Art Among the Plants

Last Saturday, Berridge Nurseries had an art show event at their nursery.  I love going there just to take photos of all the pretty flowers so when I heard about the art show, I thought it was a perfect opportunity.  The art show wasn't very large but there were some interesting things to see.

T P McKee creates these 3D kind of art pieces.  They are very unique and both interesting and clever.  His card describes them as creative originals.  This floral piece to the left seemed perfect for an art show in a garden.

Leigh Hill paints gourds and she does a fabulous job of it.  They were all beautifully done.

But, this one was my favorite.  The detail is amazing.

Bomb Taco

Here is another mural by Lalo Cota who has quite a few murals in the Phoenix area.  This one is located in the alley behind Barrio Cafe, a very popular Mexican restaurant located in a part of Phoenix known as "the Barrio".   In case you can't read it, the license plate reads "Bomb Taco" and indeed, the vehicle is half car, half taco.

Here is a closer look at the area in the corner.  

You can find more murals from around the world on Colorful World.

The Return of Silly Goose

During the month of May last year, I posted about this goose that started hanging out in the parking lot of where I live.  As the weather got warmer, he finally left for the summer and now he's back.  At exactly the same time of year he was here before.

He just hangs out in the parking lot.  Most of the time he's all curled up in one of the parking spots.  Every now and then I hear him squawking rather loudly.  When I snapped these photos, he seemed to be admiring his reflection in that car's bumper.

One morning I saw him prancing across the top of the parking covers.  I asked our maintenance man if there was a nest somewhere near by and he said no, they've looked for one and can't find any.  No one really knows why he hangs out here.  As I said last year, less than one block away is a nice green golf course and a little lake where his friends hang out.  It's a mystery why he seems drawn to this place.

I have a new post today on Sharon's Sojourns.  I took a short drive to a ghost town.

Purple Flowers Under a Stormy Sky

I took these photos back in March when these pretty little blooms were spilling out of a tall planter at the Desert Botanical Garden.  The flowers are called Purple Coral Pea Vine.  That's quite a name for such tiny little flowers.

Those vines hang from this planter all year long but the blooms only appear in early spring and they last just two or three weeks.

Reimagining Objects

There is a very interesting art exhibit in the small gallery at the Desert Botanical Garden right now and it's called Reimagining Objects by artist Michelle Stizlein.

The description talks about how today garbage has formed patches the size of islands in our oceans.  The Great Garbage Patch, also known as the Trash Vortex spans the waters from the west coast of North America to Japan.  These art works made from discarded plastics and other objects draws attention to that issue.

Here is a closer view of the one above.

These pieces are meant to demonstrate the issue of the volumes of garbage we have set loose on the environment.  The artist considers these to be "new blooms" made from discarded materials.  

This photo might give you a perspective of the size of the pieces.

A closer look shows prescription bottles, vehicle reflectors along with buttons, bottle caps and plastic shards.  They were all molded together to form this bloom that the artist calls Petalled Lacanora.  

Those long white things around the edge are piano and organ keys.  

They really are quite beautiful when you look at them as a whole.

An Art Festival & Student Art

The Shemer Art Center had a one day art festival and sale on the lawn of the museum last Saturday.  I stopped by (before I went to brunch) to have a look.  There were a lot of pretty things to see and many of the artists also teach classes at the The Shemer from time to time.

There is a student art show on at the museum too.  It is a juried show with works from the Arizona Artists Guild scholarship recipients.  

The works were all very good but, I'll show you these two artists whose work stood out to me.  

First is this statue by  Min Kyu Kim who is a student at ASU.

It's called "Persona" and it's made of cast iron.  

This last one is by Lee Davenport who is also a student at ASU.  This one is called "Tranquility".  It does have a tranquil look to it, doesn't it?

There are some very talented new artists featured in this show.

The Wine Cellar Dining Room

I mentioned yesterday that we returned to the Hermosa Inn for Saturday brunch.  After we ate, Dave wanted to show us a room he had dined in a few years ago called the wine cellar room.  It really is in the cellar too.  We climbed down a narrow set of stone steps to get there.  It's a great room for a special event with 12 people.

Another feature I love at the Hermosa Inn is the old watering trough that is mounted in the garden area as a fountain.

I couldn't resist one more shot of those colorful flowers.

Back Again

Last Saturday I posted about my lunch at the Hermosa Inn the weekend before.  We enjoyed that lunch so much that we went back and this time with Julie and Dave with us for brunch on Saturday.

I didn't bring my camera this time but I still couldn't resist snapping a few iPhone photos.  They turned out just as good as the camera did.  But, how can you go wrong with all the glorious floral color?

A Mural Tribute

I found another mural that pays tribute to the Phoenix Suns basketball team.  This one is by Lalo Cota, a prolific mural artist in the Phoenix area.  This guy is playing basketball against the Phoenix skyline and one of our colorful sunsets.

If you like murals, check out this link for more Monday murals.

I love Spring!

Everywhere I look right now, I see cactus blooming.  Along the streets, in landscaped areas, in peoples yards and of course, at the Desert Botanical Garden.  Those prickly cactus are putting on their annual show.

Here is a selection of blooms that I photographed just last Friday.  The desert is bursting with color.  Between the wildflowers, the cactus and the resort landscapes, Phoenix and the surrounding cities are looking pretty good.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  It's all about memorable meals in New York City.

Garden Lunch

Last weekend, my friend Glenda and I had lunch on the patio of the Hermosa Inn.  I like to dine here every spring to take in the spectacular landscaping around the garden.  This year was no exception to the superb standard they have set.

We sat right next to the fountain under this huge tree.  In fact, that is our empty table to the left of this photo.

The flowers were amazing as usual.  You can see that there were quite a variety to admire.  Daisies, petunias, snapdragons and I'm sure others I'm not recognizing.  It was a beautiful day in a beautiful setting.

The Fireplace

I'll end this series with the main garden area.  This was my first glimpse of the wonderful fireplace situated in a perfect spot for entertaining.

This would be a perfect place to set up some tables and chairs by the fire and enjoy those cool winter nights with friends.  It wasn't needed on the day of this tour but, I'm glad they had it on so I could photograph it in action.

As I left this wonderful southwestern house, I looked back and once again admired that huge ocotillo at the front of the home.

The Kitchen

Crossing into the kitchen area my eyes were drawn to this pretty bouquet of daffodils sitting on the kitchen counter.

And, on the kitchen table is that bouquet of sunflowers that I used for my "yellow" post on the first of the month.  Above the table are two more Any Warhol prints.

Here is a closer look.

I loved the way the dishes were stacked on open shelves next to the table.  And those wonderful Kachina heads were perfect for this room.

Along a long hallway leading to another section of the house that was closed to visitors, was a collection of botanical photographs all framed alike and so perfectly hung in neat rows.

Tomorrow, garden attractions.

The Living Room

The living room of this house is dominated by eight large Andy Warhol prints above a fireplace.  I love the Native American rug under the sofa and chairs.

Behind the sofa was a very long dining table made of one slab of wood.  I really like how the split in the wood was kept in the table and just braced so it wouldn't split more.

Beyond the dining table above was another door leading to another outdoor courtyard with a fountain and desert plants.

Tomorrow....the kitchen.

Through the Big Door

Back at the last house of the private garden tour, stepping through that extra wide door in front of the house and into the beautiful courtyard of the home.

To the left of the photo above is the door that leads into the house and into a sort of foyer with one side leading toward the living room and the other to the kitchen.

On opposite sides of the foyer were these glass shelves containing a huge collection of Native American artifacts.

Tomorrow I will turn to the left and into the living room of this home.