Intentional Observation: Ice
20 November 2011 1 Comment
Wandering the Gallery: Survey before evaluate
19 November 2011 1 Comment
This next Thanksgiving week, my wife and I will be traveling back to our old stomping grounds in Northwest Arkansas. I was hoping to visit the recently completed Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (funny video announcing their opening) if we could squeeze it into our trip. Sadly, you need to reserve tickets to get in before January, and the day we’ll be down there is already sold out. Regardless, the opportunity started me thinking about my own gallery experiences again.
I’ve recently come to realize that I like to survey an exhibit or gallery before intently viewing individual works. I’m trying to decide if this is just a part of who I am or if it’s an unfortunate symptom of a culture too fast paced for its own good. Maybe some of both.
Of course, this means that some of the time I don’t get back to viewing individual works. I’m curious to hear how other people approach a museum of art, if they’ve ever thought through it.
Intentional Observation: Prairie grass
30 October 2011 Leave a Comment
I walked through the prairie this past week for the day job, taking photographs for an ad. It’s a 2+ acre site west of Grand Island where the ruts (swales) of multiple wagon trains can still be seen. This lovely piece of vegetation caught my eye as I paced the prairie.
Nursery Art: Horse Head #4
23 October 2011 2 Comments
The final in the Nursery Art series, Horse Head #4 by Olson, 21/250.
Nursery Art: “Anl lh 2/9″
15 October 2011 Leave a Comment
Yes, as far as I can discern, that is the title of this next work by Olson. The artist must have been quite tired when scrawling the title onto this print, because it’s not remotely legible in comparison to the three others. Number 168/250.
Nursery Art: Horse Head #2
2 October 2011 3 Comments
Just after moving to Arkansas, round about 2003 or 2004, a frame shop in Siloam Springs closed its doors. They had a sale as such, and we ended up purchasing a few things for the office and a few prints.
Included in the prints we purchased were four etchings of carousel horses. They are signed “Olson” and are very well done. We bought them with our future child in mind, for the nursery. We still have them, and after 10 years of marriage we finally have a reason to frame them. Here’s the first for your viewing pleasure, Horse Head #2 by Olson, number 21/250.
Sprout trumps travel
1 October 2011 2 Comments
Last week we were supposed to be on our 10th anniversary trip through Wyoming, Montana and — if we were lucky — Eastern Idaho. We had plans to stop at the Nebraska Fiber Festival, a couple of fiber-slash-yarn outfits in Wyoming, the Archie Bray Foundation (ceramics) in Helena and then what looked like a very nice art museum in in Missoula. It would have also been our first time seeing Yellowstone.
Thoughts 1 & 2 on American culture
24 September 2011 Leave a Comment
The past few years I’ve been thinking about family legacies and family culture here in the US.
ONE – Legacy might not really be the proper term as it will likely conjure up thoughts of Kennedies and nepotism. My thoughts have been more along the lines of passing along a family business or craft. Your grandfather was a carpenter, your father was a carpenter now you’re a carpenter.
TWO — On family culture, why is it frowned upon here in the US for children to live with their parents beyond college age? This is not the case in so many other cultures, even other cultures within America’s geographical bounds. Is this sentiment related to our nation’s individualistic streak? Is it related to industrialism or economic wealth?
These have been on my mind for two obvious reasons. One, my dad finally fulfilled his entrepreneurial spirit by opening a store of his own roughly four years ago. Two, I moved back in with my parents two years ago — out of necessity — after I had already owned my own home and after I was 30 years old.
The more I’ve thought about it, the more I like the idea of a family business, something that is still a part of our culture, though perhaps not as much as it should be. Further, the less I like the stigma attached to families living under the same roof, children with their parents.
More thought is needed on these subjects. Feel free to add your own two cents
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