ANNOUNCING … CHARLOTTE’s CHARITY
DRIVE: Those of you who know
me, know of my deep love and admiration for animals. In every issue, we feature several
prints. A donation of $2 from each
featured print will be made to our featured charity that month. Thanks from the bottom of my heart for
supporting the care and appreciation of animals everywhere.
At the SuperSanctuary, the animals enjoy days filled with good food, playtime and the knowledge that they are not only safe but greatly loved. My husband and I first heard this story from a Lakota Indian at a camp in Canada a couple of years ago. Just recently we heard it again from a Zuni Indian in New Mexico. Where ever it originated, it is American Indian lore and I think it is worth repeating.
Use code: literacy at check out to receive 10% off any item!
September is Literacy Month, so you lobsters keep on reading.
Use code: literacy at check out to receive 10% off any item! This month's question for Charlotte is:What do you find most rewarding about your art?
Where did that expression come from?Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled Gentlemen Only….Ladies Forbidden. Thus the word GOLF entered into the English language. In the 1400s a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with stick no bigger than his thumb. Hence we have “the rule of thumb”. In Shakespeare’s time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase, “goodnight,sleep tight”. It was generally and seriously believed up to the middle of the eighteenth century that if one were bitten by a dog suffering from rabies that one’s chance of recovery was greatly improved if a hair of that dog could be secured and bound upon the wound. Later the saying “hair of the dog” came to popularly mean a drink on the morning after too many drinks the night before. Scientists tell us that the most certain evidence of a horse’s age is by examination of his teeth. This is especially important in horse racing. Thus, no matter what an owner may say of his horse’s age, an examination of the horse’s teeth will verify it’s age, therefore getting the information “straight from the horse’s mouth”. The expression “Dog Days” actually has an astronomical source. It is the period in which the Dog Star, Sirius, the most brilliant star in the constellation Canis Major rises in conjunction with the sun. In ancient belief it was the combined heat of Sirius and the sun, while these two heavenly bodies were in conjunction that brought about sultry weather. I just love making people smile. My hope is that my art catches people off guard, and makes them laugh in unexpected, silly ways. Much of my art includes animals, and I think by portraying their beauty and devotion in playful ways, it will bring awareness to the need for all of us to take loving care of all the animals in our beautiful world. Each month, I will answer a question in the hope that it will encourage you, the reader, to expand your awareness of your own artistic nature. Just play and have fun, like you did when you were a child! I will also reveal the story behind my art. For each featured piece, you will learn how the idea came to me, and see the fun I had creating each piece. And I will offer my suggestions for the perfect place in your home or workplace for that piece of art. I want to encourage you to have fun, and feel free to be playful in life. I truly believe, when we feel happy, we can reach out and share that happiness with each other and with animals. Good things will naturally happen when happy people open their hearts. Feed the Good Wolf,
Celebrate literacy month with your own Charlotte Holder Artwork Journal!
Did you know that 44 million adults in the U.S. can't read well enough to read a simple story to a child? September is National Literacy Month and a terrific opportunity to curl up with a great novel or, even better, make some extra time to read to a child. If you really want to get into the spirit, The Library of Congress is hosting the 2009 National Book Festival this September 29 on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Attendees will have the opportunity to visit with more than 70 award-winning authors, illustrators and poets who will talk about and sign their books. Featured categories include: Fiction & Mystery, History & Biography, Children & Teens, Poetry, and Home & Family.
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The D.E.L.T.A. Rescue SuperSanctuary is home to more than 1500 dogs and cats that have been abandoned in the wilderness. Located in the high desert area outside Los Angeles, this 94-acre ranch is beautifully landscaped and surrounded by rolling hills. It is the largest “No Kill, Care-for-Life” sanctuary of its kind in the world and has two fully equipped veterinary hospitals and a full time veterinary staff on the premises.
Sometimes I hear snatches of conversations going on around me even when I’m not really listening. Usually, that is how a word or phrase makes it’s way into my subconscious mind only to emerge at a later time. Someone said “reading between the lines” in a very southern drawl making it sound like “reading between the lions”. When I was preparing a canvas the next day it popped back into my mind and this painting was the result. It has been a very popular gift item for teachers and librarians. Several of the schools in my city have it hanging in their library.
My family loves seafood. Sitting in a restaurant one night, a person at an adjacent table was ordering lobster tails. I jokingly told my husband I could tell him some tales about lobsters. Mike is used to me saying what he considers to be “the weirdest things”, but knowing that a painting is probably taking shape in the back of my mind. Sure enough, a few days later Lobster Tales appeared on my canvas. This is a fun painting in the kitchen or a beach house. It has also been another favorite for teachers and librarians. (There is a Shrimp Tales and a Cat Tales, too.) And Lobster Tales is great paired with The Bottom Line.
Life is a bunch of roses when professional artists join children with disabilities for a day of painting in the park. One of the most rewarding things I do is partnering with children who have disabilities to create art. I do this on a regular basis with an organization called VSA (Very Special Artists). It is a national organization that, through the arts, serves children and
