Theater Dining at Taliesin West

At the back of the theater in the photo I showed in yesterday, there are some dining tables and a big fireplace. It looks so romantic and cozy.

You can see the signature Frank Lloyd Wright wall lighting. These lights are spectacular and look great on the desert masonry wall. 

Even though Frank Lloyd Wright lived in his desert camp, he clearly lived in style. He loved watching movies and was friends with lots of producer and actors. Wright was able to obtain many uncut version of movies and he would provide feedback for the editing process for several Hollywood producers.

As you may know, Frank Lloyd Wright always wore a suit each day, even in his desert camp. He never knew when a prospective client might drive up. About once a week at Taliesin West, all of the apprentices had to dress up in a tuxedo and they had a formal dinner.  To succeed in the business world, the apprentices needed to learn to present themselves professionally even though they are living in home made dwellings in the desert.  This experience must have been quite a magical time.

Cabaret Theater

Frank Lloyd Wright designed a very interesting theater at Taliesin West. You walk along a pathway into the back of the theater and then walk down to a seat. The first photo shows the great design in the wall of the theater.

The seating in the Cabaret Theater is quite clever. Wright designed the seating so you can look and talk to the person next to you without getting a crick in your neck.  He angled the seating ever so slightly so you can actually put your arm around the person next to you and talk to them and still watch the movie with no neck pain!   

In the second photo you can see our tour group sitting in the seats and listening to the architect/docent who is sharing all types of information, including that Wright designed the in-floor lighting system for this theater and it was the first in-floor lighting system ever. 

He failed to patent it, but everyone started using it for airplanes, theaters, and more.  Wright liked to create items, but was not as concerned about patents.  

Bougainvilleas and Frank Lloyd Wright

Bougainvilleas and Architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright.  This big sweeping walkway with the beautiful bougainvilleas lining the path is at Taliesin West.  I love the combination of angles and foliage. 

Across from this pergola and bougainvilleas were the many drafting tables of the architect apprentices who worked at Taliesin West. 

The Taliesin West tour continues for a few more days.  For more information or to schedule a public tour, click Taliesin West.

Taliesin West Fountain

Frank Lloyd Wright had intimate gardens, beautiful landscapes, and water features integrated into Taliesin West.  

This photo shows one of the water features.  You could barely see this water fountain in the lower left corner of yesterday's post. Wright's desert camp is quite unique and has many surprises. 

Frank Lloyd Wright designed many interesting architectural structures in Arizona. For example Wright designed the Gammage auditorium at Arizona State University, which is still actively used for theater and I attend events there regularly.  Gammage Auditorium was initially designed to be built on an island in the middle of the Tigris River in Baghdad, Iraq.

Wright designed many houses, churches, including the First Christian Church. In New York he is well known for designing the Guggenheim Museum using a ciruclar design.      

Art and Desert Beauty at Taliesin West

This photo shows the beauty of the desert juxtaposed with Frank Lloyd Wright's structures at Taliesin West. This photo shows why I love the gorgeous desert and its various blooms, colors, and interesting plants. 

Art is integrated throughout Taliesin West.  In fact, one of the early apprentices and artists, Cornelia Brierly, still lives at Taliesin West.  I believe she is in her late 80s or early 90s.  She has written a very interesting book called Tales of Taliesin: A Memoir of Fellowship.

Axis and Taliesin West

Here is another photo of Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West. You can see the integration of the building into nature.  The lines and angles are quite remarkable.

Wright wanted to live in the desert environment. For many of the years he lived there, Wright had the buildings open with no glass in the windows so that one really lived in an outdoor desert camp. 

Wright did not have a lot of money when they started building this camp, so they relied on inexpensive construction materials on site, such as desert masonry. Desert masonry involved collecting stones, rocks, and sand from the desert washes and placing them in wooden forms with concrete to make walls or foundations.

Wright determined that the site and its relation to the mountain range to the north would be orientation for structures.  The axis is derived from the north mountain range, from the west for the sunset, and looking east to Black Mountain and Granite Reef Mountain.  

Wright never placed a building on a direct north-south axis.  Otherwise, it would have a hot side (south) and a cold side (north).

By tilting the plan off the direct compass points, Wright was able to capture the sun and shade changing regularly throughout all of the rooms and vistas at all times of the year. 

For more information or to schedule a public tour, click Taliesin West. 

Music Pavilion

Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West contains many wonders. These photos are of the Music Pavilion. 

It was built in 1957 as a multi-purpose hall seating 100 people. Even at ninety years old, Wright was still building at Taliesin West. He died in 1959.

There was a grand piano and lots of musical events have been held in the pavilion.  The room is also used for lectures.

Frank Lloyd Wright, his wife Olgivanna and twenty-five apprentices arrived from Wisconsin in 1937 to start building the desert camp on 600 acres.  

