KS

Upcoming: Outta Pocket Exhibition at Manhattan Arts Center

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I was juried into the national ceramics exhibition Outta Pocket by juror Nicholas Geankoplis who serves as the ceramics program director at Kansas State University. This exhibition “highlights creative work using clay or ceramics in an atypical, non-traditional, eclectic or eccentric way.” My included piece is Symbolism, which is an acrylic painting on five partially deglazed 19th century ceramic tiles and tile fragments.

Outta Pocket is on exhibit from July 29 - August 23, 2024 at the Manhattan Arts Center, Philip & Jeune Kirmser Gallery, 1520 Poyntz Ave., Manhattan, KS 66502. There will be three show awards announced at the closing reception on August 23.

My 39.57, -97.66 Ceramics

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After I made my 100% wild, site-specific Whiterock Conservancy ceramic collection entitled 41.816, -94.646 Ceramics, I knew I wanted to add other geographic coordinates to my oeuvre. Upon discussing this wish with family and friends, my father suggested that I might be able to get some wild clay from the brick plant Cloud Ceramics in my hometown of Concordia, Kansas. We brainstormed different supplies of ash for me to create custom ash glazes with, and settled on ash from my parents’ Republican River Valley firewood and the local Cloud County landfill (they burn organics like fallen tree limbs).

Several calls and trips my dad took to fetch the requisite media later, I had two different colors of native clay as well as the two aforementioned sources of ash. The clay from the brick plant arrived in dry chunks, and it had a lot of rocks and different densities of clays embedded in the pieces. After trying a couple of other methods (sifting and straining), I ended up going back to my tried-and-true, low-tech solution for cleaning the clay: meticulously smushing little pieces of it by hand to remove the debris and equalize consistencies.

I began working on this series in late November. I had a deadline of mid-February if I wanted to include 100% site-specific ceramics in my solo show in the Frank Carlson Design Room. That’s a turnaround of less than three months! I tasked my studio assistant work study students with helping me clean the clay, which helped speed up the process. I also tried to keep the pieces relatively small to maximize the number of pieces I’d be able to complete.

Here are some photos of the process!

As you can see above, after we cleaned the clay I handbuilt 30 ceramic pieces (15 out of each clay color) and bisque fired them. I then separated them into two different firings: half went into a cone 8 electric kiln firing and half went into a cone 9 gas reduction firing. After sifting the ash and removing all the larger chunks, I created 9 different custom ash glazes: 8 using all possible combinations of yellow clay, grey clay, landfill ash, and fireplace ash in 1:3 ratios, and 1 hybrid glaze with 1:1:1:1 proportions of each. I wasn’t sure what any of the glazes would look like, so I ensured each color of clay and kiln setting had the full range of options and asked my work study students to take copious notes so that we could learn from the results.

Here are my 39.57, -97.66 Ceramics! I managed to finish these in time to include in my Frank Carlson Design Room solo show. I like them all, but I am particularly in love with the ones that came out of the cone 9 gas reduction firing. I’ve only fired a few times in gas kilns so far, and this is the first time I’ve gotten really good reduction - it’s gorgeous! I like them so much that I want to make more (and larger) pieces to add into this collection, and glaze with a little more intention now that I know what the custom glazes I created will do. The clay cleaning process is tedious enough that there is a limit to how long I’ll want to keep working with each wild batch of clay, but my interest hasn’t waned in the Concordia series yet.

Concordia High School Pause PAWS Speaker Event and Radio Interview

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Below is the YouTube video of my speech given on Friday, February 17, 2023 in the Pause PAWS notable alumni speaker series at Concordia High School (CHS), and here’s a link to our KNCK radio interview, embedded into the NCK Today article, “Professional Artist and Educator Shelby Prindaville Presents to Concordia High School Students.” My solo show in the Frank Carlson Design Room is in connection with this speaker event.

