art roamings

I'm blessed to be immersed in art wherever I go. We visited the Portland Museum of Art last week to see A Cat in Paris, an animated film with a lush texture and fluid story-telling. LOVED IT, especially that some of the environments were done with pastel on Canson paper, a favorite paper in my stash.

Where do artists always go in a museum? The shop, duh, to ogle books and goodies. Quelle surprise!
Found my wee book there:

From there I headed over to rendezvous with fellow RISD chum visiting from Brooklyn, Madeline Sorel. Caught her in a frenzy at Portland Fiber Gallery, fondling wool roving. Here she is with her latest creation:

 

Whoa, I spotted another book with my illustrations: Cast On, Bind Off!

Even though I don't knit, I'm a total sucker for anything color sorted.

Really, anything.

We parted ways promising to visit again. I took the boat back to Peaks and strolled into another fine show at the Gem Gallery. Kat Ferrin's "Sticks and Dots" was mesmerizing.

 

She paints on salvaged wood, driftwood, found sticks, and even sticks chewed by beavers, plentiful on Peaks Island.

As a part-time member, I have a pastel in the front gallery, seen here hanging above work by fellow members Diane Wiencke and Paul Brahms.

Diane's show in July absolutely glowed. Founding curator of the Gem, Jane Newkirk, stands in front of a Diane piece from the show, "Scrap Heap," a sublime alchemy of texture and sheen.

Prior to this show, Carol Cartier's "Gloves Off," filled the back gallery with all manner of assemblage.

For a two room cooperative gallery, the Gem packs a mighty punch.

Earlier in the summer, I took in a show at SPACE Gallery in Portland, "Rum Riot Press," curated by Amze Emmons. A zine fest, huzzah! Another surprise to find art by someone I know, Torie Leigh.
Small world we lives in.

And some classy broadsheets, printed by Carl Haase, a MECA alum and local artist who takes nothing for granted, not even the humble paper cup or remote, objects of every day use with informative histories, chronicled within.

Hey, I can find art at the grocery store, too. Check out these beer packages illustrated by my better half, Marty.

Speaking of Maine College of Art, my former student, Thomas Dowling, showed this in "Critters and Creatures" at the Richard Boyd Art Gallery on Peaks Island in July. He calls this Ulia.

Currently showing is the work of Jeanne O'Toole Hayman, an island neighbor, whose oil painting, Alizarin, I am now owning, along with one of Rick Boyd's signature vases. This gallery is a must-see when you come to Peaks.

I got into the art action with my daughter at the annual Art on the Porch at the Fifth Maine on Sunday.
The day was off to a rainy start, but sunshine and smiles prevailed.

Um, can't believe we've been doing this for like, 5 years???

I sold prints of this piece, Luminous Lowtide.

And this original pastel, titled Thirsty Cove, went to a happy patron who knew Spar Cove when she saw it, and loved the strong resemblance to her dog.

My daughter added a new print, done especially for the show, Night Ride.

Fellow island artist, Paul Brahms, set up on the lawn, with his son, Lucien, drawing away. Some parents know what a good pastime a pencil can be!

I loaned my tent to photographer, Whitney Fox, who braved the rain with aplomb. Bravo!

Yes, the island keeps us out of trouble with art-making, art seeking, and all that the tide washes in.

With so much to see and do, it's hard to get much done in the studio.

Tomorrow I am visiting the South China Public Library to discuss Nest, Nook, & Cranny.
I'll be heading over to Great Diamond Island this Saturday to give a talk at Fort McKinley at 7 PM.
And signing books at Take a Peak on Peaks Island on Sunday from 1 - 3 PM.

 Who said summer was lazy?

Sketchbook Project at SPACE Gallery

Hooray! The Sketchbook Project was back in town, at SPACE Gallery in Portland, Maine.
We were so eager to hold our own sketchbook once again, like a long lost friend.

The Milan-based collective Carnovsky provided a stunning backdrop, with a wallpaper display titled RGB, which paired well with my fresh Tattly tattoo.

We had our eyes peeled for all things sketchy, and just stare at this Caronvsky bit long enough to be hypnotized: you....WILL....sketch...

 

It had no effect on this viewer.

 Every book checked out gets multiple views though, with viewers sharing.

 This one was a favorite with our crowd, filed under the theme Time Travel.

I fell in love with this sketchbook by Rachel Sofian, filled with graceful graphite drawings of animals collaged into the pages. Who can resist this sloth?

Given the heat, I searched by theme for something else cool: It's Winter Where You Are, and found a lovely book by Rhonda Anderson. This snowy owl charmed me.

In fact, I found another owl but sadly did not write down the artist.

Here's the owl that begins my treehouse book:

Thanks to Prismacolor, there was a drawing table where anyone could send off a quick sketch to a random destination. Drew my compadre, the curious Kirsten.

 

We left quite satiated, but returned for another round a day later, to reunite one last time with our sketchbooks. We met one of the founders of the project, Steven Peterman and his wife, Sara. It's come a long way since 2006.

By the way, Happy 10 Year Birthday to SPACE!!!

You can see Marty's book here, and Daisy's here. Mine is apparently not digitized into the library yet.

Our cohort in sketching, Judy Labrasca, stopped in to admire our books as well.

 

We found even more to like. 

Incredibly fresh line work in this book by Bernadette Moke. Positively electric.

 

I searched Italy and found this elegance by Flavia Dell 'Anna.

You really can go around the world, turning pages.

These two were fun.

On the right, a Heroes and Villains by Min Hyung with line dissolving into abstraction.

The time flies by when you're entranced in a drawn world. It was time for the staff to close up the library, so what else could we do?

Yup, sign up for the 2013, with free sleeping bags for our little treasures yet to be drawn!

HAVNFUN

It figures that on a hot, hot day my comp copies of Cast On, Bind Off should arrive. Hooray!

I did the illustrations for this book with beginnings and endings for all kinds of knitted projects way back when people really were wearing knitted things. I also found reference from a long ago photo of Tessa McGow, a talented MECA student with busy hands who posed during a drawing session.

Shortly thereafter, my family traveled to Minneapolis for a wedding. Even with 102 degree weather, this says it all.

The wedding of Kirsten and David took place at the American Swedish Institute, a unique castle/mansion built by a Swedish immigrant family in 1908.

With gargoyles and carvings everywhere, it was a fantasy setting.

We also visited the sculpture garden at the Walker Art Center, a nice taste of the city.

From there we headed to St. Paul, where I was reminded it was the  birthplace of Charles Schulz.

The Science Museum of Minnesota had a surprisingly substantial exhibit called Real Pirates, featuring the history of the Whydah. We scoped out our share of ship sightings.

The paintings by Greg Manchess were also impressive.

The Future Earth exhibit proved quite educational. I did not know our atmosphere was only 62 miles, a rather short vertical trip into "outer space." No wonder so much can happen in the first seven.

It was a welcome relief to move from the sobering enormity of climate change to a whimsical display of moving sculptures like this, a tiger typing furiously, his head opening up to a fish circling his singular thought.

We found humor of a different scale in this epic sculpture at Lego Land, in the Mall of America.

And who knew there was an entire enterprise devoted to Peeps?

We came back to Maine very full of all things big, Minnesota style.

Today we're off to SPACE, to reunite with our sketchbooks shipped off in January for the 2012 tour.

 

If you've never been to a Sketchbook Project event, you're in for a treat. First thing, get a library card.

And then you can travel the world, one sketch at a time.

Ask for Marty Braun's "Uncharted Waters" and Daisy Braun's "Time Traveler" and my "Tree House" if you please!

I'll be looking for you.