Stacks

Paintings are starting to stack up in piles around the house as Eric and I are preparing for a show which opens in April.

The easels are loaded the guest room is full. Our paper works drawers are full. Yet still there is more work to create. Preparing for a show is a strange process. This show in particular has an extra component of emotion as Eric and I are revisiting our lives together and creating works that speaks to the last twenty, almost, years. 

I am creating work that speaks to key moments in our lives since 1997, going through many highs and lows. The highs are really fun to paint for and the lows are rather cathartic; exploring sadness and loss in painting has been an experience. Generally I do not create work if I am unhappy, but tackling weightier issues has required me to approach my art in new and thoughtful ways. 

So as we finalize the work and schedule interviews and articles and lectures it is all coming together.

Making Christmas

Over the breakfast table this morning Eric and I started discussing Christmas. We made lists of family, friends, acquaintances. We broke it down into groups of those who need significant gifts, those who might like a homemade treat (fudge anyone?) and those to whom we will need to send cards. Each year our list gets longer and longer. Mostly we have tons of cards to send. I am working on plans for the rest. 

This morning I decided to set to work on a painting to be made into a holiday card we can order now and send out to friends and family around the world. I really am happy when we can take time and make personalized gifts and cards.

Painting with two young kids around is only possible if I include them. Thankfully both girls can happily paint for an hour or more. So I have set us up and we are all busy working.

Sure I have to field weird questions like,"What color does silver and orange make?"

 In case you are wondering my answer was silvange.

Have you begun Christmas prep?

Day of the Dead

Saturday was finally the day! Nearly a year ago on a cold winter's day I was walking indoors with my friend Sarah. We would often meet to walk when our kids were at preschool. We got to talking about projects and how I have so many things going on and...perhaps I am wrong here, but it seemed like she was interested in working on something. I suggested a Day of the Dead event. She has an MA in Spanish and I have an MA in art history. Seemed like a great way to blend our interests and bring something of value to our community. From there things escalated quickly.

Then on Saturday all of our meetings and plannings and projects culminated in a successful community celebration. For those of you who are not familiar with Dia de Los Muertos it is, in simple terms, an extension of the Christian holiday All Soul's Day. The holiday celebrates and remembers the departed. I highly recommend that you do a little research and learn more about this beautiful tradition.

Our event had three  major components: art, education, dance.


Here with Sarah (my partner) 15 minutes before the start of the event and it was already busy!

 
The community ofrenda, people contributed personal items and/or used the skulls I had made, wrote the names of their deceased loved ones as a remembrance.  We also had slips of paper for those who wanted to remember many.


Here I am.


A display of the work of my art students.


Eric and me


A non-traditional altar by artists Mike and Amber Olson.


A beautiful Frida altar by Marilyn Lindsay and on the left is a painting by my good friend, artist Heather Wilder.

 
A glimpse of a Diego Rivera altar contributed by one of the local high schools.


Another Frida altar contributed by students from one of the local high schools.


A stunning altar by artist Linda Ryan


Some more art!


Elise, having her arm painted.


Cordelia had her face painted, but she was unimpressed as she knows what a more traditional face-painting is and I ended up adding some more in the bathroom. Every other child was perfectly happy with their faces being painted in a less traditional manner. Problems of children of artists/art historians.


Dancers prepping for the flash mob.


Sarah introduced our lector Eric Atkins as a huge crowd listened.


All of these people left knowing a bit more about this amazing celebration!


A crowd gathers to watch dancers from the college.


The dance.

When it was all said and done we were so far beyond pleased! We would have been happy with 50 people in attendance, but there were hundreds! We received more thanks that I can count and offers for help with the next celebration in November 2016. What a success and such a gift to be able to share a beautiful cultural tradition with my community.

Quick Draw

Last night was the annual art auction at the museum. The annual event is a big deal for the museum. Artists from the region auction art and split the profit. The fundraiser is very important for the museum and it is a huge undertaking for the entire staff. Eric worked something like 15 hours yesterday and I am positive that much of the staff did the same.

