In the dead of the season only one thing can cheer you up, COLOR! Color is exactly what I saw when I went to visit the Como Park and Conservatory! With the beautiful architecture and landscape gave me a spurs of spring while I warmed my hands with my mittens.

The Como Park Conservatory opened its doors in 1915 to a beautiful Victorian style Green-House. With political conflicts of the park being a decorative floral or a natural park stroked the St. Paul area. The decision was left up to the superintendent Robert Moss. Robert decided that he would create a park that was flattering to everyone’s taste; a park of beauty with both wooded walk ways as well as a floral look.

In the past parks served as a work of art. Plants were planted in an elaborate design to create an artistic look. I strongly feel Como was an immaculate example of this era. The timeless conflict of struggles still remains today. On the outside of the park the landscape is filled with trees, ponds, sculptures, picnic areas and walking paths.

As you look at the landscape you will see a large green-house that is surrounded by windows and a water flow that wraps around the building. The view of the plants from the inside gave me a warm sensation as I stood on the outside. I remember telling myself as I stood there gazing at the architecture “That everything surrounding me on the outside was dying as everything on the inside was blooming.” I really appreciated seeing such beauty in the dead of fall.

As I walked into the green house I was welcomed by Ferns and the relatives of Ferns. It was as if I walked into a rain forest. The atmosphere was muggy, thick with a lot of moisture the room was warm and green with a lack of color.

When walking into this room I highly recommend looking at the plants in detail. You will see many different plants with unique textures for example the “Lacy Tree Fern, from Australia.” This plant was covered with a unique texture that reminded me of noodles. Defiantly something I will Google and give you further updated information on!

The room was very quiet and peaceful. Every room had a pond some ponds had fish others where tinted black but accented the room perfectly. The next room that one would walk into is beautiful.

This room felt warm and gave me a romantic and sensual feeling. The sounds of birds echoed throughout this room as the light of the dome drew your attention in, the light gave the space a relaxed and comfortable feeling. On the left hand side of the room as you walk around the path gives minimal color, however; as you continue to walk around the path you will be introduced to many different plants that had just bloomed filling the room with variety of colors.

Each plant seemed to have a personal connection with each other. The choices of plants that were to be put into this room were very unique and will grasp your attention and bring out the true beauty of the seasons as well as the park. In the middle of this room was a pond, a pond with a sculpture.

This sculpture reminded me of the Renaissance period and Rome. The sculpture was of naked woman reaching up to the sky of Heavens, “Crest of the Wave 1925, by Harriet W. Prishmuth American. Crest of the Wave was dedicated to Como to give a feeling of happiness and to lift people’s spirits.

The next room was gorgeous and reminded me of young love as people were posing for engagement photos. This room is called “Sunken Garden Flower Design.” This room is a long rectangle room that has light fixtures of stars dangling over a long pond filled with hungry fish!

As I walked into this room the smell of daisy filled the air. The colors and assortments of flowers put a smile on my face and reminded me of romance. The flowers were neatly organized and well thought out to give artistic apparel. This room was filled with an assortment of Chrysanthemums, Greek for golden flower.

The flowers come in variety of colors and many forms. Chrysanthemums are often grouped in an assortment of their petals and can give a daisy appearance. These flowers come from Ancient China and Japan and are considered royal throne.

At the end of this garden of Chrysanthemums was another sculpture. This sculpture was amazing! “Play Days 1925, by Harriet W. Frishmuth American,” is made of stucco and brick and is highly respected. Play Days is a sculpture of a naked woman who seems to be putting her toe into the water as she also is dancing around. I found myself very intrigued with this sculpture, although; this could have been because of the arrangement of the room and placement of the sculpture.

After leaving this room I felt very relaxed and willing to see more! I continued to walk around to the next room; this room is known as the Spice Room. A room filled with plants for known causes. In the past spices fueled global trade in the 1600’s and 1700’s this Japanese Garden represented those spices.

The feeling I received in this room seemed to be strong and more pressed. I felt very warm and almost suffocated from the moisture that filled the air. The room reminded me of a Japanese garden and its culture. The plants that filled the room were mostly plants I had never seen in person but may have learned in a biology class.

Once again this room had a pond with hungry fish. I say hungry fish because when you stand at the edge and look at the water you will see that all the fish will soon be in front of you begging to be fed! Over the pond was yet another sculpture this sculpture reminded me of religion. It was of an Asian man wearing a robe, while holding his hands out to offer something! I am sorry to report but I was unable to locate the name of founder of the sculpture or any details of this sculpture.

