Recent Nudes

I don't know much about the artist, Eoin de Leastar. He is an Irish artist, whose work is very much to my liking. I went to his website, and perused. There my knowledge of him ends. He is important to me because when I was doing research for this blog I found a quote that defined for me the purpose of nudes in art. Leastar's quote: "Beauty is form contemplated without desire."

I went to my usual sources for information, but didn't come up with much on the topic of nudity in art. This really surprised me. Maybe I just had researcher's block. Anyway, nudity in art has always been much more acceptable because of this premise that artists study the human form and portray it in many different ways, but the study of the
body, is often most revealing in a literal way of course, but also in a metaphorical sense, through the lack of clothing. These three female figures I share now, not all entirely "nude," portray three very different looks at the human condition.

Now, I can only imagine that some of the great masters who had naked women and men posing for them for hours, may have indulged in prurient thoughts, or they may not have. When is a nude a subject of pornography and when is it art? I think Leastar's quote does a great job of answering that question.

In my opinion, only the beholder can say. Nevertheless, from time to time the public gets in an uproar about some artist's work, who people feel may have crossed the line, and so we have a Maplethorpe who gets instant notoriety. I do think photography as a medium is much more difficult to manipulate toward the purity of the form and distance from the prurient because of its nature.

The topic is on my mind, because some amazing female figures have come to our attention and have been placed for sale on our website. On the top left is "Katherine," by Ildikó Kalapács. In this painting I interpret the body language as one of highly charged emotional angst with submission not used as acceptance, but as a way to manipulate power. I'm not sure if that was Ildikó's intention, but it is undeniable to me.

On the middle right in "Shy Girl" we see a classic modest nude in the fashion of some of the Greek classics, by Rute Santos, and below, the work titled "High Heels" by Canadian artist Pavel Ruhrek. Most people might argue this is not a nude, but in addition to its commentary on current cultural trends evolving through fashion, I think the hint of the human form does indeed qualify it for Leastar's definition, "contemplation without desire." I share these wonderful artworks with you now.--Ruth Mitchell













"High Heels" - Pavel Rehurek

CERF Responds to California Wildfires

Just in from The Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) the following communique. Please help!

The Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF)is taking action to respond to the community of craft artists affected by the Southern California Wildfires. We are reaching out to artists, arts organizations, galleries, businesses and others in the affected areas to offer assistance and to locate information about the arts community. While it is still too early to know the extent of damage, we do know that the situation is severe as news reports indicate. We also know that this area of California has a significant population of craft artists. We have already heard from a jeweler who lost both her home and studio and CERF Trustee and clay artist, Lana Wilson, had to be evacuated from her Del Mar home.

Please help us spread the word that CERF is available to offer assistance to craft artists in Southern California by forwarding this e-mail to your contacts or by sending your contact information of craft artists in this region to CERF. Please also be aware that your support of our work during these times is essential so that we can deliver aid quickly and effectively.

Read more about the fire here. Photo: Courtesy Vancouver Sun.

Designs in Nature

"Three Graces" - Jeri Burzin

“'Designs in Nature' are what often capture my attention," says art photographer Jeri Burzin of Visalia,California. She writes in to update us on her latest exhibits.

"My photograph of Vernal Falls is in a traveling exhibit with the Yosemite Renaissance organization. It started at the Yosemite Museum in February, and has traveled to Hanford CA, and is currently in Redwood City, CA. It will also be on display at the Business of Art Gallery in Manitou Springs, CO. My Jellyfish photo is now on exhibit with Digital Diversity, at the Artists’ Union Gallery in Ventura, CA.

The Three Graces photograph will be on display at the Tulare City Historical Museum, in Tulare, CA, until the end of the year.

A desire to bring back memories of a Caribbean sailing trip sparked Burzin's interest in photography a number of years ago. She began to enlarge and display her images. She subsequently attended photography workshops in Yosemite, the White Mountains, Sequoia National Park, and Pt. Reyes.

“Literacy through Photography” workshops at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University taught Burzin how to use photography as a medium of communication that is exciting to children, and influenced her work as an educational therapist.

