June 23 – Anniversary of the Completion of a Tree Troll

Posted on June 23, 2016

I captured this statue with
my husband next to it...
plus strangers behind!

Very cluttered!!

How do I photograph sculptures?

I often – maybe too often – photograph a sculpture with my husband or one of my kids standing in front of it (or behind it, or next to it...you get the idea!).

I figure, if one of my family isn't going to be in the photograph, maybe I should just buy one of the gorgeously photographed postcards of the sculpture, right?

Now I read that a sculptor has deliberately created a work to capitalize on my tendency – which is apparently common: she created her “Tree Troll” sculpture so that it will look good with people kneeling or standing near it, in photos! In her words:

“There is a great deal of beautiful art in this city, but most of it only looks good standing by itself. The classic monument style is cluttered and diminished if there are people standing in front. I wanted to create a sculpture whose composition was completed when someone was nearby. It should look at its best with the public involved.”

Cool beans!

And, take a look at her result - WAY cool beans!

The completed Tree Troll, with the artist (above).

The original model Graham made of her concept
included the idea that people would pose with the troll
(below).

Some have called sculptor Kim Graham's giant troll an “eco troll” because she made it with reclaimed lumber, repurposed cardboard, packing tubes and lettuce boxes and other discarded items. (And I think I spotted aluminum foil on some of these photos!) He is considered to be paper-mache.

Graham led a team of 25 volunteer artists to built it in her Seattle, Washington, studio.

Once the Tree Troll was finished, on this date in 2006, he travelled around Seattle for two years. He would show up at fairs...at parades...at markets. And when he showed up, people were delighted to see him, pose with him, photograph him!

I love the expression on the Tree Troll.
And I am not a bit surprised that the artist
conceived of the piece as a way to honor
the memory of her beloved father.

The Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas purchased the Tree Troll, to be put on display for a few months around Thanksgiving. I am not sure if the Tree Troll is still displayed at the Bellagio – but since he is kept indoors in a climate-controlled environment, he may well be!

Note that the varying lighting changes
the "look" of the Tree Troll...

I gather that Graham has married and changed her name to Kim Beaton; I also gather that she has made a more permanent outdoor version of her Tree Troll. Check out her website. 

Also on this date:

Independence Day for Jura, Switzerland 

Luxembourg's National Day

Sabantuy (AKA the Festival of the Plow)

Pink Flamingo Day

Anniversary of Antarctica being set aside for science

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

• June holidays

• June birthdays

• Historical anniversaries in June

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• July holidays
  
• July birthdays
  
• Historical anniversaries in July

September 16 – Stay Away from Seattle Day

Posted on September 16, 2013

This seems like a crazy holiday, but there are some Seattle, Washington, residents who created this holiday in order to raise consciousness that more is sometimes less and bigger isn't always better.

Seattle often tops lists of “America's Best Cities,” and huge companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Nordstrom, and Starbucks make for a lot of job opportunities in the area. Because of these and other popularity factors, many people move to Seattle, or try to move there, each year. And this makes current residents nervous.

They don't want to be another Los Angeles.

A lot of the people in Seattle who don't want to see their beloved home getting more and more crowded still want people to come as tourists. 

“Come, spend money here, and then go home,” some Seattleites say. (And they aren't joking!)

But some Seattleites are sick and tired of their town's popularity with tourists, too. Here is what a Hallmark e-card says about today's holiday:

Because frankly Seattle doesn't want you coming around, stinking up the joint. And last time you tracked mud all over the carpet and some of the special occasion dinnerware went missing. Seattle will let you know when it's ready to see you again. Until then, keep your distance. You think we're kidding but really this day was championed by Seattle residents tired of sharing their space with tourists.

So, if you want to go see the Space Needle, the Pike Place Market, the Museum of Flight, or Pacific Science Center—just do not go today!

Best and Worst of Seattle:

I've seen a lot of wonderful things in Seattle, including the Fremont Solstice Parade (complete with the Flying Spaghetti Monster and his devotees in full pirate regalia!), but my favorite thing is probably this statue:

The Fremont Troll,

which is under a bridge.

(I mean, where else

would a troll live?)

By the way, lest you think
this statue is small--
that's a real VW bug under
the troll's hand!

The worst part of Seattle, for me, is probably the overcast climate. It's not enormously rainy, and it's rarely very hot or cold—I like how moderate its temperatures are! But with almost 300 cloudy days a year, on average, I would miss the sun and the blue sky if I lived there. Some people REALLY miss the sun and suffer from a physical disorder caused by the lack of sunlight. They have to buy bright artificial lights use during the day (especially the morning) to replace the missing sunlight.

If you live in Seattle, you've got cloudy
skies roughly 7 days out of every 9.

Is bigger better in your town?

Have you ever heard people talking about huge mega-stores like Walmarts driving out little mom-'n'-pop stores? Have you ever listened to an argument about whether developing more land, building more malls, creating more housing developments is a good or bad thing for your town?

Such questions are really difficult. Ideally, talks about development should balance all the needs people have – needs for open space, greenery, wilderness; needs for jobs and business opportunities; needs for museums and monuments and other public spaces; and perhaps 3,247 other needs to be considered and balanced against these and each other!

Also on this date:

Anne Bradstreet Day 

Mexico's Independence Day (El Grito)

Glyndwr Day in Wales

Plan Ahead!

Check out my Pinterest pages on September holidays, September birthdays, and historical anniversaries in September.

And here are my Pinterest pages on October holidays, October birthdays, and historical anniversaries in October.