It's a dark, rainy October day here in the Mid West and I am happilybrowsing art online, one of my favorite indulgences. I had totally
forgotten the marvelous Belgian artist Xavier Mellery! This painting
is called Feuilles d'Automne, or Leaves of Autumn, 1893. He has
enchantingly depicted the curled falling leaves as women, entangled
in a spider's web. My new header is also a Mellery titled The Rondo
of the Hours, the symbolism being perfect for this time of year.
Okay, I've settled on this header, at least for a day or two.
Listen
...With faint dry sound,
Like steps of passing ghosts,
The leaves, frost-crisp'd,
break free from the trees
And fall.
.
Adelaide Crapsey
Halloween is in the air at Willow Manner!
ReplyDeleteI love how detailed your blog is... it is fantastic to go on every day and see the changes!
ReplyDeletewhat a lovely post. beautiful on all levels. and i loved seeing crapesey again!
ReplyDeleteHello Willow !
ReplyDeleteWhat a funny and lovely post ! Ouahhh...
Your aheab is beautiful tonight....
Fabulous pictures and poem. So Autumny! I find treasures on your blog that I've not seen before. Delightful learning!
ReplyDeleteLove the new header, very stylish000.......
ReplyDeleteYou always have the most beautiful artwork on this site. And I have enjoyed all of your headers. One day over the weekend, I popped in and there was what looked like an orange mum. I came back two hours later and it had changed!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting way to depict autumn. I always love learning about new artists.
ReplyDeleteso esthetically elegant...that's what i thought when opening your blog before going to bed...Love this artist's work...
ReplyDeleteyour blog is very "recherché"...you know. I like that !!
:-)
Willow, your blog is always so beautiful. And what better way to spend a dark, rainy October day here at your blog, it's storming outside as I'm typing this.
ReplyDeleteI love the picture of your great-great grandparents on your sidebar!
Wow, I had totally
ReplyDeleteforgotten the marvelous Belgian artist Xavier Mellery too! Actually, I'm telling a false hood! I've never heard of him...but....that's why I have you on my "blog trap line" so I can check out all this stuff. It's not sinking in very far, but at least I''m trying. Do you have any great, fall colored trees around the Manor? That would make a nice header!!!!!!! Have a good one!
Rather gloomy, cobwebs under the stairs kind of post lifted by the breeze of the gentle quote.
ReplyDeleteInteresting new atmosphere around here - Hallowe'en come early?
ReplyDeleteI love your Emma Thompson quote. That is so very true!
Kat
Without a doubt, you find the absolute best quotes ever.
ReplyDeleteI feel eerily calm after reading your entry tonight! Love the poem.
ReplyDeleteI will be back!
It was the perfect gloomy day to sit at the computer and browse...and redecorate your blog! So perfect for this month!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite fall things is to walk on crunchy leaves! Our sidewalks down Main Street are lined with huge old trees and I'll never forget crunching leaves like that my first year here as a college freshman. A wonderful memory I relive every year! (and that's a lot of years! tee-hee!)
Willow, it's so good to be back. I've just had a lovely time reading your back posts. How wonderful they are. Today's is fabulous, and such an evocative poem. Great new header too.
ReplyDeleteBT
xx
Wild header! Not sure what I think of that--I so loved your last one. I love to peruse art on line too, like you. it's so nice having the internet for this very sort of thing. All the artists I've been exposed to now that I would no way know about otherwise..
ReplyDeleteYour blog is always interesting! I imagine beautiful music and the fragrance of flowers and yummy food at the Manor. What a creative atmosphere!
ReplyDeleteSo wonderfully spooky!
ReplyDeleteI have "lots and lots" of Art books, and this is a new artist for me. Thanks for sharing. I always find something great here. I don't always have time to comment, but just remember that I am dropping by frequently. Yours is one of my top 10 favorite blogs.
ReplyDeleteJust a thought: It might be nice to keep a collection of thumbnails of your previous Mastheads in the sidebar. You have great headers.
Thanks for the visit and nice comment,
Troy
NO encouragement please! When the Big Leaf Maples decide its time to de-leaf - I will spend many DAYS raking the 12"diameter leaves!!
ReplyDeleteSince most of our trees are all about 180 feet tall - that computes to a lot of raking.
(Still, they are kinda pretty.)
Your blog never fails to impress! If there was a blog award for style yours would certainly win. Now I am going to learn more about this Belgian artist.
ReplyDeleteGolden leaves are also gorgeous! I love all the artwork you find amidst arranging balls and organising that retinue of butlers, cooks, parlour and scullery maids to say nothing of head gardeners,stablemen, coachmen and the rest that are needed to run a well ordered and appointed Manor House!
ReplyDeleteI have met some deadlines and am going to splurge in some proper Blog Browsing so am going to scroll down and read all your entries I have missed in the last week or two!
Please, willow, I beseech you, settle on this header for an eternity! I love it! I did not know who this painter was, so thanks a bunch for the introduction. I will now spend a couple of hours tonight browsing through his art online.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London
I love the Autumn Leaves painting. I have the feeling that I have seen the exhibition in the Van Gogh museum that is mentioned on that page but I can't find the catalog (I always did get those, the shows in that museum are great) so maybe I only remember the posters in town (that was when I was living in Holland, obviously).
ReplyDeleteI'm enchanted with Melery's work! Wonderful find.
ReplyDeleteI love the harvest moon in your side bar, too.
I love the Gothic inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI love your changing headers - each one is beautiful and somehow perfect for the moment. You have a gift.
ReplyDeleteAs for the poem today, I always imagine that the rustling sounds of falling leaves actually *are* the ghosts, coming to visit us just briefly before the long sleep of winter.
Just wanted to say I love the quote in the sidebar by Emma Thompson. She's one of my favorite actresses, and those words are so true.
ReplyDeleteI love visiting and seeing all the wonderful changes on your blog.
ReplyDeleteWillow Manor looks lovely.
Willow! - a feast for the eyes as usual - miss a stop here one day and a person is behind - I love, love, love your new banner and also your new pic of yourself! & the images in this post are fabulous! whew!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful artist, Willow. You've been having an awful lot of fun on your blog lately!
ReplyDeleteGreat artwork!
ReplyDeleteIt was grey and wet here yesterday and I loved every minute of it. Lots of great hot tea weather is just around the corner:-)
Great header! Very dramatic. I'm enjoying Xavier Mellery's art, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThe poem makes me so envious of all those experiencing Autumn at the moment. Sighhhh....I would give anything to be going into Autumn. I'm finding I am tense from bracing myself for the shocking heat of our Summers.
Wonderful artwork! The Crapesy images are fabulous! I agree--a wet, dreary day and art to explore are a good combination! have at it! I like the banner, too--and your new photo! New 'do? You look great, Willow!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sue! Actually, this photo was taken in February and I used it for my profile pic when I started my blog. I just pulled it out of my winter file. :^)
ReplyDeleteI've never even heard of this artist... thanks for the tip. :)
ReplyDelete