My friend Bev’s house in Alabama is truly one of my happy places. I absolutely adore floating in a pool, and hers is perfection. I can easily choose to stay in the shade … or paddle into the sun to get a tiny bit of tan on those super-white legs.
This year we started a little differently by having a little adventure in Birmingham before heading to her house.
We started at the Birmingham Museum of Art, which was a total treat. It’s free (love that) and filled with all types of art, including a lovely shaded outdoor sculpture garden.
There were so many amazing pieces, it was hard to pick favorites, but here are a few.
The contemporary arts section was strong. Quilt (Imagination at Midnight) by Murray Berry Johnston was gorgeous. The quilting of this piece was so unique and detailed, and I loved the colors.
I also really liked Unfit Frame (2016) by artist Titus Kaphar. The artwork critically recontextualizes 18th-century British portraiture to highlight the untold stories of enslaved people in the colonies.
The detail on this Japanese “100 Faces” (Hyakumen) carved ivory covered box, dating back to the Meiji Period (1868–1912) was so lovely.
And I was so thrilled to find my first Little Red Print Shop … I got four of the prints to take home with me.
We had lunch at the Museum Cafe, and then we hit some book stores and art stores before heading to Bev’s house. Her daughters joined us for the adventures, which made it super special.
I’ll be sharing lots of our art making in upcoming posts, but it was so relaxing to just try new things and create for the fun of creating.
For this one we tried the Uniball Air pen, which reacts with water and paints (look at that serious artsy focus … and my amazing Mo Willems Shirt). Thanks to Lesley Iverson (aka @paintbyles) for the inspiration to try our pens.
I also had lots of kitty love, which was another treat.
Now excuse me while I take my mind back to floating in the pool.
