Category Archives: Art

Picture of Today 5/25/16, Let the Dark Out

The electric lights were out for about an hour in the Emerald City today..

Almost in time for a lunch break for many, as the power failure was sudden around 11:30 AM until 12:30 PM. The Seattle Fire Department reported 15 elevator rescues and 10 fire alarms responds. The cause is yet unclear, as far as I know.

What that has to do with the picture above is little. The cat cut is just a cool Japanese style art thing above on Yesler Street that remains now whether the lights are on or not. But it looks cooler on a gloomy late afternoon with less light, I think.

– Orion T

Pictures of Today 4/24/16, Alley Cats Blue

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A return to the ol Post Alley almost below and besides Seattle’s Pike Place Market front entrance, where the street art is ever-changing.

And a little more here..

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with more around the corner..

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And, that was the most to this otherwise quite and sleepy Sunday…

– Orion T

 

 

Postcards from Centerville..

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Ah, the first day of Winter!!

Tis a most wonderful time for when the nights are long and the air is cold. For then, we value warmth in tiny cups and small furnaces while celebrating the seasonal traditions with a fresh new year. Outside, we tread through icy landscapes, tote around naked trees, go about daily errands with perhaps a little playtime; all while covered in wooly layers.

Such is the typical life for the people of Centerville, a very small town within the Armory Mall of the Seattle lands (South Queen Anne territory). There is grandness for the local Winterfest of the annual holiday season; where this hidden town is suddenly visible to the outside world. Anyone may peek inside during the right hours; to see the trains arrive on time, admire the nostalgic architecture, or just people watch. For more info, click here.

I snapped some pics of my last visit, capturing that small town life…

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– Orion

Visiting the Star Wars Gingerbread Village…

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I recently checked out this year’s huge seasonal Gingerbread Village at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel. Every year has a theme and this time it’s all to a galaxy far, far away.

It’s all Star Wars!!  Also, the Village promotes the cause of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) for treatments and research. Children dealing with Type 1 diabetes helped with each display, working with various architecture and construction firms to make each one impressive.

I am huge sci-fi, nostalgia geek at heart. The kid in me of all ages in me cheered to this display collection of all the movies, which I enjoyed (even The Phantom Menace). I also look forward to the next chapter, The Force Awakens.

The display is open to the public and free, and it’s located near the Washington State Convention Center in Downtown Seattle, at the Sheraton hotel. The Gingerbread Village is here until January 3rd, 2016. You may also be encouraged to donate money to the (JDRF) Northwest Chapter while there. For more site and event information (and donation info), click here.

here are below are a few pics of the display. I posted a lot more with more info about on another site I post for, at strangerworlds.com. Click here for more awesomeness!

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– Orion T

The Seattle Gum Wall Sticky Situation…

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Behold, the great Seattle Gum Wall to its fullest potential.

For over 20 years, this small south Post Alley area within the Pike Place Public Market welcomed people to place chewed sugary bubble gum remains upon a large wall. Tourists and locals constantly added to it, enhancing its disgustingness into an old wall (now walls, as it spread to the neighboring surfaces and pipes).

Soon, all the sticky chewings shall be removed, and the walls will go through a massive cleansing, to remove chemical buildup and potential harm upon the aged building. The Seattle Times reports that an industrial steam machine till be used. “The machine will melt the gum with 280-degree steam; it will fall to the ground, and a two- to three-man crew will collect the gum in five-gallon buckets.”

I recently dropped by after work long after sunset. I admire how the street lights adds mystique to the germy area. I may return again before the final removal of sticky contents. But for now, here are some pics from I:

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– Orion T

Picture of Today 11/3/15, Under the Neath

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A return to the local Pike Place Market in Seattle, after closing…

Look to the side near the entrance, on the street that goes under the Pike Place Market and to the side of Post Alley. Here, see an ever-changing art collage of ads and social messages.

