Candy for the eye, heart and soul..

In Grand Rapids Michigan there is a growing yearly event.... Art Prize.  Artist of every type media from literally around the world come together and display their exhibits outside on the streets, in parks and inside different venues... 

They do have a map that shows all the different places that hold the exhibits...but, we decided that we would just park and then follow our feet. We knew we would never be able to see it all since we had a late start after lunch.. We were lucky to come out at an open area filled with several exhibits. This one of course caught my eye!... How lucky is that for a gardener to just happen upon a vertical gardening exhibit.

Look at all the different textures and colours of foliage which is exactly how this works!

I would love to give this a go next year... even on a much more modest level.

Then of course another form of repurposing art or junkin...whatever you want to call it. This seems to be a growing form or art... and why not. You collect or use items that perhaps have seen better days or picked up for next to nothing and put them together to create something wonderful... 

It reminds me of the art my girls use to bring home... styrofoam plates, yarn and bits and bobs... Why is it that that creativeness seems to flow so easily as a child and then evaporates or is squished into a file somewhere and ignored as we grow up.

I was busy taking pictures and having creative thoughts whirling around in my mind of possible things or uses for some of these when I realized that Bear had wandered off and I was now in a sea of faces....panic wanted to set in and yet there was just to much to appreciate and take in.. I told myself to breathe... stay calm and then I spied him... Phew!

This looks like some furniture for a man cave.

This exhibit obviously grew as the days went by. The art sat there and would capture people looking at what he was doing and then he would layer the pictures on handing from the frame.. They were pictures within the pictures... imagine not only having the talent to capture people like this but also to keep in mind where you are going with the design and build a picture within the pictures... 

Do you see the face created upon all the different pictures.... That if I remember correctly was Gerald Ford... The artist put labels on the pavement that said if you stand here you can see...... and then you looked up and something you might not of seen before all of  a sudden popped out at you.

I have a friend who collects pictures and sayings and I think she could probably create this in her house.... 

a piece of mosaic is one of the things I would love to create and put within my garden..

This big beast is actually a working moving vehicle.. Very very impressive and complete with the artist dressed as if they were straight out of Mad Max Thunder Dome....

Do you see the tires...

Now this little bug was far more economical to buy fuel for.. an perhaps less likely to have the police pulling you over!

I have a place picked out in my garden for this one. In fact a big wrecking ball with a design cut into it is one of my "I wish list" items... I saw one that was used as a wood burning pit...

Look at all the bits and bobs and moving parts..

Then we found ourselves entering a building that was a normal art exhibit hall... some of these might actually not even be part of Art Prize.. but, we were there so decided to look around at all of it.

I think this would make a fabulous head board..

There was a room that had this light show. Everyone seemed to be hushed and memorized by the changing colours as if soothed or put in a trance.

look between the two and you will see that this is digital art which is changing.... 

I also have a place in my garden where this bronze beauty would be welcomed to dance and frolic.

I've often used drift wood in my flower beds.. But this is something so much more.

 Everywhere you looked you would see some other little tidbit of detail such as the little fish at his foot

 The more you looked the more you saw..some of the shapes you could easily see why he chose the character.. others I couldn't help wonder how he saw what he did...

 This amazing mural is all in fabric.. and beautiful thread work.. 

 I wish I would of got better pictures as I was told afterwards that it actually got one of the highest awards if not the highest...

 This was titled the tree of life and the leaves are actually leaves that have gone through a process to skeletonize them..

 Okay now Im feeling like this little guy I could actually copy!

 Or put my own twist or interpretation on them....

 It was fun listening to the people standing around pointing out the next one that caught their eye... 

 although easy.... this isn't one that I would want in my garden.. shiver....

 There was a list of how many washers, dryer, car hubs and hot water tanks were actually recycled to create this display... So, next time we go for a drive and see a yard full of washers, dryers and old cars etc... we will now think "ah... a creative budding artist lives there and is just waiting to get everything they need before creating"

 How about this straw man as a garden caretaker.

and with that I invite you to come and visit Art Prize 2014... trust me when I say that this didn't even scratch the surface of all that we saw... and we did not see half of all there actually was to see.

So this Monday is the start of Manic Monday link ups..  
If you missed what it is all about please check out the following Invitation to Manic Mondays... There will be a give away that you will be entered into for each time you take part,  start following me, or even taking part as a guest blogger...
 Have a fantastic week and put your heart and soul into everything you do... Step out of your normal box and try something new!  Don't wait until the New Year... get a jump on it now!

Kate