Observing public outdoor sculpture

Jón Gunnar Árnason's Sólfar: Sun Voyager, 1990, inspires in Rekjavik, Iceland.

Public sculpture contributes to the uniqueness of a city or town. While the public art of larger cities may be world famous there are some intriguing examples to be found even in small centres. Here are a few of my favourites from my travels over the last few years. 

Jeff Koons' floral Puppy, 1992, draws both adults & children at Spain's Guggenheim Bilbao Museum. 

Talus Dome by Ball-Nogues Studio, 2011, graces river valley in Edmonton, Alberta. 

Goddess of Flight, 2010, by Fiona Sutherland greets passengers at Nelson Airport in New Zealand.

Some whimsical outdoor sculptures can be found in the city of Enschede in The Netherlands.

In Canmore, Alberta, Canada. 

In Benalmadena, Andalusia, Spain.

Two views of the human head: from Canada and Spain. 





Below is a recent find on the main street of the small Alberta town of Sylvan Lake.

Peace & Harmony by Darcy Fullerton & Mary Grace, 2002, invites us to come together as friends.

Treasuring the autumn leaves

In September and October I can think of no better place to be than Canada where the leaves of deciduous trees change from green to shades of gold, orange, bronze, red and even purple. 

When we returned to Canada in 2006 after living 9 years in the United Arab Emirates, it was a great pleasure to experience autumn again and I have treasured it ever since. 

Autumn delights in the city as well as the country.

Elm lined street in Edmonton.

Hamilton, Ontario in the autumn.

Maple leaves in Montreal.

The bright leaves are especially lovely under a blue sky.

On the ground the leaves dry out and give a satisfying crunch underfoot. 

Farewell to summer. Autumn is here with cooler temperatures and shorter hours of daylight. Soon we will see only the bare branches of winter. 

If you live where the leaves change colour, be sure to take a walk while there is still time to enjoy the shades of autumn.