The girls had a lovely evening/ sleep over with my parents last night so Eric and I were able to work at the event. Eric worked the whole night, meeting with event goers, speaking, moving art, talking with artists, etc. He was on his feet.

I worked too. I,along with four other artists, did a quick draw. Each artist made a completed work within an hour. For the weeks leading up to the event I worked to develop a piece that I could finish in a single hour. For those of you who are not artists, an hour is insanely fast turnover. All of the artists felt the pressure, because we knew that when our work was done it was immediately going to be auctioned off.

I set up in a gallery alongside fellow artist (and good friend) Gabrielle Reeves. A string quartet was in the next gallery.

We set right to work, talking with each other and the party goers filtered by, watching us paint and asking questions. It was fun, but definitely a strange experience.

I completed my piece right on the dot and as it was drying I was led up in front of the crowd. I had not expected to be up front for the auction. I was guided, holding my piece, in front of the crowd. I said something about the piece and then stood their awkwardly while it was bid upon. There was a moment of terror when I was afraid that nobody would bid on the piece, but thankfully it raised more than I had hoped! All of the profit went to the museum, so I was really happy to help contribute! All of the artists did so well!

Here Gabrielle and I are holding our completed works.

ALSO, if you have been following my blog  for a while then you know that Eric and I have a thing with newscasters. A sort of joking competition. Anyway...guess who was interviewed last night?

Yep, this lady was interviewed. I said stuff that mostly made sense, but in my head I kept thinking,"your face is moving in weird ways!!!"

The night was a great success, but I hardly saw Eric. We had hoped to have a photo taken together, but didn't have a moment alone the whole evening. When the night was over we came home and ate a ton of food and went to bed. We picked up the girls, who had such fun, and then I had to teach lessons.

Until Now

Today is the opening of an eighteen year retrospective of Eric's photography. He has painstakingly rifled through nearly two decades of work; creating a body of work that is representative of his photography career thus far. Accompanying the show is a book of his work. I will post here when it becomes available online.

I sneaked a look at his show this week. The works are arranged chronologically and trace his early expiraments  with photography up to his mature style. Personally the show is filled with memories of our life and creativity together; a treasure for me. Viewers need not know a thing about Eric, or professionally E.K. Winmer, to appreciate his show. If you are local I really hope to see you there tonight. I will be the exasperated lady wrangling two young girls who are way too comfortable in art galleries.

Take a moment to read his article here.

http://m.casperjournal.com/arts/article_a276bd00-f103-579f-9459-7248fdba20a6.html?mobile_touch=true

Bird

Last night the girls were asleep in bed. Eric was in the studio working on a piece. I went to our living room to sit and think. Do you sit and think? Motherhood has left me with less time to think the thoughts in my head. Much of my daily thought is allocated to logistics: food,  shelter, bills, play, projects, homeschool, doctor's appointments, laundry, cleaning, etc. My evenings are reserved for work on an art piece or online teaching. I find that I am left with little time to just think. Yet I crave it, moments to myself to reflect, have new ideas, to wonder. 

So last night I settled on the couch. The sun had set and the light was dim. I put my phone to the side, face down and sound off so I wouldn't be distracted or tempted. I sat there in the darkening dusk and had my thoughts. I made some progress in different road blocks in art that I have been needing to mull over. I was struggling with one particular art related concept and feeling frustrated. I began to think about animals.

Then I heard the tell-tale thunk. A little ting coupled with a thud. The sound of a bird hitting our big front windows. The first year in our home I realized there was an issue with birds and this window. I have a bunch of stuff hanging from the pane. A sign that reads "Happy," several green glass stars all suspended at different heights to keep birds from flying into the glass. We haven't had any deaths yet, mostly because there are trees that keep the birds from coming in at top speed. This thunk was different, harder. I assumed that I would look out the window and see the lifeless body of a sparrow.

(Not my photo.)

