Niki de Saint Phalle sculpture project in D.C.

Just outside the National Museum of Women in the Arts
is a median strip filled with Niki de Saint Phalle's
amazing mosaic sculptures. That's the three graces
dancing above. Niki's work is the first exhibit
as part of the NMWA New York Ave. sculpture project.
The sculptures will be there through the end of October...
Here's press release on the project from Niki's Charitable Art foundation website:
http://nikidesaintphalle.org/press/20100224_nmwa



I had the fun of wandering among them
with two of my granddaughters before we entered the
museum. Since Niki called her monumental female
sculptures "Nanas", it seemed especially appropriate
to bring along my granddaughters who call me Nana.
They know I would love to ride a dolphin too!



It also was fun to view them with my 7 and 9 year
old granddaughters since they are heavily into Greek
mythology (Thanks to the Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson
series.) Of course they thought Niki's "Serpent Tree"
looked more like the Hydra. They could see how Niki's
work was inspired by exuberance for life and and
intrigue with myth.

Niki's life story told in a video in the museum
and how she felt art "saved" her is full of pathos.
But bottom line, this extraordinary and gutsy woman
has left us a heritage of amazing, energy filled public
sculpture. I only wish she knew what we know now about
the dangers of certain paint chemicals so that she would
not have had to suffer lung problems for so many
years before her death 8 years ago.



My favorite part of these sculptures are that they are
fountains!! Look closely at the detail above and you'll
see the water spouts on arms, head etc. The water
isn't turned on too often - just enough to keep the flowers
watered apparently..but fortunately was on when we first
approached New York Ave.

Nana duties taken care of for the moment, I'm back
in the studio working for open studios and shows...
more on that next week!

Journey on! Wendy

JuYeon Kim's "The In-Between" at the NMWA

Sometimes trips offer surprises. I spent the past 10 days
in the VA/D.C area for "Nana camp". Summer camps were over,
and school had not yet begun, so I offered to fill in the gap.
I expected it to be days of just savoring grandchildren and
family, which it was,but there were a few unexpected surprises.
A major one, was seeing the exhibit by JuYeon Kim entitled "The
In-Between" at the National Museum of Women in the Arts created
in collaboration with students from the Savannah College of Art
and Design where she was artist in residence this Spring. That’s
her photo with a student above working on figures for the
exhibit. She was trained in ceramics in Korea, but received
other degrees in the U.S. and has much more than ceramic skills
to call on.

Our older granddaughters(7 and 9)and I had planned a trip
to the NMWA. When I checked on the website, I saw the title
"The In-Between" and my IAF identity perked up. I'm always
looking for those exploring the interstitial worlds.

I went on their website and read these comments by and
about JuYeon Kim:

"When I came to the United States, I felt complete culture
shock. I was struck by the duality of thinking between
cultures, how every belief or custom has an opposite. Most
wedding dresses in the West are white because the color
symbolizes purity, but in many parts of Asia, white symbolizes
death. I wanted to explore the space between those polarities."
Seeking to bridge the gap between divergent cultural traditions,
Kim began studying the bardos the "in-between" space in Tibetan
Buddhist practice." This was an exhibit I had to see!!

Here is the link to the write up on the NMWA website:
http://www.nmwa.org/exhibition/detail.asp?exhibitid=208

The exhibit is primarily made up of two amazing meditation
spaces - one of 108 strips of cloth embroidered with figures
and narrative fragments hanging from plastic rods. These in
turn are suspended from three metal circles creating an 8'
diameter floor to ceiling enclosure. One enters through the
plain white exterior strips, then passes through embellished
gray to white past, present and future layers to the center.
The other is a hexagonal structure made from hardwood panels
with low to high relief gray cast figures attached inside.
Kim explains that she intended the essence of each to differ.
She sees the layered enclosure as more female and
the wood structure more male acknowledging how "men and
women think differently." (Hmm...could have some good
discussions there!) Both are filled with a mixture of
realistic and mythic images. Check out this link where Kim
is being interviewed about the exhibit. It includes in
process photos:
http://womeninthearts.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/juyeon-kim-discusses-the-in-between/

Unfortunately photos weren't allowed in the gallery.
But photos alone can't capture the feel of the spaces she
has created. Kim explains that she likes to create
spaces which bring one back to "the basic question of
who we are." She's done other work in caves in S. France.

