Afternoon at LACMA

LACMA is one of my favorite places to spend a sunny afternoon. Between Levitated Mass and Urban Lights, I am full of inspiration and absorb the very CA feel of the place. We recently got Hannah her membership, and had the opportunity to walk through some of the exhibits. Here are a few great sights during our visit.

I thought this piece looked like a "J" so we posed by it :)

Can't wait for our next trip to LACMA.

Penetrable at LACMA

A fun Saturday afternoon found us exploring the free exhibits outside of LACMA, mainly Penetrable by Jesus Rafael Soto. Simply described as yellow plastic tubing hanging freely from rafters, allowing you to walk through "noodles". It's super fun to experience and feel, especially for kids, and makes for fun photo opps.

The yellow reminds me of spaghetti.

Hubs in the middle.

Have you been to a fun interactive exhibit lately?

Baby's First Personalized Piece

These past few months we have been gathering little things we want for our future little one. A few onesies, some art prints, socks, toys, and a couple of books. Each little piece is so adorable, but I think I have a favorite right now. We attended Joey Chou's art show Bedtime Stories at Leanna Lin's Wonderland earlier this month. Art was sold and so were books. Joey is one of my most favorite illustrators and was on hand signing books that were purchased. I picked up his "It's a Small World" book" and was so surprised that he dedicated the book to my coming baby and drew a little illustration!

Joey waving at my belly.

A quick illustration.

So cute!! 

Can't wait to read this book to our baby :)

*all photos except the 3rd borrowed from Leanna Lin

Museum Sunday: Flowers, Colors, Waterfalls.

Sundays are my favorite days to visit museums in SB. The day is relaxed, we brunch, people stroll, and the SB Museum is free admission! We usually stroll through the SB Museum and surrounding galleries in the early afternoon. Viewing and enjoying the art is a good way to begin the week.

There were various flower arrangements throughout the museum this particular Sunday. It was part of their "Art of the Arrangement" series where florists chose various art work and reinterpreted it in their arrangements. The one above mimics the painting with a white and red striped wall in the background. It was quite interesting to see how the art work was re-worked through flowers.

This arrangement is of the artwork on the far back wall which depicts flowers in a vase. I really like the slanted frame in the arrangement.

 

 

Next up is Anya Fisher's Kaleidoscope in the Sullivan Goss gallery. I was really drawn in by all of the colors she uses.

 And lastly, Waterfalls by Joseph Goldyne. Also shows in the Sullivan Goss gallery, these pieces were about 7 feet tall and all depict different water falls. The attention to detail can be seen in the little strokes that show water bubbles and movement.

All in all, a good Sunday. How do you enjoy your Sundays?

Museum Fun on Sunday

My favorite part about the Santa Barbara Museum of Art is that every Sunday is free admission. We had last Sunday free and spent it browsing the latest exhibitions (Picasso cubisim, Echoes of Japan, Lofty Vistas) and having a little bit of fun ;)

Most of the museum does not allow photography, but I am so happy the Anish Kapoor Turning the World Inside Out and Selected Abstractions did. All because there of one large stainless steel sculpture.





There was a dimple in the sculpture. I was to short to see into it so I took this photo.




It was like a fun house mirror :)


We also saw some great work by local SB artist. The above is Untitled by Richard Aber and is made of wood, fiber, ash, and acrylic.


Heavy Cloud Walking Clown, 2002. Keith Puccinelli.


Trees, 2010. Gerald Incandela.

I heart museums! Have you been to any awesome exhibits recently?

Mosaics on Cabrillo

Between Cabrillo Boulevard and West Beach lies a wide sidewalk accented with huge mosaic tile art pieces. Their large scale is hard to miss and their artistry is wonderful. We took an afternoon stroll to capture the art in the street.


Syuxtun Story Circle. An ode to the Chumash Indians, this piece details their story.




The sand dollar in the middle is my favorite detail.


Ripple Effect by Richard Irvine. Perfect due to it's proximity to the Pacific Ocean. I like all of the blue tiles.




Working Harbor by Richard Irvine. This piece is close to the SB Harbor. The boat propellers are reminiscent of flowers and I like it :)


Swimmers by Richard Irvine. This is right next to the aquatic center.

I can't even imagine how many tile pieces went into creating each mosaic piece. All designs are amazing.

El Andaluz

I always day dream about buying a house in Santa Barbara. Something near the ocean, with enough rooms to house visiting family, and great outdoors space. Spanish architecture and a relaxed feel would be a plus. My day dreams only go as far as viewing listings online, but we sort of visited a lovely place recently.

Nestled in the vibrant downtown area, just a block from State Street, El Andaluz is a collection of luxury condos and retail space. We've actually driven by it plenty of times, but finally took the time to explore some of the grounds and enjoy the details and architecture.












Awesome tiled ceilings.




Having too much fun ;)

While we are still very much priced out of this place, I am still excited for the day we get to own our own property.

Are there place in your city that you'd love to call home?