If you’ll remember from my post yesterday, I was walking around Covington, Kentucky, in the freezing cold, taking photographs and talking to shop owners. These next two photos are from a candy store! That wasn’t difficult to guess. It’s hard to believe that Pez candies are now collectibles. There’s something to be said for those people that collect and/or keep things for many years. I’ve moved over 40 times in my life…so I’ve become an expert discarder of things!
Yesterday, I explored Covington, Kentucky, which is located right across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio! In the area called MainStrasse Village, I found princesses and fairies at Stoney’s Gifts, where the owner Sandi Stonebraker has created a magical shop. She and I chatted for a while…about travel, art, and photography, but I forgot to ask her if she painted the paintings in the shop. I believe she did! They are whimsical and fun.
In my quest to further develop my photographic skills, I went to the local Thrift Shop this week. I met some interesting characters and thought you might like to meet them also.
This guy tried to joke around with me while I took his photograph. I think his blue eyes are beautiful, but he may drink too much…look at his big red nose.
Last night I went to a place called Cheers to Art in Madeira, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. Initially I heard about it through the wine meetup I belong to. They had a private party there. It’s a place to let your creativity flourish by drinking wine and painting a picture during a two hour class. I auditioned earlier this week to work there. They’re opening another location in Downtown Cincinnati and need people to set the room up, check people in upon arrival, tend the bar, clean-up, etc. They also need people that can instruct a class. After attending one of the classes, I believe I could do that, with a little more practice! Either way…what fun! To watch people create and have fun!
The owner was the instructor last night and I really like the way she made it so simple and fun!
This is Part Three of my series on the Essex Studios Art Walk held in Cincinnati, Ohio this past weekend. If you missed Part One and Two…go here. I wandered through a large warehouse for a couple of hours taking photos and talking with artists.
This was painted on one of the hallway walls…
This is Part Two of my series on the Essex Studios Art Walk held in Cincinnati, Ohio this past weekend. If you missed Part One…go here. I wandered through a large warehouse for a couple of hours taking photos and talking with artists.
This is the young lady that is one of the members of my Meetup group and the artist that we were showing support for by attending the Art Walk. If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you probably know that I love reflection shots…so when I saw this mirror, it seemed to be the perfect shot for her!
The Essex Studios Art Walk is an opportunity for the public to view and purchase pieces of art (paintings, sculptures, photographs) from 120+ artists, displayed in a large 2-level warehouse, located near Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Although there are resident Artists who offer regular classes, the Art Walk is only held a few times per year. Having recently joined a new creative Meetup group, I went to the event to show support for one of our members who was selling some of her work. I spent about two hours walking the large warehouse, taking photos and chatting with the artists. There was so much to see, I’ll have three parts to this series.
This was the first display of art I encountered upon entering the warehouse. I like the creative use of old pallets to show the art. Continue reading
Looking at this photo…you would assume it was taken outside. Actually, it’s a painting in a friend’s house. I went out with girlfriends last night and we ended the evening at one of their homes. Always looking for practice with my camera, I took a few photographs. I like the way the water droplets have a 3d effect.
Art is everywhere! Dark/light… cold/warm…hard/soft…Contrasts help us appreciate life.
A little magic is always fun!
Jake loves to roll in the snow and be joyful…and coy!
Taking a walk on our property…leads to a creek…with more Art!
You’re never too old to sled-ride!
Our cabin in the woods. I like that it blends in with nature.
Nature loves to change colors!
The bricks made their own Art!
What magic is around you?
This is the ceiling of the outdoor movie theater awning…
Columbus, Ohio is a beautiful City! I visited there this past weekend for my annual girls’ weekend and loved it! We stayed in the downtown area and walked almost everywhere.
After spending a couple of hours at the Columbus Museum of Art, we walked down to the riverfront…and as you can see…it was gorgeous!
Cindy’s having fun in the fountain! We love to take advantage of photo ops!
There was a festival with live music and booths filled with art…
This artist obviously makes art from mirrors…
I took about four photos of this sculpture. While reviewing them later, it was interesting to see how moving a couple of feet or changing the direction from which I took the photo, could so greatly impact the color and visual feel of the photo.
My friend Cindy just bought an Olympus camera (I also use an Olympus) and isn’t familiar with some of the settings yet. She took this photo and wasn’t sure what she pushed to get the effect, but I definitely like it!
If you have girlfriends…let them know how much they mean to you and if you don’t…get some!!
There was a design show being held at the Museum and the representatives were there to sell the pieces. They had free drinks and food…so of course we had to partake!