I peered over the back of the couch and out the window. There is a large evergreen bush right below our window. Laying on top of the bush, with one wing splayed out was a robin. I immediately thought of the robin (robins?) who always hop into the spray of water as I use the sprinkler in the garden, never coming too close. This moment was different, not playful. Her bright black  eyes shining in the low light. I froze, watching, waiting to see if she was truly injured or just stunned. She saw me. We stared at each other, something passed between us. I can't say what it was exactly. Of course on her side the feeling may have just been terror and confusion, but for me there was something important about this encounter that seemed to be connected to the thoughts I had been mulling over seconds before her impact. I felt something powerful pass between us as we sat there frozen, considering each other.

Then she folded her wing. I let out the breath that I had been holding. We sat there for another moment, looking at eachother. Then she flew off and landed on the lowest branch of the cottonwood tree that lives out front. She looked at me again and then hopped a bit deeper into the green leaves of the tree. 

Nicfest 2015

This weekend was the annual arts festival held by our local art museum. The weekend long event, Nicfest, is a really awesome community event with music, art, food, and activities. While the fest is super fun we always miss Eric as he has to work from morning until night each day of the festival. We do get to see him when we hit up the party, but he is working so it is pretty brief. 

Also this week Andy, Anne and Lennon are visiting and Andy is playing several shows around town, two at Nicfest! Here are a few photos from the weekend event.

Slush ice of some form. Flavor unknown.

Elise chose to have her face painted as a patriotic skull.

We enjoyed both of Andy's performances.

Cordelia had her face painted with dolphins. She was careful to remind the face painting lady to include glitter and lip paint.

Eric and Elise.

Andy Mason.

Eric, Anne, Lennon.

Sitting while the girls have their faces painted. Two of the face painters were my students and I think they were intimidated, probably because I am super  judgey about face painting. Only kidding.

The festival was a big success, though I am glad to be done with it and see my husband again.

Art Class

Saturday I led a class at Art 321. Originally the class had been scheduled for 10-3 with a lunch break, but there was some sort of confusion when it went to print and the class was listed as 9-4. I was a little concerned about filling up so much time, but I ended up being thankful for the extra time.

I led my class through a little background into my style and the way that I had created work for the show that is currently on display at the gallery. Hint: my style and technique are MESSY.

I had an absolutely amazing group and I had a super fun day painting and sharing with the other artists. Students came from a variety of skill levels and backgrounds, it was so exciting to see people work through ideas.

While there I managed to bust out a quick little piece as I showed a few different techniques and styles.

When four rolled around I was surprised at how quickly the time had passed. A whole day dedicated to art sharing and making.

Art: Almost Home

Today I am teaching a class in conjunction with my show currently on display at Art 321. If you want to see the entire body of work please click here.

Here is a bit about the work

Almost Home

Wyoming has always been Almost Home for me.  I moved to Casper in 2009 with my husband and our first child who was then a work in progress (I was pregnant). When I moved to Casper I felt like an outsider, looking in on a community of people who were so thoroughly enmeshed in each other’s lives and histories that I was afraid that there wasn’t a place for me here.  I had Colorado license plates for a few months after moving here and on a couple of occasions people shouted at us, “Go back to Colorado.” I really didn’t know how to take that kind of a welcome.  Initially my response was negative, but in spite of a few Rude Randys I did have a claim to this state. My family homesteaded up near Gillette. I have lived in or visited this state for nearly every year of my life. This has always been almost my home. I decided to take that Wyoming attitude that is in my blood and dig my roots here in my adopted home state. The past six years have been the best years of my life. The people here in Wyoming are so amazing and supportive. The land here is wild and beautiful and not for the weak.

The work for this show is my love letter to Wyoming, a state that has welcomed my family with such open arms that I feel deeply at home in our adopted community.  Over the course of the past six years I have come to know and love my state in a new way. My husband and I have welcomed two daughters into the world right here in Casper. We have built lives here and feel very connected with the art community and the work that I have made stems from my love for this place that has always been a part of my life.

