Red Sky at Night

The land of my boyhood imaginings.

Tectonic Design Advance

It is very refreshing to experience an architectural design that surpasses the previous solution in quantum fashion as in the case here of the updated Seattle Public Library, Central Branch. This design takes into account, not only usability, but imagination and the people's quest for beauty, institution as temple and refuge. I have seen library updates that take something quaint and lovely, if imperfect, the village center, and reinvent it as fortress, even prison-like, with blockades to impede your coming and going. Designs that fail to deliver on the promise to the public. Designs that fail to elevate and inspire.

We have all seen anemic art, and we can keep passing by. A poorly designed building, especially one designed for the public benefit is a crime.

Expand Contract Center

spring receive opportune renew mirror reach regenerate
generate breathe sense restore sustain endure spring

Design in Pocket

Here is a little design gem to discover right in the palm of your hand, and with more face value than ever, both real and imagined. The stories of this little copper time traveler are written all over it.

Must Have... Art

Mind blown... I don't think we are in Connecticut anymore. No, you are not. You are in the Seattle Public Library, Central Branch.

Huh?!

Future at Present

Is it industrial design, is it architecture, is it sculpture? It is an icon. It is magic, circa 1962.

Atelier Ground

I did something that I very rarely do, I purchased a piece of original art, and, on line no less!

After arriving at work one day last week, a colleague told me about etsy, an on line market for handmade items, including original art. Somehow, very quickly, I focused in on the paintings of Anna Bergin. I found her work very engaging and personal. I particularly responded to a piece entitled “Lounge.”, although, I responded to several other pieces as well and her work as a whole. The work moved me.

I felt ready to click and buy, but decided to sleep on it, because I think I may be too impulsive lately. I get really hot on an idea, and later find that, with time, I have cooled considerably. A few days went by, and I thought that if the painting had been sold to someone else, I would not feel good about that. It was time to act.

The painting arrived and was packed quite well. It looks every bit as good as I had hoped!

It was interesting to be in the position of acquiring art, not producing it. I have fifty oil paintings of my own on my walls at home, and, a few dozen others in storage, ready to be rotated into the mix. I also have dozens of pastels and charcoals as well as hundreds of drawings. Yet, lately, on occasion, I have had the urge to collect the work of others. It is a good feeling.

I think that Anna Bergin, like the Australian artist, Hazel Dooney, is in the vanguard of artists who take control of the whole process of producing art and getting it on people’s walls. These artists leverage all the new tools at hand, and, often bypass the increasingly antiquated, and sometimes distasteful, gallery system. I admire that.

I enjoy visiting Anna Bergin’s blog, and look forward to seeing the kind of art she produces in the future.

Sculpture at Eventide

A Seattle Center sculpture during Le Purple, the purple hour.

Architectural Refresh, Part 2

This was the view from the neighborhood on my daily walk, that is, a couple of decades ago. What an uplifting sight! Digitally enhanced, of course, for emotional impact.

Snap Fit

Back to basics, and, it feels so good!

Art on Walls

"The Source", and other works, on display at the pARTy of 4 art show, Hartford Artspace Galley.

Sensory Alchemy

Brush in hand, with a whisper of Picasso, the invention of Ingres, and a hint of Puccini. The result? “The Source” herself!

CAVARADOSSI
Dissimilar beauties are together blended
By the mystery of art,
Yet as I paint her portrait, Tosca,
My sole thought is of you.

Architectural Refresh

Sometimes, you just want a fresh image to look at. Sometimes that image can help you transcend your environment, within and without, if only for a few moments. Consider the Seattle landmark known colloquially as, The Pencil Building, shown here with a splash of color. For a moment, I am back on the sidewalk, in parallel with the monolith that touches the sky.