Bayou Bend



Some weeks ago, on a beautiful April afternoon, I visited the Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens with the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, Texas Chapter.  I had visited this historic Houston house before but had spent most of my time admiring the collection of American furniture and art and had devoted little time to exploring the gardens; fortunately the purpose of this visit was to sketch on the grounds of the estate and doing so I discovered a beautiful place, perfectly balanced between the formal and the bucolic.



Bayou Bend was built in the 1920's in the Greek Revival style by Houston architect John Staub for civic leader and art patron Ima Hogg. In true country estate tradition, the house presents a private façade onto the street, with small openings and a modest entrance that give glimpses of the gardens that lay beyond. In contrast, the back of the house opens onto a two story portico from which the broad lawn of the Garden of Diana can be enjoyed.

 

 

To the left of the lawn is Clio's garden, where the muse of History sits in a parterre of manicured boxwood hedges and flower beds. The modern approach to Bayou Bend is through this formal garden, which I encounter after crossing the suspension bridge that spans the Buffalo Bayou.
 

 

 



Clio's image is directly oriented towards a statue of Euterpe that sits at the other extreme of Diana's lawn - (in Miss Hogg's time both muses actually faced one another).  Unlike Clio's enthronement among the hedges, Euterpe, muse of music, sits on the edge of the wood, the cadences of water rippling behind her.

 



Euterpe's garden makes way to the lower levels of the Woodland Ravines, which provide a smooth progression from the heavily designed environment of the goddesses' terraces to a more natural one.  From the winding path along the ravine I catch glimpses of Bayou Bend's gables and encounter some colorful but shy residents of the woods.

 

Carved out of the lush vegetation surrounding the ravines is the East Garden, which was the first area Miss Hogg planted at Bayou Bend.  Enclosed, private and formal, the space incorporates elements of English design and the iron fence behind the fountain depicts a lyre motif, a classical reference to Miss Hogg's love of music.

Further along the ravine and nestled among the woods, I discover the whimsical Butterfly Garden with its 350 azalea plants, which in early spring bloom in colorful stripes along the giant wings.  The body and antennae of the insect are carefully delineated in brickwork, and the area is ornamented with a small cupid figure, potted urns, and winter-blooming camellias.

We stay in the gardens until closing time and somehow I manage not to complete a single drawing, I'm too preoccupied with discovery.  I leave Bayou Bend with a faceless sketch of the Huntress and a dubious attempt at a fountain, next time I'll find a secret spot under the oaks and try my luck, watercolor perhaps...

To visit Bayou Bend contact the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.  For more images of Bayou Bend visit Dear Polia's Facebook galleries: Bayou Bend

 



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Bayou City

 

A few weeks ago I met Carolina Osuna, a lovely Rice University student who is very passionate about the environment and about making a difference in our city.  Carolina introduced me to a project of which she is a member, and asked if I would write about it in Dear Polia.  Instead, I want to let Carolina and the team at the Houston Parks Board tell all of you about this wonderful plan, in the hopes that you will also get involved in making Houston a better place:

 

"The bayou city of Houston is in store for one of the largest parks projects in the nation. As of now, the major bayous are disconnected from one another and leave many communities without access to green space. Houston has 75 miles of trails along the major bayous but has the potential to expand the trails to 150 miles in the city, connecting 77 parks with linear greenways along the banks of its bayous. Nearly 60 percent of all Houstonians would live within 1.5 miles of one of these parks or trails. 

 

Last fall, Houston voted on a bond initiative to approve funding to move forward with this project. The $166 million bond passed with more than 68 percent of the vote. More than 2,500 petitions have been collected in support of uniting Houston’s 7 major bayous with parks and trails.

 

The project was first conceived around 100 years ago and is now known as Bayou Greenways 2020. It is a public/private partnership where the city and area non-profits like the Houston Parks Board will complete the project in 7 years.  Bayou Greenways 2020 will not only increase the areas available to Houstonians for recreation but will also create a greener alternative for transportation. If the project is going to move forward, however, City Council must remain committed to allocating funds for the greenways.

