Organized Chaos

I'm not a fan of brown. I have to actively (Huh?) stand to look 

at anything of that hue to find something admirable 

about whatever it is. Consequently, it's pretty safe to say

these hydrangeas looked drab by themselves, but gorgeous when

set against their red leaves. What really attracted me

was the outrageous kaleidoscope of red, purple and green 

with the modest perfection of the brown hydrangeas

quietly holding their own among their flashy friends.

Indiana in Relief

Every time I walk along the Central Canal, I end up taking pictures 

of the relief sculptures dotted around the limestone exterior 

of the Indiana State Museum. There is one for each country, showing 

some aspect of the county's history or resources.

I've taken a number pictures of them, but I didn't know how

to begin showing them, I guess because I want to do all ninety at once.

The relief above is for Carroll County, which is known for

its soybean production and the Freeman Reservoir,

a 2,800-acre lake.

The open car door shown here is for Madison County, 

known for its early participation in the automotive industry,

businesses which grew to include the manufacture of headlights, 

taillights, horns, batteries and other accessories.

The county seat of Delaware county, Muncie, was named after 

the Delaware chief Munsee, and is the center of manufacturing for home

canning equipment and glass food containers, particularly Ball jars.

The cartoon strip Garfield was developed by Jim Davis

in Muncie and work on the strip is done there.

 Ohio County, the smallest of the state's counties, 

is located in southeastern Indiana, just outside of Cincinnati.

Before the Civil War up to 100 steamboats and flatboats

would depart each week from the wharves at Rising Sun.

Textured Tuesday: Cut Paper

There is an exhibit at the Herron School of Art and Design called 

Papercuts: The Art of Contemporary Paper Cutting.

Curated by Reni Gower, the works show various methods 

of cutting paper to create art - cutting, piercing, die cut,

sewing - the pieces will remind the viewer of curtains, 

doilies, pieced quilts and cut lace. 

Some are humorous. And every one is beautiful,

each piece reflecting the patience of the artists to bring

to life with an X-acto knife their particular 

vision of shadow and color. 

Rainy Day/Green and Black

Other than bringing added moisture to the plants,

 rain also intensifies their color and brings out 

the detail of their edges.

Yellow and Black

It rained nearly all day yesterday, bringing a chill wind 

to blow the leaves down. This yellow tree looked bright and 

impressive against the dark overcast. Its tiny leaves

were strewn on the wet, black granite benches surrounding

this pyramid fountain. 

Curve/Curb

As I was leaving the Herron School of Art this morning, 

I happened to notice the nice curves made by the painted lines

on the pavement. I liked the way the white curve of the curb 

contrasted with the crack in the side walk.

Then the way the dark line broke up the space 

between the curb and the painted lane 

made that space more interesting.

The differing values of gray and texture helped, too.

Drake as Nike

I've always enjoyed those seemingly random moments 

when ducks and geese rise out of the water for a few seconds, 

flap their wings for the seeming joy of it, then settle 

back down to chortle and paddle around with their buddies.

But after watching this particular flock of mallards, 

the wing flapping didn't seem random after all;

each time a bird dipped it's head in the water three

or four times, it would rise up afterward

to flap its wings. Is it part of their grooming

routine, or a temperature control behavior?

Whatever the reason, I think it's pretty.