Friend Friday and The Winners Are...

Thanks to those who left a comment for the sticker giveaway. There were pretty good odds for the winners, Michael Kline for the AK sticker and the Grrrd sticker going to Cowgirl Goods! E-mail me your address and I’ll pop them in the mail Monday.  Another big winner on Friday was ME!  The 1% For Art proposal "Bicycle Bloom" I submitted was selected as one of the five new outdoor sculptures that will be part of the Mt. View Drive Art Pole Project. With some minor design revisions to the original proposal I hope to start the production this winter with an expected installation date of Spring 2010. The location of “Bicycle Bloom” is currently slated for the corner of Mt. View Drive and Bragaw intersection. Pending the approval of the new

Credit Union One building project engineers, because as I understand the sculpture would be part of their easement. Great location and even better visibility! 

Other Friday night winners were all of the Casting For Recovery Art Bras! The opening celebration welcomed a packed house and bids on all of the bid sheets. It was fun to finally be able to visit the new 2 Friends Gallery. I had one of the “2 Friends” owners, also my friend, Georgia Blue pose at the start of the evening’s festivities. There was plenty of food and beverages and the CFR volunteers glowed wearing their bright pink fly fishing shirts. Thanks 2 Friends for hosting such a wonderful kick-off! The bras will be on display throughout the month of October (Breast Cancer Awareness month) and all bid sheets and bras will gather for a special closing exhibition and final sale on Friday, November 6th at Half Moon Creek Gallery

in Anchorage. Here is an Anchorage Daily News link Fran Durner has put together (and a link to her Garden Blog). To see some of the Art Bras, scroll down to "Uplifting Art" and you'll see a selection of the clever, humorous, thoughtful, reflective and all original creations.

I had an apprentice visit my shop on Friday. My friend Steve Gordon and I welded up some armatures for his life drawing class he is teaching at Alaska Pacific University. Steve was a quick study but I admit it was a bit satisfying to show off my skills that I sometimes take for granted. Don’t worry my ego is completely in check –I’ve taken classes from Steve and have been put squarely in place more than once! Steve is an extremely talented painter, sculptor and 

craftsman, choosing to build all of his own canvases and works with only the finest of materials. It was fun having someone to work with Friday, I forget how lonely it can be working on your own the majority of the time and I realized just how loud I  keep the music, I had to keep turning it down so we could hear one another talk!

Supporting the Cause on the First Friday Art Walk

I’m Gallery hopping Friday night for the October First Friday Art Walk –or in Anchorages case, Art Drive, because there is so much to see and so many places to go! I’m for sure hitting the recently opened Gallery of 2 Friends because the Casting For Recovery Art Bra Project opens Friday night. I haven’t had a chance to visit 2 Friends and am looking forward to not only seeing the Gallery space but all of the creative Bras that were made for this very special event, including my “Alaskan Women’s Training Bra.”

Foundations For Recovery Exhibit & Silent Auction Opening 

Friday, October 2 ~ 5:00 – 8:00 pm

at 2 Friends Gallery ~ 341 E. Benson Blvd.

All of the Art Bras will be on parade throughout the month of October at various Anchorage Galleries including Artique, Fiddlehead Gallery, Sevigny Gallery, Aurora Fine Art, ZoeZ Gallery and Half Moon Creek Gallery. There will be a Final Show and Auction Close for all of the Bras on Friday, November 6 (First Friday for November) from 5:00 -8:00 p.m. at Half Moon Creek Gallery, 510 West Tudor Road in Anchorage, their phone

 number is 907-929-4080. All proceeds from the month-long silent auctions benefit Casting For Recovery Alaska.

Finished the special order Sunflower Sculpture this week and I’m delivering them to the Gallery today. I was so happy that Mother Nature cooperated and actually rained night before last just in time to give the patina bath just the right oxidized finish the customer wanted (I hope)  –at least it’s the same finish as the Sold Sunflowers at the Gallery.

Scroll Down… And don’t forget to leave a comment to win one of the two cool stickers in my GIVEAWAY! I’ll pick two names Friday at 5:00 –right before I go out the door to drive around to the Art Walk! I’ll post the winners late Friday night or Saturday morning. As always, thanks to everyone for reading my Blog. 

"Supporting" a Good Cause

Finished my Art Bra for the  “Foundations for Recovery” project. My friend Katie is an avid fly-fisherwoman and dedicated volunteer with the non-profit

 organization, Casting For Recovery. Katie told me about the fundraising project and I was excited to make an Art Bra for charity -what a fun idea. CFR offers fly-fishing retreats as an introduction for an alternative therapy to women who have had breast cancer and they believe "To Fish is to Hope." The Art Bras will be on display and viewed for the month of October (which is Breast Cancer Awareness month) then will be auctioned at the First Friday Gallery

Walk in November at Half Moon Creek Gallery in Anchorage.

My bra is titled “Alaska Women’s Training Bra”
It is plasma cut and welded from 22 gauge steel, based on the pattern of bra provided –only fortified with, a pair of reclaimed training wheels, galvanized gate latch for the bra hook, aluminum wire mesh bow and lined with faux fur for “comfort.” The idea for my “training bra” was that most Alaskan women are tough, resourceful, supportive, unique and beautiful and those are also the qualities a woman needs to fight cancer, any type of cancer. From CFR; “Cindy was motivated to work on this project because she is a good friend of Katie H. , one of the founders of CFR in Alaska that continues to be part of the program, she

 loves to fly fish, and because of her outlook as a leukemia survivor.  She directs her energy toward survivorship and the recognition of her mother-in-laws struggle with breast cancer.  She strives to focus on the people that are making it in the struggle to live fully -- to give hope -- in the face of the true but sad reality of cancer. Cindy is an Alaskan full time metal artist.  She was originally an illustrator and graphhic designer.  She turned to metqal sculpture after her leukemia diagnosis.  Her current work is with the commercial and residential market."

Here are some other links to Art Bra Projects.

The artful bras project, Bras for a Cause –Members of Quilters of South Carolina

Chesapeake Medical Center’s Bra-ha-ha 

Fiji Cancer Society