Tag Archives: sculpture

Got My Eye on You

I have been in downtown Dallas a couple of times recently for work.  One of the places we have had dinner is across the road from a small park area that has a sculpture of a giant eyeball at one end.  It is a bit creepy to be honest.  I photographed it on my way to dinner when the sun was still going down.  When we came out, it was fully dark so I figured I would get another shot.

An Old Friend on the Shore

When I was a teenager, we lived on the seafront in Cowes.  The road was a short distance in from the waterfront but a side street led down to the sea itself and you could walk along from there in either direction, either along to Egypt Point or in to the town center.  The railings that stopped you falling in to the sea (if standing up was not something you could manage on your own) were mounted between a series of posts and, on one of these posts, there was a sculpture of a lion.  Clearly weathering had taken a toll on this lion but repairs had been carried out over the years.  When I was there last year, we took a walk along this same stretch and it was great to see this familiar old fella still guarding the shoreline.

Fin Park

A little too much celebration of Thanksgiving meant I needed to burn off a few extra calories.  I figured a bike ride would be a good option and decided to check out the Burke Gilman Trail.  This runs around Lake Washington on the alignment of an old railroad.  Not too many hills to deal with then!  I wasn’t sure how far I would go but I headed towards Magnuson Park.  This sits on the eastern shore of Lake Washington on the site of a former naval base.  It was once a Naval Air Station but was progressively pared back until it was deactivated and returned to the city.

One of the things I was curious to see in the park is a sculpture installation called the Fin project.  This takes a bunch of fins from decommissioned nuclear subs and arranges them in patterns that are reminiscent of the fins of pods of orcas.  The Navy donated the fins and private subscriptions paid for the rest of the installation.  The result is an interesting exhibit with varying sizes of fin at different positions and angles.

The meaning of the sculpture varies depending on who is checking it out.  It represents the naval station and the service of those based there, it draws parallels with the wildlife in the area, it represents recycling of material and it has a swords to plowshares aspect to it too.  Each fin has a plaque that notes the vessel it came from, the name of an orca from a local pod and the names of those who donated to fund the installation.

I was there on a pretty overcast day and only had my phone with me to get shots.  I think that the cloudy sky was actually a pretty appropriate backdrop as the darkness of the fins and the hint of their life in the deep would be a little offset on a bright and sunny day.

Legion of Honor

Perched up on a hill overlooking the entrance to the Golden Gate sits the Legion of Honor.  This is an art gallery that, while including quite a variety of art styles, is synonymous with the sculpture of Rodin.  I first visited in 1990 during my first trip to the west coast.  I hadn’t been back since and Nancy had never been.  She is a fan of some of the impressionist painters so I thought this might be a good day out for her.  What I hadn’t realized was that they had a special exhibit on of Monet’s early years.  Turns out it was a bit more appropriate than I realized.

It was a lovely day to be in the city.  The sun was out and the temperatures were on the low 70s.  We had started out early to try and get there before it got busy.  We hadn’t anticipated the exhibit though.  Consequently, it was already quite busy when we got there.  It only got busier so we still were getting the better side of things.  We went straight to the exhibit and spent a fair bit of time in there.  Afterwards, we strolled through the galleries of the collection.

The different galleries are very nicely laid out.  Nothing felt too crowded and the light in the rooms was very nice.  Each gallery had a different style of decoration so you felt the change as you moved from room to room.  Natural light through the roof made it feel a lot less oppressive than some museums.  They did have some sections set up as rooms from old houses and these were a lot more subdued.

The sculpture section was very interesting.  The Spreckels family started the collection and they were avid supporters of Rodin’s work.  The Thinker sits in the forecourt while there are two rooms of his work.  These included bronzes, plaster and marble sculptures.  Rodin liked marble apparently but I find the bronze castings to be the most impressive since they show the texture of the work in a way that is lost a little with marble for me.

When I visit art museums, I find I have a limit of how long I can last.  When we were in Florence, I discovered just how many Madonna and Child pictures I can look at before I am done.  This museum is actually well sized for me.  I was able to check out the whole collection in about the time it takes me to be maxed out.  I didn’t reach the point of either my feet hurting, my back aching or just not wanting to look at another picture.  About the perfect size.  The collection is not as diverse as you will find in some big cities but it works well for a day out.  Check it out if you have the time.

The Lions Show Their Love for the Cubs – And Why Not????

