LOOKING BEHIND THE CURTAIN

Meditation IV: collage on paper

scrim |skrim|
• a piece of gauze cloth that appears opaque until lit from behind, used as a screen or backdrop.

• a thing that conceals or obscures something: a thin scrim of fog covered the island.

It was when I first started teaching junior high that I became gut-wrenchingly aware of the scrims that kids create to make it through their days. That was more than 30 years ago. Since then I’ve realized that it’s not only adolescents who protect themselves behind a self-manufactured curtain; we all do this, some more than others.

Are you aware of the scrims the people in your life create?
How do you get behind them? What are the scrims that you erect -- and more importantly, why?

My new series of multi-layered collages deals with this question. The work will be ready in time for the Northrup King Building’s 15th Art Attack on November 2, 3 and 4. Over 200 artists working in nearly every art medium open their studios for this weekend long event. The event is free, and so is the parking. For more info go to www.northrupkingbuilding.com.

NEW YEAR, NEW STUDIO

I'm excited to announce the opening of my new studio. Same site...Northrup King Building in Minneapolis...but I'm no longer subleasing. Darrell Hagan and I decided to take the plunge and, in the words of my husband, "move in together" (as studio mates co-leasing the same place, that is.) You'll find us in Studio 427. We're open from 5:00 to 9:00 pm on the first Thursday of each month, by appointment, and of course for Art-A-Whirl in May. (More on that later.)
Darrell specializes in surrealism. My loves are narrative pieces in oil and botanical watercolors, with the addition of an artsy experiment every now and then. We'd love to see you.

ART ATTACK 2010

NORTHRUP KING BUILDING
NOVEMBER 5 5:00pm - 10:00 PM
NOVEMBER 6 noon - 8:00 PM
NOVEMBER 7 noon - 5:00 PM
1500 Jackson St., N.E. Minneapolis, MN 55413
CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS

November is comin' on fast and so is Art Attack, when the 200+ artists, clothing and furniture designers, photographers, and sculptors in the Northrup King Building open their studio doors to visitors and collectors alike. There'll be lots going on. I'm excited about what the Northeast Journal called "The Chamber of Steel. "Windowless Studio 459 is wall-to-wall galvanized steel...the perfect place for a huge magnetic poetry gig. According to Gregory J. Scott, Northeast Journal reporter, "...Minneapolis resident and wordsmith Dave Kapell spent a recent afternoon slapping hundreds of oversized word magnets on the chamber's cold sporadically mineral-stained walls. Kapell invented magnetic poetry--well, as much as one can invent the process of cutting up phrases in order trorearrange their words...." After you've placed your creative writing on the wall (or just enjoyed the random thoughts of others), wander down to the gallery (studio 332) where you’ll enjoy “The Nature of Ice.” This multi-artist exhibition captures the ephemeral beauty of ice in nature will be on display the entire weekend. The gallery is only a few steps away from Studio 343 where studio mates Loretta Bebeau (works on sheet rock) and Gloria Cooper (Hebrew script in acrylics) and I would love to see you and to have you see our work. I'm moving away from the hands I’ve been painting for three years and into botanical water colors. I’ve also created a lot more of my miniatures in oil. These little gems, none larger than 3" x 4", come with a wooden easel. They make great hostess gifts and stocking stuffers. And at $25 each, they're also a great way to start your own gallery of orginal art at minimal investment.



ART-A-WHIRL SPECIAL OFFER

'What an artist is trying to do for people is bring them closer to something,
because of course art is about sharing: you wouldn't be an artist
unless you wanted to share an experience, a thought.'
David Hockney

I've written earlier about the classes in botanical watercolor I've been taking under the excellent tutelage of Marilyn Garber, founder of the Minnesota School of Botanical Artists. I wrote about how surprised I was to discover a discipline I didn't expect to fall in love with and about my discovery of an intense pleasure in a zen-like, focused experience. Just me, nature's gorgeous colors, and my paint brush.

I'd love to share with you the results of my studies. I'll be hanging these new watercolors in time for

ART-A-WHIRL (click here for directions)

May 14th, 5:00 - 10:00 pm
May 15th, Noon - 8:00 pm
May 16th, Noon - 5:00 pm
Northrup King Building
Studio 343

In addition I'll be offering for the first time ever an Art-A-Whirl special--50% off of selected oil paintings. If you're in the Twin Cities area the weekend of May 14, I hope you'll stop in. I'd love to visit with you!

ART-A-WHIRL - annual n.e. minneapolis art crawl

(Looking for my non-ad blogs? Just scroll down a bit.)
If you're in or near the Twin Cities, I invite you to Art-A-Whirl Open Studio Tours in the Minneapolis Arts District. Whether you're looking to add to your collection or merely looking, this is one of the most astounding collections of original works you're likely to see in one area. Studios of 600+ sculptors, painters, fibers artists, photographers, jewelers, clothing designers, and more will be open Friday, May 15, 5-9 pm; Saturday, May 16, noon - 8:00 pm; and Sunday, May 17, noon to 5:00 pm. Silent Auction (all three days) in the third floor gallery of the Northrup King Bldg, 1500 Jackson St., N.E., Minneapolis. And if you're in the Northrup King Bldg., stop in to in Studio 343. My studio mates and I would love to talk art with you!