FISHERS

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For the month of June, I am part of a group show at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts (on Bainbridge Island in Washington state) entitled SETTING SAIL....ARTISTS AT SEA. The exhibit opens on June 7th and runs through July 1st. Participating artists include: Harry Ableman, Sam Garriott Antonacci, Cameron Bahnson, Morgan Brig, Ken Brookner, Tom Case, Deb Casso, Damon Edwards, Sandy Hurd, Linda Jarvis, Leigh Knowles, Colleen Meacham, Shane Miller, Chandler O'Leary, Gregg Onewein, Donna Snow, Jessica Spring, Luke Tornatzky, Diane Walker, and Kay Walsh. The opening was very well attended and just generally a lot of fun.

I have really looked forward to this show because I have always been drawn to boat shapes and the metaphor that boats offer. As a child my family always had a boat ....or two....in the backyard and many Sunday afternoons found us on the lake floating .... swimming .... fishing .... or eating KFC from the island of our boat. I've written about boats before in past posts and you can read that here. And just for fun, here is an image from my childhood of another way us kids enjoyed boats....



FISHERS is one of three pieces I have in the exhibit. The boat, itself, is woven copper wire and is approximately 8.25" long. The birds: kingfisher...black crowned night heron...pelican....heron...and cormorant are all photo etched nickel and stand on a leg of copper tubing. The wooden base is 8.75" by a little over 4" wide. It is made from wiggle board.....it's used under a corrugated metal roofing to match the shape of the corrugations and seal the ends of the roof. I split the board down the middle 3 times to get the narrow wavelets. The base was then painted with a special paint that has copper in suspension....then I patina-ed that copper surface with a blue patina....instead of the verdigris green patina that is so popular. The evening before I had the boat and birds attached to the base, I sat on my couch with a flashlight and entertained myself, for longer than I care to admit, by casting long shadows on the opposite wall. Shadows of boat and birds on an adventure at sea. I could make the shadow be crisp and sharp and small or I could settle for the shadow being a little fuzzy and cast it across an entire wall. While I played with my newest creation, my imagination kept getting ahead of me and I was thinking of these birds as characters in a children's book. Something about these 5 friends who think they don't have much in common except that they all like to eat fish. On their adventure they realize that they all also like to be near water....and that they all have feathers....that they all jump a little when it thunders....etc....etc....

I'm happy to report that FISHERS found a wonderful home during the opening. This is a piece that is a little bit hard for me to let go of. I think that soon I will have a version of FISHERS in my home....and then I can entertain myself anytime I want with a flashlight and shadows.

GLOBAL ACADEMY OF SUPER HEROES

(REMEMBER TO CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION)
This past Friday was the opening for the show, SUPER HEROES WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE....at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts on Bainbridge Island in WA. The show will be available for viewing Feb.1-25. I am in good company with the following participating artists: Morgan Brig, Lynn Brunelle, Andy Caro, Linda Costello, Megan Drew, Garth Edwards, Denise Harris, Sandra Hurd, M.J. Linford, Linnea Lundmark, Deborah Peek, Joan Peter and Laurie Lewis.

When I was asked to be part of this show I went quickly from elation (what a fun theme) to apprehension (how to pull this off without crossing the 'too cute' line). For me, being on the 'correct' side of that line is important and necessary. That boundary keeps me in alignment with my vision which usually includes...imagery and words that are somewhat clever, quirky and slightly unusual...a way of seeing the world that is unique but still has a universal truth about it...a nostalgic longing...and some kind of hook that allows everyone (young or old, rich or poor, sophisticated or not so much) to relate to the theme. Yes, apparently I like to put a little pressure on myself.

I originally had 2 or 3 different ideas in mind but couldn't seem to settle on how to proceed. Finally I combined these ideas to make one inclusive piece. I kept thinking about how Super Heroes develop their skills...is there a school for such a thing? So....I decided to create the GLOBAL ACADEMY OF SUPER HEROES. This piece measures approx. 34" tall by 14.4" wide with a depth of about 2.5"

At the very top of the sculpture is a flying boy finial that is photo etched in nickel.

