Tag Archives: Art

Tv Show “Bad Sisters”

Tv Show “Bad Sisters”

I subscribed to AppleTV+ to watch the new season of “Morning Show” and the premiere of “Lessons in Chemistry,” but the big find was “Bad Sisters,” originally titled “Emerald.” Brilliant writing, bang-on characterization of four Dublin sisters trying to help the fifth sister who is trapped in an emotionally-abusive marriage. And it’s funny!

Bad Girls Cast

Bibi, Grace, Eva, Ursula, Becka

It won a 2022 Peabody award and four nominations for Primetime Emmys and I am thrilled to learn that it has been renewed for a second season. Set in Dublin and shot on location in Ireland, it is based on the Flemish series “Clan” and was developed by Sharon Horgan who plays Eva, the eldest. Deeply Irish in the way it deals with the bad husband, it never considers divorce or trying therapy to get the physically-enormous-but emotionally-stunted man to grow up. The photo reflects that there is wine in nearly every shot as they are harried by an insurance firm run by two brothers who are secretly in deep financial trouble. It moves at a brisk pace and I loved that I could not figure out how it was going to end until we got there. Very satisfying.

OLLI Art – Artistic Couples

OLLI Art – Artistic Couples

I’m so glad I made the effort to get to the class taught by Linda Loveland Reid on artistic couples, even though it was less than 24 hrs from my return. Jet-lagged and with guts grumbling from careless snacking in Morocco, I loved the class. This was my favorite quote:

“I’m Frightened All The Time, But I Never Let It Stop Me.”

By learning the stories of the two artists together, I finally have some context for Georgia’s disturbingly sexual images. I learned that Georgia couldn’t tolerate live-model class in art school (with undraped models) and yet she not only allowed Stieglitz, a married man, to take hundreds of nude photos of her and she allowed him to exhibit a selection in New York City, laying the groundwork of her name being connected with sexual exhibitionism and promiscuity. Did Stieglitz make money from this show?

Mabel Dodge Luhan and O’Keeffe

The teacher also touched on their contemporary artist, Arthur Dove. But who became famous: O’Keeffe or Dove? The recipe continues to be that sexual favors pay for the marketing expertise that few artists can manage. [Exceptions: Koons, Rauschenberg] I look forward to the day we can tell the truth about what works, about how humans really are…

My favorite photo that the instructor showed showed was of Georgia, in the desert, with her arm around the woman who taught her to drive — a woman who maybe was for her, what Georgia was for Stieglitz — someone who could see her and could help her get what she needed.

Frankfurt – Städel Museum

Frankfurt – Städel Museum

HolbeinSteg Footbridge to Städel

Thunderstorms were forecast for Thursday 22 June so I walked across the Main River using the Holbein Steg footbridge to get to the Städel Museum where I bought an all-day ticket with plans to visit in morning and return after lunch. I started upstairs and was dazzled by the ENORMOUS painting of Martin Luther defending his 95 theses at the Diet of Worms. I had never seen, in the U.S, France or Italy, a heroic painting of Martin Luther. It felt vaguely blasphemous and another wave of realization of how different Germany is from the catholic countries I usually visit.

The upstairs had a wonderful exhibition of Old Masters something I long for in the U.S. because where our museums really excel is contemporary art. I came to an empty gallery and as I sipped some water while I read the note about why the gallery was empty, a silver-haired guard came up to me and spoke for a couple of minutes, sternly. When he was finished, I explained that I had no idea what he said, so he started again, in English. Apparently, one is not allow to ingest anything in the museum. And, indeed, I later found a two-line posting at the bottom of a German language notice in the lobby. Sometimes learning new customs is uncomfortable.

Enormous Tribute to Martin Luther on Top Floor Lobby (from Städel website)

I was mesmerized by brilliant paintings and icons from the 1300s, 1400s and 1500s which made it clear that there was great distance between the rich and and poor even back then. The quality of the art was spectacular and the preservation was wonderful. Detailed mosaic icons that have enjoyed centuries of care. Plenty of portraits and half-dressed young ladies posed as goddesses, but not in as high a proportion as in the Louvre. After about three hours of Old Masters, I walked through the beautiful gardens surrounding the museum to Otto Hahn Platz and took the tram to the Sachenhausen district to check it out and returned to the hotel by tram.

When I walked back to the Städel in the afternoon, I saw the “Modern” ground floor boasted paintings by Picasso and the Impressionists and the special exhibition on the lower floors titled “Textures” featured artworks that were not two-dimensional paintings and not really three-dimensional sculptures in the conventional sense. I love seeing how curators show off stunning work in their collections that don’t fall into traditional categories.

