St Paul Art Crawl…ed

Hey everyone!

I’ve been totally caught up in the activity involved in selling art at the St Paul Art Crawl. It’s been exciting, but also frustrating. Early reports say that sales were down in most buildings, probably due to heavy road construction in the Lowertown area and unseasonable, gorgeous weather. I love warmth, high, puffy, cumulus clouds and fall tree colors against deep blue skies, so I’m not going to complain. I would have been oot and aboot myself, given the option.

Those who did spend time inside buildings instead of tripping through leaves were rewarded with a bounty of new art. It must have been a terrific summer for creating, because I saw many artists expand their oeuvres in exciting new directions. Even I tried something new, as you’ll see a little later on.

This is an image from Beth Stoneberg’s work with birch wood and tinted polyurethane. Her pieces are LARGE. As always, the image is off since I’m just using a photograph of her business card to give you a taste of what you will see when you click on her name. She creates dramatic, timeless art that is effective in homes, lofts or corporate offices. Her website shows a few pieces installed, highlighting the abstract patterns of the wood while retaining its natural beauty.

The second thing you should know about Ms Stoneberg is that not only does she create amazing art, she also invests quite a bit of time in co-organizing the Rossmor Building’s participation in the Art Crawl. Many hours that could go into new work gets devoted to filling the building with fine artists. Thank you Beth!

Patrick Clancy is the other organizer of the Rossmor’s offerings for the St Paul Art Crawl. I know he was shooting a wedding on Sunday in addition to everything else going on with his studio and sales this weekend. I don’t know how he found time, but I’m sure glad he did. Can you see from this image that the middle photograph is a tinted black and white? If I was a bride-to-be I’d seriously be considering this man to take the pictures. Check out his website to see more poignant and stunning images of his past work.

Linda Bonine doesn’t have a website, yet. What she does have is unique, striking jewelry that appeals to women of many ages. I know this because I sat across from her delectable display for three days and watched young girls and the more mature get lost in her vintage broaches, necklaces and bracelets. She has leather cuffs with sparkle (you’d have to ask her how that’s accomplished) and bangles heavy with repurposed pieces from your grandmother’s top drawers. She’ll be at the 18th Annual MN Women’s Art Festival at the Midtown YWCA in Minneapolis on Saturday, December 11th. (So will I!)

Roxanne Richards was in the process of selling three pieces to two buyers when I last spoke to her. That’s no mean feat in this economy. But I shouldn’t be surprised because she is so adamant about the quality of her work including the archival paper and UV glass. Ms Richards works in pastel, but mixes it with Isopropyl rubbing alcohol to create a medium that doesn’t flake inside the frame. She’s not only a vibrant artist, she’s a careful craftsperson, paying attention to all aspects of the process. Her work is now selling at Your Art’s Desire Gallery in Minnetonka.

Lauren Strom is the mastermind of a very impressive clothing and arts empire. Okay, I might be exaggerating a tad, but her output is incredible and her business just keeps growing. If you click on her name you’ll be brought to her Etsy shop. Scroll down to see classic images of her birds (most have knees), bicycles and bubbles. (You can buy an original bird watercolour for $20! Or a t-shirt…) You can also go to her Dancing Fork blog which shows her artwork as well as her divine studio in the Casket Arts Building. Twinkly lights, canvases against a brick wall, a fan with a face; it looks like heaven to me.

Here are my latest creations! The churches have thin slices of a cane I created to look like stained glass. If you put a light behind them, you can see the glow, which is pretty entertaining to me. (I don’t get out much.) The houses are recreations of my little home series. You’re looking at No. 19, 20, 29, 38 and 23. I’ll be selling them at Anne and Friend’s holiday ornament store, in Wayzata and at the 18th Annual MN Women’s Art Festival at the Midtown YWCA in Minneapolis on Saturday, December 11th.

So, while the St Paul Art Crawl lived up to the slow part of its name for me, it was still a success for many and well worth seeing. If I get organized, in an upcoming blog I’ll introduce you to some other artists I met. Maybe you’ll be in a position to patronize them? A happy thought.

