Friday, May 18, 2012

BABY BELLA'S BIRTHDAY

Saturday, May 12th, we celebrated little Bella's first birthday.  I am sure Bella was wondering why so many people were there and staring at her. Maddie was there to wish Bella a Happy 1st Birthday.
Bella was presented with her cake with unlit candle for safety's sake.  
At first she seemed to wonder why everyone was standing in front of her with camera's snapping away.
 


But soon she started digging in (with a wee bit of assistance from dad) and decided that she liked cake!
She also seemed to be enjoying all of the attention.










Notice how daddy painted her face with frosting.
Bella seems to like it, but I bet when she is 13 and wanting to wear make-up, daddy will be the first to protest!!

Notice Bella's "Mohawk" hair style.







Yes, Bella definitely enjoyed her cake.





After a cleaning off, she opened her presents with a bit of assistance.



"This is for ME??
This birthday thing is cool!"




"Hey mom, look!  
I got paper!!"









"Help me dad. This elephant book is very heavy."



"Just kidding! Ha ha ha!"








"Wow! This baby has less hair than I do!"





"This crawl through toy is fun!  I can hide in here from my brother."





"Here is my handsome daddy. I think he likes me."



"And this is my pretty mommy.  Why is she rolling her eyes?"








"Here is my mommy, daddy, brother Brogan, dog Maddie, and me!"
I think Bella had a happy birthday.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

SAVORING SPRING

Last weekend while I tromped around enjoying the sculpture exhibit on CCC campus, I also enjoyed some of the flora and fauna.  I thought I would share a few photos with you all.
I love how color seems to pop from the landscape.
It makes me smile.






The bees were flitting from flower to flower
enjoying the fruits of their labor.


Beauty abounds everywhere, in an array of shapes, sizes, textures and colors.


All a treat to the senses, especially the visual.






Pretty pink petals  paved a pathway.


I also enjoyed some of the usual art to be viewed if you explore the campus.
 


The water is not really spurting from his mouth. I just positioned myself to get this shot.










I see spines 
and shrimp
and curly seaweed.
 
 Seems the female figure is quite popular on campus this term.
The strange guy to the right
reminds me of a gnome.

I think of sun sparkled waves.  I am told these are kinetic sculptures and they rotate!  I did not know so will have to return and try it.
I hope you enjoyed the little walk with me on this lovely spring day! Come on down and take the walk yourself.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

CCC Sculpture Exposition 2012

If any of you have been on the Clackamas Community College campus lately you may have noticed new sculptures adorning the grounds.  There are 32 to be exact.  If you have not seen them, you can obtain maps to each one to take a nice walk and view them. I did this last Saturday.  First I want to show my favorite.
This one is entitled LUNA by artist Ellen Tykeson.  It is bronze.
Isn't she lovely!
She is located in front of Dye Learning Center where the library is located.
Go see her and take a look at the wonderful details, even in the back.








This next sculpture makes me think of a castle or a fairy land.
  I love the odd things used to create it. Go see.
It was created by artist Greg Conyne and it is called
Reflections on the 1%.
It is located near 
Randall Hall where the gym is.
 When you are in that area, take a look at these two lovelies.
Gemini-Twin Torsos
are by artist MJ Anderson.

And yet another way to view a woman.  
This next sculpture is near Gregory Forum and is by artist Julian Voss-Andreae.  It is called Vortex Woman.  Quite unique. You might say it shows that women have many layers.



Me thinks she is pregnant!



We are not done with the feminine view.







This next sculpture can be found by Streeter Hall.
Its artist Francisco Salgado has dubbed it
Anima Eterna.

Maybe it is the blue color, but she makes me think of sadness.








Artist Mike Suri calls his piece Neurologies.
When I look at it I think of butterflies.
They are hanging on the concrete wall of the McLoughlin building staircase facing Randall Hall.

 





 

 Here is the Spotted Owl
by Jesse Swickard.  He would look great in a garden surrounded by trees.

 You can find this one between Streeter and the Community Center.







These two sculptures are dedicated to fish.
The one on the left is 
Pendulum
and the artist is Harold Hoy.
It sways in the breeze in the grassy area in front of Barlow near Pauling.
The one on the right is 
Salmon Tide
and its creator is 
Shawn Marie Johnson.
This is in the little garden area between Barlow and the Community Center.



Near the Pendulum fish, you can also view this sculpture.
It is rather unique as it looks a bit different from different angles.
I also like the turquoise color.
Its title is Wandering Trees.
The artist Shawn Marie Johnson also created this one.
There is a flower tip on each of the poles extending from it. 

