Wall Panel

Wall panel by the elevator

in the lobby of

a DC hotel...

art and beauty in the most

unexpected places!

People looked askance

at me while I was

getting this shot.

I'm sure they thought

I had lost my mind.

They really don't see the art!

Sad, and a little scary.

Taken 17 November 2010.

Experience Incredible!

It was incredible before ya even went inside!

Sadly, I did not indulge

in their pizza

because I had just come from a thoroughly

filling meal elsewhere.

But I did go in and look around.

Who could resist?

Taken 15 October 2010,

in Buena Vista, California.

NOTE: I'll be offline for the next week.  Please do not run away to Timbuktu!

And if you do, take lots of pictures.

And share them.

Pretty please.

Spinning Butterfly

This is a garden ornament

called a "spinner."

It has the shape of a butterfly

in the center

with concentric butterfly-shaped rings

graduated outward.

When the wind catches it just right

it spins like crazy!

Couldn't resist sharing

a few of these pics

just to demonstrate

the differences in shapes,

lines, textures,

captured at different moments

of spin.

Street Art # 12: Colorado Springs

OK,

so I'm expanding the generally accepted

definition of "Street Art"

to include outdoor

"formal" art installations.

It's art.

It's on the street

(or at least visible from the street).

I found these two cowboys

beautiful and intriguing. 

I wanted to hear what the guy

in front was telling the other guy.

Forever caught in mid-conversation

in downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado.

I like the photo above because there is little evidence

that you are not out in the wilderness somewhere.

The view below,

while not so great of the sculpture itself,

illustrates the context.

Light, Grass, Rocks

Early morning light

makes long, thin shadow-stripes

from the blades of grass

pushing their way

through this crowd of stones.

Taken 16 September 2010.

New Door, Mature Facade

Lovely, mature brick facade

(early 20th century cigar factory)

meets handsome, fit young pair of doors.

Grand old dame adopts twins.

Amazing how the spartan contemporary lines

of these new doors do not seem out of place

nestled in this crusty brick alcove.

Granted, the pattern in the glass

is very art deco,

and also reminiscent of craftsman style,

with a tip of the hat to Frank Lloyd Wright

and Tiffany.

Attractive.

Appealing.

Artsy.

Ahh!-inspiring.

Taken on 2 August 2010,

in Ybor City,

Tampa, Florida.

Staring at Stairs

Straight lines going this way and that,

squares and rectangles,

perpendiculars, diagonals,

steel, concrete, wire mesh,

bolts and brackets,

banisters and balconies,

verdigris vertigo,

a lamp post waiting at the summit,

and overcast sky lends a stark white cyclorama.

Taken in Colorado Springs, Colorado,

18 July 2010.

Cherry's #11

Ssshhhh!

Let the vehicle speak for itself.

Power Cloud

Layers of serendipitous composition!

Blue dome of sky unblinking;

Vapor trail pierces like a heart-bound dagger;

Hidden sun reveals its starry identity;

Fiery smoke threatens to occlude all light;

Power trestle stands its ground,

darker shade against the encroaching cloud,

extending lines of voltage-laden connectivity

to its team-mates in a stubborn

round of Red Rover.

Taken on 8 October 2010,

during a "controlled burn."

Smart Smeller

Potpourri.

How do they get that aroma to stick

to those sticks

for so long???

Somebody,

Somewhere,

meticulously

dyed or painted

wood chips, pine cones,

and sundry other dried plant parts

so that we could have aromatic, colorfully adorned

bits of nature in a bowl

in our living room.

Bless their hearts.

Dwelling Place

A little corner of blue heaven

imposing itself 

on pale windowless cubes;

shadows pushing back

to declare their transient dominance;

lines drawn between

light and dark

heaven and earth;

stairway

a rising crescendo

escorting dwellers

to their nightly mausoleum

where they take their repose

beyond the reach of

encroaching shades.