Mary Delany, an 18th-century English artist, with some rather incredible “botanical paper mosaics":

View of Delft by Johannes Vermeer (c. 1660-61):

Michael White eloquently describes his experience of the Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

I read Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel with the kids tonight (my first time ever reading it). What a parable of technological modernity. The early pages show Mulligan’s steam shovel—named Mary Anne—uprooting and destroying all types of terrain. But then, Mike is quickly out of work as various other shovels hit the market (diesel, electric, etc.). I won’t spoil the ending for you, but suffice it to say: I’m not the target audience for this one.

“Can you lift me up to a higher place?”

Finished reading: The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday 📚

A mediocre book, to be sure. The writing is not good; the book is littered with clichés; and he expects the reader to be another Lincoln or Churchill. And yet, it was still the right book for me in this season. Embracing obstacles and setbacks—that message struck a chord with me.

Happy Saturday!

I painted this back in 2018; I’m a one-trick pony when it comes to painting.