The Washington Post recently covered this topic with some details I didn't know about before - like Denmark considering a tax on all red meat and the fact that of all the nations studied, the US could reduce its health care budget the most by cutting out American consumption of meat due to our country's ridiculous average diet. Check it out!
L'Est Eclair Newspaper Article Reviewing My La Maison Verte Exhibition
in Articles, Residencies
I'm so pleased - L'Est éclair not only chose The Slightest Disturbance as the illustrating artwork in their article about our upcoming exhibition at the Jardin Botanique de Marnay-sur-Seine, but their journalist who attended the show also highlighted my permanent door installation in her follow-up review of the exhibition!
The Jardin Botanique de Marnay-sur-Seine Is Now a Vendor for My Artwork
in Vendors
This is such a nice surprise - the Jardin Botanique (the Botanical Garden) of Marnay-sur-Seine, France, liked my greeting cards so much that they decided to purchase a bunch of them to sell in their gift shop! So there are now multiple locations where you can buy some of my reproductions in person - in downtown Leavenworth, KS, or in Marnay-sur-Seine, France!
Exhibition Photos from La Maison Verte Residency at the Jardin Botanique de Marnay-sur-Seine
Here are a few images from the La Mason Verte June 2016 Artists in Residence Exhibition I had in the Jardin Botanique de Marnay-sur-Seine. My exhibition was entitled Garden Lore. The door, obviously, is permanently installed, and was about 20 feet away from the display area I used for the rest of my pieces. Note how the garden staff tidied up the door's surrounding area for the exhibition and added a permanent sign with my details on it! Two of the photos below (the ones with a bit of an apricot tint) were taken by photographer Abril M. Barruecos.
La Maison Verte Travels Part 6
in Residencies
On Day 24, we went to Paris! We had wanted to catch the 9:46am train, but when we got to the station it was canceled due to the strikes so we had to wait around for an hour to catch the 10:46am one. Due to all the transit and weather issues, we all decided to stay overnight - I was coming back the next day, Ariel was staying another, and Melanie for yet another! We arrived around noon, and the weather was cold with occasional bouts of rain. Melanie and Ariel had to go to a photo processing shop, so we decided to all meet up for drinks at 5pm. I wanted to just wander around a section of the city I'd read had interesting concept stores and a vegan burger bar, so I went there. It was nice to walk around a big city again - it made me nostalgic for when I lived in New York City - but the weather was irregular and the store prices were all very high, and the Airbnb I booked had a check-in at 3pm so I basically poked my head into a few shops, ate a very nice vegan burger and fries, and then tried to figure out where I was staying. I ended up getting a little lost but eventually found the place which while centrally located was itself on a mildly sketchy side street. While I waited for the hostess to come let me in, a guy who presumably lived in a complex next to her building yelled at me in French and seemed like he wanted to fight but I just answered that I didn't speak French and ignored him. He kept yelling and I got the sense it was quite nasty, but since I had no real reaction given that I wasn't actually sure what he was saying, he got bored and wandered off to engage a more responsive audience elsewhere. My hostess then came down and got me, and once in her apartment it was really airy and nice. I dropped off some of my stuff (I didn't need to schlep my toothbrush around for the evening) and went off to meet the other artists. Both their boyfriends happened to be able to be there as well, so it was a nice opportunity to get to know each other better.
The following day I decided to visit the Catacombs. I had been torn as to whether I wanted to commit to doing so, which meant I didn't buy tickets in advance. I therefore had to pay my penance, which was waiting in line for 2 hours. It was very interesting, though, once I got inside and after climbing down 130 stairs, walking the 1.2 miles of mine shaft and ossuary, and then climbing back up 83 stairs, I felt like I got a workout in! I then had lunch at a nearby restaurant, followed by a street crepe, and then I decided that I wanted to see the Eiffel Tower again so I rode the Metro over to it. The Eurocup 2016 is going on this month, and there were a ton of British and Polish fans milling about on the way to the tower. And then I saw - the tower itself had a big inflatable soccer ball hung inside to celebrate as well. After I walked to and from the tower I rode back to the Airbnb, picked up the rest of my stuff, and then went back to Marnay.
The next two days were entirely devoted to working in the studio.
