Sep 7 2020 - Black Velvet

 

The blackest black Vantablack is compared to black velvet.  How is velvet woven and tufted to absorb light so much?  The cut threads are evenly distributed with a short dense pile, giving it a soft feel and by association a soft look.  This method creates two lengths of fabric.   Silk velvet is rare today costing in the thousands of dollars per yard.  Velvet can be made from linen, mohair and wool - all kinds of fibres.  There are many types - chiffon, hammered (crushed and dappled), Nacre (where more than one colour is woven in creating an iridescent effect), pile-on-pile (a double velvet). How did black velvet painting come about?  They originated in Kashmir, the homeland of the fabric and were religious.  Marco Polo introduced black velvet paintings to Western Europe and the Vatican Museums have some early works.  But not Elvis or dogs playing poker.  Ciudad Juarez, a town in Mexico, was a centre of the famous Elvis velvet painting in the 1970s.  Started by a Georgia US 'farm boy', they were created in a huge factory with an assembly line of painters.  There are lots of black velvet paintings available on the internet.  The dogs are still playing poker, Elvis with his black velvet hair, Jesus Christ, and many more portraits.   There are even video games that incorporate Velvet Elvis:    Black Velvetopia, is one dedicated to velvet paintings.  Here's our joke for the day: A man goes into an antiques dealership carrying a violin and a painting. "Hi. I found these in the loft of the house I've just bought. I'm interested in having them valued with a view to selling them." The owner, duly fascinated takes them into the back to give them the once over. "Very interesting." he tells the man on his return. "You realise, you've got a genuine Rembrandt and a bona fide Stradivarius here." "That's wonderful- I'm rich!" exclaims the man. "Not so fast." replies the dealer,  "Rembrandt violins are notorious poor quality and Stradivarius couldn't paint to save his life." Our railroad today is the Northern Central No. 17 York in Freedom, PA.  We visited in 2015 for a steam ride through history.

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Those Winter Displays

I visited Plantworld this last week. They have a fabulous array of winter greens for urns and decorative displays. There were so many Grandiflora Magnolia leaves on display! Here's the autumn reason why I so love this tree!