Southern California–August 8, 2023

Orange County Museum of Art

Exterior Orange County Museum of Art
Exterior OCMA with sculpture on top level.

This poster is near the entrance to the exhibits:

A suggested guide for your art experience.

First, take a minute to ground yourself.
Take an inhale, then an exhale.
Consciously relax your body.
Calmly relax your mind.

Then ask yourself the following five questions.

  1. What am I observing?
  2. Is there anything that seems familiar or reminds me of myself?
  3. How do I feel and how would I describe that feeling to someone else?
  4. What surprises me?
  5. Do I care?

-HZ

Alice Neel Exhibit

Some of her work is really great; some of it strikes me as just creepy.

Portrait of elderly couple; woman in purple dress, man in gray suit, both sitting on a couch
Man in blue striped shirt holding a cat
Woman in blue shirt with green parrot
Little girl with husky dog lying on floor
Girl holding a large calico cat
Blue house with red scalloped roof
Woman with two babies playing on floor

Somehow I don’t think she’s the best at painting small children.

Woman in yellow shirt holding infant in blue clothing
Woman in orange blouse sitting at table

Other artwork:

Abstract “junk sculpture” by Tony Lewis: Casual T
Large collage-like work
cylinders
Table with models of food; hanging vertically on wall (as if you are looking at table from above)

This one is titled Where is my thinking cap? (Samara Golden, 2020)

food closeup
New York Times front page with photos replaced by colored art work
blue hair gold face woman

Winner of “longest title of an artwork”: Blue and Gold Ghosthead guide that will bring you to the Ghosthead God, you can only visualize when you have entered a Monsterhead, and you have to be serene enough to be able to even see the Monsterhead before you can wear one (Mindy Shapero, 2005)

The next two are by an artist named Viola Frey. While I was looking at the first one, one of the museum volunteers came up to me and asked “Why do you think those people are so surprised?” I had no idea, and wasn’t in the mood for a philosophical conversation, so I said, “I got no clue; I’m not big on introspection.”

Vividly colored ceramic scuplture of several surprised people.
circular ceramic

More art:

bin with handcuffs and leash attached

I thought this was a cleaner’s cart that hadn’t been put away, but no, it’s an artwork.

White wooden cube frame with some sides missing
Nested squares in varying shades of gold to brown

Homage to the Square, Dry Season, 1967 (Josef Albers)

Brown background with slightly lighter text: A COUPLE OF PALS

Hard to see it, but the words A COUPLE OF PALS are in very light brown

sculptures

Sculptures by an artist named Yu Ji

lead carpet

This work is made from lead; it’s not a carpet at all.

South Coast Plaza

Went to a nearby shopping mall, which was home to many high-end stores. Very boring, except for the stained glass dome and an exhibition from the Bowers Museum.

geometric stained glass
japanese vases

Miscellanea

A sticker and some utility boxes.

Cat DJ'ing; text says “Boots n CATS...”
Man riding bicycle
Abstract art on utility box
Mostly orange abstract art on utility box.