Cay Denise

Filoli, also known as the Bourn-Roth Estate, is a country house set upon 16 acres of formal gardens surrounded by a 654-acre estate in the San Francisco Bay area. It was a hot day to visit, but what a lovely stroll we had through the gardens I haven’t seen for over a decade!   A bonsai exhibit had some interesting displays including a redwood that has been cultivated as bonsai since 1966.  Another was a trident Maple that is 200-300 years of age donated to Filoli by a gentleman who survived Nazi Germany and emigrated to the United States. The Spring blooms have already passed away, but there were still many flowers to enjoy especially roses as well as other varieties including ranunculi, peonies, irises, and water lilies (in the many decorative ponds).  Here are a few photos.                                                 ...

This is such a good article about wealth expressed through art collecting and philanthropy that has resulted in the creation of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art with a purpose of providing access for all.  The intention is to raise awareness of what art is/can be, and to provide cultural enrichment while creating a mecca for gathering, viewing, exploring, learning, and engaging with the range of its collections.  One in particular work that caught my eye including the founder's narrative about it was the painting of Andrew Jackson (see the video for this).  Meanwhile, with the museum's development, a small town with not much that was noteworthy is now booming to accommodate visitors to the museum and probably even new businesses.   I'm so impressed by this story.  My own interest in visiting the museum and community has been peaked.  An unknown-to-me place until today's story.  Bentonville, Arkansas, I look forward to seeing you! https://www....

This place is an adventure and an especially wondrous for artists.  There is so much to see, and it can overwhelm the visual sense.  The work is fun, colorful, a collaboration, and at the same time... philosophical.  I loved it and highly recommend a visit!  Cheri and Gonzalo are terrific too!

...not even during an early spring visit! While in southern California , Disneyland was a must! It has been over a decade since I visited a Disney theme park, and it was fun getting reacquainted (and there were new things too)! Taking in Santa Barbara was an added delight with its spectacular coastal setting! The artist in me was a photographer during this adventure. In thinking about the work, it seems that an artist refines his seeing, through whatever technique practiced, by taking opportunities to look for inspiration around himself wherever he is. It is in the refinement of 'seeing' that the artist educates himself about design decisions. In practicing my photography, I looked for the uncommon like lines, curves, etc. I asked myself what could one 'see' in Disneyland and Santa Barbara that would not be a dead giveaway about each location? What are some of the shared images these places have with other places? Some of those images follow:

Las Vegas is truly 24/7 stimulation capital! Whether day or night, there is light, sound, food and activities galore happening. A recent weekend visit was truly an enjoyable departure from normal life -- as nothing seems normal there! The 'strip' is an incredible place for adventuring with your creative eye. Whether you like architecture, color, displays, shapes, textures or other subjects for inspiration, you can find it there. (Nature is a very different subject...not alot of natural areas there that haven't been made-made or -designed unless you get some distance away from the strip.) Reflections on windows are especially intriguing as are hotel displays and neon signage in other ways. It is all part of a feast for the creative senses! These are a few of the photos I took while there. I'm thinking about using some of them to base new work on.