Home of the comic strip Arlo & Janis

The Impressionists

A field trip to the art museum

I don’t remember the specifics, but it seems there was one of those hysterical, art-related controversies consuming the media at the time I drew this cartoon.

I have always been fascinated by painting. Sometimes, I think I would like to try painting, that I might be able to do it rather well. Then, I can never think of anything I want to paint, and I take that as a powerful sign I probably was not really meant to be a painter.

Today's "Arlo & Janis!"

Jimmy Johnson

62 responses to “The Impressionists”

  3. I can barely draw a straight line with a ruler, and I am in awe of anyone who can create something on a blank page or canvas. A high school classmate of mine took up painting when he retired and has become quite good, selling some of his landscapes. Take a class or two. There is inspiration around every corner.

    Reply

  4. “I can never think of anything I want to paint.” That seems not to be a problem for many modern “artists.” Also, it solves the problem/expense of traveling somewhere to paint, or hiring a model.

    Peace,

    Reply

  6. Nudes. You can’t go wrong painting nudes.

    Painting their images on canvas, I mean. Not painting the actual nudes. Although come to think of it, that could make for an interesting hobby, also.

    Reply

  10. Mark, that video was shot at the hospital where 3 of my 4 daughters were born, my wife had her gall bladder out, and I had my CRT-D inserted after my SCA. Half the nurses in my neighborhood work there.

    They recently changed their name from Utah Valley Regional Medical Center because in the smart phone era people are now searching for either Utah Valley Hospital or Provo Hospital. When seconds count and people can’t find the “eleven key” on their phones (911, of course)…

    Reply

  12. At this time of year, many are thrilled at the thought of warm fuzzies amidst our families and friends, indeed.
    Not nearly so much when upon mozzarella.
    Discovered 10 minutes ago…really impressive length on ’em, though.

    Reply

  16. JJ

    We have a barn you can paint –

    We also have the 4″ brush and gallons of paint.

    Around here they also paint Quilt Patterns on the end of barns.
    There is even an Quilt Art Trail

    In PA (& elsewhere) they do “Mail Pouch” & “Bull Durham”

    And we have seen some nice Barn Murals

    Just ask the Village – we have all kinds of ideas

    Reply

  18. When our son was about eight, we took him to the Columbus Museum of Art. At that time, the museum featured a couple of nudes, which our son did not comment upon at the time.

    The next day as we were talking with our next-door neighbor (who just happened to be our son’s first grade teacher), he pipes up with “I never knew museums could be so sexy!”

    Reply

  23. Yes, TruckerRon, both Brie and Camembert are mold ripened, and probably others. And, of course, the white stuff on the outside of a dry cured Italian salami is also mold. The mold on the salami gets peeled off with the casing, the ones on the cheeses are quite edible.

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  25. Silly bear. Didn’t have any change for the vending machines. Wait. “Donner Pass”? Really? Perhaps the bear had something in mind to eat besides Twinkies.

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  31. Big sale day at the store today.

    Lots of warnings last night but only moderate wind and rain. It did appear heavier weather moved to either side of Eufaula. A confirmed tornado crossed I40 at the Arkansas River northeast of us, in a mostly sparsely area. Looked pretty heavy on radar crossing the Tulsa area but haven’t seen an damage reports.

    Reply

  32. Had thunderstorms and lightning late last night in Tulsa. Part of my parking lot is flooded due to a clogged drain. One area of OK got a tornado, not near me. Nice and sunny now. Supposed to get much cooler overnight.

    Reply

  34. 9CL has a real oldie – but a truly fine “goodie” – today (Sunday). Being a Sunday strip, it does not continue from previous days.

    Reply

  37. Jackie tells me there may be as much as five inches of snowfall here in Oklahoma later this week. In my neck of the Deep South woods, we would refer to that not as a “snowfall” but a “blizzard”. Or possibly “The Snowpocalypse”.

    Reply

  38. I recently had to make a quick trip to my Deep South domicile to attend to some personal business, in the course of which I picked up a couple of months’ copies of the local newspaper that had been delivered since my last visit. Today was the first opportunity I’ve had to look through them. So far, I haven’t seen any obituaries of folks I know, which is a good thing. I also ran across a police report that is too good not to share.

    Local deputies investigating a pickup truck stopped in a roadway found a 39-year-old man slumped over the wheel. When they roused him, he acted dazed and confused and attempted to drive way. He was stopped and charged with DUI, a no-seat-belt violation, and no insurance. In the course of being booked into the county jail, he was found to have a bag concealed “under his scrotum” which contained Valium, cocaine, and methamphetamine. (Contained in the bag, not his scrotum.) He was quoted by deputies as stating, “I did not know I had that in my shorts.”

    His trial in Justice Court will likely resemble something on an episode of the TV show “Night Court”.

    Reply

  41. I was a teacher back in Texas when this cartoon was published, and I think I know what you might be thinking of, event-wise. An art teacher took her junior high class to the art museum (in Fort Worth, if I remember correctly). As they were on the docent-led tour, one of the stud nts noticed a nude (not sure if it was a painting or a sculpture, but either way, not pornographic) in another gallery they walked past but didn’t even enter. The child’s mom raised such a stink with the school that she got the teachr fired! Not our finest hour…

    Rusty

    Reply

  42. Today’s “Hi & Lois” is so true. Probably been noted in other strips over the years.

    Earlier than 2 decades ago, Brooklyn M. of Art held a temp. exhibit of the nude in art, lots of paintings and some sculpture. TIME noted it, so Elaine & I added it to our visit-NYC schedule. Was surprised by only one thing: the forthright but non-pornographic on-a-couch painting that TIME featured was only about a foot wide, + frame. Had envisioned maybe 2-3x that. Billy goat! One life-size sculpture of a man wrestling a large snake: man was well done, but sculptor needed more time studying snakes.

    Docent brought in a classful of kids, supplied some context, and did a good job of pointing out this and that. Students behaved, asked good questions, and teacher probably did not get fired. Gotham has its advantages.

    Peace,

    Reply

  43. If you are ever in Bemidji, consider visiting this place. Corner of 5th St. and Bemidji Ave. [#197, main drag though town], good parking nearby, magnificent year-old art museum, curated by what must be one of the happiest women I know. Husband of a BSU poli-sci prof. They started and operated what is still an upscale mostly Italian restaurant, Tutto Bene, but this is where her heart lay. Bldg is across the street from the cramped old Carnegie library which used to house the museum. Watermark is celebrating its 1st anniv. Sun. 9 Dec., w/ refreshments, 1100-1300: am taking my newly retired MDiv son and maybe his wife.

    http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/entertainment/4536983-new-look-new-life-watermark-enjoys-first-year-high-visibility-spot

    Peace,

    Bemidji Chorale did its annual Christmas concert at 3 & 7 Sun. Free will, at Calvary LC. They are always good. Too wide a choice of bars at coffee afterward. Burp.

    Reply

  44. Last week, I had a biopsy of a mole on the back of my waist. Result an hour ago: benign!! Thanks be to God.
    Both my MD and the sample-slicing tech figured it’d be otherwise….

    Reply

  45. “Biopsy”. Yep, a word that should give anyone pause, no matter how optimistic they are.

    Happy to hear you dodged that particular bullet, c ex-p.

    Reply

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