bananapancakes

From when I went here several months ago, the Gallery of Illusions and Perceptions wasn’t there yet. The website says that it’s a permanent exhibit though, so I think it is new. One of my favorite things at this exhibit is Velvet Hands (pictured above). It is wire disks that give people a velvety sensation on their hands when they put the wires between their palms and move their hands around. There is also something similar to this at the California Science Center. I think people who love texture would really like Velvet Hands too…

Here’s the boxing chair that I mentioned in my previous entry.

Craft in America is an exhibition at the Mingei International Museum until 1-27-08. My favorite part of this exhibit was the handcrafted furniture. I liked the boxing chair (it looked like the corner of a boxing ring) and a chair that looked like a tank (pictured above). I forgot to write down the creators and names of these pieces. I thought that I could find it online, but didn’t have any luck. I’ll edit this entry once I find out that information…

I love going to this Japanese Garden. It’s small as compared to other Japanese Gardens I’ve been to (Huntington Library and CSULB), but it’s still a very nice and peaceful place to walk through, see the exhibits in the building, and the koi fish in the pond.

The current exhibit at the garden is the Paper Framed Calligraphy. There were several framed calligraphy on display with interesting quotes. Some of my favorites were “Follow your heart” (pictured above), “Everyday is a new beginning,” and “Happily ever after” (translated in English).

The Ginger Wallace exhibition is one of the current exhibits at the San Diego Art Institute – Museum of the Living Artist (it will be there until 11-25-07). Some of my favorite pieces of artwork in that exhibit is “Phred” and “Some Cows that Didn’t Make it Over the Moon.” “Phred” is an acrylic painting of Wallace’s dog. It is a very colorful painting and it reminded me of one of my childhood dogs because they looked alike (the eyes and the dog’s smile made it look very happy). The painting is awesome and I can’t really describe it in words. If you love dogs, then I think you’ll definitely like this painting too. There were also photographs that I enjoyed of Wallace self-portraits, but they were only of her feet. One of the photos was a self-portrait of the statue of liberty (clothespins on her foot) and another was a self-portrait of a movie star (decorated foot with sunglasses).

There have been plans to extend the 125 since the 80’s and it is finally completed and going to be open for public use this Monday (11-19-07). Driving on the 125 will be free during the first two weeks of opening, then it will be a toll road for the next 35 years. There was a South Bay Expressway grand opening celebration yesterday and people had the chance to walk, run, and bike on the 125. There was also a bus tour of the freeway and the best part was going across the Otay River Bridge. If you’re a road geek, definitely check out the 125 just for that bridge.

I only head out to the Otay Ranch area every once in a while, so I don’t think I’m going to use the 125 much. I think it will be great for those who live and work in that area though.

This outdoor mall opened up last year. It seems that business hasn’t been booming there, since it’s way out in the East of Chula Vista. The 125 toll road is opening this Monday and it’s right by the mall, so maybe more people will shop there once it opens. I’m not much of a mall person, so there aren’t really any stores there that stick out to me. It is a nice mall to walk around though and I do like the Chalk Garden and the fountain (water squirts out of holes in the ground) that are located right next to the Food Pavilion…

Coors Amphitheater is right next to Knott’s Soak City. I went there for a concert several years ago and I think parking is free. The flow of traffic after the event was horrible. You can expect to be stuck in traffic the same amount of time (or longer) as the time length of the event because everyone is trying to get back on the freeway. Coors is in the east of Chula Vista, so people who live in other parts of the county usually drive there instead of taking public transportation (like the trolley). I’m not sure if it’s any different now…the 125 extension is opening soon, so maybe that will help with the traffic problem…

I forgot the gallery number, but it’s the one with the European Art Collection…I like going in there when it is completely silent to admire the paintings and the only sounds I hear are the creaky floorboards as I (and other visitors) walk around the gallery…

Edit: It’s gallery number 18.

One of the current exhibits at the San Diego Museum of Art is Animated Painting, which will be there until January 13, 2008. One of my favorite artworks in this exhibit is the Motion Barn by the Barnstormers. It is shaped as a small house/barn and on its 4 walls and roof (2 sides) are 6 animated films projected onto it. The films are of the artists painting pieces of art from the beginning to the end. These films may be watched from outside the barn or viewers may also enter the barn and watch the films from inside the walls and ceiling. I thought the inside was much cooler and it seemed like a nice place to just lie down and watch the films all day. Music was also played inside the room that the barn was located in, which added to the entertainment.

Other artworks that I liked at this exhibit were the three digital animations by Robin Rhode. While walking by it, the first digital animation was playing (The Shower). It showed Rhode in a shower, but instead of water coming out of the showerhead…it looked like charcoal was pouring down. It looked very realistic, but it really was just an animated painting. The other two digital animations were called Harvest and The Stripper…