The adventure to MONTANA

(Above:  Selfie outside the Minuteman Missile National Park.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

For months Steve and I were looking forward to the drive to Hamilton, Montana for my one-month art residency through Open Air MT at Explore the Arts in Hamilton.  The trip would take us to several unique places, and it would be the first time either of us stepped foot in South Dakota. God Himself seemed to smile on the trip as the weather was picture perfect for the entire week!  Our first sightseeing stop was the Minuteman Missile National Park.  It was an eye-opening experience.  I don't remember much about the early days of the Cold War but Steve remembers the Cuban Missile crisis.  He once fell asleep under his desk during a emergency preparedness exercise.  I do remember standing on a platform in Berlin, looking over the wall into the eastern side of the city. Emotionally, I couldn't help but to cry for joy when that wall came down.  At the Minuteman Missile National Park, a piece of that wall is on display with a sign encouraging visitors to touch it.  I touched it, holding back more tears.  

 

(Above:  Landscape in Badlands National Park.)

The exit for the Missileman Missile National Park is the same one used for the eastern entrance into Badlands National Park. From flat prairie lands, the landscape changes dramatically.  There are all sorts of rather short hiking trails into the vast wilderness.  We did several: Doors, Windows, Fossil Exhibit, Cliff Shelf, and Notch.

(Above:  Steve on the floating ladder along the Notch Trail.)

We had an absolutely marvelous time on this floating ladder along the Notch Trail.  During the day, we saw a lone buffalo, a couple mountain goats, and lots and lots of cute prairie dogs.  

 

The next day we went to Custer State Park.  Luckily, we weren't a day earlier.  Sure, lots of people wanted to be there for the annual Buffalo round-up.  In fact, more than 24,000 visitors were expected.  It would have been a sight to behold, seeing cowboys and cowgirls herding approximately 1,300 buffaloes into corrals for vaccinations, branding, health checks, and to be sorted into groups to be released back into the park are readied for the upcoming auction.  We, however, didn't want to fight the traffic!  We did see plenty of buffalo but we also saw a big horned sheep, wild goats, and these free-roaming burros.  Although signs cautioned against feeding the animals, it was obvious that these burros were used to being fed!

These wild goats weren't the least bit interested in the cars.  It was fun waiting for the herd to munch their way across the road!  Steve and I drove all the scenic loops, marveling at nature and enjoying the great weather.

There are several very narrow and short tunnels cut through the mountains.  Most could only handle one vehicle at a time. In our cargo van, we just fit through them but one was particularly tight.  To amuse people waiting for their turn, this Star Wars stormtrooper was on site for selfies and and photos.  As it was Saturday, many were wearing their college football team t-shirts.  We weren't but we saw many Ohio Staters.  There were plenty of shouts:  O-H followed by I-O!
 

Our next stop was at Mount Rushmore National Monument, likely the best known landmark in South Dakota.  Plenty of people said we'd be disappointed, that one just looks for a couple moments as if Chevy Chase at the edge of the Grand Canyon in the movie National Lampoon's Vacation ... a few nods of the head, done and over.  We weren't the least bit disappointed.  

The monument is glorious.  The movie inside the Visitors Center is first rate.  Parking was easy and plentiful.  Despite the vast number of people, it never felt crowded.  Seeing Mount Rushmore was on my bucket list and I'm glad I got to go!

Our next stop was Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming.  This amazing formation is truly sacred and absolutely magnificent.  We took a well maintained, paved 1.3 mile loop around the tower.  Plenty of others were out walking too, but everyone was captivated by the nearly one dozen climbers who were scaling the cliffs in three different locations.

On a day like we enjoyed, a bad photograph was impossible!  I would return here in a heartbeat.  There were so many other trails I would have liked to hike!

Our last full day on the road was in Yellowstone National Park, a place bigger than either Delaware or New Hampshire.  We'd been to this amazing "first national park" before, going to the typical sites that most first time visitors seek to see ... Old Faithful and the Grand Prismatic ... in the southwestern section.  This time, driving in from the east, we decided to check out the northern section with its amazing waterfalls and massive canyon.  The hike along the north rim was gorgeous.  The steaming plumes and hot springs in the Norris Geyser area were out-of-this-world. Again, I would have liked to hike more, see more, smell more trees, and listen to more birds ... but my art residency was calling!  Steve and I arrived last Tuesday afternoon.  Orientation was the following morning. I've been stitching and getting acclimated ever since.  Next post:  The start of the residency.  Meanwhile, please scroll down for some of the dozens upon dozens of photos I snapped at Yellowstone.

