Blonds and Penguins, Soap Lake Doors, Quincy Library Art and Pybus Photo Projects

Well, it’s been a fine, fun and fulfilling couple of weeks for Martha and I and our various art projects, activities and endeavors.

As many readers may recall my last posting was of the installation of our Giant birds at the Icicle Arts Gallery in Leavenworth. Since then a lot has happened and we have continued on with creating more art and taking on new projects.

Those who have kept up with our blog in the Wenatchee Worlds online know that we attended and participated in a photo presentation in Soap Lake last week. What readers of that blog don’t know is that while we were there we were presented with another opportunity. As it turns out the art Guild of Soap Lake had this really great project going on that they invited us to participate in.

The project involves a number of artists from the region painting on heavy solid core doors that were rescued from a tear down or remodel of… I believe it was an old school building there. The artist involved are to choose from a number old and I mean old photographs from the heyday of the Soap Lake mineral waters sanitarium health spa era in the late 19^th and early to mid part of the 20^th century.

We got to see a number of the works in progress that many of the artists were working on right there on site at the Las Brisas Building in Soap Lake. We considered that, but ultimately decided that for us it was more practical to take the door home with us and work on it here at our home studio. Martha chose a photo of some of nurse like hotel workers in front of one of the old hotels.

The project involves painting on both sides of the doors, so I chose (or did Martha Choose for me…hmm…) an old photo taken from up above one of the mud bath facilities with some other outlying buildings and an old vehicle or two along a dirt road with the lake in the background for me to paint. Martha delved right in and finished her side rather quickly as is her way. I work a bit slower but have made some significant progress. All in all it’s a fun and worthwhile project that is meant to help keep the history of the Town of Soap Lake alive.

Just the very next day after our trip to Soap Lake we attended the Artists Reception at the Peggy Lewis Gallery in Yakima where one of Martha’s paintings had been accepted for the show. What we didn’t know until we got there was that her piece had garnered one of the prizes at the show. That was icing on the cake for what was another fun evening mingling with other artists and art patrons and local community leaders.

Then came the opening reception for the recycled art show in Leavenworth, Washington. There we did not garner any awards, but we had a great time and I really enjoyed talking to those who were interested in knowing about how I created my Giant Eagle which was prominently displayed on the upstairs balcony of the Upper Valley Museum and Icicle Arts Gallery building.

And, while Martha worked on and finished her hotel workers painting she being quite the multi-tasker worked on a number of new painting including a new Dancing Zebra painting and Blonds and Penguins painting. And, as if that were not enough, we received an invitation this week to place some of our art in the new Quincy Library.

So; on Tuesday we dropped everything and packed up the vehicle with several of my abstract photos and a couple of nature photos and a few of Martha’s newer paintings and went out to Quincy, Washington to meet with Roxa Kreeimeyer to install the work there. That was fun and meeting with Roxa who is a local mover and shaker in the Quincy area and just an overall lovely person to visit with was a treat in itself.

But, no sooner had we installed the art and had ice cream with Roxa it was time to head back to Wenatchee so I could take photos at the Gala Open House and Tour of the Pybus Building / Project which is an old industrial building near the Columbia River in Wenatchee that is being redeveloped into a hip artsy place that will be the year round home of the local Farmers Market, a winery or two, various food venders, arts and craft sellers and perhaps even a martini bar I am told.

As it was all or most of the local power elite of Wenatchee were there and it was my task as invited by one of the Board Members of the project to take photos of the event. That was cool in itself and I jumped at the opportunity. While there I met some other wonderful people some of whom are interested in Martha’s artwork and my photos… more on that later. The same too  for a photo project and possible a video production chronicling the transformation of the Pybus Building into the Pybus Market.

Wonderful events and opportunities all around and so back to work for me on that painting, some further photo and video editing from the other days work, and, now this just in, as they say, an invite to attend and photo another important meeting at the Pybus Building today.

The work goes on and art just keeps happening as it should.

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Siniorita, and Patriotic Zebras, and We Stand up and Deliver Our Awsome Eagle and Tropical Birds

Well, it was a great week for Martha and I and our various art endeavors. The week started well with a lovely lady taking home one of Martha’s paintings for her dear mother.  And, then later in the week we received notice that Martha’s painting ‘Inflorescence’ had been accepted for the Allied Arts of Yakima Valley’s 45^th Annual Juried Art Show. We’ll be taking it out to the Peggy Lewis Gallery tomorrow.

During the week Martha worked on some new paintings – a beautiful seniorita and a couple of new and interesting plant paintings. I really like the one that looks almost sculpted, oh yes and lest I forget, she put the finishing touches on her ‘Patriotic Zebras’ a mixed media piece she did for 4^th of July.


And, while Martha worked on these I reworked the bases for her three tropical birds, so they will stand properly on a floor rather than needing to be screwed down to a deck as they were on our parade float. After having rebuilt the bases for these Martha worked her Magic and decorated the bases with moss and such.

For me the big project of the week was completing my Eagles Nest and the two giant eagle’s eggs for the nest that I made as accents for the giant eagle. That done I went to work over at Terry Johnson’s studio at Terry Signs where we have been storing the birds and set about putting the nest together with the eagle. Out back behind Terry’s I found a treasure trove of materials screaming to be put to use in this recycled materials art project.