But, I was here for that other area in Post Alley. Those that have been around there, know of it. To the rest, I will keep that part a surprise until tomorrow, of which I will post up pics. Hints: it’s lot of disgustingness, and there is some recent news of a change to it all.

For now, the Wi-Fi is too slow, and I must rest. But first, a bonus pic:

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– Orion T

Picture of Today 8/6/2015, Museum Friends

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African masks on display, at the third floor of the Seattle Art Museum.

These two are among many related native African art pieces. These in particular, have my front attention as their placement is near the escalator, somewhat facing those entering the third floor. They seem lively, with their modernized dress and mimicked posture. The mask on the male is a Knife Yam (Mma Jii), and often used in theatrical performances in the region of Afikpo of Nigeria. I believe the one on the female is used for the same. I will try and remember to take notes and add to this upon my next visit.

This highlight was during my third visit on a Thursday afternoon, the first week of a month. During this time, this and many other museums have free admission times in Seattle (possible other cities as well). Great for a casual visit, as I am usually on my way home at the end of the day. A visit to the museum adds cheer to a usually work-stressed Thursday.

– Orion T

Last weekend, a stroll and chillax through Long Beach, California..

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Ah..Long Beach, California.

This is a city ups and downs, at the southwest corner of Los Angeles County. Also, the birthplace of pop-culture icons, Nicolas Cage and Snoop Doggy Dogg. I lived for nearly two years about 7 trips around the sun ago, and came back last weekend to visit old friends for some days.

Unfortunately, I was sick and recovering from the crazy San Diego Comic Con adventure I had (of which I will bring up again in more detail, soon). I eventually recuperated, and had a some days left to get some outside air, and walk around in the Long Beach city area. Unfortunately, I did not have my good camera on me, so I took some pictures using my tablet. Here below, are some raw unedits of some sites admired…

First off, not quite Long Beach. This is further south in Seal Beach, in Orange County. In the far distance, you can make out the outline of Long Beach’s Downtown area. Sadly, the rain and heavy humidity was difficult on me. But at least, others there had fun…

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The I met with the sun some days later. I walked around, noticed some new art on some buildings. This work is an alley, in the East Village area..by “Drew”

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This is on the same building, on a different side. By DABSMYLA

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This is in the same block, next to Cafe Berlin. I didn’t get the name of the artist..

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Having enough of urban art and errands, I went to Shoreline Village at the waterfront. Here, is a colorful place with many crowded restaurants..

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Ah, the ol Hot Licks, a store for the hotter sauce connoisseurs. I love that sign mascot.

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The Rocky Mountain Factory Chocolate Factory shop. That bear makes me smile…

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I enjoyed some good BBQ dinner and yams at Louisiana Charlies restaurant still inside Shoreline Village, and headed around to the other side of the waterfront. I looked to the boat, with a yearning to jump on and go on some wacky old timey adventure .

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I took some time out, to look down and admire this curvatures of the brake layout on the long pathway walked (part of an area called the Pike)..

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Also, this fishy bike rack!

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And around to this lighthouse, a favorite place to rest when I lived here. I once again sat on the grass hill around it until the sunset, reading a stack of free comic books I took in San Diego..

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The Queen Mary ocean liner (now stationary as a tourist attraction and hotel), in the distance. If I had more time, I would have went..

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And the Rainbow Harbor Bridge, that leads to the Queen Mary and some industrialized areas. Also, very cool if you stay late, to gaze upon the awesome water reflection of the colorful bridge.

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That was pretty much all I could do for this visit. Here is the one last sunset I look had, before leaving (and battery exhausted on my tablet).

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– Orion T

Picture of Today 5/7/15, Life Cycled..

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“Fish swim in the dizzying vortex of a trap. Tiny sacred diamond shapes swirl in circles that relate to the waters around them. This work commemorates a sacred expanse of water where great ancestral forces were brought to bear. In that water, one can find established laws, clan estates, and policies to govern language. Such ritual and visual patterns signal paths to take through life.” 

