Life From a Writer's POV
I met a little Elf-man, once…
…Down where the lilies blow.
I asked him why he was so small…
…And why he didn’t grow.
He slightly frowned, and with his eye
He looked me through and through.
“I’m quite as big for me,” said he,
“As you are big for you.”
—JOHN KENDRICK BANGS.
All images copyright Naomi Baltuck
Click here for more interpretations of The Weekly Photo Challenge: Scale
When my nephew from Southeast Alaska was just a tot, he came to Seattle and squinted up at the sky. “What’s that stuff in my eyes?” he asked. “What stuff?” asked his mom. “That shiny stuff.”
Oh, that would be sunshine. Yes, the sun does shine in Seattle, even more than in Juneau, but so not much lately. Our weather tends to be soft, our skies pastel.
It was autumn when we left Seattle last Friday.
Two hours later, we stepped off a plane into summertime.
The California sky was so blue!
The light was intense, and even the shadows seemed to take on a life of their own.
This was most noticeable in the courtyard of the Cantor Art Museum on the Stanford campus, where we saw a sculpture by Robert Serra.
It was 200 tons of iron, 13 feet tall, 67 feet long. At first I thought it looked like smoke stacks on a steamer or scrap metal from an old factory.
But there is more to it than meets the eye.
It is two interlocking figure 8s that we could step inside…
…to interact with…and become a part of the sculpture.
The slanting walls were surprising, but the effect was intriguing.
We felt like Alice going down the rabbit hole.
Each step brought a new view.
The interplay between light and shadow and sky was brilliant.
We viewed a hundred canvases, each one borrowing colors from the same palette…
…but every one a distinct new creation.
It was playful.
Energizing!
Definitely a case of love at second sight.
All words and images copyright Naomi Baltuck.
Click here for more interpretations of The Weekly Photo Challenge: Abstract.
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When visiting the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio with my cousins June and Nancy, a huge sculpture immediately captured my attention.
It dominated the back wall of the entry hall, a 3D rainbow of recycled paper, cardboard, and plastic.
The sculptor, Lisa Hoke, titled the piece “The Future Ain’t What It Used to Be” in a nod to baseball player Yogi Berra, who was famous for employing the English language in surprising and humorous ways. I don’t know exactly what Lisa intended when she chose that title for this piece, but it seems appropriate.
This work of art features colorful patterns created by discarded packaging of consumer goods, mostly paper and plastic.
Trash, really.
But Lisa has mindfully and creatively transformed refuse into something beautiful– and useful, too—for art satisfies the senses and stimulates thoughts and feelings.
Here’s what this piece brought to my mind: We are trashing our planet. Landfills are overflowing and oceans have become dumping grounds. Imagine if we could do what Lisa has done, only in our real lives and on a larger scale–by making less garbage, of course, but finding ways to make the most of it.
Our deck is made of recycled plastic. Paper products like toweling, books, and stationary are made of recycled paper. Instead of adding countless plastic grocery bags to the landfill, cloth shopping bags can be used again and again.
There’s no doubt that Yogi was right—the future ain’t what it used to be. But wouldn’t it be a fine thing to recycle the old future into a better one for ourselves and our children?
All photos and words c 2013Naomi Baltuck
Click here for more interpretations of The Weekly Travel Theme: Sculpture.
Writing Between the Lines 