Within a Sky Full of Earth

The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau of Macau (IACM) launched a public competition to choose a LOGO for the animal protection campaign scheduled for the coming months, under the title "Be a Responsible Owner".
The goal is to join citizens and artists together in order to raise awareness to the high rates of abandoned animals in the streets of Macau (consult data here). Responsible ownership and respect for all forms of life is the final message to all of us. It's our duty!
This subject needs attention from everybody, so why not stimulating the care for our pets through something nice, fun and where you can release all your creativity? Join the competition! It's for a very good cause and there are prizes too!
There are 2 categories: students and general public. Find all details and download application form here.

O diálogo com a natureza é condição sine qua non para o artista. O artista é um ser humano, é natureza e uma parte da natureza no espaço da natureza.
O número e o tipo de caminhos a percorrer, tanto na produção artística como no mundo da natureza que lhe está associado, mudam apenas com a atitude do ser humano no que se refere ao seu raio de alcance por dentro deste espaço.
Os caminhos muitas vezes parecem novos, talvez sem, no fundo, o serem. Apenas a sua combinação é nova; verdadeiramente novos, eles são-no quanto comparados com o número e o tipo de caminhos de ontem.
Mas, ser novo em relação a ontem é ainda assim uma característica revolucionária, ainda que isso não chegue para abalar o grande mundo do passado. Por isso, a alegria trazida por essa novidade não precisa de ser diminuída; a vasta memória histórica apenas deve servir para evitar que procuremos à viva força uma novidade à custa da expressão natural.

Esta antologia de textos teóricos publicados em vida de Paul Klee (1879-1940) reúne, para além de ensaios e conferências, os célebres Esquissos Pedagógicos, um dos mais significativos conjuntos de reflexões e desenhos do século XX, que revelam os caminhos da criação num dos pintores maiores desse século.
O conjunto de textos teóricos aqui reunidos responde a perguntas como: Qual a função da pintura moderna? Que relações estabelece com a música, a poesia, as matemáticas, a biologia? Como se pode compreender o poder da linha, do espaço, da forma e da cor? De que modo tudo isso dá expressão a uma consciência nova de nós próprios e do universo?

A arte não é uma ciência que seja fomentada progressivamente através de muito trabalho e da investigação de muitos membros; pelo contrário, é o mundo da diversidade. Cada personalidade, que dispõe da sua própria forma de expressão, tem aqui o seu valor. Só os fracos, aqueles que em lugar de procurarem em si próprios, procuram naquilo que já existe, devem desistir.

Vivi sempre com Paul Klee em casa, nas paredes, nos desenhos que toda a família fazia pelos murais interiores do nosso apartamento. Chamavamos-lhes os sonhos de Paul Klee. A minha mãe ficava com os cabelos em pé, mas quando dizíamos que tinha sido o Paul Klee a fazer, ela lá se acalmava. Foi o nosso avô que nos trouxe essa mania.
Quando mudámos de casa, ainda quisemos levar toda a parede. O meu irmão, à semelhança do que fizeram mais tarde com o Muro de Berlim e com os despojos do 11 de Setembro, ainda conseguiu, a muito custo, com um escopro e um martelo, saquear alguns decímetros cúbicos de tijolo e argamassa, com a superfície lisa do seu primeiro sonho de Klee, a cabeça do terrível fantasma do homem que decidiu ficar senil, só porque não tinha mais nada para fazer.
Mais tarde, o novo dono da casa usou o buraco na parede para embutir um cofre para os seus valores de maior estima. E nós, quando soubemos disso, fartámo-nos de rir.

Escritos Sobre Arte • Paul Klee • EDIÇÕES COTOVIA

Masterpieces Up Close and Art Up Close will introduce readers to the world's most famous artwork from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. They will see some familiar faces, like Leonardo's Mona Lisa and Warhol's Marilyn, and meet some that may be new to them, like the princess in Velázquez's Las Meninas and the mysterious little girl in Rembrandt's Night Watch. Send children on a search for tiny details hidden in full-color reproductions of some of the world's most celebrated works of art. Lift-the-flap keys at the end of the books reveal the solutions to each puzzle, and informative text helps children learn why these paintings have intrigued us for centuries. With the Up Close Pack, young artists will discover just what makes each work a masterpiece.

