There was a visiting sculpture exhibit at the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden.
The art was by an Israeli-American, Boaz Vaadia (1951 – 2017).
Sculptures were displayed on the lawn. They appeared friendly and playful.
Yo’ah with Dog by Boaz Vaadia
Small, bluestone homonids were posed doing various tasks.
Shimshon by Boaz Vaadia
Some were accompanied by their little bluestone dogs.
Each little stone man had personality. I am sure the folks that work there (and the bird) will miss these little guys when they move on to their next location.
This Boaz Vaadia exhibit at the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens was supposed to end on May 6, 2018. I am so glad we got to see it.
Ann Norton’s Sculpture Gardens at West Palm Beach, Florida was full of rare plants and huge sculpture,
but was never overwhelming or cluttered. I need that skill.
Each large piece was carefully placed in its own palm grove alcove
to be discovered and experienced separately.
Ann Norton’s huge ‘Gateway’ pieces were formed from handmade brick. They were engineering marvels.
Gateway 4Gateway 5
These two peices were made of bricks from North Carolina.
I especially loved the huge Horizontal piece in its own canal. It’s bricks are from Mexico. I love art that can be interpreted in many ways. Ann Norton’s artwork left room for the imagination.
The ‘Seven Beings’ grouping of giant human figures could have been from the ancient past or the distant future. They were not intimidating despite their size.
I loved how “someone” was looking at you no matter where you were standing.
Ann Norton ‘Seven Beings’
They stood silently in their own alley of palms. The individuals were slightly separated, so that each could be considered on its own as well as part of the “family/tribe.”
Each Being’s pose seemed to send some message through body language. I should have taken more photos of these. They were worth studying.
Ann Norton ‘Seven Beings’
Her former studio was open to be examined. I always find the workspace of others fascinating and inspiring.
Ann Norton Studio
In addition to her sculpture, there was a visiting exhibit of fabulous work by Israeli-American artist Boaz Vaadia and two hundred and fifty rare palms and cycads.
No, I will not be posting all 250 of them. You wish!
Stay tuned. Those are coming next. The Florida blog blitz will continue.
I met an amazing artist, Tom Gow, at the Moses Cone Estate last weekend.
He was out on the front porch demonstrating his craft.
I wish I had had the time to watch him work. He studies the shape of the wood and lets it guide him on what form it should become.
Tom makes whimsical pieces of art out of various types of wood and from the bark of dead Canadian Cottonwood trees.
He had been carving for about ten years, when he saw an article in a carving magazine about bark carving. He took a class from the artist in that article. His love of the bark carving shows through in these magical pieces.
My favorite is the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe. This is Tom’s favorite, also.
I also thought Rapunzel’s Tower was wonderful.
The tiny, crooked details in each piece make it special and unique.
Tom is a member of the Southern Highland Artist Guild.
floweralley 