Category: pammcmurtry.com

McMurtry Creative Media is hosting a fine art sale of handmade paintings and drawings by artist Pam Layton McMurtry. These works of art have been featured on design websites  such as Behance and Dribble. Pam’s A Harvest and Halloween Handbook won a “Hot New Picks in Design award” on Amazon.com.

“Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life.” John Lubbock (1834-1913).

Buy affordable art from an emerging artist and enjoy supporting the arts and creative minds. Enjoy this original fine art in your home, workplace, classroom or gallery with free shipping.

This 14″ x 11″ watercolor on paper was inspired the pastoral art of French artist William Bouguereau. Over a dozen watercolor techniques were employed in the creation of this painting.

Price $75

This colorful collaboration by 2 artists depicts a still life positioned in front of a mirror. 16″ x 20″, it is an oil painting on canvas.

Price $300

A graceful Japanese Noh mask is draped with pearls and nestled in chiffon in this 19.5″ x 25.5″ pencil and Conte crayon drawing on gray paper.

Price $75

A collection of vintage items are artfully arranged in the 24″ x 20″ oil painting on canvas.

Price $300

Old-school favorites are affectionately remembered in this 24″ x 19″ charcoal drawing on paper. Stuffed Raggedy Ann and Andy are poised for adventure on a vintage wooden rocking duck.

Price $45

This cheerful still life would look amazing in a Tuscan-inspired kitchen. A 24″ x 18″ oil painting on canvas was one of the first paintings by the artist.

Price $350

This charcoal drawing on paper features an antique chair affectionately known as “Old Ugly.” The sketch is 23.5″ x 18″.

Price $35

Here are just a few pieces, there is plenty of fresh art where these came from! Check out my gallery on Deviantart and email me for prices and availability. Free “regular” shipping available; rush orders have a premium added.

Thank you for supporting the arts!

P.S. Here is a fun little summer story for the mermaid-lovers in your family. It is an ebook available on Amazon and BN.com. 

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is world-renown for its, ahem, engineering challenges, but also its translucent beauty. On a clear autumn day, it nearly glowed against the brilliant Tuscan sky.

Tim opted to climb the winding stairs in the tower interior, still nursing a wounded foot, I stayed below and waited while he photographed his ascent.

Construction on the Tower began in 1173, it is 8 stories high and is actually a bell tower. The well-worn steps present a challenge while climbing.

The next day Tim took a dip in the Mediterranean and met some unexpected flora and fauna (mostly fauna.) Apparently the retired populace of Livorno spend their days sunning on docks.

Tim took off across the bay and as he was swimming, something slippery brushed his arm. Remembering the texture of the sting rays at Sea World, he hopped out of the water onto the nearest dock. I watched from across the bay as an Italian lifeguard lectured him in Italian and gestured that he was on private property and needed to leave NOW.  Tim looked down into the water he had climbed out of and saw hundreds or thousands of jellyfish in clusters. Not knowing if they were dangerous it took him a minute to find a safe place to dive in to swim back across the bay.

We looked them up when we got home and found they were a non-lethal variety; however the hugely dangerous Portuguese Man-of-War jellyfish are in the Mediterranean, hopefully far away.

We visited an Italian market and saw the beginning of the Halloween season. We hugged and kissed our family, Andrew drove us to Florence and we headed back to the United States. 

Back in the US in time for Halloween, Batman on our minds. Arrivederci Italia!

Things I learned from my visit to 6 countries; the history of and artifacts in Europe are amazing. But looking at the rise of the United States of America in just over 200 years, with all of its success and world-changing innovations is nothing short of a miracle. God bless the U.S.A.

On this Thursday evening, I am thinking about the Last Supper, Christ’s agony in Gethsemane, the trials and the final walk to Golgotha on Friday. I am so very grateful for the atonement; that God would offer to spare his loved ones from the demands of justice, gifting us instead with the gentler law of mercy.

I’m impressed that we worship a God so understanding and magnanimous that He doesn’t seem to mind that we celebrate the most sacred day of the year with symbols adapted from secular, even pagan sources. If the children are happy, it is all right.

So in honor of His return of life, the renewal of Spring, the happiness of Easter and all things bright and beautiful, here are a few Easter favorites.

BUTTERSCOTCH BIRD NESTS WITH PERSONALIZED EGGS

Melt in a large saucepan

12 oz butterscotch chips

Add and stir until blended

1 C peanut butter

Fold in

10 – 12 oz. chow mein noodles

Drop by large spoonfuls onto wax paper, shape into nests. Using a food marker pen, write names on

large candy-coated malted eggs

Place in nest with a few jellybeans.  Yields 15 small nests.

EASTER STORY EGGS

This sweet little activity teaches small children about the miracle of Easter. A basket is filled with colored plastic Easter eggs containing scripture verses and objects that represent Christ’s experience.

You will need

12 medium to large plastic Easter eggs that open and the objects below.

With a fine point permanent marker write the numbers 1 – 12 on the ends of the plastic eggs. Copy and cut apart the scriptures of the Easter story and place in the numbered eggs with the following:

1. A small cup or wooden thimble (from craft store)

2. Three dimes

3. A 4″ piece of twine

4. A small piece of soap

5. A small robe cut from red felt

6. A small wooden cross or brown card stock cross

7. Two dice

8. A small square of white fabric torn almost in half

9. A square of white fabric

10. A small stone

11. A few cloves, a piece of cinnamon stick, bay leaf

12. Nothing – this represents the empty tomb

Have the children open the eggs in order to read the Easter story.

French Flower Baskets

This is a lovely, long-lasting arrangement of living flowers and plants in a basket or container. You can buy the flowers at a nursery or home improvement store; it can be an inexpensive centerpiece if you use a container you already own, and transplant the flowers to the garden afterwards.

You will need

•  A basket or waterproof container
• Heavy plastic to line the basket
• Potted living flowers and/or plants
• Potting soil
• Moss, excelsior or dry filler
• Ribbon, decorative figures or other items, if desired

Line the basket with the heavy plastic, cut away excess. Place a few inches of potting soil in the bottom of the basket.  Tip the flowers to the side and remove carefully from their pots. Set the entire plant on top of the soil in the basket intact, taking care not to disturb the root balls or break the stems. Repeat with remaining plants. Fill any gaps with additional potting soil and water well. Tuck moss or other filler around base of plants to hide the soil.  If desired, add items, such as small clay pots, willow twigs or figures to complement the theme. Water carefully, mist occasionally, keep out of direct sunlight.

FUN EASTER BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

The Country Bunny and The Little Gold Shoes by DuBose Heyward

A sweet mother rabbit wants to be an Easter Bunny. She can do it with her family’s cooperation, but needs a little more help to take a special treat to a  child in need.

Max’s Chocolate Chicken by Rosemary Wells

Ruby teaches Max the intricate finesse of Easter egg hunting.

Bunny Money by Rosemary Wells

Ruby and Max shop for a present for Grandma.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

The classic adventure of a mischievous Peter Rabbit in Mr. McGregor’s garden.

Your local book store and online book sellers have lots of beautifully illustrated sacred and secular Easter books.

Look at these cute ideas I found on Pinterest

Andrew; how I miss my son. Andrew, the perpetually happy boy who continually taught me lessons about forgiving and sharing.

The one person who could get his little brother Tim to do about anything during his petulant phases. Andrew, all grown up now and serving his country in the army. After 3 year-long deployments to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; he was now a father and assigned to Italy for 3 years with his good wife and little Ender who was born just a few months before they were deployed. Visiting Andrew and his family was the catalyst that spurred the visit to Europe.

My cuddle bear who is so respectful and strong and protective; I consider myself fortunate to have him as a son. And especially lucky to get to see him in conjunction with a visit to the historical landmarks and canonized art of the western world. Because he is in the military, as much as I would like to, for security reasons, I won’t be putting his photo on this blog.

But the best, most satisfying part of our month in Europe was the time spent with Andrew, Annie and Ender.  I cannot adequately express my gratitude for our military and first responders; especially those that are far from home.

On a day that Annie had to study, we invited Andrew and Ender to go with us on a train ride to Lucca.

We had seen Florence and Lucca and would soon go to Pisa. Newell had a flight home to get back to work in Salt Lake City and the flight was cancelled because of fog; Newell was sent to Rome to wait for the next flight. When Tim heard this, he hopped on a train and met his father in the Eternal City.

Tim and Newell toured Rome.

Tim had seen much of the art of Europe, castles, museums and cathedrals but what he saw at the Vatican blew him away.

Tim was impressed with the beauty of the art and architecture of the Vatican and Rome.

Ender had come down with a sore throat and wasn’t feeling well so I had stayed home to care for him. After a couple of days we bought him a gelato hoping it would feel good to his sore throat. He hadn’t eaten much and was having a hard time sleeping.