One of the advantages to staying in the City center when you travel is the ability to walk to most of the activities you choose to do. While in Columbus this past weekend for my annual girls’ weekend, we decided to go to a winery that was almost two miles from our hotel. Some other activities on our “to do” list were the Columbus Museum of Art, dinner at Martini Modern Italian Restaurant, listen to a live band at Park Street Tavern, and hiking at Scioto Audubon Metro Park. I printed off directions to each location.
We set off walking on High Street, which is the main drag filled with restaurants and bars. Here are some of the sights along the way…
Compared to Cincinnati, downtown Columbus seemed smaller and cleaner. I really enjoy street art and there seemed to be quite a bit of it…
I’m always excited to find interesting architecture and when I saw this man leaning against this building, I knew the composition was nice…
This was one of my favorite paintings and the area was lovely…
My friends thought this one was a bit creepy…
When I looked up and saw this guy hunched over his laptop (or book), I knew it would be a cool shot…
Camelot Cellars, the winery we went to was very nice. The wine was excellent and the interior had a loft feel with the brick walls and high ceilings. The only drawback was the lady that waited on us. Her vibe was definitely negative.
There were only two other couples there and one of them was sitting at the bar with us. The woman had a huge camera and I thought she was just taking photos for fun, but then the girl across the room let out a gasp and began kissing her boyfriend. We quickly caught on that he had just proposed to her and the photographer was there to capture the moment! It was so cute!
I know this is a little weird, but I noticed a gnat in my friend’s glass of wine. So, after I fished it out for her she put her glass on top of it. I thought it would make a cool macro shot!
We wandered through some of the shops we passed during the walk home. This one was so colorful…
Hope your weekend was great!
Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park in Hamilton, Ohio is a beautiful place to visit. Randy and I went there yesterday to get some exercise and for me to take photos. He used to live in Hamilton and we affectionately call it “Hamiltucky” because many of the people from there have a Southern accent…similar to some “folks” from Kentucky!
The park is situated on 265 acres and they have golf carts to rent if you’re not able to or don’t want to walk to each of the 62 sculptures. I’m guessing we walked about 2 or 3 miles and saw only half of the sculptures!
Citizen by Walter Driesbach
After picking my favorites to show, I have 12 of them for your viewing pleasure. The sun would disappear behind the clouds occasionally and it was interesting to see how that affected the photo. Sometimes it was better without sun/shadows.
Triumph by Michael Tearney
I found the names the artists picked out for each sculpture to be interesting and a reflection of their interpretation of the piece. Roxanne has pretty hair…don’t you think?
Roxanne by George Sugarman
Still Life by Ed Benavente
Tory’s Comet by Harry Gordon
This is a historic stone house built by pioneers in the 1800’s.
The landscape was beautiful…
A girl’s gotta have fun. At least I’m not lifting anyone this time!
Laocoon by Alexander Liberman
I used the pop art function on my camera for this shot. It made the colors really pop!
Abracadabra by Alexander Liberman
J.S. Bach’s Fugue by Tony Rosenthal
This was one of my favorites, but it isn’t listed on their brochure…so I don’t know who the artist is.
The gardens were peaceful and lovely…
I love the way the sun’s rays are hitting these star crossed lovers! And I can see my reflection.
Wherefore Art Thou by Sam McKinney
Adam’s First Breath by Sam McKinney
Melinda at the Beach by Bill Barrett
I was informed by a reliable source (Randy) that this is a manure spreader.
I’m gaining a greater appreciation of art as I age. I wonder if that is normal. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and if you’re able…check out some of the links listed below…especially the second one!
The Wat Rong Khun temple or “White Temple” is located in Chiang Rai, Thailand and we stopped there while en route from Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong. As you can see it is beautiful and very artistic. It was in fact designed by an artist named Chalermchai Kositpipat.
The hands sculptures were on either side of the walkway at the front entrance!
He had quite an imagination…
At the border of Laos we boarded this slow boat for an eight hour trip on the Mekong River. We had the boat all to ourselves!
We stopped at a village where the Hmong hilltribe people lived in Laos…and a discussion began concerning happiness. One of the women on the trip felt very sorry for these people. They seemed quite happy to me! So long as people have a roof over their head, food to eat, clean water, and medical attention when necessary…especially if that is the life they have always led…then perhaps the simpler life style is less stressful.
The history of Hmong people is very interesting…you should take a look.
Beautiful girls…
Pet monkey on a chain…:)
Next…more of Laos…followed by Vietnam!
Sherry Lachelle Travels 