AE7I6241.jpgTo be fair, the lions are pretty flexible when it comes to affiliations.  When the White Sox went to the World Series, they wore White Sox caps.  Bears helmets and Blackhawks helmets don’t cause a problem since there is only one team for each sport in the city unlike supporting one or other of the baseball teams.  However, the lions do appear to be fans of whichever team is winning!  (For those of you not familiar with the lions, they flank the entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago and they get into the spirit if a team is doing well.)  By now, of course, we know how it all worked out! Let’s go Cubbies!

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The Lego Artwork of Nathan Sawaya

IMG_3546.jpgNathan Sawaya may not be an artist you have heard of before but you may have seen at least some of his work. Nathan is an artist who works in Lego. He manages to combine the artistic vision of the piece he is trying to create with the technical skill in creating structures using standard Lego pieces – no simple feat given that most shapes have gentle curves to them and Lego is mainly straight edges.

IMG_3534.jpgAn exhibition of some of Nathan’s work was on recently in Walnut Creek and we headed along to see what was on display. There were two types of exhibit. Some were straightforward Lego creations on display on their own. The rest were a combination of Lego and photography. Nathan had created some elements in Lego that were then combined with photography to incorporate the Lego sculpture in the main photo. For example, one of the pieces was a bare tree that then appeared in a landscape shot. Another was some railroad tracks that became the foreground to a train station.

IMG_3537.jpgThe sculptures varied a lot in themes. Some were relatively light hearted such as a dog or some clouds. A woman’s red dress blowing in the wind with parts of it blowing behind (but with no-one actually in the dress) was a particularly interesting piece. Others were far darker in their inspiration with themes of escape and repression in the corporate world included. These pieces were often the more interesting ones to see as they had more to interpret versus the more light hearted but literal items.

IMG_3520.jpgThe audience for the exhibit was quite varied. Many people had brought their kids along based on their interest in playing with Lego at home. I suspect they were not quite so enthused with the more sinister works. The other visitors were decidedly more adult. Whether they are just fans of Lego or interested in the messages the artist was conveying, I shall never know.

Angel of the North

CRW_4714.jpgI was sent some pictures recently of a large sculpture in the UK. It threw me back to a trip that Nancy and I took a few years ago. Part of our route was a drive up the A1 passing Gateshead. Along the side of the road is a huge sculpture called the Angel of the North. You can’t drive by and not stop to see it (unless you live there or go by frequently I guess).

CRW_4709.jpgYou can park close by and walk around the sculpture. The scale is impressive and photographs do not do much to convey the scale of it. The size is one thing but the shape of the structure is also cool with the whole thing made up of flat sheets of steel. Then there is the color. The rust finish is very cool and is excellent when he lain is on it but looks moody if it is cloudy. This is one cool piece of art and I would recommend a diversion to see it if you are anywhere close.

Einstein Statue

IMG_2817.jpgTourists wandering along the Mall in Washington, D.C. will migrate from one famous tourist attraction to another. The Washington monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial wall and many other spots will be on their itinerary. One thing that is often overlooked as a sculpture just north of the mall. It is a sculpture of Albert Einstein in a very relaxed pose. I have always found it to be a very cool thing to see and to see how everyone engages with it is also cool. Some wanted to touch him while other are happy to jump up on his lap. I certainly recommend that although the surface is a bit too bumpy to be comfortable for too long. If doing the DC tourist thing, do try and fit this in. I also include a picture of my nephew, Chris, next to the statue to give you some idea of scale.

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Artichoke Art

wpid10450-C59F8290.jpgCastroville CA is the self proclaimed artichoke capital of the world. Given the percentage of the world’s artichokes that are grown there, I doubt anyone is going to try and challenge them for the title. They seem to have it wrapped up. To celebrate the artichoke, the town holds an artichoke festival. This has become quite a popular event and has now migrated from Castroville to the County fairgrounds in Monterey. This seemed like something worth a visit. While you could find all sorts of things at the festival and try artichoke in many forms – artichoke cupcakes anyone – and have your picture taken with Arty the Artichoke, the thing that really caught our imagination was the artichoke art.

wpid10448-C59F8287.jpgPeople sculpt various installations using artichokes and other vegetables. They may plan as long as they like but they have to bring the raw ingredients on the morning of the competition and create the art there and then. Some of them were really impressive. My favorite was the pig although several of the others looked pretty cool.

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