Felicity's Top 5

Get ready! It's my turn to share some cool art. 

Team Spirit

Is there a better way to start my shortlist of favorites than with this trio of large horse paintings? I think not! The subjects of all three 6' x 5' acrylic-on-canvas paintings are the same real-life team of dapple gray Percherons. This artist has entered similar so-perfect-they-could-almost-be-photograph paintings in previous ArtPrizes, including polar bears and tigers. According to the video on the ArtPrize website, her favorite subjects are horses. (As a kid, she used to get in trouble for drawing horses during math class. =)) I love everything about this piece, from the horses' beautifully textured and shaded coats to their intricately detailed harnesses to the delicate clouds of vapor coming from their nostrils. Well done!

Not All Ideas Are Good Ideas

The artist did not elaborate on these at all on the ArtPrize website, nor did he even post a photo. (This is one Mom took.) But I suppose the scattering of deflating ceramic light bulbs pretty much speak for themselves. I'm not sure whether to laugh or feel sorry for them. Maybe a little of both? So many ideas I have end up like this...

Where They May Find Me

This entry is a series of oil-on-linen paintings of tranquil nature scenes. I appreciate the artist's painting style (they are clearly paintings but not chunky and overly-blurred) and how well he captures the light and shadow of the scenes. The story behind them and their title made me like them even more. The artist explained that he carried around a premonition for many years that he would die at age 43 while painting in some remote spot. These paintings are - you guessed it - ones he painted during his 43rd year of life (hence they depict possible places he could have kicked the bucket). This past summer, the artist made it to 44, so I hope the danger has passed...

Owl

No, this is not a photograph. It's embroidery. The artist first painted the owl design on silk backing and then painstakingly embroidered the owl with various shades of silk thread. It's so detailed and shimmery, and it looks so incredibly real!

Changing Oceans

A sculpture of ocean life made from a wide variety of recycled metal objects?! What's not to like? The artist got really creative while putting this together. Some of my favorite elements are the bike helmet turtles, the cheese grater shark, the colander puffer fish, and the octopus with egg beater arms. <3

I regret that nothing noteworthy happened on HI2 this past week. That's probably because we have hardly been on at all - this past week was extra busy in our house. Hopefully Julie will have more to report next weekend. 

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. Before the weekend comes Halloween! Here is a preview of the costumes we're going to wear to our Halloween party this year. Bethany convinced us to all dress up as royalty.

The one snag: we only own two tiaras. We could get crafty and make two more out of paper and tin foil or something, but I'm guessing that's not going to happen in time. Oh well, it's not the end of the world to just take turns. I think that at the party, whoever's wearing a tiara has to 1. speak in a British accent and 2. refer to herself using the royal "we" instead of "I." For example, if someone were to tell a tiara-wearer a lame joke at the party, an appropriate response from the tiara wearer would be, "We are not amused." XD

I will share one more photo with you that has nothing to do with ArtPrize, HI2, or Halloween. Why? Well, because it could have been the last photo Mom's camera ever took!

Our house aquired several floral arrangements after a funeral last week. Mom was going around the house taking photos of them on Saturday afternoon. She took this photo and then moved on to the pink arrangement in the next room. The problem: this brought her into the path of Nala at full zoom. Mom had just enough time to think, Oh crap. Please go around me. before impact. Nala knocked both Mom's legs out from under her from behind, and Mom and the camera found themselves lying next to each other on the carpet. Fortunately, neither the camera nor Mom hit the cabinet with the flowers on the way down. Nala is fine, the camera is fine, and aside from a mildly sore leg, Mom's fine too. Just goes to show you that we're not totally kidding when we talk about the dangers of living with a 2-year-old pit mix. Oh, and for the record, Nala did not stop zooming when this occurred, but at least she had the courtesy not to run them over once they were down. XD

Lily's Top 5

Thank you, Bethany, for posting on my birthday! I've finally made up my mind on my own favorites from ArtPrize. Here they are:

thirsty

The photographer took this shot of a horse and some pack mules stopping for a water break in Little Lake Valley, California. They are framed by the crystal clear stream, beautifully textured grass and trees, the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the dramatic sky. I think it's breathtaking! Wow, how I'd love to have been there to witness this scene in person!

