Seasonal Decorations

I had lunch recently at this place that has joined the season of goblins and ghosts.  They have gotten into the 'spirit' in a big way.  

I turned that pumpkin around while I ate my lunch.

Mural in the Neighborhood

I found this lovely mural on a wall in one of the historic neighborhoods in Phoenix.  It was a long one so I took photos in sections.

It looks a bit like a colorful Mexican village.

Possibly a Mexican village on the west coast of Mexico. I looked at it closely for a signature but I couldn't find one so I can't give the artist credit for the lovely mural.

Taking part in Monday Murals.

Halloween is "Popping-Up" Everywhere

 

The Halloween season has encouraged some pretty creepy characters to disinter themselves and join the rest of us.

I'm glad this guy didn't pop up near my house.

A little further away from the guy above, this scary fellow was also trying to get out of the ground.  

Murmuration

 

I was sitting on my balcony last night enjoying the nice weather when I noticed a group of birds swooping and circling in perfect unison just like a starling murmuration.  

They were almost impossible to photograph because of the movement and not enough light to capture them but this is the best shot I got.

These are pigeons so this isn't a true murmuration and it's certainly not the huge mass of birds like when the starlings do this but it was fun to watch just the same.  It was like an ballet in the sky.

Halloween is Making An Appearance

 

For almost a year, this house was surrounded by construction barriers and equipment while it went through a major remodel.  Recently I noticed it has added the Halloween look by adding two very tall skeletons.

It's that time of year!  Skeletons and other Halloween decorations are showing up everywhere.

An Investment in Art

 

Here are a few more wonderful pieces of art that I found on my recent visit to the Heard Museum's gift shop.  These were all for sale in the shop.  The piece above is by Dan Namingha, a very well known Native American Artist.  It is called "Corn Deities".  It's a huge painting that was filling one wall in the viewing room in the shop.  The price tag on this is $22,000.

This one was painted by Baje Whitethorne another well known Native American artist.  This one is called "Original Travelers of the Seven Stars".  The price for this one is $10,000.

On another wall inside the art viewing room were these three paintings by Raymond Nordwall.  They are called "Among the Leaves of Gold".  I didn't check the price on these pieces.

Some very lucky collectors are going to come along and take these home with them.  

Pumpkin Season

 

It's that time of year when pumpkins appear in windows on porches.  I've seen quite a few in the last few days.  The ceramic pumpkin was for sale at the local nursery.

These pumpkins were seen inside a Scottsdale business setting the fall-is-here mood.

This grinning fellow was found in the window of the offices where I live.  He was smiling at me as I walked past on my way out one evening.

Butterfly Dancer

 

I was at the Heard Museum on Saturday for another one of their members 'Artful Mornings' lectures.  As usual I enjoyed the presentation very much.

Of course I couldn't leave the museum without a stop in the gift shop.  That's where I saw this small painting by PJ Payestewa. It's called "Poli Mana Poli" which I believe translates to Butterfly Girl. I'm not sure why this image grabbed me but, I love this piece.

Payestewa is of Hopi heritage and that tribe performs a ritual dance to celebrate the late summer harvest of corn.  Back in 2017, I photographed some Butterfly Dancers who were performing at the Desert Botanical Garden.  You can see them here.

"Spare" Humor

 

I couldn't resist snapping a photo of this car I saw driving on Central Avenue this last weekend.

We've all heard the saying "the black sheep of the family" referring to that one that just doesn't fit the family mold.  This Jeep owner has done a cute play on that phrase and put it on the spare tire cover on the back of his black Jeep.  

I love it.

A Southwest Maverick

 

On Friday afternoon, I attended a member's preview of a new exhibit that opened over the weekend. The exhibit was at the Western Spirit Museum and it featured an artist that time had lost track of.  She went by the name of Mac Schweitzer (1921-1962).  

I love it when I'm introduced to an accomplished woman that history has forgotten.

If Mac had lived longer, she may well have become as well known as artists like Georgia O'Keefe but her early death cut short a career that could have moved into that echelon. Above is one of her paintings called "Wrangling the Brood Mares". It was painted in 1958.

She was born in Ohio but moved west in her early years and made the western landscape and its people the essence of her work.  Above are three paintings featuring scenes from Northern Arizona and New Mexico on the lands of Navajo, Hopi and Zuni tribes. The larger painting above is called "Second Mesa".

