Sofonisba's back! (And Charlie's Playhouse!)

Okay, I've actually had her back for a day or two. It really wasn't so bad. My nails are starting to grow back already.

My computer is named Sofonisba after Sofonisba Anguissola, an artist I only know about because I spent several years working at a women's bookstore. Anguissola studied with Michelangelo and was a pioneer in the field of genre painting. You may have seen what I think is one of her most famous paintings: a picture of two aristocratic young women playing chess outside, while behind them a little girl grins. If it weren't for her, this picture wouldn't be so striking — the other figures are beautifully rendered, but this girl is so alive. You just know she's a younger sister. Her smile is eager, with a hint of innocent mischief. So many other portraits of the time are stiff, with all the subjects sitting or standing in a line in a dark and crowded room, staring at the artist with an air of determined stoicism. Anguissola took her subjects outside, made them move, brought them to life.

Here’s a link to the picture, with a thumbnail biography of the artist:

http://sbchess.sinfree.net/Anguissola.html

So anyway. I love the name Sofonisba, and the book about Anguissola that I bought when the author came to give a talk — good grief, was it really sixteen years ago? -- is on a shelf near my desk. So when I was casting about for a name, this one was close at hand.

I promised to have another giveaway, and I will — but first I want to tell you about a sale you'll be happy to hear about.
Kate Miller from Charlie's Playhouse just dropped me a line letting me know that her company is having a sale for a few days. I gave a rave review to their Giant Timeline Play Mat and Creature Cards a few issues back — well, now they're 20% off.

I can't recommend them highly enough. They're wonderful products, sturdy and educational and fun. Even if you're not in the mood to shop, check out their site — they’ve got some great resource recommendations:

http://www.charliesplayhouse.com/