 

Getting ready for a Montana art residency!

(Selfie with SAQA Shipping Director William Reker.)

A couple weeks ago, I titled a blog post "First Trip for the Month".  I never wrote one for the second trip despite how very successful it was!  Steve and I went to Ohio!  We went for three important reasons!  First, we delivered artwork to Chaos Contemporary, a downtown gallery in Columbus that now represents me!  Yet, before going there, we dropped off the giant crate containing The Gown's Story at the SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) shipping center outside Dayton.  Believe it or not, it was less expensive to drive it there than to ship via FedEx freight.  (The Gown's Story is part of SAQA's  AI:Artistic Interpretations global exhibition ).  Finally ... our third reason to travel to Ohio was the opportunity to visit with our friends who took us to the Columbus zoo for the Lantern Festival. It was AMAZING to see so many LED interior lit, fabric-covered animal and plant sculptures scattered throughout several sections of this giant zoo.  We arrived just before the 7:30 PM opening and had to leave three hours later when it closed.  We also rode the restored carousel and touched manta rays.  What a blast!

Now ... back to the SAQA shipping center!  William Reker runs a tight ship (pun intended).  He showed us all the space, time, and financial saving features used to ship out the organization's artwork.  We even got to watch a small machine that instantly created bubble wrap from a specialized, layered film.

We admired the rolling containers that have been used for overseas opportunities.

For smaller art quilts, these flat files are used.

For larger art quilts, this unit can store them rolled around acid-free material or hung from a suspended system or grid.

On this pallet, the annual charity fund-raiser, 12" x 12" art quilts were stored ... but many have already been sold, including the one I donated.  Unbelievably, it sold on "Diamond Day", the first day of the event when any one piece can be purchased for $1000.  I'm totally over the moon that someone decided to assist SAQA by providing a permanent home for my miniature Found Object Mandala.

Nearby were the boxes in which the auction quilts will be shipped.  Everything was ready for the bidding and the shipping!  Everything about this shipping center made me proud to be part of SAQA.

So ... now I'm sort of caught up with my blogging (though somewhere I have photos from the zoo!)  Today and tomorrow are busy ones!  These days are earmarked for my "hunter-gatherer" and "load the van" tasks.  Before dawn on Wednesday, Steve and I head to Montana where I'll be an artist-in-residence at Explore the Arts in Hamilton, MT.  This trip is the third one this month!  For me, retirement means many things ... among them TRAVEL!  Next post, the adventure begins!

Mandala CCLIII

 

(Above:  Mandala CCLIII.  Custom framed: 21" x 21". Found objects hand-stitched to a section of an antique quilt. Objects include:  A star-shaped muffin tin; green coffee K-pods; red and green plastic lids; hand-carved wooden mules; assorted buttons and beads.  Click on image to enlarge.)

It seems like just days ago when I finished a Found Object Mandala featuring a ring of wooden mules!  Oh, wait a minute!  It was just days ago! (Click HERE to see the post!) Soon after finishing it, the artwork was shared on social media.  It caught the attention of a nice woman in Texas.  After only a few email messages and a PayPal invoice, the piece was boxed and shipped!  I was amazed but also very, very happy!  Not only did this mandala find a permanent home but that home was in Texas, a place where I fell in love with the big, brown eyes of the burros at Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  

Yet, I was also a little concerned.  Why?  Well on the day when I shared the work on social media, my mail brought a nice envelope from the Grovewood Gallery in Asheville.  I'm always excited when this happens because I know there's a check inside for sold artwork.  Immediately, I wrote to my contact person and asked if the gallery wanted more work.  I added a sentence ... one in which I mentioned having a mandala with wooden mules.  The gallery sold a large mandala featuring these carved pack animals.  I figured they'd want this new one too.  They answered ... right after the nice lady in Texas requested it.

