Ruth's World

Do you want to know what kind of reading material resides on Bill Gates' bedside locker? Do you want to have a sneaky look inside the mind of one of the most compelling men of the 21st century? Do you want to peruse through a list of the top ten books that made him think in 2012? Then here you go... 1. The Better Angels Of Our Nature:         Why Violence Has Declined           by Steven Pinker A controversial history of violence. Faced with a ceaseless stream of news about war, crime and terrorism one would think we lived in the most violent age ever seen but Steven Pinker shows that just the opposite is true. 2. Deng Xiaoping             by Ezra Vogel    Deng Xiaoping was a politician and reformist leader of the communist party of China and perhaps no-one in the 20th century had a greater long-term impact on world history. Ezra Vog...

Here's a sneaky look at the painting I'm working on at the moment. I've been sitting on it for ages because I just haven't had the time to finish it. I wish I could sit down and paint all day, every day because there's so many subjects on my 'To Paint' list and I'm itching to start them. I hope to be finished it before Christmas so I can get cracking on my next one. This is a painting based on an old photo of my son when he was a baby sleeping in my hubby's arms. I decided to paint it mainly in black & white but with some colour added in the blue blanket and on his lovely pink lips, just to be a bit quirky. It's miles away from being finished yet but hopefully I'll get at it again soon, so please don't judge it yet. Baby Boy - Work In Progress

Below is a list of the Top 10 most expensive paintings sold at either public auctions or private sales. 1. $250 million - Paul Cézanne - The Card Players, 1892/93 A private sale bought by the Royal family of Qatar. This is the last version of this famous composition still in private hands. There are four other 'Card Players' in the series and are held in famous museums around the world. 2. $140 million - Jackson Pollock - Number 5, 1948 Painted in Expressionist Jackson Pollock's trademark 'drip' style, its buyer is unconfirmed but is rumoured to have been purchased by mexican businessman, David Martinez or hedge fund billionaire, Steven A.Cohen. 3. $137.5 million - Willem de Kooning - Woman III, 1952/53 This painting is the only 'woman' painting in private hands and was bought by the hedge fund billionaire, Steven A.Cohen, who bought it direct from the entertainment magnate and megacollector, David Geffen. 4. $135 millio...

I've stepped away from my half finished painting and am back in Family Tree mode this week, so... This is my Great Grandfather, Michael O'Ryan, born in 1895, with his daughters, my grandmother Angela on the left (his right) and her sister Doreen. He also had three more daughters; Philie, Eileen and Nancy. He also had one son, Sonny (Senan) but he got pneumonia at 13 months old and died. My grandmother said that his fever had just broken late at night when the doctor finally arrived and told Mamma Ryan to keep him warm. But one of the woman who had come to help her out decided to give the child a wash "to freshen him up" and by morning when the doctor arrived again he was dead. He said the child died as a direct result of the wash, if that's even possible?...but that's what he said. This photo was taken around 1932 in Lahinch, Co.Clare, Ireland and was probably one of those occasions when he stole himself away from his attic studio for a bit of family...

Yes, Adolf Hitler...that guy who played the pivotal role and was the center of Nazism, the start of World War II and the Holocaust. Can you imagine him spending his day off in front of an easel?...with his paintbrush horizontally held between his teeth, beneath that infamous moustache while carefully filling his water holder before placing the blank canvas on his tripod stand? Apparently, he painted hundreds of works and used to sell them to earn a living during the lean years of his youth. He also used to colour and sell postcards featuring scenes of Vienna. He aspired to becoming an artist but it was felt that he had very little talent and was rejected on two occasions by the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. He later served in World War I at 25 years of age and brought his paints along with him. He spent his inactive hours at the front painting. During World War II, he used to paint watercolours of war-torn buildings.  I wonder what type of a man he would have turned out,...

So here it is...King John's Castle...finished at last! As I said in an earlier post, it's a present for my mother-in-law and I really hope she likes it.  I enjoyed painting this as it was my first attempt at painting an old building.  I hope you like it too. It's an acrylic painting reproduction of W.H. Bartlett's drawing, originally titled "The Castle Of Limerick" and published in 'The Scenery and Antiquities of Ireland'  circa 1884; a publication illustrated with 120 engravings by Bartlett.  Read on for more interesting information that I researched about Bartlett and King John's Castle. William Henry Bartlett W.H.Bartlett 1809 - 1854 Bartlett was born in London in 1809 and became one of the foremost illustrators of Topography of his generation.  He travelled extensively throughout Britain, Europe, The Balkans, Middle East, Canada and the USA.  He is best known for his numerous steel plate engravings.  He produced Sepia...

  I love these paintings by American artist, Sandra Kuck.  She specialises in painting Victorian children and cherubic angels. Her pursuit of perfection, and her attention to detail allows her to paint only eight to ten pieces per year. I think they're fantastic; they look like photos.  I wish I could paint like this.  I guess I won't know if I can until I try....I'm going to try! See more interesting paintings

Here's a sneak preview of a painting I'm working on at the moment.  It's a painting of King John's Castle and is my interpretation of an early ninteenth century colour printed illustration by William H.Bartlett, originally a steel engraving which would have been published uncoloured.  Bartlett's engraved views were widely copied by artists but no signed oil painting of this picture, by his hand, is known. I'm painting it for my mother-in-law who loves the print version that she has but couldn't frame it successfully because someone folded it and ruined it!!    So here's the beginning's of what will hopefully become a painting that my mother-in-law will love just as much as the print.  Don't worry Nan, this isn't the finished version, it's just the underpainting! WATCH THIS SPACE for the finished painting!

Here are some Illusion Paintings by mexican artist, Octavio Ocampo that I really love. There is much more to some things than you initially perceive. My daughter thinks they're creepy and I can get how she sees that but it just goes to show how people perceive things differently.  As they say "One man's trash is the other man's treasure"! Question:    Did you know that Hitler could paint ?

I just found a photo of my kids height chart that I painted behind the door of what used to be our toyroom. I painted it when my son was three years old and measured my kids against it every year after until they were 11 years old.  We painted over it a few years ago and I'm so glad I took a photo beforehand...memories. I notice that my daughter was at least an inch taller than my son at the same age, from 6yrs onwards.  She was the same height at 10yrs as he was at 11yrs and was over an inch taller at 11yrs than he was at the same age. But it's all irrelevant now, he's fifteen, she's twelve and they're both taller than me.  I'm the smallest in the house now...but i'm still the boss! ...my husband said I could be!