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I've photographed this sculpture many times for the blog, but this may be my favorite attempt. Very dramatic.

Speaking of Orange...

This cheerful mural adorns The Launchpad, a long term housing solution on 19th Street for homeless youth in our city. It was just completed in 2025 and I'm sure it's already changed many lives for the better.

Los Angeles Chargers Colors -- Or Ukraine National Colors, You Choose

For lack of a better photo today, here is one of local artist Chris Weed's big sunflower sculptures. This was taken in one of the city's demonstration gardens back in May. I do love the combination of bright blue and yellow! I guess we'll go with Ukraine, since the sunflower is their national flower.

The Sheepherder

Fifteen years ago the Broadmoor was sold to a billionaire named Philip Anschutz, and it hasn't been the same since. It just lost some of its magic. He also bought out the local newspaper around the same time and somehow managed to make the Gazette even more conservative-leaning than it already was, which is some feat. I really miss the days before that guy became a household name around here. When it comes to Mr. Anschutz, let me just say that I have some opinions. I will give him, however, that he has augmented the Broadmoor's art collection with some very nice pieces, mostly 20th century paintings depicting the American West, like this lovely one by Thomas Hart Benton. It's just gorgeous.

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A more or less life sized statue inspired (apparently) by early residents of Colorado Springs. I don't think they represent actual historic individuals. You can find it on Tejon Street a little south of Colorado. I have no idea what it's called but I can tell you that the lantern works.

Elsie Palmer

Behold seventeen year-old Elsie, one of General Palmer's three daughters, in a portrait painted by none other than the great John Singer Sargent around 1889 or 1890. At the time, Palmer was here in Colorado Springs while his wife and daughters were on an extended stay in England.

Sargent is one of my favorite portraitists. His works are generally quite large, even life sized, and Elsie's portrait is no exception. It's part of the permanent collection of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and I've always admired it. What you're looking at here is not the actual painting, it's a copy that hangs on the wall in the Palmers' family home, Glen Eyrie Castle, where my mom's birthday celebration was held last weekend.

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Just a snap of a sculpture located downtown, in the Near North End. This has been there for years. I lived around the corner from this spot in the late 1980s and I think I remember seeing it way back then.

When All Else Fails

When you can't think of anything to point your camera at around here, there's always Starr Kempf's place. I was in the neighborhood today to see my friend Rachael, so I swung by to grab this shot for you. You can read more about the backstory of these pieces in THIS post from May of 2016.

Put a Bird on It

When all else fails, put a bird on it! In this case, a giant "chainsaw art" eagle does the trick. You can find this artistically rendered raptor on Holiday and Circle, near the country club.

Take a (Creative) Seat!

I was waiting for a portrait client to show up when I noticed some very interesting seats around one of the industrial buildings across from Weidner Field, so I snapped a few pics for you. More tomorrow.

A New Favorite

I never noticed that the side of this building was painted with a charming flower garden of sorts. Cute! I must have driven past this a thousand times without seeing it.

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A rather beautiful new mural that's really kind of wasted on a wall that's hard to see, unless you're driving northbound on little-traveled South Sierra Madre at Cimarron and you happen to spy it. Well worth the effort to find it, though!

Living with the Parking Brake On

You see these large decorated butterflies all over around here. They're part of the Art on the Streets program and all of them are different. This one was painted by local artist Tara Sauvain and is titled Living with the Parking Brake On. You can find it in Nancy Lewis Park.

Evergreen Cemetery Walkabout (Part 3)

Have you ever heard of a Wind Phone? It's a beautiful, poetic concept that was dreamed up by Japanese garden designer Itaru Sasaki in 2010 to help him deal with the death of his cousin. The idea is that you use the phone to have a conversation with a loved one who has passed on. Since the first Wind Phone in Ōtsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan was created, many more have sprung up in places all over the world and yes, there is one in Evergreen Cemetery. I knew that we had a Wind Phone here but never noticed it until Pat and I did our little ramble through the cemetery earlier this month. It was a lovely surprise. Did I use it? No, but I will. I have a few things I'd like to say to some people I loved very much. It will keep.

The Lovers - And Their Child, Apparently

I was at Colorado College over the weekend, just briefly using the campus as a location for some senior portraits. In between changes of outfits I noticed that this sculpture had been adorned with a plastic doll and some whimsical crocheting. Gotta love creative students! The name of the original artist has long been worn off the placard but one can assume that whoever it was, they were probably influenced by Giacometti. It definitely has a midcentury vibe. The donors names are still visible; this work was a gift from Franc and Rosemarie Ricciardi. Presumably one or both of them are CC alums.

Truffles

I've featured this proud looking pig on the blog before, but it was years ago so I figure it's time I showed him to you again. Cute! You can find him on South Tejon Street about a half block below Colorado Avenue.

Art on Wheels and Then Some

You might remember the van in the photo below from THIS post. Last weekend as Pat and I were driving through the Patty Jewett neighborhood we discovered its companion piece. It was so interesting that I made Pat turn the car around and park it so I could take a picture, and I was doing so the neighbor across the street struck up a conversation with me. He told me that the lights affixed to the giant structure on this truck do light up, and that they don't have any particular purpose. When I asked him if the owner was an artist, he told me that it was an electrician. That makes perfect sense! A very creative electrician, I might add. One of these days I'll drive past there at night to see if the lights are on.

Speaking of Angling

How cute is this little guy? I've featured our downtown egg shaped sculptures before but never noticed this one before. Let's go fishing!

Major Ursa

Pat and were in Denver all day yesterday because I had a photo shoot to do at the Colorado Convention Center. I suppose every state has their version of a place like this, but ours is special. Ours has this. 

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This larger than life replica of a Van Briggle design sits in Monument Valley Park, just a short stroll from the Van Briggle building. She's been there for a few years now and still looks beautiful. We here in Colorado Springs are very proud of our history with Van Briggle. (Pat and I own a piece from about the 1920s.) If you're curious to know more, click HERE.