Photo: Theme Day: "Worker" -- Jose Orozco

Today's worldwide City Daily Photo Theme is "Worker."  I chose this street art mural of Jose Orozco behind the Bario Cafe in central Phoenix.

You might be asking yourself how this ties in with the theme of "worker."  Along with Diego Rivera, Orozco was one of the great Mexican muralist painters, and one of their recurrent themes was the life of Mexican workers and peasants.

I remember being quite surprised by the murals of Rivera in the Mexican Parliament building.   They promote the role of workers and contain scenes highly critical of government and the church.  They are far more political and ideological than would ever be allowed in the U.S. Capitol.

This week we are showing photos of a festival in Punahka, Bhutan, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

To see how other City Daily Photo bloggers have interpreted the theme of "worker," please use this link.

Photo: Buddha Shadow on Front Door

I noticed the other day that the setting sun casts a shadow onto the inside of our front door of a Buddha statue in our entrance hall.

Maybe the peace of this scene will help people relax during this Labor Day weekend.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of the people, culture and countryside of Ethiopia.

Photo: Pony Express Statue

This statue is a tribute to the Pony Express riders who delivered mail across the West before the construction of the railroads.

This statue is in front of the pedestrian bridge across the canal at the Scottsdale Waterfront.

There was a street fair going on at the time of this photo, which is why there are white tents in the background.

This week we have photos of the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Hopi Corn Kachinas

Last evening our art group met at the house of great friends of ours.  They have some magnificent Native American art.  This is an iPhone photo of a row of Hopi corn Kachinas.  If you click on the photo it will enlarge.

This week we have photos of the architecture of Portugal posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Barrio Queen

Bario Queen is a fairly new restaurant in the Scottsdale Waterfront Project.  It is owned by the same chef who owns the wildly popular but very small Barrio Cafe in Phoenix, which now also has a branch inside Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

This is an iPhone photo of a painting that shows the logo of Barrio Queen.  As its name implies, it is a Mexican Restaurant, as is also evident from the logo.  This looks like a dis de los muertos tribute to a deceased ancestor who apparently liked to exercise Second Amendment rights.

This week we have photos of the Galapagos Islands posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo:Bear Tracker Statue by Dave McGary at Paradise Valley Town Hall

About a week ago I posted a photo of a triangular sculpture outside the Paradise Valley Town Hall for the April 1 Theme Day of Triangles.  Today's photo is another one of the sculptures in front of the town hall.

This is "Bear Tracker" buy Dave McGary.  Sadly, Mr. McGary passed away last year, a the age of 55.  He was a leading sculptor of Native American realism.  He lived in Paradise Valley, with a gallery in the Scottsdale Old Town gallery district.

Here is a link to the artist's website for more information and photos of his work.

This week we have photos of the Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Joshua Tree and Triangular Public Art at Paradise Valley Town Hall

Yesterday for the "triangles" Theme Day I showed  a piece of public art at the Paradise Valley Town Hall.  This is a Joshua tree outside the Town Hall.  If you look closely, you can see the tip of another one of the triangular sculptures like I showed yesterday, right in the middle of the photo behind the Joshua tree.

This week we are showing photos of the Sydney Opera House  on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Theme Day "Triangles" in Public Art at Paradise Valley Town Hall

The worldwide City Daily Photo theme for April 1 is "triangles."  The town hall of Paradise Valley has about 5 of this triangular metal sculptures on its grounds.

Cut out into the metal are the shapes of Native American and Southwestern motifs.  There was a little stand next to one of the sculptures that I presume had the name of the artist, but the sign had fallen off.

Dave and I actually live in Paradise Valley, a suburb of 14,000 residents between Phoenix and Scottsdale.  Our next door neighbor's yard is the dividing line between Scottsdale and Paradise Valley.

Paradise Valley has no commercial establishments except about 5 resorts, one pet resort, one home design gallery, and one medical office complex occupied primarily by cosmetic surgeons.

