13th Steet Studio

Swimming with the Fishes

I want to introduce everyone to an acquaintance that I made in Australia. This is Wally the Giant Maori Wrasse. Look closely-he is covered in the most beautiful blue and green pattern! (Pictures really don't do him justice.) And he has been trained to swim along and allow dozens, probably hundreds of tourists to be photographed with him. A very patient fellow. And here is my picture with him. I am not much of a swimmer...more of a paddler/water treader, and I like to be able to touch the bottom of the pool. This was a little bit of a problem out on the Great Barrier Reef, but I jumped in anyway. Later in the day, after we had finished snorkeling around with Wally and his friends, the tide was out enough that a lot of what we had been swimming over was beginning to poke up out of the surf. So, I guess it wasn't that much of a leap of faith. Pretty exciting for a gal from Kansas, though.

Inspirational Art

Here is a photo of a contemporary Aboriginal painting that I took a quick photo of in a hotel lobby. I had hoped that the label would be legible in the photo so I did not write down the name of the artist. Unfortunately, I can't read the info on the photo, but I do remember that the artist was represented by the Gadfly Gallery   and that the name of this piece was something like "Water Dreaming". Maybe I'll have to paint some fabric using the eraser end of pencils in the future....

Spit Balls

G'Day from Australia! Plenty of inspiration here... The Aboriginal art is compelling to me, due to its abstract dot filled shapes. I find I am more drawn to it than the Maori art in New Zealand. However, I must admit I am spending much more time in the outside, enjoying nature, than in art galleries and museums. So, I'm not talking from any kind of educated background, but I can't help but wonder if I am not the only one to see inspiration on the beaches here. A shoreline creature takes in sand and digests the organic material, and then rolls up and spits out the unwanted sand particles in numerous sand balls. The shore has uncounted arrays of these spit balls in artistic arrangements...here is just one.

Seriously

OK, seriously. Did you think I would pledge to make three things a day for a whole month!? One thing a day just about did me in.
APRIL FOOLS!!
Here is a cool mosaic store front that I saw a couple of days ago. Those of you who thought I'd get around to three works a day can pretend that I did the mosaic.
Oh, and by the way... HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH!
 

So Much Fun

Doing the "Make a Thing a Day" for the month of March was so much fun I have decided to triple up and make April "Make Three Things a Day"! So, for the month of April, I will be making and posting three items a day. Triple the art, triple the fun!!!
Here is an inspirational picture of art in the air. This sculpture floats in one of the courtyards at the Christchurch Arts Center. It has two "sides"...the front of the house and the side, and they connect at a right angle. So it is not a three dimensional house shape. It is difficult to describe, but the effect of a two sided shape that changes to a three dimensional shape as you walk around the courtyard is pretty cool. Well, with art in the sky as inspiration, I'd better get busy on today's three things.

Duct Tape Art

This over-sized flowery mural was in the courtyard of the Wellington Museum of Art. What a great idea! Tape out the design, and then have kids or folks with young knees and backs color in the design with sidewalk chalk. When the rain washes the chalk away, you can just re-chalk it. The colors could change with each rain storm. So, I know, I know... this stifles the creativity of the individual child with a piece of chalk... but I really like the end result. Call me a control freak.
On a slightly different note, I have always blamed the current popularity of tattoos among the young on too many "Have Your Face Painted" booths at the grade school events. Maybe I should blame the rampant tagging here on too many childhood days spent with sidewalk chalk!
But back to this courtyard... I am very tempted to tape out a Jack-0-lantern on my driveway next Halloween, even if I have to color it myself. I can probably tape the chalk to the end of a stick, right?

Signs of Art

There is a very nice arts center in Wairarapa New Zealand that we happened to wander by on our way to take a boat ride. Next to this arts center was a green building with the word ART painted on it. We didn't have time to investigate whether this second building was part of the arts center, or an independent gallery, but I had to take this picture to remind myself of the strong quiet effect of a good font and sharp print. Just past this building was a brick wall and it had two examples of graffiti that seemed a bit out of the ordinary. New Zealand has quite a problem with graffiti, or tagging. The news is full of stories about zero tolerance and cracking down on the vandals. I think some cities have stopped selling spray paint to minors in the U.S., but I don't know if they have tried that in N.Z. Just about everything that doesn't move (and some things that do) are covered in uninspiring tag art here. Just miles of those big loopy block letters or the other extreme of printing where the letters are so sharp and dagger-like. I do not have much luck reading either type, guys, so it is mostly lost on me. But these two examples here at least show some architectural features or a Picasso influence. Its a start.  Other spray paint work in the area was the letter F added to a banner that originally said "Art History" (That person either climbed a two story high wall  or had friends dangle him from the roof-very determined!) and the poor city of Bulls, NZ must have to  repaint their "Welcome to Bulls" sign every day. It didn't need much more than a step-stool to  change the U to an A.

Revolutionary Sewing Circle

This is a quick picture of a notice posted in the window of a shop in Wellington, New Zealand. I did not write down the shop's name, so unfortunately I have forgotten it. The shop sold clothing and accessories made from new and recycled fabrics. Fun Stuff! Just in case you can't make out the words... due to the reflection of my dumpy self in the window... It says:
"Clandestine Revolutionary Sewing Circle
(then the date and place) So, bring your sewing, knitting, crochet, beading, cross stitch, etc.,  and let's begin stitching a new world in the shell of the old!"
Sounds like a great group. I'd join if I was staying in the area.

Good night and good luck

Inspirations is not the right category for this post. Anti-inspirations would be closer, and maybe I'll have to add that to the list.
Is anyone old enough to remember "I hate meeses to peeces!"? Well, I don't hate mice. I actually like them fine as long as they are outside my house. I am happy for them to eat as much of the birdseed from the feeder that they want. But the one mouse (It is probably just my wishful thinking that it was just one mouse...he may have quite the extended family) that managed to get into our sun-room's air conditioning unit caused us quite a bit of expense last year. And despite a continuing hobby of search and plug holes to our basement on my part, they still get in our house. I've set up a peanut buttered trap buffet along the basement door to the outside as a lethal welcome..... Lethal Welcome .... that would be a good movie title... Anyway, it doesn't make my day to find a departed customer at the trap line. I feel sad and mean and evil. It is creepy, I know, to have taken this picture of the most recent ex-mouse, but he looked so peaceful. Lets hope he has gone to mouse heaven. Sorry, mouse.

Guatemalan Trucking

This one of my favorite photos from a trip I took to Guatemala a couple of years ago.  The color combinations on these two trucks was just dazzling.... and what a great graphic image.  I also liked the way the green highlights on the left truck is echoed in the green trim paint on the cement block building higher up the hill.
The backs of these trucks remind me of Amish quilt designs. Well, maybe Amish quilt designs on drugs...

Ending Well

Happy New Year! Here's to a prosperous and healthy 2007! This year has flown by for me. In fact, each year seems to get shorter and shorter. In the spirit of endings and new beginnings, I thought I would share photos of my favorite brick and stone wall. This wall surrounds a cemetery north of Oklahoma City (Memorial Cemetery, I think).  I think whoever did this masonry work was a genius!  Maybe a bit demented, but definitely a genius.  Newer brickwork in this same cemetery is not nearly as glorious.  I especially like the vine that has grown up this one part of the wall.  It looks so determined.  Good words to start the new year with.... determined, strong, persevering...
and solid as a brick wall!