Art About Town: San Francisco: The 8 Sculptures Of Crissy Field; A Preview Of An Exhibit

"Huru" by Mark di Suvero. Crissy Field, San Francisco

"You must forget all your theories, all your ideas before the subject. What part of these is really your own will be expressed in the expression of the emotion awakened in you by the subject."

~Henri Matisse

On my visit to Crissy Field last week, I was delighted to see that there is a new public art exhibit of 8 sculptures by artist Mark di Suvero. The first sculpture I ever saw by this artist was Pax Jerusalem which stands on the grounds of the Legion of Honor. I have always enjoyed that sculpture, so the minute I saw the exhibit of 8 on Crissy Field, I knew instantly who the artist was! I was only able to take a few pictures the other day, but this photo certainly does not do the piece justice, so I am hoping to get back to the city next week to photograph each of them! I am looking forward to the walk between them, and learning the background of each one! While I am in San Francisco, there is another sculpture by the artist located near AT&T park so I think I will make my visit all about the art and see how many sculptures I can photograph in one day! It will be a sculpture safari! LOL. Wish me luck!


Pax Jerusalem by Mark di Suvero. Located at the Legion of Honor, San Francisco

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Photographing Motion

Common Checkered (Pontia protodice)



"I suppose that every wanderer started in a garden somewhere. So few of us are born into motion."

~Candas Jane Dorsey, Black Wine



Isn't it pretty how the butterfly almost forms a heart shape when it's wings are almost closed? I tried my best to get a good shot of the motion of it's wings as they opened and close, but this is a rather athletic little butterfly and achieving the effect I wanted to was difficult. I will be doing more work with motion this summer, but for now, this is as close as I could get to an accurate photo of how it's body looks different as it moves about.

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Meet Ambrose The Dragon Kite

"Imagination is the highest kite one can fly."

~Lauren Bacall



Yesterday, Alan suggested we go have a little fun in San Francisco. It's always fun going on a date with Alan, so of course I said YES! After a brief debate about what we could do in the city, we decided it would be fun to grab the kites and head for Crissy Field. Along the way we stopped for a sandwich to take to Golden Gate park. By the time we got out to the marina, it was about 1:00 PM and it was perfect conditions outside for flying a kite! It's been super windy in the Bay Area the last couple days, and a bit on the chilly side, but you couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. And the sight of our new dragon... Ambrose... was just the bit of whimsy we both needed! And of course the sight of the Golden Gate bridge right there... well... it never ceases to make me happy!



We had so much fun, I think this is going to be a regular activity for us this summer! There are a lot of parks and beaches to visit, maybe next time I will bring our other kite, a cow named Wendy! LOL.

Wendy... 2007
 

Isn't she pretty? ;)

I will be posting more photos, in the next few days, of our fun this week in San Francisco! Stay Tuned! :)

Mood: Silly

~Me :)

ZZZZZzzzzzzZZZZZZZZ

"I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul."

~ Jean Cocteau

This is your midweek moment of AWWWWWW!

You're welcome!

:)

Mood: Happy

~Me

Living On The Coast Of A Passive Ocean

"Because God is never cruel, there is a reason for all things. We must know the pain of loss; because if we never knew it, we would have no compassion for others, and we would become monsters of self-regard, creatures of unalloyed self-interest. The terrible pain of loss teaches humility to our prideful kind, has the power to soften uncaring hearts, to make a better person of a good one."

~Dean Koontz, The Darkest Evening Of The Year

A lot has happened in the last 24 hours. Not to me, I am fine, but to my good friend and neighbor, and of course to the people of Oklahoma City and Moore Oklahoma. By now you most of the details of what occurred in Oklahoma, and that it's going to be a long night. Needless to say I am in prayer for them, and I am sending as many loving thoughts as I can their way. I hope in some small way they will feel our collective prayers, and more good news, than bad, will come with the morning light.

My friend and neighbor, Opal, has been through a devastating time in the last 5 weeks, having lost 6 members of her family, including her beloved kitty, and my personal buddy Sebastiani. I shall miss our talks. He loved to come by and chatter with me, and seemed perfectly happy with my occasional..."What? Really? And then what did you do?" He was a tuxedo like Elvis, so it made the property a much nicer place having another tux to care about. He was my friend. So it's hard to know that as Opal's friend and neighbor, there isn't much we can do to help.

 I am making her a flower arrangement this evening, to take by tomorrow, and I have a card for her, which assures her the phone is always on if she needs us, but it doesn't feel like much help. You know how it is... if you can take the pain from someone you care about, and hold it for them till they catch their breath... you would. But you can't. So all you can do is just be there if they need you, and we will be.

It's so strange, I didn't think I would find the perfect quote for this post from Dean Koontz, but I really believe what he wrote captures the feeling of the situations. Devastation if an unfortunate balance to the times of joy and prosperity. It's life. But knowing it, doesn't make it easier, just more understandable. Understandable. What a word. What a world. And a new day begins at midnight. I, for one, count myself lucky that I live where I do, on the coast of a passive ocean. Earthquakes? They don't cross my mind often, it's just a part of living where I do.

It's life.

And I thank God for it daily.

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

Yellow Flowers On Warm Days In Late May

"Be like a flower, turn your face toward the sun."

~ Kahlil Gibran

It's May... but you already knew that! But if you needed a little more proof... behold the Day Lily. Yellow, vibrant, cheerful, it's hard to feel bad about anything, with beauty like this in the world.

Don't you think?





Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Julia

Julia  (Dryas iulia) (Male)

"Go on, hitch a ride on the back of a butterfly. There's no better way to fly."

~Pat Monahan, Scott Michael Underwood, and James W. Stafford, "Get To Me."

Meet the Julia! Well, actually it's iurlia, Julia is a common misspelling of it's name, but personally, I like the misspelling, so I call it Julia! It's a medium sized, sometimes brightly colored orange butterfly, which every once in a while makes and appearance in the backyard, where it is fond of stopping for a drink of the blossoms on our Meyer Lemon tree. It makes me ridiculously happy to see it flutter through the yard. That little splash of orange, in an otherwise green yard, is a pleasant sight. It is one of the best parts of spring I think. :)



When Alan and I took that aerial tour of the bay last autumn, I got to see the world from a new perspective. I have been in big jet planes, but being in a small plane, closer to the earth, allowed me to imagine what it was like to be my two favorite flying creatures, the Snowy Egret and the butterfly... any butterfly. The Snowy Egret will always be my favorite bird, but I could never choose one type of butterfly to call my favorite! They all equally enchant and fascinate me! They other day,  I followed this Julia around the Conservatory of flowers for close to an hour. Is it possible to stalk a butterfly? LOL.

Mood: Happy :)

~Me :)