March was an interesting month of nothing works. I struggled with a pinched nerve in my lower back, making it hard to sit for too long so editing had priorities.  I need to finish my son’s photo’s.  I went out once to the beach, but did not like the images. The sun was shining too bright and they were boring.  I went to the wetlands and it was overcast and while there are a lot of tiny chicks, I wanted to do something different.

When the reminder went out on Wednesday that links were due on Friday, I went into cold sweat.  Ugh – where did time go.  No images, no prospects, no ideas.  To add to that it was raining.  What to do out of the rain and in this city.  A part of me wanted to go to the Holocaust museum.  I have just recently finished a book on the prisoners of Dachau, and it was the Holocaust remembrance this month.  However, it appears there is no museum in Boca Raton.  After a quick search Thursday evening, I decided to take a leaf out of my friend Colleen’s page, and head off to the local museum.

There is something about a museum that reminds me of a library.  There is sort of quiet reverence as you walk in.  A feeling of awe at the incredible talent that you are about to look at.  The quiet reverence, was not quite there on Friday.  The feature display was on Helena Rubenstein.  I have to confess, I do not know anything about her.  However, I will say that there was a gaggle of women, walking through the display that made it virtually impossible to view the display, and added to that I could not take photos.  So I headed upstairs.  Come walk with me……

You will learn something new about me today.  I love abstract art.  I am not the conventional painted picture type of person.  My first area that I walked, I found so much to stimulate my visual senses.  The first set of images  is from the artist Bhakti Baxter.  This Miami born artist quickly grasped my attention with two unique pieces of art.  The first was this series called “An Intelligible Sphere, 2006” .  The artwork was created out of EPS foam, plaster and paint.

Moving through the following rooms, I found wall murals of vibrant colors and incredible detail.

And rooms of more traditional artwork sculptures, paintings, black and white images.  The image that shows you the women in detail was actually hollowed in and I am not sure that I saw all the detail  when I was looking at it.

The second of Bhatki Baxter artwork was name “Inflorescence, 2013.  The intricate detail of the center of this flower was just amazing and I was drawn into it.

Metal work by Anthony Caro and John Chamberlain were unique and very different.  Anthony Caro is actually Sir Anthony Caro, a British born abstract sculptor.  He uses found industrial materials.  His style is classified as modernism.  John Chamberlain was an American sculptor, who specialized in using automobile parts, vibrantly painted and twisted into varying shapes.  His art would fall into the abstract impressionism category.

I called this the piano room.  The sculptures aside, it reminded me of the stories I have read of previous times of earls, lords and ladies gathered around a grand piano.  Where rooms are lined with the artworks of the masters.

At the end of the passage way and in front of Bhatki Baxter’s artwork was this intricate design of shiny gemstones titled Angels and Ancestors by Wendy Wischer.  American born, Wendy Wischer works in a variety of media.

Back in the piano room I found a variety of artists that caught my attention.  American born, Blacombe Green was active in promoting the acceptance of abstract art.  Marcel Gromaire was French born, and mostly painted on social subjects. His style can be defined as Social Realism.  This style of art draws attention to the poor and the working class.  And then I found one of my favorite artists, Pablo Picasso. Spanish born, Picasso, had a variety of styles.  Traditionally trained, he went through various phases of art, the blue period, the rose period, cubanism, surrealism.  This image is of Fernande Olivier, Picasso’s first mistress, being part of his life from around 1905 -1912.  She was his subject for various portraits during that period.

I wandered off down the hall towards what I thought would be more African artwork, and I was not disappointed.  However, I will say that I would not like to run into any of those masks on a dark night.  The top one is kind of scary.

Heading back to the stairway I stopped at the glass art.  This has always fascinated me.  My mother used to love those clowns of multicolors and these reminded me of those.  The amount of time and effort that goes into this type of art work never ceases to amaze me.

Back downstairs, the noise level vibrated and I have to be honest heading towards the new display was not something I chose to do.  So I meandered past the display and headed to the far end of the hallway to a series of televisions depicting various facets of Shannon Plumb.  I did not know who she was and so had to read up on her.  She displays life in cinematic studies ranging from a humble person to the legendary figures.

Last but not least was the work of Izhar Patkin.  Take your breathe away kind of work.  My photo’s do not do it the full justice it deserve.  I walked into the room and it was floor to ceiling tulle curtains, painted with various scenes.  The theme of the artwork, is defined as “You tell us what to do” based on a poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz.  Patkin was born in Israel and now currently lives in New York.   From what I can see the images are painted onto layers of tulle creating this beautiful and stunning effect.  I can tell that I stayed in that room for a while.

I have lived in this town for 15 years and this is the first time I have been to this gallery.  I have to be honest and say that I really enjoyed my time there on Friday.  I hope you enjoy seeing it through my eyes.

“Others have see what is and asked why.  I have seen what could be and asked why not”

~ Pablo Picasso, Pablo Picasso:  Metamorphoses of the Human Form: Graphic Works, 1895-1972

Thank you for joining me for this month’s 30 minutes.  This is a circle blog.  Please take time to visit my friend, Lynzi Berg Photography / Hamden Connecticut Photographer and see what she has for you this month.  Keep following the circle to see what the other photographers have shared this month.

If you want to know more about 30 Minutes in the Life head over to their facebook page, or to the blog page.

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