New Art

This monumental art piece appeared outside City Hall the other day. Jackie captured it with our friend Steve pondering its intricacies.

Rocks and Trees

Art on the sidewalk near the new Marriott.

Holiday in abstract

Linda posed with this contemporary display on our way home the other night.

Found Objects

These cool pieces of art work are displayed outside the Dougherty Center.

Magical thinking

We were walking on the bridge that connects the lakeside trail to West Fifth a couple of days ago and saw this thought someone had painted in two colors.

A New Installation

Austin has a new art installation. The red swing project places swings in public places. Jackie shot this couple long distance from her apartment getting their own record of the project at the corner of Guadalupe and Second. I don't know where the other swings are but I'm sure we will be seeing them.

Art at Idea City

If you go by GSD&M's Idea City right now you will see an installation of these reflective streamers. It is some sort of outdoor art initiative. Went by the second time and tried to scan QR code but didn't get info. It's part of 'Art in Place' or something. Anyway, even when you pound the same pavement things change.

By the way, it's the first of the month (and April Fool's Day) and usually we would participate in a theme day at City Daily Photo. However, the portal is down and has been for over a week. And the theme is cobblestones. We would have had to find some fake ones anyway since we are in Texas where settlers pushing west (and the natives here before them) didn't put down cobblestones. So this is just an ordinary post, no joke. Hope the portal is revived soon but, if not, we will soldier on and we'll collect some links for you to others we favor. Julie from Sydney has created a temporary roundup of those participating in theme day. One of our favorites, Menton Daily Photo, has a particularly nice photo today.

Tickle Those Keys

Our friend Jackie captured one of the "Play Me, I'm Yours" pianos on her walk Sunday. They are all around town, invited passersby to play Chopin or Chopsticks.

Natural World on the Move

This art car was parked on Taylor Draper the other day, taking advantage of a shady spot on a hot day. It wasn't abandoned and has come and gone several times since. It is decorated in a 'natural' style with astro turf, real branches and leaves, etc. The dashboard is covered with rocks and the 'theme' continues in the interior. People's cars say a lot about them, but I'm not sure about this message.

Ancient Carving?

Due to a trail detour I walked along Waller Creek the other day east of the Four Seasons residences and some old stone steps down to the creek had this interesting carving. I'd never been that way before. You never know when you will see something new.

Art Takes Over

Cesar Chavez, the downtown street closest to the river on the north, and the 1st Street bridge have been invaded for the weekend by a huge art show and fest called Art City Austin. Magda Sayeg, a graffiti artist who uses yarn 'attacked' these concrete posts and our friend Jackie caught a photographer doing a close-up of them. You can see a giant admonition to EAT (there are food booths as well as artist offerings) and in the background the AMLI apartments and our home, the 360. Unfortunately the street and bridge closures for this event have played havoc with traffic downtown traffic all weekend as huge events were happening at the Austin Music Hall and Long Center. This time of year there are dozens of things going on every weekend. The good news is that we don't have to drive to them.

Art on Great Streets

Austin's Great Streets project expands sidewalks, includes seating, trees with lights, room for outdoor cafe tables, etc. And in the last couple of weeks this interesting fountain (and a bench in a similar style) has been installed on Second Street. It will probably grow on us. When I went over to take a picture, a fellow was lounging on the bench and he said "It's here to stay now." We wondered if he was the artist.

Our House and Stevie

Realized I had shown you this sculpture a long time ago and not with our building as a background. Enjoy Stevie again today.

Guerrilla Homemade Music

Some CD players (other gadgets?) hooked to these pipes were causing a sort of music to emanate as we walked by last night on Lavaca by the City Hall. When we came back from dinner the whole setup was gone.

Someone To Watch Over Me

How long has this angel mannequin been sitting in a tree on South Lamar? Yesterday wasn't the first time I walked there. But it's the first time I noticed her there. She's in a tree on the east side of the street.

Plastic Bag Art

Along the walk on the south side of our massive Whole Foods Market (on West Fifth) are art work circles made from discarded plastic bags.

Playful Art

When I used to pay attention to toys, I remember a plastic articulated thing that was a bunch of curves attached together. It didn't seem to have a purpose other than to arrange the sections into your artistic vision. This art work next to a house just north of downtown recalls that toy, as if it had been made large, cut apart and mounted on plinths. I'll bet whoever lives and/or works in the house uses the art as a landmark ("it has a red curvy thing in the yard") much like I used a large red sculpture at an office building I worked in during the late eighties and early nineties as a way to help people find the building ("it's an upside down red check").

Tower to Burn

People crowd around the clock tower constructed on Auditorium Shores just to burn it down later in the evening on New Year's Eve. The 360 Condos are across the river. We stood on our balcony to watch it burn. People were encouraged to write 2009 resolutions on it. I wrote "To Burn More Slowly."

A New Art Work/Memorial

It's important to walk the same paths you've been down before with your camera...in case the light is different or they tear something down or build something new. This work of art or memorial is going up near the Hike and Bike Trail and the Mexican American Cultural Center near Rainey Street. The name 'Perez' is on the arch above. In the background you can see the Milago condominiums and the Legacy apartments. The latter appear ready to take renters, if they haven't already.

New Art, New Walk

I was delighted yesterday that, despite ongoing construction, the access to the South First pedestrian bridges is largely complete. When I walked to SoCo yesterday with a friend to eat lunch at Woodland we were able to cross the street and get right on the bridge. Hallelujah. They had these unusual arty metal fences with squares that were covered with cardboard. When we came back a guy was polishing the fences and the cardboard was off and the squares showed old photos reproduced on metal of the river flooding in the thirties and such. (This is a famous one of a house going over the spillway.) You can see the placid Lady Bird (formerly Town) Lake in the background. The river (Little Colorado or here just 'Colorado' not to be confused with the real one) is damned up multiple times from east Austin north. Longhorn Dam makes Lady Bird Lake.

FFP and I used the bridge again, late last night, and the pictures were covered with cardboard again. I don't know why. Maybe they are going to be officially 'unveiled?' Maybe they are still working on putting a finish on it all. As with anything, one wonders how long before the graffiti guys deface it.