Back in the studio

I drove back from Ohio on Sunday, arriving home in the evening. It was a long drive. I had attempted to set up a couple of appointments while I was in Ohio. None of them worked out, partially due to the winter weather. I felt restless. I like it when my days are full. On Friday morning, I left Alliance and drove to Youngstown and visited the Butler Institute. It was decked out for the holidays. It is a wonderful museum of American art. If you are ever in that area, you must go there. I went back to Akron. Denis Conley hosts a get together at the gallery every Friday afternoon and into the evening. We went to the Diamond Grille again. Instead of going into the dining room, Denis opened a side door that lead into the kitchen. The kitchen staff knows him. Denis sang an excerpt from an Italian opera aria. The staff loved it and applauded enthusiastically as did I.

On Saturday, I sat in my van in front of Denis' house and drew on an etching plate. I frequently travel with a copper plate to work on. I don't like it when my time is empty. I did a portrait of his house and neighborhood (see photograph). There were only a few hours for me to work so I had to work quickly. Looking at the plate, I could see that my lines were alive with energy. I try to draw this way. Will they retain this character when I return to my studio and place the copper plate in the acid bath? Working quickly does not always mean working well. My concentration was pretty complete, and even if it is not a masterpiece, the act of creating can be as important as seeing a result. When I work, I can sense that I am not breathing. I don't pass out so I guess it is okay. As I worked from my subject, I think about how I will proceed after etching the lines. Building up layers of value using soft ground seems to be a good solution. All of this will need to be done back in Wisconsin, however. I will etch the lines deeply, layer softground values over the lines and then use sandpaper to soften those values, hopefully creating subtle gradations in my shading. The darkest areas will be done with drypoint...this would include the darkest shadows as well as some accents.

I went to The Nervous Dog coffee shop and did some correspondence...all of it hand written. I don't have a laptop, and I value writing to people. Email is fine but to a point. It was near the end of the work day when I finally got to Denis' gallery. I had bought tickets to see the Cleveland Orchestra that evening. We saw the Messiah. Linnea Nereim, who plays bass clarinet for the orchestra, met us after the concert at Sergios, a restaurant near the concert hall. Denis and Linnea had not met before and hit it off immediately. Denis is an orchestra subscriber and could remember and discuss concerts from years before. I could tell that Linnea was impressed as was I. I took things in. I can be a good listener. Classical music is a subject that I admit to not knowing a lot about, but I was fascinated by their conversation. I thought about asking them if they ever listened to Duke Ellington, but decided against it.

Sunday morning I cooked breakfast for the two of us and departed for Wisconsin in pouring rain, the temperatures flirting with freezing. The rain had subsided when I reached Indiana. The drive went smoothly. The Midwestern blizzard had come and gone, but the snow that needed to be shoveled waited for me. It was good to be back.

Mount Union College

I am in my hotel near Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio. I had planned on leaving Wisconsin on Wednesday morning, arriving at my destination on Thursday in time for the afternoon reception. Looking online at the weather forecasts told me that I needed to head out of Wisconsin sooner than that. Wanting to avoid the coming winter storm, I left home on Tuesday morning's slippery highways. The driving was difficult. The internet had only promised me snow and ice. If things did not improve by the time I got to Janesville (an hour southeast of Madison), I would cancel the trip. Traffic loosened up and after an hour of stop and go driving, I was moving along at 50 mph. I drove through Chicago on I-90. I could sense the storm's pulse near me. The sky looked heavy with snow. The Indiana and Ohio Turnpikes were clear. I was ahead of the storm. I stopped at a rest stop a half hour before Toledo where I had a hotel reservation. After using the restroom, I stepped outside. It was raining, and it was freezing on contact. I called Denis Conley, my friend from Akron. I drove past Toledo, sacrificing the security of my waiting hotel room and pushed on to Akron. It was 8PM when I arrived. Denis was waiting at his gallery. The rain had subsided, but when we left the gallery, it had returned in all its glory. Rain had become sleet. We went to the Diamond Grille and had steaks and wine. And then to his house for the night. Luigi, Denis' cat was waiting for us. I fell asleep and woke up to the sound of ice hitting the roof.

