The Art of the Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. October 25th is International Artists Day...do you have a favorite artist? If so tell us who and why. 

Fun question. It varies, but I seem to be drawn to Canadian artists, or those (like Arthur Lismer) who were born somewhere else but became part of the Canadian art tapestry. 

I am working on learning to like some of the more abstract painters like Mark Rothko. Not even contemporary, I know, but I'm still catching up.

2. Would you describe yourself as artistic? Elaborate. 

Can I draw or paint? Not worth a nickel. Some years I have made rather nice collage-style Christmas cards, though.

3. What's a skill, task, hobby, or job you've done so often you now have it 'down to a fine art'? 

Folding our laundry Marie Kondo style. I've been doing that now for five years, so, yes, it takes a lot less thought than it did at the beginning.

4. How often do you dine out? Fast food, fine dining, or somewhere in between? Tell us about a less than stellar restaurant experience you've had recently (or not so recently if that's easier).  

I had a Filet-O-Fish on the weekend, does that count as dining out? 

We go out for Chinese food or Swiss Chalet when we need a break from our own cooking. Familiar rather than fancy.

5. Do you celebrate Halloween? To what extent? Are there trick or treaters where you live? 

Barely, to all of those. We bought a box of mini Coffee Crisps and Smartie packs to have on hand, but we'll probably end up eating them ourselves.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Russ Ramsey (author of Rembrandt is in the Wind) writes about the disadvantages of working with marble: "it often has veins of impurities, it stains easily, it erodes when exposed to acidic rain, it is inflexible. You cannot add back to marble once you make a mistake." (Instagram post today) And yet...sculptors have used it for centuries, sometimes to make the most beautiful sculptures ever. Something about it challenges them, draws them to ignore or work around all those disadvantages because of what they can envision it becoming. Maybe like the way God sees human beings.

Linked from The Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond