March 24th Today, I am...

...this creative illustration by Mia Araujo!

My name is "Sleeping Sickness". I'm an acrylic painting on wood by Michelle Mia Araujo: "I am an Argentine-American artist, born and raised in Los Angeles. I have long been fascinated by the multi-faceted complexity that makes each person unique. I believe that all individuals contain an entire universe within them, which is invisible to the  naked eye. My work concentrates on giving shape to the unseen forces within my subjects-- their thoughts, memories, emotions, and complex histories. These qualities fit together to form a vast, rich inner landscape of identity and mythology for my characters. In May 2007, I graduated as valedictorian from Otis College of Art and Design, with a BFA in Illustration and a minor in Creative Writing. I am represented by Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles, and have shown my work in prominent galleries across the US." She draws inspiration from everything, but especially fairy tales, performance art, vintage photography, music, literature, animation, and world cultures.

other Mia Araujo paintings:

interesting acrylic paint facts:

* acrylic paint is a paint that is made from the combination of pigment and acrylic polymer emulsion, which contains acrylic resin and water
* the resin used in acrylic paints was first patented in 1915 by a chemist and inventor Otto Röhm from Germany
* acrylic paints began to be developed in the 1920s to the 1940s and were able to be bought commercially in the 1950s
* acrylic paints were popular during the pop art, abstract art and photorealism periods in the 1900s, and have remained very popular due to their flexible nature, providing less cracking; versatility; and their quick drying characteristics

(all facts found at AcrylicPaint)

March 16th Today, I am...

...this mysteriously strange gypsy caravan!

I am a gypsy waggon or a vardo, caravan or living wagon, which is a traditional horse-drawn wagon used by British Romani people (Romanichals are thought to have arrived in England in the 16th century, they are an ethnicity of Indian origin) as their home. It is very common for us to be highly decorated, intricately carved, brightly painted and even gilded. It's a high cultural point of both artistic design and a masterpiece of woodcrafters art (today, even the simplest ones cost about $15,000). The heyday of the living wagon lasted for roughly 70 years, from the mid-1800s through the first two decades of the twentieth century. Not used for year-around living today, they are shown at the Romanichal (British Romani) horse fairs held throughout the year, the best known of which is Appleby Horse Fair.

here is a sketch with every vardo characteristic:

other gypsy caravans:

interesting Gypsies facts:

* there are two types of Gypsies – Roma Gypsies and Irish Travellers; both have a nomadic lifestyle but are separate ethnic groups
* large families are still very much the norm, with some couples having over 10 children
* as a nomadic people, the Romani didn’t write books or attend school to learn to read and write; instead, they’ve long maintained an oral tradition where poets and singers tell stories about the Romani and their culture
* the Romani have a rich musical heritage; their music has influenced jazz, bolero, flamenco music, and many classical composers including Franz Liszt
* Gypsies are not dirty; their culture is built upon strict codes of cleanliness learnt over centuries of life on the road
* most Romany girls are expected to get married between the ages of 16 and 18; according to tradition, a girl shouldn't have more than four boyfriends before getting married, and if a boy asks a girl out, she should refuse at least twice before finally saying yes
* traditionally, groups of extended families formed kumpanias (bands) which traveled together in caravans; each kumpania is headed by a voivode (chieftain) who makes decisions after consultation with a council of elders and the phuri dai (senior woman)
* many Roma women wear bracelets and necklaces made of gold, and headresses are decorated with coins; the display of prosperity and generosity towards others are considered very honorable
 
(facts found at Lifestyle, FRUA, and GRTHM)

March 6th Today, I am...

...Leda with the swan!

I am an oil on wood painting by Leonardo daVinci. Leda and the swan is a Greek mythoglogy story in which the god Zeus, in the form of a swan, seduces and rapes Leda. Leda then gave birth to his children, Helena and Polydeuces, while at the same time bearing Castor and Clytemnestra, children of her husband and the king of Sparta, Tyndareus. Some stories say she laid two eggs from which the children hatched. Leonardo daVinci was an Italian painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. One of the most diversly talented person to ever live, he is also considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time. A man of "unquenchable curiosity" and "feverishly inventive imagination", Leonardo has often been described as the archetype of the Renaissance Man. He epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal (humanism = a philosophical and ethical stance that emphasizes the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively, and generally prefers critical thinking and evidence (rationalism, empiricism) over established doctrine or faith (fideism).

his signature:

other daVinci paintings:

 

interesting daVinci facts:

* the name Leonardo daVinci translates to Leonard from the town of Vinci
* Leonardo was raised by his single father (he was the love child of Caterina, a peasant, and Ser Piero, a lawyer and landlord)
* he was left-handed
* daVinci left many paintings unfinished and destroyed most of his work
* he was a vegetarian who loved animals and despised war, yet he worked as a military engineer to invent advanced and deadly weapons
* he invented the bicycle 300 years before it appeared on the road
* Leonardo daVinci had dyslexia, which made it hard for others to steal his work
* he dug into graves at night and stole corpses to study the human anatomy
* he was an accomplished lyre player

(facts found at DaVinci Poster and Discover)

March 3rd Today, I am...

...Marie Antoinette!

This is a detail of my portait by Martin van Meytens. Some art historians have credited van Meytens as being one of the most significant Austrian painters of the Baroque era. This painting was painted before I went to France in 1770. I was around 15 years old. The little ruff around my neck was an 18th century interpretation of Elizabethan ruffs, a very trendy way to go. I was born an Archduchess of Austria, was Dauphine of France from 1770 to 1774 and Queen of France and Navarre from 1774 to 1792. I was fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I. Initially charmed by my personality and beauty, the French people eventually came to dislike me, accusing "L'Autrichienne" (which literally means the Austrian (woman), but also suggests the French word "chienne", meaning bitch) of being profligate, promiscuous, and of harbouring sympathies for France's enemies, particularly Austria, my country of origin. The Diamond Necklace incident (a crime of defrauding the crown jewellers of the cost of a very expensive diamond necklace) damaged my reputation further. I later became known as Madame Déficit because France's financial crisis was blamed on my lavish spending. (found at Wikipedia)

other pictures of Marie Antoinette:

interesting Marie Antoinette facts:

* she was only 14 years old when she married the future Louis XVI
* it took seven years for the future king and queen to consummate their marriage
* Marie Antoinette was a teen idol
* her towering bouffant hairdo once sported a battleship replica
* a fairy-tale village was built for her at Versailles
* Marie Antoinette never said “Let them eat cake.”
* she was buried in an unmarked grave and then exhumed

(all facts found at History)