Day 28 was the Fête de la Musique - an annual event celebrating music. I worked in the studio in the morning, but in the evening we all went over to the fête. I made popcorn on the cooktop then added some salt and brought this along with a bottle of wine; the popcorn was a huge hit. I'd previously tried some other dishes, but I now understood the French way of slowly picking at things over the course of several hours so bringing something that stays tasty and is easily sharable yet also not brought by others is the way to go. Ariel and her father Adrian played the guitar and sang a couple songs, and Erica sang a solo, a CAMAC artist did a poetry reading in Mandarin which was then laboriously translated into French by way of English, and a local resident named Cecil DJed. Group songs were also sung by a number of the townspeople, and there was a fair amount of dancing. A little girl gave me some leaves to put in my hair, which I did, and Patricia was so enamored of how it looked on me that she decided we'd all wear the leaves at our reception a few days later.
The next two days were again completely focused on studio work.
Then it was our exhibition day! It felt like it came so fast; I had been working on the door this whole time and we finally installed it the morning of the exhibition. It was nice to have it back in its home again. I spent the day hurrying up and waiting; getting my pieces ready to go but having to wait for the space they were to be installed in to clean up, for instance. Everyone (particularly Guillon, Patricia, and Kinga) was really kind in helping me set up. By 4pm, everything was installed and we all went back to gather the special leaves to put in our hair, clean up, and get dressed. The exhibition opened at 6pm, and Didiot gave a speech. It went well, and Mathilde even bought five of my greeting cards to frame and hang in her properties! I will make a separate post with images from the exhibition.
Upcoming - Juried Animals in Art Exhibition at Mills Pond Gallery
in Exhibitions
I've been accepted into yet another exhibition this summer! The Smithtown Township Arts Council is holding its Animals in Art - Our Partners on the Planet Exhibition and juror Tim Newton has chosen to display all three of my submitted pieces (Perspective, Lambs in Field, and Little Brother of the North).
Exhibition opening reception: Saturday, July 30th from 2 - 4 pm
Exhibit dates: July 30 - August 28, 2016
Gallery hours: The gallery is open Wednesday through Friday 10am - 4pm; Saturdays & Sundays 12 - 4pm.
Location: Smithtown Township Arts Council, Mills Pond House Gallery, 660 Route 25A, St.James, NY 11780
Phone: 631.862.6575
La Maison Verte - Artwork 7
My seventh piece at La Maison Verte was my intervention in the garden - my conversion of the water-pump door into a piece of artwork. The door is 41x31x6" and is a mixed media installation including the original door materials, a poplar plank and back braces to replace the rotting base, 3P Quick Cure Clay, acrylics, screws, epoxy, and satin polyurethane. It's titled Genius loci. The piece is meant to be permanent, but of course the eye stalks and tentacles of the snail are relatively fragile so they may break if visitors to the garden are not gentle with it; that's in keeping with my overall message about the environment. Nature provides us with so many rewards but in turn requires some human consideration and restraint.
Below is documentation of the project from start to finish!
And finally, a panoramic view to finish the post off:
Upcoming - The St. Augustine Art Association's 7th Annual Nature and Wildlife Exhibit
in Exhibitions
Whew, I've got a packed exhibition schedule coming up - not that I'm complaining! Here's another confirmation that just came in. I've been selected to exhibit two pieces, Perfect Form and Balancing Act, at the competitive 7th Annual Nature and Wildlife Exhibit held by the St. Augustine Art Association.
Opening reception and awards ceremony: Saturday, July 23, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Exhibition dates: July 23 - August 28, 2016
Gallery hours: Tue-Sat: Noon to 4pm, Sundays: 2-5pm, Artwalk: First Friday of every month 5-9pm
Location: St. Augustine Art Association, 22 Marine St., St. Augustine, Florida, 32084
Contact: 904-842-2310, www.staaa.org
La Maison Verte - Artwork 6
in New Artwork
I was bound and determined to finish a sixth piece in time for the exhibition in the Jardin Botanique de Marnay-sur-Seine, and I did it just in time! This is 3P Quick Cure Clay and acrylic on an 8x8" birch panel. I'm calling it Climber.
