Madeleine Monday

There was an event Saturday evening at Laumeier Sculpture Park called Light The Way. The reference is to the monumental structure at the end of the park's great lawn. It was mostly for children: lawn games, crafts, face painting and so on.

Ellie had a great time. The adults did not. It was cold. The lines at the food and beer trucks were awful. There was a least a half-hour long line for face painting; we were fortunate to talk her out of that.

The kid was happy to pose with  Tony Tasset's Eye. Her Nepalese leopard hat added a certain touch. I didn't know which picture I preferred so I used both. Below, she is enclosed in the arms of Niki de Saint Phalle's Ricardo Cat.  

       

Creepy Or Enigmatic

A few more shots from The Fringe. The Creepy Basement Players, above, are a brilliant local improv group. They were kind enough to let me photograph them after last year's Fringe performance.

Below, a scene from The Mind Shaft, one of three short plays called Existentially Speaking  written by local author Patricia Duffin (who, I just found out when I looked at her Facebook page, works for an old friend of mine). Two workers descend on an elevator deep into the earth, not quite sure what they are looking for or why they are looking for it.

Bottom, one of the several sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle you can find around STL.

I spent hours shooting at the Pride Parade yesterday. If all goes according to plan, I'll spend most of Friday on the island where I was born. Overwhelming amounts of material.

Violent storms around the area as I write this Sunday night. Tornado warnings come and go. There are reports of hail with 1 inch/25 mm or more diameter just to the north of my home. So hi from summer in the Midwest.
                            

The Skinny

One of Niki de Saint Phalle's series of sculptures at the Missouri Botanical Garden is called the skinnies. They are almost two-dimensional, but not quite. This work is full of her characteristic wit. I like the dinosaurs facing off against one another, the small human figure riding a giraffe and the baby hanging in space. What details in this appeal to you?

TOMORROW: CDPB Monthly Theme Day - Numbers. (Or is it?)

Third Or More Eye

Third eye, four eyes, eye candy. Hard to tell just how many eyes this radiant Buddha by Niki de Saint Phalle has to observe this world and all others. It seems right that it has been placed outside the Temperate House at the Missouri Botanical Garden: all in moderation, nothing to extremes. Except, maybe, the design.

If you have an excuse to cruise by St. Louis this summer, you really should stop and see the exhibition. It's on through October 31.

EVENING UPDATE: by pure coincidence, team member and Chicago daily photo blogger U "R" Us, who was down here for the weekend, posted a picture of the same statue today with a different perspective. Check it out here.

TOMORROW: The Skinny.

Niki's Skull

A new sculpture installation opened yesterday at the gorgeous Missouri Botanical Garden, featuring the work of French-American sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle. It's huge, it's whimsical and it has found a perfect setting. This work is called La Cabeza, the head. It looks more like a skull. Children are invited to climb on and through it. A Lensbaby pumps up its weirdness. More of Niki in the garden to come.

TOMORROW: Buddha's all-seeing, all-knowing eye.