Andrew took Ender to an Italian pediatrician and I rode along. The medical interpreter met us to accompany Ender into the examination room; Ender had a sore throat and fever. The pediatrician was kind but did not swab his throat as is routine with American pediatricians. The doctor spoke no English and we were  not able to talk to her in Italian without the interpreter. He cried and we were glad to be finished and get him settled down. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic or medicine I didn’t recognize and an over-the-counter pain reliever, the clinic brought both meds to the exam room and the interpreter wrote the dosage directions down for us in English. Getting a 2 year-old with a sore throat to take oral meds is challenging at best; I was glad he didn’t have an allergic reaction – something we have experienced with other family members.

The reason I am writing this is that there is talk of a decision-maker in another country considering cutting the medical liason/interpreter program at Camp Darby to save money. This small base has very few services available to the families stationed there, with the next American military base being several hours away. To send American families overseas and not provide adequate medical care is potentially a serious problem. There is a campaign on Change.org requesting that the interpreter program be left in place; if you have a moment, we would appreciate your signing the petition, the link is below.

https://www.change.org/p/to-the-command-teams-of-regional-health-command-europe-and-vicenza-meddac-let-camp-darby-keep-their-medical-liaison-team

Annie Chaddock started this petition to Command Teams of Regional Health Command Europe and Vicenza MEDCOM

To the Command Teams of Regional Health Command Europe and Vicenza MEDCOM,

We, the undersigned members of the Darby Military Community (DMC), friends and family members of the DMC, and supporters from around the world urgently request MEDCOM leadership to reconsider the dissolution of services by the TRICARE POC and the three Host Nation Patient Liaisons. Camp Darby is home to over 400 Active Duty Service Members command sponsored family members. Additionally, our community supports a small Retiree population as well as the DoD civilians and contractors that support the DMC missions. The community depends on the services provided by Michelle Cyr, the TRICARE POC, and the Patient Liaisons, Micaela Ballucchi, Ilaria Guerrini, and Barbara Lama for host nation care coordination, language and document translation and navigation of the various facilities and providers within our host nation healthcare network.

Camp Darby does have a small Medical Aid Station staffed by two Active Duty U.S. Air Force Independent Medical Technicians available to provide limited care but to Active Duty only. For the rest of our community we rely entirely on the Italian healthcare system for all our medical needs.

We understand the proposed solution for the elimination of the liaisons is for those enrolled and eligible for TRICARE Prime Remote to rely on International SOS for all referrals, authorizations, appointment scheduling, medical document translation and telephonic language assistance. Unfortunately, communication and language assistance is not always readily accessible. Most areas within the hospital have dead spots, limited or spotty cell service and exam rooms with landlines that cannot dial to 800 or foreign numbers. Therefore, given these obstacles, ISOS is not an acceptable solution.

Not having reliable, clear, and consistent communication to bridge the language barrier puts our Soldiers, Airmen and their families at risk for a potential medical crisis. Many of the host nation providers currently used regularly by DMC patients have already begun to voice concern about seeing us in the absence of the liaison staff referencing legal liability and safety concerns. Our host nation providers deliver quality care but that care is only as good as it is understood. If we do not have the valuable and dedicated liaisons present to assist with the delivery of this quality care, treatments, procedures, and medication information is not going to fully be understood and therefore undermines the quality of that care.

The size of the Camp Darby Military may be small, but that fact should not be used to take away the basic necessity which is access to quality medical care. While this action may support budget cuts, it could very well endanger the lives of Soldiers, Airmen, DOD civilians, and their families.

Thank you.

The train station in Munich was vast and interesting. We quickly learned the difference between a first class ticket; lounge with restrooms and snacks – and everyone else (restrooms in the basement.) Newell dropped Tim and me off at the station with luggage so he could return the rental car and catch a bus back to meet us. As we waited on the platform, we endulged in some serious people and pigeon-watching. (Note from Tim: vegan yogurt – just say no.)

The 8-hour train ride took us through the Alps and into Tuscany; a lovely journey for an autumn day.

We had bought books to read and shopped for lunch on the way to the station. I thought I would get bored, but I was wrong. Watching the variety of landscape and quaint villages as we sped past was anything but boring. We met other travelers and shared their stories; like the elderly Englishwoman who had been visiting her brother in Germany and was on her way to see Venice for the first time. Her husband was worried that she couldn’t manage her luggage, but Tim stepped up and gave her a hand.

We arrived in Florence and took another train to Pisa where we were met with a familiar and family face; our Andrew! It had been a year and a half since we saw him before he and his family deployed to Italy. After 2 1/2 weeks of travel it was wonderful to be greeted in a faraway land by a loved one. Props to Annie for making room for the in-laws for 10 days!

We arrived at the Chaddock’s house late in the evening, but 1 1/2 year-old Ender was awake to greet us. Tired from the train ride, we were glad to be there with 2 of our sons and family.

