Music of the Spheres and Cosmic Cantata

Finished a new group of gouaches today! 

I've been working on these on and off since last January.  While there are more awaiting the brush, and some that entered the recycling system....here are the ones I actually took to completion today.  They are mounted, photographed, inventoried and ready to hang. They are mounted in a way to make them appear to float in space.

The drawing/ paintings are a continuation of my study of geometry.  I have been looking at images of topolgy and toruses.  They remind me of cosmic sky forms.  This first group is called MUSIC OF THE SPHERES

This second group is COSMIC CANTATA

How to Cope with COPA?

COPA= Corcoran and Powderhorn Artists
1st Annual COPA Artcrawl= Saturday, May 6, 9-5

What's to cope with?  The hardest part is deciding where to start!  

The COPA Artcrawl intentionally coincides with the Spring opening of the Midtown Farmers Market starting with foodtrucks at 8am.  SO come to Lake St E & 22nd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407 and have a food truck breakfast.

Then, on to the Artcrawl!  Get the map.http://copa-artcrawl.com/2017/04/18/map/

See a preview from most of the artists at http://www.copa-artcrawl.com

And here is a list of the artists and groups participating with as many of their websites as I could find:

Vendor Name	Art Crawl Location	Brief Description of Product
1.     Ecoquirky-https://www.etsy.com/shop/ecoquirkyGARBAGE/	3148 22nd Ave. S.	Vegan leather upcycled handmade jewelry
2.     Marcus Larson	3450 Longfellow Ave.	Nature-inspired original acrylic paintings
3.     Sonia Meade	3328 24th Ave. S.	A combination of painting, sculpture and textiles using found objects as well as fabric and paint
4.     Sara Stamschror-Lott- https://www.instagram.com/ladydextergoesrogue/?hl=en	3148 22nd Ave. S	Repurposed materials made into wearable art, accessories, and jewels
5.     CB Jewelry Design- https://www.etsy.com/shop/CBJewelryDesign?ref=shop_sugg	3525 22nd Ave. S.	Unique jewelry using beads, semi-precious gem stones, & embossed metals
6.     Susan Hensel-www.susanhenselprojects.com	3441 Cedar Ave. S.	Hand-dyed wool and machine embroidery for exhibition
7.     Sreekishen Nair- http://artsree.com/	3541 19th Ave. S.	Carved wood, textiles, painting, photography, and print with ecological themes
8.     Chris Sutton	3541 19th Ave. S.	Found-object construction, macramé, and eco-friendly sculpture
9.     Rose & Pentagram Design- http://www.historicgames.com/	2229 E. 34th St.	Celtic-inspired designs on boxes, tables, and game boards
10.  Therese Krupp-https://www.saatchiart.com/account/profile/199995	3450 Longfellow  Ave.	Sculptural jewelry including big dangle earrings and necklaces
11.  Fortress of the Arts-http://www.mnartists.org/angela-maki-jones	3401 Chicago Ave. S.	Gallery and shared studio space featuring ceramics, paintings, and sculpture
12.  Patty’s Pottery http://www.prrpots.com/	3600 15th Ave. S.	Bright, colorful ottery featuring Celtic, geometric, and floral designs
13.  The White Page- http://the-white-page.org/	3400 Cedar Ave. S.	Studio, residency program, and gallery space in South Minneapolis
14.  Lester Batiste	3441 Longfellow Ave. S.	Chicago native writer will give public readings at 12-12:30 and 4:30-5 (enter backyard through gate on right side of house)
15.  Crochet by Mari- https://www.facebook.com/CrochetbyMari/	3512 26th Ave. S.	Crocheted gift items
16.  HAIR and NAILS- https://hairandnailsart.com/	2222 ½ E. 35th St.	Contemporary art gallery featuring live dance performances by Hijack & Kevin Kirsch

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 Come see us at COPA Artcrawl while we are still a modest size!