Now that you have a full description of the conservatory I highly recommend you to visit. The inspiration of Europe with the artistic patterns and representations will engage you as a viewer. If you are a male looking for an incredible date location, I once again encourage you to attend! I do not feel you will be disappointed with the beauty. If the plants and flowers do not engage you I promise the architecture will.

With that said, so long for now until the next read! I am sorry if some of the galleries and postings are out of order or delayed. The internet at my house isn’t working but will be up and running again later this week! With that said it will allow me to continue to post these blogs quicker and more efficient!

This week’s adventures lead me to the Russian Art Museum in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The museum is located on Stevens Avenue near I35. The Russian Art Museum is the only museum in North America that is dedicated only to Russian art. The museum is even showing for the first time 18 different paints that have never been in the United States before.

I found this museum really interesting and educational. The structure of the building and design is set up as a church. The outside of the building is gorgeous and very detailed. Once you walk into the museum you are greeted by a very nice elderly Russian lady.

If you tell the lady at the desk it is your first time visiting she will explain the museum to you and give you a little information at the end. Once you have completed your visit there is a survey. I recommend filling out this survey. If you decide to fill the survey out the lady will give you a “Photographer to the TSAR,” broacher. This broacher will have all the photos that are from the TSAR gallery downstairs in it with information about them. It might not sound like much but trust me, it is cool!

As for the museum, once you walk into the museum you are viewing a room that is dark. The colors that were chosen for all the galleries gave the rooms more of a relaxed feeling as well as drawing all the attention to the paintings and photos. Out of all the gallery’s I have posted previously, this was the gallery I feel was well thought out on getting the viewers attention and engagement into the work of arts. I found it very hard to continue to look around at all the other works while looking at one specific works of art.

I mention this because sometimes when viewing one work of art another one will grasp your attention and you are no longer being engaged into the piece you were previously looking at. This is a problem I encounter when walking into a bright room that has a bunch of different works of art located in the room. I sometimes find it very difficult to look at only one work of art and getting the full feeling the piece is trying to give me; although, I did not encounter this problem at the Russian Art Museum.

I noticed while looking at all the paintings the majority of the paintings were of people and workers. The photography as well as the paintings revolved around the Russian culture and different struggles the people had to overcome.

That’s enough about the building and atmosphere if I tell you too much you may decide on not attending.

The first gallery I encountered was Russkiy Salon. The Russkiy Salon is where all the paintings were located. This gallery has a main floor as well as an upstairs contains many different paintings with a verity of landscapes and Russian people.

I found myself engaged in three different paintings the most. These three paintings were “The Seer, 1900’s, Iron Workers, 1930 and Unmade Bed, 1986.” All paints were done with oil and canvas except for The Sheer, this painting was oil and paper.

The Sheer created by Fillipp Andreevich Malyavin caught my eye because of the peasant’s facial reaction and eyes. Fillipp embraced philosophy into his paintings and he often painted pictures of peasant’s capturing both human and economic values. The detail and colors that went into this painting gave me a feeling of satisfaction; however, I do not feel the peasant was satisfied. He almost looked sadden and disturbed. The eyes were a little on even but yet it was as if he was looking straight into your eyes with a look of emptiness. The colors that were used to create this picture had a lot of impact on me when I was looking at this painting.

The second painting I found myself most engaged in caught my attention because of the background colors. This painting used a lot of red and orange to create different colors and affects. As I looked at this painting I was able to depict what the painting was about before reading the side clip next to it. I was very amazed that I knew what was going on before reading what the artist was trying to create.

The painting I am talking about in the previous paragraph is called The Iron Workers by Olga Dmitrieva Yanovskaya. Olga emphasizes the workers forceful and movement to perform urgent tasks. Olga lived in Moscow and took art classes to become a member in the Revolutionary Russia.

I found this painting very strong and powerful. The picture is of 5 workers that are just a black bold image mining iron for heated furnace behind them. The colors used in this painting are eye catching. The bright reds and oranges will draw anyone’s attention in and engage a viewer.
The third painting I am going to mention happened to be my favorite and is located on the second level. This painting grasped my attention from the lower main level and brought my eyes right up stairs. I would have to say this painting will never be forgotten by me. I will add this painting into my book of favorites.

The title of this painting is Unmade Bed painted by Mai Volfovich Dantsig. Dantisig’s talent was first noticed by his father and teacher. He started to develop his paintings when he and his fellow students romanticized the harsh realities of life.