Following up to the successful Art Up Close is this new title focused on the masterpieces of Paris's renown Louvre Museum. An engaging find-the-detail game draws children into 24 works of art while lift-the-flap keys reveal the solutions.
Less a museum tour than an exercise in looking closely at art, this oversized gallery presents the artworks by European artists from the Louvre, each bordered by a dozen or so enlarged details that viewers are invited to spot. Each spread includes magnified details, which readers can attempt to locate within the entire piece (answers are provided in the back, along with further information about the artist or artistic media).

The Up Close collection is published by Chronicle Books and soon will be available at BLOOM.

Esta foi a obra vencedora da candidatura de Macau à Bienal de Veneza. Foi um concurso à parte, desenrolou-se por baixo da mesa, entre um Vereador do Município de Veneza e o próprio artista. É uma instalação. No entanto, porque era impossível embalsamar os modelos, dois gondoleiros gémeos locais, que deviam estar presentes todo o longo período, desde Junho a Novembro, nas galerias de uma viela de Veneza. Posto isto, a organização da Bienal resolveu, por si, retirar o "vencedor" e dar a oportunidade a outros candidatos. Fica no entanto aqui a prova da obra concluída, um exemplo da Arte Moderna Mais que Contemporânea (AMMqC).

Edictus Ridiculum's Guided Visit

Bloom * is organizing a guided visit to Konstantin Bessmertny’s Exhibition Edictus Ridiculum, this Saturday, August 3rd, at 5 pm. The Painter himself will lead the visit and will unveil bits of his world and of his creations. Through his own voice, we will travel across the vast imagiarium of his paintings, which lay underneath the glimmer and neons of this “Casino Republic”.

Enrolment is limited to 20 participants and can be done by writing to root@bloomland.cn or by calling, or sending an SMS, to 66800024. The meeting point will be at the main door of the Macau Museum of Arts, at Macau Cultural Centre. The journey is free.

Konstantin Bessmertny was born in 1964 in Blagovesthensk, in ex-URSS and lives in Macau since 1993, where he drew his career as a professional artist. He has presented his works in countless exhibitions all over the world.
* With the support of +853 Cultural Association and Macau Arts Museum.

Beautifully illustrated, this book introduces readers to a Zen approach to the world, wrapped in a story about three siblings and their new neighbor, a panda. One by one, the children visit Stillwater, enjoying his company and listening to him tell a brief tale that illustrates a Zen principle. Each time, there is a link between the conversation shared by Stillwater and his visitor and the story he tells regarding the two older siblings, quite specific in the case of Karl, the youngest. The tales invite the children to discover the world from a different angle; for Karl, the panda's story gently but firmly teaches the benefits of forgiveness. The nicely detailed watercolors depict the "real world" scenes, while those accompanying the Zen lessons employ black lines and strokes on pastel pages to create an interesting blend of Western realism and more evocative Japanese naturalism. Taken simply as a picture book, Zen Shorts is interesting and visually lovely. As an introduction to Zen, it is a real treat, employing familiar imagery to prod children to approach life and its circumstances in profoundly "un-Western" ways.
[TEXT BY MICHELLE THOMAS]

Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth • AVAILABLE AT BLOOM

Edictus Ridiculum, pelo pintor

É uma visita organizada pela livraria Bloom e guiada pelo próprio autor de “Edictus Ridiculum”, Konstantin Bessmertny. A iniciativa está marcada para o próximo sábado pelas 17 horas no espaço do Museu de Artes de Macau onde a mostra continua patente até ao dia sete de Outubro. Ao Hoje Macau, António Falcão da Bloom esclarece que esta visita pretende levar os visitantes a compreender o ponto de partida do autor. “É importante relacionar a mente criativa com os seus observadores”. “Normalmente o que se passa é que quando há uma exposição as pessoas vão visitá-la, contemplam as obras, constroem a sua opinião, formam o seu gosto. Mas acho que é importante ir mais longe. É preciso levar essas pessoas a compreender o processo de criação das obras através da palavra do próprio autor questionando-o em tempo real”, acrescenta.
“Há sempre uma explicação para as coisas por parte dos críticos de arte, dos estudiosos, todos falam do assunto, mas não há nada como a explicação de quem as criou. A ideia aqui é criar uma visita como se fosse uma breve aula, o registo de uma memória”, sublinha.
De acordo com o comunicado à imprensa, a livraria adianta que Bessmertny “percorrerá o vasto imaginário das suas pinturas que vivem sob o brilho e os neóns desta “República do Casino”.

Konstantin Bessmertny nasceu em 1964, em Blagovesthensk, na antiga União Soviética e vive, actualmente, em Macau desde 1993 onde formou a sua carreira como artista profissional.
CARLOS PICASSINOS in HOJE MACAU • PHOTO: BLOOM * CREATIVE NETWORK

We have a small bunch of sunshine that has come to do arts and crafts at Bloomland.
They have learned a lot amongst their playmates. We explored water color techniques and different brush strokes making rainbows and castles. Felt was used to place parts together for a final project Butterflies and Toy Soldiers. The children learned mosaic which took patience and stride. Their efforts paid off with a finished oval and many blues, greens, purple, red and orange on a surrounding sky blue backdrop poster board. The children explored many areas shapes, colors, texture and listening skills.
On Sunday the children participated on Keepsake Boxes that they created in a world of paint. Their own imagination and design was explored. Some painted in design others just a lot of color. The final step being a small fairy that was placed inside the box to keep them safe. All the children were happy to read stories at story time the books at Bloom are all educational and informative. Puppet theatre was great fun. The children played with me as Curious George found a new ice cream shop. We explored flavor of ice cream, and of course George’s favorite ice cream was Banana with a little whip cream on his nose.

We had loads of fun and hope to see you all this weekend!
[MICHELLE THOMAS]

It has been lots of fun. Today is Sunday, we will have our third session: Keepsake Boxes, a craft, and Story Time with all the joy of Michelle Thomas. Don't miss it, we still have some places left. It starts at 2 PM in Bloomland at the Hong Kung Temple Square.
[BOOK NOW]

Keywords: Happy, spontaneous, goofy, giggly, passionate, extraordinary, believer, crazy, caring, cuddly, dynamic, popular, risky, bold and of course magical.

Michelle enjoys most anything and can encourage most anyone to participate. I have 10+ years in childcare and children's education. The most important thing to me in relationships with kids is caring. A young child once asked me "How do you do that?" and I said with no detailed instructions just caring eyes, patience and courage, I delightfully guided him on how it was done. At that time I realized my passion was with kids. I just wanted to have FUN with them.

My education: I have a degree in Early Childhood Education that I majored in Child Psychology. This hands on course brings you in and out of the classroom to work with special needs, handicapped, and abandoned children as well as the nursery classroom. I enjoyed the courses and have since owned and operated a small nursery school in Macau called the Friendship Company. Now that Bloom and Friendship Co. have united the Children will have the educational material for learning at home. I am so happy to give that to the children and the people of Macau.

My home: Is here in Macau although originally I come from Canada. My training and experience is also from Cape Town, South Africa.

My life: I have two beautiful daughters, age 8 and 3, and a wonderful husband who also works here in Macau.

Why? Children are a gift from GOD, carefree individuals with personality and character - Why not enjoy their company and feel their energy. They need confidence and awareness from all different areas. Reading books is a way to connect to their inner self and positive reflections. Guiding them is our job.
Hope to see you soon!

Ms. Michelle