Glass Sculptor Dale Chihuly, Stunning Glass Artwork

Chihuly Exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

A Facebook friend of mine posted some gorgeous photos from this exhibit above today and I was captivated. I had not heard of Dale Chihuly before but I researched him and found out how incredibly talented he is. He’s an American glass sculptor who has been creating glass art for over 40 years and has permanent collections in over 200 museums worldwide. He also has exhibitions in many botanical gardens throughout the United States. I couldn’t help thinking how beautiful it must be inside his mind. What a wonderful imagination he must have to create such stunning pieces of art work.

“I don’t know if something can be too colorful. Color is one of the great properties of glass and is more intense in glass than any other material.” -Dale Chihuly

Just a side thought, the way I found this art work through Facebook is a great example of why I love social media. The power of sharing; you never know who might see it and then pass it on, or how it might impact someone. I’m so glad my friend posted photos of his exhibit, I was truly inspired and uplifted today. Art has been something I’ve really gravitated towards lately. I have not posted on here a lot because I’ve been consumed by school but also I’ve been on Tumblr & Pinterest in my spare time. It’s good to post in here again, this blog is like an old friend it’s good to see.

My Tumblr Blog

Dionysus Beauty @ Tumblr

I've become a bit obsessed with art lately thanks to Pinterest and Tumblr. Sites like these make finding art accessible and easy, it's all at your fingertips. I started a Tumblr blog to collect all of my favorite pieces in one place. I have a Pinterest board as well with a smaller set of favorites. What I love about these two sites is that I have been introduced to so many different kinds of artists I might have never found otherwise. I have always loved art, it expresses what I cannot say in words and it makes me think, and oh how I love to ponder.

The title "Dionysus in Flux" came about because Dionysus is my pseudonym, it’s where my name originally comes from. Dionysus was most commonly known as the Greek God of wine and agriculture, the God of the grape harvest. He was also called the liberator, and represented freeing oneself, often through wine and artistic expression.

Dionysus Beauty is a name I came up with when I was writing a beauty blog. It means to be a natural beauty and to liberate yourself from society’s standards. Anyone who is inspiring, empowered, educated, and strong. Those who embrace their beauty.

Dionysus in Flux represents the elements mentioned above. Sometimes an explosion of emotion, color, or introspective at other times and solemn. This is what the inside of my mind and heart looks like on any given day, depending on my mood. Images that represent different aspects of me. It’s an evolution of self as I transform and transition from one stage of life to the next. My blog is a visual representation of my reaction to life and observations. 

I appreciate art, and beauty in all it’s many varied forms, and anything clever or eloquent. I am a lover of words and images that evoke emotion, they speak to me. 

State of flux - a state of uncertainty about what should be done (usually following some important event) preceding the establishment of a new direction of action.

Flux: continuous change, passage, movement, or flow.

Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.

"All is flux, nothing stays still." -Heraclitus of Ephesus

10.17.12 Update:

New template! I've polished my blog up a bit and added a lot of great new posts. I've been posting mostly art, photography, inspirational and literary quotes, posts centered around causes, and random bits of funny. Come have a look!:)

Pursuing Your Dreams

Today was a great day:) I got some news of the best kind. There is a marketing internship I really wanted and I was offered the position. I’m on cloud nine right now and I just wanted to share. Right before this post I published a quote I saw on Pinterest via mymodernmet.com about pursuing creative work but it’s really applicable to pursuing dreams in general.

Nobody tells you just how hard it’s going to be. You might get a glimpse or hear a bit about it, but going through it first hand you learn just how arduous it really is. If it were easy, everyone would do it. See there is THIS GAP, between when you are starting out and reaching your goal, and more often than not, it’s a BIG ONE.

The best thing I’ve learned is this: No matter how broke you are, or how many sacrifices you have to make, how little of a social life you have because of how hard you work, or how far away the end result seems, JUST KEEP GOING. Patience and perseverance will get you there every time.
If you are unconventional like myself then you probably take non-traditional routes in life. I traveled inside and outside the U.S. during my twenties before going to college. It was the best experience of my life but it has its price. Even still, I wouldn’t change things if I actually had the chance to. I have fantasized about it though, only because it might have made my life easier, but when it comes down to it, the reward for a big risk-doing things your way, is PRICELESS.

I have to tell myself to remember, it’s a process, and the best things in life are fought hard for. I also think about people I respect like Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan once said “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. AND THAT IS WHY I SUCCEED.” To this day Michael Jordan is known as the best NBA basketball player of all time.
So I will keep going, and I will focus on the prize because doing what you love in this life is a beautiful gift. This is my second marketing internship and my third job in social media and marketing. I love what I do, I have passion and determination, and that is why I will succeed.
And now to celebrate…DANCE TIME!!!!
   

