Upcoming Art Shows/Open Houses

Greetings Fine Folk, apologies for the absence!

This won't do much to alleviate that, as time is short. Try considering this a post card rather than a blog post.

Dear Reader,
Truly sorry I didn't pick up that ANIMALS OF PENNSYLVANIA postcard in the rest stop (camo border, yes!), but maybe you also have a soft spot for the Liberty Bell. The drive was long, but fine* -- the mountains and foliage were gorgeous {*fine, because Javier did most of the driving, holla!}. It was wonderful to reminisce and reconnect with my family, and give Javier a little look-see around Philly. No time for him to pull a Rocky pose in front of the art museum, but in Pittsburgh we were compelled to take pictures of ourselves seated on a red divan, below a portrait of Warhol seated on a red divan. Thank goodness for jumbo postcards, right? Thank you, too, for watering my plants and for dismissing the sounds in the basement. Next time I'll bring back Tastykakes.

xoxo,
M

And now, back in Michigan, following the fastest-ever Summer, Fall seems to have lasted a week or so before unceremoniously dumping us on the doorstep of Winter. It fell below freezing the night before last, the radio murmured about rain/snow and this very afternoon, I saw flakes drift idly down as I gazed past my laptop screen, through the cafe window. My office is moving into a renovated building, but just as the renovations have been protracted, so too has the moving in part. I'm sure they are making great strides, etc. etc.; the second day on my loaner laptop was ever so much better than the first, when nothing seemed to work. Now, mostly everything works just fine, except for a little ghost-in-the-machine which hops my cursor back into the middle of words I have already typed and paragraphs I have already completed. Who doesn't love glitchy technology? But soon, very soon, we shall be back in an office proper and all shall be well (right?).

Outside of work, it is quite busy-busy. So let's get down to it. Brief answers to two key questions.

1.) What have I been up to? 

Now: listening to new sound cancelling headphones, though there don't (seem to be) any noises in the house, plus unearthing important things from closet corners (best yet: bags of dozens and dozens of cloth and kid gloves worn by my Grandmother).

Recently:

Detail from newest in Cakeasaurus Project

Targeted cupcakes, inked block

Targeted cupcakes, indigo test print

Mobile making at the "What have I done?" stage

  
2.) Where will these new prints be? 

October (Dexter): This Sunday, Oct. 27th. I am returning to sell prints at Art on the Farm, in Dexter, Michigan (in its tenth year! Nice Ann Arbor profile here.)10AM-4PM, rain or shine. Photography, jewelry, paintings, sculpture, blue grass music, gnoshy bits, cider, all make for a fine Sunday :)Visit the Facebook page for more details.


November (Ann Arbor):I am happy as always to join the artists at Jeanne Joesten's Art Open House, in Ann Arbor, just off Scio Church Friday, Nov. 22nd (4-8PM) and Sunday Nov. 24 (I want to say 11-5, but need to doublecheck on this score -- will update once we have a postcard). I have some snaps from last year in this post (scroll halfway down, went dancing the night before ;))

December (Detroit): Have you checked out Detroit Mercantile yet? Just off Eastern Market in Detroit, the Mercantile is filled to the gills with character, Detroit pride, and entrepreneurial spirit, with curious and quaint nods to our shared past...Walk past the made-to-order denim, reproduction Corktown maps (1923), polyglot baby blocks, Shinola watches and bicycles...  and if you're lucky, you can peek into their back 'room,' a tidy word for such a wealth of space! They could house giraffes in there. Rebuild a plane or raise an army of stiltwalkers. None of which they seem to be doing, mind. But they WILL be hosting their second Merry Market event on (Sat & Sun, December 14th-15th) and I'm excited to join the roster. Make a day of it! Swing by the Eastern Market, score a reuben at Russell Street Deli, you know, make it so I can justify buying one of Silent Giant's Jack White posters...Hah! All in the holiday spirit. See also Detroit Mercantile's Facebook.

Happy Fall to Everyone! Nifty quote, to help you on your way:

“Stop thinking about art works as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences.” 

