Weekly Wrap: Wednesday #14

Desnudo Reclinado (1970) by Francisco Zuniga


Twelve posts make for an acceptable degree of weekly productivity, but I can improve upon this number with just a little more effort and dedication.

Topic selection was a bit flat. We had four art posts, three floral, two music, and three miscellaneous posts. No ads or commercials. No ghost stories. No movies or television. I can do much better. This was a subpar performance overall, but I very happy with a few of these posts. Practice is perfecting my blogging prose style.

In a few days, I'll reach my "one hundred consecutive days of blogging" milestone. That's dedication. So, I'm satisfied with the current quality and quantity trends that I've built up over the past three months. It's been a fun journey. ;-)

Close view of the William Turner Gallery through Fred Eversley's resin lens


Here are the posts.

Regarding art, we visited the William Turner Gallery to view an exhibit of works by Fred Eversley. Then we did a meta post concerning the Pacific Standard Time event that is taking place around Southern California. We took a stroll through UCLA's Franklin D. Murphy sculpture garden. Finally, we reviewed the Huntington's exhibit of works by Sam Maloof and the Pomona Valley school in "The House That Sam Built."

Flowers and gardens were prominently featured this week. We visited Torrance's Pine Wind Garden. Then Friday Flowers celebrated irises and the poetry of e.e. cummings. Finally, a chance encounter with orchids at the Huntington produced many delightful photos.

We celebrated two music-related birth dates. Ray Charles and Anita O'Day were our honored music-makers this week.

The miscellaneous topics were a celebration of Paddington Bear, the birthday of Nancy Kerrigan, and a personal post about my dislike of holidays.

Fun stuff!!! Now, it's time for our weekly weird image.

Paddington Gets Tanked.

Enjoy!!!

Domestic Designs to Adore and Delight

Horn Back Chair with Spindles and Low Curving Arms (c.1960) by Sam Maloof


When discussing the development of the Los Angeles Art scene, the avant-garde of conceptual art or the emergence of minority artists rightfully command significant attention, but there was a quieter innovation underway out in the Pomona Valley.

"The House That Sam Built" is an exhibit at the Huntington Museum featuring the creativity of the Pomona school in developing a modern sensibility to those art forms frequently classified as the "decorative" arts, such as furniture design or ceramics. This movement was led by Sam Maloof, the great furniture designer, who brought a strong aesthetic of lyric modernism to functional craftsmanship. His influence dominated Los Angeles decorative design and spread out becoming a distinctive late-20th century style.

I always get a laugh when I see the Pomona school being distinguished from the LA scenes, as if it were someplace off among the redwoods or in the remote Sierras. Sure, if you take your Southern California geography directions from Bugs Bunny and make an ill-advised turn at Rancho Cucamonga. ;-)

Chair after Hans Wegner (1952) by Sam Maloof

I'm pleased that the Huntington has put together a strong exhibit to showcase this very influential school of design. Maloof and his students are just as much a part of the LA aesthetic as anything turned out of the Ferus Gallery in the 1960s. It's a fine part of the Pacific Standard Time exhibition.

Festive Lanterns Up Above

Lanterns hang over the Hammer Museum courtyard.


When pumpkins begin to peer out of windows and festive lanterns hang over your head, then you know the holiday season has arrived.

In previous posts, I have expressed mixed feelings about holidays. Whatever troubles that I have with Easter, Father's Day, or July 4th goes double for the upcoming celebrations. My glee is not something that can be scheduled in for a particular date. My cheer is not something that can be summoned up for company.

Although I wish a happy Halloween for all, dressing up in costume has never been my thing. And parties can be fun, but sometimes I just wish to be left alone. It really depends upon my mood.

View of the Hammer Museum courtyard from above.

However, I love how the holiday season allows for many fine opportunities to photograph interesting sights. The lanterns at the Hammer made for an interesting setting feature. I hope to drop by some evening to see them all aglow. That'll be pretty cool. ;-)

Jezebel of Jazz

Anita O'Day from her album "Incomparable" (1964)

With a style that was as cool as the other side of the pillow, Anita O'Day was the quintessential hipster of '50s era jazz, enchanting her audiences with a voice as rich and sweet as honey.

By turns playful, sultry, or sad, her voice ran deep with passion. Yet, Anita kept a sharp beat driving her lyrics with a percussive tightness. Words were too precious to waste on empty flourishes and, like a “Beat era” poet, she measured her phrases for maximized effect.

