For starters just after our last post we had a very nice
visit with Nicole Benoit a 26 year old dancer and singer come home to Wenatchee
from New York who is creating a multi artist event called LEAP to take place
August 23rd. We were very interested in the whole concept but
unfortunately the next day August 24th is the day I am scheduled to
ride the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in Colorado a ride for which I will need to be
there a few days ahead in order to acclimate to the altitude.
A few days into the
month my photos were installed at the Wenatchee Chamber of Commerce office just
in time for the June First Friday Art Walk. When First Friday came around Martha and me
were of course going to stop in there to see the show and visit with folks
there. But first we stopped in at the Tumbleweed Bead Co. to see the art there
and visit a bit. Visiting with the owner
we were surprised to discover that it is her husband who owns the Ila Yoga studio
and who does the slack line in the park which some readers may recall I tried
awhile back in the middle of one of our bike rides on the Loop Trail. And, speaking
of bikes, while there we spotted these cool bicycle themed coffee cups, two of
which Martha was so good to buy for me. Thanks Martha.
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After our stop at Tumbleweed we went to the Chamber where it
was so nice to have so many questions about my photos: where they were taken
and what was the story behind each of these mostly Nature photos. Some folks came in asking to see my abstracts
which I originally thought I would place in one of the two rooms there, but had
instead focused on nature forgetting that I submitted an abstract for the Chamber
to publish. OOPS. So; by popular demand I will change out all or some of the
work there for abstracts in time for the July First Friday show. Thanks by the
way Jerri Lea for the chance to show at the Chamber. After the Chamber we headed
to Two Rivers Gallery to see Reed Carlson and his high School Students show
there. It was a really good show and we
had a great time there visiting with all the artists and friends there.
A few days later I received the word that two of my photos
were accepted into the upcoming show on the theme of ‘Home’ at the Orange County
Center for Contemporary Art in California. And; so between getting Martha’s
prints and paintings matted and framed at the Nu-Art Gallery and Frame Shop ready
to take to Moses Lake for her show there, I printed up the two photos and got
them matted and framed as well. That reminds me today is the day I need to send
them off to Cali.
And, speaking of Martha’s show, on Thursday the 12th
of June we hauled 80 count them 80 paintings large and small, including this one of a mother and children in Guatemala, in a rented UHaul
and still had to use the bed and back seat of my pick-up for several bronze and
clay sculptures and a number of prints to be installed for the opening on June
20th to the Moses Lake Museum and Art Center in beautiful downtown
Moses Lake… and what a beautiful facility it is. In fact some folks who had
never been there before who came from Wenatchee commented at the opening
reception that they were amazed at the quality of the facility that it is
probably the best facility to show art at between Spokane and Seattle. And,
that just might be the case.
The opening reception just this Friday past was by all
measures a success. Martha was so happy to find that one of her newer works
which included a poem by Martha had sold even before the opening and it was
nice to see that so many younger folks mostly local business professional were
there and enjoying the art. Thanks, by
the way ,to Freya Liggett and Ann Schempp for everything and especially to
Ramon Cerna for the great installation.
Talking with Ramon I was surprised to learn that he lives near Laguna Beach CA. and comes up here to set the shows... WOW! Thanks again Ramon.
Martha had a great time at the opening dancing, talking and
visiting with friends old and new and meeting and talking art with local folks
from Moses Lake like Tiffany Sukola and Shawn Cardwell who are with the
Columbia Basin Herald. As it turns out Shawn has been to the Iguana Perdida Hotel
on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala at which Martha painted a mural a few years back
while I was scuba diving in the lake. Small world indeed.
Meanwhile, I took
lots of photos and got to visit with graphic artists Michaell and Jeremy Boetger
while tasting the very enjoyable wines of Camas Cove Cellars. As it turns out
Jeremy rode in the Apple Century Ride as did I on June 7th. That was
a great coincidence and we had fun talking about rides coming up like the STP
which he is riding soon and rides past like the Century Ride which I rode with
our governor Jay Inslee. Speaking of which Jay, who is a bit of an artist
himself, did a drawing of me leading our group through the woods near Lake
Wenatchee shortly after the Century Ride. Thanks Jay.
And, of course nothing stops when it comes to art. Just yesterday
while riding with friends in Wenatchee I learned from Majka Sadel, who rides
with the ‘B’ team, that she is having her paintings and ink drawings in one of
the venues of the Third Thursday Art Walk in Edmonds this week. Congratulations
Majka and good luck with the show.
Also, yesterday, while Martha was on the phone and looking
out the window she spotted two squirrels having fun playing in the front yard.
So; I grabbed my camera and took some
pics and shot
some video from which I
published a short, funny and cute video called ‘Squirls Gone Wild’ (yes squirls
with one ‘r’ as there turned out to be another video with that title) which includes
music which can be seen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXPMiksgQ8k. Just for shiggles and gets, I discovered today as I was preparing this blog that our blog page has recently been discovered by Germany and that over the past month there have been more views from Germany than from the U.S. ... go figure.
Well all in all it’s been a great month for the art and art
activities of Rod and Martha and the month is not over yet. So; bye and back to
work for me as I think on the words of Pablo Picasso who said, “Inspiration
exists, but it has to find you working.”
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