Museum Visit
 

This last week I was on vacation and had the pleasure of visiting a couple museums with some of our forum members.

I got a tour of the Met from Jimmie - fabulous! Thank you Jimmie, what a great day. Im sure those guards will forget my face eventually and I'll be let back in. ;) Jimmie is a sweetheart, I wish we had had more time. I also got to see a pastel show opening in NYC with him. Jimmie's work looked wonderful - so much more depth than online. (between all of you and me, he should have won an award). We got to see Daniel Greene win Best of Show.

I also got to visit the National Gallery of Art in DC with Garth and Noble (from another forum). Thank you fellas, it was great fun! Garth, I want to know how the photos of your lunch came out? :D Garth and Noble were very talkative about the art there - I learned quite a bit.

I would have some photos to post, but am not on my computer as we evacuated my city due to hurricane Rita. When I do get to my computer Im going to need help identifying all the inspirational artwork I photographed.

Sounds like a grand time was had by all!
Kim, my thoughts and prayers are with your family and all those who are facing Rita.
I'm glad you all are safe! Please keep us updated as to how things go.

Dear Kim,

It was such a blast and treat to meet up with you and Noble at the National Gallery in DC! You were so much fun and the day was so spontaneous and meant to be. You really fit that yellow Mustang you drove! I will post some photos soon. For now I am just so glad to hear you made it home safely, although you have had to immediately evacuate your home. I pray for your safety along with everyone else in the path of Rita. Stay in touch with us at the Forum as you are able.

Now I can assert you are absolutely for real (and Noble too)! Your little painting in the Mustang was fabulous. I will dig up some photos.....

Take care.

Garth

Gee wiz, I wanted to talk about our day and you beat me to it. It sounds like I enjoyed your company more than you enjoyed mine tho, that's ok, I'll get over it. Just kidding. Anyone who has not had the privilage to meet Kim, she is very sweet, down to earth, and funny. We(or at least I did) had a blast.

Kim came over to my job in Nanuet, NY and got the piercing she has been talking about forever. She met my idiot co-workers, watched me inflict some pain, and hopefully left with an understanding why I don't want to tattoo anymore.

Her Mustang was cool, I felt embarrassed wanting to drive it. We went to Barnes & Noble in Paramus, then to eat at Chilis, where she spilled her soda. Must have been nerves, I have that affect on women.

Sunday, we went to the Met where she got yelled at by a gaurd for pointing too close to a Franz Hals painting. I warned her about it, she would'nt listen. She had her first NY hotdog from a vender outside the museum. We drove around, trying to show her different neighborhoods and backgrounds. Came close to hitting some pedestrians. It was refreshing to have someone interested in the beauty and architecture of NYC where most local people usually just take it for granted.

Thanks Kim for the comment that mine should have won something, I'm usually very humble, but even I think I should have won something, I would have gladly taken the money.

Well, anyhoo, I had a great time, hopefully we can do it again someday.

Hey - Garth, that photo came out great. That Mustang did rock didn't it!? (I rented an economy car, but the guy behind the counter gave me an upgrade because I was the first in over an hour not to yell at him). I've never driven anything like that before - the mini van isnt feeling as good now that Im back. I'd like to take full credit for getting us out of those tickets at the Metro Garth! I pulled a groin muscle running to catch the lady, Im not sure, but the $20 might have been better. :D

Jimmie,

Ha! You know I had a blast with you. Heck, if I thought your wife would allow it I would have taken you back to Texas with me. Ladies of the forum, get in line behind me if Jimmie ever becomes single. But I warn you all, I have pepper spray and know karate. :D

oh yes - my first NY hotdog on the street! And the city is gorgeous. So much cleaner than I imagined. And the traffic wasn't bad at all. Of course it could be that Jimmie knew his way around so well. I really appreciated you taking the time to drive me around! I seriously have a desire to move there. I want to go back as soon as I can and see more. Next time Jimmie, you drive the mustang! And next time Im thinking I may go ahead a get that tattoo I was thinking about. And yes, your talent is totally wasted doing tattoos. Even though, I cant think of anyone else I want to trust to give me one.

Brenda,
Thank you. I just heard it has moved farther north, so we may not get much in my city at all. Here's hoping!

