Art in the Hollow

02/09/2025

02/09/2025

“It reminds me how small I am, but also how miraculous this life is,” death doula Alua Arthur reflects on encountering "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog" by Caspar David Friedrich.

OPENING SOON—"Caspar David Friedrich: The Soul of Nature" is the first comprehensive U.S. exhibition dedicated to the artist. Friedrich reimagined European landscape painting, capturing nature as a space for deep spiritual and emotional experiences.

A leading figure of German Romanticism, he emphasized our connection to the natural world. His landscapes are meditative, mysterious, and full of wonder.

Organized with the Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, and Hamburger Kunsthalle, the exhibition features 75 works by Friedrich, with unprecedented loans from over 30 lenders in Europe and North America.

"Caspar David Friedrich: The Soul of Nature" is on view February 8-May 11.

🎨 Caspar David Friedrich (German, 1774-1840). Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, ca. 1817. Oil on canvas. Hamburger Kunsthalle

02/09/2025

In this painting, René Magritte does what he does best: he takes our familiar world, breaks it into pieces, and then reassembles it…

As one of the leading figures of the surrealist movement in 1920s Paris, Magritte’s approach mirrors one of the group’s fundamental principles. The surrealist manifesto, a multi-page written declaration drawn up by André Breton in 1924, states their aim was to “liberate the mind by subverting rational thought and giving free rein to the unconscious.”

That’s why the figure and horse in this painting are somewhat familiar to us: Magritte ingeniously distorts what would be an ordinary scene by creating an optical illusion. He tricks your eye by combining separate elements into one complete image, transforming a horseback rider into a dreamlike vision. 😵‍💫💫

In doing this, Magritte not only takes us out of our world, but exposes how absurd life can sometimes be.
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🖼 René Magritte, “The Blank Signature,” 1965, oil on canvas, 32 x 25 in., Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

02/06/2025

Part 2: New Beginnings

Dear Art in the Hollow Followers!

Ever since I started this project, many of you have been asking about a Special Friend:

A big guy named Jack, the Golden Retriever! 🐶

And I’ve been listening to your requests to see more of him. But as you know, my portfolio is quite large. I’m sure there must be other pictures you might enjoy as well? 😉📸😉

What to do?
Expand “The Hollow Wall”!
Utilize every inch so we can have a Win/Win.

And that’s exactly what I’ve done.
Lo and behold, I found that there is PLENTY of dedicated space to fit another large format picture! (I don’t know how I missed this possibility before now).

So last week, I designed and printed a special banner to go above the space that will *only* feature pictures of Jack. It’s called:
“The Wall of Fame”. And of course, the space between the 2 windows will still feature photos from the rest of my portfolio.

How’s that for dedication to make everyone happy? Ask—and you shall receive. 😄

All of the banners and the new signs that I ordered have arrived. It is a repeat, but the picture of Jack is freshly printed. Hint: It’s still Winter, so his Santa hat is keeping him warm, even though he’s relaxing at the Rainbow Bridge—making good trouble, I’m sure!

Next step is the installation...just as soon as we both recover from a couple of bad backs. 😳

Then…I’ll take you all to Paris! 🇫🇷🗼📸

02/05/2025

Part 2: New Beginnings

Dear Art in the Hollow Followers:

Ever since I started this project, many of you have been asking about a Special Friend:

A big guy named Jack, the Golden Retriever! 🐶

And I’ve been listening to your requests to see more of him. But as you know, my portfolio is quite large. I’m sure there must be other pictures you might enjoy as well? 😉📸😉

What to do?
Expand “The Hollow Wall”!
Utilize every inch so we can have a Win/Win.

And that’s exactly what I’ve done.
Lo and behold, I found that there is PLENTY of dedicated space to fit another large format picture! (I don’t know how I missed this possibility before now).

So last week, I designed and printed a special banner to go above the space that will *only* feature pictures of Jack. It’s called:
“The Wall of Fame”. And of course, the space between the 2 windows will still feature photos from the rest of my portfolio.

How’s that for dedication to make everyone happy? Ask—and you shall receive. 😄

All of the banners and the new signs that I ordered have arrived. It is a repeat, but the picture of Jack is freshly printed. Hint: It’s still Winter, so his Santa hat is keeping him warm, even though he’s relaxing at the Rainbow Bridge—making good trouble, I’m sure!

Next step is the installation...just as soon as we both recover from a couple of bad backs. 😳

Then…I’ll take you all to Paris! 🇫🇷🗼📸 🖼️

01/17/2025

Part 1: New Beginnings

To my “Art in the Hollow” Friends,

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year!

In the spirit of making personal promises and implementing those changes, I’m going to attempt my Community Art Project once again. Some of the challenges in keeping the project going became difficult, but I’ve since resolved and reworked all of them.

“The Hollow Wall” has been repaired and freshly painted, new signage is on the way, and an updated picture frame is in the making. For the display, a beautiful image I recently shot in Paris has already been chosen and will be submitted to the printer. Sometimes that’s the hardest part!

In the interim, I have a special surprise and I’ll be sharing the details of this at the end of the month. I already know this will make many viewers and the regular Frosty Hollow Road travelers (and horn beepers!) very happy.
So please stay tuned! ❤️
📸📸📸