Beautiful in Cobalt Blue
Being a painter, I have colors that I consider essential to almost every painting I make. I tend to prefer phthalo and cobalt colors. (Safety note: yes, I always wear gloves when I paint.) O ...
Read More
< Back to Curator's Corner
Curator's Corner
End of the Ming Dynasty in China
This day in history, April 25, 1644, marked the end of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) in China with the death of Chongzhen Emperor (1611–1644). Although the Ming period was turbulent po ...
Read More
Curator's Corner
Art in Everyday Life
While looking at images for the revision of one of our books, I came across an image of a metal pitcher from the 1930s. It had such clean, modern lines that it could easily be mistaken for a contempor ...
Read More
Curator's Corner
Glass and Native Americans
I had another one of my “holy cats!” moments this week when I came across this gorgeous artwork from the Spencer Museum. I’ve mentioned that I have these little epiphanies quite ofte ...
Read More
Curator's Corner
Ancient Glass
When I was in graduate school, I was privileged to be able to visit Venice and subsequently the island of Murano, famous for its glass-making. I was fascinated watching glass-blowing and instantly wan ...
Read More
Curator's Corner
Pioneer American Modernist
Every now and then my landscape painter alter-ego forces me to focus on a painter who is renowned for his or her landscapes. One of my all-time favorites in that department is Marsden Hartley. I espec ...
Read More