art – My Artsy Side – An Image & A Story

MME10 – Creative Lighting

In the last 15 years I have probably been to at least 40 museums. Some were locals that were usually in a once abandoned building. Others were the million dollar version, where each room proudly displayed the name of a major benefactor. I will let you in on a little secret, all of those in the latter category above were pretty much the same.

The ones I found to be the most creative were the ones sponsored by the city or college in which it resided. None of those that I visited had a Renoir or a Picasso collection that I know of, but they did highlight the regional artists.

I think I am right, but I could be wrong that the image above is from the Ft.Wayne Museum in Indiana. To me, the way that art is presented is as critical as the art itself.

MME10 – Bird(s) Aflight

My Mind's Eye

In my travels through hundreds of museums, I have discovered that I have an affinity for shadows. I just love how this one bird sculpture becomes several just through lighting.

Mosaic of Life #137 – My Mind’s Eye

Mosaic Of Life

“My Mind’s Eye” is one of the most descriptive phrases I have ever come across. To me, it is more than just a visual element—it’s packed with symbolism. Typically, the eye represents perception, consciousness, and awareness. In this context, it can also be seen as a metaphor for seeing deeper than just the surface. But, in other contexts, it is our inner eye that sees, thinks, imagines, dreams, feels, and senses things about your inner and the outer world.

To me, I see my Mind’s Eye as my creative soul.

It drives our childlike compassion to see things differently than the rest of the world.

Getting to the physical side of mental imagery, I found it fascinating the about 1% of people have no ability to form visual images in their minds, while almost 3% can vividly see images. Most of us are stuck somewhere in between.

I was a weird kid in unimaginable ways. So my first real thoughts about “My Mind’s Eye” came from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Anyway, the picture above is what my mind’s eye saw as what my cluttered mind looks like on a typical day. The glass sculpture was in the lobby of the Milwaukee Art Museum in 2007. It is about 12 ft tall and probably 5 ft wide. When I walked in the door, I saw nothing else for in unimaginable period of time.

Mosaic of Life #136 – Architectural Art

Mosaic Of Life

Mosaic #136 is from the Iowa State Historical Museum, in Des Moines, Iowa. There were many unique pieces there, including a “Box of eggs” that is one of my favorites. But, one thing I was fascinated with was the staircase as shown above.

From a very young age, I was fascinated by architecture. I can still draw the floor plan for any of the 17 different places I have lived in my 78-year life. The first one we moved out of when I was 4-years-old. That should have given me a clue as to what I should have become in the business world, but since we lived mostly hand-to-mouth through my college school years, I never considered that a possibility.

A major part of my life since those years has been visiting historical sites. I haven’t taken many photos of people, but I have a pretty big collection of historical buildings, and buildings that house historical things. I wasn’t able to become an architect, but I have managed to make it a serious hobby that I see as needing documentation here at RJsMosaic. As a matter of fact, I think RJsMosaic as a whole needs to be able to be sorted into different collections. I think I will put in some serious time this coming winter to make that happen.

Mosaic of Life #62 – Peoria Riverfront Museum

Mosaic Of Life

Peoria is a city in central Illinois, and has a population of about 100,000. Its Riverfront Museum has some of the most unique art around. When I was there, the main floor was dedicated to Lego art, several are shown below.

With this post, I am going to clue you in on a secret I have learned after visiting at least a hundred museums around the country. It seems that every town or city with more than a population of 1,000 has it local museum. I would say that about half of those type that I have visited were worth the trip. The others were just various local pieces thrown together in one room.

Then there are the large cities, meaning those with a population of 200,000 or more, are primarily made up of Renaissance and similar art pieces they have managed to collect through trusts or inheritance of wealthy people. If they give enough, a room in the museum is named after them. These types of museum have become dull and boring to me. It’s the “same old, same old” every time. Due to my humble upbringing, I can’t help but wonder how all that money could have been used for clinic/housing/feeding of those at the other end of their spectrum.

Then there are those cities between about 70,000 to 200,000 who thrive on their creative juices. They, like this Riverfront Museum, find things that are visually pleasing, but don’t cost a fortune. Those are the museums I mostly sought out during my 50 years of traveling across America.

Mosaic of Life #29 – I Know Artsy When I See It

Mosaic Of Life

And this is definitely artsy. These Artsy Ladies were in the Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens which is located in Rockford, Illinois. When I visited in 2017, the Bruce Monro Light Exhibit was the current attraction. This was in the beginning phase of my search for artsy. I don’t know if these ladies were part of that exhibit or a permanent part of the conservatory, but they did fit very well into landscape of the dome. They were about 5 feet tall and made of glass, but I can’t imagine exactly how they were actually constructed.

The conservatory itself is certainly in the top three I have visited. The plants were nice, but the artsy is what flabbergasted me. It is well worth a visit if you are in the Chicago area.

Here are a few other photos with captions if you care to see them. Just click on any image and a larger version will pop up.