The next day we went onto base with Andrew to meet his “family” at work. The US Army shares a base with the Italian military, it was an interesting arrangement. The sacrifice our soldiers and their families make takes many forms; besides the dangers they face, for some its being so far from family during holidays and special times.

Americans abroad have to dress unobtrusively to not draw attention; soldiers have to change on base, no uniforms in public.

After watching for terrorist attacks throughout the trip, I naively thought we would be safe in Italy (ahem; the Cosa Nostra…) Wrong. We were informed that Rome was one of the top potential targets and it was suggested we avoid going into the Eternal City.

The following day we took a train to Florence to see the artistic treasures there.

The first thing we saw in Florence was Il Duomo, a cathedral built over several centuries ( exterior 1296 -1436.) The facade  features multiple colors of marble, statues of apostles, saints and Biblical personages.

Andrew had suggested we make reservations for Galleria dell’Accademia to view Michelangelo’s David. A very wise move for a Saturday visit. We had heard and verified that David would be taken off display for a while due of stress fractures developing in the statue’s ankles . A trip to Italy without viewing David? Inconceivable. There was a very long line to get tickets. People were hawking tour packages to get you into the building faster, at a fairly expensive price. Reservations in hand, we skipped the long line.

Viewing the gorgeous marble statue so elegantly crafted, one could almost forget the Biblical story of the young shepherd  about to face the giant impugning the armies of Israel and their God. One look at that attitude and posture and you know how that battle is going to turn out. See 1 Samuel Chapter 17 in the Old Testament of the Bible for a great tale of faith and fortitude. 

After the Galleria’s collection of Michelangelo’s art, my favorite exhibit was the cemetery art. Young sculptors could get commissions for statues and memorials for wealthy families. 

The hall was filled with hundreds of busts and statuary that patrons could reference to create memorials for loved ones. After altering the dimensions of facial features, the piece would look the the intended.

I also appreciated the gilded altar piece collection. In addition to representing the value the church placed on holy items, the gold would glow in the candlelight of the often dark chapels, illuminating the images.

From there, we went out into the afternoon Florence streets to explore. We had some serious souvenir hunting to do for the grandchildrens’ Christmas gifts. We found a gelato shop that was calling our name and a pizza place that wasn’t.  Not a fan of Italian pizza.

I love good display and marketing and one shop nailed it. Each flavor of gelato had large slices or chunks of representative fruit or chocolate embedded in the creamy mounds. You can see berry, honeydew and cantaloupe in the front of the case. Did I mention they had coconut? I was a happy camper; we shared a large coconut gelato – my first ever. It was worth the wait.

We discovered a Jewish synagogue that had a distinctive Middle-eastern style.

A Lindt chocolate shop and a fun gift shop with Danish products, I was tempted to buy but was informed that the gift items we buy in Italy should be Italian. So leather it was. Florence is known for their diverse and beautiful leather products; we bought wallets for the older grandchildren.

The evening was coming and it was time to bid arrivederci to Firenze, the birthplace of the Renaissance.

Endnote: Check the Galleria’s website for open days and hours and try to get your reservations at least 4 days ahead off-season. If the lines are too long, you will not be able to get tickets.

If you grew up with the Disney classics and would love to see them again, here is a website that has scads of old Disney movies:

http://cornel1801.com/disney/movie.html

I can’t vouch for the quality;  however if you are missing the oldies-but-goodies, you can view other favorites as well.

Visiting Germany certainly introduces one to vibrant cultural contrasts. As in a dream, one day you may be experiencing a fairy tale town such as enchanting Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the next day the nightmare of Dauchau. Such is the reality of Bavaria.

The Black Forest in Bavaria in southwest Germany is the site of many of the tales by the Brothers Grimm. Legends say that the brothers were inspired by this beautiful area when they wrote Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty.

Come to think of it, many of the fairy tale lands were not always that safe either…

We had just a short time to drive around the Bavarian charmer called Rothenburg. Built on a river, the walled-city began in 970. It has had its ups and downs like any 1,000 year-old city started in a medieval era, but in its current state, boasts a dear collection of restaurants, shops, historical pageants and businesses. We saw only a small part of the the town and regretted that we didn’t arrive early enough to tour the village (translation: shop for Christmas.)

It was raining and dark the night we left Neuschwanstein castle heading toward Munich. The highways in Germany have an interesting habit of winding through towns. In the U.S., we exit our freeways on the outskirts of town but in the parts of Germany we visited, the roads and roundabouts take you right through the middle  of the village.

