#2

Speaking of transitory art made from the Earth, these are just a couple examples of the topiary made in Beijing for the olympic ceremonies. The use of color and movement and the accuracy of the representations blows me away because I would never have thought that the medium being used could be almost as maleable as clay. One day, my husband made the observation while watching our cat that animals don't really seem to manipulate their environment even for comfort. I'm sure there are a thousand examples to the contrary but in general they seem to accept their world as it is. This begs the question, why do humans do it? Why are we constantly trying to make things more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing?

I really like the comment from the Voicethread that said, "The Earth seems to be at the center of human and artistic consciousness." When we say, "we live on Earth," we don't really seem to grasp that the Earth is literally our home. Maybe Paleolithic and Neolithic people really understood that but we in the present time have psychologically seperated ourselves from the Earth. We don't eat from it, we get food from the grocery store, we don't sleep on it, we sleep in soft, warm beds, we don't walk on it, we drive in cars, we don't listen to it, we don't smell it, we don't touch, taste or even really see it anymore.

This is Bridal Veil Fall in Yosemite by Mother Nature. To me Mother Nature is the ultimate artist. Yes, I have been called a tree hugger and I bear the moniker with pride. I seem to be at my happiest when I am near water and the day I took this photo was no exception. I am not a good photographer. I think I got lucky that day. The spray from the fall was raining down on me and the camera. It was wonderful!

This painting is by Henri Lehmann. The title is Calypso and it's based on a character from Homer's "Odyssey." There are hundreds of works of art that I feel reveal aspects of me. Maybe that's why I love art. I suppose that sounds narcissistic but I have a feeling that all art lovers feel that way. After all, I don't think people love art simply because it is beautiful. Many works of art are not beautiful at all. This particular painting is beautiful to look at but it also represents one of the most moving characters in all of literature. Calypso is destined to live alone on an island and knows love only for a brief time when Odysseus is stranded with her. When Odysseus leaves, she is heartbroken and it makes you wonder if it would have been better for her if Odysseus had never come at all.

This is Dan Addington. The painting is titled, "The Memory of Wings." Sometimes when I'm swimming laps, I crunch myself up like a spring with my feet against the wall of the pool. Then I push off as hard as I can with my arms out straight and see how far I can go (who hasn't done this?) I think it's the closest I'll ever get to flying, at least in this life.

This is Chihuly. I'm going on Sunday to see his exhibit at the de Young. I can't wait. Although cast glass seems to represent me better, blown glass is what I strive to be; light and elegant like the very thin sheets of ice that form on the edges of the lakes in my native Minnesota at the first freeze of winter.

This is Vallien. Cast glass is ethereal yet solid. I fell in love with it when I saw a Ben Tre exhibit which was at the San Jose MOMA if I remember it right. I first saw Vallien's work at the de Young. Besides the qualities of the materials themselves I love this work because it depicts how I seem to relate to the world, through a thick layer of opaque, solid, impenatrable material. I can essentially see and be seen but understanding does not come nor go through the glass.