Finding More Art

If you have followed my blog over the years, you might remember the story I told about the "Freeway Pots" art project from back in the 80's.  You can read that story on my post from 2008.  To sum it up, it was an art project to decorate a new freeway that was slicing its way through the heart of town.  The idea was to add some color and interest to the noise-abatement walls that would be snaking through neighborhoods.

I thought I had found all the artistic pots that were remaining but, it turns out I hadn't.  I recently found a few more.  The one above is on the opposite end of a tunnel under the freeway.  On the other end is a pot that is similar to this one that I posted back in 2013.

They are looking pretty beat-up in many places but, I guess pottery tends to take a beating when it is used regularly so I think that fits.

What I don't like seeing is graffiti on them.  However, I guess that was bound to happen.

Being Silly

I was in a bit of a silly mood last week when I drove my car through one of those 'drive-through' car washes.  I snapped a few photos out the windshield as the car was being pushed along.  First the soap suds....

...then the water!  See, I can have fun almost anywhere!

Colorful Face

I discovered this mural in a very narrow alley in a residential area.  It almost seemed a bit out of place squeezed in between the houses.

It's very abstract and there was no signature on it so I don't know who the artist is.  One half of it looks like it might have been there before the face was painted but, I'm not sure if that's true or if that half was painted with paler colors.  It was an interesting find.

Connected to Monday Murals.

Birthday Celebration

My good friend Julie's birthday was Friday and my birthday was Monday so we decided to celebrate them together Friday evening at Julie's house.  Julie's mom Glenda made a delicious spaghetti dinner and I baked a rum cake with a new twist.  I baked a chocolate rum cake this time instead of the traditional.  It turned out beautifully.

Julie's mom brought these sparkler candles for the cake so it was truly a festive party even though it was Friday the 13th.  Since it was that bad luck day, we were very careful when we lit these sparklers making sure there was nothing flammable near the cake when we lit them.  It was fun!

🎁💐🎉🎊🎈🎁

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  It's my last visit to the villa on Isola Bella.  This time to a garden that defies description.

Piano-Roll Building

Do any of you remember seeing the old "player-pianos", the kind that used rolls of paper perforated with dots and dashes?  When they were placed in those old pianos and the mechanism turned on, the piano would come alive with music.

Well, take a look at this building, The Phoenix Financial Center located on Central Avenue in mid-town Phoenix.  Dosen't it look like one of those old piano-rolls?

That's what many long-time Phoenix residents think and many of them still call it the piano-roll building.

Here's what it looks like from the other side.  I featured this building about a year ago but I was admiring it again recently and thought I'd trot it out for an encore on Phoenix Daily Photo.

If you've never seen an old piano-roll, here's a link where you can take a peek.

When I was just a little kid growing up in Illinois, my family had a player piano so I remember those rolls very well.

Patiently Waiting

His people had gone inside a cafe to get their food while this little fellow patiently waited for their return.  His full attention was on the café door and he wasn't about to look away.

And, he had absolutely no interest in getting his photo taken!

Outside Comfort

Driving through one of our many historic neighborhoods, I saw this pretty wing-back chair sitting on a front porch.  You don't see many beautifully upholstered chairs sitting outside like this.  Hopefully, it doesn't get much sun on it because our wicked sun will quickly fade and damage that lovely fabric.

While I was stopped to take the photo of the chair on the porch, I saw this butterfly sharing this plant with a bunch of aphids.  It looks like a painted lady but I can't see enough of it's colors to be sure.

More Art from AZ88

When I was posting yesterday's photos from AZ88, I discovered one other art installations they had that I never got around to posting on my blog.  This one is from June of this year.

They put up a whole cluster of those mirrored "disco balls" and passed light over them so they threw sparkly light all over the restaurant.  When this one was up, I was only there during the day.  I bet this looked fabulous after dark.  Can't you just picture John Travolta in his white suit standing in the center of this room?

Burning Man

My good friend Glenda took me to AZ 88 for for drinks to celebrate my birthday.  If you will recall, AZ 88 is that hip restaurant in Scottsdale that always has the changing art exhibits.  This time they had something that originated at the infamous Burning Man event.  When we arrived around 5:30, it was still light outside and you could see these great photos on the wall but, when you look at the reflection in the mirror (to the left), they were covered with fire.

As the evening progressed and sun was going down, the fire started to show up on the photos on the wall.  The photos were taken by Bill Tonnesen an artist whose work I've featured here before. He took the photos at the Burning Man event where he invited people to crawl into a box he made and pose for him.   You might also notice the hefty lady sitting on the pedestal in the center.  She is also a Bill Tonnesen creation.  I feature her in a post here.
(If you don't know much about Burning Man, just Google it and look at the images.  It's an annual bastion of self-expression and art.)

By the time we were leaving, the glow of the fire was pretty strong on the wall.  Our waitress said it gets even stronger after dark.  Once again, AZ 88 has come up with another fabulous art display.  I love this place for so many reasons!

If you want to see some other art exhibits from AZ 88, check these links:  8/28/16, 1/18/17, 10/11/18.

California Deamin'

As I not so patiently await some cooler temperatures here in the desert southwest, my mind keeps drifting back to those warm days and cool nights I spent in California last month.  Maybe if I feature some photos from California, the weather gods will have mercy and reduce us from these extreme heat temperatures.  So, here are some of my favorite waterlily photos from my recent trip to beautiful southern California.  I think the lavender ones are my favorite.