What to do?  Well ... stitch another one (and quickly)!  This, however, will be the last mandala to feature these cute wooden mules.  When I bought the large box at auction, it looked like an endless supply but it wasn't.  There aren't enough left for a similar design ... just five or six of the light colored ones.  Now ... the two mandalas do have the same basic design but the quilt is totally different.  I couldn't duplicate myself if tried!  Everyone of these mandalas is a one-of-a-kind artwork.  I do hope that this one finds a nice home too.  It goes to Asheville in the morning! 
 

Cemetery Flags Transformed for a hotel commission!

(Above:  Steve behind the transformed Cemetery Flags ... after the last screw in the hanging cleat was drilled into place.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

The story began years ago ... as in 2011 when I first designed this unique art quilt using lots of small US flags retrieved from cemetery dumpsters and a discarded casket flag.  My household machine was not adequate to stitch the large, heavy piece.  It was shoved into a box and forgotten until 2022.  By this point, I owned a Babylock Tiara which handled the free-motion stitching perfect.  The finished work was blogged HERE.  Earlier this year, the work was accepted into Spaces Between, a juried exhibit at Florida CraftArt in conjunction with Surface Design Association. I was happily shocked that it won first place.  (I blogged a photo of me with juror Akiko Kotani HERE.)  As it turned out, sharing this good news on social media brought the artwork to the attention of Garvin Design Group's interior designer.  The firm was (and is still) working on a big project to turn a former fire station into a boutique hotel in Columbia, SC.  An email discussion ensued and brought about a contract to transform Cemetery Flags into a unique, horizontal piece that will hang behind the reception desk.  The discussion included brainstorming about fire hoses wrapped around the artwork.  I learned lots and lots about fire hoses!  For the past month or so, Steve and I have been working on this project.

 

(Above:  The two fire hoses!)

I learned about double jacketed fire hoses and the fact that the two ordered are not what fire stations actually use!  The ones used are much larger, heavier, and not really visually appropriate for this art project!)

 

(Above:  Hand stitching the art quilt to a large piece of awning canvas.)

In order to transform this art quilt, I wrote up a detailed work order ... starting with me hand-stitching the work to a giant piece of awning canvas using a super strong thread ... doubled.  Please note, ten inches of canvas extended over the top edge.  This canvas was folded over a piece of 1" x 6" lumber and screwed into place!

Screw eyes were sunk into the top of the lumber so that the entire piece could be suspended from the loft in my sanctuary/studio.  Not every artist lives in a former church but I do!  It made the physical needs for this project rather straight-forward!

Steve and I could easily work from both the front and the back of the suspended artwork.

We measured and worked hard to get the art quilt level with the floor!

Then, we wrapped the two fire hoses around the art quilt.  At this point, we sent photos of the piece to the interior designer.  Why?  Well, I wanted feedback!  I thought that showing the company name, Firehosedirect.com would make it more obvious as to what these things were.  Another great discussion took place.  As a result.  Antique-looking brass nozzles were ordered for the two ends and instead of showing the company name, I stenciled "Ladder 13" onto the other side of the white hose.

Then, Steve and I screwed the fire hoses to the wooden slat ... generally using large washers to flatten them.

The flattening was necessary!  We couldn't have the fire hoses "stick out"!  Why?  Well, between them we attached pieces of a 1" x 4".  These pieces of wood became where we finally attached a metal hanging cleat. 

The metal hanging cleat will work with one attached to the wall behind the reception desk.  Right now, the piece is still suspended from the sanctuary loft.  It had to be finished before we head to my one-month art residency in Hamilton, Montana!  Why?  Well, the piece will be delivered as soon as we return.  With any luck, I'll have photos of it hanging in the hotel by mid-November.  (By the way, Steve isn't staying in Montana.  He's driving me there, flying back to South Carolina, and then returning to drive me home.  The van, however, stays in Montana.  Steve will have his new electric bicycle for transportation while I'm gone!  Delivering the artwork does require the van, not a bike! LOL!)

Mandala CCLII

(Above:  Mandala CCLII. Custom framed: 20 1/2" x 20 1/2".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of an vintage quilt.  Objects include:  A glass floral frog; six Go Gater game discs; palm tree drink stirrers; blue plastic tops from a beer yoke; squirt guns; laminated grocery store stamps; insulin needle caps; antique electrical capacitors; wooden blocks (cut in half); white and purple Monopoly hotels; green, plastic game eagles; jingle bells; assorted buttons and beads. Click on either image to enlarge.)