“Texture” at the Städel

Finding Sachenhausen

Yesterday I had a couple of disappointing meals so I resolved to be better prepared today and before I went to sleep I studied transit maps. In the morning I found a paper timetable (numbers only) for the 16 and hand-drew a map on it. It was still faster to walk to the museum but the 16 would take me to Sachenhausen, the restaurant district where Rick Steves recommended several restaurants featuring Applewine, a local specialty, and one restaurant opened at 5 p.m.

When I finished my second visit to the Städel, I set off again by tram from Otto Hahn Platz to find the restaurant Apfelwein-Wirtschaft Fichtekränzi but I got hopelessly lost. Google Maps could not locate me, my phone was heating up, and I got all the way to the river before backtracking to the warren of little streets that makes up this charming food and entertainment district. I found the right street but could not find the restaurant! Finally, I looked UP and saw a sign pointing down an alley. It was a little past 5 pm when I walked through the garden to big tables without people. The late June day was muggy and I had been schlepping around a rain jacket since 10 a.m.

I was pretty cranky when I sat down and couldn’t get a glass of water, but I ordered the frankfurter appetizer: grilled sausage with sauerkraut and bread and the legendary applewine which is a bitter hard cider. They go great together. The tab was 9,40 so I paid 10 and everyone was happy. Google did a better job of getting me back to the tram stop which I recognized because it was the one I had scouted earlier in the day so my research paid off. I was still dry when i got on the tram but the heavens opened within a few stops. Several loud noises and I thought the thunder had started, but it was riders slamming shut the transom windows with a forceful smack of the hand. The Main river was choppy and we crossed it, and the sky was pelting big drops when I alighted, clad in my sky blue rain jacket. One sharp burst of thunder, but I was back to the hotel in a jiffy — all the street people were standing pressed against the buildings and I realized the hard rain would wash the streets.

It was a good day, so much better than yesterday’s overpriced curry-wurst and lame 15€ dinner. Research and Rick Steves is the way to really have fun in a new city. Of course, it took me two hours of online research the night before and scouting the area today today, and I got lost, and caught in a driving thunderstorm, but it was worth it to have a frankfurter in Frankfurt.

The Trains Run on Time but Not the Escalators

S-bahn to Flughaven escalator

Friday 23 June was departure day. On the news, the Titanic deep dive submersible had imploded and all were dead. I took the S-bahn back to the airport and the lo-o-o-ng escalator was not working. Walked the length of the platform: not only was the other escalator now working, the transparent elevators were stopped in mid-ascent, filled with frightened-looking people who looked like they were thinking about the submersible. I carried my bags all the way up, impressed with my fortitude but breathing heavily.

There did not seem to be any passport inspection between Germany and France but I made my life harder by flying from Frankfurt to Lyon. If I had taken the TGV train from the main Frankfurt train station, just steps from my hotel, to Lyon’s Part-Dieu train station I would be door-to-door for less than $50, in only six hours and a lot less miserable. The tram from Part-Dieu goes straight to the hotel area of Lyon, but the connection from the airport to the Part-Dieu train station is $20, exorbitant by French standards. (It costs $60 to get to Santa Rosa from SFO.) I did not arrive any faster going by plane.

Returning to Frankfurt

Now that I understood that the trains ran on time, I did not need to stay at the airport for the one night layover on Tuesday 11 July. I cancelled my airport IBIS for 105€ and booked a room at the Rick Steves-recommended Victoria, still close to Hauptbahnhof train station but I could walk there on the much nicer Kaiser Strasse, and it was only 86€ with this wonderful breakfast for following morning. I never had an offer of decaf coffee on this trip.

The sausages in Germany look the same as in France but they taste much better!

Even though our departure from Marseille was thirty minutes late because French baggage handling did not work, the Lufthansa pilot tried to make up the time by flying so fast we arrived only five minutes past expected time. Alas, Frankfurt airport was not ready for us and people with tight connections sat with us while we waited for a bus. The clash of attitudes between the French and Germans is so interesting. I got back to Frankfurt in enough time to finally see Kleinmarkthalle. Because it was late in the day, I bought some stuff to go, and some expensive, delicious gingerbread at Lebkuchen-Schmidt.