I wasn’t expecting to receive any gifts, so when the CHS Student Council President Jenna McFadden presented me with a framed honorary letter with an explanatory plaque at the end of my speech (see the photo in the NCK Today article image below), I was surprised and humbled! I had a great time connecting with the CHS student body, got to see some great student artwork (one such talented artist is Daegan DeGraff - check out her Facebook artist page!), and really appreciated getting to work with Brandt Hutchinson and his colleagues in this community service.

NCK Today Coverage of Solo Show and Guest Speaker Event

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Screenshot of the NCK Today press coverage.

I grew up in Concordia, Kansas, and attended high school at Concordia High School (CHS). Recently, CHS Career and Community Coordinator Brandt Hutchinson reached out and invited me to join their notable alumni speaker series called Pause PAWS.

I agreed as long as we arranged for an exhibition of my artwork at the same time; if I’m going to be speaking about my career as a professional artist, it is important to me that the audience has a chance to see my artwork firsthand. Brandt immediately coordinated with the Frank Carlson Library to host a solo show in the Frank Carlson Design Room.

The show installation, opening reception, and lecture are all coming up this week! Here’s the first piece of press about it, via NCK Today. As the article shares, “Shelby will be speaking to current Concordia High School students from 9 am to 9:30 am on Thursday, February 16th in the historic CHS Auditorium.  The presentation will be live-streamed for the general public by Chris Stiles' high school video production team on their YouTube channel, USD 333 Media Productions.

The Frank Carlson Library will be hosting Shelby's art exhibit from February 17th to March 3rd.  The public is welcome to meet the artist by attending the opening reception for the exhibit from 5 pm to 6 pm on Thursday, February 16th at the Frank Carlson Library.”

Moving to Morningside!

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Whew, so I still have quite a number of new pieces to show you from my BROTA residency, but I am interrupting the stream of new art piece posts to share that I have finished moving from Leavenworth, KS, to Sioux City, IA, and have officially started at Morningside College!

From the time when I arrived back to the US in mid-June until the end of July, I drove up to Sioux City a number of times - to scope out the rental market (it’s insanely competitive), to sign the lease on my new house, to accompany the movers, to escort my enormous plant collection, and finally, to move myself and Ashlar the gargoyle gecko. I’ve now been in Sioux City for a little over two weeks, and while there are still boxes everywhere I turn, I’m making progress at unpacking every day and have even started work (though classes don’t start until August 21st).

I’m excited to dive into the vibrant art community both at Morningside and in Sioux City! I also need to get back into my normal exhibition schedule, as I took a bit of a hiatus due to the move and the fact that the return shipping address for the artwork was a big unknown for a while…

Missouri River Flooding

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The flooding in the Midwest has been truly devastating in some areas. Fortunately for me, Leavenworth in comparison hasn’t been hit that hard… but we did nevertheless reach the standard of “major flooding” of the Missouri River on March 23rd. I went downtown to Leavenworth’s 2nd Street to take a look, and it was simultaneously shockingly high but also still staying near the boundary of the buildings… the river is set back from businesses on 2nd Street a fair ways by a railroad crossing as well as a park and river walk, so even though all of that got flooded out and it did reach some of the buildings on the river’s side of 2nd Street, it could’ve been much worse. I took a few photos, though if you’re not familiar with the area they might not be very impactful. I’ll have to see if I can remember to take some comparison photos at a future, more normal water level and update this post at some point.

R.G. Endres Gallery Two-Person Exhibition Reception and Press

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Last night was the opening reception for my two-person show at the R.G. Endres Gallery with accompanying artist Kathleen Kirch! It was an extremely cold evening - but it was nice and warm inside, with lovely Prairie Village Arts Council members and local viewers in attendance.

Here are some links to press coverage for the show:
Prairie Village Newsroom
Prairie Village Voice
ArtsKCGo

And here are a few photos! I have 35 pieces on display, so if you want to see the full show you can still visit through February 27th.

Upcoming Exhibition: Two-Person Show at the R.G. Endres Gallery in Prairie Village, KS

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I am excited to share that I was selected to exhibit at the R.G. Endres Gallery in the Prairie Village City Hall for the month of February in a large two-person show - I’m exhibiting 35 pieces, if that gives you a sense of the scale of the space!

