travel | Daydream Tourist

Nov 4

Egyptian Blue Faience

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme. This month we are discussing Color! Color has enchanted artists and art lovers for centuries and we’ve picked some exciting topics; you can find links below for the rest of the group’s posts. I love bright colors, contrasting color, subtle transitions of color, and rich tones, but this month I want to talk about one particularly unique color which is intrinsically tied in my mind to entire collection of objects. I have always been fascinated by Ancient Egyptian blue Faience.

Blue Hippopotamus at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, blue faience

The iconic Blue Hippopotamus at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the most well-known blue faience pieces. It was created in approximately 1981–1885 BCE in Middle Egypt.

Oct 31

Happy Halloween from Boston

Even the monuments get dressed up for Halloween in Boston!

Paul Revere on Halloween!

This is the Paul Revere statue from the North End of Boston commemorating his famous “Midnight Ride”. It looks like he’s dress up as the Headless Horseman from the Legend of Sleepy Hallow. Very scary!

Oct 30

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Discovery – Or Why I Love Street Art

Hopefully you’ve been following Banksy’s month long residency and outdoor exhibit in New York City this month. Without even touching the somewhat provocative messages of this pieces, there is something really fun about this style of guerrilla street art. I wish I could be hunting his new pieces each morning! I love the thrill of discovery and that moment of personal appreciation and enjoyment in front of clandestine art. There is no gallery, no reviews of the show and no artist to hear your praise (or criticism). Street artists create art out of their own creative need and to hopefully make us think as we pass their work. I certainly appreciate street art and think it improves our urban areas.

Pasted paper street art in Cambridge, MA

Oct 22

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Florida’s Highwaymen: Self-Taught Artists and Road-Side Sales

Regional artists are often the best at capturing the spirit of place. Many such artists are never known outside their area, but one such American art movement is gaining national attention. The Florida Highwaymen were a group of African-American painters who beginning in the 1950’s produced landscapes of the coastline and swamps of their native Florida. In a time when the American South was highly segregated, they sold their works out of a car trunks thus earning the group it’s nickname. These local artists and their dreamy, iconic landscapes are being re-discovered and appreciated by a new generation of collectors for their historical, social and aesthetic value.

Harold Newton – “Afternoon Seabreeze”,

Oct 15

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Royal Revisions in Assyrian Art

We sometimes forget that beautiful works of art may have been created with ulterior motives. Think of a pharaoh using a heroic frieze to solidify his power, an elegant Renaissance chapel donated to erase the sins of the patron, or a lovely oil portrait sent to encourage a royal marriage. Sometimes the circumstances behind the message change and the image must be adjusted. I notice one such major revision in Chicago and was surprised to hear about some political turmoil that led to the defacement of a glorious royal sculpture.