Art Smart

It was sunny and 8o here in Dallas the other day. I decided to head up to North Park Mall to soak up some sun in front of a sculpture by one of my favorite artist, Claes Oldenburg.

Corridor Pin, Blue, 1999.

There is a great balcony and a Starbucks, where I thought I could get some work done. It sounded divine, until I learned that the Starbucks is no longer there! Hard times, I guess...
What happened next?
I tried not to do it, but the 15% birthday discount to Anthropologie was burning a hole in my pocket... so, I went

s h o p p i n g.

I know, I know... What about my resolution?

What about it... I have two new sweaters and two new shirts, but no skirt. It won't happen again... I think...

These drawer pulls were on sale at Anthropologie for $2.95 a piece. I think that they are all so unique. The price was right, plus my 15% birthday discount, so I bought them all. I have an idea in mind for a DIY project that doesn't involve drawers.

Later that night, I went to The Rachofsky House to view their current installation.  I always try to go when I have that opportunity.

It's an impressive space and contemporary art collection. It was designed by Richard Meier. It's pretty awesome... sleek and white with lots of lines. "It's a lot like Crate and Barrel."

This is not an Oldenburg sculpture. It's by Mark Handforth, Texas Tom, 2007.

Pre-School Art Project of the Week

We are gearing up for our Open House and that includes a fancy art show next week. I wanted to incorporate some kind of sculpture, so we made Louise Nevelson inspired assemblages.

Dawn’s Wedding Chapel IV, from Dawn’s Wedding Feast, 1959-1960.

Right now, my kid's assemblages remind me of Joseph Cornell. I'm going to photograph them all before I spray paint them, so that they can have an image of what they looked like before the paint and maybe one day make the connection. Check out this great website about his boxes. There are even free downloads of very cool images.

Joseph Cornell. Untitled (The Hotel Eden) c. 1945. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.

Here's how we did it:

First, I asked the parents to bring in an adult size shoebox and all of their recyclable junk: broken toys, odds and ends, etc. Once our materials were collected, I spread them out on a table. They then picked a box and arranged their objects so that I could glue them down with a hot glue gun. I was their assistant, and happy to oblige their every wish.

Didn't they turn out great?


Would you believe there was no fighting over the materials?

And they were so patient. (This is not usually the case, when it comes to certain toys in the room.)  But, they simply picked up what was available and made it work. It was amazing. They are amazing. They never cease to inspire me.

Finally, I had my kiddos pick their favorite color, which I will spray paint this weekend. There will be a lot of RED inspired sculptures. Except for one piece...

which will be "dark."

Louise Nevelson, Sky Cathedral. 1958. The Museum of Modern Art.

It's a long story, but it includes a half hour debate with a three-year old who doesn't quite know his colors.
He won...
"Dark IS a color! My mommy told me so!"