Now, THAT'S better. ;)

Oh, and I forgot to mention in the last reply, I hope everything's fine down there! Take care of yourself.

Sounds like you guys had fun!

Sorry to hear you had to evacuate your town, Kim, but it's good people are taking Rita seriously. Hopefully you'll be able to go back soon.

Alex

Thanks Alexandra. If I werent having such a good time at my friends' house I could go back now. The hurricane has been downgraded to a category 3 and is even going to hit north of Houston - so there will still be damage, but not nearly what the original fears were.

I had to post this photo. It had to be one of the funniest things I saw on vacation...

This is at the National Gallery of Art in DC- and this man was wearing a Bob Ross t-shirt that said 'Happy Trees.'

I'd like to share a few of my favorites from the two museums I visited. Im afraid I dont always know who painted them - I saw so many.

This first one had to be the one that I stared at the longest. I know it's Joan of Arc, but I need to research who painted it. This one was at the Met.

Forgive the bad photos. I was more interested in getting the surface of the paintings vs. the whole thing.

These are also from the Met.

Im not going to insult Sargent by posting any photos I took of his paintings, but they blew me away. I had seen one of his a couple years ago in San Antonio, and I was disappointed. It must not have been one of his best, because the ones at the Met were stunning. I couldnt have imagined the surface quality until I saw them in person.

I have to admit though, I was slightly disappointed at the Vermeers at the Met. They were so gray, the skin didnt look natural at all to me. BUT, when I saw several others at the NGA under different lighting - I was impressed.

This one is from the NGA and I heard so many comments about the subtle sensuality of it from my tour guides.

Overall, I have to admit I enjoyed the art at the Met more - even though I didn't see all of it. Occasionally though, I missed some that I should have gone back and taken a look at. I thought there were no W.B.'s, but Jimmie informed me that we went through that room and I wasn't interested in stopping. I remember seeing so many paintings with cupids and ladies all together on the walls, that nothing stood out....it was just too much.

One thing that impressed me so much was different paintings with fabric. And the tiniest of details on some paintings - they had to at times be using one-hair brushes.

This is a detail of a painting that maybe shows 3 inches.

Ok, I'll stop with this one.

I do not care for this style at all, but I was taken with the composition and what I saw as a very romantic painting. Well, that is until Jimmie informed me it was entitled 'Vampire.'

I have a yearning to steal this idea, but not as a vampire painting.

Im posting one more from the NGA for Michele - Garth happened to mention you were taken with this painting. I can't remember who painted what, or my children's names at times, but for some reason I remembered that comment.

Thanks, Kim. I liked how the fabrics were painted. Up close you'd swear you were looking at the gauzy shimmery stuff in real life.

Hey Kim, the Joan of Arc was by Jules Bastien-Lepage. You can find a full page with a critique of it here. I have'nt had the chance to read it, it's lengthy and I'm lazy. Just kidding, just in a rush. ARC has 24 images of his work, with a good-sized version of "Joan of Arc", but thankfully you saw the original first becuase the one posted in ARC is overly saturated. Anyone in the New York area should stop in to look at this piece.

Funny thing about you mentioning that you did'nt see any W.B.'s, now that I remember, they were the pieces hanging directly across from "Joan of Arc". I remember you turning around, seeing them and walking on. I even said that Fred (from ARC) would have been all excited right about now, I did'nt stress his work as you did'nt look interested in them. I've never been impressed by them myself. What makes things worse is you have to step back a considerable distance to eliminate the glare on top of the paintings.

You should do a quick search on Munch's "Vampire", there are different versions floating around, including drawings, one may inspire you more than others.

By the way, it's ok that you tell everyone that the guy wearing the Bob Ross shirt is actually me.

Jimmie! That guy isn't you, he was in DC! I saw Kim take that picture; in fact I took a picture of her taking that picture (I don't know why; I take too many pictures). For whatever it's worth, you are better looking. :D

Garth

:D

That looks so funny.

Happy trees, happy trees!

Thanks for that link Jimmie, I actually read it all.

Only the Coolest women drive yellow cars!

Garth, Kim, Noble, Jimmie, it sounds like you had a terrific time. I can feel the glee from my computer screen! (Jimmie, thanks for the Bastien-LePage link, he is really interesting to me right now.)