Mapplethorpe at the Henry

Provocative pictures will draw fame, or at least notoriety. I get it. In the '70s and '80s, Robert Mapplethorpe was trying to push buttons with his bondage pictures, but now the shock value's worn off. (Visit the Seattle Erotic Art Festival and you'll know what I mean.)

Mapplethorpe's Polaroid portraits in the Henry's new show, however, were gorgeous studies. Each small composition was a joy to examine up close.

The man also had a sly sense of humor. I loved this invite to his first solo show.

From the text panel:

"Mapplethorpe opened his first solo show on January 6, 1973, at Light Gallery, 1018 Madison Avenue, New York. For the invitation, he took a self-portrait in the mirror, holding his Polaroid camera in front of his bare crotch. Hundreds of gelatin silver prints were made from the negative and embossed with Mapplethorpe's name.

"A label was affixed to the back of each photograph with information about the opening's location and time. Either a red or a white paper dot was applied to the front to conceal the penis -- a tongue-in-cheek dig at earlier laws forbidding the circulation of nudity through the mail.

"The invitation was then slipped inside the protective paper that came with Polaroid film, and was posted in a cream-colored Tiffany envelope."

Sure beats an Evite!

In her shoes

Chris gives me a hard time about my silly shoes, made for looking cute, not for walking. Pointy toes, pencil heels, four-inch platforms -- I know they're ridiculous, but I can't help loving them.

I saw these shoes at the Henry, and even I had to agree, they don't look very comfortable.

Woman's stilted sandals from the 19th century, probably made in Syria.

From the description:

"Chopine is a term used by costume historians to refer to extraordinarily high platform shoes that were worn in Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries. Venetian women were particularly enamored of the style, allegedly adapted from similar shoes called kabkab worn by Turkish women in the bathhouse. ... Like the Turkish women who wished to keep their feet high and dry above wet bathhouse floors, Venetian women perhaps likewise wanted to protect their feet and clothing from the infamous high water of their city.

"The shoes that had modest origins in public bathhouses as purely functional footwear were increasingly used to represent a woman's social standing. The shoe's height enabled women to wear longer dresses displaying more fine fabrics and embroidery, resulting in a clear demonstration of wealth."

Discovery Park

Seattle was blessed with a beautiful fall Sunday, sunny and breezy, perfect for a walk. After living in the area more than four years, I visited Discovery Park for the first time.

Chris and I hoped to spot a cougar, but the closest thing we saw was a lady in a WSU hat. A bald eagle flew directly overhead, low, while we sat at the beach. My initial reaction was, "It looks just like the eagles in pictures!"

Yes, I know that's a seagull, not a bald eagle. I was too thrilled and stunned when I saw the real, live bald eagle to pick up my camera.