Wyoming Breezes

Cowgirl Hat Ball  created by Terry Maker 2019 This summer, I went to the University of Wyoming Art Museum to specifically see this piece. I was not prepared for the visual impact it had in the round display area. The piece is made from over 500 straw cowgirl hats.  massive sphere constructed of wood and over  500 cowgirl hats photo to provide perspective as the sphere is about six foot in diameter No doubt it would be appropriate to say, "My hat is off to the artist for creating this fun artwork."

"Monday" by Elizabeth B. Warren  University of Wyoming Art Museum Laramie, WY February 2022 It seems fitting to post "Monday" on a Monday.  Several weeks ago, I visited the UW Art Museum, and this watercolor painting caught my eye. I love everything about it -- the colors, the scene in particular.  I have many memories of wash day when I was young, but sadly no photographs. Most of the clothes on our clothesline were denim jeans, work shirts, sheets, towels, a few dresses and some underwear. Occasionally, coveralls, were also hung to dry.

Xi’an Mickey Inflatable by Lizabeth Eva Rossof on display University of Wyoming Art Museum February 2022 Pop Warriors have been on display at the University of Wyoming Art Museum since August, and I finally saw them on Friday afternoon. The warriors are constructed from nylon by a company that makes bouncy castles, and are inflated by electric fans. Most of the warriors are over twelve feet tall.  Also on display were Bart (Simpson), Batman, Shrek, and Spiderman.  A brochure at the exhibit said the original Pop Warriors were made in Xi’an of the same clay and earth as other replica souvenirs of the Xi’an warriors.  It was an interesting exhibit, but if I hadn’t read the brochure that explained her concept and the development of the warriors, I doubt I would have spent much time viewing them. 

"Wisdom" created by Enrique Gomez de Molina UW Art Museum Laramie, WY November 2019 A couple of weeks ago, I went to the University of Wyoming Art Museum to see the (re)Evolution art exhibit. I'll admit the pieces were a bit odd, but also intriguing. This piece, created by Enrique Gomez de Molina, was made with bits and pieces from other animals. The whiskers are porcupine quills, the iridescent body was made with beetle wings. close-up of the beetle wings used on the body of Wisdom Yes, each one of those scales is an individual beetle wing - kind of creepy, but also quite pretty.

play program and knitting November 2018 Last week, I attended a play at the University of Wyoming. Rhinoceros was first performed in 1959, yet its message is still as relevant today as it was 59 years ago. The actors did a wonderful job with the script and the staging, and the playwright's message was clearly presented. It was not an entertaining play, and at times, it was very uncomfortable to watch; however, that was the playwright's intent. According to Wikipedia,  The play is often read as a response and criticism to the sudden upsurge of Fascism and Nazism during the events preceding World War II, and explores the themes of conformity, culture, fascism, responsibility, logic, mass movements, mob mentality, philosophy and morality.  The director's note in the program stated. ". . . it is not the unapologetically evil that must be feared, but rather the indifference that allows them to grow, the refusal of the average person to make a stand and say, 't...

Community Band performance October 2018 Last week was a whirlwind of activity: every day I had some event or activity on my calendar. Monday evening, I attended a performance of the Laramie Civic Chorus and the Community Band. It was very enjoyable. The young man in the percussion section who is shown far left in the photo was like a whirling dervish, dashing from one instrument to the next with his sheet music fluttering along with him. Tuesday morning found me in a Women's Bible study group. I had several errands that kept me busy in the afternoon. Wednesday afternoon, I knit with the Needlework group at the senior center. The group has grown from three to twelve in the short time I've been attending. I cast off the Baby Surprise Jacket, and asked some of the ladies to figure out how it would be folded into a sweater. It was fun to watch as they flipped it this way and that. Mexican Train dominos November 2018 The Mexican Train domino group meets on Thursd...

