My friend and fellow artist Ellen Yaghjian took this photo of me last Friday night in my studio. I was all dressed up in order to attend the first anniversary party at if ART Gallery but I was getting a little work done first...wrapping rusted nails with variegated yarns and tagging keys. Ellen insisted on taking the picture; she said the view captured me perfectly!
This next morning I headed to St. Helena's Island, a sea island near Beaufort, South Carolina...in the southern part of our state. I had been accepted into a juried art show that was part of the 25th Heritage Celebration, an event focusing on Gullah and Geechee culture. There were three categories: 2D (painting, pastels, drawings, etc.); 3D (sculpture); and mixed media (basicall anything else). I won the first prize in mixed media for Black God XXIII.
There's only one road to St. Helena's and it was closed from 9 - 10 AM for the Heritage Day parade. I had to park about a mile away and hike in...but my parking place was beside Ease Chapel, a structure built in the 17th c. that burnt down in the late 19th c. and is simply preserved as a ruin of oyster shell stucco surrounded by Spanish moss covered live oaks and magnolia trees.
Today Alex and I set up both my tree and his table top decoration at the annual Festival of the Trees, a charity event that raises over $200,000 for the local Children's Hospital. (My elder son, Mathias, had skull surgery at Children's Hospital at six months of age and was released from their care on his first Christmas Day.) There is a black tie gala on Friday night...the night after a major downtown art event called Vista Lights. For Vista Lights, all the galleries and studios throw parties and art openings...including the artist cooperative in which my studio is located. I'm fairly ready for this. Today, we got ready for the gala. Both our donations centered around my Blues Chapel art installation about early, female Blues singers.
The other, major event in our lives is NUTCRACKER. Alex has been part of the local, civic company for seven years. He doesn't even dance...but he's in the opening party scene wearing a tuxedo and waltzing, a rat, and Mother Ginger. He helps move sets, props, costumes, and "stuff" into the theater next weekend. He helps with the "little boys" and he spent the rest of the afternoon rehearsing.
This last picture is of internationally renowned artist Jonathan Green, the keynote speaker at the 25th Heritage Day Celebration juried art show. He signed autographs for over an hour...on his calendars, posters, Gullah Images book, and just about everything else.
7 comments:
Susan you never cease to amaze me with the work that you do.
The blues singers on the back wall are just outstanding---and I love the blue Christmas tree as well
You shouldn't have told us you were going out and then we would have thought you always donned pearls to work in:-)
Congratulations on you first prize.
Congratulations on your first prize! Well done! Your Christmas decorations are awesome!
OH that bottom ornament! I love the motif and treatment you've given the subject--smashing!
I love Greene's women and would love to see his work in person...I would prolly swoon and faint!
Congrats on the prize in mixed media!
Congratulations Susan on you're first prize, it is a lovely piece of art. I like the all the other pictures too!!!
Congratulations on you first prize! You are doing such a wonderful art! and the pics of you in the study is beautiful, I can see you are busy, busy, busy........
Post a Comment