Poster Advertising Art & Jardins 2016
Speaking of all the upcoming exhibitions, I am also participating in a large group exhibition event in Saron-sur-Aube, France, on June 25th and 26th called Art & Jardins 2016. Here's the poster for that - see if you can spot my name!
L'Est Eclair Newspaper Article on La Maison Verte Exhibition
in Articles
Check this out - the local newspaper L'Est éclair wrote a short article about our upcoming exhibition in the Jardin Botanique de Marnay-sur-Seine and they chose a detail of one of my relief paintings to illustrate it! Journalists from the newspaper are also planning on attending tonight and doing a follow-up piece on the exhibition.
La Maison Verte - Artwork 5
in New Artwork
Here's my fifth piece! It's 3P Quick Cure Clay and acrylic on a 8x6" birch panel. It features one of two indistinguishable (apart from dissection) species - either Arion ater, the black slug, or Arion rufus, the red slug - enjoying one of the many rainy days we've had here in France. I'm titling it As Right as Rain.
Promotional Materials for La Maison Verte Exhibition
My group exhibition in the Jardin Botanique de Marnay-sur-Seine is almost upon us - it will take place in the garden on Friday, June 24th, at 6pm. Patricia, Mathilde, and Didier have all assisted in putting together these materials advertising and discussing our work.
La Maison Verte Travels Part 5
Day 14 was sunny again! I took a midday walk around the village to appreciate the weather, and as I was walking by a house, Erica (a transplant-turned-local orginally from Mexico) popped out to tell me about her bikes and how we at La Maison Verte should feel free to use them. I then decided to pretty much invite myself into her garden to see it as the glimpses from the exterior of it were enticing, and then once in her garden her husband Morgan proffered some wine, and lunch... before I knew it, I'd spent the whole afternoon there, and gotten to sample homemade yogurt and rhubarb crumble (as well as veggies and salad) to boot. Morgan then told me they were going to go wade around in some flooded road puddles later on and that I should come. To be honest, it didn't sound that appealing but when in France... I went. At first we were supposed to walk but then everyone decided to ride bikes. I am not great at riding bikes; I have one that I can just about get around on if I'm riding mostly flat streets, but it's a cushy bike that's been measured to my body, and I also haven't ridden on it for a few years now. The bikes that are here are of random heights, hard seats, narrow wheels, and the terrain is variable. I was not interested in riding a bike. I thought I'd just bow out gracefully from the puddle-wading, then, but Morgan decided I would ride sidesaddle on the back of his bike instead. It was hilariously awkward but moderately functional, so I just went with it. The flooded road had a series of "puddles" that escalated quickly into pools and then frankly effectively turned into a stream. We had a good time for a bit, but then the skies opened up and started raining hard. And lightning followed, which freaked everyone out because we were all in water, surrounded by metal bridges. So we all raced back. The rain started to turn into hail, then rain, then hail. It was a crazy but weirdly enjoyable end to the afternoon.
Day 15 was back to poor weather and I stayed inside working on artwork.
Day 16 Mathilde needed to go to Troyes to pick up some materials for the café she's constructing in the town (which will be the sole shop once it opens next year), so she brought us and Patricia along for the ride. Troyes has a number of medieval churches, a tool museum that Patricia really likes, and is generally a nice small city. We went to the biggest church, toured the tool museum, wandered about for a little while, and then all headed back. I wanted to explore it more so I decided to head back soon. Then I checked the weather forecast. The only probably nice day was the following day; all the rest of the days in the extended forecast projected a lot of rain.
So on Day 17, I worked in the morning but went in the afternoon back to Troyes just to wander around for myself. While at the train station, Mathilde was waiting to pick up some people from the other side of the tracks and we chatted across them talking about my visiting Troyes and my future plans for Paris until my train arrived. I got on, and saw her through the window signalling NO, GET OFF! I was so confused; I asked people on the train if this went to Troyes, and they said yes, but Mathilde was doing acrobatics on the other side viewable through the windows so I got back off, ran to the end of the train where there was a gap we could yell across, and she yelled, "That's not the train to Paris!" as the train made a noise that indicated it was about to leave. I yelled back, "I'm going to Troyes!" and ran back to try to get the last door on the train to open. I was in luck - I think perhaps the conductor saw the drama happening as I got a door open, stepped in, and the train immediately took off. Since I'd been so cooped up in Marnay, it was nice to get to explore a new city on my own (and pop into some actual shops!). Unfortunately, the prices on things here are really high. I kept seeing things for 30 euros that would probably go for around 5-10 dollars in the US.
