2013 Weekly Wrap #2

Detail of Lost & Found by Eric Joyner, part of the Corey Helford Gallery's exhibit, Crucifixion

Yes, we have a flexible definition of "weekly" here at Paideia. Let's assign it a value of ten days plus or minus two. Therefore, a year at this blog will have approximately thirty-six "weeks." ;-)

I was hoping for a better production rate, but circumstances interfered. However, seeing as how I visited some galleries this weekend, my rate over the next "week" ought to be much improved. Moreover, I'm really getting into the whole photography blogging.

Of course, things within my personal life have ways of trumping all my blogging intentions. To be honest, things are a bit tough right now. Yet, writing these posts is a welcome way to take my mind off of the troubles of my daily life, a mental escape in which my whimsy can take flight. Unless I'm really too drained to write, it's fun to get away from the quotidian woes.

I hope my blogging gives you, my dear readers, a pleasant diversion as well.

Lawrence at the library, again

So, here's the Wrap:

We had a couple Friday Flowers, with a return to our old tradition of including poetry. First, we showcased a selection of beauties from the South Coast Botanic Garden, along with a poem from Emily Dickinson. Then we put the spotlight on some lovely roses, paired to a Shakespeare sonnet.

Regarding Art, there were two posts. First, we celebrated minimalism and the works of Tony Smith. Second, we reviewed the Corey Helford Gallery's exhibit, Crucifixion, which we thoroughly enjoyed. You can't beat Pink Ice Cream cones, robots, and Wicker Man sacrifices. ;-)

For Music, we had two posts, birth date celebrations. We listened to some Foo Fighters on Dave Grohl's birthday. Then, we enjoyed the sultry sophistication of Eartha Kitt on her birth date. It was purrfect!!!

Our one view of Cinema was another entry into the Hall of Shame, to which we consigned Leprechaun from 1993; just give him the gold so we can put an end to these horrible movies!!!! Then we looked at some Toys, various collectibles from the local retailer, Pop Monster, featuring some Tokidoki Unicornos and Kidrobot Dunnies. Good stuff!!!

And then we had three posts that primarily featured my photography. One was all about taking pictures of the sun, green retinal burns and all. Then we looked at some random photos while enjoying a few renaissance musical pieces. Finally, I demonstrated my love for vanishing points and linear perspective.

All in all, it was a fun batch of posts. I'm looking forward to next "week" and the diverse topics that we will be able to explore.

"A friend with weed is a friend indeed."

Enjoy!!!

Vanishing Points

Corridor through the storage units

Another day, another post. ;-)

I don't have much to talk about today, being distracted by various matters, both good and bad. However, I do have a few photos to share, images that illustrate my fascination with perspective and distance, specifically within architectural forms. I just love those lines converging in the distance.

I think that my photographic skills are improving, especially in having cultivated a mindset that keeps me alert to interesting subjects, the ability to mentally compose a picture from the chaotic forms that surround me. This is a long learning process, but I'm feeling good about my progress. When starting this blog, taking photos was just part of "content creation" and, to my way of thinking, a mere complement to the writing.

Although my prose is definitely stronger than my images, photography has grown into more than a side effort, meant to showcase my words. It is no longer a necessary chore, but an exciting pastime.

A blue dumpster at the end of the parking alley.

On a slow day like this, when my mind is too tired to engage in critical thought or witty reviews, it is nice having a reservoir of photographs to prop up my daily production while maintaining the distinct feel of this blog.

It is said that a picture is worth a hundred words. So, these images really inflate my word count. ;-P

Crucifixion Variations

Detail of Financial Sacrifice American Depress by Ron English

Over half a year has passed since last I wrote about an exhibit at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City, which is an inexcusably long time, especially since they have had so many awesome shows on exhibit. Well, I made a trip over to see their current show, Crucifixion, which presents works by a selection of their artists on the topic of sacrifice and sacred iconography. The variations were extremely interesting.

Although the images ranged from the haunting to the humorous, the theme was tightly represented by the artists, each in their own unique way. So, Ron English delivers upon the theme of sacrifice, while keeping true to his distinct imagery of social criticism. Likewise, Buff Monster subverts traditional Christian symbolism with anthropomorphic pink ice cream cones, turning a scene of devotion into one of humor.

