A Madrigal

A Madrigal

by Clinton Scollard

Easter-glow and Easter-gleam !

Lyric laughter from the stream

That between its banks so long

Murmured such a cheerless song;

Stirrings faint and fine and thin

Every woodsy place within ;

Root and tendril, bough and bole.

Rousing with a throb of soul ;

The old ecstasy awake

In the briar and the brake;

Blue-bird raptures -- dip and run --

And the robin-antiphon ;

Tingling air and trembling earth,

And the crystal cup of mirth

Brimmed and lifted to the lip

For each one of us to sip.

Dream! -- 'tis something more than dream,

Easter-glow and Easter-gleam!

Prescience 'tis, and prophecy

Of the wonder that shall be

When the spirit leaps to light

After death's heimal night!

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The Barren Easter

Parable of the seed sower. Those who sow
seed do not always harvest, but must wait
to see God's rewards in the here after.

The Barren Easter

by Clinton Scollard

It was the barren Easter,

And o'er Pamello plain,

Where'er the sweeping eye might rove,

From beechen grove to beechen grove.

Greened neither grass nor grain.

It was the barren Easter;

By vale and windy hill,

Where blossoms tossed on yester year,

Now bourgeoned no narcissus spear,

And glowed no daffodil.

It was the barren Easter,

And toward the grinding-floor,

A store of wheat within his pack,

Along the dreary meadow-track

Went good Saint Isadore.

It was the barren Easter,

And when the sweet saint came

To where a mighty live-oak spread,

A host of wrens and starlings red

Seemed crying out his name.

It was the barren Easter,

And to his ears their cry

Rang plaintively, "O Isadore,

Grant us thy pity, we implore!

Give succor, or we die! "

It was the barren Easter

When wide he flung his store.

And all the feathered folk of air

Sped whirring downward for their share

From kind Saint Isadore.

It was the barren Easter

And onward to the mill

Along the dreary meadow-track.

The empty bags within his pack,

The good saint plodded still.

It was the barren Easter;

He scarce knew why he went,

Save that he did not dare return

To face his master, grim and stem.

Now all his grain was spent.

It was the barren Easter;

When at the miller's feet

He cast the sacks in dull despair,

Behold, he saw them open there

Abrim with golden wheat !

It was the barren Easter;

Oh, meager are men's words

To tell how He that rose that day.

And drove the wraith of Death away,

Helped him who fed the birds!

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Easter Even

Easter Even

by Margaret French Patton

Our dear Lord now is taken from the cross,

His bruised body wrapped in linen cool.

And laid by loving hands in Joseph's tomb;

Outraged Nature bows her head and sleeps;

The guard is set; Jerusalem is still.

Ye sleeping buds, break

Open your green cerements, and wake

To fragrant blossoming for His sweet sake;

To-morrow will be Easter day,

And I would have my garden gay

On Easter day.

Ye home-bound birds, take

Swift-winged flight, that from my budding brake

Your joyful hallelujahs ye may make;

To-morrow will be Easter day.

And I would have my garden gay

On Easter day.

Ye strolling winds, shake

Out your drooping sails, and heavenward take

The songs and sweet aromas for His sake;

To-morrow will be Easter day.

And I would have my garden gay

On Easter day.

Early in the morning while 'tis dark,

Like Mary Magdalen, with spices rare,

I, too, shall hasten to my garden fair

To seek, our risen Lord. Who knows? For love

Of birds and buds He may be walking there.

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An Easter Carol

 An Easter Carol

by Christina G. Rossetti

Spring bursts to-day,

For Christ is risen and all the earth's at play.

Flash forth, thou Sun,

The rain is over and gone, its work is done.

Winter is past,

Sweet Spring is come at last, is come at last.

Bud, Fig and Vine,

Bud, Olive, fat with fruit and oil and wine.

Break forth this morn

In roses, thou but yesterday a thorn.

Uplift thy head,

O pure white Lily through the Winter dead.

Beside your dams

Leap and rejoice, you merry-making Lambs.

All Herds and Flocks

Rejoice, all Beasts of thickets and of rocks.

Sing, Creatures, sing,

Angels and Men and Birds and everything. 

 

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Father

Father

by S. E. Kiser

When all my other debts are paid

My greatest debt will yet be due

For sacrifices you have made

And cares that I have brought to you.

I have been slow to understand

The patience and the love and pride

With which for my sake you have planned,

Your own ambitions put aside.

When others have withheld from me

The praise that I have longed to hear,

You, Father, have been quick to see

And glad to speak the word of cheer.

With eager efforts you have sought

To smooth my paths and make them fair,

Unselfishly expecting naught

In payment for your tender care.

