Sunday, June 2, 2013

An Orange is Orange is an Orange Show - Smither Park

An Orange is Orange is an Orange Show -
Smither Park where green is Green


stumbled into Smither Park first off
after waiting for The Orange Show/House to open up for the day
am totally mesmerized by the walls, the art walls, all of them, every bit of them, done or undone
sucked in, find myself taking a lot of photos
see seashells all over & think I should donate 'all' my shells, the whole collection, to this project
I've lived in Florida & visited a lot of beaches, I have a lot of seashells
signed the guest book, left my e-mail, asked if they wanted any more shells, have bunches
I don't live in Houston, TX right now - but did - so can't just show up any/every Saturday while they're said to be working on these walls, have to do what I can long distance or when I visit town


I have forever been in love with Art Cars, but have never made it to 'the' Art Car Parade
again this year I missed it by days
there are no Art Cars here at The Orange Show, nor at Smither Park
but they organize the thing
am told they have been donated 2 ambulances, so they'll be decorated at some point & we'll see those in an upcoming Art Car Parade


for a short time I owned a Honda Element, green one
which I covered the whole back end in magnets
I'd take stickers or postcards or whatever & stick them on magnet sheets that I stuck on the metal of the rear end of the Element
until one day, we had to wash it to give it away & it all had to be taken off
thankfully there are photos
even a tourist at the bread/coffee shop at the time was found taking photos of it
(so who's to say who else may have snapped a quick pic while it was parked somewheres?!)
one day I will own another old/used car that I can again cover the rear end & perhaps the whole thing in magnets (or glue/weld who knows what objects upon it's whole exterior...interior...who's to say)


grew up in Florida so I know a lot about Oranges
am ever curious, as to how this man became obsessed with Oranges
tho I was happy to see he did not paint everything Orange
nor did he cover the place in fake Oranges either


the man who created this Orange House, this The Orange Show
was not a Southern man, but he ended up in Texas
and at some point fell in love with Oranges
and I'd say Folk Art, but am sure he didn't think of it as that
someone just told me it's now called Outside Art
(as in outside the field of regular art - fine art or contemporary art, or so I'm guessing)


he's written a little book, which I will get am hoping (fingers crossed) in the mail soon
called something like How to Get to 100 & Still Be Spry...
which you then know he's a really old guy because who says 'spry' anymore
(how many will even know what that means, won't have to Google it, look it up in the dictionary...
sometimes it's sad to know words are gone, they once were but no more...sigh...)


I'll have to send this little book to my Father in Law who was also a Mail Carrier
and he's in his 80's now - so maybe he'll be inspired not just to be Spry again but to Create
doesn't have to be an Orange Show/House but something



am told there are concerts in his little outside stage or his side stage
know I will return, if nothing else to find out what progress is going on in Smithers Park
or to join in (when I can--perhaps I'll move back one day, then I'll be closer to do so on w/e's)
since I have fallen in love with the art walls there
and there is, from the drawings on the webpage/billboard, still a lot more to come...
not just walls but swings, tunnels, an amphitheater, ??

on with the show
it's a Circus out there
an Art Circus
and I can't wait to go back


link to The Orange Show - Houston, TX...
http://orangeshow.org/
(note: home to the Orange House, the Beer Can House, the Art Car headquarters - from where the Art Car Parade begins & Smither Park...as well as an Orange Show Bus, soon to be out & about at schools nearby...)


link to Smither Park Newsletter - Fall/Winter 2012...
http://issuu.com/orangeshow/docs/fallwinter_2012_smither_park_newsletter/1?e=5899733/1079240


link to The Orange Show Wikipedia...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Orange_Show



link to the Art Car Museum...
http://www.artcarmuseum.com/
(note: it's up in the Heights, will find that museum another trip to Houston...go here, to this link, check out the photo gallery...love the seashell art car, to start...or the Derby Racer--which looks like maybe you could copy it by using a lot of Mardi Gras Beads...hmm...we do have a lot of those in Louisiana--but then I'm sure there's already a Mardi Gras Bead Art Car roaming the streets somewheres for sure...)