The exhibit is only at NMWA until Sept. 13. I highly
recommend anyone in the area to hurry on over to experience
it. After DC, it will move down to Georgia. For those
of you who can’t make either locations, I found a few
additional images on the web. Click on the gallery section
of the following link. It gives the specifics of where and
when the exhibit will be in GA - Savannah and Atlanta.
http://www.scad.edu/exhibitions/view/juyeon-kim.cfm

I could have spent a long time in each of the spaces,
absorbing their energy and seeing what thoughts were
stirred up..but Nana duties called. I’m certainly going
to keep a look out for any new pieces this extraordinary
artist creates!

Speaking of extraordinary women...my next blog will be
about the Niki de Saint Phalle sculptures outside the
NMWA. Photos were allowed there!

Journey on! Wendy

Joan Rasmussen and Wendy Hill at Ann Arbor

At each show in which I participate, I hope
to meet artists I have not encountered on the
road before. Two such artists I had the opportunity
to find on the "path" this year in Ann Arbor were
Joan Rasmussen, www.joanrasmussen.com
and Wendy Hill, www.marvinhill.com.

Joan's booth was just a couple down from mine:
She creates articulated figures full of humor and fun
by combining original ceramic elements with found objects.
I loved the way she used chalk to write the
descriptions on the walls!!





Here are a couple closeups of fun, colorful pieces:





Joan calls her studio "Sum of its parts Studio". She
writes: "as a native of New York City, one of my
earliest realizations was that we are one of many. My
approach to art and the figure incorporates this awareness.
With each new piece I draw upon a limitless resource of
characters encountered. Often, the end results are
compilations of traits or features from persons with whom
I’ve crossed paths; sometimes real, sometimes imagined,
and sometimes I’m unsure."

One look at Wendy Hill's booth at Ann Arbor
and you'll immediately understand my attraction
to the work! It is filled with wings, myth and mystery.



All the images were drawn and carved by Marvin, who
sadly left this world in 2003. Wendy's contribution was
the printing and hand coloring with watercolors. Together
they sold their limited edition fine art block prints at shows
for many years. Happily for us, Wendy continues printing
and coloring and bringing them to the public. Many
consist of intricate assembled hand colored pieces.
Here is a favorite..with wings and central face.
(My apologies for my reflection!)The pieces in the booth
were beautifully framed. All are full of story!!



The title of this is "She climbs through"...hmmm
to what? to where? I was definitely tempted by
this piece:



Check out Wendy and Marvin's website for many more images
and themes!

I hope everyone has had a summer filled with
savoring art!

Journey on! Wendy

Felt and Sculpture at Ann Arbor - Miriam Carter and Kimberly Willcox

One of the best aspects of doing art shows is connecting
with artist friends and checking in re life and art.
Many of us have grown up together as a craft community,
participating in the same shows for 20-30+ years. I
love seeing the artists I know come up with new ideas,
push creativity a bit further. In turn I return from
shows more committed than ever to strive forward myself,
stepping even deeper into the sea of creative energy out
there and seeing where it might take me. We also check in
with each other personally. Since we live scattered around
the U.S. and beyond, shows are the one place we can touch
base in a non virtual way. Facebook, blogs, emails and
phone calls are great, but for me, none can replace the
importance of being in a person's physical presence.

Two of the artists I was able to talk to a bit at Ann Arbor
and whose work I admire fantastically are Miriam Carter
and Kimberly Willcox.

Miriam and I have known each other for many years, but over
the past couple years have connected on a deeper level of
spirit and art. Here she is at Ann Arbor:


I've had the opportunity to spend some time with Miriam in
her amazing woodland home in New Hampshire, appreciating
the care she has put into the home and landscaping and
just sharing time. She comes from a long family tradition
of felting. Her scarves, hats, and garments are a gorgeous
fun sensuous treat!



