Frank L. Beach Memorial Fountain, International Rose Test Garden, Washington Park, Portland, © Lee Kelly (photo found at Artscatter.com)
For years my kids as well as a lot of others (big and little) have found so much fun in running and walking thru the Fountain at the Rose Garden. It is a beautiful piece of interactive public Art not only to sit and listen to the calming waters or hearing the giggles of children running thru and around it but the surrounding views of the Beautiful Rose Garden and vistas of Downtown and Mt. Hood, on a sunny day is everything that makes Oregon so lovely :)
I am very passionate about Public Art. I feel very strongly that Art should be available to EVERYONE where they live and play or work and study, Lee Kelly has gone a long way to make that possible in the Northwest. I am eternally grateful. :)
I have been a fan of Lee Kelly's work for a long time. There is one of his sculptures on the campus of the college I studied at and I would often sketch it and I wrote a glowing critique once too. This was 20 years ago before I really knew who Lee Kelly was. I have been Lee Kelly sculpture spotting around the State of Oregon ever since. So, fast forward to the beginning of 2010 when I eventually have the guts to be introduced to Lee at a Gallery Reception. He is such a nice person and even though he was swamped with people milling around requesting intros he took time to talk to my Hubby and I. Long story short in June he invited me out to his property and workshop for a personal guided tour. You have to know that this was the highlight of my year! (ok, so was my son's graduation from college but you get my point, right :)
I was in awe, not only by the beauty and size and diversity of the sculptures on his property in tranquil settings but also the sentiment and creative process behind them.
It is a day I will never forget. Thanks, Lee :)
Are there any public pieces of Art where you live that inspire you?
Leave a comment and share the beauty out there :)
Happy Painting/Creating! :) T.
12 comments:
this is so cool!
the hubbers and i just went to the olympic scuplture park for the first time, a few weeks ago. it was awesome! i'll have to post photos soon. there was some really neat stuff there. :)
Hi T!,
One of the reasons I love living in my city are the amount of sculptures displayed for the public. There are some that are such a talking point - not all positive but definitely getting noticed.
Jane
www.frenchrevelation.etsy.com
great art - thanks for sharing!
I didn't realize he did the one in the rose garden! I LOVE that piece! So creative.
The gardens look lovely and the sculpture is an amazing addition to the rose garden's beauty.
Art is meant to make us reflect upon it, whether we love the art or hate it is immaterial, it is these thought processes that create inspiration.
Still battling with google blogspot ... wish they had a "Help" link that was really "helpful" instead of one that takes you around in useless circles. Keep thinking there has to be a link some place where one can report a problem or an issue because how would they ever know there's a problem if it's never reported ? :|
That is so incredibly cool that you got to visit Lee Kelly's property and studio! What an honor, especially after being so inspired by his work for all of these years.
This really illustrates how important public art is in our lives. It intersects our daily routine and becomes such an integral part of our landscape and inner dialog about our place.
WHat a treat - to meet someone you so admire. I used to live very close to Manhattan and would hop the train and spend the day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Some of the art work is amazing just for the size of it paintings as big as a house. It still amazes me the amount of time and work that goes into them. Happy Weekend!
Happiness is very big art:)
Amazing sculptures! They must be even more astounding in person. That's lovely that you got to meet Lee and tour his studio.
There aren't too many public art sculptures in my area, so I was absolutely riveted when a local brewery installed the Steampunk Tree House last June.
I love sculptures like these, where you can almost interact with them. We have a sculpture garden near us and it's one of my favorite things.
I lived at lee Kellys property for three weeks in 1970 as I repaired a VW engine for someone that built wood stoves in his studio. It was a large barn in Oregon City and he was working on a couple of pieces while I was there. Life long impression on me and also a gal by the name of Sheila Ford lived there and she was one of the best Batik artists anywhere. He always had classical music on in the barn studio and I also do that in my shop as I found it will bring out creativity. He also designed the playground at Sunriver. An amazing person.
I lived at lee Kellys property for three weeks in 1970 as I repaired a VW engine for someone that built wood stoves in his studio. It was a large barn in Oregon City and he was working on a couple of pieces while I was there. Life long impression on me and also a gal by the name of Sheila Ford lived there and she was one of the best Batik artists anywhere. He always had classical music on in the barn studio and I also do that in my shop as I found it will bring out creativity. He also designed the playground at Sunriver. An amazing person.
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