August 29, 2012

The Lonely Shadow

As promised, I checked out the books on my recent visit to the Low Country.  I found a great one at Wonder Works, the mother of all toy stores in Charleston and beyond. 

The Lonely Shadow is written and illustrated by silhouettist and song writer, Clay Rice.  I have always been a fan of his grandfather, Carew Rice, and Clay, as they use their talent and unique artform to illustrate landscapes and people of the South and in particular, the Low Country.  Clay Rice, who learned the art from his grandfather, has cut hundreds of thousands of silhouettes of children.  It was a wish I had to have sillouettes of my own daughters, but sadly, never fulfilled.  Still, I admire the sceneries and still lifes captured over the long careers of both artists.

The Lonely Shadow is a beautiful story about a shadow who doesn't belong.  On his search for his owner, he passes many lovely scenes (silhouettes, of course) until he finds the perfect match.  The text is sing song and perfect for a young audience and sweet enough for a bedtime story. 

There are many lessons that may emerge from reading this book.  Shadows, reflection, mood,sequence, cause and effect, and of course, art, are just a few that come to mind. 

And if you are really lucky, you may just find Clay on tour and not only have him sign a book, but complete a silhouette of your little one. 



The shadow often gets a bad rap. It's dark. It can not be grasped.  It is a reflection of us, good and bad.  But this quote and The Lonely Shadow's theme sum up my feelings about the dear ole shadow.

"Shadows sometimes people don't see shadows. The Chinese of course never paint them in pictures, oriental art never deals with shadow. But I noticed these shadows and I knew it meant it was sunny. "
-David Hockney

May your shadow be long today~

August 9, 2012

I'm on Island Time


There is an oak lined moss draped road that lulls me in and takes me to another dimension.  Let's just call it Island Time.  For years, Papallama and I would leave our hectic, stressful life and splurge on a week at the end of this road.  By the time we arrived with the girls in tow, we had already forgotten our cares and were ready to play and relax.  There must be something in that moss. 

I might have dared to dream about actually living there one day, but I never gave it serious consideration.  I felt really lucky if I made it back each summer.

So now I feel like someone needs to pinch me, because I am going to own my own island retreat in just a few days from now!  How?  Thank the housing bust, low interest rates, and well, Providence. 

Because buying a house and moving 'stuff' into it are monopolizing my time, this blog will have to wait for a few more weeks.  There is a great book store on the Island, so I will be doing my homework.  But until then

I'm on Island Time~