Seattle Art Museum

As part of a watercolor class I took at the local college over the winter semester, I joined a group of my classmates today for an excursion to the Seattle Art Museum, also known as "SAM", to view the Paul G. Allen Family Collection of Landscape Masterworks.

Yes, one of the founders of Microsoft has been generous enough to share his private collection with us-the public.  After this exhibition ends on April 23rd, the works will return to Mr. Allen's personal collection.  I can only imagine what he has invested to own these paintings.  Even further, I cannot grasp what it could mean to have them hanging on my own personal walls to enjoy whenever I desired, as does he.  But gratefully, Mr. Allen has given the rest of us an opportunity to experience these works of art at least once in our lifetime here at SAM on this glorious day.

How lucky to have this opportunity!  Awe inspiring to the point of evoking a true emotional reaction  while standing in front of them, seeing these original masterworks is an experience almost beyond description.  I have never previously viewed the original works of most famous artists, including Georgia O'Keefe, Claude Monet and Gustav Klimt to name just three of the many masters we saw.  Their paintings take you beyond words, and I can easily see why the world is mesmerized by their works. 

We could have spent hours beyond what we had available to us on this day.  During our visit, we enjoyed a tour given by one of the museum docents, who provided us with wonderful descriptions of each work of art, as well as enlightening us with what the artist meant to convey beyond the actual image he or she created.  Further exploration found us admiring items in a phenomenal gift shop, followed by a yummy lunch we all enjoyed together in the museum's restaurant.

The museum is also stunning in other ways.  Within the main lobby, there is a giant replication of an actual tree created from tiny pieces of wood glued together to recreate the actual outline of a once living tree.  The trunk and branches represent the size, growth pattern and shape of the real tree.  Seeing the tree horizontally above you along the length of the lobby imparts a realization of the height and majesty these living plants are capable of achieving-a perception that one cannot realize as well looking up vertically while standing at the base of a tree in real life.

Nothing prepares you for unexpected adventures that turn into a dream experience.  But taking the time and garnering the courage to try something new, miles away from home, was well worth the effort.  Museums are to be commended for what they give all of us and I am grateful for them.