Dan Anton at No Facilities has an annual creative Doors Challenge. It starts with bloggers submitting door photos. Then we are challenged to pick a door and create.
Here are 5 wonderful response to my 3 door pics.
Thank you to all who chose one of my doors! Thank you to Dan!
At first it seemed like another pretty face in the midst of graffiti mayhem.
Then there’s this eyepatch with a crab.
Turns out Cancer, the crab, was sent by goddess Hera to distract Hercules while he battled Hydra.
Suddenly the Hera pendant makes total sense. Goddess Hera is alive and well in Graffiti Alley.
Hera is also the goddess, who lives with my pal, Marina – Art Towards a Happy Day
Here, Hera is alive and well and living as a beautiful dog.
Taking the drawing of Hera that Marina did, I combined it with the image below,
…. to create the header for this post: The Two Heras
Hera drawing © Marina Kanavaki
Pics taken by Resa – May 29, 2024
Toronto, Canada
The Hera alley artist: Not sure at this time
June 18th is Hera’s Gotcha Day. I’m not sure how many years ago it was, but I do know Hera has had about a million years of love since.
Lest we forget, Mahsa -22 years old –
…..was arrested in Iran for not wearing her hijab according to law.
She died in rehabilitation/detention, setting off protests unlike the country had seen before.
This post is dedicated to Aladin – Lamp Magician, who left Iran many years ago.
From time to time, he posts about Mahsa, and the plight of Iranian women.
I never know what I’ll find in an alley.
Woman. Life. Freedom
Pics taken by Resa – May 29, 2024
Toronto, Canada
The Arists:
Not the prettiest piece of art ever painted.
Found in an underpass, it remains haunting.
Hey mom! Can I go out and play?
Pics taken by Resa – February 5, 2024
Toronto, Canada
The artist is unknown at this time.
I saw the most inspiring show at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Elisabetta Sirani (Italian 1638-1665)
Personification of Music – 1659 – oil on canvas – Painted in exchange for music lessons.
It was all European female artists from 1400 – 1800. It included 230 pieces of art: oils, watercolours, chalk, etchings, sketches, tatting, embroidery, quill work and more.
Themes included portraits, self portraits, religion, nudes, still life, nature, home decor and more
Josefa Ayala (Portuguese circa 1630 – 1684)
The Christ Child as Pilgrim – 1676 – oil on canvas
It is the AGO’s policy that we are allowed to take pics (no tripods, flash or other professional equipment), that we may post on social media and that we do not make money from said photos.
Sarah Stone (English circa 1760 – 1844)
A Blue and Yellow Macaw circa 1789 – watercolour, watercolour glaze & black ink border on paper.
I’ve never taken pics at the AGO before, and did my best despite: lighting in general, lighting reflected in in glass & oil paints & lucite display cabinets, and my unbridled enthusiasm.
Below is an example of a cabinet encased in the joys of reflections. This cabinet is made of water colour and metallic paper, hair (hairwork), and watercolour panels.
Sophia Jane Maria Bonnell (English – circa 1748 – 1841) and Mary Anne Harvey Bonnell (English – 1748 – 1853)
Paper Filigree Cabinet circa 1789
The plan is to show more of the art in categories. However, due to the plethora of photos to comb through, It will happen between street art posts.
Anna Maria Von Schurman (Dutch 1607- 1678)
Self-Portrait -1633 – engraving on paper
Anna mastered 14 languages. Her proto-feminist treatise The Learned Maid was published in Latin in 1638
One art blogger has agreed to come on as a guest.
Katherine Read (English 1723 -1778)
British Gentlemen in Rome – circa 1750 – oil on canvas
I’m swept away.
Photos © Resa McConaghy
I’m thrilled and honoured to have my drawing of Amy featured on House of Heart’s latest tribute/bio.
Thank You Holly!
She’s travelled the world and the 7 seas!
Written in memoir style, the author instills through her mostly hilarious adventures, how to adhere to travel restrictions.
As a pre 9/11 traveller, D.G. notes that one used to enjoy (“the thrill of the journey as much as the destination itself.”) Those golden days are long gone.
Times changed again, post Covid. We all know what inconveniences, feasibly horrors, can arise during travelling. Whether journeying by plane, boat or rail, one of the obvious issues is luggage.
From Toronto to Chicago to London to Las Vegas to Paris to Greece to the Caribbean to Venezuela and home again, D.G. has run the baggage gauntlet. (“Who opens a suitcase before it gets on the luggage belts and runs over it with some unknown vehicle?”)
Seems the only place D.G. hasn’t travelled, with suitcases and carry on, is back in time.
From the 2 books I’ve read by D.G. I know she is shopaholic, with a severe penchant for shoes. (“I carefully plot out which shoes and purses will match which clothes.” & “So what if I thought I might need to change my outfit 3 times a day?”)
I get it! I’m not wearing the same shoes I wore on the beach to the club at night.
There’s even a chapter in the book: Me, My Shoes, and I where the author wins a $500.00 slots prize in Vegas, and immediately heads off to buy a purse, (“along with four pairs of shoes I’d also been sad to leave behind after already purchasing four pairs”)
One of her strongest suggestions is to buy a luggage scale. There was an airport incident when heading out to a Caribbean cruise.
“It was only after that incident that I ……. invested in a portable luggage scale.” The incident? Well, you’ll just have to read the book to find that out.
This short book is a delightful read, where much travel advice exposes itself through the author’s memories. At the end, D.G. neatly sums up her essential tips. The final tip – “Have Fun!“
ABOUT D.G KAYE
About the Author
D.G. Kaye is a Canadian author living in Toronto. She is a nonfiction writer of memoirs about her life experiences, matters of the heart, and women’s issues. Her positive outlook keeps her on track, allowing her to take on life’s challenges with a dose of humor and a mission to overcome adversity.
D.G. began writing when pen and paper became the tools to express her pent-up emotions during her turbulent childhood. She began journaling about her life at a young age and continued writing about the people and events that left imprints and lessons. She writes books to share her stories and inspiration.
D.G. is a big advocate for kindness and for empowering women. Her favorite saying is “For every kindness, there should be kindness in return. Wouldn’t that just make the world right?”
When she’s not writing, D.G. loves to read (self-help books and stories of triumph), cook (concocting new recipes, never to come out the same way twice), shop (only if it’s a great sale), play poker (when she gets the chance), and, most of all, travel.
Follow D.G. on her social sites:
Visit D.G.’s author page and books on Amazon
Podcasts on Youtube: Grief the Real Talk
**Shoe photos taken by Resa from Cinderella’s Revenge (Chronicle Books) & “Shoes” (Workman Publishing). These photos may not be used for any purpose other than this blog post.**
Graffiti Lux Art & More 
You must be logged in to post a comment.