A Journey For The Birds

This guy's grabbed the spotlight.

With our annual pass for the San Diego Zoo and the Safari Park, we can visit whenever we want.  We’ve planned several visits in the last two months, but neither time have we made good on our plans.  We particularly wanted to visit the Safari Park.  Even though there’s less to see there, there’s more land for the animals to spread out in.  Also, as we were inspired by my research on The Real Herriot Way, and have vowed to start a walking regimen, we thought it would be nice to walk around there.  But all our plans came to naught.  It seemed as if there was always something more important to do.  Or we were too tired.  Or the weather wasn’t right.  Or….

This guy's a contortionist.

After studying the painting more in Treasures of Ojai: Part 1, when my wife suggested this week that we visit the Safari Park, I immediately agreed.  I loved the artist’s depiction of the birds: where better to compare her depiction of still life to that of real life.  Plus, it would be a chance to really stretch our legs.  So yesterday morning, we got in the car and actually drove there.

It was a bright and clear day, so the lighting wasn’t optimal for photography.  Still, I loved seeing all the birds in their (somewhat) natural surroundings.  And we really enjoyed walking around the park.  We don’t own a pedometer, but as our usual half-hour walk lasts 1.6 miles, and we spent two hours there, I figured three miles would be a good estimate, as we probably spent half the time taking pictures.  It’s a long way off the twelve-to-thirteen miles a day we’d need to manage for one of those walks in England.  Truth be told, given our history and ability, I’m not sure we have it in us to walk that far four or more days in a row, and enjoy it enough to call it a vacation.  But at least it’s a step in the right direction. 

This guy, well,
I'm not sure how to describe him.

I’m glad we visited the Ojai Museum and photographed that painting of the birds.  Whether or not we ever take one of those walks in England, we really enjoyed our walking tour of the San Diego Safari Park.  And to think: it was a painting that got us there!

Dragon Dave

Treasures of Ojai: Part 3

Oops!  Looks like I've captured more than one (great?) artist.

The third exhibit in the Ojai Museum that captured my attention was this selection of ceramic pots.  While I painted ceramics in my youth, I never sat down and actually made them.  The working method of their sculptor, Otto Heino, reminds me of the writing approach of Stephen King.  When Heino puts the clay on his wheel, he lets the evolving shape determine its own course.  Instead of using clay, King approaches each new story with a starting scenario, a What if? idea, and then lets them evolve from there.  I’m trying to learn from King’s example.  Like Otto Heino, he’s proven the validity of his approach: to be less controlling of the process, and celebrate the freedom of creation.

Well, there you have it, the last in my series of three treasures of the Ojai museum that caught my eye.  No one finds inspiration in every type of art, but I hope you found something in these examples, or at least in one of them, to empower your life.  Perhaps, like me, you need to be less worried about structuring your life, and just get on with celebrating it for all that it is.  

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links

Otto Heino’s bio, courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright gallery in Santa Monica, California.

Treasures of Ojai: Part 2

A Treasure from a Bygone Age

I’m not sure where it came from, but one time my grandfather got an old organ from someone.  He moved it inside the dining room, plugged it into the electrical outlet, and my grandmother, who played the organ at church, sat down to play.  But it didn’t work right, so he had to open it up and tinker with it.  Now my grandfather was usually great at tinkering with things, but I don’t think he ever got that organ to work properly.  I recall that he had trouble finding replacement parts, such as fuses and vacuum tubes, for it.  

The above organ comes from a simpler time.  Unlike my grandfather’s organ, I’m guessing it wouldn’t be reliant on parts made for a specific manufacturer.  So it could probably be restored more easily than the one my grandfather acquired.  I love the wood grain, the organ's shape and design, and the scrollwork for the book/sheet music holder.  I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anyone play a pump organ like this.  Given its exterior beauty, I wonder how it would sound.

I can’t imagine keeping one's concentration on the music, and playing the keyboard, while working at these pedals.  But a great musician, like a great artist, often does a lot more work than the audience ever sees.  We only see—or, as in this case, hear—the result, and often the resultant performance or finished piece is so simplified and streamlined that we think it was the work of a moment.  I’ve played the piano, and know how many hours of practice it takes to properly prepare for a performance.  I need to keep that in mind, when I tire of all the behind-the-scenes work (the outlining, the revising, the multiple drafts, the submission process) involved in the process of writing fiction. 

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links

More pictures of pump organs

Treasures of Ojai: Part 1

Birds of Paradise

When it comes to photography, it seems as though I never get it right.  I either take too many photographs, or too few.  Often, I come home and realize that I have an excessive amount of repetitious shots, but failed to capture a subject I really wanted to.  Such was the case with the Ojai Museum.  Still, a few things caught my eye during our visit, that I found inspiring, and that I actually photographed.  Starting with today, I thought I would share three things in particular with you, in the hope that each will help similarly inspire you.

 

The woman who welcomed us into the Ojai Museum actually apologized for the one dollar admission fee!  As we were her only customers, she gave us a short, guided tour, pointing out the various displays, and telling us about the museum’s history.  What she seemed to like best was this painting, which was painted by a local artist.  It hung in a health spa for many years, then was restored and placed in the museum.  (It’s actually one of two on display).  I love the gold leaf background, and the way the artist captured all the birds.  I don’t know about you, but I think this artist had a particular gift for capturing birds: not just their shapes, but also their movements.  When I look at the painting, I feel as if I’m visiting the arboretum at the San Diego Zoo.  I've often wished I could paint, and could probably achieve some ability in that area if I devoted the time to the craft.  But right now, I'm working with words to craft pictures that readers will hopefully find as vivid and compelling as this painting.   

Everyone has something that they do well, a gift or ability that is unique to them. What is your special power, and how are you using it to benefit yourself and the lives of others?

Dragon Dave