Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Industrial Art, Tulips, Zebras, Dancing Artists and Clay Pick-up






Well, there is definitely no rest for the weary artist, traveler or traveling artist. No sooner had I picked Martha Flores up at the Airport – SeaTac Airport, when we were off to the Pottery Store in Seattle to buy more clay and pick up some glaze for our good friend Terry Johnson. Terry, as many readers, may recall has been helpful to us in our various art projects in so many ways from using his space and equipment to glazing and firing in his kilns and on and on.

When we have business in Seattle or are coming and going from the airport or diving on the coast, we try to make use of the drive to get tools and clay we may need from the Pottery Store and kill two birds with one stone. We had time and considered visiting a gallery or two, but Martha was a bit weary from traveling and it is a long ride home to Wenatchee. So; home we headed.

Having arrived home still with plenty of time I cajoled Martha into riding with me to pick up her artwork from the Wenatchee Senior Center, as some of the artworks I had been searching high and low for in our house (all three floors, behind doors, under beds in storage rooms etc…), were as I had finally concluded at the Senior Center.

And, of course the reason I so desperately needed to find these pieces was so that I could set up the show at the NuArt Gallery in East Wenatchee that I have been preparing to install. And, find them we did… the Dancing Zebra painting in particular was needed for the NuArt show, as it is the ‘Dancing Zebra’ show.  Once that was done, we had more yet to do.

Or, at least I was able to get poor tired Martha to hang in there with me to do a bit more about town, like pick-up the T-Shirts with the Embracing Cultures logo on them from Silk Screen Printers and Embroidery.  The shirts came out fine and while we were there I visited with Carl in the print shop and got some interesting photos of the silk screen process and machinery. That was cool… thanks Carl for letting me into the work area to get those shots.

Then, it was off to Terry Johnson’s studio at Terry Signs to deliver the dry glazing material we picked up for him in Seattle and while I was there I took a few more pictures yet of the new and interesting stuff Terry has been working on while Martha has been away.


Then, today the task was to install the art at Nuart Gallery… but not before getting a few shots of this year’s crop of Tulips. I was so glad that Martha didn’t miss out on the tulips. I’m recalling that one year they were already done by the time Martha got back from her spring sojourn to see the grand kids in Texas.

As I said though, the artful task for today was to take the artwork to Gary Done at NuArt. And, so I did and we had fun logging in all the art and talking about classic cars as the Classy Chassey Parade which is coming up quick. Gary was eager to hear about my ’65 Mustang and the years when I restored it and had in the parade a few times and some car shows. 

What I was eager to hear about was that a number of people had come to the gallery after Martha had been there Painting while dancing, or was it dancing while painting, live on Thanksgiving weekend, asking for the Dancing Zebra painting. We hadn’t left it there at the end of that show, from which Martha’s Youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qGR5qiAB7E was made of her painting live, as she wanted to do some final touch up before calling it done.

I really hope some of those interested parties return and decide to give the Dancing Zebra a good home. I took a number of other really great pieces down that should make for a good show and draw some attention and find good homes as well. Meanwhile, if I could just find the flowere photo O mine that Jill at the Cashmere Chamber of commerce is interested in, I would be a happy camper or campy artist.

And, so another fine day was spent in artful paradise and now to prepare the paperwork from another gallery that would like to exhibit our artwork… wish us luck.




Monday, April 23, 2012

Check out my comment on the 'Gallery Photo:Horse Lake House Painting'. http://ping.fm/fCUz3



Sunday, April 22, 2012

Earthday / Birthday, Recycled Art, Dancing Zebra Show and Cutie Pie Portrait








Well, while Martha has been in Texas enjoying the grand kids and having a Happy B-Earthday, I have busily working away at our various art projects, submitting apps for shows and securing her another art show.

As to the art projects, I created pedestals for the giant tropical birds she and the other members of the Embracing Cultures Parade Float Project have created and rebuilt the pedestal for my giant steel eagle.  Earlier in the week, I did a little research online to find a place that sold fire retardant for the birds as that is required for the parade. Luckily I found a site that sold it and we will be in compliance in time for the parade on the first weekend of May.

And, as I write this the salmon I made from Styrofoam and paper Mache which the eagle will clutch in its claws is drying in the sun and I will finish painting it and install it as soon as it’s dry.

Next a rocky crag above a river just under the eagle as it comes in for a landing fish in claw. I’m so happy with how this project is coming.

During the week, I submitted our forms to part of this year’s Icicle Arts Recycled Art Show. Our giant birds are made from 90% reused and recycled materials and will make great entries I think for the show. Wish us luck in the judging.




