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

WARM Art Show a Hit!

The reception for the WARM Mentor Program Exhibition at the Bloomington Theatre & Art Center last Friday night was a lively success. It runs through Friday, Oct. 8th.

First, a caveat or two. I’m in the show, so I’m likely a bit prejudiced. Also, there were two plays running that night, so it’s possible that not everyone in the crowded gallery and lobby was there for the show. Still, spirits were high with artists, guests and visitors connecting in an animated way.

"The Bandaged Place," by Katherine Pohlman

Katherine Pohlman’s mobile is large at 36 x 36 x 36; it’s also quite ethereal, for a work of that size. The space between each heart, dangling from clear nylon line, allows movement and changing perceptions of the viewer. The copper spiral at the top provides balance, beauty and also references an ancient symbol of life. The fact that each heart contains chickenwire at it’s core is a delicious dichotomy that was intentional.

"Runt," by Angela Sprunger

Angela Sprunger created this as a monoprint. As I’ve mentioned in a past blog, the camera I use is a Canon digital. It’s not meant to take photographs of art and definitely not of art in galleries with specialty lighting. I’ve color-corrected to some extent, but you can tell how unsuccessful I was. The walls are a yellow-tone, not pink. When you view this in person, you’ll be able to see what Ms Sprunger’s work really looks like. She also has a colorful intaglio/screenprint with delicate line-work called “Dive In.” Think of the image above as a teaser.

"City Viewer, 2010," by Debora Miller

When you go to the exhibit, don’t miss Debora Miller’s peephole installations. They require a willingness to risk the unknown just to view the two works, because you have to lean in and focus on each one. I was happy to see the step stool underneath so that people of all heights could check them out. I managed to miss the image on the left the first time, because it’s around the corner. While the two don’t tell a complete story, they do broach the topic of what is included in an urban landscape. (Another teaser!)

Ms Miller is generous with her images on her website. She’s also willing to show some vulnerability by documenting and sharing her experiments as well as her completed works. Her series titles are almost as arresting as the works themselves: “Untitled Cleavage/Symmetry,” “Interrupted Sky,” and “Accretion.” Check them out!

"Untitled I," "II" and "III," by Susan Carlson

This is so frustrating! I can’t begin to show you these three pieces properly. I could color-correct until the cows come home (can you tell I originally hail from Iowa?) yet I won’t be any closer to presenting this accurately. Susan Carlson works with fabulous Japanese tissue paper, folding, inking and manipulating until the multi-layered works find the right mixture of design, color and texture. Each of these pieces has tiny beads (those definitely don’t show up here) that glisten as you move to get closer.

Center: "Imperfeccion perfecta #2," by Maria Elisa Lux

Maria Elisa Lux must be a teacher at heart. (Click on her name and you’ll go to her MNArtists.org gallery.) This is one of three sets of framed pieces she’s exhibiting in the show. In this group, she gives us two beautiful pen and color pencil sketches to show how she works to arrive at her designs. The top sketch shows three hearts in differing color combinations, not obviously connected to this mosaic. The bottom shows the shapes she does finally choose.

Ms Lux is willing to share her process with us. On the sketches she shows notes, swatches of color and a few of the many choices she explores. By including the sketch at the top, she hints at a deeper meaning to the three repeating shapes. The red part of the mosaic is actually glass standing on end. Maybe the deep red is referencing the vitality of a real heart, a mass of corpuscles pulsing within its constraints? As ever, it’s just a guess.

By showing the art of the protegees who are exhibiting in this show, I’m hoping to wet your appetite enough to lure you to the Bloomington Art Center, so you can it see for yourself. What I haven’t shown is any of the mentor’s art. Hee hee! There are 12 more artists not included in these posts and several of them have multiple pieces on display. One includes a ladder. Another has an ape, a turtle and a tree. Yet another has lovely, large blocks you’re actually encouraged to move! So much more waiting for you. Come see!

Until next time… —Chris

Protegees in the News

Hello again!

The reception for WARM’s The Art of Mentoring exhibition is fast approaching. Tomorrow, Sept. 17th, from 6 to 9 pm at the Bloomington Theatre & Art Center, you’ll be able to see the work of 19 protegees just finishing the 2009 to 2010 mentor program and that of their 12 mentors.

