In May I had a fun-filled trip with friends to New York City. Being close to summer, I wanted to make a trip out to Coney Island to see it in person after so much research of the iconic amusement parks. On Sunday afternoon Craig and I took a long subway ride out to make the afternoon tour given by the Coney Island History Project. It was a walking tour that showed us the few remaining charming historic parts of Coney Island amidst the loud annoying music and shiny new super thrill rides. Deno's Wonder Wheel, Spook-o-rama, the Cyclone, some of the kiddie rides, and a shooting game are a few vintage parts that remain. (Some parts have been destroyed by fire or closed and dismantled.) We took a ride on the Wonder Wheel, choosing a stationary car over the ones that swing back and forth. I loved the colors of the Wonder Wheel and all of the old hand-painted signage.
Saturday we took a day trip out to see Storm King, a sculpture park outside the city. The setting was beautiful and scale and the siting of the works was impressive. There were several Mark di Suvero massive sculptures with suspended parts that slightly hovered in the air. The Alexander Calder sculptures were my favorite; I love his whimsical forms and his color red.
I was also inspired by Fortunato Depero's work at the Guggenheim Italian Futurism show. I loved his forms and color palette, similar to the Wonder Wheel. Both were from the same time period, around 1920. The painting below reminds me of The Wizard of Oz, one of my favorite movies.