Music pioneer Brian Eno on art, in excerpts from his diaries -- I'm not sure where I got this from, but a good guess is BrainPickings.

So, These Ideas Just Pop Out of Your Strange Little Brain?

Um, well, yes. That's pretty much what happens. This, uttered by an older man, who, together with his wife (/partner), have bought prints from me before. He is not unappreciative. He compared my sense of humor to that of New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast, which that's pretty flattering. He asked about the Cakesaurus project and I laid out a couple bullet points. He held up "Sus Pasteles..." and said, "That's a weird thing to be carrying around in your head, M." Well. I didn't have a brilliant response. I was operating on a sleep deficit and the double thermal layers weren't doing their job in the barn. He arched an eyebrow and said to his spouse, "Well I think we should buy lots of things from her, so she can just be an artist." But then this somehow morphed into my adopting THEM because they were ponying up in my direction; I offered my small guest room, but apparently they already HAVE a guest room, and GOODBYE LIFE CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES, even the BEST LAID PLANS, yadda yadda yadda. Pssh. I was all ready for patrons!

A small group of women were in hysterics over a larger, older woodblock print, which may or may not have been about online dating; I wandered over and told them that shockingly, no one ever wanted to buy that one. "Your sense of humor is hysterical, do some people not GET you?" Which was nicely timed, as a few minutes before a man had stood before a framed "Birds Don't Like You"; he frowned and shook his head once. "Strange." He muttered this to himself. To be sure, this is better than someone bubbles, "CUTE!," and fails to notice the stalker's eyes in the next panel. 

So Art on the Farm passed pleasantly along, with moderate sales, heartening interactions and lovely connections picked up once again...

Yesterday I stopped by the Ann Arbor Art Center to investigate the sophomore Liberty Local. Would have loved to join in this time, but schedule did not permit. The artists and craftspeople put on a nice show, though the general consensus was that the crowd was down from its first year -- hopefully third time is a charm, as it's a lovely event -- nicely organized, presented, marketed. Some favorites were there, including Sloe Gin Fizz (a/k/a Nicole Raye), Janelle Songer and Aromaholic.

What especially struck me this time was the photography of Janna Bissett (a/k/a LilacPOP). She sold there last time, and the larger part of her display was given over to her industrial jewelry (lots of repurposed machine parts). I was noodling about with various necklaces, oggling a really cool one Bissett was modeling herself; and just idly began leafing through a couple small bins of sale photos. I scored a number of smaller photos from her "1950s Housewife Goes Mad" series (used as proofs to determine which ones were worthy to blow up). While the link takes you to a happy-happy one, most shots channel tension and domestic unrest, delivered in campy kodachrome tones. Super fun! Apparently this was the first ever shoot for our 50s gentleman, Michael Pack, a football player for Wayne State. He's trouble, that one! They're both adorable, really. The dress she's modelling was designed by Matthew F. Richmond; I think this is a shot of one of his creations made from Kroger bags. 

I wanted to get a snap of the necklace Bissett was wearing yesterday, but my camera was acting up. I fear it's close to giving up the ghost. Here's an instagram shot from her Twitter feed -- NOT the necklace in question, but undoubtedly another one she made. She does photography shoots for some of the automotive big shots, Live Nation and her work recently appeared in Vogue Italia. See more of her great photography here.

On an entirely different note -- and with full understanding that weather isn't subject to well wishes -- am wishing the East Coast well. May Frankenstorm sputter out/dissipate/underwhelm us all. My family told me about gas stations sold out of gas, barren grocery store shelves and possible hotel stays. Fingers and toes crossed.

Art on the Farm Today!

Oh my People,

I don't think coffee's going to carry me through the day today. Woe is the silly person who stays at the Halloween Bang* till close, the night before a full fair day! I am so. so. so. very tired. HowEVER, I did 90% of my setup for Art on the Farm yesterday afternoon, hammering nails into the far barnyard wall for a gallery of framed prints; laying out new cards and new designs and figuring out the holes, which I shall rectify this morning.

