Tag Archives: Dallas

Cathedonia

Posted on by Bill Chance

Along the walls near the Deep Ellum Green Line DART station are some odd, wonderful, and striking portraits, all marked Cathedonia.

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These are the work of a local artist, Cathey Miller. She does a lot of varied work, including professional scene painting and such.

From her online bio:

Since 2001, the subject of my personal artwork has been the mythical planet of Cathedonia, a place I invented and populated with only my closest friends . My amateur studies in particle physics convinced me that I existed simultaneously in a parallel universe, flying around in a spaceship, drinking big gulps, and saving the earth from monsters.

My paintings are portrait based explorations into a symbol rich outer space environment. These images are painterly, colorful, and communicate Cathedonian ideals of truth, beauty, girl power, and heroism in the face of gigantic eagle headed flying intergalactic lobsters.

Water, Metal, and Fire

Posted on by Bill Chance

Fair Park, Dallas, Texas

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Fountain/Sculpture

“The Gulf Cloud”
Erected 1916
In Memory of
Captain Sydney Smith
First Secretary State Fair of Texas
From 1886 to 1912
Designed by Miss Clyde Chandler
Sculptress

The bronze fountain sculpture is an allegorical composition that depicts four female figures representing the four geographic areas of Texas –the Gulf, the Coastal Plains, the Table Lands and Mountains of West Texas, and the Gulf Breeze. The Gulf lies against the feet of the Coastal Plains who rests in the lap of the Table Lands, while the Gulf Breeze brings nourishing rains to the State. The bottom of the sculpture is encircled with a granite relief depicting a garland of fruit, flowers, grain, and vegetables grown in Texas. The sculpture rests in the center of a circular fountain basin.

Bait and Chomp

Posted on by Bill Chance

In Dallas, Deep Ellum is known for many things and, high among these, is the public art. One man’s mural is another’s graffiti – but in Deep Ellum, colorful art rules the brick.

Yeah, right.

Yeah, right.

It has been that way for a long time. I remember going down there almost two decades ago and watching a group paint some monument-like panels erected under the highway. Each artist had a different stele to paint – all different sizes and shapes. I watched them work with jealous desire – wanting to paint something worthwhile but aware that I lacked the talent.

There was a tunnel where Good Latimer Expressway coursed below some railroad tracks which had been painted in a long string of bizarre panels. It raised quite a bit of concern when the tunnel was torn out and the street raised to ground level along where the DART station now sits.

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The capstone of the old tunnel is used as a backrest for one of the Traveling Man sculptures.

Now there are as many murals as ever down there. Everything from strangeness to music and back.

Last weekend I took advantage of some surprisingly good weather to go on a long bike ride and one stretch took me through Deep Ellum. I had a compact camera in a little bag on my handlebars, so I stopped and took some shots of some of the murals. These are across from the Deep Ellum Dart station – oddly enough not far from where the old Good Latimer tunnel used to be.

So today, here are a couple works by Amber Campagna, “Bait” and “Chomp.”

"Bait" by Amber Campagna. The paint is falling off the wall - which makes it especially interesting in an odd way.

“Bait” by Amber Campagna. The paint is falling off the wall – which makes it especially interesting in an odd way.

A little way farther down the wall is "Chomp", also by Amber Campagna

A little way farther down the wall is “Chomp”, also by Amber Campagna

Chihuly Wallpaper

Posted on by Bill Chance

I wanted some Chihuly Wallpaper for my computer at work, so on the last week of last year I went down to the Arboretum for the end of the exhibit and took another photograph of the boats full of glass on the infinity pool. I added a little Photoshop to disguise the transition from the pool to White Rock Lake.

Click on the image for the full-sized version.

Chihuly Boats full of glass at the Dallas Arboretum. White Rock Lake in the background.

Chihuly Boats full of glass at the Dallas Arboretum. White Rock Lake in the background.

What I learned this week,March 01, 2013

Posted on by Bill Chance

10 Great Music-Inspired Posters

I’ve done most of this stuff – read my blog to learn about them.

Things to do in Dallas

I love internet radio and I love local things. Internet radio from and about Denton, Texas.

DentonRadio.com

A friend of mine from college goes on an arctic expedition:

expedition 1: igloo

2013 cypress park expedition 2

In Wichita, Kansas

journal entry for today: 3 deg C., no wind; first igloo 0.02 km from base camp; extension cord will not reach. plan to hunt for walrus on the ice tomorrow, though few are seen here at 37deg N. latitude.

15 Movies with Awesome Tributes to Other Movies

Protecting the environment:

Love hurts: Man arrested for releasing helium balloon with his girlfriend

7 Reasons Why Coffee Is Good For You

10 “Italian” Foods You Won’t Find In Italy

The Geometry of Nature

Posted on by Bill Chance

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.
—-George Santayana

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Though his health and family had been broken in the process, he’d found his purpose in life — to share the ancient key discovered anew in the garden: if we feed the earth, it will feed us.
I see that is the secret, too, to living. Though the earth demands its sacrifices, spring will always return.
—- Melissa Coleman

Spring comes early in Texas. Spring comes in the middle of winter. The green shoots that will collect the energy, energize the chlorophyll, store the sugar needed for this season’s flowers are already pulling themselves up out of the black soil.

The curve of the leaves is still pristine – not yet tattered by the windstorms to come or eaten by the insects still sleeping in their eggs. On my way to work I watch the green tips poke up, multiply, and spread out to catch the fire of the morning sun peeking over the horizon.

The dead heat, yellow straw and the dry dust is still a long way off, but it will come. Let them grow when they will – while they can.

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April is the cruelest month, breeding
lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
memory and desire, stirring
dull roots with spring rain.
—- T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land

Texas Woofus

Posted on by Bill Chance

I enjoyed the warm weather Sunday by taking in a long bike ride from White Rock Lake down the Santa Fe Trail through East Dallas and on through the mirrored canyons of Main Street Downtown.

On the way back I took a detour from Deep Ellum down Exposition and cruised around Fair Park for a bit. I love the Art Deco art and architecture and sculpture (here and here) down there.

This time, I stopped by and snapped some photographs of an odd piece of Art Deco solid artistry outside the Swine Building – the Texas Woofus.

From the plaque:

According to sculptor Lawrence Tenney Stevens, the Texas Woofus is a composite figure with Texas long-horns, a sheep’s head, a stallion’s neck with mane, a hog’s body, the dulap of a sheep, turkey tail feathers, wings, and a highly decorated strip of a blanket.

The original was created in 1936 for the Texas Centennial. Its fate remains a mystery.

So, the story goes that the original was created – a 9 foot tall, 2,700 pound bronze – but a short time later it simply disappeared. Some people think the religious fundamentalists stole it because it resembled a pagan god – or that is was removed for repair and misplaced. At any rate, for 60 years it was forgotten, until Craig Holcomb, executive director of the Friends of Fair Park saw some old shots of the odd sculpture and thought it was very cool.

A fund raising dinner, The Woofus Dinner, was created and wealthy Dallasites attended, woofing hello and singing a specially-written ditty, “The Woofus Song,” ponied up about fifty grand, enough to rebuild the Woofus.

In 2002 the thing made its re-appearance.

For something with this hallowed a history, it’s sure hidden away in an obscure nook. I had stumbled across it during the Fair one year while on a quest for a bathroom and always wanted to get back for a more leisurely look.

So here, without further ado, I give you, the Texas Woofus.

The Texas Woofus

The Texas Woofus

The Woofus has a pipe in his mouth. During the State Fair a stream of water rushes forth. I'm going to have to see that someday.

The Woofus has a pipe in his mouth. During the State Fair a stream of water rushes forth. I’m going to have to see that someday.

I love the geometric style of Art Deco.

I love the geometric style of Art Deco.

Ice and Kale

Posted on by Bill Chance

One of the popular plants for winter garden color here in Texas is Ornamental Kale.  You see beds of purple, green and red cabbage all over the place.

 

Ornamental Kale at the Dallas Arboretum

Ornamental Kale at the Dallas Arboretum

 

Yes, it does get cold here sometimes.

Not right now, though. I took this photo back in late December sometime… not sure exactly when. While a large part of the country is digging out from under massive winter storms, it’s warm and beautiful in North Texas. It was about seventy today, sunny and calm. I was able to go on a long bike ride, the parks were packed with folks, the perfect outdoor day.

Of course, we pay for that in the summer. July and August are toxic. So let me enjoy the good times when I can.

Gator or Snake?

Posted on by Bill Chance

Last year, this woman was riding in the Bishop Arts District Mardi Gras Parade with a (small) alligator:

Instead of beads, this woman wanted to throw live alligators.

Instead of beads, this woman wanted to throw live alligators.

and this year, she was back. This time with a giant snake (I believe it is a reticulated python – but I could be wrong).

Luckily, she didn't throw anything.

Luckily, she didn’t throw anything.

Don’t worry… she was riding on the Dallas Zoo float… so I guess she knows what she is doing.