I was visiting the Albany Institute of History and Art recently when I happened upon this piece in the section of ancient Egyptian art. At first it didn’t seem like anything special, a stone fragment with some hieroglyphics carved into it, but then I read the descriptive label, and was intrigued. It’s a “Cippus of … Read more
I don’t remember the exact year, maybe it was 1979 or 1980, and I was still in grade school. There was a kid in my class who was a year older (we were in an “Open Program” class, with multiple grades), and one day he asked me if I would be interested in collecting beer … Read more
I was in Hastings-on-Hudson NY back in June, for the “2023 RiverArts Music Tour,” and in-between a few performances, I made my way around town into various shops and an art gallery. In one antique store, I found this clown painting by Homer Costello, and found it interesting that the tag referenced him as a … Read more
I was reading an article in the New York Times about “Urbex,” which is shorthand for “urban exploration,” which by their definition was the trespassing in abandoned properties. It grabbed my attention because I’ve certainly done some of that, although I can’t say that I was always trespassing, but there certainly is an element of … Read more
I was having dinner with my adult (20-something) kids last night, when my youngest surprised me with a question out of no where: would I rather grow up when I did, in the 1970s and 1980s, or now? My initial thought was that I only know what I experienced, but I then quickly followed up … Read more
It’s summertime, how about finding some creativity with a watermelon? I sliced open this watermelon, and it seemed like I had a face smiling at me. I have to admit, I gave a little tweak to the suggested “eyes” above, and you can see my original photo, below left. But in addition to a face … Read more
I have a habit of seeing things out in the world and imagining them as art in a different context. Today I was walking through a neighborhood in Belleville NJ, and saw these dirty, old and torn sofa cushions placed on the curbside for garbage pick-up. I can’t say I’m out looking at living room … Read more
I was running errands when I noticed this blue pickup truck on the road next to me. It was the door in particular that grabbed my attention; there was something about the painted repairs that didn’t come close to fixing the original problem that made me think of Mark Rothko’s paintings. Why? Let’s take a … Read more
It’s one thing to see mermaid art or home decor like the sculpture attached to the front of a home in Ocean Grove, as seen above. But it’s a whole different thing when you’re sitting on the beach and see a mermaid laying on the sand about 50 feet away! I was just sitting in … Read more
I went to Home Depot this afternoon to get some replacement light bulbs, and as I was walking back to my car, I did a double-take when I saw this … I wasn’t fooled into thinking it was a real man smoking, but rather was just surprised because I hadn’t seen any window decals like … Read more