Busy Weekend....

 

I was lucky to have been invited to the season opening performance of the Phoenix Symphony on Saturday evening.  I snapped a quick photo of our new conductor Paolo Bortolameolli and the guest pianist, Olga Kern taking a bow after she played a Rachmaninoff concerto brilliantly.  Of course she was accompanied brilliantly by our wonderful symphony orchestra.

On Sunday morning I went for a walk at the Desert Botanical Garden to see the new exhibit that opened this weekend.  It's called Super Bloom and it features these wonderful displays of all kinds of flowers blooming all over the garden.  I'll have more about this exhibit in the next few days.  I took a lot of photos and they still need a bit of editing.

The "art season" has arrived with all kinds of things on the upcoming schedule!

More From "The Way We Came"

 

I have three more paintings from the exhibit I mentioned yesterday.  This painting is by Quincy Tahoma and is called "The Navajo Country".  It was painted in 1948. The description card said that the large herd of sheep might indicate that this family had some wealth.  It also shows how the herding work is a family affair. I think this one has a lot of appealing charm.

This painting is by Joan Hill and was painted in 1970 and is called "Cornstalk Shoot of the Cherokee".

This last one was painted by Milland Lomakema and was painted in 1969.  It is a very contemporary view of a Ceremonial Dance Scene.  I love the "edginess" of this painting.  All those angles appeal to me.

There were so many more wonderful works of art in this collection of 70 paintings from the William P. Healey gift.  I can't wait to see even more.

"The Way We Came"

 

Just last June, the Phoenix Art Museum received and incredible gift of 185 paintings from the William P Healey Collection.  It is the largest gift of Native American art to the museum in its 65+ year history. Healey was an life-long collector of art with a special interest in western art.  He developed his collection in "close consultation with Tony Abeyta" and that partnership ensured that cultural insight guided the collections.  The museum recently opened an exhibit of 70 of those works of art.  The painting above is called "Celebration from the Underworld" and was painted by Tony Abeyta in 1998-99.  I love Abeyta's work and have featured a few of his paintings on my blog before.  You can see two of them here and here.

Many of the artists featured in this exhibit are known to me from my frequent visits to the Heard Museum.  The one to the left is by Harry Fonseca and was painted in the 1980's.  It's called "Coyote Chief with Pink Clouds".  I did a post about Fonseca a few years ago here.

This last piece is by Kay WalkingStick and is called "Winter Passage".  It was painted in 2017.  I posted about Kay WalkingStick back in March here and again in January here. 

These three artist were familiar to me but I was very impressed by some others not so familiar.  I'll post some photos of those work tomorrow.

Night View

 

When I was in downtown Phoenix for the opera a couple of weeks ago, I snapped a few night shots.  The blue glow at the top of the Hyatt Regency caught my eye.

Also catching my eye was the sheer size of the Sheraton hotel.  

Both hotels were sort of looming over where I was standing.  They were in opposite directions so I had tall buildings on either side of me.

Kim Chong Hak

 

The Phoenix Art Museum has two new exhibits up and I recently stopped by to take a look.  Both exhibits were fascinating but I didn't have enough time to really study them so I will be going back again.  The first exhibit was of the work of a South Korean artist by the name of Kim Chong Hak.  His paintings were big and bold and full of life.  He has a somewhat abstract painting style but the images almost come alive when viewed.  Above is one called "River" that was painted in 1987.  

This one is called "Snowy Mountain" and it was painted in 2008.  It almost looks like a photograph one might take of the very tops of some high mountains.

This one wrapped around a corner and it is just bursting with colorful flowers in all shapes and sizes.  It's called "Pandemonium" which seems quite appropriate.  It's a riot of color and charm.  It makes you feel happy just to look at it.

 

Random Snaps

 

I snapped a photo of these gorgeous chrysanthemums that I saw at my local Whole Foods store.  I just thought they were so beautiful in their perfect fall colors.  They almost look a bit unreal but I assure you they were real plants.

I snapped this shot when I went to the opera a week ago.  The Herberger Theatre always has an art show going on in their lobby area and this wonderful rooster caught my eye.  It was painted by Margaret McNeal and it's called "Roger Rooster" and a fine looking rooster he is.