 

This spring, Houston Parks Board is bringing together community members, students, businesses, organizations, and other groups to get involved and speak up about what this project means to them.   We’ve already organized multiple bayou bike tours, collected over 3,400 petitions, and we’re just getting started. If you’re in the area and want to get involved, or would like more information about the project, check out our website, www.houstonparksboard.org, for more information.  We can get these trails built here in Houston, but only with your help."

For more detailed information about the project visit: http://www.houstonparksboard.org/projects/documents/CromptonFinalDraftdated8-25-11.pdf

 

 

 

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Sabor a mi

 

Early in their courtship my parents chose a song to be "theirs", its lyrics carried a promise of eternal love, of many years of togetherness, of souls that reach to one another...  At 7:00 am on Wednesday March 6th of 1963, my parents were married in Chinandega, Nicaragua.  50 years they have been together, and together they have enjoyed happiness and prosperity; together they have weathered war and loss; together they have battled illness and welcomed life; and together they have been an exemplar of love,  marriage, unity, and family.  My parents still dance "their" song whenever it plays, and 50 years later these verses are truer than ever.

 

Dancing "their" song at my wedding.

  

Sabor a mí
composed by Alvaro Carrillo

Tanto tiempo disfrutamos de este amor
nuestras almas se acercaron tanto a así
que yo guardo tu sabor
pero tú llevas también
sabor a mí.

Si negaras mi presencia en tu vivir
bastaría con abrazarte y conversar
tanta vida yo te dí
que por fuerza tienes ya
sabor a mí.

No pretendo ser tu dueño
no soy nada yo no tengo vanidad
de mi vida doy lo bueno
soy tan pobre, que otra cosa puedo dar.

Pasarán mas de mil años, muchos más
yo no se si tenga amor la eternidad
pero allá, tal como aquí
en la boca llevarás
sabor a mí.

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A portrait of Spain

The Houston Museum of Fine Arts has outdone itself this spring by curating an exhibition of masterpieces from the Museo del Prado of Madrid, Spain.  Though the Prado houses an incredible collection of art - full of the usual Italians, French, Dutch, and the best of the Spanish Masters - the Houston exhibition, aptly named "A Portrait of Spain" focuses on the greatest Spanish Masters, their influences, and their legacy. 

The paintings, which range from the Baroque to the Romantic period, weave a story of epic history, religious fervor, courtly life, and common customs, and instructs us into the myths of the State and how a country and a people see themselves through Art. 

These are some of my favorite pieces:

Diego Velazquez "El descanso de Marte".  Though the subject is drawn from classical mythology, Velazquez has  rejected classical painting parameters, and has chosen to portrait the god of war with the face of a typical Spaniard; instead of a fierce and powerful warrior, Velazquez' Mars seems dejected, perhaps a reference to war-weary Spanish spirits during the Franco-Spanish war.

 

Bartolome Esteban Murillo "La Inmaculada Concepcion de Aranjuez".  This image and the catholic doctrine of the immaculate conception became in Spain, a symbol of religious and national identity from the 17th century and on.  There is a bit of nostalgia for me here; if you grew up in Nicaragua, like I did, then this painting should be familiar to you, as the image is copied and displayed in churches and in private devotion.

Mariano Fortuny "Viejo desnudo al sol" hangs in the portion of the exhibit called "The Spanish School looks in the mirror".  The painting draws inspiration from a masterpiece 200 years its senior, Jusepe de Ribera's Saint Andrew.

 

And this one was one of John's favorites: Francisco de Zurbaran "Agnus Dei".

Our friends' favorite: Juan van der Hamen y Leon "Bodegon".

And one that we all liked: Francisco de Goya "Los Desastres de la Guerra", a series of etching depicting the awful reality of the Peninsular War.

The exhibition stays at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston until March 31st, 2013.

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Machu Picchu

Inca houses line a street in Ollantaytambo, Peru.