Cycling Guide to Lilliput

In Gulliver's Travels, the island of Lilliput was inhabited by tiny 6-inch tall people. I'm not sure what cycling has to do with anything (who would be riding their bike in the dark through snow?) but this oil-on-copper painting is indeed tiny like the Lilliputians. It's only a few inches across, as you can see when it's compared to paint brushes. The detail in this winter scene is incredible! 

The Bag

At first glance, this may not seem very exciting. One side has objects in white; the other has objects in black and white. But look closer, and you'll notice that this is actually an impressive before-and-after. The artist started with two sets of white objects and then colored one set with graphite, and he did an incredible job. It looks like a 3D version of a black and white photograph.

Reflections of Nature

Water Night

Winter's Breath

Macaw

Fox Hop

This entry was a collage of the artist's work, and all of them were of animals. As you can see from the four I chose to show you, she is highly skilled in a wide variety of mediums, from photography to graphite to scratchboard to watercolor. My favorite is Fox Hop.

The Orchid Tree

This is a 3D sculpture about 12 feet across, 8 feet tall, and 7 feet deep. On the forest floor and attached to several real tree trunks and their branches are tons of orchids. About 130 species of wild orchids from around the word are represented. All of the orchids are made out of pieces of pop cans, which have been carefully cut, formed, and painted by hand. It sure is hard to tell! They look so real!

And now to look back on my birthday, October 15. Our aunt, Nala's owner, knows that Nala was born sometime in October. She has arbitrarily chosen October 15 (halfway through the month) as Nala's birthday. So I now share my birthday with a dog. Lucky me.

Here is my (and Nala's) beautiful birthday pony from Mom's page-a-day calendar:

<3 I think I may win the prettiest calendar page horse prize.

I was not very hopeful that I would flute a similar horse on HI2, however. And, unfortunately, I was right. Vixen and I fluted a horse that wasn't pale in hue at all.

They both have big white marking on their faces, though. ;-) And check out the Frenchie's personality distribution! Its symmetry all on the most desirable side of the scale should get a prize. 

Now that my sisters and I have all celebrated our birthdays for 2017, we'll have to do a recap post soon, where we'll decide on the winners and award prizes. That should be fun!

Bethany's Top 5

Before I get to the art, happy birthday, Lily! She's still deciding on her favorite artwork from ArtPrize, so I decided I would go first. (This way cool art will still be posted on her special day.)

So here, for your viewing pleasure, are my top 5 ArtPrize entries.

The Salvere Hitch

The two draft horses and the foal are sculptures made from barbed wire. They are cool enough when taken at face value, but the artist had more in mind: he wanted to illustrate a strong parent-child relationship. The two adults decked out in full harness represent two parents that are harnessed with the responsibilities of everyday life. They lead the foal (their child) through the journey of life. 

This is the one photo from this post that doesn't come from the ArtPrize website, since usually the photos there are better than any Mom could take. (The encroaching crowds make photography difficult.) Mom saw these horses at night once, and she got this interesting shot when she used the flash. 

This too shall pass

This is one impressive storm and one impressive photograph! The photographer took the photo from a Lake Michigan beach in Muskegon, Michigan. And yes, he got away safely. (I hope that V of birds was as lucky!) This monster storm packed 60 - 70 mph winds when it hit the lakeshore, toppling trees and causing widespread power outages in the West Michigan area.

Mommy Look what I Caught!

This is a life-size fiberglass and mache sculpture. Well, the grizzly cub is life-size. I don't know if salmon really get that big! It apparently looks even more realistic in person. 

Morning routine

This was created using pastels. (I never have been any good using these in art class, but this person... wow!) Not only is it beautifully done, but the subject matter also makes me smile. These 3 gray drafties don't seem particularly keen on going to work - especially that middle one. I wonder if they are Percherons?

Monsters Go

Kids throughout Michigan drew and colored monsters using one of the four prompts above. The artist selected 100 of them and created her own interpretations in colored pencil. Here are 3 of my favorites:

(Of course, none of the ones I chose are particularly scary.)
During ArtPrize, visiting kids could also participate and submit their own monsters. I think the artist added about 50 more to the collection in the 3-week stretch based on 50 of the new submissions.