At the Griesbrau in Murnau, we stopped for dinner and were pleasantly surprised.  Now we were wandering, trying to find hot food,  and in the center of town we came across an old stone building with gleaming copper vats in the entry and dried hops hanging from the rafters. This restaurant was so charming (and crowded) that we had to grab the last table amid the stares of, who I assume were, the regulars. The waitress gave us the stank eye when we didn’t order alcohol ( we were used to that) and we were directed to the buffet/bar.

A hearty-looking bearded gentleman was carving roasted meats and filling plates with sides. There were 3 or 4 choices of each; Newell had pork bellies (sliced like bacon), Tim had roasted pork knuckle and I had ribs (a rack so large they lapped over the side of the generous plate). Newell and Tim had kloesse (potato dumplings)  and I had a stuffed baked potato, I am still so American. We all ordered the sweet and sour red cabbage. A truly fun dinner concluded an interesting day at Neuschwanstein castle.

Arriving in Munich, we discovered that our Airbnb host had asked a roommate to let us in, but he had taken “the wrong plane” and would be arriving late. We parked our compact car up on the sidewalk to avoid being hit in the center of the narrow street and rested until the man arrived so we could settle in for the night.

After he finished some vacuuming and bed-making, we were ready to call it a day.

I had heard about the museums and galleries in Germany and was anticipating viewing the great art there, but Newell had another idea. Instead of heading into the heart of town, he drove us to the north to visit the memorial at the former Nazi concentration camp at Dauchau.

As painful as it was to read the narratives and view the photos of glassy-eyed, starving and hollow-cheeked prisoners, reality hit me hard when we approached the ovens of the crematorium. 41,000 prisoners, all men, had their lives ended and mortal remains destroyed at this horrible place.

I’m very protective of the lives of American soldiers, after all I am the mother of one. As we toured the D-Day invasion sites on the beaches of Normandy, I wondered if the spilling of so much American blood was worth it. Upon visiting Dachau, I concluded we should have intervened sooner. Sacred to the memory are the soldiers that sacrificed their lives to save their fellow humans from the horrors of places such as the concentration camp at Dachau. We must never forget and never allow these atrocities to occur again.

In studying interior design and art history, I had learned about architecture  as art, the Dauchau Memorial was used as an example. After this heart-wrenching excursion we ventured into Munich for dinner and a look at the city.

We found a local hangout, Andy’s Krablergarten, and were seated at a long refrectory-style table with a family from Australia. Newell and I ordered schnitzel, pounded-pork cutlets dredged in flour and spices and deep-fried. Between that and the salad and French fries, I didn’t think I would ever need to eat again after that meal.

We wandered downtown for a little while and ended up in a bookstore (such is a night on the town for authors.) Newell has collected Astrix and Obelisk comic books since he was a teen living in Germany.

He found a few more to add to his impressive collection. I found the English-language section and bought C.S.Lewis’ “The Four Loves.” Well-fed and well-read, we headed back to pack for our 8-hour train ride through the Alps and into Tuscany to see our son and his family near Pisa.

We did it; we are going for the silver! Happy 25th Anniversary to my partner in time (and hopefully eternity), the father of Tim and the other half of McMurtry Creative Media. 25 years ago he married me, my 4 kids, my hopes and dreams, extended family, quirks, talents, body and soul.  I got a priesthood holder, stability, humor, 2 more sons and lots of love. What an adventure we have had; we are still looking forward to a few more laps together.

At the end of the day I’m always glad to see him and that is good.

For both of us, marriage the second time around has been satisfying – we’ll take the silver.

King Ludwig II was plagued by mental illness and his ambitious castle-building agenda was bankrupting his kingdom. When he started construction of a new castle across the valley from the one he grew up in and near his parents, he may have thought he was finally coming home.

High in the mountains of Bavaria, the castle was the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle in his parks and the movie of the same name. The castle, although never completed, became a major tourist attraction almost immediately when it was open to the public shortly after Ludwig’s suspicious death in 1886. At the time a financial drain, the castles of King Ludwig II have become income-generators for Germany in the ensuing years.

Neuschwanstein doesn’t allow photography inside the castle but a number of photographs are available online. The interiors were inspired by Wagnerian operas and Bible scenes; Richard Wagner  was a friend and Oktoberfest was the celebration of his grandfather Ludwig l and his bride Maria Teresa.

Having worked in art and design with creatives, it was not hard to recognize the over-the-top decorating that can be associated or illustrative of mental illness. The interesting thing about Ludwig’s is that he left a legacy that is enjoyed by visitors from all over the world.