Translations Opening Photos

That's me! It was nice to see some of my pieces again. Some people thought this looked like a hide. I liked the circle I drew on it. That is something I have not done on any other piece.
Cassie Tondro and our work.
A little taste o the drumming circle outside of the gallery. And the door wide open on a marvelous, warm, May evening.

2008 Exhibition Schedule:

Writing the promotional material for the Ruth Chenven exhibit was an opportunity to make a list of all of my upcoming exhibits. I feel a bit daunted at the moment. But I have been working toward the goal of a gallery exhibit and other sales opportunities. Sometimes you must watch what you ask for.

2008 Exhibition Schedule:

April 18-20

The American Craft Show - ACC
St. Paul, Minnesota
http://www.craftcouncil.org

May 9-June 7

• Translations Gallery
• Two person exhibit with Cassandra Tondo
• 773 Santa Fe Drive, Denver CO, 80204, 303-629-0713
• http://translationsgallery.com

July 25-August 23

Textile Center
Mentor Program Exhibit
3000 University Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414, 612-436-0464
http://www.textilecentermn.org/mentor.asp

September 12-October 4

The Space, a centre for creativity
Solo Exhibit
156 High Street, New Richmond, Wisconsin 54017
http://www.thespaceforcreativity.com/index.html

Zapp

Undercover. Clay, fibers, wax. 39"x9"x9"

Yesterday I decided to apply to one upscale craft show, the ACC St. Paul Show for April 18-20, 2008. The deadline was midnight. After teaching in the morning, I set out to conquer the Zapplication online application process. I was met with a huge hurdle. They require all images to be 1920 x 1920 pixels with the extra space black (at the top and bottom if horizontal or the sides if vertical). None of my image management programs could produce this black background. The local library did not have Photoshop on their computers. Finally, I found that I could download a 30 day trial of Photoshop. After much fussing with the download, I was off and running. I met the deadline by two hours Central Time. One hour to spare if they were counting Eastern DST. Many of the artists who exhibit at the Grand Hand had booths at this year’s St. Paul show. They all displayed colorful Grand Hand signs. I can have a good show together by April if accepted.

Translations Gallery Ad

Good news today from Kate Merkel at Translations Gallery. They are using my work for gallery promotional materials. Kate wanted some high resolution photos for another ad. So now I am sorely aware that I must be more savvy about digital imagery and what all the numbers mean- 300 dpi, 3888 x 2592 pixels, 300 pixels per inch, 3.5 mp, etc. It is important to be prepared for these sudden requests. This was a great boost for my ego and very timely. I am done with my first teaching session for the summer and ready to go into full time art making. I'm thrilled that my natural toned piece shows up well along with Jane Dunnewold's surface treatment and Anne Bossert's bright blue sculpture.

Gallery of Atelier d'Art de France

Agnes His

Yesterday's mail included a brochure from a French gallery that I visited at SOFA Chicago in November. They announced their exhibit at SOFA New York in early June. I was very struck by the wood vessels of Marc Ricourt. Spiraling gouge marks created intriguing shell-like forms. His subtle surfaces were coated with matt applications of iron oxide. The new brochure tells me that he is a self-taught woodturner. He had a residency at the Woodturning Center in Philadelphia in 2001. The Center was established about the time I left Philadelphia. The ceramic work of Agnes His repeatedly pulled me back to this gallery. I was disappointed that her work is not on this new brochure. So I had to look her up. I liked textures made by the marks on her surfaces filled with white pigment. Although one artist used wood and the other clay, the works had a very similar sensibility.

New Work for Grand Hand Gallery

I will be delivering work to the Grand Hand Gallery in the Summit Hill area of Saint Paul. They are moving to a new space on the corner of Grand and Dale. They will re-open on Tuesday, May 8 with shows in both the old (a few doors east on Grand) and the new locations. They have a wonderful selection of craft objects in fiber, wood, clay, metal, and other materials. I am excited about beginning my relationship with Ann Pifer and the gallery.

I took some photos outside yesterday, enjoying our wonderful spring weather. The indirect light on my porch did not give many shadows. So these are not the best photos possible. But I think they give a good idea of the vessels I have been making with the Grand Hand in mind. The first one is a folded construction. In making this piece, I worked much like working with a clay slab. The second piece is from my "Forked Branch" series. I am making more pieces using forks of willow branches as the skeleton.

The Shipping News

Right now I am on a learning curve about dealing with packing professionals. The crate maker is finally starting to work on the crate for a large wall piece. Mike at PakMail, who won an award for his packaging, has made boxes for me in the past. But I have maintained control of transporting the work to shows in the Twin Cities area. Relinquishing control to a shipper is fraught with anxiety. I need top notch packing. First, I have had to learn when to bring work for packaging. I try to avoid Monday, the busiest day. Mike talks very fast when he is busy. I need to take in verbal descriptions about how the art will be packaged very slowly. Mike can do the mental math with laser speed and rattle on about dimensions and how much cardboard, bubble wrap, and air pockets it will take. Until I have shipped a few pieces, this is all mumble jumble to me. To add to the anxiety, I do not know how fragile this new material I work with really is. And no one can tell me. O.K., it is not glass. I have been taking one piece to be packaged at a time. I do not want to leave my works at PakMail for any longer than necessary. Now I know that if I get a big out of town show, I need to plan for shipping way ahead of time.

I have two strong motivations to get this packing and shipping done. One is to deal professionally with Translations Gallery. The second is to get the pieces and the boxes out of my studio. I need room to make more work and to think.

Gallery Announcement!!

Translations Gallery in Denver has agreed to represent me. I am excited to work with Judy Hagler, gallery owner, and Kate Merkel, Gallery Manager. Translations Gallery is dedicated to contemporary textile art. It is located in Denver’s ArtDistrict on Santa Fe Drive. There are over 30 galleries in this district. The gallery space looks great on the web site. Judy Hagler has done a fine job promoting fiber art on each page of the web site. The work is varied from wall pieces to ceiling, floor, and pedestal pieces. The techniques include quilting, weaving, basketry, and surface design. The concepts also range from sensuous to political. I feel quite honored to be accepted into their fold.

Another Opening

The opening for Mary Bergs collaborative installation with Monica Reede is Thursday night in The Third Floor Gallery on the St. Paul Campus of the Metropolitan State University. Mary is a fellow mentor in the Textile Center Mentorship Program. Mary likes to explore visual language systems by juxtaposing found objects in new relationships. Chris Atkins described her work as sensuous with the absence of cliché and didactics. I like to hear Mary talk about her work. The Poetry of Everyday Life is a great title for a show of her work. I hope I get to the Cities soon to see what she created with Monica Reede who sounds as contemplative and attentive as Mary.

Rebecca Crowell’s Opening at Polderland Gallery

I am looking forward to my friend Rebecca Crowell’s opening in Milwaukee this Friday night, April 20. The event inspired a group of friends to venture to Southeastern Wisconsin. Rebecca will be exhibiting abstract paintings at the Polderland Gallery. Rebecca’s work is always deep and mature. Look carefully and you will be rewarded with a depth of texture, color overlays, and subtle markings. When viewing Rebecca’s work, you are not looking through a window to the world, you are immersed in the landscape, you are nature. They evoke an inward experience of natural phenomena and suggest a profound journey along a deep-rooted path. Polderland Gallery is at 133 West Pittsburgh Avenue in Milwaukee. It is the studio and gallery of Dutch artist Marina Broere. Marina’s paintings are also abstract and enigmatic.