The Beat Goes On, Straw Bale Art House and Electric Elements

Well, the week started off well with an invitation to lunch with our artist friends in the neighborhood, who had Ruth Allan, a well known local potter of some renown, over and some artist friends from Oregon visiting as well. The folks from Oregon showed us the online video of their bed and breakfast and artist retreat in Oregon. Alas the b&B / artist retreat is for sale.  Apparently after fifteen years or so of providing ceramics workshops to participants from all over the country, they have tired of it as they found themselves doing more administrative work than art…hmmm… sounds familiar.

The place was pretty interesting and must have been quiet a joy and challenge at the beginning as they built a straw bale house and a cultured natural landscape with an eye toward sustainability of the environment. Their concern for the environment seemed to play into their decision to DC the workshops too as the participants were coming from so far away rather than the more local participation they had envisioned early on - all that hydrocarbon footprint stuff related to air travel and such.

Everybody enjoyed hearing about the giant puppet project we had been involved in all year and they checked out some of the videos at 56DAUT on Youtube. After the lunch and a couple of drinks, they all came to our house to look at Martha’s studio and take a gander at my 2.5 D recycled materials art project. And, of course we all went out to visit the ‘Great Wall of China’ project from a couple of years ago and the vineyard I recently planted on the lower level of our property.  All in all it was a fun visit with some very interesting artsy folks.

As the week has progressed, I have – between managing functional issues with our rentals and other mundane sorts of stuff – been working on getting the kiln that was gifted to me up and running. To that end I had a good friend and fellow diver, who is an electrician, come take a look at it and the wiring situation at my house.  As it has turned out two of three elements are fried and the control panel parts were ‘maybe’ functional. So far, the thing is not working as I gave it test run last night after completing the wiring stuff arrrrg!!! Frustration. Now, it is to determine if the new breaker and subsequent wiring of an outlet is the problem, or is it that even that one ‘good’ element is also not good after all. Oh well, on it goes.

Meanwhile, Martha has completed her design for the Big Electrical Box Mural Project and presented it to the folks in charge of accepting the design yesterday.  At least one of us is getting somewhere with art projects. I am envious as I have gotten so far with the recycled art project and getting my prints matted and framed and then progress stopped as I have been doing so many other things too many to list here.

One of those projects deserves to be mentioned, that being that I did get a full length movie done of the giant Puppet Project.  I need to get that over to Bill Rietvelt at the Wenatchee Museum and Cultural Center…hope you like it Bill. And, I have been getting the word out there about the live performance of Selena Rose at the upcoming Scott Allen art show opening in Cashmere. I am really looking forward to a full and lively event as it will be live streamed on the Art News Network channel on Livestream.com.

 I am hoping to get a chance soon to practice using the matt cutter over at the Cashmere Arts and Activities Center that Vicky Hilberg has taken over there. Martha has suggested practicing on some cheap material instead of actual matt board as there is a learning curve with these things and some waste is expected early on in that curve. She’s probably right and so, I need to get some of that cheap material over there and practice. I really am chomping at the bit though to get a matt cut for a particular art photo of mine that is just screaming to be matted and framed. Add to that, that I will need to have some new material ready to put up at Two Rivers Gallery in Wenatchee at the end of the month… ahhh… pressure. Will it get done on time or won’t it. That is the question.

And, so for today it is back to the drawing board on that kiln and maybe another consult with my electrician friend.  As the song says, “The Beat Goes On”.

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