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We sing to Him, whose wisdom form'd the ear,
our songs, let Him who gave us voices, hear;
we joy in God, who is the Spring of mirth,
who loves the harmony of Heav'n and Earth;
our humble sonnets shall that praise rehearse,
who is the music of the Universe.
And whilst we sing, we consecrate our art,
and offer up with ev'ry tongue a heart.
Henry Purcell
English Composer
1659 - 1695
Author of The Gift of Music:
Great Composers and Their Influence,
Jane Stuart Smith, is the *Jane* whom
Edith Schaeffer references in her book
The Hidden Art of Homemaking,
as well as L'Abri.
I enjoyed listening to this interesting interview of her from 2008. Join us online book clubbers as we read Hidden Art and learn to develop our talents. | | |
|  Nothing is so beautiful as Spring – When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush; Thrush’s eggs look little low heavens, and thrush Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing; The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling. What is all this juice and all this joy? A strain of the earth’s sweet being in the beginning In Eden garden. – Have, get, before it cloy, Before it cloud, Christ, lord, and sour with sinning, Innocent mind and Mayday in girl and boy, Most, O maid’s child, thy choice and worthy the winning. by Gerard Manley Hopkins Photo by Yours truly taken on recent hike of Pine Log Creek Trail on the border between Bartow and Cherokee Counties, GA. Flower is dwarf crested iris which native plant is fond of moist soil. | | |
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Meet Professor Clyde Kilby*. I never had the opportunity, but this portrait painted by my college friend, Deborah Melvin Beisner, makes me feel like Professor Kilby is talking with me. In fact, he came up in my Facebook feed this week. Actually, it was a photo of this portrait. It was linked to John Piper's reference to some of Professor Kilby's wisdom. Then while reading a friend's blog (Soli Deo Gloria), lo and behold, Kilby surfaces again. Kilby's challenge to help us all see clearly dovetails delightfully into the online book club discussion I am enjoying with Cindy Rollins at Ordo-Amoris and lots of virtual friends. In honor of Edith Schaeffer's recent death at age 98, we are reading and blogging through her treatise, The Hidden Art of Homemaking, an obvious favorite of mine since it is the inspiration and moniker for my two blogs. One commenter wondered why we are saddled with so many preconceived notions of art. I propose that the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel explains our confusion. Thankfully, Mrs. Schaeffer rightly defines art at the beginning of the book, establishing the LORD God as the First Artist. Here's a link to my synopsis of the first chapter. Look and see what He has done. Creation (the world) is right here in front of our noses. Dont miss it. Join the group and be inspired to represent His Image faithfully. | | |
| Here's an unedited picture of my backyard taken through the window screen. I am sitting in the chair at one end of the kitchen table and gazing at our *garden of eden.* On the far right is a 50-year-old flame-colored azalea that I hope to propagate, since it's from the landscape where I grew up. On the deck is a container with cora bells and a butterfly bush. On the treads of the stairs leading up to the deck are pots of pansies that have given color all winter. In the upper left-hand corner is a tell-tale sign of the magnolia we planted only 2 years ago. Other hard woods on our half-acre are tulip poplars, oak, and blank. Leaves should be raked up by the end of the month and the centipede grass will take off. This post is related to online book club discussion of Edith Schaeffer's Hidden Art of Homemaking. Link to my review of Chapter 1: The First Artist. | | |
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Confederate leaders and their horses carved into the side of the largest exposed piece of granite in the world give renewed meaning to memorial days and monuments. Georgia's Stone Mountain Park is home to this fine expression of honor. This largest bas-relief in the world depicts three figures of the Confederate States of America: Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis as well as their beloved horses: Blackjack, Traveller, and Little Sorrel. The entire carved surface of the Memorial Carving measures three acres, larger than a football field. The carving of the three men towers 400 feet above the ground, measures 90 by 190 feet, and is recessed 42 feet into the mountain. The deepest point of the carving is at Lee's elbow, which is 12 feet to the mountain's surface. First begun in 1916 the carving took 56 years and three sculptors to complete. Not without its own setbacks this public artwork fits well into the remarks of art professor, Michael Lewis, PhD, who addressed the issue of the decline in America's monuments and memorials. Read his insightful remarks (link) delivered earlier this Spring at Hillsdale College's Center for Constitutional Study and Citizenship in Washington, DC. Here are a few clips ~
As traditionally understood, a monument is the expression of a single powerful idea in a single emphatic form, in colossal scale and in permanent materials, made to serve civic life.
It is because of their ability to transcend time by connecting to primal human activities—passage, gathering, shelter—that the best monuments never look dated. Monuments and memorials today are discursive, sentimental, addicted to narrative literalism, and asking to be judged on good intentions rather than visual coherence. As you read Lewis's remarks, don't miss the mentions of Frederick Hart and Emily Post, two of my favorite reference people. I think Lewis would approve of our Memorial Monument. What monument or memorial in your area fits the bill?
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