Douglas Newby Insights - Page 21
Penguin Repair Tool
Artist David McManaway and my father, the recipient of this art piece, shared a July 12 birthday. The Penguin Repair Tool was first exhibited at DW Gallery. At the opening I told David I would like to buy this piece if he would consider including an instruction manual. He agreed. (slide through to see the image of the instructions on how to use a Penguin Repair Tool. It is pure David McManaway and has the tone of notes, missives, and letters his friends received for years). D magazine later that month did a long feature on David McManaway including a photograph of the Penguin Repair Tool. SMU also borrowed the Penguin Repair Tool for the David McManaway Twenty Year Retrospective that it mounted two years later. Besides loving this piece, I thought it would be an appropriate birthday present for my father who was taking a two-month sabbatical from work as his health recovered. He was a naturally muscular man with a barrel chest, narrow hips, strong legs, long torso, which in a white shirt and blue jacket, if his children positioned his feet just so, could take on the look of a penguin. He disagreed but was a good sport. My father was also very adept at mechanical reasoning and appreciated the instructions that I would immediately toss aside with the Christmas paper, he would then retrieve the instructions and assemble the toy for which they accompanied. Thus, the instruction manual became an important part of this piece. Executed on foldover glossy manual and appropriately signed, only a faded photocopy now remains but the sentiment and directions are clear. The Penguin Repair Tool went on permanent display in the living room except when it was on loan for an art exhibition. It, of course, helped repair my father’s health, who lived a vibrant life for another 15 years. It is also a wonderful remembrance of my father’s generous spirit and that of David McManaway. *Penguin Repair Tool
#DavidMcManaway #TremontArtists #WilliamHNewby #Art #Artist #DMagazine @DMagazine #Dallas #DWGallery #Penguin #PenguinRepairTool #RepairTool #MedicalDevice #DavidMcManawayTwentyYearRetrospective #Instructions #InstructionManual #Assemblage #Birthday #July12 #Hinsdale #Chicago #Jomo
Mount Hood as a Cloud
An early departure from Oregon reminded me of my 8:00 a.m. science requirement class, Climatology, first semester at SMU. I lifted the airplane window shade to see if we had left the runway after a short nap. Seeing clouds, I realized we were in the air and I thought, “I took Climatology, I should know what type of clouds these are.” However, the early hour of an 8 o’clock class, sitting in the back row needing glasses that I still didn’t have, made seeing projected cloud images on the screen a bit blurry, as was my state of consciousness. This resulted in my only collegiate D, but it put me in a great position for Most Improved GPA when I graduated on the High Dean’s List. Looking out the window, not surprisingly, no Climatology knowledge kicked in. Fortunately, I took another course to satisfy my other science requirement—Geology. As you can see when you slide to the second image, at the same visual elevation as the clouds in the foreground, is what looks at a glance to be a cloud in the background. I wasn’t fooled! My keen university study of geology allowed me to successfully identify that this was not a cloud formation but a rock formation—Mount Hood. Thank you, SMU! *Mount Hood as a Cloud
#Climatology #Geology #CloudFormation #RockFormation #MountHood #MountainViews #CloudViews #Mountains #Clouds #WindowViews #Photograph #Design #Oregon
Ross Perot
Almost the whole world knows Ross Perot. Those in Dallas know him a little better, even those like me that have just had peripheral interactions with him or have been the beneficiary of his many generosities. For years before I met him the first time in front of the Hall of State where he was being honored, I read and heard much about him. I subsequently read Ken Follett’s book On Wings of Eagles about Ross Perot’s extraordinary civilian rescue mission of two employees (whom I later met) from a Middle-Eastern jail. I became good friends with early Ross Perot hires, have had top executives of his as real estate clients, met his family, been a guest at Ross Perot’s Strait Lane home, applauded his many civic and philanthropic contributions. While there are thousands upon thousands who have had a close and important relationship with Ross Perot, I knew him just from fleeting exchanges. Still were many things about Ross Perot that were immediately apparent. Ross Perot was intense, competitive, and aware. Almost as quickly one could sense his love of family, friends, and country. But what I will always remember most about Ross Perot is his politeness, sense of humor, and tender friendship with Margaret McDermott. For years he would always stop by on weekends to see Margaret McDermott at her country home on his way back from his lake house. He might chat with her when she was in the water swimming with guests, or sit down at a table where lunch had been served, or just pop his head in the door and say hello. Their friendship is well documented, but it was fun for me to see these two people with an international influence and who had so profoundly shaped Dallas have such a relaxed way with each other in a simple environment. This image is on a screen porch of a small country house architect Scott Lyons designed for Margaret and Eugene McDermott. Thank you, Ross Perot. My prayers go to your family and friends. *Ross Perot
#RossPerot #MargaretMcDermott #ScottLyons #ScreenPorch #MargaretMcDermottAndRossPerot #CountryHome #Architect #Architecture #TexasModern #Dallas #Contributor #Legend #AllenTexas @PerotMuseum
Colors of Portland
