Parallax Gap at the Renwick Gallery
Climb the stairs to the Renwick's Grand Salon then look up to discover the latest transformation of the ceiling. Inspired by architectural drawings of nine historic buildings, architecture design firm FreelandBuck has created a many-layered, lacy installation that starts with traditional one and two point perspective then skews it. The "drawings" were cut from fabric, stretched on frames then suspended, one above another like a stack of airy, floating pancakes. In some spots, you can see the "normal" architectural view. The overlapping colors and forms change as you move around the room. The installation will be on view through February 11, 2018. Learn more about its creation here:
https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/parallax
Snowfall from Inside a Taxi
Winter has thrown its chilly blanket of ice and snow over parts of the country that rarely experience it. Today I'm sharing my favorite photo of this winter, captured from a taxi during a snowstorm. Looking out through the fogged-up window, the view seemed to capture the essence of a snowy day: muted monotones, indistinct outlines and exciting jolts of the yellows and oranges that mark this as a city street. For a moment, everything was an impressionistic painting instead of a slushy intersection. It's easy to enjoy the scene when you are safely inside looking out.
Look Up! Look Down!
Set me loose in a city and I am happy to wander the streets for days, gawking at the architectural details, looking up at the capitals of columns and down at the patterns of tile floors. A great day is one during which I've discovered an elegant wrought iron gate or a stone squirrel climbing up the stone foliage surrounding an entry. Artists and craftspeople of a bygone age took great care in creating all those details that enrich the cityscape. Open up your eyes, look up and down and all around you. Enjoy the show!
The Last of the Santas
I've always felt sorry for the Leftovers, the heart-shaped boxes of chocolates still poised on shelves on February 17th, the jumbled rolls of wrapping paper whose designs were not deemed festive enough to be chosen in December, the stuffed bunny with a strange expression who did not find a place in a child's Easter basket. Now it is too late for this small platoon of chocolate Santas. What went wrong/ They look so friendly with their gold foil packs slung over their red foil shoulders. Well, except for the one who has been dealt a death blow, possibly by the eager grasp of a small child whose mother's back was turned for a moment. Goodbye Santas. We will welcome your replacements next Christmas.
