Art in Bloom 2016

Art in Bloom...a feast for the senses, a delight for those who love art and flowers!  This special exhibit is at the North Carolina Museum of Art through Sunday.  I went with two of my Anything Art buddies yesterday.

Many of the floral arrangements were inspired by paintings or other works of art in the museum's permanent collection.  They could have similar colors, shapes, textures...or just represent the concept of the artwork.

This huge arrangement of orchids was near the entrance to the museum.

Here is an example of an arrangement inspired by a painting.  We thought it was amusing and clever. Even the pottery represented the painting well.  It earned my friend Ruth-Ellen's Viewer's Choice award.

Portrait of Emy, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff

Arrangement by Bonnie Mirmak, Pinehurst, NC

Proving that you can make something pretty out of almost anything, check out the arrangement made in a rubber tire, inspired by Raqqa II by Frank Philip Stella.

That's my friend Toni behind the arrangement!

Floral arrangement by Doug Odom, Purple Poppy Florist, Wake Forest, NC

Here is Toni's Viewer's Choice.  She is an archaeologist, and loved the arrangement whose structure and shapes were inspired by these African sculptures, specifically the one of the right called Veranda Post with Divination Priest and Drummer  by Lamidi Olonade Fakeye.

Floral arrangement by Debra Graham, Bloomers Floral Design, Burlington, NC.

 In fact, there were many arrangements inspired by sculptures rather than paintings.  I think it must have been a good starting point for the florist to structure their creations.  I loved this one inspired by Adoring Angel (German.)

Floral arrangement by Anahit Hakobyan, Viva La Flora, Laurel, Maryland.

It was fun to walk into the gallery space and try to guess which artwork inspired the arrangement.  I was sure that this one went with the painting behind it in the photo.

Floral arrangement by Kathryn Herdrich, The Watered Garden Florist, Raleigh, NC

Wrong!  It was inspired by this painting of Harriet Tubman helping some slaves to escape.  Hmmm.

Forward, by Jacob Lawrence

My Viewer's Choice vote went to this charming recreation of a country home with architectural elements and framed family photos.  It was not inspired by a specific work of art, but was a large standing exhibit.

Cydney  Davis-English, The English Garden, Raleigh, NC

There were so many wonderful shapes, textures, colors and fragrances to experience, both indoors and out.

We were at the museum for six and a half hours, including lunch and snack breaks.  It was a wonderful day with good friends.

Art Museum Lecture...and More Snow

Thursday I decided to take advantage of the fact that I live only a few miles from the North Carolina Museum of Art.  I attended a lecture by Joseph Covington on the Post-Impressionists:  Van Gogh, Seurat, Gauguin, and Lautrec.  It was part of a continuing Art History survey course.  

I loved it!  It helped that I had seen many of the featured paintings of these artists in person in New York, Chicago, St. Louis, and here in Raleigh.

Sunday at Le Grand Jatte by George Seurat

It was so interesting to hear about the relationships between the artists and the insights into the paintings.  I will probably go to more of these lectures when I can.

Thursday night we drove up to our mountain place.  It started to snow in North Wilkesboro.  We were not expecting anything except rain on Friday, but we woke up to a winter wonderland on Friday morning.  It continued to snow until about eleven o'clock this morning.

We took off on a Gator ride and it was beautiful.  So much snow ...and we saw a herd of about twelve deer running across the hill.

And, no, we still cannot move into the new cabin.  Still not permitted for occupancy.  Maybe soon?

Some Colorful Art for a Gloomy Winter's Day

We have finally gotten a day of winter weather after many warm, balmy days in January and February.  My dad is here with us this weekend, and we took him to the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh this afternoon.

Here are some exhibits of interest to those of us who love textile art.

This fabulous African costume looks like a patchwork quilt.  Here is the front view.

And it is diplayed so that it can be viewed from the back as well.

This outfit covered the entire body, including the head, but the dancer could see through a mesh area.  Here is the label.

This stunning exhibit is also in the African art area.  It is beautifully woven Kente cloth on the wall, and draped as a robe as Akan royalty would wear it.

All of us who sew recognize what these are.

But who would have thought to create an image of the Mona Lisa with spools of thread?  The image appears to be upside down until you view the piece through a glass sphere that creates a prism effect.

Since we just celebrated Valentine's Day, here is the classic Rodin scupture, The Kiss.

And here are a couple of Thinkers.

My dad is doing great these days, but we borrowed a wheelchair from the museum to conserve his strength as we toured the museum.

Here is the Valentine card that he gave me with some original abstract art.

And for a last bit of color on this gray day, here is the bouquet from my sweetie on the colorful quilt that I made for Dad years ago. 

Stay safe out there if it is snowing where you are.  So far we have just had rain and some sleet, but they say it is coming.

North Carolina Museum of Art Visit

Today was my day to visit my doctor for my annual physical.  Not my favorite activity!  So to reward myself for my good behavior, I dropped in at the new gallery of the North Carolina Museum of Art just down the street from my doctor's office.  The new west building has been under construction for years, and just opened last month.  It is worth a special trip to see the new galleries.   When you walk up, you are greeted by this amazing freestanding metallic tree which is 43 feet tall.

The museum sits on many acres of land which contain gardens, a pond, outdoor art sculptures, walking trails, and even an amphitheater.  I did not explore those today since I was eager to see the new galleries.  They don't look like much from a distance. It looks almost like a series of container storage units with glass roofs.  But inside...what a remarkable accomplishment!  The floors are white oak, the walls are aluminum panels offset to allow filtered light,, and the ceilings have 342 bubble skylights.  It is spacious and inviting.

My first stop was the Rodin court and gardens.  These Rodins were a gift to the museum and include The Thinker, The Kiss, and The Three Shades, among others.  A door from the Rodin court open to the outside sculpture garden with reflecting pool.  Very nice!

I visited the American gallery since it was closed prior to the move last time I went.  My favorite painting there was The Garden Parasol, by Frederick Carl Frieseke,  1910.  If the painting resembles a Monet, it is apparently because Frieseke also lived at Giverny for several years as a contemporary of the more famous artist.  I love the brilliant colors of the parasol, the portrayal of light, and the way the woman is looking up from her book as if the spectators are distracting her from her reading. 

I also spent a lot of time in the Contemporary Gallery.  The excitement here is over a new Picasso painting that has also been gifted to the museum.  It is Seated Woman, Red and Yellow Background, 1952.  Very Cubist.  It is supposed to be one of his mistresses, Françoise Gilot.  She became his ex-mistress soon after...could it be she found her portrait a tad unflattering?

There are many other fabulous new pieces in the new building.  One that I really liked is a piece of video art that is projected on a large wall near the museum's restaurant and gift shop.  It depicts a tree as it changes through the seasons.  Extremely cool!  With the metal tree outside and the video tree inside, there is definite homage to this part of North Carolina's beautiful landscape.

In November, the old museum building will host a special exhibit of Norman Rockwells.  That would be a great time to come to Raleigh to visit the museum.