The paintings created for this series are all based on my memories of Wyoming. Working through a specific memory I have created an ephemeral representation of the Wyoming that exists in my memories.  Through vibrant colors and emotive brushwork you can see my visual exploration of Wyoming within my own artistic framework.  

 

Last Push

I have white and black fingernails. No, I am not suffering from a rare nail fungus. Nor am I against hand washing. I have been scrubbing my hands more than usual as a matter of fact. In spite of my best efforts there are bits of paint that stick to my nails and are nearly impossible to get off. So I have just accepted this mess. Well honestly there is rarely a time in my life when I don't have paint on my person or at least on my clothing. 

I hear that Magritte painted in a full suit, that he was super clean. I could see my husband being that type of a painter, meticulous and clean. In fact his paintbrushes are clean and look new. My brushes, kept separately at his insistence, are covered in paint, frayed, nibbled, broken, crusted.

Currently I am finishing up final prep for a gallery show that I have opening in about a week. I have been working toward this show for many months and now there is an end in sight. 

I have been putting in final touches on pieces and looking over my body of work this week. The show hangs on Saturday. I have made pieces that range from small to very large. I do this so that I can make work affordable to all. 

So I had better start this day. I have promised the girls a visit to the river and a trip to the library. I hope to let them play in the yard this afternoon while I paint on the patio.

Hope you have a lovely Tuesday.

Best Anyway

Thursday night, after a long day with the kids, I did work for the two schools for which I do adjunct teaching. When I was done with that I worked on lesson plans for my Saturday classes. Most Saturdays I teach art to 9 girls by 12:15. Then I started prep for my lectures at a local gallery. I give an art related lecture at a  gallery on the last Saturday of every month. Then I painted in prep for an upcoming show. I repeated the process on Friday night as well. It was a LOT of work.

Saturday morning rolled around and 5 of the 9 girls couldn't make it to class. I taught anyway and I gave it my all, because the four girls who did show up were there to learn and they deserved my very best effort. So I adjusted and it was great.

While I was teaching Eric spent the better part of an hour setting up for my lecture at the gallery. These lectures are donation based, so I am not exactly guaranteed any pay. Thankfully I love art so the hours of advance prep are mostly fun and interesting.

Anyway, after morning lessons were over I prepared a quick lunch for the crew and then it was off to the lecture. Mostly my lectures have pretty small groups, which is perfect for the space, but Saturday there were only two people in attendance. It was a little disappointing for sure. Hours of prep and only two!!! 

I decided that the two people who had taken the time to attend did deserve my best effort, of course! So I gave a really good lecture and they both were interested in the topic. It was great! Sure I would have loved to have more people in attendance, but that is the arts for you. I get it. I expect it. 

Eric and I talked about it and he said it was a lot like shows for musicians. Hours of prep and practice and sometimes there are only a few people in the crowd. Sigh.

Eric and I are working so hard for the arts in this community. It can be a little disheartening when there are no-shows (but sometimes people are busy, or have other plans I do understand).However, I know that there are so many others in our community that are working for the arts as well. Little by little, sometimes two people at a time, the art community is growing. I am so happy to be a small part of that growth. 

Cody

This weekend Eric, the girls, and I went to Cody, WY for an artist's conference. Eric and I tag teamed the whole conference by trading the kids while one of us attended a workshop or lecture. Our artist friend was also there with her daughter who is friends with the girls so they got plenty of play time. 

We made some nice connections and had a fairly successful weekend, though I would have loved to attend these lectures and workshops with Eric. I took a class on archiving and a sketching course. We also attended a gallery walk, an artist luncheon/presentations and a few other odds and ends.

Eric and the girls at a New Mexican restaurant.

Sketchbook sharing after studying work at the Whitney Museum.

Outside of Cody.

Hotel fort building with a friend.

Returning home we stopped for a break in Thermopolis. The girls and I checked out the springs while Eric skated a bit.

How was your weekend?