Day 18 was rainy again, as predicted. Nonetheless, a British expat-turned-local named Andy had promised me he'd take me to a gorgeous botanical garden/greenhouse in a park in a town about an hour away called Sens, and we decided to go that afternoon. Melanie joined us. When we got to the park, there was about a fifteen minute walk inside to get to the greenhouses, and Andy was worried they'd be shut due to the weather (there was already some flooding in the park) but we figured we'd see when we got there. Along the way, we got to see some white swans, geese, ducks, and then a black swan. The black swan was such a character. He knew he was beautiful, and wanted to be appreciated. Once he saw us, he swam back and forth on a patch of stream like it was a catwalk, and he'd slow down and pirouette when he came to where we were to turn around. We enjoyed the show for a while, and then tried to leave, but he moved the show up along with us like he didn't want us to go - but still with the overall affectation that he was deigning to display for us. It was hilarious. Melanie and I had to use the toilet, though, so we eventually left him and made our way to the WC. I believe this was my first squatty potty. I know I've seen them before, but I think I've never had the courage to use one until now. They're actually quite easy to use, luckily! Then we went into the greenhouses which were thankfully open. They were really, really well put together. There was an outdoor cactus and succulent section, a semi-tropical outdoor garden, an indoor cactus and succulent section, and a winding indoor tropical section. I'd be happy to have the whole greenhouse transported to my house. I knew more about all the plants than Andy and Melanie, so I told them trivia and then spotted some Mimosa pudica. Neither of them had encountered the plant before (which I thought a little odd of Andy since it's a moderately common European houseplant) so they were thrilled to experience its sensitivity. On the way back, Andy took a detour and showed us two local dolmens (one up close and the other from afar) dating back to the early Neolithic period. They're like mini-Stonehenges, and it was really interesting to get to see them. He also drove us past a menhir, which is a monolith from the same era. This whole afternoon was a pretty much ideal excursion to my taste, so I was pretty satiated with my somewhat more eventful week and returned to the studio feeling much less cooped up.
Day 19 was entirely a studio day. I sculpted with QCC on the door, which I'd finished preparing a few days earlier after finally getting Leo to fix the bottom of it, getting Kinga to loan me her scrapers, and after spending a long, hot afternoon myself scraping all the old paint off the door.
Day 20 was also committed to artwork.
Day 21 I mostly worked in my studio, but in the evening we took a quick trip over to the neighboring town of Saron-sur-Aube where we'd be participating in the Art & Jardins 2016 festival exhibition and sale. We got to see some of the sites some other artists would be exhibiting in, and then got to visit the house we were displaying in so we could discuss who wanted what space and how we planned to exhibit. I brought quite a large stack of my greeting cards with me since I knew I'd be participating in this, so hopefully they sell well!
Day 22 was another studio day.
Day 23 was primarily another studio day, but at 8pm we all went over to Mathilde's house for apéritifs and entrées (the latter of which, in French, means appetizer and not the main course) with many of the core group of friends (Erica, Guillon, Abril, Leo, Kinga, Patricia) and some new faces as well. It was a lot of fun, and I learned I like prosecco!
La Maison Verte - Artwork 4
in New Artwork, Plants, Residencies
Here's my fourth piece! It's titled Floating and is 3P Quick Cure Clay and acrylic on a 16x12" birch panel. The whole thing is super shiny because I used a gloss varnish to seal and protect it, but I managed to get some images that aren't quite so glare-filled. I also ended up gloss varnishing The Slightest Disturbance as well.
La Maison Verte - Artwork 3 Progress Pics
I was much better about taking progress photos for this piece! Here are some images documenting my process on Under the Bonnets.
Upcoming - Americana Exhibition at Viaduct Gallery
in Exhibitions
Just recently found out this good news - three of my bison paintings have been accepted into this curated exhibition on the theme of Americana! Hosted by the Des Moines Social Club, Americana is held in Viaduct Gallery in Des Moines, Iowa. My wonderful colleague Susan Nelson shipped them for me since I am currently on an artist residency in France.