Across the board, this show presents the unique vision of the gallery, coherent in theme but so wonderfully diverse in implementation.

Detail of Stigmata by Ray Caesar

I highly recommend paying this show a visit.

Minimal Words

Die (exhibition maquette, 1967) by Tony Smith, at the Orange County Museum of Art

Today

This Is All

That

Time

Will Let Me

Tell

Detail on Smoke (1967, fabricated 2005) by Tony Smith, at LACMA

;-)

Friday Flowers: Among the Winter Roses

Rose: Honor

Sonnet 73


That time of year thou mayst in me behold 
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang 
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, 
Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. 
In me thou seest the twilight of such day 
As after sunset fadeth in the west, 
Which by and by black night doth take away, 
Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest. 
In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire 
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, 
As the death-bed whereon it must expire 
Consumed with that which it was nourish’d by. 
   This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, 
   To love that well which thou must leave ere long. 

---William Shakespeare

Rose: Olympiad

It's always a good time to feature a poem by Shakespeare, but, during this drab period in which so few flowers are in bloom, stunted by the unusually frigid weather, it seems especially appropriate. Though the blossoms are scarcely to be found, these elegant words bring color to the gardens of our minds.

Well, the icy days may be behind us now. Today was nice and warm, inspiring me to head outside and bask in the sunlight. Perhaps the flowers will be soon to follow. ;-)

Just an Old Fashioned Girl

Eartha Kitt in St. Louis Blues (1958)

Many a week has passed on by since we last celebrated a classic female vocalist's birth date. So, let's return to the tradition by giving great thanks for the wonderful works of Eartha Kitt, one of the sultriest and smoothest of mid-century songbirds.

Her most iconic performance was the original 1953 recording of "Santa Baby," a rendition that stands out above subsequent performances for its playful yet sexy lyrics, not too coy and not too vulgar; Eartha does it just right.

But her songbook is way deeper than this one Christmas novelty piece. From jazz to disco, she had a rich array of musical styles, expressively mixing them up into a unique blend of influences and ideas. Honestly, her aesthetic depth is frequently overshadowed by the focus on her strong personality and activist efforts. That's not to say that she shouldn't be appreciated for speaking out in support of unpopular or anti-establishment positions, but, rather, that she was an artist of the highest caliber, a fact that should not be forgotten.

Eartha Kitt as Catwoman (Batman, season 3, 1967-68)

With that being said, let's listen to some artistry. ;-)

Resting on a Quiet Night

Entryway at the South Coast Botanic Gardens on a winter afternoon

It's one of those nights when my energy ebbs low, even though I have plenty about which to write and to share, photographs and ideas aplenty. Certainly, I could push myself to produce a witty review of some art exhibition or a lighthearted celebration of a birth date or historical fact. But, let's be honest, I'm tired.

Instead of some coherent essay or critical review, I'll offer you a couple images, featuring two of my favorite compositional elements, the passageway and the reflection. I have an affinity to their thematic qualities and find them aesthetically pleasing.

Just because I'm having a lazy evening doesn't mean that I'm going weak on the content. ;-)

Empty swimming pool reflecting the twilight sky

And some music. . .

Looking at the Sun

The Sun behind a telephone pole

I'm an old-timer when it comes to photography, with most of my habits developed way back in the film exposure days. Although I have been using a digital camera for the past decade, I have a hard time shaking the techniques learned for an obsolete technology.

Lately, the unusually cold weather, at least for Southern California, has been weighing upon my mind. One idea that popped into my mind was whether or not the upper atmosphere would have enough ice crystals to create nice solar halos. People who live in northern climes are familiar with the phenomena of light refracted through ice, but the climate conditions don't show up that often in the Los Angeles region.

So, when running about my business, I looked up and, sure enough, I could see the circles glowing around the sun. Then, I began my quest to find a way to occlude the disk of the sun, so as to showcase the halo, earning many a green retinal burn along the way. ;-)

The sun partially obscured by a lamppost and the clouds

To be honest, I have never been much of a "Sky" photographer, especially not with a subject as difficult as the sun; give me the moon any day, or night. But repeat attempts brought out some decent images. It was a nice day for sky-gazing.