In the morning the wind was strong. I was weary from the drive, and I slept until 9AM. Denis went to work. I worked on the talk that I was going to give in Alliance. I went to the gallery in the afternoon. George Roush helps Denis in the gallery. He is an oil painter who I had not met before. They needed to hang George's abstract paintings at Crave, a local restaurant in the evening. Denis has a great aesthetic for doing this. The dining room made a statement. We had dinner and went back to Denis' house. The ice had subsided and it was simply cold and windy with horizontal snow.

Thursday morning brought the preparations for my drive to Alliance and Mount Union College, which is about an hour south. I spent additional time on my lecture. It was important to me, but there is always the nagging insecurity drawing a mental blank and the talk being a flop. I had purchased an inexpensive olympus digital recorder so I could hear my own voice. Listening to my voice, I could see where the weaknesses lay. I had initially written out the entire lecture and was going to read it. Thinking about my etchings, I realized this was a false approach. I creat my etchings on location and extemporaneously. My speech had to be done in a similar manner. I would put away the text and just speak. I think it worked.

When I arrived at the college, an art faculty member recognized me walking through the art gallery, and greeted me warmly. My work had been hung beautifully in the Crandall Gallery. I can be quite critical, but there was nothing to criticize....except my work...I can't help that. The work in the show had previously hung in my exhibit at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown. I could see a dozen things in my etchings that I would have done differently now. Will I ever get over the critical self analysis thing? The closing reception was catered. The food was delicious...it was elegant. They did it for me. I was touched. Even though it was on the eve of finals, students showed up. Faculty members, Margo Miller and Tim Hallaran took me out to dinner after the reception. It is a busy time of year. They were tired, but it never showed in their kindness to me. The night ended with conversation. The hotel room awaited my return.

My etchings at Mount Union College

I am getting ready for a trip next week to Ohio. I had an exhibit earlier in the year at the Butler Institute of American Art which is located in Youngstown, Ohio. At the reception were art faculty members from Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio. They liked my work and invited me to have a showing there. When I returned to Ohio in July, I transported the etchings from the Butler Institute to Mount Union College. The exhibit was hung on November 3rd. I will drive to Alliance for a closing reception on December 10th. The reception will be from 4PM to 6PM. I will deliver a lecture, and will talk about how I began my art career. I think that I can offer some useful information to aspiring young artists. After the reception, I will pack up my framed etchings and transport them back to my Wisconsin studio. For more information about my exhibit at the Butler, please see my April 10, 2009 post entitled "Last chance to see it".

THE GIRL WITH THE CAT TATTOO

Weekends at my studio can be quiet. Blue Mounds is far enough from Madison that not many people consider it to be a destination. When I moved my studio into the upstairs of the opera house in 2001, Blue Mounds was even quieter. Two bars were the only other businesses on Main Street. The town had seen a better time. The paint on the opera house was falling off in sheets. It too had seen better days. Since I moved in here, the former hardware store turned apartment building across the street was renovated and converted into a Dharma center. The grocery store, across Main Street and at the far end of the block is now a Buddhist center. The empty bank which had been used for storage, has also been renovated and turned into a pilates center. I will tell you more about it another time. The addition of curb and gutter have also taken it from the look of bib overalls to khaki slacks. Even though the town has become "respectable", it can still be a pretty quiet place on the weekends.

So, when I received an email from Angela, requesting to visit my studio on Saturday, it was something unusual, but not unheard of. Angela had contacted me a couple of months previous to her visit to request permission to use one of my etchings. While people do occassionally request to use one of my works, this request was one that I had never encountered before. Angela wanted to have one of my cat etchings tattooed onto one of her legs. After digesting her request (I have never been asked this before), I wrote back to her and told her that I would be honored. Her visit on Saturday was centered around showing me the tattoo. I was not sure what to expect when she arrived. Would it be one of many tattoos on her? Would my reserved upbringing cause me an uncomfortable feeling gazing at this woman's leg?

Angela arrived with her friend, Beth. The tattoo was done beautifully, and she told me that it was her first tattoo. For some reason I thought of the book "The girl with the dragon tattoo", which I had read during the summer. I could envision Angela as being the books heroine, Lisbeth Salander. I doubt that there is any parallel there at all, but needless to say, I was flattered that she chose one of my works for her tattoo.

