Elbert Hubbard had the right idea. Hubbard (1856-1915) was an American writer and publisher who drew inspiration from William Morris, Pre-Raphaelite associate and key figure…
As a little girl, I enjoyed Nancy Drew, Wonder Woman, and Princess Leia, all of whom had moments of peril where they were helped by…
We carry an entire world in our pocket that allows us to search for information without opening a reference book. I can write you a…
(Part one of a series.) Possession is an intricate novel written in 1990 by A.S. Byatt. A combination of mystery, myth, and romance, it is…
We all need a bit of magic in our lives. Some of us have more than others. Part of it may be influenced by our…
For me, myths are a touchstone, a framework that helps me work out some of life’s thorniest dilemmas. Recently, I’ve been dealing with a series…
“Sit in a room and read — and read and read. And read the right books by the right people. Your mind is brought onto…
The image above is Solitude by Frederic Leighton and I find it to be a comforting image. It grabs me. Leighton wrote about it to…
When Waterhouse’s exquisite Hylas and the Nymphs was controversially removed from exhibition at the Manchester Art Gallery recently, I wrote that it would be far more…
As I pursue the Pre-Raphaelites, I find it is the small details that captivate me, pulling me further and further down the rabbit hole. One…
Today has been cold and grey, the kind of day that makes me want to do nothing other than curl up and read. I’ve been…
The Wounded Dove, painted by Rebecca Solomon, is a painting that resonates with me deeply. The dove’s wing appears broken and I don’t know if…
I’ve spent my entire adult life pursuing Pre-Raphaelite art and in doing so, I find that what I actually discover is myself. Art and literature…
Today begins the forty-second year of ME! ‘Tis my birthday! In Ulysses, Tennyson said ‘I am a part of all that I have met’ and…
William Morris’ Love is Enough has been on my mind this morning. “He makes a poem these days–in dismal Queen Square in black old filthy London…
Friends sometimes say it’s strange that I can simultaneously be optimistic and bubbly while also being captivated by art filled with melancholy and death. I’m not sure how to answer except to say that I consciously choose to embrace life to the fullest and believe that my positive…
There have been many times in my life when I’ve seen models or actresses and compared my own looks to them and realized I don’t…
Our Halloween revelry is over and now we honor our ancestors with the Day of the Dead. Throughout Mexico and the Southwestern U.S., this is…
Professor Richard D. Altick is a man I never met but respect a great deal. Here in the United States, he is regarded as a pioneer…
Above is a detail from Arthur Rackham’s illustration of Pan from The Wind in the Willows. I first became enchanted by Pan when, as a little…
When I was fifteen years old, my father taught me how to drive. I was eager, yet scared; I couldn’t believe that I had actually…
Well, hello there 2014! We’ve barely begun to get acquainted. I don’t have a feel for you yet. You still hold that thrilling newness and…
Pre-Raphaelite art includes many beautiful yet different types of women. On one end of the spectrum, we have damsels in distress that need to be…
I seem to be bombarded by advertisements that insist there is still time to get my body “bikini ready”. If I can’t sculpt, shape or…
