I am grateful for the rain today. Otherwise, I may have never ventured to the Academy of Arts museum in Honolulu. What a wonderful gem of a place. The building, built in 1927, is like a Mediterranean villa. The art sits comfortably in a house, as if the owner picked it piece by loving piece. There is so much to look at! Everything from Hawaiian arts, through all parts of Asia, Europe, and finally contemporary art. In between the galleries are lovely courtyards, which seemed mystical in the light drizzle today.

This painting struck me - it's called "The Lei Maker" (Portrait of Lizzie Victor), by San Francisco artist Theodore Wores, painted in 1901. Isn't she lovely?

Fair and Tender Ladies

These beautiful women reside in the permanent collections at the de Young. I love to visit them, and felt that they deserved their own posting.

Artful Dodger

Thursday was my volunteer day at the de Young. It went really well, mostly due to the fact that the museum supports a full-time, year-round volunteer program (of about 600 permanent volunteers), they are extremely organized, we were very well-staffed.

Our job was to take visitor surveys. By filling out the survey, a participant received a free poster. I love interacting with the public, especially the older people who had such wonderful stories to tell of the museum's former years and old San Francisco. There was a couple (ages 87 and 65) who was so giggly and cute and flirtatious , they could have been teenagers.

My working hours were only from about 12-2, and then we were free to enjoy the museum for the rest of the day. With our volunteer badges, we could go to the front of the line for special exhibits, and enjoy a 20% discount at the store and cafe. I stayed until 4, exploring the Chihuly exhibition, Jane Hammond: Paperwork, and For Tent and Trade: Masterpieces of Turkmen Weaving, and Timothy Horn: Bitter Suite.

The Chihuly was amazing, beautiful, stunning, otherworldly. The color was absolutely incredible, and I felt like Alice in Wonderland, half expecting to see mythical creatures perched atop the flowers, plants, and undersea creatures. The scale and scope of it was breathtaking.

I also really liked the Jane Hammond exhibit, which made me want to get out my art supplies and do a little creating of my own.

There were a couple of really interesting pieces by Timothy Horn, made out of sugar - magical!

Highlights/Chihuly:




Highlights/Jane Hammond:




Highlights/Timothy Horn:

Don't Look a Gift Dog(ue) in the Mouth

My Mom is in town, and she is always very generous in bringing and sending gifts. I would say I like her gifts about 50% of the time (this percentage has improved over the years), but when it comes to art...well, I just think that art is a very difficult thing to give someone. What do you do, take down something else and put it up only when they come over? Art is just very personal, and therefore hard to predict what someone else will want to showcase in their home.

However, on occasion she will succeed. Yesterday she gave me a print called Le Bouledogue by an Illinois artist called Keith Grace. I really love it, and he has captured the dog's expression perfectly. The map of France used in the fur adds dimension and a really unique touch (if you click on it, you can even see it in the shadow). I already have a primo wall spot picked out for it!

Thanks, Mom!

Brilliant Banksy

No matter what you think about graffiti, it would be hard not to find English artist Banksy's work interesting. I love the way he uses the urban landscape to his advantage, so that the characters become part of the canvas rather than simply covering it. In my opinion, it's great that he offers art and political commentary as a living, breathing part of the outdoors and available to everyone, rather than tucking it away in a museum.