Kröller-Müller Museum- Part 2 of 2

Yum! A 'fishsicle'!



The lush natural surroundings rival the art collection in beauty!



Sculptures of many different sizes and materials...

...abound in this lovely setting.

 

 Christo and Jeanne-Claude have a small piece in the collection.



I experienced a 'tingle' of deja vu when I encountered the Giacometti figure (below).

A nearly identical piece is in a quite similar setting at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark.

(You can see for yourself, here.)

  

Due to the rain, I didn't get to see as many outdoor sculptures as I'd have liked.

Next time, I'll plan to spend much of the day outdoors! :)

 

The colors in these paintings truly were burn your retina bright!!

 

I end our 'museum tour' with this textile-related piece...

... a classical female figure with her...erm...enormous mound of laundry?!?

 

Next time: my visit with a dear felting friend in Maastricht!

Outdoor Art in Rotterdam...Plus an Unexpected Surprise in the Suburbs!

Sculpture and other forms of outdoor art...

 

...virtually fill the city of Rotterdam.

 

Someone has even adorned a nondescript office building in the city center...

...with a large neon image of the new king and queen!

 

But it's not all new, new new, either.

Antique 'house markers' still remain in boroughs like Delfshaven.

(I'm told that these were used as identifiers prior to the routine use of house numbers.).

 

 I found the variety and scope of the outdoor works of art utterly delightful...

...ranging, as they do, from the sublime to the ridiculous!

 

Here, my lovely Dutch friends 'pall around' with Monsieur Jacques!



The most unexpected thing that I saw in Rotterdam wasn't art, however...

...but this enormous pig taking a constitutional along the water's edge in suburban Schiedam.

Overfeeding, the owner told us...

...had caused his pet pig to grow from 'toy sized'...to 'tank sized'!! :)

"My Life" Sculpture/Cowl- Part 3 of 3

Twisted upon itself as a sculpture...



...or opened up into a cowl... 

...there is very nearly every color of the rainbow here... 

 

...depending on where you look!

 

Because I have one daughter who is particularly fond of handmade felt..

...this piece has now been appropriated for use as a cowl.

 

It can be twisted around to suit the color of her jacket...

 

...or to highlight a new section of the piece when she gets bored.

 

Good-bye sculpture!! :)

 

Now that you have a better idea of the scale of this project...

...you can imagine how large it was in the pre-felt stage.

I'm delighted that "My Life" has now found new purpose(!) as a cowl...

...instead of sitting around on a shelf, collecting dust. :)

"My Life" Sculpture/Cowl- Part 2 of 3

Making more cuts into the partially felted piece.



The stitched and snipped project...

...prior to... 

...and during the final felting. 

The finished and dried piece after more 'scissors surgery'...

 

...can be twisted one way into a sculpture...

 

...or another...

 

...revealing shocking sections of color...

 

...like a geode or a millefiori bead!

 

As you can see...

...'my life' is not exactly as it may have first appeared! :)

By taking a pair of sharp scissors to the finished felt...

...we get a peek inside the dense, multi-layered layout...

...and into my colorful life, as well! ;)

Next time: more photos of the finished project as sculpture...

...and also, worn as a cowl!!

"My Life" Sculpture/Cowl- Part 1 of 3

Laying out seven layers of wool that feel pertinent to my life, in this moment...

 

...then incremental layers of wool, fiber and fabric that reflect both my youth and old age.

 

Wetting out the project...

 

...and turning it into a pre-felt.

 

After drying, hand-stitching it with strong, nylon thread...



...and making cuts into the partially felted wool. 

Synthetic threads, shown here, only partially felted in...

 

...and some areas were snipped to showcase inner color layers and inclusions.

 

The most ambitious project that I made in Marjolein Dallinga's class in August...

...was this large felt piece reflecting a timeline of my life.

We were encouraged to think about both now and about our past...and to imagine our future...

...and to lay out fabric and fiber that honored our memories and gave voice to our dreams.

This kind of introspection requires a lot of thought...

...and it was as fascinating to see some of my classmates' choices...

...(the sparkly black fabric of a hard-partying college phase!)...

...as it was to try to signify the fresh air of my bike-riding childhood...

...or the blush of my burgeoning womanhood.

Next time: the piece begins to take shape.