Buyku (2008) by Djirrirra Wunungmurra, an Australian Aboriginal artist,  Dhalwangu artist from Gurrumurru, near Yirrkala. This work was done using natural pigments on eucalyptus bark.

This shot is zoomed in from larger work, to show the detail I admire. This art was among other similar Aboriginal artworks with water themes on display, at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). This was my favorite exhibit of many, of which I highly recommend for visitors to the Downtown area. The rest of the museum is also worthwhile of your attention.

– Orion T

Special thanks to Wedgewood in Seattle History, for recommending a visit to a museum for the first Thursday this month; of which many have free admission at set times. I would have otherwise missed this at the end of my day, in my usual casual walk home. Also, special thanks to the Seattle Art Museum for the free admission from 5-9pm on the first Thursday, this month.

Picture of Today 5/5/15, Birdy Bird!

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Upon the roof today..

After some tacos and sudden rain. Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

Pictures of Saturday 4/25/15, Seattle Center Daze..

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I did some local exploring around the Space Needle.That was my spontaneous little adventure in the later daylight end for yesterday. Here are some pics…

004 copyThe rooftop view, a nice day for fluffy clouds and a good walk..

018 copyThe monorail through the local Experience Music Project museum..

019Up and above..

017 copyA new playground here. The paint is fresh. The playground will be open to the public next month sometime…

007 copySame playground but from a different fence. I may have filtered it a bit too much in the Photoshop touch up edit, but I really liked the lines. I wanted to make sure you noticed..

013 copyThe same playground from another closed off entrance.. It’s a little crazy, and seems dangerous.

011A little more about that..

025 copyAnother look at the Space Needle, from a mid-Spring point of view…

024 copyA little birdie hopping around..

032 copyThe John T Williams Honor Pole, carved by his brother (Rick L. Williams) to honor John and his long family generations of carving. John T. Williams was the seventh generation Nitinaht carver of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations. He died in 2010, from multiple gunshot wounds fired from a Seattle police officer. For more on that story, click here. Thanks to donations and public support, this totem pole remains close to the Space Needle, for all to appreciate.

051 copyThat is all for now. I depart the Seattle Center, and walk through the Bill and Melinda Gates Visitor Center. There is much else of visual interest around here. However, I will save that adventure for another day..

– Orion T

Picture of Today 4/12/15, Underpassed Art..

 

I took a short stroll under a bridge through the Northeast Campus Parkway, near the University District in Seattle.  This after,I noticed notice some crazy colors to the side, at the end of a long bus ride.

And there I was, on this quiet day. The streets were still damp, from the heavy rains of past days. The walls seemed washed, cleaned. The street art, urban graffiti, whatever you want to call it..brought a sense of youthful expression to this area of higher education. I know little of the artists who add magnificent style in their signatures. I can appreciate their work, and enjoy the small messages and subtle details for those who really take time to visually explore these walls. I am also particular fond of inclusion of the 1990s comic  character and MTV cartoon star, The Maxx (pictured below)

The mural’s origins can be traced back to 2004, with this article I Googled researched.  Here, explains what began as the project of UW art grad Jill Rothenburger, who found the underpass previously “drab and depressing.” With encouragement and permission from the city, that was changed. City officials were worried this could be spread, or encouraged towards illegal “tagging.”  Jill defended the bridge in her quote from that article:

“Vandalism is illegal, but how can a style be illegal?…Graffiti is a style. It’s the visual manifestation of hip-hop culture. Hip-hop is youth culture. Does the city really want to be against that?”

So, the city allowed. Over 10 years later the underpass mural continues to impress, though with some changes to the art over time (much of it painted over older art). Here below, are some shots of its current appearance..

   

   

– Orion T

  

Picture of Today 3/19/15, Dragon see

Spotted a dragon in Seattle today!

This one played around by the Uwajimya Asian and Gift Supermarket, next to the parking lot. I saw another of its kind up another pole, two blocks away at the Historic Chinatown Gate. How many dragons are in the International District? I’ll keep a look out. There may be more..