If you look closely at
Decommission the Almighty War Machine, you will notice it has something unusual in its make-up---guns!
Atop one is perched a butterfly.
You can find it at the corner of the Community Center nearest McLoughlin Hall.
The artist is Jesse Swickard, also the creator of the Spotted Owl sculpture.






I think of this very unique creature  as a sea horse.  He is emerging from a wave, he has a fishy tail, and he is part horse.  He is also very large and colorful.  Hippocampus can be observed frolicking int he forest area near the Art Center.  The artist is Ben Dye.
I looked up the word hippocampus and this is what it says:
a curved elongated ridge that is an important part of the limbic system, extends over the floor of the descending horn of each lateral ventricle of the brain, consists of gray matter covered on the ventricular surface with white matter, and is involved in forming, storing, and processing memory.


Most of the students on campus have seen this guy laying under the tree near the Community Center entrance on the side close to Roger Rook Hall.  When I first saw him, it was raining and I was making a quick walk (I do not run) to Barlow.  I saw him from a distance and wondered why someone would be lying there in the rain.  As I headed back to my office, I glanced over and then worried that the person lying there might be sick or something, so I wandered closer to discover it was a sculpture!  It's entitled The Bather by artist Katy McFadden. 


The title of this piece is Ghost/Rhythm/My Little Pony.
I do get the My Little Pony part due to the horse hair part of it.
You must go see this one. It is not easy to find, You should enter the Niemeyer Center from the front main doors, then turn to the left and exit the doors across the room. The sculpture is right outside those doors.  The artist of this one is Thomas Wasson.



This sculpture is Drift by Lee Imonen.  When I look at it I think of waves.It hangs from cables. You can find this one outside of Gregory Forum.  








These two are located near the Niemeyer Center to the right of the main entrance.
On the left here is Vertebra by artist David Haslett.  

On the right here is Short Picnic by Dennis Peacock.
Someone drilled a hole in this picnic table







.This wood carving is right in front of the Niemeyer Center.  Farmers Daughter was created by Shelby Davis.  
He is holding a lamb in his hands.  
I like the carving but I might have called it Spring Birth.













These two sculptures can be viewed near Dye Learning Center to the right if facing its front door.
The sculpture on left is Awaken by Roger Williams. I think of it as Pea Pod.
The one to the right is called Origami Industry by Devin Laurence Field.
I like to call it Ancient View.




This sculpture reminds me of some creature from the Twilight Zone.  An Octopus recliner.  Its name is Don't Feed the Animals, created by artist Katherine Ali. It is in the sunken grass area in front of Barlow Hall.

To the left is Marlene.  She lost her heart and you can see it at the base.  Her creator is David Thompson. You can see Marlene between Roger Rook and Community Center. She is flying high.
To the right is Untitled by Michihiro Kosuge.
I like to call it Old Boot.
This sculpture is between the Community Center and McLoughlin.




To the left is Salicia by by Jennifer Ellsworth.  I love the cat tails.  Perfect garden sculpture.
It is near Community Center facing Barlow.

To the left is Homage Tequila by our own Rick True.
It makes me think of water spouting from a whale.




I introduce Interface on the left by artist Mylan Rakich.  
It is situated by McLoughlin Hall facing Community Center Cafeteria windows.  I enjoy the shapes used in this one.

To my right is Unidentified Fixed Object proudly framing one of the college sculptures.
The artist--Gilles Foisy.
See this one over by the Pauling Hall pond area.


The Persistence of My Fragile Illusion is by artist Michael Creger. I took the photo from the side facing the Pauling building. makes em think of a slab of human flesh.
Eerie.

To the right is Tetris. Notice the tiny blue figure at its base.
When I saw him I thought this was an alien ship.
The artist is Jay Moody.



To the left is Saguro by David Andersen.  It is a wooden pole pierced with lots and lots and lots of pencils.  Now those of you who have explored the campus may have seen one similar to this one behind DeJardin to its right.  It is among the trees there.  I wonder if this artist went to school at CCC and created that one as well.
To the right is Small Talk.
The artist is Lary Graves. This one makes me think of children as it is so playful.
There is one more sculpture out between the Niemeyer parking lot and the road around the college. Unfortunately that photograph did not come out good.  I do know that it used to be over near the Art Center.  So the tour is done.  Get a map and plan a nice leisurely walk to view these works of art and see what you think and what they make you think.