Olgivanna describes the experience in her unpublished autobiography:

"But it was beautiful. And when the others followed, we set up a makeshift camp with tents and sleeping bags --I for the first time in my life, saw a sleeping bag and a tent, I had never seen them before, and the coyotes were so lovely, and a little sad, complaining like children.  

From then on, we began, little by little, to build the now famous camp, Taliesin West. We lived in tents, and difficult though it was, we began to enjoy life in the desert in close contact with nature and its winds and the howling coyotes."

For more information or to schedule a public tour, click Taliesin West.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Spire

This is a photo of the Frank Lloyd Wright spire at dusk. I love the colors and design.  I find it captivating.

The spire is 125 feet high!  It is located at the southeast corner of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and Scottsdale Road at the Scottsdale Promenade Shopping Center. 

Some of you may remember my dazzling, colorful night shot of this Spire.  It looks completely different at night.  Click Dazzling Spire

to enjoy this photo at night.

I will have more Taliesin West photos over the next few days.

Chihuly and Earth Day

Today is Earth Day.  A day to reflect upon our Earth and how we are treating this special place.  

I took this photo from Chihuly's Float Boat, which is part of Chihuly's: The Nature of Glass currently installed at the Desert Botanical gardens. 

The photo made me think about planet Earth so it became a perfect photo to use for Earth Day.  Do something green today!

The Moon

"The Moon" by Chihuly stands out at night and really does look other wordly.  

This particular art was very tough to photograph.  I tried many photos both day and night until I finally got this one.  

The Moon looks much more magical at night than in the daytime. In fact, this particular glass art exhibit does not look anything like this photo in the daytime. I will post a day time photo in the future so you can compare.  

Chihuly's Sun is dazzling in this exhibition and the Moon balances the installation quite nicely. For some more Chihuly eye candy and to see Chihuly's Sun, just select Chihuly under Labels. Also, don't forget tomorrow is Earth Day!

Desert Lookout

This is a photo of the desert look out at Taliesin West, one of Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural masterpieces.  

I love this lookout. I can imagine the beautiful vistas that Frank and Olgivanna Wright must have enjoyed over the years. They would have been able to watch the glorious monsoons roll in and they drank from the colorful red sunsets blazing in the sky. The views from this 600 acre desert camp are awesome and especially starting in 1937.

You can see the Asian art pieces installed at the base of the walkway to the lookout.  The angles and desert masonry are pleasing to the eye.  I am sorry the day that I was photographing Taliesin West, I had an overcast day.  I will try and get back there for a sunset some day.

To schedule a public tour or for more information, click Taliesin West.

Asian Art and Taliesin West

This photo at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West shows Asian art installed into the desert masonry wall. You also can see the interesting door leading into a room. The entrances and walkways leading to doors to enter various rooms at Taliesin West are quite intriguing.

Frank Lloyd Wright had numerous Asian art pieces integrated into Taliesin West. Some were broken during shipping and he and his architectural students found wonderful ways to use the broken pieces when constructing or reconstructing areas of the desert camp.

Taliesin West is recognized as one of Wright's greatest achievements and one of the world's great architectural masterpieces. In 1956, an Architectural Record survey named Taliesin West as one of the fifty most significant works of architecture designed over the preceding 100 years. 

  

A 1991 Architectural Record survey identified Taliesin West as the 25th of the 100 most significant works of architecture in the world in the preceding 100 years.  Taliesin West is located at 12621 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard.  For more information, click Taliesin West.

Moon Gate

When sitting in the Garden Room shown in yesterday's photo, you look out to Moon Gate and a wonderfully intimate garden. This area was part of Frank Lloyd Wright's private living quarters at Taliesin West.

In selecting this 600 acre desert campsite, Wright's wife, Olgivanna, wrote in her unpublished autobiography that "In 1937, we heard of land to the northeast --beyond the barely existent town of Scottsdale.  Frank and I drove out there to explore the site.  It was very wild, there were no trails, our feet full of cactus, and we were always stopping every few minutes. 

The desert at first appeared to me too bare, too abstract, after coming from Wisconsin.  But then it had a magnetic power that overcomes you, and it overcame Frank.  He said 'we have got to build here, this is pure abstraction wherever you look.'   

At the base of the majestic McDowell Mountains, this site commanded a view of the entire Valley of the Sun --from Four Peaks and the Superstition Mountains in the east to the mountains in the west.  Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Paradise Valley all lay before us, although so remote and little developed at the time that we could see no buildings. Prominent in our view was the distinctive form of Camelback Mountain.

And so we went back to Phoenix and made arrangements to purchase the land.  As soon as the fellowship arrived from Wisconsin, we took our group of some twenty-five apprentices and headed for the site to build our life there.  The first task was to build a road up to the site from the valley below. And when the road was barely laid out, scarcely even discernable, Frank said 'Olgivanna, let's get in the car and drive up to the site, we will be the first to drive on our own road.'