It's so entertaining to see how the artist chose to interpret the various creatures. They remind me of the monsters in Monsters, Inc. =)

Finally, I have one unrelated piece of news to share with you: our new New Forest Pony on HI2 finally has a name! Meet Sassafras!

We have some sassafras trees in the backyard whose leaves are turning more red than usual this year, and they reminded us of this rust-toned pony. We're still deciding who will be her owner, so until then she is still tackless. 

ArtPrize 9 Public Vote Winners

The winners of ArtPrize 9 were announced on Friday night! The jury of art experts and the public each got to vote for their favorites from this year's 1,348 entries. I'm not going to bother telling you about the winning entries from the jurors. Being a casual art appreciator who tends to shut down when things get too "out there," I'm usually not on the same wavelength they are. I find the public vote winners more interesting. So here we go:

Time-Based Public Vote Winner ($12,500):
Red Dirt Rug Monument by Rena Detrixhe

Yes, this is indeed a rug made out of red dirt. The artist brought over 200 gallons of sifted red Oklahoman soil to Grand Rapids and created the rug during ArtPrize. All of the designs you see were formed by her carefully pressing chunks of shoe soles into the dirt. Pretty impressive, right? Mom didn't get to see the rug until it was already finished, but on the plus side, this meant she got to go inside the roped-off area and see it up close. The artist says that her work "embodies the complicated history of our relationship to nature, particularly in [her] state of residence, Oklahoma, where human presence has deeply altered the landscape." The jurors apparently were as impressed by Red Dirt Rug Monument as the public voters were, because they also chose this entry as their time-based winner.

Installation Public Vote Winner ($12,500):
Oil + Water by Ryan Spencer Reed

The artist took this photo during last year's protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline. He presumably then printed the image on these panels, only he modified it to look like it's sort of an oil slick. When the panels are suspended just under the surface of the Grand River, it does indeed resemble an oil slick floating on the water's surface. According to the ArtPrize website, it symbolizes the importance of clean water, the struggle for native rights, climate change, and fossil fuel dependency. That's all fine and good, but I was not overly impressed by the piece itself because of the way the panels clumped up on the sides.

3-D Public Vote Winner ($12,500):
Lux Maximus by Daniel Oropeza

I could hardly believe that a horse sculpture was the public's favorite! It was one of my and my sisters' favorites too, of course. He is made from metal and glass fused together in intricate patterns. Thanks to the glass and some lights within, he becomes even more impressive at night. Mom was fortunate enough to get to see him both in the dark and during the day.

2-D and Grand Prize Public Vote Winner ($200,000):
A. Lincoln by Richard Schlatter

This is an 8 x 12 foot portrait of Abe Lincoln made out of 24,000+ pennies, which are all heads up, of course. His "white" shirt is made from steel pennies from 1943, and the rest are various shades of copper pennies dated from 1909 (the first year pennies started having Lincoln on them) through 2017.
The combination of this piece's impressive size and its prime location in a well-visited fancy downtown hotel definitely boosted its chances, I'd say, so I was not super surprised that it won the whole shebang. It is pretty cool, and I am happy it did so well. (Obviously, I would have liked to see Lux Maximus win the grand prize even more, but at least my least favorite of the 4, Oil + Water, didn't snag it...)

I'm eager to share my favorite entries with you - there was so much great art on display this year! Like it or not, I think all 4 of us sisters will be posting about our own personal top 5 in the near future.

While we're on the topic of art, HI2 recently introduced a new horse breed, the Dutch Tuigpaard, to the game. It's a harness breed I didn't know much about. According to HI2, they have been bred to be "uphill," which means they have proportionately longer forelegs than other breeds. I don't find it dramatic enough to look weird, but yeah, they do have long forelegs. Their hind legs seem quite long though too.

The first person I talked to about the new breed on HI2 called them "hideous." While the art doesn't exactly wow me, I definitely wouldn't go that far. In fact, the more I see them, the more they are growing on me. Here are my sisters' and my favorite Tuig colors as seen in the BBB:

my pick: honey roan

Julie's pick: liver sorrel roan

Bethany's pick: dark dapple gray

Felicity's pick: smoky cream sabino

If we ever find a nice one of these in any color, that would be totally fine with me!