I can't believe this was someones house!?! It was so enormous! 
We really enjoyed touring through every room and lingering at each painting to wonder at the age, details and talent involved.
I know I'm a total nerd, but I wish they would label the paint colors (on the walls). I always notice that art museums have such amazing wall paint colors and you get to see an entire room rather than a tiny one inch square on a paint sample card.
Above was Kenny's favorite painting at the museum. Of course it's some place in nature *laughs*, The Grand Canyon. 
This was my favorite. It's called 'The Shepherdess' I'm really impressed when a painting can be so real looking that you are convinced it's a photograph, especially when it was painted hundreds of years ago!
This fun little pod was in the modern art section of the museum.
It was three dimensional, like a giant kernel of corn and a projector displayed the face image on it and played speaking sound effects. It was pretty interesting, something I'd never think of anyway!
Last of all we went outside to explore the gardens, wow! Despite the low temperatures it was a breathtaking scene.
Can't you just see some glorious weddings taking place on site. What a perfect setting!
I'm so glad we discovered yet another treasure on our trip!
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2 comments:
Wow this house is beautiful! Let's stake our claim on the Phillips home and move in!
I know this house very, very well. I grew up in it. My grandparents' property was carved out of the back part of the Philips'. My grandfather was one of the original chairmen of the board when the house was left by the Philips to the City of Tulsa. They only lived there for 12 years, which even as a child who thought 12 years a lifetime, seemed too short for all the effort. Did the Philips ever feel at home here? They certainly tried - and they raised two kids here as well. I remember when it was still a house with a museum replacing a family.
I wish people could see the real house - Mrs. Philip's very 20's expansive bedroom all in watery green silk with her antique fan collection adorning the walls. Mr. and Mrs Philips had separate bedrooms across the hall from one another with an elevated (raised, not sunken) bath room as big as most people's family rooms accessible by miniature (shallow and short) staircases with curving brass railings from both bedrooms. The bathroom was elevated to allow for a sunken tub designed in "the Roman manner" and heaven knows what other luxuries. The bath had been turned into an empty gallery by the time I saw it - but I remember it had beautiful, glowing light and my favorite painting "Mother Earth Laid Bare" graced a wall. My darling grandmother thought she was encouraging my interest in fine art by indulging my love of this painting. Little did she know that she was actually fostering my prurient childish interest in naked ladies and also a life long respect for the Earth and our humble place in it. I wonder if she would have approved.
My grandfather took me one day and I remember my grand promenade down an outside curving staircase and I, beautiful, serene and beloved Snow White/Cinderella/Sleeping Beautiful (fat little farce that I was) descended like a waterfall to clasp his hand at the bottom.
And - the basement - that was a bazillian square foot rec room. I remember Mr. Philips' western furniture made out of long-horn steers still decorated the space. I also remember the strange recreation of a pueblo that grew out of the wall of one of the lessor basement rooms.
And the Crumbo mural that as I recall, was mostly painted onto the wall of a service area that lead into the boiler room.
Does the museum still use the ancient colored lights that use to transform the translucent glass dance floor next to the music room? When I worked there in the 70's, it still worked by a contraption in the basement that was similar to an old fashioned music box. Steel tabs fixed at different points on a roll would rotate to turn on/off different colored lights.
Jennifer
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