Sorry for the delay in posting the piece of the week. I have been diligent about posting a piece of artwork every Monday since I started blogging in October. For those that know me personally you might know that this is no small feat for me – routine is not my forte. However, the interwebs in Mexico conspired against me yesterday. I hope you will overlook this small setback; as for me, I am going to pretend it didn’t happen!
Mile Marker 132, 16x22
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I started spanish classes today in Escuala Mexicana in Guanajuato and boy do I have a lot of studying to do. So with that I will return you to your regular blog programming and present you the piece of the week.
Mile Marker 29, 16x22
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Every year I try to schedule at least one gallery exhibition, preferably with my long time partner, the Perlow-Stevens Gallery in Columbia, Missouri. Jennifer Perlow and I have the best type of gallerist/artist relationship, one based on a long-standing mutual trust. We are both able and willing to schedule a show up to 18 months in the future with neither of us knowing what my work will be at that point. This year PS Gallery moved to a beautiful new location and I was able to show with them twice. My second show of the year with them, Terra Nullius, I used the opportunity to showcase new work, to push myself further and to explore new questions.
Thank you Jennifer, this was one of the highlights of my year!
Terra Nullius Tryptich
The show Terra Nullius just closed at Perlow-Stevens, but there are still a few pieces remaining. Are you interested in one of these inaugural pieces? We would love to find a home for them all. Please visit the entire series and inquire with Jennifer about pricing and availability. (Although not hanging, they will stay in Columbia until I return from Mexico.)
The horrific tornado and loss of lives in Joplin was certainly not one of the bests of 2011 but the project started in Kansas City to help the affected artists was.
We lived with the news of the Joplin tornado from the moment that it happened. Only 150 miles from Kansas City, many of our friends grew up in Joplin but left for KC as we are the closest big(ish) city, and many still have family living there. We watched Facebook feeds of friends traveling to collect their children, and others going to help their parents put their lives back together. So I was grateful and humbled to be able to take part in an amazing project put together by a great artist and former studio-mate of mine, Matt Dehaemers, and the talented Holly Swangstu.
Debris pile from Joplin tornado in Leedy-Voulkis Art Center
Description from Dehaemers:
A Debris pile collected from 6 Joplin, Missouri homes devastated by the EF-5 tornado on May 22, 2011. 98 Kansas City artists were asked to create a new work of art incorporating this debris. The result was over 100 new works of art. These works of art were auctioned to create a new grant made available to Joplin artists whose homes, studios and art have been destroyed by the tornado. The Twist and Shout Auction (Part II of Project Reclamation) raised over $20,000…
…Collectively, this will be our way to bring some sense of order and hope to the chaos and darkness. Nature has wielded its own raw power and mystery through the destruction of this storm. As artists, we can work to balance that energy and force with our own expansive and powerful creative process. (more from Dehaemers)
Each participating artist was invited to the debris pile to pick out a few items to be used in their artwork. I selected a plastic toy horse – cracked and caked with dirt.
Toy Pony on Painted Steel
Back in my studio photographing the pony, I thought about the child that lost their toys and with it their innocence and sense of safety. How scary it must have been. I thought about our resilience and our ability to make something beautiful from the scraps. It was a profound afternoon for me- my energy so entirely focused on the people of Joplin.
On a subsequent trip to the debris pile I photographed textures including a wheelbarrow, metal flashing, and a skinned tree branch to layer into the piece. The textures of these items give context to the journey the little horse has been on, representing the power of both destruction and survival. Each mark the scars that make a thing more beautiful and unique. How uninteresting he would be if he was perfect and new.
This time next week we will be in our beautiful January town of Guanajuato, Mexico. (Be sure to look for next’s week pick of the week!) To prepare for our trip and our subsequent shows when we return to the states, I have been working away in the studio. I am so pleased with the new large pieces, I couldn’t pick just one to show you!
5 large pieces drying
Stunner waiting for spring!
If you are in the market for a large piece, please let me know, and I will send you better pictures when they are completed. These will find homes very quickly, often the large pieces are spoken for before they are even dry!
One of my favorite things about this time of year is gathering around the dining table (actually one of my favorites any time of year!). So I thought I would share this beautiful dining room in Flower Mound, Texas with you. I know this table is filled with love and merriment. Thank you Christi and Matt for allowing me to share it!
Dining room
reflective (rɪˈflɛktɪv)
— adj
1. characterized by quiet thought or contemplation
2. capable of reflecting: a reflective surface
3. produced by reflection
Mile Marker 219, 23" x 35"
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“In the telling and retelling the stories of our past, the events in question become stereotyped and selectively distorted as they become embedded in our collective memory.” Arthur Neal
Mile Marker 226, 16" x 22"
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Mile Marker 187, 23" x 35"