Also, Miriam has been my felting mentor. Her teaching and
encouragement to "play" helped me learn all sorts of
hand felting techniques some of which have been incorporated
into my work. An example - the nuno felted silk wings and
"flames"of this phoenix I created, titled "The Rising":



Kimberly Wilcox: www.kimberlywillcox.com
was also in Ann Arbor. The imagery, tactile perfection,
and imagination of kimberly's sculpture amaze me
more every time I see her work. Kimberly describes
her work as a "contemporary spin on primitive form".



Kimberly writes: "My ideas stem from the world around
me, a blend of conscious and sub-conscious imagery."
She works in many media, but at Ann Arbor she exhibited
her three dimensional figures from transformed materials.




Hopefully the snapshots above will encourage you to check
out her website. The stories and explanation of her
sculpture are definitely worth savoring as well as the
excellent photos. Unfortunately, while at Ann Arbor
Kimberly and Kevin received a call informing them that
their Florida workshop had a bad fire. A lot of us have
experienced fires over the years, so we know the
challenges this presents. We artists are a resilient
lot, and know they will get through this as they have
other disasters, but our sympathy goes out to them.
They have posted a way to help on their website.

Next post - two new-to-me artists I met at Ann Arbor

Journey on! Wendy

Stories and dragons at Ann Arbor Art Fair

Snarval and I drove to the Ann Arbor Art Fair
where we shared conversation and stories with customers and
other artists July 20-24. The Painted Room by Elizabeth Erdrich
on CD helped with the 14 hour drive there and The Magicians by
Lev Grossman on the way back. My booth location was under a
huge tree and thanks to a nearby flower bed, I was able to
open one side altho I "technically" did not have a corner.
For the first time,I had the show provide the tent for me.
The tent was sturdier and more waterproof than the one I would
have borrowed from a friend. Since I don't do many outdoor
shows, I do not have one of my own right now. Images below are
two versions of the booth. The wind picked up requiring the
phoenix and other winged creature to be moved. They enjoyed
flying around, but not everyone loved them jumping into their
hands!



I asked folks who visited the booth to share any ideas they
had about Snarval's story. Water dragon, fire dragon, lava
dragon were species suggested. Considering how much water we
experienced during the show, I'm leaning toward water variety.
We had rain 3 of the 4 days, with torrential downpours two eves
closing the show a bit early. Gee, wonder why I'm not too partial
to outdoor shows. I thought about removing Snarval from the
booth one night, but decided he would protect everything.
Seems he is a good protector since the 60-70 mile/hr winds
didn't develop either night they were forecast. The tornado
siren went off requiring us all to seek shelter one eve, but no
tornado arrived. Weather the first day, Wednesday, was
beautiful and nicer on Saturday than expected with clear skies
to pack up. So all in all not bad..another show survived!



I love engaging folks at shows and Snarval certainly drew folks
into the booth. One young person came up with the idea that
perhaps Snarval used to be a hot dog, went into a time machine
and came out a dragon. Another thought perhaps as a lava dragon
he was burned and needed a mask over his head. There seemed to
be a predominance of people who felt Snarval was a he rather than
a she. One young man had a discussion with me about bi-gender
snails. Another storyline offered was Snarval had been evil and
shooting fire inappropriately so a wizard made Snarval's head full
of holes so he could not breathe fire any more. One child was
sure he could explain the look of Snarval's head. It was obvious
that Snarval had gone into a log and become stuck. You have to
love what thoughts attending art fairs stirs up!



Speaking of stories and storytellers, I met some wonderful ones
at the Ann Arbor show. Two of my nest dwelling story nurturers
went home with story creators. One of the major reasons
I still go to shows is to see the creatures which leave
leave my studio find their friends. As I have said before,
once I've finished a piece, I know it belongs to someone else.
My job is to help that connection. I'm a strong believer that
art objects have an energy of their own and reach out. Seeing
that connection occur is magical.

