the NYC report

It was an unforgettable week of museums and galleries, and lots of walking through many of NY's neighborhoods. Museum highlights included Robert Raushenberg at the Met, almost everything at MOMA, and wonderful clay and metals exhibits at the National Museum of the American Indian. Lots of galleries to see in Soho, Chelsea and uptown. Everywhere I jotted notes, made sketches, took photos, and tried to absorb as much as possible. I actually reached art overload by my last day there and could barely look at a thing without my eyes glazing over.

Other NY experiences included an Ontological Theater production (oh so surreal!) hearing my nephew David Crowell's jazz band, Naked Brunch, play at the Knitting Factory, and spending a day with my e-friend Cheryl Lins (she took this photo-thanks Cheryl.) Lots of great food, art supply stores and book stores. Talking with people on subways and elsewhere--the New Yorkers I met almost were almost 100% friendly, polite and interesting.

All week I was on the go, mostly with my friend Paula who was also on the trip (a yearly event organized by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.) Every day we navigated the subways and busses, and walked for blocks and blocks to the noises of traffic and sirens, and the commotion and bustle of huge crowds of people.

Sunday when I got back home (after a 22-hour bus ride)I took a walk in the spring sunshine along our road. There were no cars at all, and the only sound was of the wind. The space around me seemed vast and calm, the trees just beginning to show hints of spring color in a lovely subtle display. I was happy to be back where quiet is the main event, and the days move at a pace I can keep up with. Lots of great memories now, and inspiration for the studio.  ¶ 7:15 PM 4 comments

  off to NYC I've spent the week getting ready to go to New York on Friday--true, I was just there in January, but that was only overnight. This is for a whole week, with a 22-hour bus ride on either end. It is a trip sponsored by the local university and open to the public, so there will be a mix of college students, faculty and the larger community. But other than all being on the same bus and at the same hotel, we won't see much of each other...other than being given basic information and travel tips, it isn't an organized tour at all. More like a "here we are in NY, see you at the end of the week" kind of thing. Which suits my purposes fine. I will be visiting the major art museums and a lot of galleries, and I'll go to hear my nephew Dave Crowell play jazz at the Knitting Factory on the 18th. I'm also meeting my e-penpal Cheryl Lins in person for the first time, and of course I will eat and walk a lot all week. My most longtime friend ever, Paula Gorski, will be along on the trip, so the two of us will have fine adventures I'm sure. Stay tuned for the full report sometime after the 25th!  ¶ 11:45 AM 0 comments

  art party With my artist/friend Faye Collins from NC in town last week it seemed a good time to have some other women art/friends over for a potluck, art talk and general hilarity. It made me reflect a bit on the importance to me of my artist friends far and wide. While our actual work is very diverse, it's things like creative process and the ups and downs of art careers that we bond over.

The internet has so expanded the opportunities to "meet" other artists and also to reconnect with art friends from the past. A few of my own stories: I emailed painter Cheryl Lins about a year ago, after seeing her work on the website The Art Fix --I had to tell her how much I loved her remarkable abstract watercolors. We've been corresponding ever since...a highlight of my upcoming trip to NY City in March will be meeting her in person. Anthony Falcetta(he is quoted on the home page of my website)is a terrific painter and writer who somehow manages to occupy the same mental art wavelength as I do. Glenn Ossiander is another painter whose work I feel instictive connection with. Along with Anthony, I "met" Glenn on an online forum, artscuttlebutt.org I've had less involved email correspondence with several other artists across the country, from Austin to New Orleans..I wouldn't know them if I passsed them on the street, unfortunately for both of us, but have had quite in-depth conversations. Someone that I actually have met, a wonderful painter from a diffferent area of Wisconsin, and with whom I've had great conversations since is Gregg Rochester.

I also want to mention Timothy Chapman and Davis Birks (google him, he doesn't have his own website but he's out there and an amazing painter)both of whom I knew when I was a graduate student at Arizona State. I hadn't seen or heard from either for 20 years, but in the past year Davis sent an email and I later found Tim online. I could go on, and probably should! All this makes me realize that I really need to get the "art friends" link on my website up and running.

Anyway, in my experience the art party can be about as big and far reaching and ongoing as you care to make it. Cheers!

  ¶ 11:47 AM 2 comments