Opening Reception: June 29 from 5–9pm
Exhibit Dates: June 29 – July 30, 2016
Gallery Hours: Sundays 8am-8pm, Monday – Thursday 7am-9pm, Fridays 7am-10pm, Saturdays 8am-10pm
Location and Contact: 900 Mulberry Street, Des Moines, IA 50309; (515) 369-3672
La Maison Verte Travels Part 4
in Residencies
Day 9 was supposed to be Paris day, but after we woke up early and drove to Provins to catch the train in, it turned out that the train strikes canceled the train and the next one wouldn't be for three hours. It was also pouring out. So Paula canceled her doctor's appointments and I took a nap back at the house. Paula and Adrian later went to pick up their daughter, Ariel, at the airport and said the weather was awful and there was a truck that went off the road into a ditch. We later heard the Louvre and several other major institutions closed and were moving storage from basements. So I went back to working in the studio! I did get to meet Ariel that afternoon, which was lovely, and then even later that evening our final new resident, Melanie, arrived. She'd gotten stuck in all of the train strike problems.
Day 10 I just kept trucking in the studio. It was still raining. I really can't emphasize the rain enough. Lots and lots of rain. It has been reported to be the rainiest May in France in a century.
Day 11 was a Saturday, so we went to the market in Nogent, and they were having a rose exhibition in the upstairs part. It wasn't quite as wet out but it was enough so that it was about half the size of the previous week's market. When we got back, I walked through the garden again and proposed my permanent intervention/installation idea to Patricia and Didier (the director of the Jardin Botanique). They had asked me to consider doing one (or several) permanent alterations - either painting the bell-shaped cement pillars in the garden, doing murals on some exposed, irregularly shaped walls, or something else. I had been mulling it over for a few days as none of their suggested options felt right for my delicate type of artwork. I kept gravitating toward this small door surrounded by a wall of ivy - it felt intimate and its size and shape are more to my taste - plus it was made of wood so I could use the QCC on it if I wanted. I explained that I wanted to sculpt/paint something on this door, and they agreed. I had imagined awkwardly trying to do it onsite whenever the weather permitted, but Guillon, one of the workers at the garden, suggested he just take it off and bring it over. That actually sounded like a much better idea! Once he delivered it, he said Didier wanted Leo to fix the bottom of the door (which had rotten away a bit and was not structurally sound anymore) first. I also needed to scrape off all the old paint as it was flaking away, so I needed to borrow paint scrapers. I took a walk to CAMAC and had a great discussion with a creative writer and artist from Germany (though originally Taiwanese). She had some amazing flipbooks she'd made, and had some really interesting insights into her practice.
Day 12 was brocante (flea market/boot sale) day in a semi-nearby town (it was about a 45 minute drive, I think?). This day was thankfully not raining, so the brocante was actually on! I did learn that it was not as big as it was supposed to be because some vendors were still concerned it might rain... but it was huge, nonetheless. I was frankly unprepared for the scale of the thing; it just kept going on and on and on. For about ten or twelve city blocks, I'd guess? Most of the stuff on offer was pretty worn and/or not to my taste, but I did find a ridiculously loud, thin coat that I bought for myself and a very stern woman/cork bottle stopper. In the evening I tried to hunt down Leo to ask him about the door (and the scrapers) but I couldn't find him. I left a message with his mother that I was looking for him.
Day 13 it was actually sunny! I walked around again - out to the storks, to recycle glass bottles from the house, through the garden - and just generally appreciated the better weather.
La Maison Verte - Artwork 3
in New Artwork, Plants
My third piece is pretty much done! It's titled Under the Bonnets and it's 3P Quick Cure Clay, balsa wood, and acrylic on a 6x6" birch panel.
La Maison Verte - Artwork 2 Underlying Frog Relief
in New Artwork
Sometimes I get asked about how I went about making a piece, and I've been trying (and mostly forgetting!) to document my processes a little more. I did remember to take this photo of the frog prior to painting the piece but after curing the 3P Quick Cure Clay onto the birch panel. As you can see, I sculpted very light bas relief for the parts of the frog rising up out from the water apart from the eyes, which are in a comparatively higher relief, though both are dwarfed by the grass protrusions.