Sharing My Instagram Pics: The Wonder Exhibit

I planned for this year to be an art-filled one. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been so. I’ve been to no plays or performances and have only visited one art gallery to see one exhibit.

In early May, I visited the Renwick Gallery to see its Wonder exhibit, which runs from November 2015 to July 10 (some of the pieces were removed earlier on May 8.). The gallery reopened last year, after being closed for a while for renovations, and presented a new exhibit featuring brilliant pieces by contemporary artists. The exhibits ranged from those featuring a spectrum of colors to others that presented aspects of nature in unique ways.

Below are photos of a description of the exhibit (which is blurry and probably hard to read), along with the first piece we see, which is a sculpture of a tree — a balsam poplar — that was created by plaster casting the tree. This piece was done by John Grade, who found the balsam poplar in northern Alaska. It’s approximately 150 years old.

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Sharing My Instagram Pics: Winter Snapshots

A Moment in Time

What was the last picture you took? Tell us the story behind it. (No story behind the photo? Make one up, or choose the last picture you took that had one.)

I hate winter. I abhor the cold, the sniffles, and that tingly feeling I get in my fingers and toes when they’re numb. I loathe the fall in temperature and the rise in wind. And the burning sensation I get in my nose whenever I step outside that makes me want to sneeze. I dislike the ice, that slippery ice that I slide on, glide, as I fall while running for the bus. I hate winter.

The last pictures I took were three quick snapshots of snowy branches. I was waiting for the bus and was bored and agitated. Bored because I wanted to get back to reading The Fires of Heaven and agitated because a girl was smoking and spitting all over the sidewalk where I would have to walk when the bus arrives.

I was also upset with the weather—snow. Snow means ice and I hate both. I was huffing and puffing to myself as I tried to think of warmer moments in my life when I saw a man and his wife taking photos of the trees with their phones. It was then that I noticed the beauty around me. The trees were all spectacular with their bare branches, some dripping with icicles while others were simply decorated with snow. It wasn’t heavy snow but just enough to give the impression that the trees had somehow sprouted snowy leaves. With the light of the lamp posts shining behind a few, the branches would glitter as if decorated with crystals.

Sharing My Instagram Pics: The “Newspaper Reader”

It’s easy to mistake him for someone real.
Princeton, NJ

A friend of mine invited me to Princeton back in March and I was amazed at how quaint the area around the university is. I was expecting a bustling town but instead I found a sleepy one. Well, according to my standards. It was pretty quiet there. While touring the campus, we happened upon this gentleman taking a break from his day to read the daily news. He was quiet stiff. Upon closer look, I realized that he had forgotten his glasses at home and was straining his eyes to read.

So went my thoughts when I saw this 1975 sculpture by J. Seward Johnson Jr. called the “Newspaper Reader.” The man is reading The New York Times. I admire the details in this sculpture—the stitching in his shoes, the lines of his pants, the wrinkles around his eyes. It’s great. I thought it was a real guy before realizing that the newspapers’ pages weren’t moving.

According to Wikipedia, J. Seward Johnson Jr. “is an American artist known for his trompe l’oeil painted bronze statues. He is a grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I (co-founder of Johnson & Johnson) and Colonel Thomas Melville Dill of Bermuda.”

The following links provide more information on the sculpture.

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• Seward Johnson Sculpture Exhibition on view at McKee January 3 – April 27 (insidevero.com)
• This Summer, Experience World-Class Art… Close to Home! (sharbelldevelopment.wordpress.com)

Sharing My Instagram Pics: Transportation and Travel

pirate ship, train, horse…

I saw these wrought iron sculptures while travelling yesterday. I’ve never paid them much attention before, thinking they were just some iron bars that were supporting the beams at the bus stop. But since I had some time, my eyes drifted around and stared at them until I realized that they were sculptures. They portray different modes of transportation and travel.

See them individually on my Instagram.

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Sharing My Instagram Pics: Random Pic of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. (Zezee’s Pics)

I’m looking forward to touring cities now that the weather is swinging to the temperatures that I like. I love walking around cities and taking pictures of buildings and whatever else that catches my eye…when it’s warm outside. The picture above was taken last year in Washington, D.C. I was newly introduced to Instagram and was playing with its features on my phone. I love this pic. It dazzles my eyes.

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Sharing My Instagram Pics: At the Capitol, Washington, DC

“Peering between the lamp posts at the beauty across the way.”
Washington, DC

As I sit in my room shivering slightly due to the random drop in temperature, I reflect on my summer excursions with my cousin. We acted like tourists for a day and toured the city. One of the places we visited was the Capitol, where I took this picture. Though I know nothing about architecture, I do admire the craft and design of buildings. This one is beautiful.

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