Our young people shook their heads. No one in what is called a 'sane' mind would try to drive over that road which precariously skirted deep washes and was filled with large rocks. But now --used to everything, I was at the wheel. When I approached one especially hazardous washout, I asked, 'Do you think we should do this before more work is finished on the road?' 'Drive on,' he said, irritated by my lack of faith. I drove with my heart leaning all the way to the left when I thought the car would turn over on that side and then my heart jumped all the way to the right as we barely missed another dangerous incline.  

But we came to the site: we were the first.  He, victorious; I, exhausted from my doubts. 'We must strengthen the spiritual muscle, ' he reiterated. "    

Mr. Wright passed away in 1959, and Mrs. Wright lived on the property until she passed away in 1985.  

Seating and Organic Architecture

This photo gives you a feel for Frank Lloyd Wright's style and vision of integrating his furniture into a room he built at Taliesin West.  

He built the seating right into the desert masonry wall of the Garden Room. He liked using vibrant colors.

To keep with his tent-like structure he had initially envisioned for the 600 acre desert camp, he used white canvas stretched over redwood frames, which provides for natural lighting and shade.  It has a very nice effect, but is difficult to maintain in the summer with the hot desert sun. 

Taliesin West has been named one of the "Twenty-five Most Visited Historic House Museums in the United States" on the annual list published in the Almanac of Architecture & Design magazine. For more information or public tours, click Taliesin West. 

 

Taliesin West

Frank Lloyd Wright built a 600 acre desert camp in north Scottsdale in 1937 and he called it Taliesin West. Taliesin West is Welsh and means "shining brow."

Over the next five days I am going to take you on a tour of part of Taliesin West. It is a truly amazing place to visit and a must see for visitors. There are several public tour options.  Just look at the stone work and angles in this photo.  

Today, Taliesin West is the home of The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which he established in 1940. The Foundation continues to preserve Frank Lloyd Wright's legacy and still has architectural students come and live on the property to experiment with design ideas, the same way Frank Lloyd wright did at this desert camp.  He tested lots of designs and materials at Taliesin West.   For tours and information,  click Taliesin West. 

Southwest Door in Old Town Scottsdale

I was walking the streets of Old Town Scottsdale and I saw this door right next to the Mission restaurant and it was gorgeous.  The southwestern detail and wood carvings are wonderful.  I take a lot of photographs of architectural details in whatever country I happen to be traveling.

I particularly enjoy doors and windows with character. They can evoke a different era and ambiance.

I have passed by this location so many times for so many years and never saw this door until I was walking to my car from the Mission restaurant. A close up of the door is below.

It is remarkable how we see things differently when driving in the car as compared to walking on the street, where we really see all of the details of where we are and what is before us.  

Check out the other participants for Arizona theme day.

Phoenix Daily Photo

Chandler Daily Photo

Flagstaff Daily Photo

Prescott Daily Photo

Tempe Daily Photo

Scottsdale Daily Photo

Chandler Daily Photo

Green and Blue Ferns

A curlicue fern tip from Chihuly.  This macro is from the Chihuly installation called "Green and Blue Ferns" at the Desert Botanical Gardens.  

We all love the Chihuly glass interspersed with the cactus!   If you want to see more Chihuly, just select Chihuly below under Labels and you can enjoy a visual feast for your eyes.

Mirrored Mexican Horns

Now you can see more of the glass art piece by Chihuly from which the close-up of yesterday's photo was taken. 

This installation is called "Mirrored Mexican Horns."  The glass art is interspersed rather nicely among the prickly pear and surrounding cactus.

The translucent pink glass seems to be reaching for sunshine, just like cactus do.  Chihuly captured this attribute of cactus (i.e., always growing and moving towards the sunlight) very well.

  

Pink Mirrored Mexican Horns

Such beautiful translucent pink glass art work nestled in the cactus at the Desert Botanical Garden.  

This photo is a part of "Mirrored Mexican Horns," by Chihuly in The Nature of Glass, which ends on May 31, 2009.  I have taken lots of photos so Chihuly will live on for many more months on my site.

Tomorrow I will show you the full photo of this particular exhibit. Happy Easter!  

The Spring Bee

Here is an insect we all want to see to make sure we have a colorful Spring with as many blossoming flowers as possible. 

As you can see, he was posing for this photo and then he smiled for the camera.  

Taking photos of bees is never easy and you do not want to get stung!

The Kiva and Harpist at El Pedegral

The harpist is making melodies on a nice sunny day on the Courtyard Stage at El Pedegral. The design of the Courtyard Stage looks like a kiva. 

Note the painted wood poles that are holding up the yellow sunshades.  The kiva-style structure does provide shade and is definitely an interesting and colorful style.  We are always designing shade into our lives when we live in the desert.

