Tommyjournal

Friday 28 Apr 2017 1 comment

Ammospermophilus leucurus

Thursday 27 Apr 2017 comment?

roadrunner and lizard. click to embiggen

This bird is a creature of habit. The pattern I've seen is, he taunts his own reflection in the door at the east end of my deck, then goes to the door at the west end and taunts that reflection for a bit. I saw him at the east door today which gave me time to get set up with the camera by the west door for his appearance there.

Monday 24 Apr 2017 comment?

Geococcycx californianus, Uta stansburiana

This morning.
Many types of bird frequent my area but roadrunners are the only ones I've seen respond to their reflection in glass doors.

Sunday 23 Apr 2017 3 comments

thistle: Cirsium sp. (hummingbird species undetermined)

Wednesday 12 Apr 2017 comment?

Charging Bull, Fearless Girl

From today's LA Times (AP):

The sculptor of Wall Street's "Charging Bull" statue is accusing New York City of violating his legal rights by allowing the "Fearless Girl" statue to be installed facing the bronze beast, without his permission.

Charging Bull was guerilla art, a 3½‑ton bronze placed in front of the New York Stock Exchange at night without permission back in 1989. The NYSE had it carted away but the public liked it enough that a suitable spot in lower Manhattan was found for it, where it stands to this day. At the time, artists who had tried to go through channels and couldn't get public space for their art were annoyed that breaking the rules worked for someone else. Life is unfair.

Arturo Di Modica, the sculptor of Charging Bull, now charges that Fearless Girl's presence has stolen his work's spotlight and corrupted its artistic integrity. WaPo (emphasis mine):

As "Fearless Girl" was heralded by many as a symbol for female empowerment, Di Modica doled out sharp criticism, casting the statue as not art, but a publicity stunt by the gender-oriented company that commissioned it.

Which reminds me of a conversation in a museum, posted in 2006 at Overheard in New York:

Little boy:	That's not art!
Mom:	Shhh... some people think so.
Little boy:	Nope, not art.

Friday 07 Apr 2017 comment?

From the NY Times ("Neil Gorsuch Confirmed by Senate as Supreme Court Justice") at 11:43 EDT this morning, 14 minutes before the vote was final: final vote was 54-45

Saturday 01 Apr 2017 comment?

When things become peculiar, frustrating and strange, I think it's a good time to start painting.
- James Rosenquist (1933‑2017)