Arts Fest Weekend

Unrelated shot from inside Dunkin Donuts.

The annual Festival of the Arts has come and gone and it was more impressive than I anticipated. It was more than the booth-lined streets of artwork and food stands; films in campus buildings, interactive activities for kids, several stages for bands of all genres to play... it was big.

And now I can proudly type into my resume that I volunteered. Upon receiving my name badge, bright yellow "volunteer at work" button, and a stupid t-shirt, I was officially dubbed "Artist Ambassador" and sent to roam the streets.
Feels good to work hard and not get pai- i mean to serve your community... :)

Rothrock State Forest

Hiking photo adventure 2


I like to hike up steep, rocky mountains.













At the top.

Suture Me

Self-Improvement Photo Project

Fascinating how an emergency situation not only weeds out the honest people in your life, but completely changes your way of thinking. While taking pictures of my sutured appendage it enlivened new, beautiful, metaphorical themes and projects.


I started small to get my creative juices flowing, adding to my book of collages. A bottle of pills spilling over a background of colorful painted spots [an image inspired from a line in the movie about Jean-Michel Basquiat]. The other is an act of release; freeing oneself, to escape from whatever may be holding you back - society, conformity, addiction... as indicated by the picture of a half-smoked cigarette in a pile of makeup powder.

Mediocre? Even Cheesy? Perhaps, but my big ingenious idea is yet to come. Still working out details, I only have a short time frame to do it, so it will come real soon.

Suture Me

The day started out great!
Did a photo shoot in the park on the lower end of Bellefonte...

...and my new favorite place.

Walkways, bridges,

tables, benches,

fountains, a gazebo,

and...

this.

Rushing water muffles the traffic on the neighboring streets,

so have a seat and clear your mind.

And feed the ducks while you're at it -

A place of solace, to unwind, to suture your torn thoughts back together...

...or yourself.

Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art

I accidentally discovered this little hole-in-the-wall gallery, with a few wrong turns and an uncanny curiosity. Having never been to the small city of Altoona, which also has the closest Pier One store to me - ahem- I decided to explore... that and the design-less configuration of intersections and exits led me straight into Downtown Altoona. And turning the corner, I see the long blue banners attached to street posts, the words "Art Museum" flapping in the breeze.

Entering the vestibule, there were two wings on either side, each holding a different exhibition. To the left was the red and black splattered acrylic paintings of Ben Jones. I followed the captivating display of works as it stretched down a ramp to what looked [and smelled] like a renovated basement of gray tiles and cabled banisters.

Jones' work itself fascinated me, the bold red colors, the quizzical circular pattern resembling a target reappearing on a majority of the canvases, and some so thick with paint it seemed to weave in and out like snakes. It's like a much more angry Jackson Pollock with a mystical vision. The soul reaching enlightenment, but in the opposite direction.

But I noticed something... despite the abstraction, I took out the brochure I picked up on the way in, looked at the painting, and back to the picture in the pamphlet... this particular piece "Blood Spirit #2" was displayed upside down!!! Outrage! Perhaps it doesn't matter, wait, yes. Yes it does matter. It's like finding a spelling mistake in a novel. Unacceptable.

Anyway, over to the right wing of the museum I opened the intimidating silver doors that led into a pitch black room. As I entered the motion censored track lights clicked on revealing the beautiful pictures of three photographers who traveled to Cuba. And I loved them as each one captured the heart and soul of a country and its inhabitants, as well as the biggest cigars I've ever seen.

So check in to see future artist exhibits at this charming little museum with an even smaller photo/coffee shop down the block. The stumbled-upon-and-fell-over exploration of Altoona I would deem well worth it.

The Palmer Museum of Art

Always driving past the outskirts of University Park, I chose to embark within Penn State's green campus laden with tall trees matured by the enormity of their trunks, and the antiquated architecture [with deep-set windows and high ceilings] of the large academic buildings. Slowly I walk, my head spinning about at the marvelous structures in the flourishing landscape.

And then I saw it... I stop in my tracks and gaze down the shadowed alleyway between the dark buildings trimmed in blue paint... there gleaming in the sunlight of a cloudless sky, two lion paw statues marking the entrance into the Palmer Museum of Art.

This small two-storied gallery holds an eclectic mix of artists and works that span over centuries. Among the collections, what seems unfamiliar actually portrays the masters. The lesser known artists reveal influences of those more famous including Velasquez or Monet. And some of the pieces, though unknown, exhibit other work of artists including Joseph Stella and Gilbert Stuart.

The more modern works I seemed to like the best. Particularly the ceramic bowls from between the '50s and '70s where artists experimented with new designs allowing new shapes to change one's perspective on the average bowl.

One work that also stood out was a modern abstract painting so thick of paint it looked 3-dimensional causing an extremity in depth and form to the seemingly haphazard colors and strokes.

For an on-campus museum, one cannot expect much, although I left the building quite impressed. And with free admission I will definitely be back.