FAme

What kind of effect does fame have on people? I’ve heard it said, “no one can prepare you for that kind of attention, what it does to your life.” I can only imagine but being under a microscope like that must be extremely difficult to say the least. Being interested in psychology I’m fascinated with the hold celebrities have on people, this celebrity obsession our society has. I’ve caught myself being captivated by certain celebrities because of how I perceive their beauty, lifestyle, talent, ect. I think it's mostly the characters actors play that people fall in love with. However, I believe typically actors have to pull from within to play a certain part, they have to “be” that person to play that character so it’s natural to find yourself intrigued by the actor as a person.

At this point in our celebrity fascination I think things have gone to far. The paparazzi, although I understand they are trying to make a living, play a role in a potentially dangerous game. In more extreme cases like Princess Diana, it’s evident the danger involved. We tend to brush off the everyday Hollywood photos that splash across the magazines on a regular basis.  However, photos from a recent scandal made me think about the reality of fame and it’s affect on celebrities as well as the people who pay attention to their every move.



Kristen Stewart has been thrust into the spotlight this past week for negative reasons amidst promoting new movies. I won’t discuss the reason in detail because I think doing so encourages more discussion about what should be a private issue. Under normal circumstances it might be but unfortunately for all involved, this is not a normal situation. It couldn’t have happened to a more famous young Hollywood couple.

The media, since the internet age began, has increasingly become a less credible source and more manipulative to gain ratings. They have far too much control over what people believe to be truth. I don’t believe the media takes the responsibility it should because we live in a capitalistic society where money is the main focus. All of this aside, pictures can be misleading but they do not lie. It is what it is and it will take it’s course. My question is, why are we so surprised when celebrities act, well, human? Why do we seem to hold them to a higher standard of morality? Why do we judge them harshly for their mistakes? We seem to have a need for them to live out our fairly tale fantasies and when they disappoint us we feel betrayed.

Snow Flower and The Secret Fan

Snow Flower and The Secret Fan is a 2005 novel by Lisa See set in nineteenth century China. It was made into a film in 2011. The premise of the movie is about two girls who are bonded together by a tradition known as laotong; a relationship that bonds them together as friends for life. They communicate by writing in a secret language called Nu shu on a white silk fan they deliver back and forth to each other. 

There are two stories in this film, that of the two girls in the 19th century and two of their descendants in present day Shanghai. Each set of girls endure pain and struggles. This is a story about real friendship between women.

Left (original song)

Freedom

"True freedom doesn't come from a piece of paper, right or privilege, rather it's the understanding of your status = knowing who you truly are and who you are not, then being/living it " ~ Steven http://notapersonorcitizen.blogspot.com/

I have the utmost respect for July 4th and am grateful my independence. I saw this picture and quote above on a facebook page called Wave 11:11 that I really like. They post things like this all the time and this one really struck me. On a separate note I really love graphics design and this one is really well done, these are my favorite shades of blue. 

Psalm 68:13 King James Version

13 Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.14 When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon. http://bible.us/Ps68.13.KJV


I love the Psalms, they were so eloquently written, they sound like poetry. Reading beautifully written words to me is like breathing in a wonderful scent. I think the Bible is to this day still one of the top pieces of literature ever to exist.

Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 () 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. #Bible http://j.mp/son5M2

RI YUE TANG - Sun Moon Lake

This is the first piece of art I ever purchased. I fell in love with it when I saw it. I was completely captivated and stared at it for hours fascinated. It was the first time art had moved me in this way. I found it when I was logged into a virtual reality program called Second Life. I bought it in a store for my home there. For a short time I had a home in Second Life on a sim that looked similar to Lake Tahoe in California. 

The reason I love this piece so much is because every time I look at it I see something different. I think the story behind Sun Moon Lake makes it even more interesting. I found the story on travel guide website for China.

"Sun Moon Lake is located in Nantou County, Taipei City. It is surrounded by Mount Shuishe and Mount Dajian. The lake covers an area of 7.7 square kilometers and has an average water depth of 40 meters. The lake is divided into northern and southern sections by an island called Guanghua. The lake gets its name because the northern section resembles a rhombus-shaped sun while the southern section looks like a crescent-shaped moon.

According to legend, a white deer contributed to the discovery of the lake. Three hundred years ago, a group of peasants were hunting when they discovered a large white deer running to the northwest. They followed this amazing creature for three days and nights, but it finally disappeared in the forest. On the fourth day, after they had moved through the forest, they came upon an impressive vista. They saw rolling verdant mountains and a shimmering lake shining brightly under the sun. A small round island covered with trees divided the lake into two parts. One part was like the sun and the other part was like the moon, so they called it Sun Moon Lake. Attracted by the fertile soil and beautiful scenery there, the peasants decided to settle down and began a new life.

Originally called Shui Shalian and Long Lake, the Sun Moon is the largest natural lake in Taiwan. The climate in this area is quite temperate with the highest summer temperature being less than 22C (71.6F) and the lowest winter temperature bottoming out at 15C (59F). With such a pleasant climate, it is a top choice as a summer resort. Besides the cool weather, visitors are drawn by the magnificent scenery. The beauty of the lake lies in its tranquil crystal water that clearly reflects the surrounding mountains. Rain or shine, winter or summer, the lake offers visitors a plethora of picturesque sights. If the scenery of the lake were a wall calendar amazing and breathtaking pictures would be found by turning over each page. The lake is extremely attractive at night. When the water is bathed in moonlight tinged with a layer of thin fog, it gives the appearance of a place existing only in legend.