I have been slow to learn, but now,

With recollections that are sweet,

I braid a laurel for your brow

And lay my tribute at your feet.

My Father's Voice in Prayer

My Father's Voice in Prayer 

by May Hastings Nottage

In the silence that falls on my spirit

When the clamor of life loudest seems,

Comes a voice that floats in tremulous notes

Far over my sea of dreams.

I remember the dim old vestry

And my father kneeling there;

And the old hymns thrill with the memory still

Of my father's voice in prayer.

I can see his glance of approval

As my part in the hymn I took;

I remember the grace of my mother's face,

And the tenderness of her look;

And I knew that a gracious memory

Cast its light on that face so fair

As her cheek flushed faint--O mother, my saint!--

At my father's voice in prayer.

"Neath the stress of that marvelous pleading

All childish dissensions died:

Each rebellious will sank conquered and still

In a passion of love and pride.

Ah, the years have held exquisite voices,

And melodies tender and rare;

But tenderest seems the voice of my dreams--

My father's voice in prayer.

Sculpture & Pottery Index

Read more about Tony Tasset 
and his "Eye" sculpture.

       Sculpture the art of imitating living forms in solid substances. The word means, strictly, a cutting, or carving, in some hard material, as stone, marble, ivory or wood; but it is also used to express the molding of soft substances, as clay or wax, and the casting of metals or plaster. Three forms of sculpture are usually recognized. When the object stands free, it is said to be in the round; when it projects slightly from a sold surface it is said to be in relief; when it is cut into or sunk down into the surface is said to be in intaglio.
       The following methods of manipulating clay are typical of art assignments given to students (k-5th grade) in the United States: roll out a slab, stamp into clay, drape over a bowl, roll out a coil, carve out a design, pinch a pot, and join surfaces together. All of my clay crafts/lesson plans use some sort of combination of these methods in order to finish the project.

• Varieties of Clay and Glazing
• How a potter works his or her clay...
• Firing, Glazing and Decorating
• Four Different Varieties of Pottery

Artifacts About Sculpting Figures and Basic Pottery Shapes:

• Shape a Draped Ghost for All Hallows Eve! (clay pinch pot)
• Shape a pinch pot acorn  (clay pinch pot)
• The Chiva Bus Parade (clay slab)
• Shape a coiled snake to hold your crayons!  (clay coil pot)
• Wad, Wrap and Tape A Fall Pumpkin Craft

Lesson Plans & Crafts from Art Education Daily Related to Sculpture: 

1. Ceramic Pinch Pots With Animal Features (porcelain clay)
2. Ceramic Coil Pots (porcelain clay)
3. Sculpt a few tacos with papier-mâché
4. Ceramic Slab Masks (porcelain clay)
5. Ceramic Animals (porcelain clay)
6. Handcraft your own artisan pizza
7. Ceramic ClaySlab People (porcelain clay)
8. Ceramic Drape Bowls (porcelain clay)
9. Ceramic Cupcakes (porcelain clay)
10. Ceramic Turtles (porcelain clay)
11. Shape a dozen papier-mâché doughnuts
12. Making a "Galimoto" (recycling wire, newsprint, pipe cleaners etc...)
13. Ceramic Pies "All American Berry Pie" (porcelain clay)
14. Effigy Pots Lesson Plan (mache sculpture)
15. African Masks Made From Recycled Materials: Cardboard 
16. Assemblage Art Made from Throwaways 
17. Diorama of Fashion Display Window    

Four Different Varieties of Pottery

       Three of the most common varieties of pottery are Earthenware, Stoneware, and Chinaware or Porcelain and one far less common is Micaceous clay pottery made famous by Pueblo Native American potters.

       Earthenware, which includes all of the coarser grades, from the ordinary stoneware, of which jugs and crocks are made, to the heavier grades used for culinary and table purposes. Earthenware is undoubtedly the earliest, form of pottery, and rude articles are found among' all uncivilized people.

       Stoneware, a high grade of earthenware. The term is often applied to numerous varieties in most common use. It is hard, well enameled and often beautifully decorated.

       Chinaware or Porcelain, the finest grade of pottery. It is made by mixing' the best quality of kaolin with a Chinese clay containing' a little silica. When fused at a high temperature these ingredients produce a beautiful translucent ware. Porcelain originated with the Chinese, hence the name china, or chinaware. It is known to have been manufactured as early as 950 b. c. Prom China and Japan come the most delicate and beautiful specimens of this Chinaware. 

       The manufacture of china was introduced into Europe early in the sixteenth century, and numerous establishments now exist both on the Continent and in England. The oldest and best known of these is near Dresden. Saxony, and from this city the ware has taken its name. Dresden china has attained wide popularity and is prized for its excellent quality and beautiful finish. 

