Memorial Day, 2010

The Power of Color

With 2 friends today, I got to revisit the exhibit I participated in at the Shalom Cafe, tool all around the beautiful grounds of Elizabeth Park, and take in a cool exhibit at the Jewish Community Center: The Monday Colorists. I believe all the works posted here are by the artist Kristine Sullivan.

More about the exhibit here.

It's only a paper beach...

...sitting under a paper sky.
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Yesterday's trip along the road to color led me to Jerry's Artarama in Elmwood where the manager graciously let me snap away to my heart's content. I made my way straight for the beautiful papers they have on display. This is just one of the many many snaps I took.

A Day Spent on the Road to Color

The day off from work, I spent a good part of it driving around in search of color. This window caught my eye and I had to do a U-turn to go back and snap it.
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It belongs to a nifty little framing shop out on the west end of town. Would have never found it were it not for these bold colors. Now that I have, though, the next time I need something framed, I think I'll give 'em a try!

The Awesomest Art Thing EVER

The exhibit ended in January, but the poster remains...Pratt Street in Hartford.

Learn about the exhibit here.

Plants at 8

I finally get my flowers in their pots, my deck all in place, only to come home and find a notice under my door from the condo association. "The painters will be here on May 27 to paint the porches. Please remove all plants and personal belongings by tomorrow, May 26." Dang!
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Well, at least I found refuge for my plants at my sister's house around the corner. Here they sit, still looking good. She promises they'll care for them. But take a look at the plant on the ground...I have cause for concern. ;-)

The not so lowly onion

He likes onions, therefore they are. The fit, the colors, the smell, the tensions, the tastes, the textures, the lines, the shapes are a response, not to some forgotten decree that there may as well be onions as turnips, but to His present delight—His intimate and immediate joy in all you have seen, and in the thousand wonders you do not even suspect. With Peter, the onion says, Lord, it is good for us to be here. Yes, says God. Tov. Very good.
—Robert Farrar Cappon, "The Supper of the Lamb"
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(I love this book!)

Monday Nights with Scott

I spend many a Monday night with my nephew, Scott—my little traveling companion.

Tonight we were off to get more flowers for my back porch and to finally get everything planted. Place looks good!

The grass withers, the flowers fade...

... And these little red flowers will fade away soon themselves, having broken off from a healthy plant as it was transported from garden shop to my friend's back yard. Fade away they must, but not without first dazzling us with their simply beauty.

Red door x 3

Guess I just have a thing for red doors...

I see a black door

and I want it painted red.
I'll take Mick Jagger's words and turn them on their head.

Sure, it looks like this now...

But wait'll ya see it in August!
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Anyone living in Avon or surrounding towns knows of Chrissie D'Esopo and her jaw-dropping gardens. I got a little bold with the camera this weekend, stopping the car and venturing out into her yard. If she hadn't come around the corner as I was snapping, looking like she might chase me off the property, I'd have gotten a better look at that soil to see what's in it to produce such fabulous results. She's got to be using more than Miracle Grow! Anyway, come back in August and this is what you'll see.

Now I ask you...

Is there anything better than a porch?? On this beautiful sunny Sunday, I swept my back porch off, potted a few plants and sat myself down with a good book. Sweet!!

This is my neighbor, Beth's, porch. She's got me beat with flowers and pots...but I'll catch up!

Art that inspires, in times like these...

...is hardly a luxury; now more than ever, it is a necessity.
—Joseph Duveen

Through my employer, Aetna, I got to attend a gala celebration of The Charter Oak Cultural Center, a place that has been referred to as "Hartford's epi-center of cool."

I bid on this artwork created by one of the children involved in Charter Oak's many arts and culture programs. And I won!

Well, I'm standing on the corner of Lafayette

State of Connecticut. Wondering where a city boy can go to get a little conversation.

Actually, my nephew had a homework assignment: go out and photograph some Hartford landmarks. So standing on the corner of Lafayette, we snapped the landmark statue of Lafayette himself. Mostly his horse. Apparently there's a small turtle built into the horse's back hoof to symbolize the artist's tardiness in getting the project done. We missed that on this trip. Guess we'll have to go back.

Let's see if the English Beat can do as well

Made it up to Infinity Hall last night to FINALLY hear the McLovins live. The 3 talented lads rocked the house!

Putting Down Roots in Hartford

One sows, another waters and another harvests. Some friends and I from work have partnered with the Charter Oak Cultural Center to "Put Down Roots in Hartford." We got started last week at the Center where local kids went to work sowing seeds that will produce broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, carrots and who knows what else! Additional gardens are planned on the grounds of 2 local schools.

Pizza with a Cause

Hats off to Flatbreads in Canton, CT. This pizza restaurant hosts Benefit Night every Tuesday. Each week they open their doors to a non-profit organization, giving them the opportunity to raise funds through raffles and auctions, and Flatbreads donates a portion of all pizza sales to that organization. Tonight's beneficiary was Immaculate Conception Men's Shelter in Hartford. My sister, Kathy donated this bird print.

Ya gotta break some eggs to frame a chick

The creative process for me can get pretty messy. Snapped this photo after cleaning up most of the mess I made just to frame this one tiny little chick!

All for a good cause, though. The print will go in tomorrow night's auction to benefit the Immaculate Conception Homeless Shelter.

De Colores!

Kudos to the owner of the Design Forum on Route 4 in Farmington. That guy's been in business forever and ALWAYS has the most creatively colorful window displays I've ever seen.

For the record, I CAN boil water

To tell you the truth, I don't often make microwave popcorn. But I was hungry for a snack and someone had given me this individual size bag of the stuff. Could have sworn the directions said to nuke on Hi for 3 minutes. Whatever. I found some crackers to eat instead...