Many places of interest are found around the lake. Wenwu Temple, located near the north shore of the lake, pays homage to Confucius (551-479 BC), the founder of Confucianism. It also honors General Yue Fei (1103-1142) of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) and Guan Yu, a great general of Shu States in the Three Kingdoms (221-263). The temple is tall and splendid and is designed according to the features of the surrounding mountains. Guanghua Island is the burial place of Xuan Zang (602-664), the monk who went to India on foot to seek the sutra. Finally, on the island, there is a pavilion named for Old Man under the Moon (the god of marriage)."

Pablo Neruda “The Sea”

Someone I know was rummaging around in old photos and found this, I think it’s lovely.

"I need an ocean to teach me: whatever it is that I learn - music or consciousness, the single wave in the sea, the abyss of my being, the guttural rasp of my voice, or the blazing presumption of fishes and navies - so much is certain: even in sleep, as if by a trick of a magnet, I spin on the circle of wave upon wave of the sea, the sea's university..." -Pablo Neruda "The Sea"

"I Think We're Alone Now" Song

I just used Shazam to find this song "Think We're Alone Now" by Tommy James And The Shondells. I heard on a comedy show: Colin Quinn Long Story Short; love this original version and even better Colin Quinn's stand up, excellent performance:)

Forced to Marry the Man that Sexually & Physically Assaulted Her; Moroccan 16 yr. old Amina Filali Committed Suicide

Saturday, March 10th, 16 yr. old Moroccan girl, Amina Filali, committed suicide after she was forced to marry a man that raped & beat her regularly for a year. This is lawful due to section 475 of the penal code. "In some cities, it is unacceptable for a woman to lose her virginity before marriage, even in cases of rape. Marriage is regularly used as a way to restore the honor of the rapist and the victim's family."

There has been an outrage on the internet over her story and this powerful photograph. It has sparked a debate over arranged marriages that allow this kind of cruelty. For me personally, I cannot get over the look in her eyes. I see sadness and pain there, and a look of resignment. Yet, there is a strength there that I cannot put my finger on. She was a beautiful young girl who had her entire life in front of her. How was this allowed to happen?

Who was protecting this girl? I hope this internet outrage continues and the debate spurs people into action. Where there is a girl like this, there are others, and more forced to do what their parents and judges tell them to do. That is not freedom, that is obedience. Smart, talented, beautiful, young girls are not given the choices they deserve to make the most of their lives with laws like this in place.

We are living in an age of internet and social media. We need to take advantage of the powerful voice that gives us. I think we owe that much to the Amina Filali’s of the world. Share on Twitter, FB, YouTube, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, Google+, wherever you can to spread the message that this is not okay and she did not die in vain. Please click on her picture for the full story.

A Lost Love

This sculpture means a lot to me. The picture was taken by an ex-boyfriend and I believe it is in Denmark or Sweden. I'm not sure which, if anyone knows please comment. It symbolizes our relationship and constant frustration to communicate and understand one another. Art is interpretive and I see in this sculpture, the woman trying to explain something to the man, or maybe she is giving him hard news, and he, his head in his hands, not understanding or dismayed by what she is saying.

When I reflect on that relationship I remember what I learned, what I enjoyed, and what I regret. I wrote several poems about it but the one I like most is one I wrote of a dream I had. When I write, I write with a fury to get it all out and when I am finished I read what I wrote to understand it. I look back and feel very differently now but I can appreciate the feelings behind this poem. Love can be bittersweet but it’s memory is still important.

The Dream of A Lost Love

You broke the window to my soul, and stole a piece that left a hole."I just feel like we were cheated, " I say to you, in a dream, where you offer me a warm embrace, knowingly and kind. We were flying and our bodies were moving at the speed of light, the only creation I could see were your eyes staring into mine; in them were forgiveness and peace so I smile and release.  Only a dream could produce you now in the deep recesses of my mind so patience is a virtue I must learn in time. but if only for a night  I saw a glimpse from his eyes to mine.

Snow Day!

Just a nice afternoon in winter and unexpectedly it started snowing. Where I live that rarely happens so I was pretty excited. You know that first day in winter when it snows. It might be just flurries or only last for 10 min. but it’s fun:)

Saturday afternoon in winter:)

Big fat snowflakes!

Poetry

RELEASE

Bathe me in warm light because I’m on my way to higher ground. Leave a seat open; reserve one, for my heart will soon be found. If troubled waters are shallow than I must be getting close. Patience and perseverance, I close my eyes and let go, the tide will bring me in.

Something I wrote about my journey in the last few years. Transformation and change is hard and overwhelming at times. Sometimes it is necessary to let go and be open and accepting to change. I am a bit stubborn and tend to resist unintentionally making it more difficult for myself. Like Philo of Alexandria said "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." Some struggles are more internal than others.