Growing up in Sweden Valentine’s Day was called “Alla hjartans day” which means “Everyone’s hearts Day” and even though the day was probably more geared towards lovers it was also a day to reflect on love in all it’s forms.  The special day became popular in the 1960s and heralded from the American culture and was heavily promoted by Sweden’s flower industry.  This acrylic on board artwork is one I painted for a wedding present for some close friends, however I am sad to say their love did not last the distance, perhaps their vastly different backgrounds got in the way after all.

THE ART OF LOVE

But lets not dwell on that for all of us know that – you win some and you lose some!  We found when we arrived from Sweden to take up residence in Australia that Valentine’s Day was even more popular here and heavily promoted by the press in general and of course the card industry and stores and restaurants and the like.

So I think we can all be forgiven to think that it is a commercialized idea thought up by some clever marketing people from the USA.  Well that’s where we are all wrong!

THE ART OF THE ROMANCE

I was very interested to find out that it stems back to AD 496 and a priest Saint Valentine of Rome who went to prison for conducting weddings for soldiers who were not allowed to marry as well as showing kindness to Christians persecuted during the time of the Roman Empire.  He apparently signed a letter “Your Valentine” as a farewell before he was executed.  Trust an Italian man to be the first Valentine, I cannot say I am surprised, there is something so romantic about the Italians!

Not that all that sounds terribly romantic however the romance comes into the picture some centuries later in the 1300 England with Geoffrey Chaucer, as it was among his friends that “courtly love” flourished.  Geoffrey Chaucer was known as the father of English literature and proclaimed as the greatest poet of the Middle Ages.

ARTS AND CRAFTS

Courtly love was a medieval idea of expressing love and admiration and was done secretly between the members of the nobility, an experience between erotic desire and spiritual attainment but not as a rule practiced by husband and wife and was rife during the Middle Ages.  So it does sound more like an illicit affair would be the end result?  In any case this evolved by the lovers sending each other greeting cards with hearts, doves and little cupids which has become synonymous with Valentine’s Day and in the early days handmade with lace and ribbons.   Mass produced greeting cards came along in the 1900’s.  By the second half of the 20^th century flowers and chocolates became involved and then in the 1980 the Diamond industry saw the light so to speak and got us on to the idea of giving jewellery.  Oh, us girls have a lot to be thankful for!

Now of course with the internet we also have Valentine’s Day greetings in the form of E-cards and emails, it was estimated that 15 million Valentine’s Day E-cards were sent in 2010.

So I wish you all a wonderful Valentine’s Day spent with whoever is your love wether it is of the romantic variety or the gorgeous love between a parent and child, good friends or man’s best friend-your dog.  Love in all it’s forms should be celebrated I think.

Here is a quote I think fits well here by W.S. Gilbert.

“It’s love that makes the world go round.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting and also loving.

Love Marie xxx

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

So the show is over for another year and a good time was held by all.  The Royal Show in Adelaide has been held since 1840 which incredibly was only 4 years after the South Australia’s settlement which occurred in 1836.  Early on the show was mainly produce based and featured potatoes, onions, the different grains such as maize, wheat, oats and barley, and cheeses.  Then they combined it with the Livestock Show and added cows, horses, sheep, pigs and fowl.  Although in those days they did not have all the fancy equipment to sow and harvest as my painting below shows.

The first show was held in the yard of the Fordham Hotel in Greenfell Street then moved to the Botanic Park and later on in 1925 to Wayville showground where it is still today.   This acrylic on canvas painting is called John Shearer Show Day and was commissioned by them and hangs in their board room and has also been used for greeting cards and other promotional materials.  John Shearer makes agricultural equipment as you can see from the artwork and here is a link to the newspaper story Elders Stock journal if you fancy a read (left hand side 6^th story down).

THE ART OF CARRYING THE SHOW BAGS

My husband has been to the show every year as he grew up in Adelaide and remembers attending as a child.  At that time all the show bags (sample bags) were free and they would be laden down with all these bags full of all sorts of goodies; lollies, chocolates, biscuits and toys etc.  He says that his brother came in very handy being in a wheelchair and the rest of the siblings would hang their show bags off the side of the chair so his brother Trevor could hardly be seen under them all.  These days of course you have to pay for the show bags, a cheap one at $2 would be Bertie Beatle up to $30 for the fancier ones.  However at the Melbourne show there was a showbag costing $999, called the Grand Ridge Brewery’s Beer Party Showbag,  that one also included vouchers for 3 night’s accommodation with breakfast, dinner and other vouchers as well as a six-pack of beer.

THE ART OF FAMILY MEMORIES

We as a family have gone there together since the kids were babes in arms, so the show is full of happy memories.  The Yellow Brick Road was always a favorite, whereby you buy and empty bag and a map and then follow the directions all around the showground to collect your goodies at designated stands, some cookies here a bag of carrots there and yogurts and a loaf of bread etc.  It used to be really good value for money and lots of fun.  However this year it was mightily disappointing as some stands only gave us brochures, another 2 potatoes and one stand gave out one biscuit!  If they think people will be lining up for that next year they are kidding themselves, lol.

Of course there are plenty of rides and stalls, pig racing and dog and cat shows, wood chopping and the Grand Parade, precision driving, various horse events, singing and contortionists and lots of other things to do for free.

THE ART OF THE FREEBIE

My personal favorite has always been the Tasting Tent.  I think that is a hangover from my modelling days in Tokyo where I used to love poking about in their big department store’s food halls and tasting all these weird Japanese concoctions.   I think it is a habit that the whole family now enjoys and the kids have introduced to their friends as well.

Hillivi’s boyfriend Brett is now quite good at wielding a toothpick and went hell for leather at the small-goods stand, shoveling in the salami and the like.  They made me laugh with their tale at the Chilli stand where the hotness of the chilies was presented from 1-10 in degree of hotness as they ate their way through the numbers.

Luckily for them the next stand had different fruit juices and they threw the samples down their throats whilst in between asking the lady ever so politely “What type of juice is this? etc, feigning an interest but really they were only after something to cool down their burning mouths.  The juice lady turned out to be a sweetheart and kept up the supply of juice till they recovered.

So I will finish this blog Some like it hot, with a quote by a movie star Gina Lollobrigida, which I think gives us all hope, lol.

“A woman at 20 is like ice, at 30 she is warm and at 40 she is hot.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting everyone,

Love Marie xxx  (c)

If you fancy a look at another art blog about places to go in Adelaide here is; 74.Pop-Eye II & Art

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

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