 

We descended towards the "The Sacred Valley of the Incas", leaving behind the high planes of the city of Cuzco.  Our journey through the valley took us to many towns and archeological sites along the way, most notably the city of Ollantaytambo, where the intact Inca urban fabric transported us 600 years back in time.  Our final goal, however, was the remote jungles of the "Antisuyo", where the forgotten citadel of Machu Picchu awaited us.

 

Our time in Peru was running out, so we decided to leave the Inca Trail (a 4 day trek through the jungle) for another visit and take the train along the Urubamba river towards the city of Aguascalientes.  We encountered past travel companions in the train: the German couple from Lake Titicaca, the Chilean rowers from Arequipa, the Argentinian women from Cuzco; like an American Rome, it seemed that all roads led to Machu Picchu.

Night was now falling fast in the Antisuyo, and in the twilight we could discern terraces and ancient dams scattered on the banks of the Urubamba, and these sightings only added to the palpable excitement inside the train.

 

The view from the "Watchman's Hut".  Machu Picchu, Peru.

 

We awoke before the sun and made our way up the fog covered peak. The morning was full of mist and clouds, and as we climbed the terraces towards the "watchman's hut", rain began to fall.  We had been warned that the weather in the mountain is fickle and, huddled inside the hut, our chances of catching that postcard view, let alone the sunrise, looked pretty  bleak.

  

The tour guides tried to reassure us, "the rain is a good thing, it clears away the fog" they said, and when the rain ceased the fog parted and we saw it for the first time: the forgotten Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.

 

 

Machu Picchu, Peru.

 

There is so much history to be learned in Machu Picchu, and so many amazing things to explore; how was it possible that a civilization without practical knowledge of the wheel or iron tools could carve this magnificent place out of the living rock?  But for the first time in our journey through Peru we let go of the books and the tour guides, we wanted to feel like Hiram Bingham on that July morning of 1911, facing the unknown, discovering the forgotten.

The Machu Picchu citadel and the Huayna Picchu mountain seen from the summit of Machu Picchu mountain.

The Huayna Picchu mountain.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The view from the Temple of the Sun.

Dusk at Machu Picchu.

We climbed and hiked from 6:00am to 6:00pm and I would like to say that we turned every stone of the Old Mountain, but Machu Picchu still holds many more secrets...until next time.

 

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Birds of a Feather *Final Results*

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you all had a beautiful holiday season and 2013 is off to a great and productive start.  Speaking of productivity, I want to share with you the installation images of a mosaic project which was based on one of my drawings. 

 

If you all remember, last summer I was commissioned to design a bucolic scene of pheasants for the kitchen of a Colorado residence.  The final design depicts two adult birds, male and female, and four chicks, to represent the two homeowners and their children.  Below are the images of the finished kitchen with its mosaic in place.  The interior design was created by Terri Thibodeaux of LADCO Resort Design Group.

 



 

 

 

 

 

And just in case you have forgotten, here is an image of my original drawing:

 

 

 

 

Images courtesy of LADCO Resort Design Group.  Drawing by Nadia Palacios Lauterbach.

 

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Dear Santa...

In the spirit of the Holiday Season I have decided to make a top 5 list of gifts for that special architect in your life:

5. For those of us who practice the dying art of hand drawing: A French Industrial Drafting desk and chair from Négrel Antiques in Austin, TX.

4. And while we are in the topic of hand drawing, how about a sketchbook?  Leather-bound and filled with handmade "Carta di Amalfi" paper, these journals from Cartoleria il Pantheon in Rome, Italy are the only way to draw!

 

3. For the Apple fanatic:  Haydeé Callejas iPad case, gorgeously made in genuine Alligator skin, and dyed in "Emerald", 2013's color of the year.  Available at Mon Venin
 

 

 

2. To capture of all of those special "Architectural Tourism" moments: Nikon D7000 DSLR camera. from Nikon

 

 

1. And finally, a dream gift for the home: Timothy Richards' limited edition plaster model of the "Temple of the Four Winds". 

 

 

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