My Favorite From 'Clay Today'

 

My favorite two pieces at this exhibit were by the same artist, Sandra Luehrsen.  This first one is called "Busy Being Free Like a Cactus Tree".  I love this.  It would look great in my house.

Her other piece is also very nice.  This one is called "Tree of Life: Back to the Garden".  This also would look good at my house.

It was another great exhibit at the Shemer Art Center.  For such a small space they certainly have some fantastic exhibits and they support local artists.  They do a good job of filling the four exhibit rooms with wonderful things to see and enjoy. 

Clay Today

 

I mentioned yesterday that I went to the Shemer Art Center on Friday to see exhibit there called "Clay Today".  The exhibit is described as an exhibition of ceramic artwork reflective of current trends in form and style.  I was about to say that I love ceramic work but truth be told, I love art in all shapes and forms. Today I have a few of the pieces at this exhibit that I found especially interesting. 

I'll start with this bowl that I found exceptionally beautiful.  The artist is Rafiq Majeed and he calls this piece "Seven Women".  I took two shots so you could see the pretty design on the outside of the bowl along with the seven ladies inside.

Next up is a piece by Heidi Dauphin called "Tile Icon".  You can probably guess why I liked this one.  All those patterns drew me in.

These faces also attracted my attention.  They are by Dennis Alan Hubert and he calls them "Two Faces of Five" Something tells me that he might have made three more of these elongated faces.

This last piece is by Jane Kelsey-Mapel and she calls it "Herstory".  I feel like I might have met this fellow a while ago.

Once again, I'm impressed by the talent of these artists and the variety of creations.  Tomorrow I'll show you my favorite pieces at this exhibit.  

Eventful Weekend

 

For the first time in over a year, I had a weekend that almost felt normal.  It started on Friday afternoon when I decided to go to the Shemer Art Center to see an exhibit there called "Clay Today".  To the left is a sample of some of the exciting pieces I saw there.  I'll have more about this show in future posts.  

When I returned home, these two were napping in the middle of the parking lot.  I don't think it's nesting time yet but they are certainly staking out their territory for future use.  Crazy geese.  And, you might notice that spot of rain water in the center.  We did get a light rain shower on Friday which was very refreshing.  

On Saturday I went to the Heard Museum to see a new exhibit there and to have lunch.  This was my first lunch served to me at a restaurant in over a year.  I was seated out doors.  I'm not quite ready to eat inside yet.  I have been craving a bowl of the museum cafe's Pozole for ages and I finally got it.  I was so happy to dig in that I started eating before I took this shot.  Sorry about that.

The show here that I went to see was of works by Leon Polk Smith called "Hidden In Plain Sight".  Smith was an influential 20th century artist whose work was inspired by the Native Americans he grew up around.  I'll have more about this exhibit in future posts too.

It was great to have a weekend that felt like life was almost back to normal.  

Time In a Bottle

 

My Art Challenge club met on Friday evening and you might remember that the March challenge was "Time".  This was my entry.  I used one of the fancy photo frames that are available on one of my editing tools and I inserted my photo of the clock at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.  I like the way it turned out.  It met the challenge nicely and provided a little tribute to Jim Croce at the same time.

We met via Zoom again but by this time next month, I think we will all be vaccinated so we might meet in person once again.  I'm looking forward to that day and the new challenge of "Jewels"!

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm visiting one of those museums on Museum Hill.

Another Make-Over

 

I took this photo the same day I was wandering around Park Central last weekend.  This is a brand new apartment complex located across the street from Park Central.  The part of the building on the far left with the sand colored front is and older building that was saved.  That two-story building used to house the Phoenix FBI offices many, many years ago when I first moved to Phoenix.  Next door to the right were several other one and two-story buildings.  Those were torn down but the old FBI building was a saved and incorporated into this new apartment complex.  I'm glad they kept that section even though it has lost a lot of it's original mid-century charm.  

Macro Magic

 

Ten years ago I bought a macro lens for my Sony camera and I began enjoying the joys of macro photography.  At first it was with mostly flowers but I soon learned that it worked on many different things.  Last week I was looking for a specific photo that had me searching through the macro photo file.  I thought I'd post a few of the creations I made over the years using a variety of subjects.  First is one of the many flowers I photographed.

This is a couple of fragments from some flowers that I let go to seed.

This is the rough edge of a rustic basket.  

These are the little baubles that hang from the edge of a lamp shade.

This one is of the frayed hole in a pair of jeans.  

I don't use that camera very often any longer but, every now and then I'll get it out.  My smaller Nikon camera also takes macro photos but no where near as good as that Sony lens did the job.

A New Tenant and a Face Lift

 

This building used to be a huge J C Penney's store many years ago when this was the Park Central Shopping Center.  Since that time it has housed a couple other businesses related to the medical field and training.  Now it is the  Children's Rehabilitative Center for DMG (District Medical Group). 

They've added these colorful window coverings to add a little interest to an otherwise plain building.

I also noticed something else that was new while I was there.  On the front side of the center is where that strange metal structure that I mentioned in my post last year is located. There are a few lunch style restaurants located on this side.  This is also where the old Goldwater's Department store used to be located.  Sometime since my last visit here, they have added that "Goldwater" sign.  Just a little momento of the past.  

A Visit to Park Central

 

The robot security guard I posted about yesterday was located at Park Central in Phoenix.  I've posted about this place before.  It used to be a shopping center many years ago but has morphed into a center for medical facilities.  I posted about the massive changes to this place last year.

I had heard that there were some new sculptures scattered about this area so I took a walk there to find them.  I found the one above in the center of the complex.  It looks like it has a counterpart inside that building.