The top panel, also photo etched nickel, is a representation of the actual academy and training facility. The lightening bolt is the official symbol of the school and is also etched on the front of the book. You can read more about the book a little further down.

The middle panel is an overview of the 12 most recent graduates from the academy. This is protected behind glass.

The bottom panel is mica attached to a tilting shelf. Resting on the shelf is the official year book of the Global Academy. The book, complete with a copper spiral binding, is photo etched brass. Within the book are the 12 most recent graduates from the academy and a brief description of their special powers. Here is a list of the current curriculum and just a few of the featured Super Heroes.

And last, but certainly not least, is a photo of Anne who is one of the worker bees at the gallery wearing my super hero goggles. I think she looks great!!! Maybe she will try out for next years group of trainees at the GLOBAL ACADEMY OF SUPER HEROES.

AWED BY THE MILKY WAY

It's a prestigious job being the keeper of moonlight, but even the man in the moon is awed by the vastness of the Milky Way.

From January 7th through the 31st I am part of a group show at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts called THE MOON. Bainbridge Arts and Crafts is located on Bainbridge Island in Washington.

I created a box for this show titled AWED BY THE MILKY WAY. It measures 20" x 11.25" x 2" and is made of photo etched nickel, copper and cherry. Technically this box is a little more simple than most of my other boxes but, in this case, I think it works. AWED BY THE MILKY WAY has an elegance that is sometimes missing from my more complicated boxes.

The man in the moon, backed by an astrolabe of copper, stares longingly at the Milky Way from his small doorway in the moon. His job is to be the keeper of moonlight and to keep track of the moon phases with his calendar etched on the inside of the door. It's a great job...he's the envy of all his friends....still he wonders what it would be like to orchestrate the stars in the Milky Way.

This moon show was one of the best that I have attended at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts. The artwork was superb and the public was very generous with their comments and their wallets. It was also a great chance to get to visit with fellow artists....including Donna Snow and Morgan Brig. Check out their work....it's exceptional. I am grateful to my friends who came to the opening to support me and to my dear friend, Kristi, who took these photos....of course, I forgot my camera and didn't have a chance to take studio images of this piece before I had to deliver it. This box sold on the opening night but because it is an edition of 5 there is still a chance to own AWED BY THE MILKY WAY.

SUMMER STUDIO SALE 2010

For several weeks I've been meaning to post just a few images from our 2nd Annual Studio Sale at GreyBird Barn in Port Townsend, WA. This sale took place on June 26th and 27th. The weather was glorious....the home baked cookies delicious....the company of my fellow artist friends was endearing....a good time was had by all. The week of the sale an article about me, GreyBird Barn and my property was published in the paper. Many people came from surrounding areas to see what all the ruckus was about....some carrying a folded copy of the article under their arm to give to me....so sweet! My next blog post will be the article. Enjoy these images and remember that you can view a larger version by clicking on the image.


The artists of GreyBird Barn: (from left to right) Shirley Moss...hand made sterling silver and gold chains, Shane Miller...photo-etched jewelry, narrative boxes and boats, Beverly Saito...beaded jewelry and sculptural ceramics, Linda Jarvis...mixed media paintings, sculpture and assemblages, Diane Gale...wood fired and glazed pottery.


Sculptural ceramics by Beverly Saito.


Paintings and assemblages by Linda Jarvis.


Shirley showing her hand made chains to a customer.


A couple of Shane's boats.


Diane's ceramics with Shane's jewelry in the background.


Shane with Morgan Brig....a friend and phenomenal metal artist.


Big smiles....a lot of camaraderie....that's Kristi in the middle, our friend and great helper and supporter of this event.


An overview....that's Bliss, my tractor in the foreground.