This is the last of the five mandalas that I had ready ... last week ... for mounting, framing, and photography.  I'm already busy with another, larger mandala and have a small one in the design phase.  With new gallery representation, I need to keep up my productivity.  It isn't a difficult task!  I truly love transforming ordinary, strange, obsolete, and hilarious things into art.  Besides, it's football season!  Yes, I also enjoy college football, especially my beloved team: The Ohio State Buckeyes!  There's nothing better than stitching on a mandala and watching them play! Go Bucks!
 

Mandala CCLI

(Above:  Mandala CCLI.  Custom framed: 27" x 27".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of an antique Dresden plate quilt. Objects include:  A red 45 record on which is stitched a straw trivet; gold belt buckles; drawer pull plates; vintage blocks (cut in half); drawer handles; telephone plugs; corn cob holders; electric meter tags; green game pieces; parts of a computer; toddler snack tops; miniature keys; Monopoly red hotels; small Chinese discs; Gogglie eyes; blue and red plastic lids; assorted buttons and beads.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Several weeks ago I sent a packet of images, my resume, and a cover letter to Chaos Contemporary, a fine craft gallery in downtown Columbus, Ohio.  The owner/director had no idea I was sending something. This is called an "unsolicited" request for proper gallery representation.  Like most unsolicited mail, one can't expect a response.  Gallerists are often inundated with emails and letters.  They didn't ask for more work! They often don't have time to write even a "dear John/Jane" sort of rejection message.

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCLI.)

I was surprised when I got a very nice email suggesting a telephone conversation.  This went very, very well.  Last week, I signed a contract.  This week, I'm delivering artwork to Ohio!  In fact, Steve and I are dropping off The Gown's Story in its brand new crate to the SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) shipping center outside Dayton. 

 

(Above:  Steve in the process of building a crate!)

The Gown's Story is part of the upcoming global exhibition called AI: Artistic Interpretations. Shipping a crate is expensive.  Driving to Ohio, however, means spending time with our friends in Columbus and dropping off artwork at my new gallery!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCLI.)

Five mandalas were on the gallerist's "wish list".  Unfortunately, not all of them were available.  (One was recently sold in a juried show in West Virginia.)  Therefore, I've selected this piece as a hopeful replacement!  I hope she likes it!  I'll know soon enough!

 

Mandala CCL

(Above:  Mandala CCL.  Custom framed:  21" x 21".  Found objects hand-stitched to a patchwork of scraps from a vintage quilt.  Objects include:  A metal bakery mold; hand-carved, wooden mules; five, green coffee K-pods; green and red plastic lids; and assorted buttons. Click on either image to enlarge.)

I am running out of the little, hand-carved wooden mules.  Once, I had an entire box full. I adore them, even these ... most of which aren't quite completely carved.  It doesn't matter; they are all so cute.  It seemed appropriate to stitch them to a patchwork of quilt scraps.  Larger sections were used for other mandalas.  Thus, I stitched together the scraps for this background.  There's no telling what I might do with the dozens and dozens of scraps that I just can't throw away.  Surely, a new idea will come to me!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCL.)

 

Mandala CCXLIX

(Above:  Mandala CCXLIX. Custom framed: 23" x 23".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Objects include:  Part of a lamp; Coke lids; hole punches; a folding ruler; four, small spreading knives; tops of French thread spools; View Master reels; dice; telephone plugs; pawns from a red set of chessmen; red checkers; decorative pieces of brass; assorted beads and buttons. Click on either image to enlarge.)

Generally when I'm at a flea market or thrift store, I'm searching for "multiples".  Most anything will suffice if there are at least four of them.  Yet, I'm also looking for items that are rather common, things that I can collect until I have enough for a Found Object Mandala.  Recently, I found the sixth hole punch!  I could finally create a piece featuring them.  This is the result!

 

Mandala CCLII

(Above:  Mandala CCXLVIII.  Custom framed: 16" x 16".  Found objects hand-stitched to an antique crazy quilt block.  Objects include: A ceramic dish; heart-shaped rabies pet tags; small bells; clothespins; toddler snack tops; laminated Palmetto State cigar bands; kitchen drain strainers; miniature crochet doilies marketed for scrap-booking; assorted beads and buttons.)