Wyoming Cowboy  by Chris Navarro University of Wyoming campus corner of East Grand Ave. and 22nd St. Laramie, WY October 2018 The plaque on the base of this sculpture shares the artist's thoughts about his work, Wyoming Cowboy : “The silhouette of a cowboy riding a bucking horse has long been the symbol of the State of Wyoming. The cowboy astride a bucking horse represents the toughness, pride, spirit, and independence of Wyoming.  The scupture has been modeled on the great bucking horse Steamboat. This famous bucker bred in Wyoming was voted “worst” bucking horse of the year at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Celebration in 1906 and 1907. Steamboat was jet black with three white socks and had a powerful build. When he was a colt, he sustained a broken bone in his nose that caused him to make a whistling sound when he buck, and that is why the cowboys gave him the name Steamboat. The old-time cowboys said Steamboat would buck his heart out and wouldn’t quit. The sculpture ...

Breaking Through University of Wyoming August 2018 The University of Wyoming is the home of the Cowboys, and sculptures of cowboys are placed liberally around campus. Breaking Through  was dedicated in 2015, yet in 2018, its female rider unwittingly represented the university's new marketing slogan: "The World Needs More Cowboys." The slogan created quite a ruckus this summer on social media, as one professor thought it was too sexist .  I'm sure the professor understood the purpose of the marketing campaign but chose to turn it into a springboard for her own agenda. As an alum of UW, I consider myself a Cowboy, and throughout my life I've also been a Panther, a Shaman, a Bulldog, an Eagle, and a Cougar. What were the mascots of the schools you attended?

University of Wyoming Symphony Orchestra September 2018 Last Thursday, I attended the first concert of the UW Symphony Orchestra Season. Since I purchased season tickets for the symphony and the theatre/dance performances, I will be spending a lot of time enjoying the 2018-2019 fine arts season. I snapped the photo before the conductor entered, but many people were taking photos during the concert. The seats in the last two rows of the hall are called "Tweet Seats" and are sold to those who want to tweet quietly during the performance. Do you "Tweet" and would you tweet during a concert or play?

Prexy's Pasture (facing west) University of Wyoming campus Laramie, WY March 16, 2018 Kyle Spradley Photography ~ Facebook image Seeing this photo of Prexy's Pasture brought back memories of my two and half years at the University of Wyoming. I can't begin to count the number of times I trudged across Prexy's Pasture on my way to classes at UW in the early 70s. The wind was often howling and drifting snow across the open space in the winter. Cold nights in the spring would turn the sidewalks into treacherous ice corridors. One early morning, I fell so many times, that I finally took off my shoes and walked in my socks to get to class on time. The pine trees have grown a lot since the early 70s and probably buffer some of the brutal wind and reduce how much the snow can drift in the area. In the summer, the campus is gorgeous with green spaces and blooming flowers. The UW campus has expanded so much that it is clearly more than double what it was in the...

women's size 10 October 2017 Ellen ( The Ellen Report ) sent me a surprise package  filled with yarn. I knew immediately that the brown and gold yarn would soon become a pair of socks. I'm a University of Wyoming alum, and the bold brown and gold yarn was pleading to become Cowboy Joe socks. I often caught myself humming the popular UW fight song as I knit. "He always sings raggy music to his cattle as he swings back and forward in his saddle on a horse . . ." Cowboy Joe (a shetland pony)runs the field  with his handlers after each UW Cowboy score. The tradition started in the 1950s and is still practiced today Cowboy Joe socks Yarn : Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock (Bee Stripe  #202) Needles : US size 2 Stitch count:          64 stitches - ribbed cuff         60 stitches - foot

Rosa & Nancy S. June 1973 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY I recently found the photos of my graduation from the University of Wyoming: BA in Education with a double major - Language Arts and Theater.   Was I really ever that young and with dark hair? Mom came to Laramie, WY for the ceremony, held in the UW Field House. Since I was the only one in my immediate family to attend college, this was a special occasion for her and for me. Nancy June 1973 BA - School of Education Charlotte T. and Nancy S. June 1973 Charlotte (aka Charlie) and her sister Ruth were my roommates the last year and a half at the UW.  Charlie was a lot of fun and petite: note my height in the photo with my Mom and the one with Charlie. The first year that we roomed together, our apartment was near "Stink Lake" about a mile north of campus. The "lake" had some sort of algae that smelled disgusting in the spring. The summer I graduated, Charlie, Ruth and I lived in a s...