This week we are showing photos of the Sydney Opera House  on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

To see how other City Daily Photo blogers have interpreted the theme of "triangles," click on this link.

Photo: Native American Statue at The Center for Well Being

The spa at the Phoenecian Resort is called the Center for Well Being  At the entrance to it is this sculpture of a Native American.

The Phoenecian Resort is located only a few blocks from our house.  My mother usually gies us a gift certificate at at Christmas so we can go there for a spa day.

Years ago there was an article in the newspaper about the art collection at the Phoenecian Resort.  The County tax assessor did not receive a response to a letter requesting an appraisal of their art for person property tax purposes.  So, the County just used the number that the resort advertised in their promotional materials as the value of the art on the property.

After the tax assessor sent the new tax bill, that go the resort's attention and resulted in an appraisal that was a fraction of the bragging in the marketing materials.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of Dublin, Ireland in part to commemorate that tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day.

Photo: Orpheum Theater Stage

Last weekend we saw a performance at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Phoenix.  It was renovated about 25 years ago to be a venue for  live performing arts, after decades of neglect.

It was built during the late 1920's in the era of "movie palaces" and it has a very ornate interior, as shown by this view of the stage.  Astonishingly, when the theater was used to show Spanish language movies in the 1960's and 1970's, the owners painted the interior moulding black because they thought the ornate decor detracted from the movies.

The lighting was designed to simulate the night sky on the ceiling. Tomorrow I will show who the performer was.  Well, sort of.

This week we are showing photos from our recent trip to the Galapagos Islands on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Theme Day: Looking Out

Today's theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Looking Out."  This mural of Diego Rivera seems to capture him looking out.

Diego Rivera was a a great artist, and is particularly well known for his monumental murals, so it is fitting that he is portrayed on a large mural on the back of a building that houses the Bario Cafe, a leading Mexican restaurant.

I remember seeing Rivera's murals in the building that houses the Mexican Legislature in Mexico City.  The murals are very ideological, supporting the cause of workers, and showing corruption on the part of government, capitalists and the Church.  I am sure such paintings would never be allowed in public buildings in the USA.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of the people of Ethiopia.

To see how other City Daily Photo blogers have interpreted the theme of "Looking Out," please use this link.

Photo: Frida Kahlo Mural

This face is one of the most recognizable and reproduced in the world of art.  Frida Kahlo fascinates people not only her artistic talent, but her tragic and amazing life story.

She had polio as a child, and was the victim of a horrible street car accident as a teenager which caused her pain and difficulties throughout her life, despite 35 operations.  Her long convalescence is what led her to painting.

She was twice married to the leading Mexican artist of the time, Diego Rivera. but their marriages were troubled.  Both had affairs, and hers were with such distinguished people as Josephine Baker and Leon Trotsky.

This painting is on the back of the building that contains the Bario Cafe in central Phoenix.  Tomorrow I will show what she is looking at, besides the hummingbird and flower immediately beside her
This week we are showing photos of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Plein Air Painting at the Desert Botanical Garden

This is not an appeal for sympathy, but it is a good thing that Dave took this photo before I started my pastel.  You can imagine how difficult it would be to try to paint the dense canopy of the trees, with the desert underbrush, filtered by an explosion of dappled light.

I don't think Monet's lilly pads or wheat fields, or the facade of the Rouen Cathedral, presented such a challenge.

I learned a lot from this lesson.  I especially learned that the prerequisites to success are:  an idea, creativity, observation, time, materials, and, most importantly, talent.

Our teacher, Judith Spitz, is both an excellent teacher and a very talented artist, as is evident from her website.

This week we have photos of the Wadi Rum Desert of Jordan posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Plein Air Painting Class at the Desert Botanical Garden

The weekend before last Dave and I took a Plein Air Painting class at the Desert Botanical Garden.  It was a lot of fun and we learned a lot.

