And Then...

The end of summer approaches rapidly, and life has been one big blur.
A good blur.



Here is a list of what's happening.

• Day 22 of a bikram yoga challenge. I am planning on every day until:
• Army Owl arrives in Central Oregon on the 28th of September.
• Going to see Band of Horses tomorrow in Eugene with PoHo friends.
• Sending my Apple to the Doctor. Obviously the axiom doesn't apply here.
• Finishing art for Person, Tree, House- First Friday's theme, and then-
• Moving art from the hospital on Thursday to have a solo show hosted by Lone Pine Coffee Roasters, which will be hopping as well on First Friday.
• Floating Bonnie Rait and Taj Mahal this weekend.
• Training beginning for the Seattle Half Marathon in November.
• Photo shoots with Miss Cyr and Jo before Cyr's show September 18th (gonna be stinking amazing).
• Art for India Rise Up painting party comes around again on the 26th.

madame tutli-putli

My friends are Creative, in Different ways

My friend James the Boot is a creative fellow, in a completely different way then me.  He has studied green building practices in South America, and he is currently implementing his skills at a little stead northwest of Bend.  He and his sidekick, Greg, are making adobe bricks from scratch to build an entry wall.  Olivia, his lovely girlfriend, and I brought the boys lunch this afternoon and witnessed the process.  It reminded me of the days at MTSU mixing clay in the art barn, only on a much larger scale.  I find it fascinating, and am therefore going to share.

By the way, it's just the two of them, piles of dirt/clay/a little cement and straw, and the hot sun.

Second Best

Nolan (the intern), Miss Jo Lundberg (bend's best Filipino artist, tied for best Norwegian artist), Jean Hubbard (husband of PoHo instigator Sarah Hubbard), myself (tied for best Norwegian artist), Mike Martinez (Best Street Performer- actual award), Sean "Some Pig" Anderson (PoHo instigator) and Collette Anderson (the woman behind the man)

The PoetHouse received almost top honors last week in the Source's Best of Bend popularity contest.  The category- Best Art Gallery.  We were the runners up, which I am incredibly pleased about, considering we are 1. Non Profit.  2. Been Around for a Little over a Year.  While it was debated in our little community of artists about how prestigious being second best is, we will proudly hang our blue ribbon and certificate on the wall, and aim for first best next year.

Tools of the Trade/ smoke 'm if you got 'm

Tom Monson presented a solo show at the PoHo this Friday, entitled "Smoke'm if you Got'm." Before the art hop started, Tom preformed for an intimate group of friends and peers.  Not only is Tom a painter, he also sings and writes lovely songs.  The seven song or so set was achingly beautiful, full of imagery that complimented his work, which balances simple line drawings that are complexly emotional and autobiographical.  

These two are my favorites from the set- the upper is entitled "brutha" and the painting below is entitled "eyes should be large and contain no lies."  Tom described this latest work in his artist statement as not cohesive besides that he created them, that each piece came and existed in the small moments of every day, which essentially is all we have.  

My photography obviously does not do it justice. My apologies.  

 

The other excitement of this weekend came in purchases of tools for my work.  I found a tiny iron and a new pair of scissors at a fabric store, the iron (and it's blue!) will allow for deft maneuvering with less risk of second degree burns.  I have several sets of scissors already, but these are gold and imprinted with a crane.  They are kinda magical and amusing to me, it doesn't take much.

"if everyone ate flowers"

And suddenly, there is a whole series of new collages waiting for me to build them.  After spending a week lakeside in Minnesota with my family, the muse decided that I have had enough R and R.  It is time to work.

I read quite a bit by the lake: the Little Prince, Ladders to Fire, and just finished Life of Pi when I got home.  It was a passage in Ladders to Fire that opened the gates.  One of the characters, Djuna, describes how her brother went crazy when the second world war began.  He started eating flowers, believing that "if everyone ate flowers, peace would come to the world."  

And then there was the Newport Folk Festival.  NPR has amazing coverage, downloadable podcasts of live sets by Neko Case, Iron and Wine, Gillian Welch, The Avett Brothers.  Listening to the live sets of songs that have been my background music for the last several years, with accents on different verses and nuanced choruses, brings a brand new perspective to the simplest things, it's like looking through Cyr's photos and seeing how she composes photos with a different eye.  

It seems like everyone is in the studio, which is another encouraging sign.  Tom Monson hangs a solo show on Friday.  Jo has begun a new painting as well.  The PoetHouse at its best.