Vegetables in Foreground, Bread in Background

I loved Germany and really got a feeling for why they have been fighting the French for centuries. It’s like they are both big, strong smart dogs: one is a German Shepherd and the other is a Standard Poodle. Very different, each excellent. But we know which one will win the fight. For me, the contrast between Martin Luther Protestants and Avignon Catholics was telling.

Frankfurt – Getting Started

Frankfurt – Getting Started

Hauptbahnhof Train Station in Frankfurt

I arrived Tuesday 20 June 2023 feeling nervous. I had tried to memorize YouTube video on how to get from Flughaven (flight harbor) to Haupbahnhof on my own. The RMV ticket machines were not really in English but luckily I was right by a ticket office. S-bahn (suburban light rail) to Hauptbahnhof was easy and I went straight to Tourist Info office for good help and lots of brochures.

I had been fretting that the reservation that I had PAID for a month in advance would not be honored. 180€ per night 540€ total. Had to walk down Muchener Strasse narrow, dirty, crowded but room on top floor, delightfully chilly, interesting shower

I was so hot in the muggy June weather, schlepping the bags wearing long sleeves, a vest and two shirts. I took a cold shower and set out cruising for Euros, beer and dinner. Got 250€ from the train station ATM which perfectly charged my Wells Fargo savings account $332.51. Found a doner place with outside seating and sat next to Evan from Australia who helped me order a delicious meal and a lager beer. The restaurant only offers one kind of beer because muslims frown on drinking and it is called “pils.”

Frankfurt gets its name from being a shallow place to cross the river (a ford).

The weather was clear on Wednesday, the Summer Solstice, so I visited the top of the tallest building in Frankfurt, the Main (mine) Tower. Instead of taking Rick Steves walking tour through the red light district, I waited 25 minutes for hop-on/hop-off bus but gave up and walked the 15 minutes, past the Euro offices to Main Tower, afterwards visiting the lobby of the adjacent building to see the Bill Viola video artwork in the lobby.

Main Tower (Tallest) Römerberg center foreground, Big Red Paulskirche on right (stock photo)

Frankfurt is a Financial Capital

I was hoping to get a sense of direction from the top of the tower but I could not see Römerberg (center foreground in stock photo above) because it was blocked by a new skyscraper is being built, but I was happy to see the train station.

HauptBahnHof from Main Tower

From the Top of Main Tower with Main River in Background

I was surprised, when I was making lodging reservations for Frankfurt, that the price I had to pay was triple the going rate week before and for my visit few rooms were available. I am guessing what drove up the rates was the summer solstice food event at Opera Platz which I could see setting up from the Main Tower. I checked out Opera Platz t was still before noon when I walked through the fancy shopping district of Zeil or Hauptwache or Konstablerwache before took the S-bahn back to hotel for nap. At 3:30 took the hotel desk recommended taking the U-bahn (oo-bon, underground city metro) to Rómerberg which was efficient but traveling underground didn’t give me any orientation. My jet lag was kicking in despite buzzing from the strong, delicious morning coffee. I was disregulated and tired.

OperaPlatz was a Summer Festival

Kaiserdom – St. Bartholomew’s

I intended to eat at Kleinmarkthalle, but I didn’t realize it was behind me, across Berliner Strasse in Altstadt (New Old Town). The U-bahn put me in Römerberg, rebuilt in 1983 to look like the half-timbered houses of yore. It may have been intended as a gesture toward history but it is more like a purpose-built tourist attraction and I was overcharged 8,50€ for a curry-wurst.

Holy Roman Emperors were elected at St. Bartholomew’s, called Kaiserdom (Imperial Great Church) locally. Portable artwork survived the Allied bombing in WWII and I finally grasped that the very old, carved altarpieces were designed to be portable, painted on both sides so they are beautiful even when closed.

Römer is the Town Hall which faces central statue of the goddess of justice without her customary blindfold. This market square was the birthplace of the city where trade fairs were held as far back is the 12th century. Banking in Frankfurt dates back to 1405. Today the Römer houses the city council and mayor’s offices.

I also visited the big red St. Paul’s Church (Paulskirche) which was destroyed in 1944 and rebuilt. A smaller church told the story of Martin Luther in the 1500’s and is a stop on a Luther pilgrimage route. I was headed toward the river to cross Eiserner Steg footbridge. Looking back, I could see the Röm. I considered walking over to the area with the nice restaurants (Sachsenhausen) but I was tired and saved that for another day.

