ART PRIZE IN GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

It’s time for Art Prize.  This past week some 1,582 works of art went on display in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  This work of art is Mantis Dreaming by Bill Secunda, of Butler, PA.  It is a sculpture of a preying mantis with a butterfly on his claw and is made from discarded metal, with the majority being from an old railroad car tanker.  It weighs 3,000 lbs and is 20 feet tall.

Ocean Exodus is by Paul Baliker, of Palm Coast, Fl.  Baliker was inspired by his passion for nature.  The wood and bronze sculpture depicts various ocean life forms.  Note the tear from the octopus’s eye. (Click on the picture for a closer view.)

The Tempest II is by Laura Alexander of Columbus, OH.  This labor-intensive work of art is stunning.  It took over 300 hours to complete.  It is 8 ft high and has about five different layers of paper.  The top layer itself took about 120 hours to finish. It is all cut by the artist with an Xacto knife. She used over 400 blades.  

I don’t know who made this but I had to take a picture of it because it is made up of knitted one inch squares.  Wow!

I don’t have the details on this either, but I love this “old car.”  What really got me though were the patch of yellow flowers.  I was concentrating on the works of art and didn’t realize the flowers weren’t real.

I want some of these flowers for my yard.  They are made of old water bottles.  See the bottom of the bottle in the center.  

These Grizzlies are chainsaw carvings and are at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.  They are by Llew (Doc) Tilma, of Wayland, MI.  One of bears stands 10' tall at the bottom of the fountain pool, with a trout draped in its mouth.

– This huge flag represents the 43 us states and the 39 foreign countries where the participating artists are from.  These artists are competing for nearly $450,000 in prize money.   This event is so large you cannot possibly see it all in one day.  Last year the event drew as many as 400,000 to the area. 

I guess I was wrong about this flag.  This 100 by 60 foot flag features 247 national flags.  The other statistics about Art Prize were correct.     

♥

Stay calm! Stay kind! Stay Positive!

Caroll