Give Away Winner + KMAC Show

As usual, I'm a day late and a dollar short, as my granny would say.  I tossed all the entries onto the floor, and my dog Scout was again imposed upon to choose the winner, primarily because she is stuck to me like glue 24/7.  The first slip of paper she sniffed was the one with the name (drum roll, please)---

 Egmont (The Artist Within Us)!  Congratulations to you, Egmont; I hope you will enjoy your prize!

As you can see, this chore was extremely tiring for Scout; she had to rest up for several hours.  OK, not really- this is what she did when I tried to get her to hold still for the photo!

A couple of weeks ago, when my son came to visit, we went to Louisville to the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, to see the show "Moving Forward, Circling Back: Celebrating 50 Years of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen."  I was so excited to have my work chosen for the show, but was not able to go to the opening reception because it happened right at the beginning of the school year. 

   
                    In the lobby of the museum, there is a wall covered with "hubcap art", which I thought was very cool.

           On one of the gallery walls was this signed poem by Kentucky writer Wendell Berry...

Above: digital art "Metamorphosis" by Bruce Robert Frank; wood vase by Paul Ferrell; ceramic plate by Wayne Bates.

I was greatly impressed by the quality, beauty and scope of the exhibit as a whole, as well as the way it was displayed.

Above: Fused glass by Ann Klem.

Colin viewing some of the pieces in the show.

Ceramic and mixed media "Too Tall Voodoo Doll" by Gayle Cerlan.

Above: ceramic vases by Amelia Stamps; "Green Crystalline Bottles" by Satian Leksrisawat;  "Black and White Cream and Sugar", porcelain "Teapot on Tray with Cup" by Linda Bowman

 

"Things I Love About the New York Subway", silk, by Rebekka Seigal;  Hickory chairs by Brian Boggs; "Seventeen 1934" fiber by Alma Lesch";  "WABI: Living with Solitude & Simplicity" handspun wool by Dobree Adams; "Dysfunctional Spoon: Bird's Nest" forged steel by Roberta Elliot; chenille throw by Churchill Weavers

  

Quilt "Chasing the Rainbow" by Janet R. Serrenho

Above: ceramic plate by Patrick L. Dougherty; metal sculpture by Dave Caudill; wood sculpture by Gregory K. Williams; glass by Brook F. White Jr.

Above: "Spring Parrots" dyed papers, by Carolyn Whitesel; draped weaving by Philis Alvic; "Prayer" monotype with mixed media by Sharmon Davidson

I've shown only a small sampling of the wonderful art in this historic show.  There's still time to see it if you're in the area; it runs through October 15th.


Below, a peek at a few pieces from the museum's permanent collection.  If you like folk art, you'll definitely want to see it!

Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, Kentucky

Upcoming Exhibitions and Anne Percoco

On July 29, I'll be exhibiting my work at Art After Hours, along with several other local artists.  Here's the brochure (click for larger view):

It's at the Campbell County Library in Cold Spring, Kentucky.  If you're in northern Kentucky, please stop by, enjoy the art, drink some wine (proceeds go to the library), have some hors d'oeuvres and fancy desserts, and listen to live music.  It should be a lot of fun!

And now, for something completely different.

This intriguing article and interview about artist Anne Percoco at the Artslant Rackroom caught my attention recently.   Percoco uses a variety of diverse media, from collage to sculpture to installation to public art projects, to call attention to environmental issues.  Her work melds art with social/environmental activism by re-using found or recycled materials, thus forcing the viewer to think about where those objects come from, and where they will ultimately go.

 For instance, her new series of collages, entitled Field Studies, depicts forests composed entirely of images from discarded phonebooks, which were once trees.

 I was fascinated by her series of Shrines dedicated to the drainage system at Rutgers University, which flows into a New Jersey river.  She's now conducting workshops for a similar project involving the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, as part of the Flux Factory's Sea Worthy events: "In this workshop, participants will convert an old boat into a mobile shrine, constructed from primarily scrap material, and will travel along the now EPA Superfund site of the Gowanus Canal."

Here's a very cool Blurb book about her Indra's Cloud project in India:

Indra's Cloud by Anne Percoco by Anne Percoco | Make Your Own Book

And more good news, with absolutely no segue.

 I'm happy to report that one of my monotypes, Prayer, will be included in an exhibition at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft in Louisville.  Of the approximately 360 members of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, the work of 52 artists were chosen to represent the guild in an exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of the KGAC.  The exhibit is titled Moving Forward/Circling Back: Celebrating 50 Years of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, and will run from July 30 - October 15, 2011. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, August 11.  I feel very grateful and honored to be a part of it.  If you can come to the reception, I'd love to see you!

p.s. I feel I should apologize for the disjointed and disorganized structure of this post.  I also feel pretty sure you don't want to hear the story of how it turned out this way.  Suffice it to say that Blogger and I are no longer friends.