Römerberg – Justice is Not Blind

Plaque on Exterior of St. Paul’s [Paulskirche] Rebuilt in 1944

Eiserner Steg Footbridge with View of the Dom (two photos side-by-side)

I share the hope of many who venture across dark waters to meet people from different cultures and languages. This Greek inscription from Homer’s Odyssey might allude to Frankfurt’s beginnings as the furt (ford) where the Franks (early French people) crossed the river to reach the marketplace.

“while sailing over the wine-dark sea to men of strange speech.”

Greek Inscription on Eiserner Steg

Lyon – 2023

Lyon – 2023

I was excited to visit Lyon because my Sierra Club kayaking/artist friend, Isabelle, had moved to the area about a year ago. We made plans to meet for lunch and I arrived a day before the rest of the Berkeley Folk Dancing group to spend some time with her. My agenda was to see the Lugdunum Roman Museum, to see how the famous Lyon silk damask is made, to enjoy some of Lyon’s famous food, and to get a picture of this beautiful footbridge (passarelle) which is officially named after Abbé Paul Couturier, a pioneer of ecumenism in the early 1900s but, because it goes to the church of Saint Georges, most people refer to is as Pasarelle Saint Georges.

Stock Image of Passerelle Saint Georges with Fourvière Noted

Isabelle and I met at the fountain facing the Museum of Fine Arts and had lunch after visiting the museum. After lunch at Le Bouchon des Filles, we walked for more than an hour in the hot sun to try to reach the passarelle but we gave up and retreated to the cool underground metro where I showed her how to buy a single ticket using the tumbler-cylinder to select. She visits Lyon rarely even through it is a short train ride away.

Bronze fountain commemorating the four great rivers of France

Lyon City Hall in the Square with Museum of Fine Arts which I visited with Isabelle


Lunch at Le Bouchon des Filles with Isabelle

The next day, the tour group took a bus tour of Fourvière and the old part of the city. The level of embellishment inside the church is astonishing! The arches! The mosaics!

It wasn’t until I got back to Lyon at the end of the cruise in early July that I was able to find the Passarelle Saint-Georges, early on a drizzly Sunday morning.

As the rain got heavier, I ducked into Église de Saint-Georges where I discovered high Mass going on, in Latin! When the congregation genuflected, I took this shot of the altar.

Mass was just getting out at the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste, just a little further on in Vieux Lyon, so I could visit the stained glass windows and get a good look at the famous horloge clock which could calculate Easter. (It doesn’t work anymore.)

Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Vieux Lyon

 

Finding Cherif, the Canuts and the Celts

To prepare for this trip, I tried to train my ear to hear French better by watching a lot of French police procedurals on TV. I watched four seasons of “Cherif” because it was shot in Lyon. I was fascinated by the exterior location for the police station which was across the street from Cherif’s apartment, just steps from a cliff overlooking the Sâone river. I researched until I discovered the little park on Place Bellevue in the Croix Rousse district, seen near the top of the map below. I had to take a tram from the hotel to the Perrache Train Station (that Isabelle used) where I transferred to the Metro to take me to City Hall (where the fountain is). At City Hall I had to transfer to another Metro line that went up the hill to Croix Rousse.

Croix Rousse at the top, Old City on the Left, Hotel near Bottom, Airport on Right

If silk worms are native to China, how did the silk industry get to France? When King François I conquered Milan in 1515, he was amazed at the work of Leonardo da Vinci and persuaded him to move to France. The “Mona Lisa” was purchased by Francis I for 4,000 gold ducats, probably from da Vinci himself. François I also envied the Italian silk trade so he invited the first two Italian silk weavers to Lyon and supported them, giving them privileges including the right to create silk fabrics, and to extrude gold and silver to make thread to embellish the silk. He purchased their output and kept their taxes low. This, in turn, attracted the best foreign workers. The silk and silkworm-growing business thrived in Lyon and the heavy silk damask curtains, wall coverings and upholstery for Versailles came from Lyon.

The silk workers, Canuts, lived North of City hall, up the hill in the Croix Rousse district. The big technological breakthrough of the French silk industry was the development of punch cards to speed the accurate hand-looming of images woven into the silk, like the tapestries in the residence of the Archbishop in Lyon. I was very interested in seeing how they loomed silk using this Jacquard process.

On my way to find Maison Des Canuts, I passed the Croix Rousse neighborhood farmer’s market on a Saturday morning.