Unmade Bed is a beautiful painting that draws the viewer into the bedroom. When standing in front of this painting you really are looking at the room as if you are in the room. The angles of the objects are painted correctly as well as the images. The colors the painter used are very vibrant and bold. With that said the color is what I feel depicts the image.

After viewing the Unmade Bed I’d adventured my way down stairs where I was now entered the TSAR Hall or also known as the photography hall. This room was incredible the set up of the room was extraordinary. The room had dark blue walls with pictures randomly placed on the walls that lit up. Once again as a viewer you are drawn into the photos. In fact the only lighting within the room is created from the photos.

The photos that are being displayed are of Russia’s culture, people and landscape. When entering this room I recommend taking one of the Photographers to the TSAR broachers. This book will explain the photos and the meaning behind them. Without the broacher you may find it difficult to understand and learn about Russian photography.

I found the number 7 to be one out of three of my favorite photos being displayed in this gallery. Number 7 “Gates to the Tomb,” 16 knockers of brass and silver decorate the brightly green and red doors. Behind these doors are gardens sacred tombs and medical springs.

Number 13, “Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar,” this building was built in the 12th century on the Silk Road of Oasis City. This building is believed to be the largest city in the world. This building holds a very interesting belief that is associated with love.

The third photo I really enjoyed was number 26 “Baiga,” this picture is of the dessert with many people on camels and horses. I am not sure of the history behind this photo. The caption gave me the perspective of some kind of event occurring however it is unknown.

Before leaving the museum you will have to see one more room, this room is right before the steps to the exit and has six different photos hanging on the wall. The photos are done in an old print and will give you an illusion of the 50’s photography.

The six different photos all represent something different but yet very meaningful. The photos are: Water Carrier, Darvishes, Details of Ulugh-Bek Madrassah, Dances of a Baccha, Start School, and Barber in the Registan. Each photo represents the Russian culture and takes place outside.

When entering this room on the left hand side will be a guide, please take this guide and read along while viewing the photos. This book will explain what each photo is about and represents as well as the clothing and environment that is taking place.

As I have said before, you must visit this museum. History and art always coincide with each other and by viewing the art and learning the history one will be able to have a better understanding of the past.

This week was an adventure, after coming home from the “Northern Clay Center” I ran into some car problems. I had come across a long wooden board on the interstate and ended up with two punctures in my tires, which resulted into two flat tires. After taking a moment, I was capable of gathering my thoughts and opinions on the “Northern Clay Center!”

The Northern Clay Center is an art gallery and store. The building is full of different types of art that are created from clay. The exhibits that were being viewed this week were Ron Meyere and Patti Warashina. Two different artists that had deep creativity; I was not familiar with these two artist until I adventured my way to “Northern Clay Center.”

As I walked into the building I was greeted by two receptionists and pointed to the correct location. Before one is capable of viewing the exhibit he or she must walk through a room that is a bit cluttered. The room is full of different types of pottery and sculptures that had been made by different artist in the location.

After I had reached the exhibit I was a little over whelmed and maybe a bit frightened. This art I was viewing was not like any other art I have seen. I was over whelmed by the different animals that Ron had painted/glazed onto his work and the three dimensional art Patti had created.

Let me just say as I walked in; I remember telling myself “I have just entered a scary movie scene.”

After standing there in aw, I decided to begin looking at all the different forms of art in this small space.

Ron and Patti’s art were very similar to all the other pieces they had created. Ron had different types of pottery made from clay that had paintings of animals on them. The animals were not soft, cuddly or even comforting but rather scary and intimidating. Not sure if you have ever seen Donny Darko but if you have Ron painted a rabbit on a lot of his works that to me reminded me of the rabbit in Donny Darko. He also used a lot of earthy tones with his works to give more of a realistic look.

My favorite work of art that he created was “10 Drawings in Charcoal,” this was 10 different drawings that he created that had been done in charcoal. The drawings were all different and represented all different things, however; they all had some type of animal painted on them to represent a similarity with each other.
My favorite picture was the last one, which had six or five different fish charcoaled onto a canvas. The fish all had different facial expressions. Ron used line and different colors to get the intensity of the picture. The intensity and lighting of the color gave each fish a different perspective. The form of the art was well balanced and referred to the space and balances each other out very well.

