I have been studying the new David Austin Rose Catalog....such beauty! I love the new roses for this year....All pink!! One in particular stands out to me....it is PALE pink! It is called Wisley 2008 and is an English Old Rose hybrid. It had approximately 95 petals and is repeat-flowering.It is somewhat like an Old Alba rose. It's fragrance is fresh and fruity with hints of raspberries and Tea. Yum!!!!! This rose won the award for Best Rose for Landscaping in 2009. Its petals are shallowly-cupped and the flower is about three inches across. It is a perfect rosette formation with very pure soft pink color. The petals pale toward the outer edges. The plant is tall and arching...Just beautiful! see DavidAustinRoses.com...Enjoy!

I have recently reflected on the Impressionist movement, and thought about how it affected the music of the time as well. This effect came somewhat later than the art movement, but had many of the same elements. Like the painters, composers of this time created works that focussed on suggestion and atmosphere, rather that strong emotion or the telling of a story. Musical impressionism developed partly in response to the excessively dramatic music of the Romantic period. While Romantic composers had written long forms of music such as symphonies and concertos, the Impressionists used shorter forms such as preludes, nocturnes, and arabesque. Two of the great Impressionist composers were Clausde Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Debussy's Claire de Lune, and Ravel's Bolero are good examples of their style of work. The Impressionist movement in music was primarily in France, however it did spread a bit to England where Ralph Vaughn Williams exhibited impressionist sounds. He was a student of Ravel and his music uses harmonies found in English folk music which is well-suited for the Impressionist sound.Typical instruments in Impressionist music were woodwinds, strings, harp, piano, and small chamber ensembles. It was popular from about 1890 til 1940.

impressionists

I have just discovered a painter named Eugene Delacroix. A French Romantic painter, he was born near Paris in 1798. Delacrox used expressive brushstrokes and his studiy of the optical effects of color profoundly shaped the work of the Impressionists, such as Degas and Manet, whose work followed his. His painitings show classical realism, yet such color and movement that they were a sign of the style to come. He loved painting the realism of battles and also went to North Africa for fresh inspiration.