I recently visited the Vancouver, WA public library and came across the Mary Granger Sculpture Garden, a collection of four sculptures on the library property, all created by regional artists.
I’ll share them here as part of Marsha’s Photographing Public Art Challenge (PPAC).
I thought I’d come across a fifth piece of public art, but upon further investigation, it turned out to be a bike rack. Oh, well. Perhaps art is in the eye of the beholder.
For Cee’s Black and White photo Challenge (CBWC): just one of anything.
I thought I heard a hawk of some sort the other day, so I stepped out on the deck to look for it. This squirrel was balled up on a nearby branch, maybe trying to make himself invisible to the bird of prey.
The bird that was making all the ruckus finally flew to the same tree, but it wasn’t a hawk at all. I’m thinking it was one of those tricky fellows that can mimic other bird calls. Good enough to fool both the squirrel and me!
My favorite white subject for Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge: the color white.
This wooden horse statue greeted me in Rawlins, Wyoming as I was passing through on my way to Colorado.
For Marsha’s Always Write blog, PPAC #17 .
Photographing Public Art Challenge
Public art encompasses any form of art you see in a public place, large or small, statues, murals, graffiti, gardens, parks, etc. The art should be visible from streets, sidewalks or outdoor public places.
At the halfway point of the Visit Vancouver USA challenge (an app designed to encourage participants to get outdoors and explore the area), my eighth walk took me to the banks of the Columbia River and the Waterfront Renaissance Trail.
Chules and I went early in day to avoid the “heat dome” high temperatures, so we managed to catch a bit of the sunrise pink sky.
We’ve visited this area many times, so we strolled the familiar walkway for about a mile. I always enjoy seeing the art installations, including this sculpture of Ilchee, by artist Eric Jensen.
The sign next to the sculpture tells us that:
“Ilchee, or ‘Moon Woman,’ was the daughter of Chinook Chief Comcomly. Ilchee arrived in the Fort Vancouver area in 1813, where she met and married her father’s successor, Chief Casino. She is depicted gazing west down the Columbia River, toward her family’s ancestral home at Chinook Point on the Washington coast.”
Farther east on the trail is another public art piece titled “Wendy Rose,” by the artists Women Who Weld (Sharon Agnor, Wendy Armstrong, Sumi Wu, Jennifer Corio & Kathy Wilson).
The plaque there states:
“Wendy celebrates the legacy of the women who entered the workforce at the Kaiser Shipyards during World War II. Wearing a bright red polka dot scarf made of glass, Wendy strides across the Bonneville Dam and is surrounded by other local symbols of the era.”
An interesting contrast between Ilchee and Wendy Rose, historically (and artistically) speaking.
So that’s eight site check-ins; seven to go!
Also an entry for the Photographing Public Art Challenge (PPAC) hosted by Marsha and Cee.
For Bushboy’s Last on the Card Challenge:
The rules:
1. Post the last photo on your SD card or last photo on your phone for the 31st July.
2. No editing – who cares if it is out of focus, not framed as you would like or the subject matter didn’t cooperate.
3. You don’t have to have any explanations, just the photo will do
4. Create a Pingback to [Bushboy’s] post or link in the comments
5. Tag “The Last Photo”
For Bushboy’s Last on the Card challenge.
“The rules are simple:
1. Post the last photo on your SD card or last photo on your phone for the 30th June.
2. No editing – who cares if it is out of focus, not framed as you would like or the subject matter didn’t cooperate.
3. You don’t have to have any explanations, just the photo will do
4. Create a Pingback to this post or link in the comments
5. Tag “The Last Photo”
The last pic I took in June (yesterday):
And I forgot to post May’s last photo:
Both photos taken with my iPhone 8Plus.
April is always my busiest month in posting thanks to the National Poetry Writing Month challenges that I try to participate in. I always think it’s going to energize me to keep up the momentum for the rest of the year, but that never quite pans out.
Last year, after posting daily in April, I averaged one post per month for the subsequent seven months. This year, I hope to perform better than last. I mean the bar isn’t that high, so…
I will be exploring new blog “challenges” this year, beginning with one I discovered on Manja Mexi Mexcessive‘s blog. The rules, as posted by the challenge host Bushboys World:
1. Post the last photo on your SD card or last photo on your phone for the 30th April.
2. No editing – who cares if it is out of focus, not framed as you would like or the subject matter didn’t cooperate.
3. You don’t have to have any explanations, just the photo will do
4. Create a Pingback to this post or link in the comments
5. Tag “The Last Photo”
The last photo I took on my iPhone last month:
What Rhymes with Stanza? 