It’s the Diamond Jubilee for Queen Elizabeth
One of us has seen the collection of the Queen’s Royal attire on display at Buckingham Palace. Guess what? She’s tiny!
Did you know:
- If you are in London during May 13-18, 2012, the Mall Galleries will host 35 years worth of portraits of the Queen?
- A Royal portrait painter is given only (6) one hour sittings to compose their painting unless SHE gets chatty?
- There have been more than 130 official painters of Her Majesty?
- Queen Elizabeth sat for more painters than any other English Monarch?
- One famous painting of the Queen was created using a photograph?
So who painted the Queen from a photograph?
Andy Warhol!
To paint a person during a limited time frame is like painting a baby…where you, the artist, must capture everything possible before the light changes or the mood changes! Talk about working quickly!
Artists share their experiences of painting “Queen Elizabeth, the Monarch” during this show at the Mall Gallery. Will viewers get a glimpse of Elizabeth, the human?
Elizabeth, age 7, Painting by Philip Laszlo
Now please, get your timing straight while discussing the “Diamond Jubilee” as you eat your Sticky Toffee Pudding in the pub…
Most people might think a Diamond anniversary represents 75 years but no, this is a 60 year celebration! HUH?
“Mandala Sisters, how can that be?” you say.
Worried that she wouldn’t live until her 75th anniversary as Queen, palace officials”bent” time under Queen Victoria’s rule so the 60 year benchmark was proclaimed the “new” official length for a Diamond Jubilee.
Wabi-Sabi
During our “formative” years in the Village, our Mother kept tea in a commemorative tin made to honor Queen Elizabeth’s marriage to Prince Phillip. We loved that tin! That childhood memory inspired the collection one of us has pictured above. It’s just a bit of our personal collection of old tea tins from back in the day. It seems fitting to be thankful for all the cups of tea our dear Mother served us as we honor her memory for Mother’s Day. Thanks MOM!
Mary Cassatt
(um, that’s not us…)
You, faithful, dear reader, know neither Mandala Sister has the courage to get tattooed. We’re too yellow for that but we do respect the artisans that participate in this form of art. While we’re at it let’s go ahead and have a little discussion about YELLOW.
Just coming out of Tax Season can leave many feeling punched in the gut so it may be a good time to stimulate your Third Chakra (location: solar plexus) with it’s key color yellow!
Since we are on the subject of the Queen, in Heraldry, yellow indicated loyalty and honor. Yet, historically, yellow was connected with cowardice. How can this color create such a range of feelings? Yellow symbolizes joy, happiness, intellect and energy for our modern times, but did you know that scientists have confirmed that babies cry more in a YELLOW room (anyone grabbing a paint brush and choosing a new decorating shade for the nursery…hmmm)? To this day, most men will not purchase a yellow car ….perhaps they’re a Yellow Belly?
What about Blue?
Does the color blue evoke a feeling of calmness, purity, and peace for you or are you scared of blue? JULIUS CAESAR WAS!
Its Woad in England, Pastel in France
This little, yellow, plant caused all the trouble!
Yet, Woad created all the cash flow for the growers! Picked, dried, fermented, and formed into balls to be mixed with water and used as a dye, Woad or Pastel, as it is known in Toulouse, France, became a feared color back in the days of Caesar. Yep, for Julius Caesar, blue was considered a color of war and barbarian retaliation. The ink was used for tattoos or slathered on their shaved, naked, bodies as Caesar noted about the defenders of Briton. Blue was also known as the “Devil’s Color”!
and now…”The Other Side of the Coin”
Meanwhile, back at the farm, the growers of pastel in Toulouse enjoyed a wealth and status that is still evidenced by their historical architecture today! The buildings made of a light, red stone lent a pink hue to the city. Toulouse is known as “La Ville Rose”, the Pink City. Love it!
A 15th century mansion, now the “Hotel d’Assezat”
Times heals all wounds and colors!
The “energy” of blue slowly worked its way in to the stained glass windows of the cathedrals and churches around the latter part of the 14th century. Prior to that period, Mother Mary was painted wearing red garments. The negative connotation of blue finally faded and it became linked to the qualities of sweetness, innocence, and purity. Blue, once a color of war…now, a color of holy reverence.
Hey Mandala Sisters, why the change of heart about blue?
Vanity!
Like popular personalities of today, the Monarchs of Old realized the benefits of wearing blue garments or appearing in front of blue backgrounds for their portraits.
Some believe this is the origin of labeling wealthy people “blue-bloods” while others attribute the meaning to their having fair skin with blue veins. You decide.
How interesting is that for a color to evolve from a symbol of War to a color of Peace? The current color trends for war are khaki, beige, and olive green. Any energy readers out there will know these three are considered low vibration colors. It’s no wonder blue didn’t last through the centuries as a color of War.( Just can’t stick, it’s got too high of a vibration!)
Did you know they have found scientific evidence that 1 in 6 people have blue eyes and they can all be traced to a single, maternal source through the mitochondria? Wonder what color eyes Julius Caesar had?
