Birds Out of Hand

I'm not sure

what the going wage is

for dressing up

in a colorful bird costume.

Honestly,

I do not remember what

they were hawking, either.

But they were certainly eye-catching!

At least they had each other,

so they could flock together.

I think that one on the left

was thinking about grabbing my camera.

Taken 14 October 2010.

Street Art #21

What exactly constitutes "street art"?

I'd say, basically anything that can be interpreted as "art"

that is displayed in a publicly accessible way.

I'd venture to guess that the most common form

of what is generally accepted as "street art"

is some kind of image or abstraction

painted on sidewalks, walls of buildings,

sides of bridges and overpasses, etc.

A lot of what is still often called "grafitti"

is now being called "street art"

(for good reason, IMHO).

Can something as simple as

a stocking cap on a fire hydrant

be considered "street art"?

Chances are this is a pretty random event.

The "artist" in this case 

probably had no direct intention

of creating a work of art.

I'm thinking,

if someone looks at any arrangement

of objects

and is captured

for whatever reason

by lines, colors, shapes, shadows,

quirkiness, incongruousness,

or whatever;

whether natural, accidental, or intentional,

that is art.

If it is in or near "the street" -

"street art."

I'll save my discussion of whether

this might also be rightly considered

"assemblage art"

for another time.

Taken 18 September 2009.

Concrete and Metal

No curves allowed.

It's just metal and concrete.

A utilitarian installation

hidden in the corner

of a much grander edifice

(the Anaheim Convention Center);

but the counterplay

of repeating straight lines,

light and shadow,

in neutral shades of gray,

is appealing.

It draws you in;

makes you want to explore.

Taken 13 October 2010.

Colorful Georgetown Townhouses

This cheerful little row of townhouses in Georgetown (DC)

might surprise the original residents.

Ya think?

These structures are probably at least 150 years old.

Who could have expected a Japanese Restaurant?

The one in the middle is the most eye-catching, though.

Painted with at least four colors;

and I cannot make out the name of the business;

and,

what's up with the STOP sign?

One wonders.

Taken 19 November 2010.

Bucks at the Buffet

Local bucks line up

to take advantage of

the all-you-can-eat buffet

generously provided by nature.

All natural,

100% organic.

Taken 11 January 2012.

Fabric Pattern #13

Here is a delightful, whimsical pattern

found on the cushions of some of the

chairs in the lobby of Portola Plaza.

I kept hoping to find one of the fish

swimming in the opposite direction!

Taken 7 January 2011.

Following the lights...

Here I'm sharing a little bit of experimental light-play.

Mix a foggy, damp, grey morning

with various light subjects

and you get this effect.

I like the abstract nature

(is that an oxymoron?)

of this composition.

Taken 5 December 2012.