Sculpture Garden Near the Sea

 

I made a new discovery on this recent trip to California, the Newport Beach Sculpture Garden.  It's located directly across from the Newport Beach Civic Center and City Hall.  My friends and I took a walk through the garden to admire the sculptures scattered around.  Above is a sculpture called "Individuality" by artists Dominic Panziera and Daniela Garofalo.  They work under the business name of Arteclettica.  I looked at their site where I found this quote that I immediately fell in love with: "Always remember that you are absolutely unique just like everyone else."

The sculpture to the left is called "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" and it is by Patricia Vader, another creative artist who works a lot with wheels of all shapes and sizes.

The colorful sculpture above is called "Fractured Peace" by Nancy Mooslin. I love all those shapes and colors.

To the right is a sculpture called "Marble Shooter" by Ron Whitacre.  It makes you think of childhood games. 

Apparently, the circle of bunnies above is referred to as "bunnyhenge" by locals.  It is actually there as a whimsical place for children to play.  I read something that said that some people find this circle a bit menacing.  I don't see that at all.  I think it's kind of cute.

To the left is a sculpture called "Talking Heads".  Isn't that a great name?  It's by artist Oleg Lobykin.  He works in both metal and stone and creates some very large objects.

The sculpture to the right is called "Woodpeckers" by Michael McLaughlin.

My friend Julie is admiring Steven Rieman's sculpture called "Chairman of the Board.  

At the top of hill I found this sculpture of former president and California native, Ronald Reagan.  I read that this sculpture has been located in several places around Orange County before being moved to the sculpture garden.

Behind the very first photo in this series you get a glimpse of this blue bridge. This blue railed bridge spans a large arroyo in the wetland where this park is located.  This area is close to the beach so the ground is sandy and hilly.  There are paths to follow through the garden so that you can locate all the sculptures.

I'm glad I found this place.  I'll add it to my list of places to visit whenever I'm in California.

Green House

 

Every year when I go to California, I plan a visit to Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona Del Mar. It's a beautiful garden and for the last few years, they've been featuring some kind of art exhibit.  This year's exhibit is called greenHOUSE and is described as "Lavish living rooms with a botanical twist".  

Above and to the right is the dining room all set for a large dinner party.

Here is the study with it's bookcase and comfortable chair.

The parlor was enjoying some time in the bright sunlight.

There was even a lavatory. 

It was fun exhibit and it was all created by the Sherman Garden's own horticulture team.  

They did a great job.  It was fun to wander the garden and discover the different rooms.

Send In the Clowns

 

Running Cars

Just last week, I finally got to travel again to California and the areas of Newport Beach and Laguna Beach.  As I usually do when I visit this area I made a trip to the Laguna Beach Art Museum once again.  It's a small art museum but I've found over the years that they have some fantastic exhibits.  They specialize in California artists and I've learned about some very talented painters and sculptors by viewing some of their wonderful exhibits.  This trip was no exception because I was introduced to Wayne Thiebaud whose more commercial work I recognized immediately.  However this show was dedicated to paintings he's done over the past seven years and the subject is all about clowns.

Dancing Clowns

What makes these works even more special is that Mr. Thiebaud is 101 years old!  Back when he was a boy growing up in Long Beach California, he sometimes helped out behind the scenes at Ringling Brothers Circus in exchange for tickets.  He became fascinated with the costumes, faces and antics of the clowns and these paintings almost 90 years later are based on those memories.

Suspended Clown Cars

Clown in Silvered Wig

Mr, Thiebaud's early career was as an animator and cartoonist.  He is a celebrated artist most known for his depictions of cakes, desserts and candies.  Take a look at this Google search and I'll bet you will recognize his distinctive style and an image or two.

Clown on Fire

Clown Behind Bars

Clown Rescue

In 1962, an exhibition of his work consisting of the cakes, ice creams and desserts was made in New York City and the show got rave reviews making his name known in art worlds and giving him a solid footing as an artist.

Clown and Beast

Clown with Suitcase

Also included in the exhibit was this self portrait of the artist.  He looks like a very happy-go-lucky fellow with a great sense of humor.  I'm so glad I got to see this collection of his works.  I was smiling the whole time I was viewing this show.  Reading that he was born in 1920, also put me in awe of his continuing talent and work.  There are not too many centenarian artists around.

Patagonia

 

Several years ago, I was on a road trip in Southern Arizona when I came upon this small town of Patagonia.  It's a very small place with a population of around 900.  The town is about 18 miles from the Mexican border and a little over an hour's drive south of Tucson.  Above is the historic train depot for Patagonia.  As you can see, the train no longer stops here.

For such a small place, I found lots of interesting things to photograph.  These two doors caught my eye.

This two story, adobe brick building was also of interest.  I haven't seen many adobe buildings that are two stories tall.  

This colorful gate made a very appealing photograph.  I'm not sure what was behind the gate.  I'm going to assume a house was back there somewhere among all those trees.  

I stopped in to a little cafe to get some lunch.  It was the only cafe in town and everyone else in the cafe all knew each other.  Even the sheriff stopped in and visited with some other guests.  I was the only stranger in town and I sat quietly and enjoyed my lunch.