Chickens, etc.

Chicken & Wine

Chicken & Wine, one of my 3D assemblages, sold in Rockport during the 4th of July festival -- which turned out great, btw, after the threat of Him-icane Alex disappeared. I had my good friend Sylvia there to help set up in high winds, and we anchored and tied everything twice... and lost nothing except our *hair dos*, which of course I don't worry about anyway and Syv's just looked nice and beachy. I guess people were tired of being stuck inside because the turnout was excellent both Saturday and Sunday, and it actually was not as much of an oven as it normally is, thanks to Alex.

So the reason I mention the chicken piece is because I have now completed it's companion (?) piece, I guess you'd call it. Chicken & Wine is all about the human perspective from atop the nest (human head, chicken bod). Nesting, settling in, protecting the... wine? Actually it's about being comfortable once the nest is empty, with advice to share the good times with someone ("Share the chicken, share the wine" -- words collaged around the base -- is altered from Jack Straw, a Grateful Dead tune).

The new assemblage, titled Civilian, examines labels placed on society and re-phrases the question Why did the chicken cross the road? to include the answer:

Why did the chicken cross the road to get on the other side?

In other words, without getting too deep into the old chicken dilemma, why do we need to explore the other side of the road? This piece, with chicken head and human body, labels humans and places wealth and status on the lowly chicken. While there are a zillion answers to the question, the chicken remains focused, albeit with human eyes both on the same side.

The chicken has arrived.

Civilian

Getting ready for 4 of J in Rockport

Been almost a month since I returned from my two week trip to Florida and NC. It was a great road trip for me. Sometimes I just like to drive drive drive drive... Really, I lucked out on the weather, only one storm that knocked around the yellow sub a bit. I saw parts of Ga. I'd never seen before -- Savannah, Sparta, little back road railroad towns that were like you'd see in a movie. NC was beautiful too, especially when I got off the interstates. Loved seeing the old old brick buildings.

The art shows in Lakeland (Mayfaire) and Raleigh (Artsplosure) were both nice and full of wonderful artwork. I visited with some of my dear friends that I have not seen in years. And I enjoyed being on the road with brother David (I still don't know why he insisted on flying back to Fla??)

So now I am working on getting ready for the Rockport Texas ~~~HOT~~~ 4 of J festival, my second year there. I've completed quite a few new (and exciting) pieces to replenish what sold on my trip. Work work work... fun fun fun!

Denton Jazz

The Arts and Jazz festival in Denton last weekend was a lot of fun -- long weekend, but fun. Great music, great weather, tons of people. I always enjoy visiting with folks that stop by my booth. And of course, every buyer is special!

But there are times that make me feel like a real connection is made.

I sold one of my new pieces, Introducing the Twins, to a man who told me he was buying it for a friend who had just had a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. He said she likes to point out her "new breasts", explaining that the old ones had to go because they were trying to kill her! Perfect! It is that exact sentiment I had hoped this piece would convey.. and it feels great when you know your artwork has gone to the right home, even if it is the home of a perfect stranger. This is Art making the world less immense, it's inhabitants less detached.

May the owner of Twins enjoy her new assemblage, and her new breasts, for many years.

Corpus Christi ... etc.

The Corpus Christi Festival of the Arts was this past weekend. The weather was gorgeous, slightly breezy the second day, but really could not have asked for better. I met lots of nice people, and it was good to see a few of the TX artists again that I've met at other shows. I learned to tie a slip knot (thanks to Harold!) ... that's about all I have good to say regarding this ((((mostly very crafty))))) show.

PLEASE ORGANIZERS, next time separate the fine art from the piggy banks. And do something about shutting off some of the traffic during break down. Could not one of the six lanes of traffic on Shoreline have been closed for loading for a few hours on Sunday?

(I doubt anybody is reading this but I feel slightly better now. The wine and beach seem to have helped......)

........ still cleaning

Already the 13th

Happy New Year, has it been almost 2 weeks??

I've been applying to shows for this Spring and will be posting the results here soon. I haven't spent much time in the studio except for a little cleaning, very little. But I am ready to go back to work any minute now!

I took these photos in Florida of the seagulls. I'm fascinated by the reflections. We'll see what develops creatively... soon, very soon.

Fame...

Back from Florida last Thurs., just in time to miss driving through snow (of all things) along I-10.

The trip was great. I loved being in my home state again and spending time with my brother, as well as some "old" friends I had not seen in many years. Also, enjoyed both art shows and learned aLOT, as always...

DeLand Fall Festival was a wonderful event and very VERY impressive as far as fine art goes. Some of the booths looked like mini art galleries, and the variety of work was excellent. The show included super amenities for artists... we were wined and dined the entire weekend! Thanks soooo much to the volunteers and staff for their hard work. DeLand is an artsy and very friendly little Florida town that I would highly recommend.

The Space Coast Art Festival in Cocoa Beach was also terrific. Again, a Wonderful variety of fabulous fine art, and the crowd was spectacular on both days. Weather was perfect. And it was so cool to see about 24 manatees sunning in a nearby canal! Plus, I won a merit award for one of my new pieces, "Fame", so that was a nice bonus.