The rice blue skies, the wispy clouds, and the solar halos made for tough but engaging compositional elements. As the day progressed, I got to snap them from different angles. It was a fun project.

The upper arc of the solar halo, peeking over the top of a streetlamp

And that's when I came to a revelation. . .

This Could Take All Night

Long Beach Harbor on a gusty winter twilight

Again, my blogging time has slipped away from me.

Although I'm doing a decent job of putting up a daily post, I would like to write more things with actual substance. I don't think that I'm totally failing at this goal, but I can do better. Nevertheless, we make the most out of the time available, doing our best with the situation in which we find ourselves.

Therefore, tonight's post will consist of a few photographs, images that I've taken over the past few days that caught my fancy. Outside and inside, any location presents interesting sights. ;-)

The claustrophobic trail through the library's book-laden shelves

And, to celebrate the birthday of Dave Grohl, let's listen to some music.

A Friend With Gold Is the Best I'm Told

Leprechaun (1993) featuring Warwick Davis

This week marked the 20th anniversary of the cult classic horror movie, Leprechaun, starring Warwick Davis, as the title character, and Jennifer Aniston, as the female protagonist. Although it was an eye-bleedingly terrible film, with dialog and plot so inept that they verge on madness-inducing, it spawned a franchise of six movies, albeit mostly direct-to-video, with talks in the works to launch a theatrical reboot.

Now, there are some notable, even positive, aspects to the Leprechaun movies. First, Warwick Davis really gives the little green sociopath a distinct personality, a style unique to the slasher genre, with a cheesy but creepy mix of humor and malevolence. Another praiseworthy element is the make-up that transforms the rather nonthreatening features of Davis into the otherworldly malice of the Leprechaun. It's an interesting blend. ;-)

And, of course, it's awesome to remember that this was Jennifer Aniston's first significant theatrical role, before Friends, when she became "America's sweetheart" and influenced hairstyles. After starring in this clunker of a movie, Aniston must have found herself a four-leaf clover indeed; other aspiring actresses have found their careers derailed by such a memorable stinker.

Detail from Leprechaun (1993) theatrical poster

While I don't mean to offend the fans of this franchise, I have to say that this movie and those that followed it, even with the quotable lines and Davis' unique charm, were abominable. Really, death by pogo stick, journeying into space, killer go-karts, these movies dredge up the bottom of horrific absurdity. Sometimes I think that they are so bad that they become good. . .

But, no, they're just really, really bad. And, therefore, Leprechaun and his pot o' gold go into my Hall of Shame!!!

Abominations of the Apocalypse

Rodeo, Sakura, and Kaili from Tokidoki's Unicorno Series

There's a toy shop in the southern part of Torrance called Pop Monster, which I get to on infrequent occasions. I'm not big on collecting, but I can appreciate the interesting toys and artworks on display. Well, as I was strolling out of my local library a few days ago, I noticed that they put up a nice showcase of the types of goodies that can be found at the store.

Yeah, it's a bit twisted, but I adore toys with a sense of humor. Therefore, here are a few photographs for Silly Saturday. ;-)

Smorkin Labbit from Kidrobot.

And then there were a few critters from the Apocalypse.

Kidrobot's Dunny Apocalypse Series, with Road Warrior by Huck Gee, Meltdown by Chris Ryniak, and Illuminati by Jermaine Rogers.

Fun stuff!!!

Friday Flowers: A Plethora of Pretties

Fuchsias: Angel Earrings

Some, too fragile for winter winds

The thoughtful grave encloses —

Tenderly tucking them in from frost

Before their feet are cold.

Never the treasures in her nest

The cautious grave exposes,

Building where schoolboy dare not look,

And sportsman is not bold.

This covert have all the children

Early aged, and often cold,

Sparrow, unnoticed by the Father —

Lambs for whom time had not a fold.

--- Emily Dickinson

Winter-Blooming Bergenia

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you. We have returned to featuring poems as a part of Friday Flowers. It used to be a favorite of my readers back in the good old days, but I got lazy. So, here we are with poetry and floral pretties.