Ancient TerraCotta - Color A Day #45

TerraCotta Warriors Exhibit at Bowers Museum

I took my kids to see an exhibition of the Chinese Terra-Cotta Warriors (and other treasures at the Bowers Museum) today.  The boys listened attentively to the self-guided audio tour, and seemed to really enjoy the experience.  I must say, it’s gratifying to see my children behaving themselves well and enjoying a cultural experience.  (Small pat on my back for surviving the toddler years when attempting a day at a museum was a much less enjoyable event for everyone involved.)

The sculptures were amazing, especially when the enormity of the archeological treasure is considered…approximately 1300 of these statues have been found in three pits in the Shaanxi Province of China.  It is astounding, to say the least…in fact, it is one of the wonders of the world.
 
On our way home we chatted about the exquisite sculptures we had seen.  And my boys, ever the budding artists, were keen to create some terra-cotta warriors for themselves.  I obliged them by stopping along the way and picking up a brick of clay from the art supply store.   They both created their own masterpiece.  Truly a day of great cultural and artistic learning.  Big Smile.

 

So….on to color inspiration.  The sculptures at this exhibit were apparently painted originally, although almost all of the pigment has long since vanished.  There are still hints of color here and there, but for the most part these sculptures are now faded to a soft gray or beige.  Of course, they are called “terra cotta” for a reason, as they were all sculted from clay.   But in terms of color, they have just the faintest hint of red/terracotta mixed in with the aged gray/brown of the clay.  Ancient TerraCotta is what I’m calling it…Color A Day #45.

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• The Miraculous Bowers Museum in Santa Ana California (anaheimhotel.wordpress.com)
• Bowers Museum (tadtown.wordpress.com)
• Lian Quan Zhen China Trip (deidrepowell816.wordpress.com)

Color A Day #14 - Golden Monzogranite

 Joshua Tree National Park is an inspiring spot.  It's a place full of a great variety of textures; prickly cactus, rough stone, sandy foot-paths, spiked succulents, and weathered wood.  The monzogranite rock formations of this place are simply stunning.  But the colors of the place are strikingly muted: greys, browns, tans, taupes, silvers, and golds.  These neutrals combine together to form a warm golden tan, strikingly juxtaposed by a brilliant blue sky.