Picture of Today 2/4/15, Corner Full of Corners

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Gotta love the crazy of downtown Seattle’s Westlake Center front..

It’s a great place to walk in the rain, because one can notice the crazy conglomerate of rectangles and squares better when looking down. And when clean, it all seems like a newly mopped floor.

Look…
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Chihuly Glass Art at the Benaroya Concert Hall..

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Walk around Downtown Seattle enough, and eventually you will notice the strange glass art of Dale Chihuly, famed artist of curvy glass sculptures. I have seen his work is at the public library, various local businesses, and his museum neighboring the Space Needle. But of his most profound work I have personally seen, is at the Benaroya Concert Hall in the Downtown area.

Here, there are two monster sculptures at opposite ends of the long hall entrance, titled the “Crystal Cascade.” Both way three tons, and each measure about 12 feet wide by 15 feet long. Both are made up of many individual glass pieces, somewhere brought together and hung as the strangest of chandeliers.

Below are pictures I shot over the weekend, of this Crystal Cascade (from the side, and from the bottom)..

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For more on Dave Chihuly, visit Chihuly.com.

Picture of Today 1/23/15, Lady in Red

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Once can loose a sense of reality on the 4th floor of the Seattle Central Library in the Downtown area. Lots of red and curves here. It is best to enter this area from an upper floor via the elevator, for a trippy feel. The senses take some moments to adjust, and then let the surroundings sink in.

This pic was accidental, with the cam settings off and the mystery shadow lady suddenly appearing. I like this result.

Picture of Today 1/20/15, Light Ride

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Just a bike,
painted white.

Or not.

Pictures of Today 1/16/15, Hiding Art

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Today would have been an otherwise regular day, if it weren’t for the little discoveries I find.

This mural, is the other side of a building I often pass on Broadway street in Capitol Hill (17th and John). I cut through Cal Anderson Park to the back of the building, and I notice this lengthy work of art along the back. There is posted credits to Baso Fibonacci, Zach Rockstad, and Japhy White.

Here is a shot further on. The back residential street is very narrow, with cars back to back along the way. Shots from afar were not good, and filled with much cars. But I like this angle, though it only captures a small part. The first shot above is the best I could do. I like it.

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Tis cool to know what kind of sights are around the corner to my otherwise familiar paths. Perhaps, I’ll come back when there are no cars and try for a wider shot of the long art.

Much later and further away to the Downtown Seattle area, I cut through the Post Alley underpass at Pike Place Market for another errand. And here, the wall art (which I post up occasionally) is ever changing with something new and thought provoking..

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Cool.

Pictures of the Night (Part 1), Strangers in the Fog..

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Lost in spirit…..

In the middle of somewhere, by a transit station in Federal Way (further south of Seattle)..I missed the bus back home, after leaving another bus from work. I was early for the next, by 45 minutes. I could wait impatiently and wear down my phone battery with obsessive social media play.  Or, I could let my curiosity take over and walk away with the phone buried in my knapsack.

So, I wandered in the fog further away from the station and around the corner, drawn towards different lights. Between them, odd silhouettes stranded about.. These were the strangest strangers, frozen in the fog.

And, I wondered in my wandering..Who or what were these strange stone apparitions? Did they also miss the bus? Would I join them?

There is no escape. I am among them now..

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This one is important. A spell or counterspell in process, I can only guess..

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Here, I think is some part of a grand epic with an aquatic setting. Details are difficult, as the night hides much.

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This one is different, and most suspicious…

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And this one, I think strays from all company. It stays alone, especially tonight.

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I could find no more information while here, other than shadowy visuals. Perhaps in the future, I will google this place. But for this foggy night, I like mysteries to stay as they are.

But, I noticed something else in the distance, far beyond this tree. It was enough to draw me away from the binding spell of the this strange gathering.

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(To be continued.. )

Picture of Today 12/28/14 II, Letters from There

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And, here is another something one could pass in Sculpture Park. Of that, I have no idea what this means or amounts to. Art or nonsense,..could be both.

