Writings, Wanderings

First off, let me say that Malaga, Spain is an awesome city that deserved far more than the not-even-really-24-hours that I gave it. If you are traveling through southern Spain and have the room in your itinerary, go there! This Mediterranean city is the birthplace of the famous artist Pablo Picasso and pays tribute to him with more than one museum. His birthplace is closed on Mondays, my day in the city, but the Museo Picasso with over 200 of his pieces on display was open. The museum follows the artist's development from his childhood years and sketches into adulthood with both paintings and sculptures. While a chronological order is the main pattern, some displays focus on a topic such as his art that involved animals. The museum is not huge but does involve walking and there aren't always places to take a rest especially if it is busy like the day I visited. I was pleased with the audioguide although at times it was a lot of information and I was ready to move on befo...

Living in northeast Ohio, I am blessed to be not far from the Mill Creek Metropark System. This large park--composed of multiple units--is home to Fellows Riverside Garden. Here, in its main building the Davis Center, a gallery holds rotating art displays. The current display is called " As Did Monet, Artists Paint the Landscape! " A few dozen paintings all created in the outdoor fresh air show off the landscape of the park and other regional green spaces.   I love the connection to the older technique of creating art out in nature. I enjoyed looking at the pieces created by local artists. The paintings very much focus on the trees, bushes, and flowers of the landscapes. Animals and man-made structures make fewer appearances. Only one painting in the entire room focused solely on a building (a stairwell actually). While most of the art focuses on spring or summer, several include the colors of fall and even winter makes an appearance. The works cover a variet...

What do you think of when you hear the name Leonardo da Vinci? The enduring mysterious smile of his Mona Lisa? His far-before-their-time flying designs? His use of mirror writing to code his notes? His designation as a Renaissance man--one with skills across many subject areas--lays the cornerstone of a traveling exhibit currently on display at the Carnegie Science Museum in Pittsburgh. Thanks to the preservation of his codices (housed throughout Europe), over 60 of his inventions have been built either full-size or in model form for visitors to peruse and for some, touch with their own hands. The exhibit takes guests through his works by themes and so after a very brief introduction to his life, starts with a look at his inventions related to weather and flying. Here, I learned that while da Vinci was most definitely an inventor, he was a man who looked at what was already in existence and worked to improve upon it especially in a way that would decrease the amount of effort n...

I read four children's books this month and really enjoyed three of them. The Museum had an enjoyable rhyming pattern to it but the gem was how it introduced young readers to several art masterpieces. Children who love to paint would enjoy this book and there are multiple options for incorporating this book into a cross-curricular classroom setting. Mango, Abuela, and Me combined my love of Spanish with a genuine look at the question of how to handle the concerns of aging parents (or in this case, an aging grandmother). The story also infused parts of Hispanic culture. I would love a copy of this book for my Spanish classroom and will look for other offerings by the author. Just Add Glitter is simply a fun book. Any young child who loves bright, sparkly things will adore the illustrations. I even found myself gently touching the pages to feel the glitter! Clothesline Clues to Sports People Play was my least favorite book. It had a neat premise--look at what clothing ...