The range of styles is wide. There is fine metal work and collage (see below), pottery, installations, paintings, fabric, rice paper and beads, oil, acrylic and chickenwire (in a mobile), to name a few of the materials and formats. At times, there is a hint of influence from mentor to protegee (and sometimes the other way around), but for the most part, the work reflects each individual woman’s internal dialogue with her medium.

"Present Perfect Continuous," by Ann Viveros

Ann Viveros understands color and has been creatively combining it with mandalas in many of her paintings over the past year.  She also works on a large scale.  This piece takes up most of a wall at four feet by four feet.

"Final Exit," by Amy Tillotson

Amy Tillotson (MN Artists.org link) uses acrylics and collage very effectively in work that reflects bits of the world around us.  Like many types of art, the fragments hint at larger issues and can be interpreted in many ways.  With my background in commercial art and crafts, I would review a gallery of her work differently than someone with a master’s degree in fine arts and they would see things that a newspaper reporter might not.  Again, like all art, it’s subjective.  The best we can do is to interview the artist, when possible, and find out her intentions.  Even then, she might have been influenced by her subconscious and not know “why.”

"Polymer Clay House No. 49" and "Marketing My Art"

Here’s my work in the gallery.  It looks so much better there on a classic pedestal and shelving unit, with official labels, than on the couch at home.  Pretty swanky!

The second piece, “Marketing My Art,” includes portions of three printouts that show the websites I’m currently using.  This was a huge part of my learning curve with my mentor as I want to eventually create a market for my pieces, so I thought I should represent the online work I’ve done.  The Bloomington Art Center was kind enough to put a part of my artist’s statement on the pedestal to help explain this piece.

"The First Threshold," by Ellen Starr

Isn’t this gorgeous?  It’s by seriously intense Ellen Starr.  She’s always looking for new ways to interpret traditional spiritual themes.  It might help some of you to know that she loves steampunk.  (Click on the link for the Wikipedia reference to the term.)  Steampunk blends the Victorian love of elaborate detail with mechanical and technical references.  Ms Starr also covets gadgets (her tool shop is incredible) and intricate symbolism.  You’ll be able to see inside these doors at the exhibit for a peek at a small, delicate painting.

This is another glimpse of what you’ll see tomorrow night at the reception to the WARM Mentor Program exhibition.  Oh!  There’s also going to be food.  Come on.  That fact should overcome any lingering doubts about whether or not to attend.  Great art, many first-time artists showing their work in public and *free food!*

Life is good.  — Chris

WARM Mentor Exhibit – More Art!

The Art of Mentoring WARM Mentor Program Exhibition: Sept. 3rd through Oct. 8th, Bloomington Theatre & Art Center, 1800 W Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington. Gallery Hours: Mon-Fri, 8 am to 10 pm, Sat, 9 am to 5 pm, Sun, 1 to 10 pm. Reception: Fri, Sept. 17, 6 to 9 pm.

Finally! I can’t tell you how good it feels to have my two pieces done. It’s great that they’re in the exhibit, but really, I’m happier with the fact that they’re no longer in process. No more late nights working on it, no more wondering which pieces to enter, no more discussions on how best to present them. They’re done. Hallelujah!

"Verdie Circa 1932," by Laura Dammer Hess

It may actually come as a surprise to those of you reading these posts, but the exhibit looks great. It’s so professional! It’s well-lit, beautifully arranged, with loads of lovely white space to accent our individual offerings. The Bloomington Art Center’s curator outdid herself in matching up mentor art with that of their protegees and in making each work appear to be the center of attention.

I love looking at this bowl. The grey blue and the rust reds are in beautiful contrast to the black and white subject matter. Laura Dammer Hess has two other additional pieces in the exhibit, also made of earthenware with overglaze decals. Her cup is particularly poignant, as it is delicately hand-formed, with an image of a long ago couple, perhaps at their wedding. Ms Hess shows a real sensitivity to materials and meaning.

“New Mexico,” by Silvana LaCreta Ravena

Silvana LaCreta Ravena’s painting above, is done in a very traditional medium, oil on canvas, but she also works in acrylics, watercolors and encaustic. I think it’s working with the last, with its blend of color and wax and deep texture, that allows her to make oil seem new. If you check on the link above, you’ll have access to a description of the encaustic process, but also learn more about her as an artist. Ms Ravena was recently featured in the German published Who’s Who in Visual Arts which features 100 top contemporary artists. It’s a good-looking book and should give a strong push to her career.