 Her artistic skills included drawing, painting, print making and sculpture.  The two pictures above feature scenes from the blessing ceremonies at the Zuni Pueblo.  

The exhibit featured paintings from many private collections to bring together a large scope of her work.  The curator who led the private showing was Ann Lane Hedlund who was the daughter-in-law of Mac Schweitzer.  Ann and her late husband Kit were instrumental in bringing Mac's work back to the public eye and putting together the exhibit and the beautiful book to go with it.

When Did All This Screaming Start?

 

On Thursday evening, I joined friends to attend a performance by Jeremy Jordan at the Scottsdale Center For the Performing Arts.  Jordan is a Tony-nominated Broadway star with an incredible voice and excellent stage presence.  The show was excellent and beautifully staged.

The behavior of the audience is what troubled me.  The constant screaming caused me to cover my ears multiple times.  It seemed like every song he sang spurred many audience members to scream as though an alien creature had just grabbed them.

I'm used to enthusiastic applause and loud, exuberant  cheering but screaming at the top of your lungs seems a little much.

I've noticed this phenomenon probably over the past 4 years.  In fact, it's one of the reasons that I gave  up my season tickets to the Valley Broadway series.  I've had those 5th row/center tickets for over 20 years but lately I've been finding it hard to enjoy the performances when the audience pierces my ears with their constant screams.   

The photos of the plants above were taken near the Scottsdale Civic Center.

Cactus Wren Sighting

 

The Desert Botanical Garden is the best place to find those busy little cactus wrens hard at work.  This one was taking a breather and enjoying the view from atop a cactus.  I'm always amazed by how comfortable they are with all those thorns sticking out around them.  This one is actually perched atop those thorns.

Back to Blue Skies

 Our blue skies have returned here in Phoenix after several days of clouds, rain and wind.  In fact, on Monday we had a sort of micro-burst that caused some tree damage in certain parts of town.  I didn't notice any damage near where I live but I have heard that in Tempe, two buildings lost their roofs and many trees were uprooted.

The early morning temps are now in the low 60's and just yesterday I heard then saw a huge flock of Canadian Geese flying over the golf course next door.  

Fall is certainly in the air here in the desert southwest.

Ugly or Beautiful?

 

I saw this machine parked in a parking lot recently and I was curious about what such an ugly piece of equipment was used for.  I did some research and found that it is used to pave the streets and in this case, the parking lot.  It's a scary looking contraption but I bet to the construction company that owns it, it's a beauty.  

The Phoenix Symphony Gala

 I was treated to an evening of music and friends on Saturday night.  It was The Phoenix Symphony Gala and my friend Julie was the co-chair of the event.  She invited me and other friends to join her at her table.  Before the gala dinner, we saw the symphony perform the music of Danny Elfman.

And then, Danny Elfman himself came out to sing a few of his songs from some of those famous Tim Burton movies.

My friend Julie snapped the photo to the left.

After the performance, everyone walked across the street to the Hyatt Hotel for the festive dinner.  I snapped this photo of our table just as a red spotlight swung by and made that candelabra centerpiece glow.  

I think I had only seen one of the movies featured in the concert but the music played by our symphony members was so good I enjoyed it all.  I wish I could share a video of the pixie-like violinist who performed one of the songs.  Her name is Sandy Cameron and she was fabulous.  Check the link to her bio and you can see a photo of her leaping into the air with her violin.

Woven From the Womb

 

This mural is located inside the Western Spirit Museum.  It was commissioned by the museum and was painted by Thomas Breeze Marcus. It covers over 1500 square feet of space and 3 walls.

It stretches out over the wall above the stairway down to the first floor.  

It's called "Woven From the Womb" and the geometric patterns represent the traditional basket weaving patterns.  Marcus has Akimel and Thono O'odham Native American heritage.  

Taking part in Monday Murals.  

Soil to Sculpture

 

The second exhibit I saw at the Shemer Art Center was called "Soil to Sculpture: The Art of Clay".  

There was just something about this fellow's smile that I found very uplifting.  He was created by Kristy Winterbourne and the piece is called "Suppurate With Me".  

I must admit that name threw me off.  That is not a word I would use to describe this fellow with the sly smile.

