Public Art

I just came home from a great visit with my parents and sibs.  Traveled with the BestLoved First Daughter and her kiddlet.   Mom and Dad have lived in Olympia, WA  for nearly two decades but before that they've been pretty nomadic and have somehow encouraged their children to roam the world (or at least the USA). This was the first time in 17 years they have had all 7 of their children together at once.  We ate, painted Dad's garage (he's 80 and built a proper building all by himself including building a homemade crane to lift his self built trusses), taught baby Simon to roll over, ate, slept very little, visited the farmers market and generally enjoyed the fellowship.

I love flying into SeaTac Airport because they have public art installations - some have been there and loved by me for years.  It's really worth it to down load their brochure "Art in the Airport" to locate what's there.  My favorite piece is an installation titled "Flying Fish" in terrazzo stream by husband wife team Judith and Daniel Caldwell.

The floor of Concourse B is cream colored terrazzo (a cement with stone flecks) with grey and blue flecks.  The flecks in the terrazzo make a meandering path that resembles a stream and  embedded in the "stream" are flat, carved bronze leaves and fish.  People have been walking on it since the floor was built and it still delights me.  When we pointed it out to the BestLoved Kiddlet she happily skipped the entire length of the concourse, weaving side to side to stay on the stream.  Together we looked a some of the bronzes more closely.  There are salmon of all kinds, big fish, little fish, some eel like fish and beautiful leaves.  For the first time I saw a fish holding a suitcase and a fish who's fins are arranged so it looks like a flying plane.

It was pure magic to share it with the kiddlet.