In addition to her current exhibits, Burzin's work has been shown at Arts Visalia, First Arts Market, the Tulare County Historical Museum, the Visalia Convention Center, the Brandon-Mitchell Gallery, Café 225, Gallery 25, the Visalia Art Studio Tour, the Tulare County Fair, and the Yosemite Museum. "My images are an attempt to share experiences which I hope you enjoy," the artist says.

Just in from Spokane

"Ms. O"

Spokane, Washington, is living its second renaissance which means, among many things, it is rediscovering and restoring many of its fabulous old buildings. This evokes lots of local history and brings some of it to the forefront. As a visual artist who is interested in social issues and in the human condition, I was particularly struck by the fact that Spokane used to have a thriving red-light market in the early 20th century.

There is one particular building I saw restored which became Isabella's Restaurant. The story goes that a madame called Isabella used to operate there, selling young ladies' services to the local male population. The restaurant was named after her because it is believed that her spirit has never left.

"Suzi"

Thus this story goes to the heart of my art. I approach the human condition with compassion. I created close-ups of six women (Suzi, Theresa, Anne, Katherine, Ms. O and Isabella), fictional characters as I imagined them: Tired, unhealthy, beautiful, girlish or down-trodden in their body language, submissive or withdrawn, perhaps lonely. It was a somewhat new approach for me visually because these are individuals with names and faces, they are real flesh and blood, not just "concepts" of my ideas about human social conditions. The personal meets the political here.

"Madame Isabella"

I put them into a domestic background with shabby walls with fading colors and wall decoration (which is, by the way, Hungarian in color and pattern). The walls are as neglected as the women are. The women look as hopeless as their futures. I immediately feel compassion instead of condemnation and judgment. Most onlookers are immediately drawn to these ladies and feel the sense of sadness and see tremendous beauty and potential too. That makes it bittersweet to me.--Ildikó Kalapács

Travel Tips

I've been traveling more than usual lately, and so I was glad to receive this wonderful article from Rich McIver at Travelhacker titled "10 Useful Secrets the Major Airlines Don't Want You to Know."

The source is AirlineCreditCards.com just recently launched. It provides a resource for any frequent traveler who is searching for a better credit card.

"Our blog, Travelhacker, is a resource for all types of globetrotters, from business travelers to vacation travelers on on a shoestring budget, and provides tips on bookings, vacation spots, and perks," says McIver.--Ruth Mitchell

Viva Vegas?

Typically, when I go on a travel trip to write about a place, unlike many writers, I don't do a lot of research ahead of time. Oh, I might do just enough to make sure that I'm on top of what to do and see while there, but I just don't want to do arrive at a destination with a preconceived notion about what it is like.

That's kind of tough to do with a place like Las Vegas where stereotypes abound: gambling, smoke-filled casinos, Fat Elvis, drunk businessmen and strippers just come straight to mind when you think of "Sin City." My prejudgements were dashed, however, and we had a fantastic experience. I kept teasing Mitch that we were going to run into the fabulous Marg Helgenberger, but we never did even though we were told the popular CSI show has been filmed several times at our hotel, the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort, a very elegant spa and golf resort located to the west side of the valley.

Listen to this, while we were there, we had the opportunity to hike into the hills of nearby Red Rock, where we took a yoga class from Kim Culp of Sherry Goldstein's Yoga Sanctuary. Kim was a Radio City Music Hall Rockette for 10 years, and we could tell we were in for a workout as she hopped and skipped from her car to the park's entrance gate.

We hiked for about a mile into the desert, and she took us to this formation of rocks that created a natural theatre for our meditation and exercise. I've taken yoga before, but there was something extra familiar about Kim's presentation. After the class, I asked her if she had ever read the Power of Now by Eckart Tolle, and it turns out she is not only a student of his teachings, but also uses the philosophies presented in the book throughout her yoga instruction as well.

The cool, dry air of October washed over us, and Kim's calming voice, carried by the natural acoustics of the canyon created a mind/body experience I will not soon forget.--Ruth Mitchell

Roasting in Rose Bud

I love coffee. My husband knows this, and was gracious enough to buy me a new cappacino machine for my birthday. A few days ago, we shared with you a YouTube video on coffee art, but the real art of coffee is in the roasting.