This one is by the same artist and it's called "I Will Keep My Watchfull Eye OPEN".

This one I get because I can see the "watchful eye".  

Kristy is very good at forming faces from her clay.

These last pieces were part of a tribute to an artist who passed away last year.  Sandy Blain was a ceramic artist who supported the Shemer Art Center and was known to everyone who worked there.  Her ceramic pieces were always available in the gift shop.  I love that tall one in the back.

Cross-Pollination

 I stopped at the Shemer Art Center yesterday to see the latest exhibit.  There were two shows on view.  

The two pieces I've pictured here are from an exhibit called "Cross-Pollination" and it was solo exhibit featuring the photographic art of Linda Enger.  Her photos are a "conceptual still-life series shaped by cycles of planting, harvesting, painting, gathering, repurposing, photographing and editing."

I was totally mesmerized by the images all of which were printed on very glossy metal. 

This one to the left is called "Multi-tasking Can Get Very Messy, Like Life".  

  This one to the right is called "Committed to Peas and Calm, A New Hope".  And, "peas" is not a typo.  

I took this photo from the side to avoid reflections on the shiny surface.

I love all of the prints in the show.  I'm feeling some inspiration to do a little photographic experimenting myself. 

The London Silver Vaults

 

I spotted the London Silver Vaults on a trip to London a few years ago and I wondered what they were.  However, I promptly forgot all about it.  When I was there last August, I walked by the building again and decided to check it out.  I had no idea what it was about or if I was even allowed in but, a kindly guard said "of course" and pointed me in the direction of an elevator

That elevator took me deep down into a labyrinth of individual vaulted rooms that I discovered were individual shops where one could buy or sell silver pieces of all kinds.

It was room after room of more silver than I've ever seen in one place.

So after returning home, I did some research to get more information on this unusual place.  They boast housing the largest selection of fine, antique, modern and contemporary silverware anywhere in the world.  It is estimated that it contains 24,646 tons of silver valued at 30.7 billion dollars. The vaults contain 30 shops over 2 long corridors.

The site dates back to 1882 when the vaults were built 2 levels below ground with 3.9 foot thick walls lined with steel.  It was where the aristocracy stored their silver and other valuables when the left London to stay in their country homes. By the 1930's, silver dealers began buying and selling silver from the location.  During the London Blitz, the Victorian building above ground was destroyed but the vaults remained safe.  During WWII, a lot of silver was sold to military officers stationed in London and that started the sales trade from the vaults. A replacement building was constructed in 1953 above the vaults and it became a shopping destination ever since.  The vaults have never been broken into and judging from all the thick vault doors I passed through to get there, I can see why.

I enjoyed learning all of this almost as much as I enjoyed visiting the shops and seeing all that silver. I saw several shoppers negotiating purchases while I was there.

A Fistful of Colors

 One other exhibit at the Western Spirit Museum is called A Fistfull of Colors and it features a large variety of paintings that contain a lot of bright colors. 

This painting by Paul Pletka is a perfect example.  It's called "Danza Mitote".  Its depiction of people dressed in an array of bright colors seems to fit the theme perfectly.

I also liked this painting that was included in the same colorful exhibit.  It doesn't have as many bright colors but I love the canyon country image.  This one is by Marcia Molnar and is called "With Me There is Beauty".  

No deep thoughts were needed for this exhibit. Just pure enjoyment.

Ballet For Billy

 

I can tell from some of the comments to yesterday's post that many of you were as conflicted as I was when I saw the exhibit about Billy the Kid at the Western Spirit Museum.  The exhibit's description material talks a lot about how the history of Billy's escapades has been a blurred through the years.  Some see him as a murderous outlaw while others think of him as a folk hero making his way in a lawless land.  

Thom Ross's paintings depict Billy's life as a feverish dance.  The painting above is called "Escape from the Burning McSween House" and represents one of the stories of how he escaped a burning house and evaded the authorities who were pursuing him.

This painting is called "Arrest at Stinking Springs" which is a place near Ft. Sumner where Billy was arrested.

This last painting is called "Midnight at Fort Sumner" where Billy was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett.  He was only 21 years old.  His life was short but his legend lives on and on. 

This whole exhibit got me to thinking about how history views people who have made a name for themselves either doing good things or by doing bad things.  A good museum exhibit should make you think and this one sure did for me.