The Orange Show/House
passing by on the way to Smither's Park
down the street
but I'll be back to go inside (see below)












in the beginning
hummingbirds





































the beginning of the walls
there are numbers
and supposedly, am told, on the back of the billboard out front
there are numbers & artists names after them for each section

after hummingbirds--this head dressed Koala bear
type guy with the Nautilus shell nose that I love right away
many of the creations are still a work in progress,
you can see, some you can guess, others you'll have to wait to see...



















reminds me of Easter Island
only with a hat on
and a cup of coffee in his hand











closer view of said coffee in his hand


















end of wall section one











and the backside of the first wall section corner



















dragonflies I love




















down at the bottom corner, catches my eye...
mostache man
these are as of now very popular











closer view of the 'stache


















Octopus 'n friends
in an undersea mushroom garden




































end of wall section two
poor wee bee bear seems to be getting a Octopus hug
or is that wrestling choke hold


















Uh Oh...reminds me of Lil' Shop of Horrors
what with those big teeth
(but we shall have to wait to see when this section is finished)




















owl in the moon
have at least one friend who adores owls
as I adore dragonflies











lounge lizard comes to mind
as he's playing the jazz on the piano would guess
also big lizards remind me of Gaudi's Park in Spain



















angry face, wicked witchy of the west face or ??
love 'dem big red lips
and who's dat in the corner of her mouth
(a scrubbing bubble or a birdie or ??)
Oh my the imagination runeth wild here...












meow
love the wispy metal strands for kitty whiskers











is he a cracker jack or a chef boyardee
no matter, it's beside him that caught my eye
"Fifty Shades of I Don't Give a Shi**"
(where of where did they find that current hype coffee mug?!)




























another big meow
love those glow in the dark eyes











Octopus...or Octopusie
(this image I think they've used on their webpage...
can wonder why, is it that popular now with Steampunk fashion/jewelry/images or after Soccer/Football Team Winning Picks by a certain Octopus in a Zoo - was that in Berlin - or ??)











FAB bird...


















with tentacle feathers--maybe, maybe not
it's all under the sea, up in the air...


















blue plate special
plate flowers
especial adore the black & white kitty kat korner


















horn section
the only such section
antlers archway
to ??
(again we'll have to wait 'n see)


















more under construction
love under the wire see plastic bottle & bags
so they're recycling or is this upcycling


















tire swing in the tree below
and above...











in the tree, on a branch, a red bird











meow
I see a red cat
there once was a blue dog (think Louisiana y'all)
then all of a sudden, way back when, there came a red cat
(but sorry to say to this day it's the blue dog's ruled over the red cat)




















look down, look up, look all around
meow
gone fishing


















below an angel
her wings of keys
the key to heaven (on earth)


















more Lil' Shop of Horrors
that big red closed flower bud looks
mighty suspicious to me


















fishie
splash
a tuna of the sea

a bit of meditation going on
om


















is she dancing
is she a red head
is she swimming under the sea
is she or isn't she
but beside her above the cracked wall
may or may not hold the key
(if we read the words, read the signs)



















she's dreaming--Dream Big
Yes, I see too that many folks have...here, today, alone...


















spaceship taking off
well I dreamed I saw the silver space ship
flying in the yellow haze of the sun...
(that's some of the words come to mind from After The Gold Rush)
an end to a wall section, but now I've lost count?!











on a boat to...
mermaid at the helm
(they're in good hands...and a tail?!"












tree of life


















flowers
of ceramic flowers
and seashells












and spoons
(I want to make these, since I have a lot of the same shells)
blue bird of happiness teapot, out on a limb











not just a bull, I'm guessing
as the dual fish are beside
so I would guess Taurus the Bull
and Pisces the Fish
(I'm a Pisces so I get that from every 2 fish I see)



































closer & closer to these two
Pisces Fish
until you see...











their colors, their scales, are brightly colored...
pots at the end of the rainbow--nail polish pots
(love it, so many folks never use a whole bottle,
or hate a color, then toss it, so what better way
to recycle than for Fishy Scales for Pisces Fishes?!)











a view of the wall sections from the road
with all the park left in front, the grass section,
to yet become...











Smither Park billboard sign front



































behind
the 2 sheets of  numbers & artists (so far)












artist
architect
builder











view from the beginning
looking down to the far end
the yellow sand pile on the side
I'm guessing is for making plaster to make the forms
on the cement cinder block wall sections













































behind the wall sections
the wire fence, the vines, the pallet park

so ends Smithers Park
with the Pallet Park behind the fence behind Smithers Park

it's a FAB backdrop
one day maybe they can incorporate pallets as well
if nothing else you cannot see the highway or
urban decay skyline behind the Pallet Park
so that in itself is a good thing

(note: for now the end - next up The Orange Show...
inside & out...photos to be posted shortly...)


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