In addition to art, buyoutsidethebox.com sells products made by hand. We are fortunate to have one heck of a coffee available on our site, RoZark Hills Coffee. The little roasterie is in Rose Bud, Arkansas. It was started by Chick and C.G. Curtis, and their daughter Rita Fox is the award-winning coffee roaster. Her husband Marty along with her father C.G. once helped set up a roasterie in a garage years ago in the Seattle area. Today we know that company as Starbucks.

The first time I met Chick Curtis, founder of RoZark Hills Coffee Roasterie, we talked for hours. I was fascinated by her ownership of miniature horses, which she bought because her husband C.G. was opposed to dogs in the house. She thought this was a way around his rule.

I enjoy this wonderful coffee year round, but some people enjoy giving it as a gift during the holiday season. Remember the shipping is free! To read the full story on RoZark Hills Roasterie click here.

Striking Similarities

One of my favorite all time artists is the legendary Georgia O’Keeffe. I think one of the reasons is because of the blatant feminism of her work, although I don't think she was so much into a movement, as she was herself. She was a woman, and her work reflected a gender bias that I find appealing. She was also married to Alfred Stieglitz, whom I studied and admired back as a photography student. I recently came across a news release for a show of hers at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

The announcement goes like this: Vancouver Art Gallery will present a sweeping retrospective of paintings by legendary Modernist Georgia O’Keeffe from October 6, 2007 to January 13, 2008. Georgia O’Keeffe: Nature and Abstraction is the second solo exhibition of O’Keeffe’s work presented in Canada and the first in 50 years. Comprising a stunning collection of 28 canvases spanning the artist’s entire career, the exhibition is punctuated by an important selection of photographs of O’Keeffe as a young woman taken by husband and fellow artist, Alfred Stieglitz, and of the artist later in life captured by renowned American photographer Todd Webb. Guest curated by Richard D. Marshall, former curator at the Whitney Museum of Art, the exhibition is the product of an innovative collaboration between the Vancouver Art Gallery and Irish Museum of Modern Art.

The exhibit is focused on the idea that O'Keeffe had an uncanny ability to transform nature into abstraction. What originally caught my eye about the announcement was the image on the left, because of its striking similarities to a work by buyoutsidethebox.com artist Rayhart, which I had just moments before been processing. I think Rayhart has also transformed nature into abstraction in a manner that reflects on O'Keeffe's tradition. Take a look for yourself, and tell me what you think.--Ruth Mitchell

"Rare Earth" - Rayhart

Having it all through Creative Consumerism

Inlaid Cutting Board - Jennifer Adams

I have a Google search on the term Creative Consumerismtm because it is a term we have trademarked. It is awfully fun to see what comes up sometimes, but mostly the search just brings up the two words in the same document. My point is about being creative in your consumerism. Which is always a good idea if you enjoy the added dimension of spending your money on things that are not mass produced.


All through our history at buyoutsidethebox.com we have included companies on our website through affiliate programs, that offer our customers a more full service site. Actually you can buy anything you want in the entire known universe through our search adds on the blog for instance. But I am particularly highlighting the products available by pressing the icons to the right of our blog.

Some of the things you may buy in this venue, are high quality mineral cosmetics, baby things, personalized photo puzzles (or have them made of your art), designer shoes,

Back from Hungary

"Identity Image" - Ildikó Kalapács

For those of you who follow the career of visual artist Ildikó Kalapács, you know she travels to her native Hungary every year. We received a note recently from her recently. "I am back from Hungary, my home country where I exhibited in my hometown, Szeged. It was successful, received some media attention, sold some art and I received two more offers of creating a portrait film about me and my art." It will be another year before they will be finalized, she says.

"I am putting on some short homemade videos onto the website of the Hungarian Public Television's art show called Kultúrház, www.akulturhaz.com, she says. It is a UTube style cultural video blog where artists can post their videos by invitation.

"Anyway, I thought you might want to hear about my trip and how it went. Thank you for all of your help. Best, Ildikó.

Latte Dahti, I Love Coffee

Makes you kind of think about the possibilities.