"Minnehaha Creek," by Katherine Pollock

Woo hoo! Isn’t this fun? Katherine Pollock works primarily in pastels. Prior to this exhibit, I’ve only seen much smaller works by her. Those were delicious and I wanted her to a) give at least one of them to me and b) to enter the others “as is.” They were fabulous! Well, Ms Pollock has a strong personality and she managed to resist my machinations. Instead, she created these two new pastels, got them beautifully matted and framed and called it a day.  Oh well.  I tried!

"Vis Viva 2," by Laurie Kigner

Laurie Kigner won a ribbon at the MN State Fair this year (!!) with another nature study done in graphite, called “Ephemeral Presence.”  Ms Kigner is also successful in large oil paintings, as “3rd Transition” attests, with it’s initial look of mountains and bird wings that hint at many other forms.

However, what really impresses me about her work is her studies of her father who suffered from Alzheimer’s.  American Public Media (formerly known as APR, American Public Radio) created a program called “Alzheimer’s Memory and Being” and included Ms Kigner’s story and graphite sketches.  I’ve attached a link because its such a moving account of her father’s life before, during and after the onset and how it affected her mother, her family and herself.  Art allows people to share in a way that words can’t.  Ms Kigner shows us her father by witnessing his hands, his eyes, his posture.

I think that’s art’s highest calling.

In my next post, I’ll have a photograph of my little house and the other piece I entered as well as… More New Art!

Until then… —Chris

Portrait Houses & Clay Trials

Hi everyone!

I finished it!  It took a very, very long time.

I’m talking, of course, about my entry for The Art of Mentoring exhibit that opens Friday, Sept 3rd at the Bloomington Theatre and Art Center.  I finished my house on Monday; it’s due tomorrow.  Cutting it fairly fine.

As you can see from my fingers, it’s not very big: 3 1/2 in wide by 2 1/2 in high.  It’s made out of Premo brand polymer clay and was nothing but trouble!

Truly.  It is my 49th clay house and definitely the hardest to complete.  I couldn’t understand it.  My process of creating these things has gotten comparatively easier with each house.  That’s the way it should work.  You learn, you adjust and adapt and gain competency.  You move forward.  Or so I thought.

No. 48, above, was difficult, but I expected it to be as I had changed the format significantly so that it closely resembled Carl and Stephanie’s house (my brother and Star-sister*).  It was a breakthrough piece for me and while I cussed quite a bit over it, I felt it was worth all the effort.

*(You may have a Star-sister in your life.  Look for someone you realize is so much more than the role they’re assigned.  “Sister-in-law,” in this case, just doesn’t cover our friendship adequately.)

This is what Carl and Stephanie’s house looks like in reality.  I’ve created a “portrait” of it, using my chosen medium, polymer clay.  I’m very happy with this one, though as the creator, I know what I would do differently the next time.  Still, I expected the next house to be somewhat less problematic and was looking forward to fine-tuning my techniques.  Hah!

I knew I was in trouble when pieces of the trim fell off the house after I baked it.  I’ve never had that happen before.  It also resisted my efforts to detail it.  It chipped or broke completely instead of having the rubbery resiliency I’ve come to expect (and love) with this clay.  I cussed more.

This is the house right after baking.  I baked an extra door, because neither doorway was standard, so I wanted one for experimentation.  If you look closely at the finished house and this one, you’ll see that the flowers aren’t in the same positions.  They fell off indiscriminately as I held each section.  The roof also broke (really frustrating) and neither flat piece on the bottom right survived being made into a hinge.

It was this last that gave my mentor a clue as to what was happening.  Layl McDill is co-owner of ClaySquared and a true goddess with clay.  (The first link goes to a great article about her in the MN Women’s Press.)  She’s also my mentor and has been patiently teaching me during many months of clay exploration while providing a wealth of information on the subject.  She suggested using clay I reserved from previous houses to see if it behaved differently.  (I hand mix all of my colors and keep unbaked samples, in case I want to match it later.)  Layl knew I had a brand new oven.  Could that be the reason?

