This week, Patti has asked us to Find Something Red for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. I can’t wait for the weather to warm up so I can take a leisurely stroll around downtown Chicago with the camera.
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For today’s Square Lines Challenge I’d like to share these images from Ashland, Wisconsin. The Veterans Mural, which took two years to complete, was dedicated in the summer of 2005. These portraits on Vaughn Avenue and Main Street honor those men and women from Ashland who served in the armed forces during various wars and conflicts. The artists referred to photos of the actual people in order to make the mural as accurate as possible.
This week, Patti has chosen Street Art as the subject for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge so I decided to revisit my trip to downtown Chicago for the Air & Water Show last summer. There is always so much to see in the city and you can bet you will come across some street art in one form or another. Thirty-three of these brightly-painted police dogs, placed mostly along the Magnificent Mile, helped to raise money for the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation.
Continuing with Becky’s Spiky Squares themed photo challenge, here are a few sculptures and plants that were just a bit on the pointy side at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
In my experience, most statues of people seem to portray them in a standing position, as if showing a person worthy of a statue in a sitting posture would be to give the impression that they were somehow guilty of slacking. However, in my travels I have come across one or two inanimate posteriors that have been allowed to sink to a supporting chair or plinth. The first three images are of an art installation call ‘Borders’ in Grant Park in downtown Chicago back in 2013.
It would seem that Abraham Lincoln wasn’t above sitting down occasionally for a quiet think or to read a good book, as seen here in Chicago’s Grant Park, Freeport in Illinois and Louisville, Kentucky.
Children can sometimes be seen sitting down but mostly only in statues. In real life you’re lucky if you can get them to keep still for more than two minutes! These shots were taken at the Green Bay Botanical Garden, Wisconsin and Spring Valley Nature Center in Schaumburg, Illinois.
While some artist’s models are lucky enough to score a comfortable chair whilst sitting for a sculptor, others find themselves perched on a cold, hard slab or a nubby rock as shown here at the Frederik Meijer Sculpture Garden in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
And the more classical element only rate a less-than-comfy tree stump to prop up their rear ends, as these pictures, taken at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, show.
If anyone asks me to sit for a statue, I’ll be sure to specify that I want, at the very least, to be parked on a bench, seat or preferably a well-cushioned armchair. Images captured in Elk Grove, Illinois, Sioux Falls in South Dakota and Green Bay Botanic Garden, Wisconsin.
For more on the Pull Up A Seat Photo Challenge go to Photo Challenge of places we sit…or might sit…or art about sitting.
The topic for Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge this week is Sculptures, Statues and Carvings and this gives me the perfect opportunity to share some of the pictures that I took at The Cathedral of Saint Paul in Saint Paul, Minnesota, recently. Beautiful pieces of artwork to be seen both outside and inside the building.
For more on Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge go to Sculptures, statues, carvings
Every day is not just any old day in downtown Chicago. That’s why I love visiting the city; to capture moments such as these. Thanks to Amy for providing the subject for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. For more on this challenge go to Everyday Moments.
Whether you’re strolling down the River Walk or Michigan Avenue there’s always someone or something interesting to see. Stunning skylines or captivating canines, they’re all here to amaze and delight us.
From harbors to parks and everything in between, every moment spent downtown offers new opportunities for photography. Despite the daily bustle of the city there are still places to enjoy nature too.
Familiar faces and places are always a welcome sight and the sounds of the city are music to my ears. Life in the city is made up of every day moments such as these.
“We’re not going shopping!” I made this clear at the outset when granddaughter and I went for a day trip into downtown Chicago during her visit this summer. “This all about sightseeing, ” I told her.
Remember these words, dear reader. How futile are the best laid plans of a gullible grandparent when set against the machinations of a canny and resourceful nine-year-old.
Things started out well. We took the train to Ogilvie Station and stopped by the Picasso sculpture in Daley Plaza. She slid down the shoulder of the iconic Chicago artwork a couple of times, as countless children have done before her, and then ran off to chase the pigeons. It’s funny how, at that age, girls want to act like an adult but very often behave like a five-year-old. I, on the other hand, quite frequently act like a spring chicken until my bones and bunions let me down and I feel more than twice my age!
I thought she might enjoy seeing the inside of the State of Illinois Center, or the James R Thompson Center as it’s now known, with all its lines and angles, so we crossed the street to take a look. I saw her eye the shiny glass capsules as they ascended to dizzying heights and by tacit agreement we made our way towards the nearest elevator door.
