Monday Murals: While I was looking elsewhere

 

I stumbled onto this while looking for another flag mural.  

I thought some of you might be tired of seeing another Wichita flag, so I decided to share this mural I stumbled on while looking for more flags.

I didn't even write down where I found it, but I know it was located in an alley off west Douglas (in Wichita, Kansas, USA).

I can tell you more about what it isn't than what it is.  It isn't on any of my lists of Wichita murals. 

It isn't an Avenue Arts Days mural.

 

It isn't signed.  It isn't dated.  Even though it was hotter than Hades the day I took these photos, I examined every bit of the mural to see if I could find who painted it.

 

After closely examining my photos, I see a plane that signifies our being the airplane/aircraft capital of the world.  I wonder if the irises represent our botanical gardens.  The Art Deco design may represent several of our bridges and how they are decorated.  The dancing lady may represent our performing arts, and the dove may represent peace.  I have no idea what the yellow and orange flowers represent, though.

If you enjoy murals from around the world, please don't forget to visit Monday Murals at Sami's Colourful World.  Thanks for stopping by to visit Bleubeard and me.  We are both grateful you took time to join us today. 

Citrus and Lavender

 

 I'm running exceptionally late today.  Trying to play catch up and failing.  This is another journal page for Wendy, our host this month at Art Journal Journey.  By now, you probably know her theme is Vintage.

For lack of a better title, I named this Citrus and Lavender.

 

"Good friends nurture the soul and cheer the heart."  I found the saying, coffee dyed the card stock it was on, and turned it into a tag I placed behind the central image.  I used dye ink on the hole reinforcer.

This was originally a greeting card, but I loved the vintage feel to it.  I also coffee dyed it and left it to dry under several heavy books.

I had some pink dyed ribbon left over I wanted to use, so I strung it behind the card and tag.

I loved the vintage feel to the font showing the ingredients.

This little bird was a winner, too.

I began this page, created on 110 lb cardstock, with my current go-to background of a few drops of pink Staz-on reinker mixed with 91% isopropyl alcohol.  I coffee dyed everything else. 

 

Thank you ever so much for dropping by today.  Bleubeard and I are simply thrilled you joined us and hope to see you soon at Art Journal Journey with your own take on Vintage. 

 

Friday Smiles 440: In the herb garden

 

It's Friday and I'm once again joining Friday Smiles which is hosted by Annie (at A Stitch in Time).   Let's visit her and the other wonderful ladies who also share their smiles each Friday.

If you are one of my blogger friends I normally visit and you got a comment from me on Thursday, consider yourself lucky.  I was stacked with appointment after appointment, beginning at 7:30 a.m., not long after I had gone to bed.  My 1:30 appointment had been moved up to 11:30, so I had to drag myself out of bed, make coffee, and shower before calling and changing my 12:00 p.m. appointment to 1:00.  That threw my entire day off and I was almost late for the next two appointments as a result.  I like to get all my appointments scheduled on the same day, but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way.  That's also why I'm so late getting this post ready tonight.

I started Wednesday repotting my new mums.  I should have done this as soon as I got them, but of course, I had to wait till the last minute to do this.

I found two pots the same size and got them planted.

After Halloween, I'll plant them in the ground out front.  Until then, they will be decorations on my front porch, along with a small pumpkin Scott found for me.

I spent a good amount of time the rest of the day mowing and edging my front and back yards.   Even though it's only been a few weeks, my mints and the catnip are already showing signs of needing another haircut.

Of course, the thing that surprised and elated me the most was this cantaloupe I found after edging.  I just hope it gets large enough to pick and enjoy before it gets too cold out.

It appears there is another one hidden in the pot, too.

I'm extra excited about these sweet peppers that are finally starting to grow.

Oh dear!  It looks like something has taken a liking to this pepper!

After closer inspection, I count six peppers, one of which is not edible.  Can you see me doing a happy dance?

While I was mowing, I noticed my wild sunflowers had bloomed.

This is the first time I've seen them in two years because the bamboo covered and smothered them.  I nearly cut them down when I was removing the bamboo.

Several years ago (maybe about 10 years ago), the first time I noticed them, I didn't know what they were.  I think a bird must have gifted me with them.  A blogger friend told me they were wild sunflowers.  They sure don't look like the sunflowers I'm used to.

I know the bees love them. 

As much as I tried, every time a bee landed on one of the sunflowers, I would try to take a photo.  Obviously, my bees are far more camera shy than those which I've seen Erika and Helen photograph.

And now a few cat funnies:

Nature abhors a vacuum, but not as much as a cat does.

 

 

Q: What did the alien say to the cat? A: “Take me to your litter.”

