Art day

Spent some city time with the granddaughters today as their Mom had to work. So we headed to the Burke museum to see the Salish artists and their fine work that H and I had heard about last night. Well, I could have used some more time there - Fiona can't look at anything but the play toy dinosaurs for more than 25 seconds. Of course we had to go to the cafe for chocolate milk and cookie and then walk in torrential rain (I love the rain!! they both say) to our car in the bookstore lot a block away (stopping at the bookstore for a couple of art supplies). Then home for lunch and games before a trip to the Seattle Art Museum downtown (where the parking is right underneath so we escaped the deluge this time....) We just like to expose them and see what they respond to. :-) The cars in the lobby are always the biggest hit. Our idea was to walk thru the admittedly very stuffy mostly British Art from Kenwood House near London (Reynolds and Gainsborough --Oh too bad it wasn't David Hockney!) to at least let them see a Rembrandt self portrait in that collection (Rembrandt never comes to Seattle!) Well, that barely got a mini glance. As we were leaving that part, there is this 16 min film on the wall and a bench to sit and listen to an aria from Verdi's La Traviata - -it's a very strange and multi layer scene in a manor house I presume like the one all the British paintings came from --in fact I think one of the paintings was in the film. Dressed in gorgeous fabric African Dress with a powdered (colonial?)wig, the singer is clearly upset her lover seems to have killed himself (not exactly like Traviata). Actually she is I think supposed to be Lord Nelson's wife - here's a link to Yinka Shonibare MBE, the British born Nigerian Artist and this piece Addio del Passato (which deserves more attention but not here....now)
Well, Fiona sat thru the whole thing, transfixed!! We had to finally drag her away.

You just never know what will tweak a 3 year old! It's fascinating to watch!

Thanks to dear Kendall who blipped a wee ipad drawing I sent her of her "late" cat, I've had a "double/blip day" yesterday and many fun conversations from many other David Hockney fans out there! And thanks too for all the nice comments that were made on her blip!