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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