ZAGAR’S MAGIC GARDEN

A week ago Sunday was a perfectly gorgeous day and I was eager to take a long walk with my camera. I was in search of some graffiti and other street art. Instead of finding graffiti I found a enclave of beauty, art and magic. I am still reeling from my discovery and have been left to wonder why it took me so long to find a treasure like this in the city I have lived in for 7 years. I feel like I was the last person in Philadelphia to know about it.

Certainly, I had seen Isaiah Zagar’s mosaics around town and have admired them and photographed them for quite awhile. There are many buildings in Philadelphia covered with Isaiah’s tiles. The Painted Bride on Vine Street between 2nd and 3rd St. is a masterpiece that I have photographed often and never tire of seeing. But let me tell you, finding the Magic Garden and wandering through its labyrinth of tiles, bicycle wheels, pottery shards, bottles, and other decorative ephemera was mind-boggling. Imagine what it would be like to actually walk into a kaleidoscope of sparking colored glass or pirate’s cave encrusted with treasures of incredible wealth. Well, it is better than either of those things…

It is pure magic! It is a wonderland of decorative whimsy. I wanted to stay there as long as possible to soak up joyful dazzle of the place. Such creative good energy! It was tinkling, jingling, buzzing and humming with beauty, peace, love and ecstatic exuberance. Isaiah’s Magic Garden is a delicious dream of what life could be like if we all embraced art, beauty and joy as our natural birthright.

I took over a hundred photos and would like to share just a few of the better ones with you. You can check my Flickr site to see more of the Magic Garden photos. I suggest you look at them in their largest size to get the full impact of the complexity of the mosaics and all the decorative details. Quite honestly, the photos do not give justice to the Magic Garden. You do not get a sense of the complexity and beauty of the place. It really must be experienced to get the full magical impact. If you are planning to visit Philadelphia, make certain you get to see this amazing place. It is only open on weekends, but I think you can call for an appointment. Check out the Magic Garden website for more information.

Content and photos copyright 2007 Janet Towbin.

QUIRKY REFLECTIONS

I decided to rename my blog Quirky Reflections because I think it more accurately describes what I want it to be. I want my blog to be an artistic journal looking at art and life from my own weird and quirky point of view. I also like Quirky Reflections because of its potential for double meaning. Not only is it about my inner thoughts and reflections as in meditations, but it is also about mirrored reflections I see in the world around me which I utilize in my art (See the Projects 1 and Projects 2) and capture with my camera lens.

I love seeing unusual reflections on glass windows, mirrors, skyscrapers, shiny black cars, ponds, lakes, and other shiny surfaces. These reflections inspire me to really SEE things from a different perspective. The patterns and designs are amazing at times and seem to turn the world into a liquid and pulsating parallel universe. They are so much better than Dali’s liquid and melting surreal landscapes. (Dali’s work has never been high on my list.)

I love to take photos of reflections that skew reality and make me feel off balance and odd. That is why I selected the photo you see above to be the banner of my blog. It is one of about half a dozen shots I took of some posh 5th Avenue apartments reflected topsy-turvy in a pond in Manhattan’s Central Park.

Shiny black cars offer endless possibilities to see the world differently…This is a favorite photo of mine taken while walking to work along 20th St. It was a perfect day to capture reflections and the car was parked next to a wonderful building with a white grid against its red bricks.

Here is a photo of Dale Chihuly’s fabulous Glass Globes floating in a black pond, showing some pretty amazing reflections. It was taken at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh. There were tons of great photo-ops there–not only are the Chihuly installations and glass objects beautiful–there are tons of botanical beauties to capture with a lens.

I have quite a few more reflection photos posted on my Flickr site. Drop by to see them here if you are looking for a different (and quirky) point of view.

Content and photos copyright 2007 by Janet Towbin.