I’m posting early in the week with these pictures to wish all a Happy Mardi Gras!
However, this mural isn’t in New Orleans, although it looks like it could be. I think it looks great! It’s painted on the entrance of Rainbow Stage in Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada.
And some real masks and how to make them.
I really like the picture of the unfinished masks, however.
Click the link if you want to read other posts about Mardi Gras.
And Happy Mardi Gras!
Happy Fat Tuesday — a day early of my normal post!! Today is Mardi Gras Day so I just have to acknowledge an celebrate accordingly with this video about the Mask Market in New Orleans. Enjoy the music too.
Although I’m not so much into the glitter, I have some Venetian masks so I can appreciate the appeal of unique, hand-made masks and masking for Mardi Gras as a tradition.
However, this next tradition is one of which I was completely unaware. I guess my parents must have sheltered me while growing up in New Orleans. Actually, I do remember parade-goers shimmying up poles to catch beads but maybe this was before “greasing the poles” was started. Who knew a whole artistic performance could be created — only in New Orleans!
And this is Rita Benson-LeBlanc, owner of the New Orleans Saints, doing her rendition.
If you are interested in a new New Orleans inspired French Damask design, slip on over to Slipcovers for your Walls to preview the unveiling.
Here are few previous posts regarding Mardi Gras:
Alright Mardi Gras is over 
However, I’m having two different King Cakes that were delivered, yes, in the blizzard (kudos to Fedex and UPS, not the regular mail) on this Thursday that I rescheduled to host my entrepreneurial group. I just have to linger with one more Mardi Gras thing. I would be remiss if I did not mention Muses — the Krewe (organized group of masked revelers in New Orleans speak) that does a great spoof on current events, politics and politicians as well as their native city. If you click their link it will take you to all of their float designs that were in this year’s parade. The theme was Muses Night Fever. Here’s a little sneak peak below, but you’ll recognize these classic favorites like: “Take a Chance on Me,” “Upside Down,” “Fema,” That’s the Way I Like it,” and ” Leak Out”– just to name a few….Wait a minute, I’m starting to sound like Ryan and Colin of “Who’s Line is it Anyway’s Greatest Hits.” (that show was a blast)…Back to Muses, I think they are a riot and have very clever, poetic and sometimes hard hitting and even vulgar lyrics that seem appropriate. They bring a sense of humor to even the most unlaughable situations — that seems to be the New Orleans’ way and culture:
They even have one called, “Skunky Town,” for Sydney Del Torres, New Orleans’ famous Trashman. BTW, I grinned and beared the opening show on TLC. Sad to say, I don’t think it is gonna last long.
Linking back to last Wednesday’s post on the Super Bowl Ad, which is what I used to watch the Super Bowl for — up until the Saints; there was a special on CBS on Sunday on the best Super Bowl ads of the last 10 years. Here’s the review: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6205091n&tag=api. Some are funny, but I remember funnier ones than these. Do you?
This is a similar entitled post to the one I wrote today, In Between, for my other blog Slipcovers for Your Walls, but with a different take. Three in one can mean several things for the purpose of this post: 1) three sequential holidays, Valentine’s, Presidents Day and Fat Tuesday, celebrated in the one in between with this post today; 2) and with a Mardi Gras celebration, the Saints winning the Superbowl and what positive things that means for New Orleans; and finally, 3) a triple snow storm punch leading to the largest snowfall on record — more due today. That’s a lot of things to recognize at once.
Happy belated Valentine’s Day. Happy Presidents Day today and Happy Fat Tuesday tomorrow! Mt. Rushmore is a pretty remarkable piece of art isn’t it?
You know, I discovered that it is hard to sculpt snow with my latest attempt at a butterfly, especially when the snow has turned to ice. I can only image how incredibly hard it must be to sculpt a rocky mountain — an amazing feat.
I thought the snow looked interesting in this next photo due to the heat coming from our skylights and creating snow-wells. They reminded me of moguls on ski slopes. I must have the Winter Olympics on my mind. I like them so much better than the summer games.
By the way, I’ve activated a LinkWithin plugin below each post; however, all visuals go to my other casartblog, Slipcovers for your Walls, in case you’re wondering why they may not look familiar.
With the Saints in the news and now going to the Superbowl, all posts this week will just have to be about New Orleans in some way or another. Hey, not hard for me (previous posts on New Orleans).
The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) is featuring an exhibit of conceptual art from Walt Disney’s animated films called,“Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from the Walt Disney Studio.” It includes 600 sketches and animation stills from select films dating back more than seven decades. There are several things that make this interesting to me and particularly if you like animation, which I do.
Hopefully, the Saints’ and their fans’ dreams will come true on Sunday.
1) This artwork is not on view publicly unless in an exhibit, according Lella Smith, the creative director of Disney’s Animation Research Library, in the Times Picayune article, “the only time fans get to see original Disney artworks is when the studio allows periodic museum exhibits.” I do remember seeing animated cell reproductions for sale in the Disney Studio at Walt Disney World but not the originals.
2) The drawings demonstrate the creative process from concept to what was actually used in the production, complete with multiple revisions and notations for camera cell-angles and close-ups. These drawings are mostly hand-drawn, remember, before technology took over.
3) Finally, my mother attended the opening ceremony and she wrote about it on my other blog, Slipcovers for Your Walls (casartblog). What made this interesting to us was the stair riser mural Walt Disney used in the the entrance way of the museum. Nice to know others are using this artistic concept, as Casart coverings is doing.
The exhibit is on view until March 14, 2010. If you’re visiting after Mardi Gras (February 16th), it might be something to see. NOMA and City Park have always been some of my favorite places to go in New Orleans. As a young girl, I used to stare at Bouguereau’s Whisperings of Love, “the Angel,” as I called it, for hours while visiting NOMA. I was always captivated by how he could get that incredible sense of soft, not hard-edged realism. Funny how decorative painters, as I came to find out, try to emulate Bouguereau’s painterly style.
Head over to Café Degas while you’re there. It’s nearby and magical.
On a side note, WordPress tells me I’ve now written over 300 posts. I wasn’t even counting but that sounds like more than I ever thought I would do. Thanks for tuning in, it makes it worthwhile.
