Marc Chagall Exhibition in the Botanical Gardens

We had a great pre-Fourth of July weekend at with my brother's family in Ft. Myers, including dinner on the water at Dixie Fish Camp and a pontoon boat fishing trip up the Caloosahatchee River to Sword Point.  We had to come back to Sarasota Monday morning for Charlie's afternoon radiation treatment, but had the day off on Tuesday for the holiday.  We decided to check out the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, only about a mile from where we are staying.  They are having a Marc Chagall exhibition through July 31 called Flowers, and the French Riviera:  The Color of Dreams.



 

Three of Chagall's floral oil paintings are on display in the museum, featuring the masterwork painting The Lovers.  There are also ceramic vases owned by Chagall and featured in his art, archival photos, and outdoor garden scenes reminiscent of the French Riviera where Chagall spent the later part of his life.  Several large digital reproductions of his cathedral window are resplendent in the conservatory.

The gardens extend right up to the edge of Sarasota Bay, offering great views of the Sarasota skyline.  Throughout the garden walks are signs with Chagall quotes regarding art and flowers.

The regular signage at the gardens all have lovely watercolor illustrations.

I took over one hundred photos in this beautiful setting.  Inspiration for my own art?

This one of the koi pond in the Conservatory almost looks like an abstract painting.

 It was a nice way to spend time on our nation's birthday.

Flower Challenge

Last Monday, the Anything Art quilters met, and four of us had our flower challenge quilts with us.  Here they are, side by side.  None are bound yet, and some still have not trimmed the batting/backing.

It is remarkable that of all the possible combinations of flower quarters, the first and second above used almost the same quarters in the same places.  And the second and fourth have similar blooms, as well!  Toni's is finished, but she was not able to attend.  So there will be five flowers in all.

Most are now at least partially embellished with beads, buttons, sequins, paint...and a nice variety of leaves and stems.

We are still working out how to join them to make a group quilt for our guild's show next year.  

After our meeting, we ate lunch at The Loop in Cary, and I had a very unique and delicious 8" Mediterranean pizza with artichoke, feta cheese, and sun dried tomato.  After that we went to the Page-Walker House in Cary for the latest art quilt exhibit from PAQA-South.  The show was titled Art Quilts Freeze Frame, showcasing innovative art quilts inspired by photos.  The original inspirational photo is shown next to the quilt on display.  Some were very literal representations, and others were much more abstract.

I will show a few in this post, and others later on.

My favorite was this wonderful tree, full of character, gnarly aged branches, and silky leaves.  It is a tree in Kiawah Island, I presume a live oak.

Angel Tree, by Patricia Smith, 22" x 40"

Another that I loved was Blue Desert, by Roxanne Lessa, a local art quilter.

One of the first quilts at the entrance to the show is this little beauty by Eileen Williams, Coastal Sunset.

This one has a beautiful glow.  It is Orion Nebula and NGC 1975, by Christine Hager-Braun.

I hope I have the photo in the correct orientation.  For some reason, Blogger is putting a lot of my pictures in sideways!

Here is a nicely done portrait quilt.  Sometimes I think the quilting on broad expanses of face make the portrait look odd, but this one is very effective.  

John, by Sandy Curran



Here is a different take on a portrait quilt from a photo.  I was reminded of Andy Warhol!

                       

Last week I went with my husband on a business trip to Chicago.  I love to visit there.  The afternoon of our arrival was fairly clear weather, so we decided to walk over to the John Hancock Building and visit the observatory.  Great views of the lake, shoreline, buildings, and Navy Pier.

The next day, Charlie had meetings, and I walked down to the Art Institute of Chicago to immerse myself in beauty.  I love the Impressionist painters and got my "fix" of beauty, but this time I found my way to the America Windows by Marc Chagall.  They are very large, six windows that take up a whole wall.  They are beautifully lit stained glass windows with lots of symbols representing the arts as well as American history and the history of Chicago.  Love them!

  

I also stumbled across a whole roomful of beautiful glass paperweights.  So much beauty in small objects!

When I walked back to the hotel through Millennium Park, I enjoyed seeing the Cloud Gate again, AKA The Bean.  It is cool to see the skyscrapers reflected along with all the people taking photos of their own images.

There was an interesting sculpture display on one of the walkways in the park.  There were a multitude of six-foot tall pigs with interesting paint jobs.

When you are in a big city like Chicago, it is fun to come across bits of whimsy like these fanciful sculptures.  I also love that Chicago has beautiful gardens in Millennium Park and all along Michigan Avenue to soften the harshness of all those skyscrapers.

Thanks for visiting, and sorry for long time, no post!  It has been a very busy time in my life between moving, babysitting, traveling, and trying to get our mountain house built.  But life is good!