The answer was both “yes” and “no.”  I was able to bake a decent hinge from that reserved clay, but it was only after discovering that my new oven was 100 degrees over the intended temperature after the pre-heat cycle.  If I waited an additional six minutes, the oven reached the desired temperature and I could safely start baking.  (Isn’t that odd?  Wouldn’t that really throw a cake off?  I’m very glad I discovered this before I started my fall baking!)

The other part of the answer was that some of the clay is faulty.  I had begun buying my clay in 16 oz blocks and one of these was just bad.  It doesn’t mix properly, so the chemical reaction that I rely on didn’t happen.  My clay had no resiliency.  It crumbles.

This is the back of my entry piece.  It shows all of the dings and inconsistencies (trim width, especially) that I would normally not accept.  But I needed something to show and I didn’t have time to start from scratch.  I think it came out fairly well, considering everything.  I’m not ashamed of it.  It’s an unruly, homely child, but it’s still my creation and I’m willing to let it represent me, for now.

This post is dedicated to every protegee who’s struggled yet managed to create a piece in time for their final exhibit.  Here’s to dogged determination!

—Chris

Art of Mentoring

Welcome back!

Being mentored is a weird and wonderful experience. The wonderful part is having someone focus completely on you and your work. That’s also the weird part. I’ve gotten pretty good at distracting people who try and get too close to me. It’s almost second nature now to maneuver them to talk about themselves, so to allow someone to probe a bit and to gather more information, well, it’s an unsettling, uncomfortable experience.

I recommend it though. It’s been 20 months. Who guessed a person could change and grow so much in such a short period of time, especially an adult?

Obviously The Women’s Art Registry of MN (WARM) knew the power of this arrangement and has been promoting it every two years with a new cycle of mentor/protegee teams. And now they are celebrating not only the end of this particular cycle, but also the program itself in its upcoming exhibit: The Art of Mentoring.  The show opens September 3rd and runs through October 8th at the Bloomington Theatre & Art Center on West Old Shakopee Road.

"Essentials," by Judy Fawcett

“Essentials” is the work Judy Fawcett is entering into the upcoming exhibit. I met Ms Fawcett at one of the first WARM events I attended, a retrospective of Mimi Holmes’ work. Ms Fawcett is gentle, not aggressive, and cheerful, not moody, yet her works belie her quiet demeanor and are rife with symbolism while her skill with light is positively scary. Check out her MN Artists.org website to see “Near My Window” for mystic imagery, “Spring Fling” for suffused light and “Under Construction” for a bold combination of both. (For those of you who appreciate the difficulties of painting glass, check out “Harvest Hues 2.” That Ball canning jar is simply wonderful.)

"trauma of duality," by Roxanne Richards

Ms Richards works primarily in dry pastel, creating a unique, painterly style through her use of Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. In this piece, the title refers to her experiences of growth during the mentor/protegee program and how it sometimes pushed her into two conflicting viewpoints.

Of Ms Richards’ pieces on the MN Artists.org website, “into life” is my favorite. It has all the rich color and depth I’ve come to expect from her works, which to my mind make them highly collectible. I see it as a creation piece: the center of a pumping heart or the beginning of the universe.  I further imagine that the swirls on the right speak to the creativity of human endeavors.  (As the viewer, I will always bring my expectations and experience to every artwork I encounter.)

I was surprised to see no caps in either of the above titles.  It’s a little thing (like an e.e. cummings’ poem is a “little” thing), but it does make me view the works more closely and look for a link of commonality. Lowercase removes specificity. Ms Richards told me “that one of the most important things I learned in the mentor program was from Loretta [Bebeau, another mentor]. She had made the comment that ‘the more personal a piece is, the more universal a piece is.’ “  By sharing this discovery with me, Ms Richards exemplified two dynamic aspects of the mentor program: she accepted learning opportunities from other WARM members and she forwarded to others what she found valuable.

Like Ms Fawcett and Ms Richards, I’m at the end of my mentor/protegee program and like them, I’m unsure what lies ahead.  What I do know is that I have a wealth of resources at my fingertips that I didn’t have before I joined WARM and more connections in the art world than I could possibly have hoped.  It’s a good beginning.

See you at the exhibit!  —Chris