This was the first time we have tried to do art outdoors.  It was the first time I tried doing a pastel painting, and the first time Dave has painted with oil paints.  We figured we would try something new while we had the benefit of an instructor.

After the class found a spot in the garden to set up our easels to paint, Dave took this quick iPhone photo to show the scene.  You may notice that the experienced artists had already started.  Me?  I am in the back and still have my sketch pad in hand.

Our instructor, Judith Spitz, is an excellent teacher, and a very talented artist, as her website demonstrates.

This week we have photos of the Wadi Rum Desert of Jordan posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: What a Sports Coat!

Take a look at this sports jacket on the man sitting in front of us at the Valley Broadway Series.  I don't know how many places there are that one would wear this sports jacket. Certainly not to the office for work.

My mother, Sharon, and we have season tickets for the Valley Broadway Series, which features the touring Broadway shows.  On Sunday evening, while waiting for the show Priscilla to start, Dave took this quick iPhone photo.  It was one of those instances of taking a photo that otherwise would not have been taken if not for this Daily Photo site.

Sadly, I had to make a quick business trip to Washington, D.C. on Sunday and Monday, so I missed the show, but Dave and Sharon decided to coordinate posts today to show the fashions worn by two of the members of the audience.  Check out Sharon's Phoenix Daily Photo post at this link.   She got a quick photo of a woman in the lobby before the show.

The first song and dance number of the show, Priscilla, right after intermission featured about a dozen members of the audience who the show selected at intermission.  They gave them quick instruction and guidance during the number and all of them were wonderful sports and performed well.   The man in this photo and the woman in Sharon's photo were both selected to join in the performance.

This week we have photos of an old cemetery and medieval ruin on the Hill of Slane, Ireland, posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: The Mystical Waters of Sonoma Coast

Here is a magical photo that Dave Selden of www.costaricadailyphoto.com took while on the rugged but beautiful Sonoma Coast in Calfornia.

This photo was taken with a neutral density filter with a long exposure.

Dave took this photo on  a photography tour last year with Justin Black of Visionary Wild and Jerry Doodril. Both were great photo instructors.

Have a happy Monday!

We have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of the Spanish colonial architecture of Grenada, Nicaragua.

Photo: When is Your Next Vacation?

The summer vacation season is drawing to a close, and I hope you have enjoyed your summer vacation.

To illustrate the return from vacation, this is a photo of an art installation ih a rotunda in the airport in Santiago, Chile.   It is a tower of suitcases and row of suitcases on the floor.

Maybe this is what happens to luggage that the airlines lose.  The lost suitcases become object for art in Chile.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of the Spanish colonial architecture of Grenada, Nicaragua.

Photo: Water Mark Horse Statue Spouting Storm Water Runoff

Here is a closer view of one of the Water Mark horse statues with storm water runoff streaming through its mouth.  These are like giant aluminum gargoyles.

As the clouds in the background show, we went out to see if there was water running through the horses soon after the storm ended.

This week we are showing photos Cabra Castle, northwest of Dublin, Ireland, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  It is a castle hotel that is a delightful place to stay.

Photo: Water Mark Horse Sculptures Spouting Water

Here is a closer view of the Water Mark Horse Statues in Indian Bend Wash.  It is a good thing that we got this photo when we did, just after the rain storm ended last Sunday.  About 10 minutes later the spot from which this photo was taken was covered with rushing storm water being carried down Indian Bend Wash.

This week we are showing photos of Paris on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, including photos of several of its museums.

Photo: Water Mark Horse Statues, with flowing water

The Water Mark horse statues in Indian Bend wash are an acclaimed public art project that adds visual appeal to what would otherwise be a plain water drainage area.

We had a rare thunderstorm last Sunday afternoon, so we went out to check the statues to see if they had water.  Indeed they did.  This is the first time we have seen them with water coming out of their mouths.

This week we are showing photos of Paris on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, including photos of several of its museums.