AN OLD BLOG POST FROM A TRIP TO THE SEATTLE MUSEUM IN JULY 2010 - PART 2

Continuing my post visiting the Seattle Art Museum in Seattle.

This sculpture is one is made out of porcelain. The plaque read: "St. John the Baptist, 1988. Porcelain. Jeff Koons, American, born 1954."  You can read about it here.

I'm in an area where there is African art, perhaps Nigerian. I wish I had more information but by this time I was getting a little tired and got a bit lax on taking note of things.  I found a page on African art at this website.

The marker on this one below reads: "Lion stool, after 1957. Wood, paint. Ghaniain, Asante."

The following two photos are called Caterpillar Suits by Walter Oltmann.

More information at this link.

This one is called "Boys Blowing Bubbles, 1640's. Oil on canvas. Attributed to Michealina Woutiers. Flemish, ca 1620 - after 1682".  More info here.

This painting was one of my favorites. I found the contemporary art very interesting but I love the traditional pieces.

"Mme. H. and her children. 1815. Oil on canvas. Louis Andre Gabriel Bouchet. French, 1759-1842." And more info here.

This beauty is a: "Mantel Clock, 1799. Gilt, bronze, enamel, white marble. French, Paris. Movement by Ridel."  I couldn't find anything else about it.

There was an Egyptian exhibit....

and a Roman one.

And a room full of hundreds of pieces of porcelain, which kept me entertained for quite a while.

Behind the center display, you can see another wall with more pieces of porcelain.

This website has a photo of the whole room, with several other pieces shown.

Next:"The Italian Room. Wood-paneled room ca 1550-1600. Spruce, Willow and Fir. Northern Lombardy, Chiavenna."  

A description of the Italian Room.

This was on the ceiling.

More information on this room can be found here.

There were many more exhibits but a lot of them I couldn't take photos of because of the rules. One of my favorites was the northwest native art. It was absolutely beautiful and I spent longer there than any other area. I wasn't sure I could take photographs and by the time I had made my way around and figured how things worked, I was too tired to go back and check.  I found photos of various artifacts here.  It looks like it is permanent - fingers crossed.  If you ever find yourself in the area, this museum is definitely worth a visit.  

I have been spoiled by the Smithsonian Museums in Washington DC as they are all free, but I paid my $15 dollar entrance fee to this museum without complaint (the price has no doubt gone up since my visit in 2010).  However, there are 'free' days and this website tells you where and when.   

So, this brings me to the end of my trip to the art museum.  I hope you have enjoyed it.

AN OLD BLOG POST FROM A TRIP TO THE SEATTLE MUSEUM IN JULY 2010 - PART 1

Before my Dear Other Half retired, he went on a business trip for two weeks to Seattle.  These photos are from June 2010, so some of the exhibits, may have changed. 

I joined him midway when he was able to take the Friday through Monday off.  We spent a great time looking around the area, but on the Tuesday, when he had gone back to work, I set out on my own. 

Fortunately, he was working downtown and our hotel was nearby, within easy walking distance of many interesting places, which included the Seattle Art Museum. Outside the building stands the 48-foot-high silhouetted statue of a man with a hammer. I remember watching his arm in a continuous motion, slowly bringing the hammer down, and watching that arm go back up and come down again.  There is an article about it at this link.  It was created by Jonathan Borofsky and is part of the city's permanent public art collection.  If you click on Mr. Borofsky's name, you will see more of his work.  There are even taller versions shown of this particular sculpture in Soeul, Lillestrøm and Frankfort.  At the website it is described as representing a worker and "celebrates the worker’s contribution to society. He or she is the village craftsman, the South African coal miner, the computer operator, the farmer or the aerospace worker - the people who produce the commodities on which we depend."

I was surprised and fascinated to see nine actual cars suspended from the ceiling. The rods sticking out of them lit with pulsating lights. Its creator is Cai Guo Quiang and he has a similar sculpture at the Guggenheim in New York.  If you click on his name it will give you his biography.

I walked up the stairs and passed these beautiful ancient Chinese statues. Below is a ram and the sign read: "Ram. China - Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Thought to be from the spirit path of the tomb of Zhu Gaosui (died 1436), third son of the Yongle emperor (reigned 1403-24). Marble."

Do you see the picture of Picasso? I was disappointed that I would miss his exhibition of artwork as I was too early. His exhibit was due to start after I had left town.

