Manhattan, and I should get out more.

My wife persuaded me to go to NYC this last week ( I'm a reluctant traveller, especially flying ), and a good time was had. I think of Manhattan as Disney World for adults, though even more expensive. We were focused on museums this trip, specifically the "replica" of the 1913 Armory show at the New York Historical Society. A nice show, and great to see in person some of the icons from the original show. Then, my wife showed me the society's open storage. As I say above, I should get out more; wonderful to see objects not usually displayed, the Daniel Chester French maquettes for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. were a delight, as were several under paintings by Asher B. Durand, the Hudson River School painter. Being very technically oriented, I do enjoy seeing the working processes of other artists. We skipped the Guggenheim's discombobulation, and managed the Whitney, the Met, and the Museum of Art and Design, MAD. I was especially intrigued by a show at MAD, Post Digital, showcasing works of artists using digital technology, 3D scanners, printers, CNC machines, weaving machines, to produce very mature art. I have only a few photos of the art; I was more focused on the city itself, though with my interests showing. 8-)

Flying, approaching NYC.

Times Square

City dogs, with their coats and boots.

For me, a quintenssential NYC vista.

Overlooking Columbus Circle. To the right, Central Park.

A monument to the Soldiers and Sailors of the Battleship Maine.

Located at Columbus Circle, and the south edge of Central Park.

Another monument, seen and photographed from a taxi, stopped briefly beside it. West edge of Central Park, and Midtown. From the helmets, WWI.

And a view of Lincoln Center, from our hotel room.

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Sunday afternoon.

A solitary crow, though many of his colleagues were chattering in the immediate area. Crows are very wary of my walking near them, flapping off if I get close.

The snow pack is settling, and even melting a little, though it is still very cold; well below normal temps for this late in the season. Our back yard is still drifted over; to take the garbage to the can in the alley, I walk out to the street and around the block and up the alley. The flowers were almost covered fairly recently.

And now, from my wifes collection, On Bee We Depend, by Catherine Peet. The frame, a found object, was decorated by the artist, including bees wax panels and a resin embedded bee as the top central ornament.

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The basswood in winter

 

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Winter and some Shellac.

Contrary to my previous post, spring seems far away, while the flowers from a few posts back, are almost buried.

Shellac buttons; on the left is Dark Jethwa, right Kusmi #1. The seal impressed into the Kusmi buttons reads: 

ASF

KUSMI

SONAR

BANGLA

SPECIAL

Holding any of the buttons to the light shows the large amount of impurities present, which I find one of the charms of Button-Lac. The colors are concentrated as are the buttons; in use the color is much more subtle. More on shellac, and a picture of Kusmi #2 buttons, here.