“Sometimes the irregular is what makes things beautiful, Mr. De Meo said." —Jason Horowitz Traditional crafts become even more precious as industrialization becomes ever-more present. So many stories are bound-up in the skills transmitted … [Read more...]

"The load of thatch has been left, the men and their dogs have bid each other farewell, and the donkey with the cart is led away." As we enjoy the holidays, we thought it might be time for some beautiful Irish greenery. The shortest day of … [Read more...]

"It’s a masterful study in how the light hits a variety of shapes and colors, with the curves of the apples looking especially three-dimensional." This still life is just the thing for a post-holiday moment of relaxation. Do you prefer … [Read more...]

"One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful." —Sigmund Freud Just Because You're a Pessimist, Doesn't Mean Things are Rosy... Author and psychoanalyst Allen Wheelis was called a pessimist, even by … [Read more...]

"The theatrical arc light of late afternoon was shining brilliantly on that white cottonwood tree. I think that is the moment when we decided to make the move." By the late 1960s, Clark Hulings was successfully pursuing the easel painting … [Read more...]

"Their work is ongoing, with no time to stop and visit." Even when we're no longer students, the beginning of September is a time when we all seem to re-focus, buckle down, and get to work. There's so much to be done. This 1972 painting … [Read more...]

"In my mind there seemed to be a kinship between makers of Russian theatrical masks and makers of Hopi Kachina dolls.” One hallmark of Hulings’ compositions is the seamless weaving together of elements from different places and … [Read more...]

"2011's Spanish Lunch Break is a late-career piece for Hulings, and study of a well-earned moment of rest." We get so few actual holidays where we're not multitasking, so we hope you're taking some time to put your feet up over the Fourth … [Read more...]

"The red accents are dotting the foreground as flowers, and Hulings fan-club members will also spot the signature piece of small red laundry hanging on the line toward the upper right." In our first official week of summer, we thought it … [Read more...]

“Don't blame me if it rains.” ― Eeyore the Donkey, A.A. Milne It's been raining on and off all week in New York City, and at the end of the day, it gets a little tiring. There's a whole part of daily life that just refuses to be … [Read more...]

"I was particularly struck by the beauty of the special diffused light: it was almost churchlike." It seems about time for a European getaway! Today we're in Valencia, Spain, in the middle of a bustling day in one of the largest markets in … [Read more...]

"The long landscape orientation makes it seem like a "slice" and is reminiscent of the letterbox layout of a movie screen." Just in case we thought we could pigeonhole Clark Hulings, there's this: a 1959 illustration that questions the … [Read more...]

"Trucks and wagons were everywhere. Heated discussions were going on amidst goats, pigs, cows and sheep." Trading horses is a serious business. Even the expression "horse trading" is a standard metaphor for negotiations—used especially in … [Read more...]

"The darkened doorway brings a little depth and drama to the scene, and a good reason to seek the light, air, and walk-up customers to be found outside." Clark Hulings is a great storyteller, whether he's giving us a few interesting hints … [Read more...]

"Is the barber making a house call on a farm or are there just birds everywhere in this town?" It seems that every part of the world has its own traditions about hair. We take our relationships with our barbers and hairdressers pretty … [Read more...]

"I decided to treat my painting as an abstraction which would stand by itself as a good design whether held upside down or sideways. Realism wasn't important." Here is a long, tall beauty from 1968. At a mere 8" across, Street in Naples is … [Read more...]

"Morely Callaghan's main character in this book is a failed painter who falls in love with a failed American singer—who is pretending to be Italian." The Ides of March marked a lunar cycle in the Roman calendar that was equivalent to our … [Read more...]