The marker on the the above reads: "Civilian Guardian. China Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). From the spirit path of an unknown tomb of the 17th-18th century. Marble."

The one on the camel reads: "Camel - China - Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Thought to be from the spirit path of the tomb of Zhu Gaosui (died 1436), third son of the Yongle emporor (reigned 1403-24). Marble."

These sentences were printed on one of the walls I walked by.

I found this suit of armor entitled "Some/One" and was amazed to find that it was made using thousands of military dog tags representing soldiers. The creator of this piece is Do-Ho-Suh.  You can see a photo of the back view of this piece if you click here.  My photos don't give it the justice it deserves.  It was magnificent!

The next sculpture was made by German artist Katharina Fritsch, of a six foot tall black mouse sitting on a man in a bed, all snowy white in stark contrast to the mouse.  It was a very effective, visual piece. It is called 'Man and Mouse' and you can read about it at this link. I couldn't help but smile when I saw him.  All these years later as I transferred this blog post, and on doing more research of the artists, I was surprised to see a familiar blue cockerel among her works - I learned it is called Hahn/Cock. I remember it from one of the columns in London on our last visit there in 2015.  It was in Trafalgar Square and I didn't have the chance to take a photo.  We were on a double-decker bus and had passed it before I had the chance to react.  Click on the last link and you can see it also. That particular statue now resides as a permanent exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue.

There are more photos to share but I'll leave that for another day.  I will probably share it next Tuesday if I can get it done in time.

(Graphic for my signature is of the Seattle Skyline and I found it at pixabay.com)

MASON NECK STATE PARK - PART 1 - VISITOR CENTER

We haven't been here in many years.  I don't know why.  It's not as if it is any further than some of the places we have been to.  I said as much the day we decided to go when Gregg suggested it.  I was interested in how it got its name, and you can read that history here.

It was hot and humid but not so bad really, I have felt worse.  We managed a couple of hours walking before we decided to go.

But first, time to enjoy the park.  A statue of an eagle was outside.  This is one I took and below is Gregg's photo, which I used for my 4th of July post.  We took a few photos of the statue and Gregg took the one below.  It is my favorite.  

 I had fun with it later, removing objects to make it look like the Bald Eagle was flying.  I made him free-floating in Paint Shop Pro, and also used my ArtCard app.  I will share those eventually.

Below is the plaque about this beautiful piece.  I did a search and found a website for historical markers, and this was featured.  You can look at them at this link.  If you are searching for another historical marker, this would be a good source of information.  The sculptor's home page, sharing other pieces of his, can be found here.  He is exceptionally talented.

The plants were in front of the visitor center. I realized when I got home and looked at our photos, I didn't have many of flowers, except for these few.

I am always drawn to Coneflowers...

but can't remember seeing yellow ones.

There was also a Common buttonbush on our walk later on, and a couple of leaf photos (those will be part of my next post).  

The visitor center was impressive, and we enjoyed browsing.  On the floor is an area map and we are in the darker section, on the State Park side.  We are looking forward to exploring the wildlife refuge another time.

There is an interactive map where you can remove the buttons at the bottom, and place them where you have seen that particular wildlife, if you end up here after a walk.

A clever idea. Fun for little kids and big kids alike.  

There were birds on display.

I missed taking a photo of the ID of the gull above, but I believe this is a Glossy Ibis...

and A Great Blue Heron.

Another display showing, a Bald Eagle and a Juvenile Bald Eagle...

with explanation.  Enlarging my photos helps with reading.

On one wall a TV screen, and then there are wooden decoys, a punt gun for duck hunting, arrowheads, a page from the will of George Mason who is one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, old bricks, a recreation of a woolly mammoth tooth, petrified wood, and an old still.

Not for the faint of heart if you are not a hunter, but for many it was a way of life, to put food on the table for their families, and an income to put a roof over their heads.

A casting of a Mastodon Tooth.

We found a back room with terrariums.  In one we met Myrtle the Turtle.  This area looks like it is a classroom for young people.  We headed for the back door but first we had a look around. Myrtle was very curious and stared back at us through the glass.

Myrtle is a Red-eared Slider and you can read the information about her below and again, enlarging the photo will allow you to better read the information.

I also came across this cute frog.

I have never heard of a Fowler's Toad before.

A poster of various songbirds found at the park.

And that is about it for the visitor center.  We found a door open at the back of the building and went outside.  A follow-up post will be shared as soon as I can put one together.

Thanks for looking and have a great day.