A visionary journey through glass

I finally had a Saturday off. I missed those Saturdays where the boys and I got the chance to go, take off and do something. Seven months without a Saturday off, of course I had 2 days off a week, but Saturdays always proved to be a good tip day. Until recently, sales are down, work is slow. So, in that case, I cut myself back to 19 hours a week, I will get at least 17 hours a week. That works for me, I can help Chuck out getting business and working on our business.

Our first Saturday off together was very nice. I spotted in the Chattanooga Free Press on one Sunday an advertisement for The Knoxville Museum of Art. They had an exhibit from Josh Simpson . It was free and I thought that this would be a good experience for the boys. I wasn't sure about Chuck going, but it turned out, we had a family outing.

Living in Knoxville for 4 years, I didn't know what all was up there. We didn't really explore that much because of the fact that Eric was little and he wouldn't have enjoyed so much of the stuff that we do now.

We packed a cooler and took off to Knoxville. We took Cumberland Ave straight up so PJ could see the University. And ended up at World's Fair Park.
For those of you that don't know the story, Knoxville was the site of the World's Fair in 1982. They built this sphere that is still visable from the interstate. This is actually the closest I have been to it.

So after lunch we headed inside. I really thought that it was going to be busier than what was there. Turns out there were several other exhibits that we got to see while we were there. This year the musuem is offering free admission. So, why not take a trip and go see something different.

I spotted this as soon as we walked in,
I was amazed at the size of it. Very different painting.

So, while we were waiting for the bathroom break
PJ sat to watch the upcoming events ,
Our first stop was the Josh Simpson's exhibit. It was amazing! I thought the glass work was outstanding. He had planets and the earth. Wonderfully done, tastefully done too.
This is Saturn. He made 100 of these, only 1 survived. The other 99 broke in the process.


These are MegaPlanets.

I saw all sizes of the Earth. He had paperweight size in the gift shop. PJ had a chance to look at them. He held them and spun them around, looking at every little detail.

And off to the other exhibits. The only one that I couldn't take any pictures in was the room about East TN. The pictures in there were from mid 1800 to the late 1990's. They showed the different eras in art and the different styles too. This was the one room that PJ wanted to go and see. He saw something on the screen as we were waiting and he just had to see it.

I am interested in art, some forms interest me and I see a man, woman and child. Eric spotted the child and then I noticed it.

This cracked me up, From a distance it looked very 3D. Getting closer to you, you could see what the pic was all about. "Ladies Man" was the title, and the little things on the wall were wine corks with the woman's name under each one. One had a ? on it. I liked looking at it from across the room, the look it gave was fascinating.

This one I took for my friend Johanna. She works in mixed media and instantly I thought about her.
I couldn't use a flash in the museum, so I did the best that I could.

We took our time around the place. There were dancers downstairs, and an exhibit of dioramas.
The Knoxville Museum of Art's Thorne Rooms are among America's most well-known miniature diorama groups. The Thorne Rooms were developed in the 1930s and 40s by Mrs. James Ward Thorne, Chicago, who loved dollhouses as a child. After extensive travels in Europe where she collected miniature furniture and accessories, Thorne had over two dozen miniature rooms created by cabinetmakers from her own drawings. They were made in a scale of one inch to one foot. She painted and stained woodword, papered walls and made textiles for the rooms. The rooms were displayed in several World's Fairs. In 1933-1934 they were displayed at Chicago's Century of Progress Exposition. In 1939 they traveled to San Francisco's Golden Gate International Exposition, and in 1940 they wre displayed at the New York World's Fair. (http://www.knoxart.org/exhibitions/thorne/)
Ok, no one was really interested in this, but me. I loved my dollhouse when I was little and to see the work that this woman did was amazing to me. Although it was just a dollhouse showing, it was work that she did that made her happy.




The camera didn't work so well on these, but you get the idea.

The day was gorgeous, we took a small stroll around the outside of the museum to look at the very different art work out there. I am not for modern art, because my eye doesn't see what others see. I think Eric saw something in this, he is much younger and sees the world through youthful eyes.

Me, I spotted this building! The blueberry vines were crawling up the side. I was more impressed with that than I was with the art work.

Our last stop was a room of modern art. Ok, so it didn't impress me. But it did impress Eric . He talked with Chuck about what he saw, or what he thought he saw.

I thought this was a little different, at first, I thought it was charcoal on canvas, nope! Pencil on paper, torn and thumbtacked to the wall. Ok, my kids can do this, but it was cool to look at.
And another piece of art, I thought it was neat to see, something different


I took this picture for my friend, Kristin. I went to high school with her and I thought of her as soon as I saw this. Very different and unique, just like she is. I love her dearly for that personality too.