Subject Matter

 

I couldn’t see the owner of the voice saying “Hi” to me in our pool locker room because a curtain of clothes hangers blocked my view. I parted the hangers but still couldn’t identify the person. I said, “Who is it? Without my glasses everything looks like a Monet painting.” Read about it (here).

Tina's Garden

Mrs. Chatterbox and I were invited to a Memorial Day barbeque at the home of our good friends and travel companions Bruce and Tina. In addition to the warmth and hospitality, I always enjoy spending time with them because Tina is an avid gardener and her backyard is brighter than the palettes of most artists. Check out Tina's garden (here). 

 

It Would Serve Me Right

 

A painting hangs in our dining room that might look familiar to many of you; it shows Claude Monet’s famous Japanese Bridge at Giverny. Monet painted a dozen versions of this bridge—all at different times of the day in an exploration of color and light—but he didn’t paint this one. I did, forty years ago. I say this not as a boast for having done a decent job of mimicking Monet’s style, but as a confession for a serious lack of judgment. Read about it here.

Note: If you haven’t yet joined the new Chubby Chatterbox because you aren’t pleased or familiar with Google+ or Networked Blogs, there’s a third widget that’s been added to Chubby Chatterbox. All you need to do is submit your e-mail address on the blog page and then follow the simple instructions on a site called Blogtrottr. I’m told this is extremely uncomplicated and I hope some of you will give this a try and let me know how it works.

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Monet's Garden

Walt Whitman said it best: “Very well then, I contradict myself.” When I started Chubby Chatterbox ten months ago I was determined that my blog would be different from those focused on photography, mostly because I’m not fond of my photographs and prefer painting my own pictures. Unlike me, many of you plant and nurture the flowers you photograph, and I have great respect for your accomplishments. Unfortunately, plants left in my care only receive death sentences.

But as I sit here in gloomy Portland, I feel the need to post something different from my usual self-deprecating adventures. In that vein, these are pictures I snapped in Monet’s garden at Giverny last year. At the time I wasn’t happy to be in Giverny, but our trip to Egypt had been cancelled because of political unrest. Perhaps it turned out for the best because I don’t think pictures of Egypt would cheer me up today as much as these flowers.

Monet was quite proud of his garden, the inspiration for many of his later paintings. More than once he claimed this garden as his greatest achievement. I know next to nothing about flowers so it would be great if some of you could identify these. I hope they brighten your day. Enjoy.

Have a great day!