Until next time…—Chris

 

 

Yikes! St Paul Art Crawl Again

Hi everyone,

Well, I’m doing it again.  I’ve entered as an artist in the upcoming St Paul Art Crawl, next Fri, Sat and Sun, Oct 8th, 9th and 10th.  What was I thinking?

I’ve got my little houses to sell and my cards.  No problem there.  But I wanted to have some new stuff and that takes time and patience.  Shouldn’t be a problem, but I’m the type of person who dislikes to be pushed.  “Disliked” is too diplomatic.  I get cranky, snippy and begin cussing under my breath.  From time to time my words become all too audible before I go back to muttering.  Not exactly the picture of a happy-go-lucky artist working away.

Here’s a picture of me looking relieved at the reception for The Art of Mentoring exhibit.  (See my little house, to the right of me, on the shelf?)  The work is done.  That’s the reason for the grin.

Which is not to say I don’t have times when I’m thoroughly in the moment or so far beyond it that the hour doesn’t even register.  That happens fairly frequently.  It’s wonderful!  I am lost in bliss and it’s the reason I always go back to art.  It takes me out of myself in a very Zen-like way.  But not when I’m feeling rushed.  (To be fair, I should include a picture of me when I’m fuming and frustrated.  Lucky for you, I don’t have one.)

This is a photograph of the outside of the Rossmor Building in downtown St Paul, where I’ll be exhibiting.  It was built in 1916 as the Foot Schulez & Co. Bldg, a shoe and boot manufacturer and now has condos and lofts available.  The lighting is very good here.  I’m on the fourth floor, in the hallway, and have southern windows brightening my space.

There’ll be music at the Rossmor!  Stella for Stars will play the lobby Friday night between 6:30 and 8:00 pm. Nathan Eliot Rowan will play the lobby Friday night, 8-10 pm. Tortuga! will play Friday night in studio 508, 8-10 pm.  Tortuga! is a four-piece experimental jazz electra combo with original music by P.J. Tracy.

Last spring, there was also a fair amount of drinking going on as people wandered the hallways on Friday and Saturday nights.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the ambiance, the music in the lobby, the twinkling lights after sunset and seeing bright young things gather to celebrate their art, their friendships and their youth.

St Paul Art Crawl map

I imagine it is similar to the days of the Roaring Twenties, with F Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda and their friends turning up around the most tantalizing night lights and sounds of music.  Some artists always seem to know where to gather, where the next good time will be.  I hope it happens again at the Rossmor, on the fourth floor, near me.  It would make all of this clock-watching, breath-holding and muttering worthwhile.

Hope so.  See you there?  —Chris

Art in The Twin Cities 2

Welcome back!

Last Saturday, May 15th, I attended Art-A-Whirl. Hopefully most of you know what that is, but some may not. For those of you who do, feel free to scoot further down the page.

Art-A-Whirl is presented by the NE Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA) and is billed on their website as “the largest open studio and gallery tour in the United States.” Like the St Paul Art Crawl, they too have a fall event, only the name is different: The Fall Fine Arts Show.

The AAW event is located in 11 landmark studio buildings, 10 art galleries, 14 smaller stand alone buildings and 28 associated venues. Most of the buildings have multiple studios; the Northrup King Bldg has over 190 artists. Even the relatively small Q.arma Building has 18 arts-related studios and the Keg House has 10.

As usual, I had to make some tough choices right away; I knew I wouldn’t see everything. That’s the hardest part of these events, but it’s made easier by knowing that I’ll choose different buildings next time. Alternating keeps everything fresh!

I started off in the small Keg House because I wanted to see my mentor’s art. Layl McDill, of ClaySquared, has transformed her gallery space into a workshop studio. When I visited she had an impromptu class of clay makers, mostly children, hard at work. The other half of ClaySquared, run by husband Josh Blanc, had a full gallery of tiles on display as well as samples in process which I could examine.

In the same bldg I also visited the Brain Injury Association of MN’s gallery of art. There was a live demo’ by an artist who was working despite a debilitating stroke and, on the wall, a number of fine arts pieces that I wanted to take home, including Brian Foster’s “art to stand on.”

Although there was more to see, I walked to the Grain Belt Building to view the Polymer Clay Guild’s exhibit. I need to join this organization! They have monthly meetings I’m interested in; definitely on my to-do list.