It will look something like this:

Table set up, 2011

I encourage you to come out! Laurie Longo, who won top prize in Edsel & Eleanor Ford House's "Grimmly Inspired" exhibit, will be selling great journals and cards made from repurposed older books, right next to me. Nancy Melet and M. Royal Schroll will be set up in the other barn...A fine mix of artists and craftsmen, bluegrass music, hot cider and girl scout baking...10-4 12075 Island Lake Drive. For more...

*Male and female Snow Whites, Astronauts, Rosie the Riveters; the inevitable dancing banana and those yearning to mash underwear and masks/glitter into costumes of sorts. A fabulous red hoodied Elliot with his ET in a wire bike basket attached to his front; a fine cat woman; a fine showing!

Where is Cakeasaurus? Upcoming schedule.

Quick-and-dirty schedule update:

I'll be selling prints at Art on the Farm 10-4PM this Sunday, Oct.30th. Based on set-up, it's going to be coooooold in that barn! But most excellent. In addition to blown glass, photography, paintings, stained glass, vintage book journals, goat's milk soap (photo of their favorite goat on the wall!), there'll be live blue grass, hopefully hot cider, possibly blacksmithing...Good for a meander, a Sunday stroll, with or without intent...

I have a mixed media piece in a cool group exhibit at River's Edge in Wyandotte, MI (pay a visit to Sports Brew Pub, while you're at it, dang, their beers impressed me)

Upcoming solo show at the U of M hospital, December 12-February 6th, woohoo! Main building, second floor, just west of the cafeteria. Being a hospital, this venue doesn't allow for openings, etc. But hopefully, the prints will make passersby happy, or at least distract them from larger concerns...

I'll be selling at the Rust Belt Market in Ferndale, MI. on Saturday, Nov. 12th, Sunday Nov. 27th, Saturday Dec. 10th and Saturday, Dec 17th.

Friday evening and Sunday day, Nov. 18th and 20th spells the Art Open House at Jeanne Joesten's: a gorgeous home setting, enticing nibblies, the work of a dozen+ talented local artists.

That's that. A little and so much!

Why Would You Buy Halloween Candy Early? You're Just Going to Eat It.

Between Valerie Mann's people-packed and impressive exhibit opening at WSG in Ann Arbor, followed by the equally packed Reclaimed opening in Wyandotte, Friday was a whirlwind of visual stimuli and conversation. For me, the WSG openings have morphed into this lovely, warm opportunity to reconnect with acquaintance/friends in the local art world and I would have happily spent the entire evening there...

 

Each interconnected evening gown that Valerie had sewn was different from the next. The roughness and text printed on the feed sack material was a great counterpoint to the cool elegance of the vintage pattern lines. The sack wording only appeared in choice parts of each garment and so avoided overkill. Periodic use of raw silk(?) provided lustrous highlights among the swaying beige forms.

I LOVE the detailing on this!

I brought my camera with to take snaps, but strongly suspected any of my attempts to capture the installation would be inadequate. I often bring my camera places, but then become shy about actually taking pictures and wind up with 5 photos that don't reflect the event in any way whatsoever. This evening was no different: I am ashamed to say that there's a photo of myself from the night, but not even one of the guest of honor!  And at River's Edge, I didn't remove it from my bag once -- even though I probably won't trek out there again during the show -- and several of the artists I wanted to meet where there. Last month, one of my favorite people advised me to just "be ruthless and amuse yourself." She wasn't taking a keen interest in my mediocre photography skills, but maybe I'll just apply it there.

No crowd shots, but I did snag two Barbaras: a talented glassblower and a Goethe-quoting bookmaker/paper artist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isn't her necklace delicious? So rich and berrylike.

She offered to take my photo in return, because I was flitting about in the dress my Mom sewed for my junior prom. Hahaha! I thought I'd get ironic/jeering comments about it at the next destination, but no, women stopped me with compliments, on the sidewalk and as I walked past them at the bar after the Reclaimed show. No ironic armor needed!