As for one of my least favorites of Ron’s art I would have to pick his “Oval Base,” wooden fired, earth ware, 2009. This was an oval looking bowl that had more of a water pitcher look to it. It was rough and solid, painted on the “Oval Base” was the scary rabbit. This rabbit wasn’t just any kind of rabbit. The rabbit had a mean look to his face as if he was really hungry and was very plain but yet intimidating.

With that said, if you are into freaky looking art that can give you nightmares; I strongly recommend taking a long hard look at this rabbit!

As you continue to walk you are greeted with many three dimensional sculptures done by Patty. Now Patty has had a creative background that I can to some extent relate to. She was born in a small town in Washington. This town did not have much related to art or music. More of a town of imagination, if one is to have limited imagination then he or she will result in major boredom.
In comparison I am from a small farm town of 250 people! This town has no culture and would be described as “A culture dessert,” Patty. With limited entertainment one is to create his or her own, this is where my love for art came into play!

Now back to describing Patty’s art.

Patty’s sculptures’ were very interesting! There had been approximately eight or nine different sculptures in a small area. I believe because all of these sculptures where put into a small room and so closely together it gave the room more of intimidating atmosphere.
All of her sculptures were three dimensional forms, where all the same imagine with a verity of facial expressions, seemed cold and creepy, all related with line and cubism and shared similar traits. I noticed out of all the sculptures they had shared the same colors, black, blue, white and different tones of red. With that said they also all had something going on. The space was used acutely objects were brought into the play to give the sculptures a purpose and to create more of the form. Each sculpture had something to interconnect them whether it was a ball, bird, dog, eggs and or net each piece shared something in common with the other.
I found two of Patty’s pieces to be my favorite, one being a three dimensional piece and the other being a painting.

“Not you again,” three dimensional sculpture, white ware, under glazed 2009. This work of art was a lady who is looking up at a bird that is sitting calm oh her hand. The lady has a content look in her eyes but yet seems a little agitated with her body posture. She is sitting down with one leg on top of the other with one arm down and the other up. The form of this object is extraordinary. The colors that were used were different tones of pink, black and white. The black was used as a base and the other colors were used in a cubic form.

Patty used lines to create the cube look and shape to enclose the space. The colors were used for intensity and texture. This piece was very creative and hard not to look at, gave me a since of emptiness and calmness at the same time.

After viewing her sculptures I was lead into her paintings. I found that her paintings also shared the same character that her sculptures did. Looking at the paintings for an amount of time I was finding myself constantly viewing “Eye of the Storm,” dypoint with stencils, 2007. This piece was a painting that used two colors red and black.

Black was an outline that created the ships that seem to be in a sea battling each other. The red was used for destruction such as fire. What I found very unique with the art was in front of the ships was an outlined girl! This girl was printed in red, had no detail and no texture to it but resulted into a very bold image.

I would define this type of gallery being creepy! If you are looking for something out of the ordinary and unique I highly encourage you to view this gallery not to mention it also contained the “College Bowl.”

The College Bowl is an exhibit that contains different clay images that were created from students in the Minnesota colleges. The work of art that some people come up with and the creativity one persons mind can have will sometime mind boggle an individual.

This galley had some incredible art that was very defined and detailed. I found many pieces here to be very unique but since I do not have all day to go over them I am only going to share two with you! If you would like to view these pieces on your own, please do! The exhibit is free as well as free parking it will only take a few minutes of your day depending how much time you want to spend looking at a piece.

Matthew Bright, MSU Mankato, 2009 Blue Sculpture with Orange, upright made from earth ware. I believe I may have liked this work of art more so because it was from Mankato, MN. I transferred here to St.Paul, MN from MSU, Mankato! I found it very cool to see someone’s art that traveled from where I once was to where I am now!

Matthew’s art was an oddly shaped sculpture. Painted with orange and blue, the blue was the under painting and covered the whole sculpture with orange painted marks that repeated itself throughout the sculpture. On the right hand side it seemed to have an orange light switched painted onto it. I had never witnessed anything like this and I found it kind of cool!

The second piece of art that fell madly in love with was Gary Erickson’s piece. Negative Space Gingko in Red, white earth ware 2009. This was a glazed print that reminded me of stain glass. It was a flower. In the center was a sold yellow flower that seemed to be shaped through leaf like images. In the center of this flower was a black middle that was surrounded by smaller flowers to create the texture and to take up space. Around the whole flower it was smaller yellow and red flowers. This piece was beautiful!

As I have said before you need to visit this place. I am sure everyone has free time on their hands! Art is a way to get involved with different cultures and your own mind. It will help you become more understanding to cultures and more open minded to other people’s different views and ideas!