Arts, Wind and Fire

QUICK COOKIES:  Today is Kennedy's 28th birthday. For years running, I have made him some special cake or cookies or something, but this year I thought I'd dispense with that tradition, because he (quite understandably!) really doesn't need them or eat them. 

But this morning when I woke up, I started feeling super guilty for not making anything. So then I started semi panicking about what to make. Fortunately, by 11 a.m. I'd hit upon the idea of some Beatles-themed cookies. They are one of his favorite bands, and I'll bet my decision was, in large part, influenced by attending a Peter Max art show this weekend.

So, about five hours later I came up for air, Beatles cookies done. They're probably best viewed at a distance. :)

TO THE MAX: On Saturday, we had the absolute pleasure of meeting pop art icon Peter Max, and viewing dozens of his original works (none of which we were allowed to photograph, of course!).

I'll let CJ tell you a bit about our afternoon.

On August 22nd, 2015, we went to the Pacific Place mall to see an exhibition of Peter Max, a pop artist, who, according to Wikipedia, is known for the use of psychedelic shapes and color palettes as well as spectra in his work.

When we went to the exhibit, we noticed that there were often multiple variations on a single painting or base. Apparently, the practice of making multiple variations on a single painting was not uncommon among other pop artists. Variations on a painting were usually color and/or spectrum differences. The artwork at the exhibit had prices, meaning that if somebody wished to purchase a piece of art there, they could. One piece of art that caught my interest was a vintage Seattle Seahawks helmet that had been painted on and decorated. Another piece of art that caught my interest was a paining called "Audio DNA", a psychedelic piece that featured the likenesses of artists such as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Simon and Garfunkel.

Near the end, my dad got a chance to meet Peter Max himself.

Overall, I thought it was a very interesting experience at the Peter Max exhibit.

Christian brought this book to the exhibit with him ... he's had it since his childhood.  

He asked Mr. Max, 77, if he remembered it, and he said he absolutely did. 

Many of Max's New York-inspired prints were on display, most all of them familiar to us. About the only image I can share, however, is this stamp Max designed for Expo '74, held in Spokane, WA. (The work is in the public domain as it was for the US government.)

The local media did a nice job of publicizing Max's visit. You can watch KING 5's report here: 
http://www.king5.com/story/entertainment/television/programs/new-day-northwest/2015/08/20/peter-max/32046863/

ALL'S FAIR: For the past few years, our family has volunteered to take on the task of handing the Washsington State Fair's educational ticket program orders for the Seattle Homeschool Group.

Every year I do it, I swear it will be the last (because I get frustrated with the number of people who don't follow the very simple directions they need to in order to get their tickets). 

However, every year, enough time passes that I forget exactly how much of a pain it is, and do it anyway.

And then I complain and swear I'm never going to do it again.

So this year is our last year. Probably. 

HAZY DAYS: This weekend, Seattle (and most of the state of Washington) was engulfed in smoke. The Evergreen State is on fire. As of this writing, the Okanogan wildfire has now become the largest one in state history. In Okanogan County, a group of five fires are raging out of control, burning more than 400 square miles. And there are multiple other fires burning around the state, as well. 

Of course every local firefighter available is on the job, as are military personnel, citizen volunteers and even fire managers from New Zealand and Australia. It's all hands on deck.

Here's a video of the smoke arriving in Seattle. 

I couldn't believe weather forecast on my phone on Sunday afternoon. That was a first. 

Rains are in the forecast for later in the week. We can only hope that the forecast is correct. It's a disaster of epic proportions here.