New acquisition

A couple of weeks ago, I went with my Mom and Sue to the Lake Eustis Museum of Art, drawn by a death-themed exhibit that included an homage to the late Julia Child (1912-2004) in the form of a coffin that looked like a piece of cherry-topped cheesecake (see 2nd photo here). It wasn't until I rolled through the door that I realized a) the size scale of the piece and b) that it was one of a series of well-conceived and beautifully crafted little sculptures! There were more than 30 on display (2nd image, museum volunteer Carrie Bow preparing them for exhibit) and I looked at them closely, deciding which I like best. They are the work of American artist E. Sherman Hayman, who talks about them in this interview. A few more minutes at the show and I knew I had to have one: Sigmund Freud, André Le Notre*, or Frank Lloyd Wright (1st image). After contacting the artist, I decided Frank - the architect of such visionary houses as Fallingwater (3rd image) - was the most appropriate choice, since I had toured the Dana-Thomas House and Wright's Oak Park, Illinois, neighborhood, blogged about him, and have a Wright-inspired stained glass window (similar to the 4th image) hanging in my "museum." I'm pleased to say that, although I did not get a chance to meet the artist, I am now the proud owner of an original Hayman!

*He designed the gardens at the Palace of Versailles.