The Season of Giving Has Just Begun

Artists Steph Kesey and Erin Pollock cast faces of 52 Mt. View community members as part of a sculpture of glowing lamps in this permanent 1% for Art outdoor sculpture.

A stack of donation requests are collecting on my desk. This week alone, I’ve received five new requests for auction donations of my art for fundraising events. One of the largest auctions that I support is the annual KAKM Public Television Art Showcase Auction. A large pair of steel seals were delivered to the station last week. Two other good causes that have metal sculptures coming are the Duct Tape Ball, and the Fire & Ice Gala, major events whose auction funds will benefit many worthy local programs. I understand the necessity of donating in a tough economic climate and try to be supportive as I can, especially for organizations and causes close to my heart. That’s usually ANYTHING that benefits kids, women, families, the hungry, education, animals or the arts. However, it chaps my butt when uninformed volunteers try to goad me into donating my art, or “anything I have lying around” to an event

because I will “be able to write it off.” First, Daddy-O and I max out on our charitable giving every year without fail –NOT including my art donations. Second, artists donating their works to non-profits receive a deduction ONLY for the cost of materials used to create the work, period. NOT the fair market value of the art, ever. Americans for the Arts has been working for some time now on a proposal to allow artists to claim a deduction

for the full value of certain donated works. However, under current law, artists may still deduct ONLY the cost of materials. H.R. 1126 was to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 “to provide that a deduction equal to fair market value shall be allowed for charitable contributions of literary, musical, artistic, or scholarly compositions created by the donor.” Unfortunately, this bill never became law. On Feb 23, 2009 H.R. 1126 (you can track additional information on this bill here.) was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. This bill was proposed in a previous session of Congress. Sessions of Congress last two years, and at the end of each session all proposed bills and resolutions that haven't passed are cleared from the books.

Deer in The Bright Lights

We have a digital type of “black box” that can beam, shoot or receive (or whatever it does) like a bazillion television channels to our house and we killed it –a long time ago. We keep the “black box” up in a closet  –and we only keep “cable” to have high-speed internet access. Much to our kid’s chagrin, we have always been a huge public television and public radio household, never giving them a gajillion channels at their fingertips (which would be gripped on a remote). So when Cindy Stophlet from KAKM called and asked if I wanted to be famous, I jumped at the chance. Well, not really famous, but would I volunteer to shoot a promo 

vignette with my wall sculpture “Alaska Range” which I was donating to their upcoming fundraising event. In Anchorage, our Public Television Station is KAKM and a premiere art and fundraising event is the KAKM Art Showcase that will be televised live February 11, 12 and 13.  A few of Anchorage’s well known artists, who were donating popular works, were asked if they'd like to promote their art along with the KAKM Art Showcase Auction as the station was filming vignettes with the artists and their work. The 2010 benefit is fast approaching and I 

cleaned up pretty well for the filming, left the welding helmet and Carhartt’s at home and even put on some mascara and lip gloss! I was really nervous and when it was time to read my lines my mouth went dry and my lips felt like they were sticking to my teeth! John LaFournaise, the Production Manager and Scott Bruno the Audio Technician were really helpful and patient as I raced through my blurb the first time. John and Cindy had written up what I wanted to say and input it on the computer which then gently rolled in front of me on the teleprompter screen. When I was able to slow my speech, pronounce my name correctly and clearly, calm down and quit looking at myself in the other monitor they felt we finally had a good take and I felt famous! Here is a link to the 2009 event.  *Anchorage Artists, there is still time for YOU to support public television by donating to the 2010 Art Showcase. KAKM is seeking artwork including sculpture, pottery, jewelry, glass and other fine art & craft. Donations must be received by January 6 to be included in the catalog, contact KAKM at 907-550-8400. 

More, Lights, Camera, Action! Got this via e-mail yesterday and know all my pottery friends should enter: Ceramic Arts Daily Announces Artist Studio Visit Video Contest. Send them a video of your space and enter to win a Skutt Elite Pottery Wheel! "We're looking for creative, friendly, personable, entertaining, humorous, interesting and informative video tours of the garages, barns, basements, warehouses, lofts, closets, and porches that enable our readers to work in clay. Videos should focus on the interesting things that make a studio or a method of working unique. For all the details on the contest, check out  a link to the prospectus."

Got this from my Raku friend Gina who is active with the Bunnell Gallery. Bunnell Trunk Show Comes to Anchorage! This is a fundraising sale of special items from the Bunnell Street Art Center to be held at Jo and Peter Michalski’s home, 921 West 14^th Street in Anchorage. November 22, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. There is a minimum suggested donation of $25. Enjoy a delicious mug of homemade soup with bread from Fire Island Bakery and earn a raffle ticket for a pair of Rika Mouw earrings with every purchase of your $25 donation!

Going with the flow, or freeze, or family...

Crazy weather swings this week from the 21 below to 35 above and rain today have crushed my production schedule. Normally this rain is perfect for adding Nature’s patina to my steel work, but I had no pieces to put out since all week it's all I can do to keep the studio and shop safe and warm. Freezing rain and slick roads closed all of the universities and schools today. This doesn’t happen very often but my son and husband, who is a teacher, both did the happy dance this morning at 5:45 am when we got the call that school had been canceled. Roads were closed and the power was out in various parts of the city.

So much for my day that was scheduled for full-on production that was to be done alone. Oh well. Thank goodness I had picked up my order of steel and my pallet of clay and new shelves for the kiln were delivered both yesterday. As I get older I'm learning not only the value of patience, but the benefit of "going with the flow."

As the rain, wind, and even hail pelted the studio windows, I felt fortunate to be able to be to have an at-home studio that kept me off of the crazy slick roads, and spend the unseasonable blustery day with my family. I managed to finish up the detail work on a couple of sculptures, finished the Sea Otter for the KAKM Art Auction and finished some beading. I wrapped up early and cut the day short to do what we enjoy doing most on a rainy day…

New mittens for this kitten

Time that I treated myself to two new pairs of gloves! One pair is heavier duty for welding and are insulated, the other pair are fine, light weight leather with high cuffs that I use for plasma cutting. The lighter weight leather is so I can better feel the trigger. Since I’m right handed, my right hand gloves are usually in pretty good shape because I’m always holding some sort of tool. But the left hand glove is usually cooked into a claw shape from all the high heated steel I grab and move!

The temperature finally bumped up above zero today. At 12 degrees ABOVE it felt downright balmy! The shop is now tolerable, just in time for me to finish up the piece I am donating to the KAKM Art Auction. I decided to donate a Sea Otter titled “Treasures From The Sea” because the Otter will be holding cut steel sea stars, kelp, oysters and an original, beautiful, vintage Japanese glass float I got in Homer. I’m attaching the glass float by wrapping the glass ball in reclaimed copper wire. The details will be hand painted in bright enamel paint. I was also able to weld up the cool octopus I was working on. He is getting a rust patina finish and will also have enamel painted sea stars, kelp and a glass float wired on the framework. The pieces are pictured in the studio on the work table getting ready to be painted and have the embellishments wired on. I will probably add some glass beading strung on fine copper wire as well. I like how the light catches the glass beads and shimmers like water when the sculptures are on the wall.