16 February, 2017

 “Our Planet’s Beautiful Blue Giants!”

 I have a few moments this morning before I get into my day, and I thought I’d peruse my photos to try to see what I’d write about.  The Blue Whale Mom & Calf caught my attention because it occurred to me that as of yet I had not written about anything having to do with the sea creatures in my collection.

Everyone knows these “deep sea denizens” are the largest mammals on the planet, and they are simply awesome to see whenever they grace humanity with the opportunity to delve into their underwater world.  I’ve never experienced going on a whale watching excursion, although it might be something that I’m sure I’d like.  It starts me thinking….what would be on my “bucket list” if I were to start one?? (smile)

I (perhaps like many) am fascinated by the famous (or infamous) stories of the giant creatures that have long been believed (and / or reported) to dwell far, far below the ocean’s surface.  The giant octopus, the giant squid…the occasional surprise of some fisherman or scientist(s) coming upon a never before encountered creature.  One that makes them have to think of possibly identifying a new species of earth’s inhabitants!!

My collection has 3 Sharks, 1 Killer Whale, 1 Manta Ray, 1 singular Blue Whale….and this really nice piece….the Blue Whale Mom & her Calf!! (smile)  It was the depiction of the Momma helping her offspring breach the surface that immediately made me want to have this sculpture.  I thought “man….that is beautiful, and so unique”.

It reminded me of the work of the famous artist Wyland.  His paintings, murals and sculptures are known all over the world, and (much to my dismay) very much out of the price range(s) that I could ever hope to be able to spend for a piece of his work!! (sigh)  However….this piece lets me come reasonably close to having a representation of his art, and I am very pleased to have it in my collection!!

I spotted this piece in an antique mall here in Vegas, and literally for months I walked past it (its’ price was not prohibitive to me), but would not “pull the trigger” on purchasing it.  Don’t ask me why….I just never felt an urgent desire to buy it each time I saw it!! (smile)  My brother-in-law Michael happened to be with me on one of my visits to this mall, and he (like my brother Rob) told me that I need to go ahead and buy the damn thing, because it may not be there the very next time I come in ready to finally buy it!!

He had been with me on a couple of occasions where that is exactly what happened to me, and then he had to endure me singing the “I should’ve bought it when I had the chance” chorus!! (ha,ha,ha)  So-o-o-o, on this one particular afternoon I decided that it was time for me to walk out of the store with it in my possession.

It was as simple as that!!  Not a dramatic story, but very typical of the way I acquire pieces from time to time. (smile)  This Whale Calf rises to a height of 9 inches, and it looks like the piece is always in danger of tipping over.  Of course Momma being “anchored” to the rock base provides the weighted equalizer that keeps that from happening, and it makes for a visually intriguing scene.  This is one of my favorite pieces now, and I’m really glad that Michael “encouraged” me to purchase it when I did.

Lord knows there have been a number of pieces that I literally “let slip though my fingers” as I’ve mentioned before in other writings.  I’ll have to write an installment that talks about those at a later date.  Interestingly enough though, I imagine if I am to remain true to the concept of the “Chronicles”, I should only write about the pieces that I have….not the pieces that I do not have!!  Hmmm….gotta think about that one!!