Water Bowl

 

This guy performs the kind act of pouring water from a bowl which gives life to this bird and other wildlife. He stops watering in the winter due to freezing, but he’s back at it when warmer weather returns.

Brawn, bowl and bird would have also been an appropriate title for this sculpture, except the word “water” would not have been included. Water is such a critical element to all that has life so I chose to include it.

Granite muscles and chiseled features delicately embrace the watering bowl that the creator had in mind when he or she sculpted this piece of art. I like the fact that it is not only an art piece placed in a flower garden, but has purpose beyond visual enjoyment. Water flowing from within this rock brings relief to soft creatures on the outside. There is no fear-only satisfaction.

I can easily see the correlation between God and this granite man, and people as the bird. We are welcomed into the garden. We are offered the satisfaction that our greatest needs will be met. And, we are told not to be fearful. It appears the bird understands this dynamic very well. I hope we all do, too.

 

Visual Delight

Picture 038

 

This is a blown glass sculpture suspended from the main lobby ceiling of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. The famous American blown glass maker, Dale Chihuly, created this masterpiece entitled Fiori di Como. This photo doesn’t really convey the scale or intricacies of this work of art. One could stare at this sculpture for hours and still not capture all of it.

According to blog.lofty.com, here is a brief description of the sculpture: “Weighing in at 40,000 pounds, Fiori di Como is one of Chihuly’s largest, and most popular glass sculptures. The piece, located at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, is made up of about 2,000 pieces of hand-blown glass and covers approximately 2,000 square feet of the hotel ceiling. To create the massive installation, Chihuly employed a team of more than 100 professionals, including glassblowers, architects, engineers, shippers, installers and fabricators.” I recall reading an article about this particular sculpture which is valued at several million dollars. It took many months to install.

The reason for this post is two-fold. First, the blown glass reminds me of Spring which is generally associated with outdoors, yet the colors and shapes mimic some of nature’s most pleasant and unique features. Secondly, this art reveals the genius of man and the beauty he is capable of creating. Both are not by accident, but by Divine Design. Too often we are reminded of man’s ugly side and are told of God’s nonexistence or lack of concern for His children. Yet, we humans are his crowning achievement-warts and all. So, I am encouraged to exercise my creativity, and rejoice in His creation. And, I am pleased to join you in this endeavor, however minimal my contribution may be.