And, now that I’m thinking about it another organization wants Martha to donate a piece for a good cause out in Yakima… now where is the email with the info on that… I might be starting lose it. Oh well, I’ll find it and get something to them.


 Also, this week I learned of an individual who was seeking art by Hispanic artists for a gallery show later this year. So, I updated Martha’s artist resume and history of exhibits and sent it off along with some photos to Juan Alonso. We shall see what comes of it.









Meanwhile, Gary Doan the owner of the NuArt Gallery in east Wenatchee got back with me about having an exhibit of Martha’s Dancing Zebra and some other newer painting in his gallery and asked that I install early this week. You betcha Gary
And, now it’s time to get back to that Salmon. But before that I think it's time I get started on painting a portrait of this little cutie.





link to blog on glass balloons, and the mission district art





Saturday, April 7, 2012

Dancing Zebra, Dallas Tornados,Steel Eagle and Art About Town


Well, it’s been an unusual week for art. On the weekend before Martha left town, I stopped in to visit Gary over at the Nuart gallery in East Wenatchee, and began cooking up a plan for a Martha Flores Dancing Zebra Art show. In a week or two I will take her Dancing Zebra painting which she created there last November, to the gallery and let Gary build a show around that piece. That should be good and it was really an eye catcher the day she painted it there. I stopped in to visit Terry Johnson over at Terry Signs who had made a banner for the younger members of the Embracing Cultures group to carry in front of the float. That should add a nice touch.

 As the week came round it was time to get to work and Martha took off for Dallas… yes Dallas where the luck of the Irish was upon her as she flew on the day of the tornados. Well, she flew as far as Sea Tac anyway. Nearly twenty-four hours later she was finally off to Dallas.

Meanwhile, as Martha was bogged down in SeaTac airport trying to get to Dallas which was shut down due to tornados, I did get a bit of work done on my Steel Eagle for the Embracing Cultures float for the upcoming Apple Blossom parade. But, the next couple of days were slow going as I had to devote myself to that yearly exercise of doing taxes…YUK! A few things I was able to distract myself with was finding out a bit more about metal work and joining a newsletter for Jessica Dietz ‘s ‘Weathervane Artistry’.  I’m looking forward to getting to see her video when it comes out as I really want to learn about working with metal, so that later I might redo my steel eagle with a metal skin or just do another one all together or some other metal piece. I’m thinking of that dinosaur at the south end of town…

Another fine distraction was looking at submitting an application for this year’s Icicle Prize which is again a recycled art show. We didn’t win last year, but it was a lot of fun and the piece we donated to the Icicle Arts Gallery in Leavenworth is on the flyer for this year’s prize. A lot of people still comment to us about it. It’s a good permanent piece for the gallery and it gets some air time periodically and gets to be seen. Which is nice.



By Thursday I really needed a reprieve from taxes and I got one just in time before I lost my mind. Thankfully our friend and fellow board member at Two Rivers Gallery called and had me come down to docent at the gallery in the afternoon.  

This gave me an opportunity to take some photos of the April show before First Friday. At the end of the day Jan Theriault came by and we had a cold one at the pub across the way. We were both interested in the ice ‘sculpture’ or so it seemed to be on the beer spigot.  Enough so, that we both took pictures of it. I told him about having done a photo shoot in there a month or two ago.

Friday was of course First Friday, and true to form there was a crisis of sorts at the gallery. One bank of gallery lights in the west wing of the gallery had stopped working and it was up to me to check it out.  So;  first thing in the morning, and gratefully so as I could then avoid getting back to those pesky taxes a bit longer, I went on over to the gallery to work on the lights. But, alas the junction box was fried and a new one had to be ordered.

While in town I made a point of changing out the large photo I have had over at Amanda’s Books for quite some time. I have been meaning to change it out for months, but just haven’t had the time. It was good visiting with Bob who is Amanda’s dad and co-owner of the book store. I got the new photo in and took a few pics of the place as it has changed quite a bit since the last time I was there.

I haven’t been in to see some of the other art in town and knowing I might not come back out for First Friday on Good Friday, I went around and got some pics of the work at the Robert Graves Gallery at the Wenatchee Valley College and out to the Cashmere Arts and Activities Center in Cashmere and back in town to get pics of the shows at CafĂ© Mela, Lemolo’s and 4South. It was an interesting coincidence that both 4South and CAAC are each featuring photographers presenting photos of Europe. But m ore of these works for my other blog Arts in the Valley and Beyond in the Wenatchee World Online. Enough for now.







Monday, April 2, 2012

Check out my new photo. http://ping.fm/CFtGy