Archive for the ‘art’ Category

autumn at storm king

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Spent an absolutely gorgeous Columbus Day afternoon in complete awe at Storm King Art Center in New Windsor, NY. If you haven’t been, go. My meager photography skills cannot fully capture glory on such an epic scale (rollover for credits)…

storm king | calder’s the arch from a distance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | adonai by alexander liberman, ’70-’71

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | spheres by grace knowlton, ’73-’85

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | three-fold manifestation II by alice aycock, ’87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | three-fold manifestation II by alice aycock, ’87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | kadishman corten sculpture with feather

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | suspended by menashe kadishman, ’77

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | corten steel closeup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | adam by alexander liberman, ’70

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | five modular units by sol lewitt, ’71

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Sol Lewitt? Yes, please!

storm king  | momo taro by isamu noguchi, ’78

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king  | momo taro by isamu noguchi, ’78

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king  | momo taro by isamu noguchi, ’78

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king stream: a folded drawing by stephen talasnik, ’09-’10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king stream: a folded drawing by stephen talasnik, ’09-’10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king  | for paul by ursula von rydingsvard, ’90 to ’92

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king  | for paul by ursula von rydingsvard, ’90 to ’92

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king  | detail from waiting for ufo by nam june paik, ’92

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | seeing calder from von rydingsvard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | black flag by alexander calder, ’74

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | black flag by alexander calder, ’74

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | five swords by alexander calder, ’76

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | five swords by alexander calder, ’76

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | luba by ursula von rydingsvard, ’09-’10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | south field with mark di suvero sculptures and bix

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | above south field

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | foci by chakaia booker, ’10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | foci by chakaia booker, ’10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | untitled by david von schlegell, ’72

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | untitled by robert grosvenor, ’70

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | the arch by alexander calder, ’75

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | the arch by alexander calder, ’75

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

storm king | the arch by alexander calder, ’75

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Didn’t make it through the entire property. Next time, bikes! Missed Maya Lin, Richard Serra, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Goldsworthy, Henry Moore, and on and on and on. Speaking of which, did you catch the Henry Moore exhibit at Denver Botanic last October?

happy VD!

Monday, February 14th, 2011

Exactly 14 years ago today, the huz and I shared our first smooch in the parking lot of the long-gone Silver Top Diner. One year later, in January of ’98, I convinced my good friend Jennifer Uhrhane to commemorate the spot in a photo. I have vivid memories of holding the tripod steady in a wicked Arctic wind. It was just after midnight and 10 degrees. Jen was a trooper…

silvertop diner photo by Jen Uhrhane

The photo turned out great (considerably better than my craptastic photo of it, reflecting everything in the room). It was my Valentine’s Day gift to David to mark our one year anniversary.

After the Silver Top was forced out in March 2002, David and our friend John nabbed several signs for my birthday. Such nice boys…

silvertop diner sign

Too bad about the diner. It was crowded on a regular basis. According to the Providence Preservation Society

The Silver Top Diner was built by Kullman Diner Company of Harrison, New Jersy in 1937. At the height of its activity, the Silver Top was one of several small restaurants and one of only two dining cars flourishing amidst the then vibrant industry of Harris Avenue and the surrounding downtown. Open 24 hours a day, the diner catered to local factory workers who frequented its counter on their way home from the exhausting third shift.

Thanks for the awesome memories, Jen! btw, you should see Jen’s photography. Beautiful, beautiful stuff. Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

del sol

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

Hey, guess what? It’s snowing again! So tired of grey skies. I could use a little something to brighten my day, how about you?

Digging through my snaps for inspiration I came across last fall’s trip to Mass Moca to see the Sol Lewitt retrospective. Was a downpour day so the light was low. Even so, the strong colors and graphics in his conceptual art are really  a pow in the eye socket…

massmoca_entrance

massmoca_wall drawing retrospective

massmoca_1

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massmoca_4

massmoca_5

massmoca_6

massmoca_7

massmoca_9

massmoca_11

massmoca_12

massmoca_15

massmoca_13

massmoca_16

massmoca_10

Thanks, Sharon, for the profile view! Love that shot. All those graphics make me want to take to our walls with a paintbrush.

