itinerant artist visit, part two Here is Jim Mulligan, the cameraman shooting for the Today Show (on the left) with Jim Mott of the Itinerant Artist Project, shortly before Jim Mott's departure this morning. Jim and Jim had each scored a deuce (2 shots from the tee) on hole #1 of my husband Don's 18-hole disc golf course. No time to play on to the rest, but it was a remarkable feat for two novices to the game-- and a nice send off for both.

Although I think I successfully avoided being caught on film yesterday, there was no escape today. One shot that was required was of me choosing two paintings from those that Jim finished while here (the final selection is up to Jim; he takes them all home with him to scan and document, then ships one back.) Don and I had decided on two the night before, the center and left pictures on the bottom row in the photo below. These show the scenic overlook near our house, and a view of our side yard. Hard to pick, they all were very nice. I was also very drawn to the image of the single chair (top left.)


The camera pointed my way again for a few direct questions about my impressions of the visit and of Jim's project overall. I tried very hard not to imagine the millions who might be seeing this! In spite of that discomfort, I was glad to speak about Jim's sincerity and focus, and how challenging I imagine what he does must be--to be so "out there" with his art, offering it up in exchange for the basics of daily living while on tour. The thing is, he's a modest, humble guy, and his project pushes him into somewhat uncomfortable and unfamiliar aspects of human interaction. But he's very charming and likable, and probably most people tend to open up to him as we did.

All the media attention aside (Jim also had a phone interview with Canadian Public Radio this morning) the visit was wonderful. I highly recommend hosting Jim, to anyone (artist or not) so inclined. He is also seeking exhibition venues at colleges and universities, and all of the paintings that he does not use as exchange on his trip are for sale--as are prints and notecards of his work--on his website.

PS: I've had a few inquiries about when the segment filmed here will be aired on the Today Show. It will probably be within the next month or so--there needs to be a more extensive interview done with Jim when he gets home (to Rochester, NY) and after that the footage must be edited and produced. The final piece will only be about 5 minutes long. Amazing what goes into such a short story!  ¶ 1:22 PM