It is nice to have the ancient boulders in the background as you enjoy the ambiance of the afternoon. The water cascades down towards the stage. The flowers are fresh and add a splash of color. 

  
El Pedegral is like a park, but it is an artsy outdoor shopping center.

El Pedegral is located at the southeast corner of Scottsdale Road and the Carefree Highway in Scottsdale and it is situated among the beautiful Sonoran Desert.

El Pedegral

El Pedegral is a distinctive Scottsdale shopping area.  It is located near the Boulders Resort & Spa, the Heard Museum North, and Carefree.  

El Pedegral has a unique southwestern and Moroccan-inspired architectural style.  It is situated among 12 million year old boulders.

Live music is regularly played at the Courtyard stage.  There are restaurants and interesting shops.

For more information, click El Pedegral.

Crested Saguaro with Bird Nests

This is a very unique crested Saguaro cactus that has many bird holes burrowed into it.  

Saguaro cacti are home to many critters and the bird nests, surprisingly, do not harm the Saguaro. Cactus Wrens and Gila Woodpeckers often make their home in Saguaros.

I used the term crested but the term used to describe the undulating folds in the cactus instead of the typical arms being produced is Fasciation. Fasciation is caused by mutation of cells, infection or chemical or mechanical damage to a plant.  In some plants it is an inherited trait.  Seeing these crested saguaros is rare. 

Compare today's photo with the photo of a normal Saguaro, which I previously posted.

Spheres in the Desert

It looks like a path of spheres in the desert leading you and inviting you to walk along to explore what nature and artists have to offer.

This is another Chihuly: The Nature of Glass installation at the Desert Botanical Garden.  This is part of the the "Float Boat" glass art exhibit. The glass spheres are so colorful and each one is distinctive. 

SkySong

SkySong Arizona State University Innovation Center is located at Scottsdale and McDowell Roads in Scottsdale.  

I love the shade structures on this building.  The design looks like we are in Alice in Wonderland. 

SkySong is a catalyst for research and technology.  It is a mixed use project consisting of 1.2 million square feet of research, office, hotel and a convention center when it is fully built out. This location used to be Los Arcos shopping mall so this is a great re-use of the land.    

For more information, click SkySong

or check out ASU SkySong.

Crazy 88 Butterfly

The Spring Butterfly Exhibit at the Desert Botanical Gardens runs through May 31.  

I really like this photo so I decided to share it to commemorate the mariposas at the Butterfly Pavilion.  We can never get enough of these beautiful creatures.

For more information about the Spring Butterfly Exhibit, click Butterflies at Desert Botanical Garden.  

Kosharis and Kachinas

Today is the 8th Annual Katsina Doll Marketplace at the Heard Museum, where more than 100 Hopi katsina wood doll carvers will gather to show and sell their Native American art.  

The photo is of a Koshari or clown kachina doll.  I love kosharis and I am lucky to have several in my home to enjoy. Kosharis are the playful clowns who are always getting into mischief, but they have such personality.  

We sometimes go to the Hopi tribal lands and visit the wood carvers in their homes and buy from them directly.  We love to go to Indian country.  Oraibi is the oldest place of continuous human habitation in the United States.  It is a very special place. Visitors to Hopi lands are welcome at Walpi, where they will give you a walking tour and introduction to the Hopi Culture.    

The event will take place from 10 am to 4 pm today.  

For more information, click Katsina Wood Doll Carvers.

Nature's Color Symmetry

The Spring Butterfly Exhibit returns to the Desert Botanical Gardens at the Marshall Butterfly Pavilion. The colorful insects will roam free in the pavilion until May 31, 2009.  

This is one of my favorite butterfly photos.  I love the color and the background.  Mariposas are so beautiful.  It is unfortunate that they have such short lives.

For more information about the Butterfly Exhibit, click Butterflies at Desert Botanical Garden.

Saffron Tower II

This is a daytime photo of the Saffron Tower photo I showed yesterday for theme day.  Chihuly's Saffron Tower is set among the cactus at the Desert Botanical Gardens and it is directly in front of the Papago Park Mountains.

These mountains are wonderful to hike on, including my favorite hike to "Hole in the Rock." The Hohokam Indians used the Hole in the Rock to track the summer and winter solstices.  

The mountains consist of sandstone that dates from 6 to 15 million years ago.  They have great red color and this art goes perfectly in these surroundings.  

Chihuly's Saffron Tower

Chihuly's Saffron Tower at night makes a good image for the theme day of yellow.  All of those squiggly lines of yellow are actually glass art.  

Chihuly's: The Nature of Glass Installation is at the Desert Botanical Gardens and runs through May. Happy Yellow Theme Day!

Please check out the other theme day participants from City Daily Photo.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants