Tucson Art Museum

A good indicator of the cultural identity of any American city, in my opinion, is it's art museum. At the Tucson Art Museum the combination of the permanent collection and special exhibitions showcased the narrative of American westward expansion, but also the global significance of western art. The actual layout of the museum is like a reverse Guggenheim (New York) in the respect that it's a ramp that descends in a rectangular form. The museum contains respective European and modern collections, which includes Rodin, some Impressionists, and a great collection of folk art.

One of the current exhibitions on view at the museum was about Dutch-born artist Henry Balink, who did remarkable portraits of Southwestern Native Americans. The exhibition was supported largely from the private collection of Howard and Marilyn Steele who I was fortunate to meet the same day later on at the Tuscon Symphony Orchestra. I interpreted Balink's portraits as a nod toward traditional Dutch portraiture based on positioning of sitters and the cropping of the torsos. Yet, Balink added vibrant and sun toned colors in his portraits to make his own distinction upon a culture he found inspiring.

After the museum, my aunts treated me to a wonderful dinner at the the museum cafe with friends Jack Doyle and Ann Forsberg-Doyle. I had a great time at the museum, a wonderful dinner, and then a great night at the symphony. Who ask for a better culture packed day in Tucson?

Home in Oak Park

On April 29, John and I closed on our two-bedroom condo (our first home). Since we've moved in, we've been getting furniture, hanging pictures and paintings, and getting acquainted with our new neighbors. Built in 1920, there are 11 other units within our building. In case you missed it, here's a photo of me in our basement work-space that I'm using as a studio.

The front of the condo faces Austin Boulevard and has lots of windows that bring in lots of natural light and will be good for our ever growing plant collection. The living room is divided spatially into two sections; the front alcove with eight windows, which will be for plants and some chairs, and then the rest of the room is defined by the large mantle with built-in bookshelves on both sides. 

I apologize for not posting too many photos because we're painting walls in the dining room and things are just a little too disheveled for me to share right now. But for photos we do have, below are a mixture of some from my phone as well as the photos from online:

Our unit is located on the right side of the front door on the first level.

Living room - before

Current

First and main bedroom

Front door

Foyer with built-in mirror