Green, gray and brown are the prevailing colors of Portland. One sees them in the natural landscape, the palette of many paintings donated to the Portland Art Museum, and at the Portland Golf Club. Here, the Chair of the Portland Golf Club Archive Committee drives by in a 35-year-old brown vintage Jaguar against the backdrop of this beautiful Orgeon golf course. Just the idea of a gorgeous golf course and a voted club membership invokes a vintage feel of exclusivity and environmental privilege. On the other hand, it is a shared privilege of using the land versus that of the Hollywood elite and business tycoons that buy thousands of acres in the Pacific Northwest and mountain states and promptly post “no trespassing” signs on land that has been accessed communally for years. I love the soft rains of Portland in which the many layered leaves of towering trees keep one dry, the endless green and muted earthtone palette, and while not a car person or golfer, the elegance of a vintage Jaguar and old school golf course. By the way, the last time I was really sunburned was ten years ago playing golf on this course. When the sun shines in Portland, it really shines. *Colors of Portland
#Portland #PortlandGolfClub #Jaguar #VintageJaguar #ColorsOfPortland #Design #Habitat #Oregon #Summer
Take off the sunglasses
The photographer at the African Film Festival told me, “You are not the director, producer, actor, you are a guest, take off the sunglasses.” I was clearly channeling producer/director Rob Allyn, because after all I was the guest of Sandra Washburn, the Executive Director and Producer of Pathbreakers, the award winner of the Best Short Documentary. Pathbreakers is a documentary about Oysters & Pearls, an organization working with sighted and nonsighted students in Uganda in a STEM-oriented program emphasizing robotics and video game design. As you can see sliding through the images, in response to the photographer, I tried putting the sunglasses on top of my head, but the photographer dismissively said, “Off with the shades.” The result is the third image, the portrait of a chastened me standing stoically on the red carpet. Congratulations to Sandra Washburn, Debi Lang, Director, @JacobSOdur, Tim Werner, Colorist, and many others that contributed to this important documentary. Wardrobe by: glasses—Barton Perreira; doublebreasted jacket—John Coggins, Savile Row; pocket square—Etro; trousers—Incotex; banana motif shoes—Stubbs and Wootton. *Take off the sunglasses
#AfricanFilmFestival #Pathbreakers #Oysters&Pearls #Dallas #DallasArtsDistrict #Documentary #ShortDocumentary #FilmAwards #Film #SandraWashburn #Uganda #AfricanFilm #Art #RedCarpet #Fashion #Costume #Joyspotting #downtowndallas #dallasneighborhoods
PoetsBench
When one discovers a carved stone bench set amidst lush foliage at the end of a stone path, one wonders what is the intention of this well placed destination. Maybe a retreat for quiet meditation? Maybe a place to hear the sounds of nature? Maybe a spot to be visually immersed in shades of green? Maybe a hidden site for reflection? Maybe a thinking man’s bench for contemplation? I tend to think of this as a place for creation—a poet’s bench—for the spoken word, the unspoken word, the written word, the unapologetic sacred word. *PoetsBench
#StoneBench #Bench #PoetsBench #Garden #Contemplation #Reflection #Sacred #Word #Poet #UnspokenWord #SpokenWord #Creation #Meditation #Green #Immersed #Discover #StonePath #Design #LandscapeDesign #Architecture #Site #Dallas #UrbanNeighborhood #DallasNeighborhood #JoySpotting
Exploring Dallas
During the summer it is fun to see the holiday posts of friends’ favorite places that they return to each year and exotic places people explore for the first time. This landscape reminds me of the rich history and texture found in the urban neighborhoods of Dallas where the architecture is classic, the trees are mature, and there is an unselfconscious sense of engagement. I love homes that have a bit of a holiday vibe to them. *Exploring Dallas
#Dallas #Summer #Trellis #Arbor #Vine #Landscape #Garden #dallasneighborhoods #landscapearchitecture
Ripping Off My Look
There is something about New York that can make New Yorkers look rich, powerful and entitled, and when I wear virtually the same thing, I look rumpled, casual and, well, like a tourist. In Dallas, everyone looks like they belong. I admire New York and love Dallas! *Ripping Off My Look
#NewYork #Dallas #StreetFashion #Tourist #NewYorker #Manhattan #Fashion #CityCostume #Design #midtown
Arboretum Point Terrace to Winfrey Point
Arboretum Point descends towards the water of White Rock Lake. The home on Arboretum Point, land once owned by the Dallas Arboretum, is terraced towards the lake and also towards the meadows of Winfrey Point. The advantage of a home placed on a point is that you are not looking at other homes but looking into trees and a vast amount of park that follows the undulating shoreline of the lake. Rather than traffic, the air is filled with the sounds of songbirds ready to be counted by the Audubon Society. *Arboretum Point Terrace to Winfrey Point
#ArboretumPoint #WinfreyPoint #AudubonSociety #Birds #Terrace #LandscapeDesign #PathToSMU #PathToTrinityGroves #EmeraldIsle #WhiteRockLake #Dallas #DallasNeighborhood #Tree #Balcony #Park #Lawn
Poodle Power
Many think of poodles as prissy, dyed, fluffy cut, small, precious dogs presented almost as decoration. These three proud poodles seem more like French military or highly ranked French police on high alert escorting this larger dog who seems to totally defer and rely on their keen intelligence, strength, and athleticism to navigate the streets of New York. *Poodle Power
#Poodle #Dog #NewYork #Neighborhood #Manhattan #Style #Intelligence #HighAlert