(If you took a look at this post when I first published it, you’ll notice it has changed - it was initially scheduled to be a three-person show but one of the artists dropped out so I’ve edited it accordingly!)

Here’s the (revised) press release the Prairie Village Arts Council sent out:

February Exhibition at R.G. Endres Gallery

Wildlife and the beauty of the natural world will be the dominant theme of the February Exhibit at the R.G. Endres Gallery in the Prairie Village City Hall, 7700 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS 66208. Regional artists Kathleen Kirch of Gardner and Shelby Prindaville of Leavenworth will display their works in oils, acrylics, and watercolors.

Kathleen Kirch, an avid hiker and outdoors enthusiast, relates that her paintings of wildlife are inspired by her spiritual connection to the places she has visited.  Complimenting these works, Shelby Prindaville, the Art Program Director and Assistant Professor of Art at the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth, expresses the ethereal beauty of nature in her watercolors, acrylics, and mixed media. 

The exhibit will run from February 4 through February 27 at the R.G. Endres Gallery during business hours of the City Hall.  A reception with the artists will be held on Friday, February 8; 6:00-7:00 PM.

4th Annual Artisan's Show and Sale at First City Photo

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Once again, I participated in the Annual Artisan's Show and Sale in downtown Leavenworth this past weekend! The Show and Sale was held on November 9th and 10th at First City Photo. The artist reception was held on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. and the show continued on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Here is a photo of my reproductions sale table!

Honorable Mention at Prairie Village Arts Council's State of the Arts 2018

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This was a nice surprise - my sculpture Albrechare won an Honorable Mention award (and cash prize) at the State of the Arts 2018 exhibition juried by Marissa Starke!

If you’d like to go see the show and the full cast of award winners, the exhibition is in the R. G. Endres Gallery located in the municipal building at 7700 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS.  The exhibition runs annually during the month of October. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Upcoming Exhibition: State of the Arts 2018

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My sculpture Albrechare has been accepted into Prairie Village Arts Council’s State of the Arts 2018 annual exhibition juried by Marissa Starke.

It is held in the R. G. Endres Gallery located in the municipal building 7700 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS.  The exhibition runs annually during the month of October with a Gala Reception on the second Friday of October (this year that’s October 12th, 2018) at 6:00pm. The normal gallery hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Beautiful Moths

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Spanish as a language doesn't have a real equivalent to the word "moth."  In fact, the most commonly used option is "mariposa nocturna," which means nocturnal butterfly.  I kind of think that's a little unfair to both moths and butterflies, though, as I believe there are many that are so visually distinct - not to mention behaviorally - as to merit a different category, not just a subcategory.  So yay, English, for giving us both!

I've been seeing a much wider variety of insects (and, really, of animal life in general) on my porch this summer, and the moths have been one of my favorite parts!  Here are a few I'd like to share with you.  In order from first to last in the slideshow, they are: the honey locust moth (or the bisected honey locust moth) Syssphinx bicolor or Sphingicampa bicolor, a looper moth (inconclusive regarding the exact species given the closed wing position), a looper or a common oak moth Phoberia atomaris, a white-dotted prominent moth Nadata gibbosa, a common gray moth Anavitrinella pampinaria, and a fall webworm Hyphantria cunea.

Leucage Venusta, the Orchard Spider

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This little friend turned up on my front porch a couple weeks ago, and it really put my camera to the test because when I call it little I mean tiny!  But look at the coloration on it - what a beautiful creature!  Leucage venusta is an orb weaver, and given my Google Images research, mine is a youngin so it should grow larger with time.  The fourth photo was taken one week after the first three photos and I think perceptible growth can be seen even in that time.