More info on the Sol Lewitt show and his work…

the coolest house on the planet

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

Bursting with pride today! Not for myself but a friend. A smart, ridiculously talented young architect by the name of Benjamin Garcia Saxe, whose personal project just made him the winner in the house category of the 2010 World Architecture Festival. That’s world, people. Winner of the whole freaking world!

Take a look at the magical creation he crafted for his mother in Costa Rica in his spare time. All photos by Andres Garcia Lachner Fotografia via worldbuildingsdirectory.com…

Andres Garcia Lachner Fotografia via worldbuildingsdirectory.com

Andres Garcia Lachner Fotografia via worldbuildingsdirectory.com

Andres Garcia Lachner Fotografia via worldbuildingsdirectory.com

Andres Garcia Lachner Fotografia via worldbuildingsdirectory.com

Andres Garcia Lachner Fotografia via worldbuildingsdirectory.com

All that and much more to enjoy here — read what inspired him, it really gives the project a lovely human spirit. According to yesterday’s announcement

The jury immediately sensed that this project, designed  by Benjamin Garcia Saxe Architect, was a potential winner, and were left in no doubt after the architect’s presentation.

Yay! Ben got his Master of Architecture at RISD in 2007. We know him because we entrusted his beautiful and equally talented wife Erika with our most valuable possession: Bix. She took great care of him from the age of 8 months to 3 years at our home and theirs. After Ben graduated, they moved to London where Erika pursued dance and Ben went to work doing great things for Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, I’m sure.

The last time we saw them, Ben gave us this amazing plywood sculpture for Bix…

bix’s sculpture via benjamingarciasaxe.com

bix’s sculpture via benjamingarciasaxe.com

We love that piece and will treasure it forever! I’ll be sure to post a photo of it in Bix’s room, where it lives.

Congratulations again, Benji. I hope you and Erika are sipping champagne tonite!

fall at denver botanic

Monday, October 25th, 2010

In Denver last week, our very first stop (after our favorite noshery) was Denver Botanic.  This is high country, so you see a lot of drought-tolerant ornamental grasses, native plants and conifers here. I get great compositional ideas from DenBot.

As luck would have it, this time Henry Moore’s sculptures were on display. Take a look…

moore sculpture near the entrance

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ponderosa border at entry

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water feature with pennisetums

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pedestals and perennials

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fall blooming crocus: colchicum ‘waterlily’

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moore sculpture

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roses and juniper

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buddleia alternifolia ‘fountain butterfly bush’ and nessela tenuissima ‘mexican feather grass’

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pond

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moore sculpture in the herb garden

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scripture garden

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viburnum carlesii ‘korean spice viburnum’

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virburnum carlesii ‘korean spice viburnum’

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moore sculpture

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path to the asian garden

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river stone detail

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hakonechloa macra ‘japanese forest grass’

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moore sculpture

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closeup of a bloom

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the fading towering stalk of agave ‘henry’s parryi’

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eryngium still in bloom in the rock garden

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pond’s edge... lysimachia nummularia ‘aurea’ (gold creeping jenny) with conifers

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fountain

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giant 3' waterlilies

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ornamental grasses... nassella tenuissima ‘mex feather grass’, schizachyrium scoparium ‘little bluestem’), miscanthus

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ephedra ‘bluestem joint fir’, mexican feather grass, yucca, pine

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japanese garden

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conifers in the japanese garden

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ponderosa pine

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meadow with sculpture in the plains garden

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bix at water garden

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turtle sunning on rock

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glaucium corniculatum ‘red horned poppy’ and yucca

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wildflower rockery with sculpture

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salvia

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caesalpinia giliesii ‘bird of paradise’ shrub

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reclining figure on the water garden

modern benches at berkshire botanical

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Just spied on my recent getaway to the Berkshires: two drooltastic modern benches at Berkshire Botanical Garden

“baseball” bench at berkshire botanical garden

Designed by Douglas Thayer, “Baseball” (as this bench is curiously called) is made of reclaimed Greenheart, reclaimed Ipe and concrete. Looks like it could stand up to a New England Nor’easter. It’s a work of art you can sit on. Have I mentioned lately how much I love concrete?…

closeup on the concrete end piece

Underneath, there are two metal crosspieces… maybe steel?

view of the metal cross pieces underneath

Clearly seen through the wood planks…

view through the slats

No prices on his website. Dare I email him and find out how much such a piece might cost? I’m afraid.

