taught in one-room schoolhouses. Children wrote on chalkboards; calculators were not yet invented. In Country Schoolhouse, 1879, the artist depicts a classroom where some of the students are more intent on their teacher’s lesson than others. Can you name the artist?

10.  This fun poster, hand-signed by artist Diane Graeber, depicts three Amish children, a horse and buggy, and two other animals. What is it called?


ANSWERS TO WEEK #3

Sheltie
Will Bullas
Painted Dogs
Fred Machetanz
The Little Rascals
Esprit de Corps
Prairie Dogs
Gypsy
The Thief
Right Church, Wrong Pew

Celebrate Man’s BFF!

This week, Shayna and I decided to test your knowledge on a subject about which we know a thing or two, namely dogs! (We’re doing this on the honor system; if you get stumped by a question, no fair asking Fido.)

1.    American artist John Weiss is known for his moving portraits of dogs. Queen Elizabeth is among his collectors! In his limited edition print entitled Wake-up Call, Weiss depicts what breed of sheep herding dog?

2.    Although we hate to admit it, not all dogs are as cool as us. There is a little known breed that is, shall we say, fashion-challenged. Westminster does not recognize the breed, but this popular artist does and has captured the traits that make Nerd Dogs unique. What is his name?

3.    This colorful breed of dog, found in Africa, used to be called “wild dog” or “Cape hunting dog.” They are a highly social but endangered species and the subject of a limited edition print by artist Robert Bateman. What is their more common name?

4.    He was known as Alaska’s preeminent artist, capturing the kaleidoscope of its colorful landscape and traditional Eskimo lifestyle. One of his favorite subjects to paint was sled dogs. Who was this famous artist?

5.    Artist Bonnie Marris immortalized the dog from a series of movie comedies popular in the 1930s about a group of kids and their neighborhood adventures. Her print For the Love of Pete pays tribute to their mascot. This beloved movie series was remade as a film in 1994. What was its name?

6.    Dogs are descendants of wolves. These highly socialized animals have a sense of camaraderie that has enabled them to overcome adversity. Artist Carl Brenders pays tribute to this characteristic in his limited edition print of four Arctic wolves. What is the name of this print that is also a common French expression?

7.    Award-winning photographer Alan Brown captured a tender moment as two little animals rub noses in this original giclée photograph. The two are not really dogs as the title would suggest, but burrowing members of the rodent family who bark to warn each other. What is their name?

8.    Renowned Canadian artist Michael Dumas painted this man and his little white dog that he observed in the French city of Arles. The title refers to a traditionally nomadic ethnic group also known as the Romani. What is the title?

9.    Little boys love to play ball. So do dogs. In this case, the boy’s dog has made off with the baseball and chewed its stitching. When the heist is discovered, the dog rolls over for an “all is forgiven” belly rub. Name this endearing work of art by American artist Jim Daly.

10.    Artist Bob Leathers’ humorous take on Cleveland’s football fans is the subject of his signed poster. It depicts the bleacher section of the stadium where the fans are especially loud and often dress in dog masks and bark, known as “The Dawg Pound.” What is the title of this poster?

ANSWERS TO WEEK 2
1.    Dick Dugan
2.    Abstract art
3.    Luke Buck
4.    Nita Engle
5.    Alan & Norah Lynne Brown
6.    Jim Ptacek
7.    Jim Daly
8.    James Christensen
9.    Robert Bateman
10.    Little Star People