Sunday, September 13, 2009

Beatles in Houston




In honor of the release of the new Beatles box set and the "Guitar Hero, Beatles," I thought I would offer up these sculptures. In Houston, off I-10 East near downtown, is the studio of David Adickes. He is a world renowed artist who works in his studio located off Taylor Street. Anyone who has driven I-45 North towards Dallas from Houston has seen his work in the form of the ginormous statue of Sam Houston located outside Huntsville, Texas. "Back in the Day" there was a giant telephone that sat at the intersection of I-10 and I-45 near downtown. The studio area is home to other artists and at this writing was still accesible to visitors. The parking area is filled with giant busts of former presidents. Mr. Adickes is creating these incredibly lifelike works for a presidential park. However, these sculptures were there on the day I visited. I grew up with the birth of the Beatles, the Ed Sullivan Show debut, the appearance at the Astrodome, and my friend, Patty, had all of their "stuff." I hope she kept all those lunch boxes, etc. She is rich if she did :) However, the Beatles were a huge part of my pre-teen and teenaged years. I don't live for their every song, every nuance, "B-side" recording, etc. as some of my generation do. However, they did change music forever for me and millions of others. These sculptures make me smile when I see them. Today, they are on display at the intersection of Beltway 8 East (Sam Houston Tollway) and HWY 288, the exit to Pearland, Texas. If you are ever driving that way, stop and look. "She Loves You Yeah Yeah!." Rock On!!!


Mother Nature's Abstract Art

Once again, I am taken with the "little" things as I go about trying to use my camera. On an outing in the northern part of Montgomery County, Texas, I ran across a great old barn. At first, I was taking pictures of the entire structure. It was typical of property gone to ruin. However, as I sat in my car looking for the next angle, I spotted this very black "hole"( in reality a hay loft) with what looked to be "ice." Photography is such an interesting hobby. It allows one to see as much or as little as they choose. The more pictures I shoot, the more I begin to see between the shots. This is one of those times of seeing between the shots. These old vines covered the outside of the barn; however, when seen against the backdrop of the "black hole hay loft" they took on another dimension altogether. On first glance, this photo can appear to be ice cracks, not in Texas! Pictures like this remind me that sometimes we can not see "the forest for the trees." We are so busy looking for the big picture, we don't see the message. Hope you enjoy.

Random Beauty

Sometimes I am taken back by the simplest tableaus. I, on this occasion, had driven nearly 750 miles to see one of the travel destinations of the United States. It had rained during the night and as I left the hotel on a very brisk 58 degree morning, I decided to relish in the cool weather. I pulled back the inside cover for my sun roof and there was this beautiful picture. The condensation created this series of bubbles that looked like they were some type of plastic that had been hot glued to the glass. I could not help but stare at the roof for a few minutes looking at the various shadows that the drops formed. DUH! I remembered the ubiquitous camera and proceeded to try and capture the image before physics would wipe them away. I am still contemplating having this image enlarged to poster size. I think it would be cool. As "they" say, "beauty is all around us." Sometimes it is right above our heads in a Toyota Camry.