Yes, I stepped inside the exhibit. Friend privilege. I also touched one of her sculptural purses. They kind of invite it. Or so some would say. Wow, I'm really not good with limiting for captions, hunh.

Kicky pattern paintings. They are so pleasing, grouped together like that!

 

See? What you can't tell from the photos: people everywhere, more formal wear, both serious and campy; wayyy more to the exhibit and the other exhibit spaces, Val's daughter crawling underneath one of the dresses as a shortcut to rejoin her friends, good conversationalists spied across the room that I had no chance to pounce on before leaving...

I can't really do the Reclaimed show justice -- or maybe not at this point in the evening anyway. Overall, the quality was really high: the pieces were variously cool, intriguing, kerazzzy-intricate, or confidently simple and slick. Especially appreciated, after the long drive! And man, the 12 mile stretch of Eureka is U-G-L-Y: strip joints and chains that I thought had gone under decades ago. Plus several guys in pickups looking over at red lights: bizarre. I have no sense of the area outside of that, just the last leg of the drive itself felt odd.

So, Boom! I almost walk past the River's Edge, it is packed to the gills with art, but not in your staid gallery way. More gritty/urban/hipster. Another opening was happening upstairs, plus more gallery space on the third floor. Reclaimed was just to the left of the entry way, all the artwork hung in close quarters. I was excited to be able have a few "How did you DO that??" conversations and a couple times that was directed my way as well, which was gratifying. I could basically shout-out most of the folk that Perfect Laughter has already profiled, but that would be silly.

Ryan Weiss, of the postcard, was sweet and quite engaged with his art. I asked him about the significance of the houses and he said that when he first started doing them, a couple of his friends had actually just lost theirs. "So, I don't know, it was kind of like, the more I made these, the more people would have houses. That's kind of naive, silly~" This is the gist of what he said, not a direct quote. And he was wasn't being gormless. I get it : I find it almost impossible not to take things symbolically at times. And isn't that kind of perfect symbolism? And a wonderful impulse? I like it.

A handful of us grabbed a couple beers at the boringly named Sports Brew Pub. Tip: if you're ever out that way, definitely try their brews! Their weiner dog stout was as rich and full-bodied as a stout should be --  and the fruit flavors within the cherry ale perfectly balanced the beer. Stongly recommended.


The rest of the weekend I was hermitty. Last gasp for getting things ready for next Sunday's Art on the Farm! Somewhat productive, somewhat trudgy. I did a few more wood panels with print snippets:

Unlikely saint. First attempt at a halo. Maybe should have gone with red.

this came out a bit different than I meant, but could be interesting

My favorite part is actually the side.

So that's about all in that department. Card snippets all over the sofa, framed prints leaning all over each other in the living room, for the hospital show.

I eventually ventured outside to bag the leaf piles I raked up yesterday (no neighborhood kids eyeing my yard for leaves this time around). I didn't anticipate seeing anyone, what with the dinner hour, Not that I *didn't* want to see anyone, but I definitely was in my not-leaving-the-house attire. One friendly acquaintance strolled past, carrying his little boy; grandmother, in tow. I see him and his family maybe once a year. We chatted for a few minutes.  After a few exchanges, his son couldn't hold it in any longer: "I have a TRAIN set!!" We paused to contemplate that. I praised him for it and noted that my Dad, who takes pictures of trains, would LOVE that he has a train set. He nodded, happily.  His Dad asked whether I was doing any art, which enabled me to bring up the hospital exhibit again (how can this NOT be anticlimactic? Because I'm rawther excited and it's not like there's an opening.)

A few moments pass. "*I* have finger paints!!" Oh, that's great, I say. "You have paint on your pants," he adds. Yes, I agree, that's true: "Because I was also painting, earlier today." He nods, but gazes at the multi-hued pants. "But I don't have a train set," I add. At this, his face takes on a somber cast.

"Well!" says his Grandmother,"You can't have it all!"

True, I agree, true. Somehow, I'm holding it together without the Lionels.

Candy tip: "fun size" more fun when doubled or tripled.