My favorite pottery is made by Native American potters.

Above is a video describing Micaceous clay Pueblo pottery.

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Firing, Glazing and Decorating

Molds made of plaster of Paris
for ceramics class.

       Vessels that are not round are usually cast in molds, made of plaster of Paris, each half of the vessel being made separately and the parts joined together when taken from the molds.

       Pottery is burned, baked or fired in kilns, which vary in size and shape according to the sort of ware for which they are designed. The higher grades of ware are placed in cylindrical earthen boxes, called saggers. The saggers are stacked in the kiln by packing in tiers, one above the other. The ware is usually raised to a white heat, which is maintained for thirty-six hours or more, after which the kiln is allowed to cool slowly. When cold, the ware is taken from the saggers, and in this state it is called biscuit. The rough places on the surface are now smoothed, and other finishing touches are given, after which the ware is glazed.

       The process of glazing is accomplished by dipping the ware in a mixture called the slip. This is a solution of the glazing substance in water and is but little thicker than milk. The ware is dipped in, and on being removed, it is so handled that no drops are left standing on the surface. The porous walls absorb the water and leave a thin coating on the surface, which, on a second firing, passes into the clay and forms the glaze. By the addition of necessary pigments, coloring can also be produced with the glaze. When this is poured on and allowed to ran down until stopped by the heat, beautifully shaded effects are often produced.

       Decorations are usually put on with a brush, either before or after glazing. If decorated after glazing, the ware must be fired a third time. Decorating requires great care and skill, as the colors, when put on, are entirely different from those which will appear after firing. For instance, gold is put

on in the form of a chloride which has a brown color.  

Applying a slip to a pot by Bill Gilder.

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How a potter works his or her clay...

       The first step in making pottery is to grind the clay to a very fine powder, which is mixed with water into a dough-like mass. In the manufacture of ordinary stoneware, a quantity of this dough sufficient for the vessel is attached to a horizontal wheel called the potter's wheel, which is worked by foot power. The workman forms the clay into a cone with a blunt apex. Then by inserting his thumbs into the apex of the cone and revolving the wheel, he roughly shapes the vessel with his hand. After this, the walls are pared and smoothed inside and out by tools of wood or leather. During the working, the clay, tools, and hands of the workmen are kept moist. When shaped, the vessel is placed in the drying room, where it is allowed to harden, after which it is ready for burning. 

Fine potter, Emily Reason, demonstrates "working the clay"

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Varieties of Clay and Glazes

       Pottery is made of various grades of clay, to which sometimes small proportions of fine sand, powdered feldspar or flint are added, the kind and proportion of these ingredients determining the sort of ware. 

       Clays that contain any appreciable quantity of iron turn red when burned, as in the making of brick, and much of the coarsest grade of earthenware is made of this kind of clay. Other varieties turn to a cream color, and others become a reddish-brown. The finest quality of clay used for pottery is known as kaolin and is pure white. Some varieties of clay contain enough sand to make the glaze or enamel, but for most wares this must be added. The glaze is made by different substances for different wares. That of stoneware, such as common jugs and crocks, is made by throwing common salt into the furnace, where it is decomposed and fuses with the clay. Other varieties of stoneware are glazed by a mixture of white lead, flint and glass ground together; while porcelain is glazed by still another composition. 

Glazing your ceramics.

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The Buster Brown Index

Richard Felton Outcault.

       Richard Felton Outcault was born on January 14, 1863 and died on September 25, 1928. He was the American cartoonist who created the series The Yellow Kid and Buster Brown, and he is considered a key pioneer of the modern comic strip.

       Richard Outcault introduced Buster Brown to the pages of the Herald on May 4, 1902, about a mischievous, well-to-do boy dressed in Little Lord Fauntleroy style, and his pit-bull terrier Tige. The strip and characters were more popular than the Yellow Kid, and Outcault licensed the name for a wide number of consumer products, such as children's shoes from the Brown Shoe Company. In 1904 he sold advertising licenses to 200 companies at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Journalist Roy McCardell reported in 1905 that Outcault earned $75,000 a year from merchandising and employed two secretaries and a lawyer. Read more...

Artifacts About the Buster Brown Cartoons:

1. Buster Brown and Tige at Dinner
2. Buster Brown Silent Films
3. The Buster Brown Musical Comedy
4. Buster Brown's History
5. Buster Brown's Elec. R. R.
6. Buster Brown's Paper Bike
7. Buster Brown's Paper Sled
8. Buster Brown Coloring Pages