I, just like this picture.

Picture of Today 12/16/14, Holidays Bound II

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More lights!!

Same place as yesterday, at the Westlake Center by the Westlake Mall in the jolly Emerald City of Seattle. Enjoy these lights, especially when put up in such a brilliant and strategic pattern.

Picture of Today 12/15/14, Holidays Bound

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Tis the season to be jolly,

And put lots of colorful lights on things!

Picture of Today 12/13/14, Rein Downtown

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A giant reindeer stands it ground in the deep downtown jungle.

It reminds me to get the holiday shopping done this weekend.

Picture of Today 12/11/14, Moment Along

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A brief moment here, between difficult weather happenings. The clouds here moved quick, in multiple layers from right to left. My fingers shiver in taking this picture; anxious to return to my warmly pockets. The moment is lovely, but I also had to move. My break is over..

(Picture taken at Sculpture Park, and that tree is made of some metal)

Hours earlier, a furious rainstorm. Hours later, howling winds. Then, early night took over, and the winds and rain will likely team. It is best to be inside now (8:47 p.m.)

Picture of Today 12/6/14, Through Sculpture Park.

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Through Sculpture Park, in Seattle.

Here, was good for the later afternoon before the early dark (around 3:00 pm). The temperature was a tolerable 49 degrees with no threats of rain. The cold wind picked up a little and distressed my face, so motioning on was the best activity.

Message in a Bottle..

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Now recovering from surgery, and also bummed on some missed blogging days in pictures and stray thoughts. I had a good streak going..sigh.

But then for all that missing, I have this wonderful piece of therapeutic art (above) done by my soulful friend from afar, Laura Teoli (Twitter @lteoli), in a heartfelt response to this difficult situation. Such a thoughtful piece fills in what we could all use in a sudden time of difficulty; that message in a bottle. It could be art, or something else of positive vibes with a warm heart; because we can not always count on ourselves when dealing with terrible pain and uncertainty.

So..if you got a friend in a sudden woeful state, send over that metaphorical message in a bottle (which can also be an actual message in a bottle, there are no rules to this).

Meanwhile, I shall return to posting more pictures and random thoughts.

Picture of Today 11/17/14

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Here, is some hidden street art based on Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal movie. You’ll find it in Seattle’s Queene Anne (lower) area behind The Mecca Cafe and Bar. A local peep hanging out back told me about this, which has been up for at least 20 years and retouched fairly recently. Locals love it, even though some details are a bit off.

As to the Dark Crystal movie, it’s a good classic and among the best of the 1980s dark fantasy epics. For me, I remember being mildly terrified at the bird creatures when I first saw this as a small child. As a grown adult, they still kind of creep me out.

Picture of Today 11/9/14

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The Cinerama movie theater, here in downtown Seattle.

The mural above you see is fresh, unveiled recently. I love the art style though I wish I knew the artist. The red and blues look great on a rainy day.

The theater itself has been around since 1963, and now closed since late summer for renovations. I often come for special showings of original I look forward to the new changes on the inside (kept covered for now), expecting such to be as amazing as the outside. I’m hoping some of the traditions of old are continued; the chocolate covered popcorn, and the original movie costume props on display.

After it opens, I’ll be sure to take some pictures on the inside. I can’t wait. In the meantime, here are some different angles of the outside..

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More Post Alley art…

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Yesterday, I posted a small portion of some amazing wall art one could see in the Post Alley opening (located under the side of Seattle’s famous Pike Market).

Now, I share a bit more. What is now seen is only what’s here for now and certain to change over time. No two visits over an extended time period are the same. I will look forward to every revisit.

But for now, explore with your eyes..

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Picture of Today 11/7/14

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In Seattle, below the Pike Market, in Post Alley, near the Gum Wall.

The little wads are gum, previously chewed from the passing peoples. You should see the other side behind me. Both walls together is an imagery overload. I think one wall will do for now..