The man to the left was on the back side of this center. I couldn't find an artist's name for either piece.

Tomorrow, I'll show you a bit more from this place.

The Robot Security Guard

 

I took a walk last weekend somewhere different and I found this robot security guard on duty.  It was plugged into the wall for a recharge at the time but it made all the little beep sounds as I stopped to take a photo.  It was probably taking photos of me too. I believe those are cameras around the top.

The company name on the side is Transcend Security Services which happens to be the same company that patrols my neighborhood.  I see their cars quite often.

Doesn't this little fellow look a lot like R2D2?  I felt like I should say hello.  

Tomorrow I'll show you where he was found.

The Masked Lady

 

Back in the summer of 2019, I posted a photo of a rather dramatic masked man located on the enclosed patio of a Scottsdale Salon.  You can see it here.

A few weeks ago, I was walking in that same area of Scottsdale when I noticed that there was another mural on the opposite side of that enclosed patio.   There is a wall around the patio so I had to lift my camera over the top of the wall and hope for the best.  After a little cropping, I think I got a good enough image so you can see it. This lady goes nicely with the gentleman on the other side of the patio.

If you click the link to see the other post, you will see that the artist, John Enright left a comment on that old post.  He describes other murals inside the salon.  Now I need to go back and take a look inside.  

Taking part in Monday Murals.

A Normal Experience....once again

 

On Friday, I masked up and went to the Celebration of Fine Arts.  You might remember that this is the annual event that takes place every year from January through March where artists can work and sell their works.  I go every year and I had worried that it might not happen this year but in fact is was there with the same array of fabulous artists.  You might remember Doug Fountain's Native American inspired masks.  I featured one of them last year.  I went to this event last year on March 13th right at the beginning of pandemic craziness.  It was literally a day before things were locked down and the magnitude of the problem was just coming to light.

So, my visit last Friday felt like a sort of turning point.  I've received both shots of the vaccine and though I'm still extremely careful in what I do, I felt safe enough to attend this event before it ends at the end of the month.  My friend and I both wore masks as did everyone inside that big tent.  In fact, I saw no one that was bent on breaking the rules.  Everyone was being careful.

I always love admiring Brian Sykes beautiful wood pieces.  They are simply amazing.  It must be rewarding to take a simple piece of wood and turn it into something so beautiful.  

The sculpture garden in the center of the U-shaped tents was once again full of sculptures both abstract and classic.  This year they added a sort of frame-like sculpture topped with a variety of birds.  If I had taken the shot of the whole frame, I would have been shooting directly into the sun, so I concentrated on this this corner.  Those birds almost look real up there.

I'll finish with this amusingly titled painting by Barbara Rudolph.  She paints wonderful paintings and inserts cute little birds in most of them.  I've admired her work for years.  This new painting is called "Tequila Mockingbird".  Such a clever and amusing name.  The artist was kind enough to share this photo with me.  

It was so nice to be able to get out and enjoy a whole day out of the house.  Fingers crossed that things keep getting better so we can all enjoy some of our favorite things once again.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I have more beauty from Santa Fe.

More Flowers

 

I'm going to continue with my floral mood today with a few more flowers.  This time with some Gerbera daisies that I picked up a while ago.  When I buy flowers, I can't resist photographing them so here we go.

Some macro shots of the flowers.  First the light lavender one.

And now a pretty pink one.

And finally a yellow one with a few orange touches.

Obviously, I love flowers.  They make awesome photographic subjects.  They sit patiently and do exactly what you ask of them.  What could be better?

Floral Friday

 

I'm feeling in a floral mood today so I browsed through my flower photos and came up with a few to share.  First up is this gazania doing a little peek-a-boo look at its center.

Orchids are always nice to see.  I love looking at the orchids at my local nursery whenever I browse around there.

To the left is a floral arrangement I saw on a table in the middle of the mall.  I'm not sure why it was there but I'm glad I saw it and snapped a photo.  

Colorful daisies will always brighten up any room.  They have these pretty flowers at the supermarket quite often.  I'll pick up a bouquet like this one every now and then.

Above is a type of chrysanthemum but I have no idea what type.  I just know that it has a spidery look to it.

And to the left a calla lily plant.  This one is growing outside the office where I work.  I snapped a photo of it back when I was actually going into the office.  

I hope these beauties brighten up your day and send you smiling into the weekend.  

Random Observations Around Town

 

Here is a very interesting sign I found in front of this nondescript  block building in north Phoenix.  Across the top and bottom it says "Agua Terra Ignis Aura" which is Latin for Water Earth Fire Air.  There was no explanation for the sign so I have no idea why it's there.  It is very attractive though, don't you think?

Next up is this office building that has been built into the ground rather than on top of it.  It is the home of an architectural firm so I think it's fitting that their office would be a little unique.  

I noticed this very young tree planted near some offices and the branches were full of these pretty, purple blooms.  I don't know what it is but it attracted my attention.  

Also attracting my attention was this pine branch full of seeds.  Another marvel of nature.

Lastly, I spotted this artwork on the side of the freeway retaining wall.  It's in an area that is hidden from nearby streets.  I only spotted it  when I pulled into the parking lot of an apartment complex.  It looks like a Native American symbol but it's not one I recognize.  To me it looks like three birds eating fish.  

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

I hadn't even thought about this little holiday approaching until yesterday when I went to the grocery store to pick up something for lunch.  That's when I saw a few decorations around and of course, a few baked items.  I decided that one cookie wouldn't hurt me.

Here are a few other holiday items that were sitting out to tempt shoppers.  That's a cute pillow but I don't believe I have any Irish blood in me so it wouldn't be right to buy it. 

Enjoy the Day!

🍀