Croix Rousse Saturday Morning Neighborhood Farmer’s Market

I was at the door of Maison Des Canuts when they opened at 10 a.m. so I could buy a ticket for the demonstration. Too bad — the only demonstration was at 2 p.m. and I had to buy the ticket online, I couldn’t buy it in person. This meant I had to go all the way back to the hotel, because I don’t have the skills to buy something on my phone in French! I was dejected, but on my way back to the metro I took a detour to find the Cherif location, Place Bellevue. It made me so happy to find a location that I had only seen on my computer screen. The Hollywood screenwriter part of me is not dead, I guess.

Cherif’s Police Station was in the building on the left. Many exterior scenes were shot here.

I got back to the hotel and when I tried to buy the ticket online, my credit card refused to go through! I tried to contact the bank, but with the 12 hour difference, it was midnight in California. I was out of luck. Dejected, I went back to Maison Des Canuts at 1:45 and pleaded with them. “I have come such a long way, from California, and this is my only chance to see the demonstration. Isn’t there any way to fit me in?” They said no, sit over there, but it felt like a weak “no.” Eventually, they put a yellow dot on me and collected the admission price. The tour and demonstration of the authentic 19th century Jacquard hand loom was mostly in French, the yellow dot indicated English speakers for the guide (about 20% of the group).

The Weaving Studios Required 12-foot Ceilings to Accommodate the Jacquard Punch Card System

The design to be woven into the silk is programmed onto the cardboard punch cards. When the weaver moves a certain part of the loom, it advances the instructions one line and the punch cards pull up the correct threads so the shuttle with the correct color thread can be woven through. It is loud, noisy and heavy. The canuts were paid little even though the silk merchants became wealthy and we learned about labor unrest history during the tour. I loved learning about the history and the silkworm production (astonishingly, Louis Pasteur was involved in silk worm hygiene), but the silk available at the end was outrageously expensive. Even though later I also toured the museum of the competing silk maker Brochier Soieries, near the banks of the Rhone River, my entire silk budget was gobbled up by the purchase of a single 75€ scarf from Cath-Am in the old city.

 

Lugdunum

One of the highlights of Lyon is the Lugdunum Museum and Roman Theaters. On the map above, you can see that Fourière and Lugdunum make a V-shape pointing to the old city. The V represents the two prongs of the funicular that carries passengers up the steep hill. This hill is the site of the Roman theaters and the museum on one side the the big Fourvière church on the other. The first thing I saw in the museum was this magnificent bronze chariot from 700 BC, before the Romans arrived. The wheels are bronze, too. The central bronze vessel is believed to carry something ceremonial and venerated by the Celts, whom the Romans called Galli (derogotory), even though the Gauls sacked Rome in 390 BC. Around 50 BC, Julius Caesar drove out many, but some assimilated.

Celtic Bronze Chariot 700BC Lugdunum (now Lyon)

The mosaic floors in this museum were MUCH better than what I saw in Sicily. This is just one of them, and we could walk on them!

I loved Lyon.

Granat XXeme – Aix

Granat XXeme – Aix

I love visiting art museums and I found a gem. It is the annex of the main art museum in Aix-en-Provence which is to Marseille (second largest city in France) what Healdsburg is to San Francisco. The main museum is amazing with unbroken marble busts going back to Roman times that have come from private collections. Aix was founded by Romans because of its plentiful water including hot springs. It is a city full of fountains.

Granet XXeme is the “annex” and is a repurposed church built in 1649 for the “white Carmelite” brotherhood. The vaulted ceiling creates a lot of space over walls scrubbed clean after the building was used by the city for hay storage. Many religious buildings were forcefully decommissioned during the French Revolution.

Jean Planque worked in a Swiss art gallery which enabled him to meet and befriend up-and-coming artists. He had a wonderful eye but not much money. In the 50’s and 60s he struck up a friendship with Picasso and eventually received five of his paintings from that era. Here are two. There are photos in the exhibition of how Jean Planque’s collection looked hanging in his modest house, including Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Braque and Dubuffet works.

Jean Planque died about 10 years ago and a foundation was formed to try to keep his collection together for exhibition as a whole. For me, it really works because I can feel his point-of-view on what makes a painting great. There was a coherence to this show that I rarely experience.
https://www.museegranet-aixenprovence.fr/en/collections/collections/granet-xxth-jean-planque-collection

Jean said he learned a lot from Dubuffet and his collection includes paintings by him that look like something, some that sorta look like something, and a few striking ones that look like squid-ink spaghetti. Here’s a link to 3 of the works:
https://www.museegranet-aixenprovence.fr/collections/les-collections/granet-xxe-collection-jean-planque/les-oeuvres/dubuffet-et-lart-brut

Picasso Man & Woman

Joan Brown SFMOMA

Joan Brown SFMOMA


This one almost got away from us. Originally scheduled on a Thursday morning, we discovered the museum opens late on Thursdays so we moved our visit to Tuesday. But the driver/docent developed sniffles and only the two of us who were planning to go by train/ferry on a crisp winter day made the trip. Also, with no RSVP, I felt someone had to show up in case there was anyone we didn’t know about (there wasn’t).