Disappointed that we were only allowed access to the 2nd floor she soon lost interest and we walked down towards Michigan Avenue and Millennium Park. It promised to be another scorching hot day so we sat for a while by the fountain at the Millennium Monument, listening to a jazz band playing beneath a nearby tent, while granddaughter dabbled her fingers in the water. Was this where the germ of a brilliant plan took shape? Quite possibly.
I was quite happy to remain there enjoying the music but granddaughter was ready to move on so we continued through the park, people-watching and gazing up at the Chicago skyline.
Young girls of a certain age who have achieved ‘princess’ status are, maybe not surprisingly, difficult to impress but sight of Cloud Gate, or The Bean as it’s more commonly called, drew a gratifying “Wow!” from the kid.
If you like this, I thought, wait till you see the Crown Fountains! As we made our way down to the lower level of the park we could hear the excited shrieks of small children and I could tell it had piqued the interested of a now rather warm and weary sightseer. “If you want to take your shoes and socks off, you can go for a paddle,” I told her. She quickly divested herself of the aforementioned footwear and, finding a seat where I could keep a close eye on the proceedings, I watched as granddaughter joined in the fun.
Bearing in mind that the only things I had in my backpack were a couple of bottles of water, a bag of Doritos and some spare camera equipment, it was inevitable that the following happened. Can you see where I’m going with this? The kid edged closer and closer to the smiling face on the fountain and, when the water suddenly gushed out from the pouting lips, she dived in.
My first reaction was to laugh but then the thought occurred to me ……. Wait! What! No! I had planned to go for lunch somewhere! You can’t exactly present the maître d’ with a sopping-wet child and ask for a table for two. I thought about calling her back but by this time she was as saturated as she could possibly be so I let her stay to enjoy a couple more cycles of the fountain. Eventually she returned with a sheepish grin. “Sorry, Grandma! I couldn’t help myself!”
There was nothing for it but to go in search of a clothes store. We headed back to State Street (there was no way I was paying Michigan Avenue prices for a dry outfit) and found a convenient Target shop. Everything from top to bloomers had to be replaced and eventually, after much deliberation and several trips to the changing room, we made our purchase and emerged back onto the street. Lunch at one of my favorite downtown restaurants followed and we were ready to continue exploring.
Back through Millennium Park we went, past the Jay Pritzker Pavilion and over the winding BP pedestrian bridge that crosses Columbus Drive and leads to Maggie Daley Park.
For someone who loves climbing, sliding and having lots of fun as much as our granddaughter, this is a kid’s paradise! We had reached the ultimate goal!
We rounded the day out with ice cream. I had my doubts when the kid asked for a double scoop on a cone, especially in that heat, and my fears were realized when, after only a few licks, the ice cream toppled to the ground. I’m not sure if I heard right but I chose to ignore the word that issued from those young lips. I couldn’t really blame her. Time to go home!
On our return to the station we stopped on the bridge over the Chicago River and waved to the tourists, some of whom waved back. Everyone was happy. I’d got to share one of my favorite places to visit and the ‘princess’ had gone shopping.
As the train pulled out of the station I could see granddaughter gazing intently at the window, not at the rapidly receding skyscrapers but, I suspect, at her own image in that new outfit. All was well.
Having just returned from a short trip to Minnesota, I find myself with a whole new fund of pictures and, having checked the subject for this week’s Lens Artists Photo Challenge, I see that there are a couple of images that might just fit the bill. It was rather a gloomy day when we first arrived at the State Capitol in Saint Paul but after touring the building we emerged into a bright sunny day with blue skies.
As with most Capitol buildings, the interior was resplendent with statues, columns and stunning murals including this one with some nice shades of blue.
We did quite a bit of sightseeing while we were in Saint Paul including a trip to the Como Zoo and Conservatory where we saw this awesome piece of artwork.
More on our tip to Minnesota in future posts and for information on the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, which is hosted this week by Patti, go to Blue
Cee’s picture for this week’s Fun Foto Challenge provided several interesting topics on which to focus and after a quick look through the photo files I decided on Murals as the subject for this post. We’ve come across quite a few murals on our travels, both outside and indoors, including this one at the Joliet Area Historical Museum in Illinois.
This whimsical mural was painted on the side of a building in Marion, Illinois.
They go in for murals in a big way in Ashland, Wisconsin! They even have a Mural Walk that covers an 8-block area of the Main Street business district. Many of the exterior walls are decorated with these interesting artworks.
Also in Ashland is the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center that has some fine murals on display indoors.
I thought I’d finish with just a section of a rather bizarre mural that we saw on an exterior wall in Lexington, Kentucky.
For more on Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge go to Week 2 Photo – truck, mural, octopus, whale, blue, etc.
Getting the Picture 