Back there I found a perfect sort of wheel to serve as a base for the nest and an old, and I mean old, wooden box that could do as the stand for the base and even a tree limb to add yet more of a natural environmental feel to the work. As it turned out the wheel was actually the remains of an old kick powered potter’s wheel. How perfect is that for a recycled art project.

The wheel had a steel rod of sorts that stood up two feet or so which I found could replace the stand I had built previously for the eagle when it was in the parade. A little reworking and voila the nest and eagle with salmon in claws and two eggs in the nest was complete and ready for installation.

Then, came the big day, on Friday, to deliver all the birds to the Icicle Arts Gallery in Leavenworth for the Recycled Art Show.  I had been stressing for some time on how to get them there and finally it came to me to ask my good friend Van Ford – yes that’s Van Ford not Ford Van about using his dive trailer. Some readers may recall that Van ownes Orca Scuba Center which is home to two of my marine themed sculptures. Van was more than happy to let us use the trailer. So, early Friday morning we were off to Orca Scuba to get the trailer and over to Terry Signs to pick up the birds.

The trailer was perfect for the job and we got the birds to Icicle Arts without a hitch (well actually we did use a hitch to pull the tailor- sorry I couldn’t resist that). Once at Icicle Arts finding the right spot for the giant eagle was something else again as it was too big to go through the front door.

Anna Miller found the perfect spot and between Anna, Martha and I we got it installed and secured so it wouldn’t take off on a whim or from the wind whichever. Anna had a bit of a scare at one point as the eagle looked pretty awesome and frightening… 

Martha’s birds were quite a bit easier to carry and bring inside – there final resting place will be determined later by Bryan Miller. There were already some other interesting pieces that had come in for the show which looks like it’ll be as great if not better than last year’s show.

Since the Steel Eagle ordeal is over with I have been able to get back to my ongoing project of painting my sweet granddaughter’s portrait. It’s getting there, but getting that impish early childhood expression takes some real care. I’ll get it right yet.

Well, enough for now. Let’s all have a very artful day.

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Career Day, Kids Art Show and The Town That Killed the City of Wenatchee

Well, this has been a full week for Martha and I and our art projects.

On Monday, while I worked on our latest creative home project, Martha was busily painting away creating new art and reworking some acrylic painting upstairs and to good effect I would say.

Tuesday, I began finding and collecting photos I have taken in the last couple of years at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center’s events for a collage of such events as part of a protest against the killing of the museum for the Town Toyota Center (a local economic fiasco and City of Wenatchee political scandal). This disaster for the city and our local museum was predicted in my video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pQxX-2qN0I&list=UUNvpiC1XcVKVH-EiXJCMCsA&index=9&feature=plcp I published last fall and now here it is a reality.

Wednesday, Martha was one of several professional invited to participate in the Wenatchee Public Schools Career Day event held at the Columbia Elementary School. I went in the morning with Martha to help her set up and to carry the heavier bronze pieces for her into the gym.

 There were a lot of other folks there representing the various profession including a good friend Chris O’Hern a trombonist and fellow bike rider with whom I rode our local Apple Capital Loop Trail with many times last summer. Rufus Woods the publisher of our local paper the Wenatchee World was there and visited with us a bit before the show really got going. I loved that line of his with regard to the blog I do for the Wenatchee World Online… how did that go “…the bloggings will continue until moral improves”. Good one there Rufus.

Martha had a great time talking with the kids as they came through from all the elementary schools in the district. She had a few of her paintings there and the kids were really interested and some shared that they too love art and like to draw and paint. A few indicated they really would like to make a career of art. Good luck kids. Hope all your dreams come true.

Later that same day, Martha was again working with the residents at the local emergency housing program where they worked on painting with acrylics. Martha has asked that I get over there soon to get some pics of these artworks. Some she says are really good. I really want to see that Basket of Fruit painting and the Landscape with a House painting she told me about. It’s so good to think that these folks are getting an opportunity to express themselves and find a little relief and release in their lives.

Last night Martha was over at the high school in Wenatchee where the district was holding an art show of all the kids from various grades from throughout the district. She was there representing the Wenatchee Art Education Consortium which has sponsored her “I Am the Earth” and “Study of Fruits and Flowers” art projects at various schools in Wenatchee.

There was a lot of great art there including some of the work by the kids in the projects Martha was involved in.  I wish I could have been there and taken some photos of this event, but I had clients to see… darn.  

After I got home last night I was inspired to create a political cartoon relating to the local scandalous economic fiasco that is the Town Toyota Center which is causing the layoffs of all but one employee of our wonderful local Museum as well as several police and fire dept. personnel… all for a glorified hockey rink that can’t support itself. I had produced a video predicting this disaster last year when there was still time for the previous city administration to do something about it. But they didn’t and here we are.

On a lighter note I published a really fun and entertaining video of the public art in Wenatchee on Vimeo yesterday as well https://vimeo.com/43219275. Later today and this weekend, I’ll be working on a video montage of the various wonderful events that have been held at and sponsored by our local museum. I have no delusions that any of this activity will save the museum but we should have a good funeral at least.

 And, hey, who knows… maybe somewhere out there; there is a benefactor that can come to the rescue of a truly great public asset that is the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center.

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