The yellow ones have a delicate look to them.

The white ones have hints of color at the tips of the petals.

And, like all flowers, the bees love them too!

Ahhh...I'm feeling that cool sea breeze!

Visiting With Albert

I ran into Albert Einstein sitting on a bench in front of a Scottsdale art gallery recently.  I sat down for a chat and discovered that he's a great listener.  Not much of a talker but, a great listener.  😁
This sculpture is by Gary Lee Price and it was sitting in front of Xanadu Gallery.  They always have an interesting sculpture in front of their gallery.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  Take a look at the "grotto" that was inside the villa on Isola Bella, Lake Maggiore in Italy.  It's another strange feature in that incredible place.

Pleasant Environment

The State Farm Insurance Headquarters that I featured yesterday, has gone to a lot of trouble to create a very pleasant environment for workers and visitors alike.  There a lots of green spaces and lots of public art, like this tall and lacy tower in the photo above.  I don't know the artist for this one.

However, you might remember this sculpture that I featured back in May.  It's called Theater of the Wind by Ilan Averbuch.  The photo I featured in May was from a different viewpoint.

There are several water features scattered around the area and they seem to complement the view of Tempe Town Lake that runs along one whole side of the campus.

There are also cactus gardens and seating areas.

And, since the complex sits right under the flight path for Sky Harbor International Airport, employees (and visitors) can watch the planes as they fly over either taking off or landing.  

Here I am, back at those shiny pillars again.  I do like the look of these behemoths.  Their reflective qualities go so well with all that reflective glass.

Insurance Headquarters

I found yesterday's architectural details at the State Farm Insurance Headquarters in Tempe.  It's a series of four modern, glass-clad buildings that are situated in a square forming an open pedestrian area in the center.  You can see a few of those silver pillars I featured yesterday over on lower right of this photo.

All of that reflective glass makes for some very interesting photographs.  

All of the buildings have these little cut-out areas that serve as great patio's that employees can use on breaks and at lunch.  The facility is quite busy, even on weekends.  There are several dining locations on the ground floor, so visitors can come at lunch time and have a bite to eat.  There are also quite a few artworks scattered on the grounds and along the lakefront.  It's a very pleasant place to work.

Shiny Architectural Details

Yesterday, I had some details on a variety of buildings in Tempe.  Today I have one detail of a very large office complex that is also located in Tempe.  Tomorrow I'll show you more photos from here and tell you who resides in the office complex.

Architectural Details in Tempe

Since Tempe is growing by leaps and bounds, there seems to be a lot of interesting architectural details in the buildings around the city.  Above are some of the pretty details around the Grady Gammage Auditorium, the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece that is part of Arizona State University.

To the left we see two building structures that almost meet each other. One is an office building and the other is the parking garage.  There are lots of new and modern buildings along the Tempe waterfront, facing the Tempe Town Lake.

Above is a building that houses luxury condominiums.  This one is also on the Tempe Town Lake so residents have views of the lake and all the water activities.  Those top units will also see the Phoenix skyline from up there.

To the left is the minaret on the mosque that has been located in downtown Tempe for many years.  If I happen to be dining in downtown Tempe, I can hear the call to prayer coming from this pretty minaret.

I must have gotten so excited about Theme Day and the color red, that I totally forgot to mention that I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns.  I'm featuring the throne room of the villa on Isola Bella.  It is bit on the strange side.

Lake Activities

All kinds of water activities happen on Tempe Town Lake, the man-made lake that has been formed in the normally dry Salt River bed.  You will find people canoeing on the water.  This fellow was moving right along.

And you will see a variety of paddle boarders trying their hand (had balance abilities) out on the water.  I find it interesting to watch these people on their boards but, admittedly, I would never try this myself.  For me, balance is hard enough on solid land.

Love the Hat!

A dia de los muertos mural on the side the Barrio Cafe in far north Phoenix.  Barrio Cafe is a locally owned Mexican restaurant with several locations throughout the valley.  They use the dia de los muertos symbols to decorate their restaurants so it fits to have a mural like this one the side of this location.  She looks like she is enjoying that big hat!

Linked to Monday Murals!

Theme Day: Red

I have literally hundreds of photos of red flowers but, I thought that was a little to easy.  So, I went scouring through my photo files to see if I could find something different for today's theme.  I found this photo that I took at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art for an exhibit of art works by Betty Saar.  This particular piece appealed to me I think because of the color and the wonderful shadow it threw on the red wall.  The piece itself is also red.  So it's red on red!

To see other visions of red, click here.

It All Started Here

Did you know that Steven Spielberg grew up in Phoenix Arizona?

The Phoenix Theatre Company recently added this Steven Spielberg Entrance to the theatre that sits right behind the Phoenix Art Museum.

In 1964 when Spielberg was just 17 years old, he premiered his first feature length film called "Firelight" right here in this theatre.  It was then known as Phoenix Little Theatre where he worked in the properties department.

Spielberg visited Phoenix in 2013. He's pictured here holding a photograph of himself standing by the marquee advertising his film.

What Do you Think?

I've always thought that this was one of our least attractive high-rise buildings in the city of Phoenix.  So I'm asking, what do you think?

It's located on the southwest corner of Central and Thomas Roads and I believe it goes by the name "One Thomas".

I had a picture of this building once before but it was from the back side of the building because of a mural that appears there.  You can see that post here.