Grey Skies and Murky Feelings

Bleak skies and bloated clouds was all I could curse while sloshing through the muck that was supposed to be a great day at English class. I thought my day was going to be great the night before when all I could picture was having a fun English class at an art gallery but it was not off to a very good start, considering the fact that I was carrying my sandals instead of wearing them. As I arrived at Woods Hall I manage to catch a small glimpse of myself in the window and I was absolutely water-logged. I looked like a cat that just had a close encounter with a water hose. Still, I was happy to be at an Art Gallery instead of a bomb-shelter of a class room. After a few formalities about the “no touching” rule I was off to explore what looked to be a fun excursion of creative art pieces.
Perusing the Synaesthetic Art gallery, I happened upon what looked to be a familiar face. There was a drawing on the wall that was neatly dubbed “Rope-a-Dope”. It was like I was staring into a funhouse mirror that portrayed you as an animal. The drawing had quite a few oddities about it the most prominent being a lonesome teddy on the ground and a large crib suited for an infant but the centerpiece was the saturated tabby cat inside of an astronaut helmet. The way the tabby seemed to stare out at me with a face incapable of smiling, yet it had a crooked grin exactly like the one I most often wear when I’m not exactly enjoying myself. I instantly took a liking to the little fellow inside the helmet and took a quick snapshot. The name of the drawing never clicked with me as being an explanation of the drawing, it seemed like something that was just meant to relate to my own situation. The artist may have had a bad day too or maybe even a good day because everyone interprets their own feelings differently. “Rope-a-Dope” gave me something to relate to and I believe it could do the same in the mind of any other individual who enjoys admiring other people’s thoughts portrayed in the physical realm.
Spikes. That was the first word that came to mind when I saw what seemed to be another instant favorite for me at the gallery. At first I thought it may be some portrayal of a torture device the likes of a primitive iron maiden. A mass of slender instruments of death and dismemberment lying neatly in the form of a 4 foot long oval shaped ball. To my eyes it seemed like this massive morning star was made of something wrought from iron and flame, but to my utter surprise it was comprised solely of wood. The finely crafted skewers were stained a black like a battleship or a fearsome bastion atop a castle. I was so impressed by this work of art that I took a short video and several pictures to amuse myself with at a later date. If the work was not already titled “Left Right” I would surely give it a name leaning towards a more sinister nature. Even though the name was irksome, “Left Right” certainly impressed upon me a feeling of esteem at the deep machinations deep inside the mind of an artist. I feel sure anyone with a taste for medieval art or just awe inspiring wickedness would love this piece.
The gallery was littered with all manner of other interesting objects futuristic weaponry, interesting photographs, and odd paintings just to name a few. I enjoyed most all of my visit to the gallery, all except for one small black spot. There was a corner designated to display a collection of art that seemed out of place. The piece was called “Octopus Birds” and looked to me like something a lazy student might “pull out of his/her ass” to be quite frank. Nothing about the piece gave me any enjoyment at all and just seemed to me to be a collection of glitter glue and magazine clippings of bird heads. If anyone would have a reason not to visit Synarts it would be solely because of the lack of foresight in displaying that disgrace of a piece in my opinion. Notice though that I said “in my opinion” which is that of a 19 year old male. Even though that certain corner of the gallery didn’t seem to do anything but kill my brain cells I’m sure small children would love to see it or even have it in their rooms. After taking in the gallery as a whole I would call it time well spent and would recommend it to anyone who is even the least bit interested in exploring their creative side.