Because I was at the show by myself, I wasn't able to wander
and savor all the art of the 4 simultaneous shows in Ann Arbor.
The show is beautifully run with lots of volunteer help,
offering short breaks,water,glasses and ice, but I still
had to stick pretty close by. But I was able to discover
a couple new (to me) artists whose work I love, and
connected with a couple long time friends. Next posts
will be about those artists.

Journey on! Wendy

New leather dragon "Snarval"

As promised...here are some photos of Snarval completed.
First Snarval's head:



Thanks to facebook friends who let me know the "wood" is
Cholla cactus...from Arizona not North Dakota!..and yes,
there is a glass eye in there! Spokes are wet-formed rawhide
as as with my previous 10 foot dragon.

A peak at his back foot with appropriately festive beaded
leg band.


Crawling up our staircase..on the outside.



And finally a couple of Snarval's entire self
from front and back!





The lighting in our front hall is not very good, so Snarval
requested a trip outside to check things out and show
off his splendor. (I'm not really sure about whether Snarval
is a he or she yet..still listening.)

Snarval's belly textiles show off much better in good light:



Then on to checking out our tomatoes.(we've given
up on the orderly front garden thing, and settled
for vegetables instead.)




Snarval thought they needed water and weeding!
(We took care of both before I set off for Ann Arbor.)
Finally,reluctantly Snarval climbed back into the house
to be packed up to take the ride to Ann Arbor.



I will encourage folks at the Art Fair to help
me figure out Snarval's story ...I'm not sure
whether the dragon is a cloud or water dragon
or some other species. It's fun to engage folks in
developing a legend at a show, especially children.

I'll be sure to take photos of Snarval in Ann Arbor
and share what stories emerge. And , of course,
I'll share news of some of my favorite artists there.

Please, if any of you live near Ann Arbor - come on over
to see Snarval in person. My booth is no. A306 - in the
"Original" Art Fair. Show is Wed. - Sat. July 21-24.
Info at: www.artfair.org Four fantastic days with four
fairs running simultaneously with extraordinary artists!
Just one request: Any of you who have it in with the rain
and wind gods...please tell them to be gentle this week!

Journey on! Wendy

Stairs and Dragons

In February, when I created the 10 foot dragon for my customers'
metal spiral staircase, a friend asked what I might create for a
regular staircase. Good question, I thought, then set the query
aside. Until recently.
As I was trying to think up a special new piece for the Ann Arbor
Art Fair July 22-24, I took a look at the staircase in our house:



What might go here? Another dragon perhaps?
After all there is a Thai dragon at the base.

and so I started to play. I wasn't sure how big
it should be, but 5-6 feet seemed about right:



Next, up to the studio to see what materials I had for the
head. As those of you who know me are fully aware, my
studio is filled with all sorts of collected, gifted items, and
some which just seem to appear. I found a piece of strange
wood perhaps from the farm in North Dakota where my
hubby's dad was raised. We think it was among the
things brought back from Oregon when my mum-in-law died.
Definitely dragon head material!


If anyone knows what type of wood this is, please
let me know!

Next to the wood were these deer antler tips gifted me
by a friend who shows up at shows with all sorts of strange
and wonderful goodies for me!



Dragon horn material? Why not!
I had been wanting to use some of the old hand stitched
textiles made into a purse by artisans in Afghanistan which
I purchased at a fair last July in NYC when our granddaughter
was born. So I grabbed those as well.

I covered the basic wire armature with polyester, then muslin
as before and finally black leather. Then we headed off
to play with grandkids in Virginia and NYC for a week.
They are used to me showing up with strange items in the
van. I told them they could help name the new creature.
They came up with the name Snarval. I said it was probably
a water dragon, so my granddaughters immediately decided
the dragon's claws sculpted the sea creatures and underwater
landscape.

I did some stitching in Virginia, but most work was postponed
until I was back home.

It will be completed to display in Ann Arbor (my booth
number is A306) so be sure to check back in for my blog
next Tuesday to see the completed dragon. I'll put up a
post just before the show opens and then report back after
the show.

Now back to beading, stitching and claws!

Journey on! Wendy