rajafacesbothways

Stuff

I share a storage locker with two friends and today we decided it was a sort out,  discard, donate and share day.What a job! I've decided I've created too much art--next time, some of it will be tossed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Artist Openings

Went to an opening at Georgetown College of work by Michael Winter, a young photographer from Louisville exhibiting  excellent b/w photos of the Red River Gorge. Since there is no way I'm going to do any rock climbing to get similar photos, I bought two of his.

The other opening was in Frankfort at the Moore Gallery, where I had an exhibit two years ago.Along with the great food and wine, enjoyed the work of Melanie Sunbeam Smith whose "Woven Works" are awesome. Having rheumatoid arthritis since she was 15 did not stop her from producing an incredible body of weavings until her recent death.

 

 

 

Across State Lines

I rode shotgun to IKEA in Cincy with a friend and her daughter who is putting together an apartment for her senior year at University of Louisville. And yesterday went with friends Juilee and Ellen to see the  exhibit at New Albany's Carnegie Center, "Heartbeats" by internationally recognized fiber artist Penny Sisto.  Her art quilts are incredible--the exhibit embraces Native American history--she would have been a tough act to follow! Glad we got there first!

The day included a visit to the Frazier History Museum for an exhibit of the genius of diVinci. There are several models of his brilliant inventions along with a fascinating examination of the Mona Lisa done with a 1500 pixel camera capable of analyzing the original colors of the painting.

My kind of day--new discoveries in art and dining.

Heaps and Piles

When I haven't been shaping up Bob the Bookman's scattered heaps of books and clippings I've been selecting, getting prints and framing photos for the Carnegie exhibit and providing required info for that Center. As Bob's office, which was a disaster, gets shaped up I'm creating my own mess here. My loft is filling up with framed photos returned from the Capital Cellars exhibit and photos for 20/20 Vision.

If I don't become a famous photographer soon I'll need to either quit or rent a warehouse.

 

Childhood Fantasys

Georgetown College has an exhibit; The Fluidity of Gender: Sculpture by Linda Stein (www.LindaStein.com) that included a lecture by her. I was very impressed with her body armor type sculptures and also that the Baptist College would show the work of a lesbian Jew from New York.

Wonder Woman appeared in several of her life-size pieces, a heroine of both of us. Actually in my childhood fantasy I preferred being the Dragon Lady. I think it was the cape. Deep in my heart I knew I'd never attain the voluptuous figure of Wonder Woman or would never be able move quickly in those red boots. The Dragon Lady was mysterious, constantly persued by Terry and Steve Canyon plus she was always trekking through exotic areas totally unruffled.

I think she still fits my style.

Morehead, KY

A short road trip with friends driving through changing landscapes--from the local rolling bluegrass into the area edging the mountains of eastern KY --brought us to Morehead, KY for a visit to Morehead College art center and to the Folk Art Center.

Landscape changes in KY are awesome. The road cut through cliffs of shale and the colors of the land included tones of blue, gray and a shade closest defined as mango. After an excellent bountiful Italian lunch we spent a chunk of time at the distinctive Folk Art Center filled with amazing folk art and a display of unique quilts.

i purchased a rag rug from the gift shop. Attached to the rug was a tag:  "I used to be a very plush expensive sofa slipcover until a dog ate a hole in me."

Gift From the Desert

Have three days running as a docent for the exhibit at the Horse Park--the Art, History and Culture of the Arabian Horse. It is probably the most outstanding exhibition occurring in the U.S, right now, with priceless artifacts on loan from museums and collections located all over the world. When it is dispersed in mid-October all will be crated and returned to the 40 museums and private collectors. One of the most unique pieces, The Standard of Ur from the British Museum (c. 2600-2450 BCE) is insured for 30 million dollars. There are many incredible artifacts illustrating the development of the Arabian horse.

And where are its origins? The middle east, of course. And Arab culture is emphasized, including the Muslims who spread the breed throughout the world. Comments I've heard:

1. "How come everything is marked in BCE (before common era) or CE (common era)?" Some cannot accept this is now the standard of indicating dates. "Those people don't believe in Jesus Christ. That's why you changed it from the right way."

2. "Why is there is no mention of the Jews in the exhibit?" (Hmm. Did Moses ride horseback for 40 years in the desert?)

3. One docent quit because the exhibit was about heathens instead of Christians--"Those people don't believe in Jesus Christ. They cause nothing but trouble."

 Duh! It's the history of the horse, not of religions. That's why it is held at The Museum of the Horse.

Garden Crawling

Saw quite a few gardens while in Wisconsin, including the Garden Door, which we also visited last fall and Overbeck--a private home, formally an old schoolhouse, and garden mixing nature and art in an incredible manner.

On the way back we stopped at the Flying Pig Gallery and Greenspace in Algona, WI. Filled with "outsider art" metal sculptures it had an Alice in Wonderland quality to it.

Workshop Wind-Up

Through storms and heat and tied up traffic--all in Indiana--I've returned after the rewarding fun week up north.

Here is the sum total of my creative efforts--looks like less work than it actually was.
The open "flag book"  is a kind of pop-up book--the smaller books fit into the boxes I made and the book at the upper right is a closed-up mess that is spattered with my blood from a needle that had a mind of its own while I was attempting to create a spine with waxed thread. Unfortunately, the waxed thread's entanglements made the spine appear more like  spinal biffia than a book construction.

Winding Down

Got up at 5 a.m. to see a beautiful sunrise and went into the studio to work before the others got up-- mainly because I didn't want them to see me struggle trying to figure out how to do a flag book. It turned out well actually. I can't say the same about the non-adhesive book I attempted that required stitching the spine. There is blood on the cover and interior where I missed the stitching and jabbed myself and a loose loop that dangled between the pages. I finally said screw it--will give it to Karen so she can feel good about her own sewing attempts.

However Anita's husband, Joe, judged all our results and selected one of my projects to win the $10 best-of-show prize--minus taxes.

Tomorrow we return to the Chicago area. I'll drive to Kentucky on Sunday. And if all goes well, ww plan another workshop here next year.