I snapped this photo while I was stopped at a traffic light. I glanced over and saw this crazy looking wiring running along the street.  That is one huge mess of wires and other things.  I need to drive by here again to see if it still looks this way or if this was some sort of temporary arrangement.

Misleading Name

 

I had an appointment way up in north Phoenix one moring a week ago and on the way home I decided I should stop somewhere and pick up some lunch to take home.  Then I remembered that a place called the Sicilian Butcher was up that way.  I had heard people say the place was great and I thought a nice deli sandwich would be perfect.

I thought the name suggested a place full of all kinds of meats.  I was wrong, it's an Italian restaurant through and through.  You can tell from the photo above that I was there early.  It was around 11:00 AM and the lunch crowds had not yet arrived.  However, there were several people waiting in the take-out line and one of them told me how delicious this place was.  She said she comes here about once a week.  

I loved the way the place was decorated.  Rolling pins hanging from the ceiling in the take-out room.  Cutting boards on the wall in the dining room.  And, you might be able to make out how the dining room was separated into two sections by hanging meat cleavers.  Very clever decor.  

By the way, I ended up taking home some eggplant Parmesan instead of a sandwich and it was delicious.

A Bit of Plagiarism

 

Someone has added some detail to a utility building located behind a high-rise building along Central Avenue.  I recognize that image as Banksy's "Girl With Red Balloon" and since Banksy isn't working in Phoenix, I'm certain this is a copy.  I wonder if the person who did this actually had license to use the image.

Taking part in Monday Murals. 

Wandering in the Garden

 

A few more photos from my wanderings in the Desert Botanical Garden last Tuesday.  The purple flowers on the soap bush were in full swing.

Since we had so much rain, I was hoping for a puddle or two that might yield a nice reflection.  This was the only one I found.  I think our dry ground was soaking up the water as fast as it could.

This beautifully shaped agave plant caught my eye so I snapped a photo of it too.

My camera always finds lots of things to photograph when I'm wandering around the garden.

Celebrating the Fall Season

 

When I arrived at the Desert Botanical Garden last Tuesday afternoon, I was greeted by this spectacular display of pumpkins, gourds and branches.  I thought it was quite attractive.

When I was leaving, the setting sun was lighting up the other side of this huge display and the colors of all its content were absolutely glowing.  

I saw lots of other interesting fall displays around the garden and I saw the places where pieces from the next art exhibit will be set up.  The new exhibit opens on October 9th and I look forward to checking it out.

Camelback Mountain, Two Views

 

At the beginning of the week, we had lots of rain and much cooler temperatures.  I snapped the above photo on Monday looking at Camelback Mountain from where I live.  I liked how the top of the mountain had some sunshine on it while the darker clouds were still hovering around.

On Tuesday we had some more rain but later in the afternoon it started to clear.  I decided to take a walk at the Desert Botanical Garden so I headed that way around 3:30 in the afternoon.  I climbed up the steep trail where I could get a view of Camelback Mountain from the south and looking north.  An added bonus was all the big, puffy clouds in the sky.

I enjoyed all those clouds scattered across the sky.

Theme Day: Soft

 

A nice, soft pillow is always welcome when one is thinking about taking a nap.  If a pillow isn't available, we might look for the next best thing.  One of these two beautiful golden retrievers has found just the right soft spot to rest a weary head.  

I saw these two relaxing at an artist's booth at this year's Celebration of Fine Arts back in January.  They seemed perfectly content in their temporary accomodations.

The City Daily Photo Bloggers theme for October 1st is Soft.  To see other "soft" posts, click here.

'Tis the Season

 

I took these photos in mid-September so the season has been building for weeks now.  I saw the ghost above floating around someone's front garden. 

The skeletal lady to the left was found at the entrance to a store.  

Since the month of October is just one day away, I'm sure I will start seeing more scenes like this.  After all, 'tis the season of ghosts, goblins and pumpkins!  

"A (Gentle) Parody of Operatic Proportions"

 

Last Saturday evening I attended the season opening performance of the Arizona Opera's 55th season.  The opera presented was "Scalia/Ginsburg" and it told a story of the friendship between two Supreme Court Justices who were always on the opposite side of any decision.  They became great friends in spite of their differences on legal opinions and their friendship revolved around a love of opera.  It seems perfect that two of them would be remembered in a medium they both cherished. 