And why not stick around in the neighborhood for another day?  43rd annual MAYDAY PARADE!  May 7, 2017

I am only 3 inches taller than these frames

It's not so much that I am short, although I am that.  I top out at 60 inches in height, give or take a decimal or two.  But these frames top out at 57 inches.

Heavy duty framing!  And I mean HEAVY. These things weigh a ton.  But it is so good to see them framed!

These are part of the His Suit, Hirsute, Power Suit project for which I continue to seek funding.  In addition to these singular pieces, there are triptychs that were developed to be the surface of three dimensional objects that will loom at the center of an installation.  So, I am now beginning to frame the parts that are framable while I await grant results and seek yet more funding sources.

A question, stuff and nonsense, and one last photo of the Habitat Project

One of  the joys of today was finally putting all the ladders away  after months of living with them and ON them.  But, before I put them away, I made sure to get down the things that need to be framed.  While climbing in the "rafters"  I found this painting all rolled up.  I did it probably 5 or 6 years ago.  Totally forgot about it.  So, now I see it.  I like it.  But it is really, really wroggly...you know, the ridges formed from being rolled too tightly and probably squashed just a bit.   It is acrylic on canvas, cut and reassembled, presumably using PVA glue.

The Question:

HOW DO  YOU MAKE A WROGGLED CANVAS TO GO FLAT AGAIN?
















This next one falls under the category of STUFF:

The pink and green piece is the first of three that are inaugurating the return to useable studio space.  Saturday evening, after installing  the Habitat project and before splitting a celebratory bottle of wine with my assistant, I resumed work on three old, stalled pieces.  Marcus was shocked that I was already at work.  Actually, it was a way of claiming my space back  and forestalling the normal let-down from finishing a major project!

I have my Mother's Thighs!

And Now: ONE LAST PICTURE OF THE HABITAT INSTALLATION

Taken by Dale Kennedy from atop a 10 foot ladder.  Susan Beuchler and Susan Hensel down below

Art Happens

It's not done yet, but Army Collar, started before Australia, has resumed. Paper, cloth, pastel, graphite, and army men.

In the flow, with rapids ahead?

I'm not at all sure what these are all about. Zach says this one is kind of scary looking. I agree. It is done now and the Jelly fish/collar/yawning yoni awaits meaning! I know it has to do with memory, femaleness and aging somehow. I have been collecting these collars, real collars, for ages. There is something about their delicacy, their histories, the embroidery and/or lace making, their shapes that captivates me. Most of the collars I am working with were purchased in Northern Minnesota, 2 years ago, when I stayed in Lutsen for a week. This is a detail of the very beginning of the next piece. Yarn and other fiber somehow relates as well....I think as metaphor for memory and female histories. more detail. And then it gets scary to work with as the real collar has been glued in. A commitment has been made to consume the beautiful collar. It is sheer, soft, delicate cotton, worn to near shreds, barely intact. What will happen to it tomorrow?

It is late now and I must stop and relax before bed.

yarny drawings

Pastel, compressed charcoal and 4 feet of paper. Whole body drawing. My fingernails are as dirty as though I had been in a Ragdale studio for the day.

Little dresses still speak story.

It is officially sabbatical time and more little dresses are speaking to me, laying about the studio waiting to become!

I anxiously await my sewing machine which is the Bobbin Doctor. Soon, it will return and I will sew the canvas that belongs to these dresses. The series continues.

Red-on-Red

Vacation is coming to an end. Paints are being put away. Walls sanded and re-painted to turn the place back into a gallery. I have painted, assembled, woven, and spun and driven over 3000 miles to visit friends and family. I guess it's time to get back to gallery work. For those of you who are local, these are also hung in the window of the gallery for a few days. They will need to come down on Monday, July 6 to make way for the next show.

White-on-White

Boy these are hard to photograph! 3 are now complete. Perhaps I will have the energy to break out the photo lights and get better images.

Progress

Orange Grave finished....I think. White on White stage 2, not finished, but I got the shoe on it. White on White #2 in the layout stage