 

 

Q: What’s the difference between a cat and a comma? A: One has claws at the end of its paws, while the other is a pause at the end of a clause.  

Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow. 

 

 

The military may have invented the Internet, but not all government schemes have worked as well. In 
the ’60s, the CIA hatched a plan to implant a battery and a microphone in a cat so the furry feline could 
spy on unsuspecting targets. The program was halted when, after years of research and millions of 
dollars spent, the spy cat was run over by a cab.

 

 

A boss's secretary was visibly distraught one morning when she arrived at the office and explained that her children’s parrot had escaped from his cage and flown out an open window. Of all the dangers the tame bird would face outdoors alone, she seemed most concerned about what would happen if the bird started talking. Confused, her boss asked what the parrot could say. “Well,” she explained, “he mostly says, ‘Here, kitty, kitty.’ ”

Now let's join Annie (at A Stitch in Time) and the lovely ladies who join her for Friday Smiles.  Thanks again for visiting and spending a bit of time with Bleubeard and me this Friday.  We would love to have you join us, too.  Bleubeard let me know he wants to push Squiggles under the vacuum or possibly throw him under a cab, just for kicks and giggles!

 

Rain's Thursday Art Date: Sculpture

 

 It's Thursday and time to share the latest edition of Rain's Thursday Art Date.  Rain has asked us to share sculptures this week.  When perusing my photos from our art museum, I didn't realize how many sculptures I have actually photographed.

Today we are visiting, among other places, the Wichita Art Museum (WAM).

This buffalo has graced the outside of WAM

since I first started going there.

I like abstract, but this metal sculpture confused me.  It's called Wind Break and reminds me of the plastic wind breaks farmers string along roads in winter to keep the snow at bay.  I'm sure the museum paid a fortune for it, which really surprises me.
 

More new art sculptures at WAM.

Our famous Chihuly Bridge inside WAM.

I didn't organize these very well, I fear.  This is from our botanical gardens.

All the above are also from the botanical gardens in Wichita.

In 2019, I visited the Eisenhower Museum and complex in Abilene, Kansas (USA).  Here is his bronze statue.  Sadly, it was backlit and very dark.

I might be stretching this by calling these sculptures, but they are part of outdoor exhibits showing Wichita's native American heritage.

And what can be more impressive or representative of Wichita, than Keeper of the Plains.

Whether it's day or night, winter or summer, the Keeper is an iconic symbol that can be seen for quite a distance.

One of the many statues found at Wichita's War Memorial.

Gino Salerno has become world famous as a sculptor of objects and icons made from dead trees.  He creates them first using chain saws to outline the shape, then fine tunes them using other sculpting tools.  Many of his pubic works have been damaged by vandals, so they have now been removed and placed in secure buildings where they can be preserved for future generations to enjoy and appreciate.  Check out other of his wood sculptures here.

Now let's head to Newton, Kansas, a small town about 30 miles north of Wichita. 

This sculpture is called Big Sky and was created by Phil Epp. 

There are tons of sculptures downtown, but this one is so unusual (and not commissioned by the city), I thought I would share it.

There are tons of sculptures downtown commissioned by the city, as you will see in the next few photos.

Now we've been downtown, let's head back to WAM.

This is a huge sculpture at WAM.  Below are detail shots.

I'm standing next to this area, not hunched down.

Now for more WAM sculptures.

Let's go inside WAM and see a few in there, too.

These were created by Charles Russell.

However, when I visited a privately owned museum in El Dorado, Kansas, 

I got to see Frederick Remington bronzes.

Although Remington was known for the cowboys of the west, he also had bronzes showing human emotion, too.

Of course, El Dorado had other bronzes, too.

Of course I found 

this huge Remington

greeting us outside the Cowtown Museum, also located in Wichita, Kansas (USA).

When I visited my friend Kathy in Hutchinson, Kansas, where she lives, I saw many sculptures there, too.

These were at the entrance to a restaurant where we ate.

 

Kathy and I both liked this one because of the books.

 

They have some extremely eclectic sculptures and hold yearly contests to see who will win and whose art will be installed along the main streets of town.  Like Wichita focuses on beautifying with murals, Hutchinson seems to focus on sculptures.

I found all these at the Museum of World Treasures.

I hope you have enjoyed this look at sculptures this week.  

All photos were taken by me using either my old worthless camera or the one I am using now.  I am not a sculptor, so you will get no personal art today.  Bleubeard wants to use his sandbox to create his own sculpture.

 

Thanks for visiting today.  I spent a lot of time looking for sculptures for Rain's Thursday Art Date challenge today.  I am thrilled you made it this far.  See you at Rain's soon.