Grounds for Sculpture – II

People … there are lots of people in the Grounds for Sculpture, and they’re not just patrons of the arts, but statuary in many different styles and materials.  Here I’m featuring some random sculptures I particularly like. Let’s take a look at who’s in the garden … or on the way to the Grounds.

Something so enjoyable for me was the placement of sculptures all along the route from the highway exit right up to the admission gates. It’d be hard to get lost – just follow the sculpture! As you drive off the exit, there are two young people, pointing across the road …

And what they’re pointing at is a possibly 30′ tall sculpture of American Gothic, the famous painting, below.

What I found incredibly appealing is that there are life-size sculptures of people everywhere, presumably by the same artist. As you drive further towards the grounds, you see a dad helping his son learning to ride his bicycle in front of the town post office. And then as we walked the grounds …

We turned a corner and came upon this couple relaxing on the ground in some quiet shade. They, too, are sculptures, so lifelike it took a moment to be sure.

Tucked in a shady corner was a lovely bronze of a woman in the bath …

And along a path a more modern take of a person sitting …

As we approached the Grounds for Sculpture‘s restaurant, Rat’s, there was a pond to our left, with a sculpted head surrounded by mist, reflecting the slanted rays of afternoon sun.

As we walked further, we noticed another of the lifelike and life-size human sculptures, a woman bathing by the edge of a pond in the forest. The whole setting was just exquisite.

A close-up of the bather oblivious of all around her, also surrounded by soft mist.

The Grounds for Sculpture is its own world. What I also noticed is that every piece of art has lights in the ground at its base. I can only imagine how magical it must be here at night. Perhaps another trip back.

Next post … Renoir, Monet and more.

See Grounds for Sculpture I

Visit Grounds for Sculpture III

Grounds for Sculpture – I

For many years, I drove down Rt. 295 passing this huge red and blue abstract sculpture of two faces in the greenery off to the side and the exit sign for Grounds for Sculpture. And for many years, I vowed I would get there. Finally, I did.

This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of visiting this amazing sculpture museum – 40 acres plus indoor galleries – with two friends who’ve been before. It was impossible to see everything, but we took a circular kind of route to the right and saw many, many amazing works of art. I will present some of the photos I took in installments. Please know that the sculptures featured here represent my own personal tastes and interests and that the photo file names are also my own, not the formal names of the sculptures. I apologize to the artists that I have not included their names – if you would like more information, please visit the Grounds for Sculpture web site.

These two huge bulls were among our first sights as we left the parking lot and entered the grounds.

Another view

This sculpture of silver metal stands about 10 – 12 feet tall and was in the water garden. Clearly a king, he holds his robe with his right hand, (not visible in the photos I took), and looked to us like a Shakespearean character.

A closer view of his face.

This is another of the sculptures in the water garden section. Some were abstract, some literal, but all featured water below, through or around them. This sculpture reminded me of Alice, (or Wonderland), surely my own interpretation of the artist’s intention. What you see in this sculpture is a fine mist. Mist was utilized in numerous sculptural settings throughout the Grounds, always for an ethereal effect that I was very drawn to.

A view of this sculpture from the other side.

The landscaping of the Grounds was beyond amazing. The diversity of trees and shrubbery was fascinating, and often suited to the subject matter of the sculpture. Had there been no sculpture, I would have been perfectly happy to walk the Grounds as a botanical park in its own right. I’ve never seen a tree such as this … lovely.

Another example of how a sculpture was complemented by perfect placement in the greenery. This was a beautiful piece – trees, animals and people in harmony – a peaceable kingdom in three dimensions.

I will feature more in the future. It was quite an exciting visit and I did take lots of photos.

Visit Grounds for Sculpture II

Visit Grounds for Sculpture III