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!

Bulldog Pottery is in Alaska!

Well at least a piece by Bruce Gholson of Bulldog Pottery is in Alaska! My “Big Gulp Fossil Yunomi” by Bruce arrived yesterday. I first saw the Fossil Fish that Bruce makes on their Bulldog Pottery Blog and LOVED them. When I read a post of the “Drawn to Clay” Show at Claymakers in Durham, NC on the Bulldog Blog, posted were images of pieces that would be at the show. Then I read about the Claymakers post Show highlights on Tracey’s Blog and was all fired up to get a piece of “Birthday Art.” Each year Derek and I like to buy a piece of art celebrating both of our birthdays (8/24 & 9/3). Last year Derek picked out a wonderful encaustic, “Intervals II” by our friend Shari Clough Suiter and this year I chose the HUGE Yunomi. I had no idea of it’s large size and both Derek and I love it! My photos don’t do it justice. The piece is textural, original and just wonderful. Thank you Claymakers for the wonderful packaging and Bruce for your vision and skill.

What do you get when a painter, a potter and a welder of steel meet? A fantastically, funderful, clay day! On Wednesday, Steve Gordon and I met at Gina Hollomon’s Red Door Studio for a day of creative fun. The original idea is to get each of us outside of our "normal" mediums by taking turns meeting at each others studios. All three of us have been

planning our art rendezvous for a few months now and it finally happened. We created, talked, shared, ate, drank and created some more! The medium Wednesday was paper clay that Gina uses on her Raku fired clay sculptures. She is currently working on several large 1% For Art Commission pieces. 

With her studio recently completely gutted and remodeled there was plenty of inspiring work area for all three of us. Steve chose to experiment with carving a Styrofoam torso and covered and batted with clay under Gina's direction. I made some fish and showed off my fish head mold –though none of us were impressed with my mold making 

abilities! The mold didn’t capture as much of the detail as I had hoped and I needed to embellish the pressed fish 

head quite a bit, but the mold was fun to have a good base form to use. Gina continued to work on a larger than life Raven for one of her commissions. She made an ingenious hanging system that is mounted to the ceiling and bolts directly to her birds allowing her freedom to sculpt the whole bird. After Gina bisques our pieces we get to gather again for a Raku Day, probably next week –yippee HEAT, FLAMES & FIRE, my kind of mediums!

 

Bird Lips

It’s Alaska State Fair (food!) season! One of my favorite times, because Fall and Fair times mean its almost my birthday time too. I love to have my birthday, always have and always will. I delivered several metal art pieces up to Palmer to The Bad Girls of the North fair booth. The drive was lovely. Each year Vicki & Carol have been kind enough to invite me to sell my metal work in their Bad Girls booth. I like being a Bad Girl too. I get many, many people who say the either bought my work at the Fair or saw my work and would like to order more. It has been a good venue for me without the hassle because Vicki & Carol do the real work :o)

As we were going over the inventory a woman walked by with a lovely Peach Faced Love Bird on her shoulder. It’s name was “Squeaky” and squeaked when the woman poked its tummy (!?) Vicki and I didn’t think that was very nice and really didn’t like it when the woman INSISTED that we let the bird KISS US. I mean on the LIPS KISS! She would not let up. The only way we could get back to our inventory was to comply. I will spare you the more graphic of images I have of our “encounter” with the Peach Faced Love Bird… Vicki and I swear out lips were a bit “itchy” afterward. There are all types at the Fair... If you want to visit the Bad Girls booth, they are on the Red Path next to Rae's YUMMY Tamales, one of my favorite foods.

On Sunday night we had a HUGE rainstorm. Well, huge for Anchorage. It flooded our street and Will and I took Tauzer out to make sure the storm drain was clear of debris

(The street completely drained by morning). We laughed at Tauzer who looked like a drowned rat. But all the rain didn’t diminish her intelligence, Will couldn’t coax her into the water –even with a pocket full of treats!

The FUN news this morning is that I’m off to CLAY DAY with Gina and Steve! Photos to follow, I promise.

Art Swap

Look what was left on my doorstep! My friend, Bill Sabo left town and headed back to warmer temps and before he hit the road we traded some art. I gave him a Raven he wanted and I got this lovely vessel! It is one of his figure vessels. I’ll find out what the clay, glaze and firing details are and post. I just love the azure glaze and firing 

marks that are on the form. His time in Alaska this summer was too brief and we didn’t get to make any new plaster casts or do any clay work together *sigh*. I just might have to make a trip south to see him at the St. Pete Clay Company. Wouldn’t that be fun?! Clay has been on my brain this week because Gina Hollomon, Steve Gordon and I have a Play (Clay) Day coming up! We're going to do some Raku at Gina's incredible art compound on Sand Lake. Us three had made a promise to hook up at the Alaska Botanical Gardens Outdoor Art Exhibit in June. In anticipation of our Play-Clay Day I bought some huge Salmon heads at City Market and stuck

them in the freezer. I'm going to make molds of them with some of the potters plaster I have left over from Bill & my projects! 

My sweet son came through again to help me deliver the memorial dancers sculpture yesterday. I needed his truck and his muscle. The piece was sited by family members of a young girl who passed away. The family is creating a memorial sculpture and wildflower garden at their local Temple. The sculpture 

will be surrounded in Forget-me-nots, Sitka Rose bushes and other perennials. One of the dancers on the sculpture is holding a rose which was the favorite flower of the 

young girl. The couple in the photo are her parents who sponsored the commission. From inside of the Temple you will be able to see the new garden area and special memorial. I was proud to have been a part of this special project.