Around the corner from Baseball sits this beauty…

another bench at berkshire botanical garden, same designer

Couldn’t locate a name or description for this one, but it’s obviously another creation by Thayer. Similar minimal aesthetic and concrete + wood design. The spots are raindrops, btw.

Here’s a closer look at the detail between the planks and on the concrete supports…

a look at the inset detail

detail closeup

There were lots of benches on display at Berkshire Botanical as part of their Garden Bench as Sculpture show, but those two were my favorites. Simple. Solid. Honest looking. According to their website, the show ends September 17:

info from Berkshire Botanical events calendar

one perfect thing

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

neon clock 1

neon clock 2

What is it? Minty vintage aluminum clock with painting we commissioned from John Dee.

Where did it come from? David and I came across the clock in the dusty corner of a stripmall antique store in Pueblo, Colorado, ages ago. The tag said $25. Sold! Spun aluminum case, un-dinged (finally got all the paint off). Original glass with pinstripes, unscratched. Hands and clocky bits, working. The face had some awful lunchmeat promo on it, sloppily hand-painted right over the top of what was probably a great Chevy bow-tie sign. It was begging to be stripped, so I did.

Had the neon replaced. Mmmmm, glowy. Then it sat in the corner of our loft until I asked John if he’d  throw his paint voodoo on it. Now it sits dark and unplugged in the corner of our house longing for a wall.

Circa? Unsure. Guessing the ’40s or ’50s.

Interesting tidbit: John Dee is a UI artist and illustrator at Harmonix working on games like RockBand and, well, probably all their other titles as well. His paintings make me smile. More here.

the hunt for irving

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

Quick note… David and I have been emailing back and forth with Jane Ingall, wife of Irving Haynes, the architect of our house as you may recall. We love his artwork and the idea of bringing a painting into the home he built, if such a thing is available. And if we can afford it.

So far, the word is good. Jane says there’s work to look at. Yay! And a few days ago she let us know that she added a few of his pieces to Adam Tamsky Fine Art in Providence. We zipped over there right away…

Adam Tamsky pulls out a Haynes painting

That’s Adam. He’s easy to talk to and chock full of information. We’ll probably take a look at a few more Haynes paintings before we decide.

Side note: interesting modern bench by BILT at Adam Tamsky’s gallery…

BILT bench

Funny. I’ve already posted about those guys two other times in the past week. Sometimes I forget how small Providence is.

Expect a return to How Green Is My Brain Week shortly…

one perfect thing

Friday, February 5th, 2010

mcvitty sculpture

Have I mentioned this house is complete chaos? Yeah, I think I covered that. On the other hand, I can still spot a few things I really love in the maelstrom. This would be one of them…

What is it? Steel sculpture made from found scrap metal.

Where did it come from? David’s grandfather, John D. McVitty (fondly known as Mackie), came across it by the town dock in Stonington, CT, and had it welded to a matching base. voila! art!

Circa? Nobody knows for sure.

Interesting tidbit: Mackie was a contemporary of a few names you might know… like artist Alexander Calder, Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius and modernist master Marcel Breuer. He knew these people. The mind reels. He studied architecture at Harvard University Graduate School of Design and then moved over to MIT to pursue naval architecture.

Found a photo from 1947 in the Smithsonian Archives of American Art of Mackie’s first wife Joan hanging out with Calder and Breuer’s wife. You can’t make this stuff up.

mcvitty in granada

Mackie on his boat in Granada