And her bebop talents for improvisation were without peer. Other songbirds might have greater range or longer phrasing and that's admirable, but Anita O'Day had precision. She was the unrivaled Mistress of Metre.

Anita O'Day was born on October 18, 1919.



So, let's take this day to remember the classy Queen of Cool.

Abstractions of the Modern Garden

Two views of Button Flower (1959) by Alexander Calder


For months, I have intended to visit the Franklin D. Murphy sculpture garden at UCLA. It was back when I was writing up my post on the works of Alexander Calder. I wanted a good photo of Button Flower, but couldn't find one. It needs to be shot from multiple directions to effectively capture the spatial relationships of the work.

"Why don't I just swing over there and snap a photo myself?" I thought. "I'm always at the Hammer. And I could use the exercise of a good long stroll."

Yeah, believe me. That's one heck of a "good long stroll." I think it's uphill both coming and going. ;-)

Well, hike accomplished and photos taken. I didn't stop with just the Calder shots, but wandered around snapping away. There are so many fine works from which to choose, but here are a few of my favorites.

Cubi XX (1964) by David Smith

Yeah, the collection is heavy on the abstracts, but that's fine by me. Even after the huge David Smith show at LACMA, I still can't get enough of these Cubi constructs.

Orchid Show: Huntington Gardens

Buddha and the Orchids (Phalaenopsis Amabilis)


Orchids were the last thing on my mind, as I hopped around town visiting museums in my quest to experience the Pacific Standard Time in full. Saturday mid-afternoon found me at the Huntington to check out their exhibit on the Pomona Valley art scene, "The House That Sam Built."

My state of mind becomes tightly focused when I'm on an art mission. I get severe tunnel vision. But after viewing the show, I wandered over to the nearby Conservatory to contemplate upon the fantastic arts and crafts of the exhibit. And strolled into the midst of an orchid show!!!

"Oh yeah!" I thought to myself. "The Huntington is a museum AND a botanical garden!"

Out came the camera. And around the exhibit space I went, crawling from flower to flower. It was a race against the clock, as the closing hour was drawing near, and I hadn't planned on taking in such an array of floral beauties. But where there's a will, there's a way. ;-)

Orchid: Cymbidium "Chen's Ruby"

Viewing these flowers while being unprepared was a real treat. I usually brush up on assessment techniques before attending a show, so as to have a good idea of the traits and conformations that are cherished in a particular flower type. This experience was very "raw" for me, very unconstrained by delineations of orchid beauty.

Pacific Standard Time: Weekly Update #1

Pacific Standard Time Logo


I've mentioned in passing that there is currently a massive Southern Californian cultural event, Pacific Standard Time, which is a coordinated curation among various cultural institution to exhibit and assess the art of Los Angeles from approximately 1945 to 1980. Given the unprecedented scope of this project, I'm trying to experience as much of it as I am able.

Ideally, I would have time to give a full review post to each exhibit that I visit. Yeah, that's the plan, but I can't honestly expect it to become a reality. Instead, I plan on giving a brief progress report of my week's PST adventurers.

Here are the exhibits that I've seen since the event started earlier this month.

Fowler Museum at UCLA:

"Mapping Another L.A.: The Chicano Art Movement" and "Icons of the Invisible: Oscar Castillo"

Hammer Museum

"Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles 1960-1980"

Huntington Museum
"The House That Sam Built: Sam Maloof and Art in the Pomona Valley, 1945-1985"

EDIT: I reviewed this show in "Domestic Designs to Adore and Delight" on October 19.

Norton Simon Museum

"Proof: The Rise of Printmaking in Southern California"

Orange County Museum of Art

"State of Mind: New California Art Circa 1970"

Ben Maltz Gallery at Otis College of Art and Design

"Doin' It in Public: Feminism and Art at the Woman's Building"


I reviewed this show in "Appreciating Herstory" on October 9.







Yeah, I've been busy. I'll try to write up my experiences in dedicated posts. I'll be using the "Pacific Standard Time" tag to make it easier for accessing these posts. This will also help finding art gallery posts that are related to this event, but not actually an official exhibit.

In any case, I hope my adventures in Pacific Standard Time will keep you all entertained and informed.

Enjoy!!!

I'll Be Back on My Feet Someday

Ray Charles topped the US Billboard chart with "Hit the Road Jack" in mid-October of 1961.


Fifty years ago, Ray Charles dominated the radio with "Hit the Road Jack." It wasn't his first hit song, but it went on to be one of his most iconic. Personally, it's my favorite of his songs. The mix of surprise and indignation that he expresses always makes me smile.

