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Chi-who-ly?

by Brian on March 16, 2011 in Florida

Whether or not you’ve heard of Dale Chihuly, chances are you’ve seen his glorious glass sculptures somewhere. Along with museums, pieces are installed in libraries, hotels, hospitals, churches, department stores, and other locales in just about every U.S. state.

We’ve had teaser glimpses of Chihuly’s work, viewing a couple of pieces here and there at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Rhode Island School of Design Museum in Providence, and other places. In St. Petersburg, Florida, we felt like we hit the mother lode when we happened upon the Chihuly Collection, a space devoted entirely to his work.

What is so mesmerizing about his creations? They’re exquisite, imaginative, unique, and vibrant. Yes, that’s a lot of adjectives, and every single one is deserved. Chihuly has taken the ancient tradition of glass-blowing and put a modern spin on it, crafting series of works that draw inspiration from sources as varied as water and marine life, the art of Japanese Ikebana (flower arranging), and old Northwest Coast Indian baskets. The “Sunset Persian Wall” features exotic, spiraling forms in hues of red and orange. A 1,000-pound chandelier in varying shades of blue is made up of 400 individually crafted pieces. A boat filled with brightly-colored glass balls, reflected in a dark surface, evokes a Venetian canal at night (seen above).

I can’t do justice to Chihuly’s creations by describing them. You need to see at least one for yourself. Click here for a list of places where his works can be found, both public installations and museum collections.

The 70-year-old glass magician works with a team of artists in a Puget Sound-area studio. I’m hoping for an invite when the RV adventure takes us to Washington State.

Fats Waller Redux

by Brian on March 15, 2011 in Florida

For those who remember our visit to the Ernest Hemingway House in Key West, Florida there is a good story in today’s New York Times about the house, Hemingway, and the six toed cats who live there.

“There was very little that was safe or conventional in Ernest Hemingway’s life. The great writer hurled himself into danger in three wars, managed to survive two plane crashes on the same big-game safari in remote Africa, and precipitated many domestic dramas with a variety of love affairs in the course of his four marriages. “Moderation” appears to have been one word lacking from his otherwise superb vocabulary, even when it came to cats.

The Hard Way to Easy Street

by Brian on March 14, 2011 in Florida

Although these exotic felines now live on Easy Street – 12802 Easy Street to be precise – it was a life of hard knocks that brought them to the Big Cat Rescue Sanctuary in Tampa, Florida. The 120 animals that reside here all arrived for different reasons, but abandonment and abuse are common threads. Some were performing animals that came to the sanctuary instead of being ‘retired.’ Others were rescued from the fur trade. Many more were abandoned when their owners realized that large wildcats make for dangerous, and expensive, pets.

One of the sanctuary’s recent rescues, a wild bobcat on the losing end of an automobile encounter, has become a bit of a sensation. When no local vets or specialists would even attempt to help the animal, Read More…

Modern Masterpiece

by Brian on March 11, 2011 in Florida

Photos courtesy of stephenknapp.com

After visiting dozens of museums all over the world you might think I know a little something about art. And that is exactly what I know, a little something. Mostly what I know is what I like, and what I don’t. And my experience has taught me that visiting modern art museums focusing on works created after World War II is mostly a waste of my time. There are the occasional gems to be found, of course, like some works by Jackson Pollock, for example. But too often artists of this period focused more on creating something different than they did on creating something enjoyable. For many, the modernist emphasis on breaking with convention gradually devolved into meaninglessness and ugliness. Thankfully, that period may be at an end. I’ve noticed an increasing number of museum displays from contemporary artists whose work is both ground-breaking and beautiful. Add Stephen Knapp’s name to that list. Read More…

Neh-Ples

by Brian on March 9, 2011 in Florida

Thomas Edison Winter Estate, Fort Myers, Florida

Is it possible to experience culture shock having never left the country, or even the state of Florida? The answer seems to be yes.

While driving to Naples from the Everglades on US 41 we were shocked by the sudden change in scenery. Gone were the unspoiled wetlands, dotted with lazy alligators and colorful wading birds. In their place sprung congested intersections, crowded with shopping malls and big box retailers. “Historic” downtown Naples offered more of the same, only the retailers were higher-end and the cars crowding the streets had Italian accents (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati) instead of Japanese ones. It was all rather depressing. Read More…