Before leaving last week, I managed to finish not one but four Found Object Mandalas.  Now, when I say "finished" ... well ... I don't really mean "totally finished".  I'm referring only to the attachment/stitching of the found objects to the quilt section.  There's plenty to do after this phase is done!  I've got to remove the staples that are attaching the project to a stretcher bar larger than the one to which I will later use.  Then, acid-free foam-centered board is glued to the surface of the smaller stretcher bar.  The piece is then stapled down and I stitch through both the piece and the acid-free foam-centered board.  This distributes the weight of the objects so that no section is supporting more than a few square inches.  Next, the piece is put into its frame and finally photographed.  So, despite "finishing" four mandalas, I returned to lots of waiting work.  This is just the first one!  More to come!
 

First trip for the month

(Above:  Blues Chapel at Spiralis Gallery in Easton, Maryland.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Spiralis Gallery was planning a show called Cryin' Out Loud and asked represented artists if they had appropriate Blues related work.  How could I not suggest Blues Chapel?  This was one of the first installations I ever created and it is still one of my favorite works of art.  Okay ... it really doesn't fit the available space but what does that matter?  All twenty-four early female Blues singers are hanging!  My fingers and toes are crossed that the work (all 24 as I am not willing to break the set!) find a permanent home.

(Above:  A moment during the reception.)

Steve and I delivered the work on Monday afternoon.  To do this, we were up and on the road at 3:45 AM.  It was necessary in order to arrive with time to install before heading up the road for a good night's rest.  After all, we had to get up early the next morning too (though at a more reasonable hour ... like 6:00 AM!)  We were in Pittsburgh soon enough. The Lace Forest was already deinstalled from Fiberart International and in boxes.  We loaded it into the van and headed to Washington, DC.

(Above:  Flight 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania.)

We wanted to attend the opening reception for Cryin' Out Loud and especially to talk to the many people who showed up.  Yet, the opening was scheduled for "First Friday" in Easton.  It only made sense to spend time during the week doing things we'd never done before ... like stopping at the Flight 93 Memorial in the farmlands of Pennsylvania.  I wasn't going to cry.  I cried.  The memorial truly brings the individual lost lives and the hideous terrorist 9/11 attacks into solemn focus. The stop was well worth the visit and the vivid memories Steve and I recall of that horrible day.  Yet, that day was twenty-four years ago.  Most college graduates have no memory of that day. This place is such an important way to share an experience that touched the world.

(Above:  Inside the Heurich House Museum off Dupont Circle in Washington, DC.)

The next day we went to the National Gallery of Art, one of our favorite places in Washington, DC.  We also stopped by the Textile Museum before heading to Dupont Circle.  We booked tickets for a tour of the Heurich House Mansion.  Tours are limited to eight people.  There were only six on our tour! The guide was friendly and knowledgeable.  We were never rushed.  Each room seemed more luxurious than the last one.  Truly, this German-born brewer spent his fortune well!  The place is a gem from the Gilded Age.  

(Above:  One of the bedroom in the Heurich House Mansion.)

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour but we also enjoyed the outside grounds!  Believe it or not, Heurich beers are still being made.  The outside area is a beer garden, open to the public! 

This really was an excellent way for us to unwind during the week!

 

(Above:  One of the splendid rooms at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.)

The next morning, we boarded an Amtrack train for Philadelphia.  Despite our various visits to this city, we'd never been to the Barnes Foundation.  Unfortunately, most of the rooms on the first floor were closed in order for the hardwood floors to be refinished.  We only saw about 60% of the collection but it was amazing!  We will definitely have to return.  We went to one of the gallery talks.  It was excellent and explained how the collection was started and the philosophy behind the arrangements of artwork.  Identification labels are not posted on the wall.  Most rooms don't have a laminated pamphlet with information (though there seems to be slots on the benches for such a booklet.)  Visitors are encouraged to use their cell phones to scan for website pages.  The reason for this is simple.  Visitors are supposed to spend their time LOOKING, not reading labels. The place is an educational institution that focuses on the way artwork functions together through line, color, light, and space.  It was a unique experience that confirmed my own, intuitive way of hanging the artwork we own.