The opera is short by most operatic standards and full of humor and inspiration.  It emphasized the importance of building relationships across idealogical divides.  The photo above was taken when the cast was taking their bows at the end of the performance.  The opera is done with only three actors, Ben Werley playing Scalia, Rachel Policar playing Ginsburg and Jesus Vicente Murillo playing a Commentator.  They were all superb.  

Above is a photo of the stage that I took before the opera began.  Only three characters and simple staging combined with great music and lots inspiration softened with a bit of whimsy make this a perfect production for all to enjoy. 

The opera was written by Derrick Wang, a lawyer who specializes in music and the law.  He is a graduate of Harvard and Yale and he currently instructs STEM, humanities, and Peabody Conservatory students at the The John Hopkins University.

People of Note

 

I found this mural recently on the side of a small Mexican restaurant called El Pacifico.  It features some noted people with Mexican roots.  There is Jenni Rivera, Selena Quintanilla, Carlos Santana and Cesar Chavez.  The mural appears to be a bit faded so I think it's been there a long time.

Taking part in Monday Murals.

Passing Observations

 I have three observations I made while driving around a nearby neighborhood last week.  First I saw this three stump that looks like it has been fitted with a roof of its own.  Maybe this is a community center for the birds.  

Then I saw these very rustic doors being used at the entrance to one home.  They make an interesting addition to a modest bungalow.

This house has come up with a more elaborate entrance door.  It's just as rustic as the ones above but I like the addition of all that greenery surrounding the entrance.

Light Show

 

While Glenda and I were enjoying a truly brilliant light show Thursday evening, Dave was quietly snapping photos of the sky.  He captured some great shots and we didn't even know he was doing it.  Luckily he shared them with us so I can share them with you.  The lightening was lighting up the sky brilliantly for most of the evening but it was far enough away that we never heard any thunder and we could safely sit there and enjoy the show. (By the way, those two short light streaks in the upper right are a plane passing overhead.)

This one looks like a perfect Halloween moon shot.  

Dave got a little "arty" with this shot of his champagne glass ready to swallow up the moon.  

Thanks Dave for sharing these great photos.

Puffy Clouds

 

I noticed some big puffy clouds building up in the east behind Camelback Mountain one evening and I had my fingers crossed that we might get some rain later on.  However, no rain showed up.  

Usually a build up of clouds in the east is a good sign of rain on the horizon but lately we've been seeing the clouds but the rains seem to pass us by.  I guess that's just another sign of our changing weather patterns.  

Mid-Century Modern

 

When I was driving around last weekend, I spotted two nicely maintained mid-century modern homes that were practically next door to each other.  This one with its green and orange paint was especially nice.

This one has certainly maintained that 1950's look and style.  These two houses stood out because almost every other one on the street had been remodeled or modernized to hide that true mid-century look.

Beyond Comprehension

 

I was driving around a neighborhood close to home when I saw this rather unusual "thing" sitting in someone's front garden.  What is it?  Is it supposed to be a rooster skeleton? Why? 

So, I Googled "why a rooster skeleton" and apparently it's a popular Halloween decoration so you can "bring a spooky farmhouse-style twist" to the Halloween displays.  

I don't get it.  But, it does make for an interesting blog post!  😁

More About Power

 

I'm posting some of the other pieces from our recent Art Challenge Club meeting.  These are creations from other members of the group.  The one above is by Kim who created a very dramatic painting of the sun.

Diane created a beautiful multi-media piece called "The Power of Music".  It perfectly depicts how music lifts us up and makes us "move".  

Tim is the sculptor in our little group.  He makes amazing sculptures from discarded or found materials.  He found this piece in a thrift shop and when found it was all one color wood, the color of the bottom piece.  He thought its shape resembled an abstract bear so he gave it a Native American look depicting a bear.  What a great piece!

Dave's piece is called "Power of the People" and it's a very nice watercolor painting. 

This last one is another watercolor painting this time by my friend Glenda.  She created "Windmill Power".  

Our next challenge is "The Beach".  We haven't set a date for the next meeting yet but, I had better get busy thinking about what I will create this time.