From there I met Kat Corrigan, a former WARM protegee, and fun artist. She paints soulful dogs (blue!), the most delicious trees and intense skies (more blue!) and she’s a member of L7, a group that was kind enough to strongly urge us, the newest protegees, to form small groups to support and inspire each other throughout (and after) the mentorship program. I hold a special spot in my heart for these seven artists because I daily benefit from the group that resulted.

I left Kat to see Deb Splain’s work across the atrium. I’m not sure if she knows of the envy she generated with her piece “Mending Souls” at our first protegee meeting last fall. She has texture that defies description (I won’t try) and a seemingly endless ability to put deep symbolism into her paintings. And she’s just getting started!

To me that touches on one of several gifts I’ve gotten from the Women’s Art Registry of MN’s mentor program: 1) I’ve met and got to interact with successful, working artists that treated me like an equal, 2) I’ve met 20 artists at the beginning of their careers, got to watch them develop and then leap far away from my expectations and 3) I received access to visual arts that I only dreamed about before joining. There’s always been an active arts’ scene here in the metro’ area; I just needed to have it pointed out.

Next time: The third and final installment of Art in The Twin Cities. Thanks for visiting! –Chris

Art in The Twin Cities 1

Welcome back!

I love living in Minneapolis and St Paul. It’s amazing. I moved up here originally because of the multitude of cultural opportunities. I quickly fell in love with the large swathes of trees and parks in the urban areas; it was so incredibly green. It was beautiful here and entertaining, but only after I made lifelong friends did I suspect I’d stay.

I was exposed to the music and theatre stages fairly early as most of my friends were either drama majors or musicians. (What can I say? I was very lucky.) I adored the Guthrie Theatre and Theatre in the Round, of course, but also reveled in In The Heart of the Beast Puppet Theatre, The Southern Theatre and the statewide volunteer-run organization: the MN Assoc of Community Theatres. From MACT I learned about the annual Fringe Festival, which is 11 days of some of the most adventurous independent theatre available in the US; look for it again in August.

As for music, my partner was quick to find lesser-known bands at local hotspots like the FineLine, the 401 Bar, First Avenue and the smaller venues, including The Coffee Grounds, The Ginkgo Coffeehouse and the long-running, diversified programming of The Cedar Cultural Center. I first learned about groups before they hit the national airwaves by listening to the ever-inventive KFAI Radio. The programs I like best are “Pam Without Boundaries” on Tuesday mornings and “Womenfolk,” on Sundays. Give yourself a treat and tune in! (Little known fact: my favorite band title, to date, is Front Porch Swinging Liquor Pigs. Does it get any better than that?)

Recently though, I realized there were even more reasons to live up here. I was introduced a few years ago, belatedly, to the visual arts’ scene.

It was so exciting. There were art galleries in downtown Minneapolis that I could wander through, one after another, eat snacks and drink wine! I was surprised. What did it mean? Who were these artists? Why were they letting me in their small studios, along with long lines of other wanderers?

Over time I learned that the artists often lived elsewhere and rented these spaces to create their art. I still remember the huge equine sculpture made out of found objects that towered above me. And so many glorious paintings worth thousands of dollars. It was thrilling to have gallery owners approach me as a potential buyer.

From there I was introduced to the St Paul Art Crawl. It has a spring and fall event in a variety of locales. Over the years I found myself exploring several of the Lowertown St Paul buildings, the Rossmor Building (on 10th and Robert Streets) and the Dow Building (on University Ave).

For example, this year at the Rossmor I saw trendy necklaces and hair clips (semi-precious stones and peacock feathers) at Olive Jewels. There were photographs that captured the dark beauty of trees as well as the integrity of those who work outside at Steffen Ryan Photography. On another floor, large richly colorful pastels created by artist Roxanne Richards drew in buyers. And breathtaking, elemental images of water, ice and rock photographed here in Minnesota were being sold by Tierza Loskota Photography.

Like the plays and the bands, the visual arts here are vibrant. I’ve been exceptionally fortunate in my choice of home. Beauty pervades.

Coming soon: the art and artists of NE Minneapolis’ Art-A-Whirl. Thanks for checking back! –Chris