Goppert Gallery Exhibition

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I'm exhibiting my series of botanical-garden-themed mixed media reliefs made on residency this summer at La Maison Verte in Marnay-sur-Seine, France, as well as the first three paintings in my ongoing puffin series inspired by my 2014 Icelandic residency in the University of Saint Mary's Goppert Gallery!  My work is in its own distinct space, but the Gallery has a number of rooms to it and is also simultaneously exhibiting student artwork from this past semester as well as our graduating senior Brandon Handy's senior thesis exhibition, "Nature from Afar and Close-Up." The gallery is free and open to the public, with exhibition dates and times as follows:

December 9-15, 2016, 10am-4pm with an opening reception today from 3-5pm - complimentary refreshments will be served.

If you'd like to join us, Goppert Gallery is on the ground floor of Xavier Hall on the University of Saint Mary's main campus found at 4100 S. 4th Street in Leavenworth, KS.  Here's the full press release if you're interested, though since we sent it out we've changed a few details so this post has the most current information.

I'll upload some photos shortly!

Recent Art Sale at First City Photo & Frames

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I recently participated in a art sale on November 11-12 in downtown Leavenworth's First City Photo & Frames.  I had a stand at this artist-run event last year as well, but this year I had even more of a selection available for sale.  The greeting cards were particularly popular!  I have plans to expand my reproduction sales to my website, so stay tuned... 

Upcoming: Solo Exhibition at the Kansas Public Library South Branch Gallery

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I've got a solo exhibition coming up next week!  The Kansas City Kansas Public Library has booked me for a show at their South Branch Gallery.  The exhibition will be titled Natural Narratives.  I will be installing the show on Tuesday, September 6th at 6pm, so I'd probably start visiting it on Wednesday, September 7th despite an official opening date of September 6th.

Exhibition dates: September 6 - November 8, 2016
Location: South Library, 3104 Strong Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66106
Phone: 913-722-7400
Hours: 9-9 Mon-Thur & 9-5 Fri-Sat & 1-5 Sun

Update on Downtown Leavenworth Vendors for My Artwork

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On Cherokee Street between Broadway and 7th Street (though basically on the corner of Cherokee and 7th) in downtown Leavenworth, KS, are three connected shops that sell my original artwork and reproductions: Lavender Moon, Rusty Elegants, and Meriwether's.  In addition to my pieces and depending on which store you're in, you can also buy new vintage-inspired clothing and jewelry, other artists' work, and antiques, as well as order coffee, breakfast, brunch, lunch, or an early dinner while surrounded by a casual gallery setting.

All three shops are still relatively new - Meriwether's is the newest - and are part of the exciting revitalization of downtown Leavenworth that's been progressing since I moved here a little less than three years ago.  If you're in the area, you should stop by!

Autumnal Porch Guest Lorraine the Spotted Orbweaver

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Meet Lorraine! 

Lorraine is an adult female Neoscona crucifera spider who has made a number of webs on my front porch this fall.  I had noticed her presence a few times in the evenings as she hunted around the outside of my living room window, but we really made each other's acquaintance when she tested out a new web location a few days ago strung up between a potted plant and my front storm door; after I damaged it going out of my door in the morning and then again a second time coming back in later that evening, she took stock of her options and has since restrung her web off my porch railing and my hanging sweet potato vine.  I'm interested to see if I'll be able to spot Lorraine's egg sac if/when she lays it since I'm looking forward to trying to witness her offspring hatch next spring.

My Artwork and Reproductions for Sale at Rusty Elegants

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A new hybrid store has opened up in downtown Leavenworth, KS - it's a composite vintage-inspired clothing retailer and antiques shop that also has a section devoted to gallery space and home decor.  The clothing part is called Lavender Moon, and the rest of the business is run under the name Rusty Elegants.  They will be selling my artwork and reproductions of my artwork (currently greeting cards and postcards but likely prints and other reproductions), so if you happen to be in Leavenworth you should stop by!  

The address is 700 Cherokee Street, Leavenworth, KS 66048.  Store hours are as follows:

Mon-Thurs: 9:30 am-6:00 pm
Fri: 9:30 am-8:00 pm (Sangria and snacks are provided on Friday evenings)
Sat: 6:00 am - 8:00 pm (during Farmer's Market season, otherwise 9:30 am-8:00 pm)
Sun: 12:00 pm-4:00 pm

Shelby Prindaville greeting cards