"What you say?!!"

Somehow I let his birth date slip by without giving a celebration. We'll use the fifty year mark for "Hit the Road Jack" to remedy our lack of a "Ray Charles-fest." ;-)

Let's listen to a few more classic Charles tunes after the jump.

Kinetic Visions through a Rainbow Lens

Fred Eversley's works are on exhibit at the William Turner Gallery until October 29, 2011


"Cool School" or "Finish Fetish" or "Plastic Minimalism" are all terms that get bandied about when talking about the work of Fred Eversley, occasionally as a derogative. But this exhibit at the William Turner Gallery gives us another chance to assess these slick polyester resin works. What is the premise of Eversley's style?

First, it it is an expression of meticulous craftsmanship in designing simple forms. Reflective and slick, they sometimes deceive your eyes into misperceptions of the piece's actual curvature. Is it convex, concave, or level? Perception of form depends upon how the light plays upon the surface.

Second, the reflections and refractions create a dynamic play of light through the structure of these minimalist sculptures. The work itself is but a vehicle through which the viewer distinguishes myriad visions of space and motion. Eversley doesn't capture the kinetic experience in his works, but assists the viewer in realizing the kinesis that exists at every moment all around them.

Peer through these plastic mediums and you will experience an exhilarating aesthetic reflection of your present situation.

Eversley, cast polyester resin, 19.5 inches in diameter

Eversley's work is all about the experience of viewing. The "artistic ego" or "conceptual statement" is not of importance. Each viewer, each environment, each variation in frame of orientation creates a novel visual sensation. These works are masterpieces of indeterminacy.

Pine Wind Garden

Pine Wind Garden: Three Level Waterfall


Size is not the determinant of quality. It's all about how skillfully you utilize that which you have. This is true for most aspects of life, but it is equally as important for laying out a garden.

The Pine Wind Garden (Sho Fu En) of the Torrance Civic Center is a prime example of how a small space can be transformed into a place of beauty. Designed by Takeo Uesugi & Associates in 1991, this small Japanese garden transforms a modest courtyard into a peaceful oasis of contemplation. Through creative techniques of delineating space, such as elevation contrasts or using a screen of trees to create a sense of seclusion, the garden feels as though it is much larger than it actually is.

Pine Wind Garden: Gateway

It always pleases me to find these little garden gems that are scattered across Los Angeles.

friday flowers: iris

blue iris at the madrona marsh


IX (from sonnets - unrealities)
(by e.e. cummings)

this is the garden:colours come and go,
frail azures fluttering from night's outer wing
strong silent greens serenely lingering,
absolute lights like baths of golden snow.
This is the garden:pursed lips do blow
upon cool flutes within wide glooms, and sing
(of harps celestial to the quivering string)
invisible faces hauntingly and slow.

This is the garden.     Time shall surely reap
and on Death's blade lie many a flower curled,
in other lands where other songs be sung;
yet stand They here enraptured,as among
the slow deep trees perpetual of sleep
some silver-fingered fountain steals the world.



today we celebrate the birth date of e.e. cummings, born in 1894. yeah, i know that cummings wasn't against the use of proper capitalization. i'm just in a playful mood. ;-)

white iris at the madrona marsh

but why irises? well, i could come up with some mumbo-jumbo about the iris symbolizing "messengers" and the role of the poet as a type of messenger, but actually it has no reason beyond my whimsy. i wanted to attend a lecture on irises yesterday, but time and travel constraints vetoed the plan. so i dug through my flower photo collection and dug out some irises as a salve to my frustrated desire.

i turn to the treasures of "an angel named imagination."

From Deepest Darkest Peru

A Bear Called Paddington (published October 13, 1958) was illustrated by Peggy Fortnum

An Anglophile even as a child, my sister badgered my parents into buying her a Paddington Bear doll for her birthday sometime in the mid-seventies.

Although I have great affection for toys, I'm not a teddy bear person. But Paddington Bear has a special quality that set him apart from the run-of-the-mill bears. His big hat, the suitcase, his love for marmalade, these traits appealed to my youthful sense of the distinctive. Paddington was something more than a cute, fluffy doll. He had a story. Heck, he journeyed all the way from the deepest, darkest Peru!!!

Well, there obviously couldn't be two Paddington Bears in the family. So, I contented myself with drawing him and his adventures in Peru. And eating marmalade. ;-)

The BBC broadcast Paddington in 1975


After all these years, I still have nostalgia for the one teddy bear that I actually liked. And marmalade? It's the best!!!