The artist’s early abstract expressionism was commercially very successful. Abstract in the sense you could tell the subject was a dog or a toddler, her canvasses featured heavy impasto and were sought by NYC and L.A. galleries and collectors. After the birth of her child, the artist’s style began to change to something more like Picasso’s, whom she admired. Her work became biographical, as Picasso’s is, and she developed her own distinctive visual style, as Picasso did. But large faces are hard to live with, and collectors planning to display in a residential setting were not attracted. Nevertheless, she kept painting, divorcing, marrying, traveling and seeking spiritually.

There were many self-portraits, and Dianne noticed one with the artist wearing a similar jacket and a wild 1960s hat, so she asked for this shot. Dianne knew how to get to the glass elevator that rises on an angle to reach Salesforce Park where we walked the length on our way to the museum. I had some fun posing in front of the gold curtain by the 1960’s exhibit.

Asian Art Museum – 2022

Asian Art Museum – 2022
Bernice Bine Mural Asian Art Museum

Bernice Bing Mural with Dianne, Pat and Nanette

The OLLI Art Club visited the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco on Saturday 19 November. Nanette collected us at Pat’s condo and drove us there on a beautiful autumn morning.

Jade Money Tree

We were delighted to find a Christmas bazaar on the ground floor with many wonderful textiles from around the world, but the exotic treasures on the third floor captivated us. We delighted at the sight of the rare 3,000 year old Bronze Age Chinese rhino, and I loved this jade “money tree” crafted from intricately carved wafers of jade. I wonder if the wafers themselves were used as currency?

We struggled with the audio app that we downloaded: it was hard to figure out how to use it, and the text was gray on a white background, typical design by young artists who don’t realize that aging eyes lose contrast (which is why you see Emails from your grandparents written in bold). The third floor has art from South Asia, the Persian World and West Asia, Southeast Asia, the Himalayas and the Tibetan Buddhist art as well as the fabled Chinese jade.

The architectural mash-up of the neoclassical library and the new museum is always a delight. I urged my friends to ascend in the glass elevator and descend on the semi-exterior escalators, then through the almost hidden doors to the magnificent marble stairway in the center of the old library and the stunning, renovated Samsung Hall.

Bronze Age Chinese Rhino Asian Art Museum

Bronze Age Chinese Rhino

We were able to get the $27 value tickets through Sonoma Library Discover and Go which was a learning experience. The tickets need to be reserved, and the reservation held until a day to two before the actual visit, when it needs to be cancelled or printed. If you print it at the time of reservation, you can’t cancel it and because there are limited number of spaces allocated, you deprive someone of using it if your plans change and you can’t go. Worse, you use up your own allotment of free tickets through the service. Nevertheless, we figured out how to use and it it was great!

Dianne had researched luncheon options and she chose Chao Pescao at 272 McAllister Street, just a few steps from the museum. The decor and food was wonderful! A very successful day.

Chao Pescao San Francisco

Dianne and Nanette at Chao Pescao

OLLI Art Paradise Winery Sculpture

OLLI Art Paradise Winery Sculpture
Paradise Ridge Sculpture

War Side of Mask Sculpture
photo by Nanette Simmons

Walter Byck, owner of the sculpture garden at Paradise Ridge Winery, gave the OLLI Art Club a tour, followed by a lunch hosted by Connie Codding.

This bus-shelter shaped sculpture has a WAR side holding ceramic masks of horror and loss. Stepping inside, one can see the inside of each mask, painted with the emotions of rage, revenge, domination and all that leads to war. On the other side of the “bus-shelter” are the PEACE masks: both the inside feelings and the outside manifestations of peace, joy, connection, safety, friendship and community.

Walter, in his 90s, walked us around, pointing with his cane at the kinetic sculpture by Ned Kahn and other electronic, motion-sensor, sound-emitting works. He unlocked “The Shoe” and Steering Committee Member Nanette went all the way up, taking photos of the top floor. More than twenty people joined us for the tour and talk.