A day in Decorah, Iowa

I traveled to Decorah, Iowa yesterday. I had several things that I wanted to accomplish. The drive takes two and one half hours and takes me through rural southern Wisconsin crossing the Mississippi River at Prairie Du Chien. I called Vesterheim, the Norwegian American Museum to try to set up an appointment to show them my etchings. Since both of my parents were Norwegians, it seemed like a good idea to make their curatorial staff aware of my work. I left a phone message. Upon arriving in Decorah, I went to Agora Arts, which is a gallery on Water Street in Decorah. I have to say that it was not an encouraging visit. Many of the works that I had consigned there were returned to me. It is my hope when consigning my work, that the pieces will sell. When they are returned unsold, the question becomes,"Now what?" It is inventory that I had planned not on having. I have had a good relationship with the gallery so there were no hard feelings involved. At Gail's suggestion (Gail is the owner of Agora), I stopped at The Perfect Edge, which is a frame shop in Decorah. I introduced myself to Anja, the owner. She had framed a number of my works over the years. It is possible that I will have a show there sometime next year.

I went to Phelps Park. If you read one of my earlier blog entries, you saw that I have been working on an etching at this location. It is important to me to work from my source material so time spent on the plate is reserved for when I am able to stop, sit down and work while looking at the subject. The vantage point is precarious, but I worked it out. I decided to proceed using sugar lift, which is india ink mixed with sugar and applied with a brush. It went well, but my time was limited and it required my complete concentration. It ended when it began to rain. The rain can disolve the water soluble india ink so I had to scramble for the safety of my van.

My cell phone rang. The curator at Vestserheim is interested in looking at my work, but would have to make arrangements for another day. I dropped off my business card for her.

Leaving Decorah, I drove to Bluff Country Artists Gallery in Spring Grove, Minnesota. I delivered several of my etchings to them. Leaving Spring Grove, I proceeded on secondary roads back into Iowa and the town of Lansing. Lansing is located on the Mississippi. I have mentioned before that it is largely undiscovered by tourism. I met Fred Easker an oil painter from Cedar Rapids who has a place in Lansing. We had dinner together and talked about art and our lives. The drive back to home in Wisconsin was in the dark. It was nearly midnight when I got home.

The reluctant blogger

Let me tell you about my last, most recent trip. I was on the road for over a week traveling to Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. Priscilla Steele of Campbell Steele Gallery in Marion, Iowa had arranged for me to do an etching demonstration in the gallery on Thursday, November 5th. Priscilla has an MFA in printmaking from the University of Iowa and hosted the event. She did much of the speaking...very eloquently, and I printed etchings using her etching press. About 20 people were there to watch the evening event. When it was over, I had initially planned on going on line, making a hotel reservation in Des Moines and continuing my trip. At their urging, I decided to sleep on the sofa in their upstairs apartment. The evening was wonderful. The demo followed by dinner with Craig and Priscilla and then upstairs to sleep. They have converted the second floor of the gallery into their own living quarters and Priscilla's studio. On the way to Campbell Steele Gallery, I had paid a late afternoon visit to Iowa Artisans Gallery in Iowa City to deliver artwork to them.

In the morning, Priscilla greeted me with coffee and banana bread to see me on my way. I drove to Des Moines, checked into my hotel early and went to 2AU to deliver etchings. I had previously arranged to participate in the Two Rivers Art Expo in Des Moines at the Hy Vee Center downtown. It is an indoor art fair. Trips such as this are expensive for me. Galleries take my work on consignment. I am paid by them only after the artwork sells. Prior to this trip, I needed to frame my work and get it ready for presentation. It is not inexpensive. On the trip, there are also the costs of meals, hotels and vehicle expenses. The art expo is a way of hopefully generating income while on the trip to cover some of the expenses up front. The show was a success for me. The audience responded favorably and many purchased my work. Because of that, it was a relief. The show closed Sunday afternoon. After packing things up, I drove my van to Omaha and another hotel. I arrived late. There was a bar nearby where I could grab a burger. Large TV screens decorated every wall. I was tired and hungry.

On Monday morning, after Starbucks, I drove to Lincoln, Nebraska. There was a feeling of sadness because the gallery that had represented me there had closed. So Oh Fine Art was a successful venture for Renee Johnson, but it was time for her to move on to other horizons. She took care of her artists and helped me find a new gallery in Lincoln. Stephanie and Jo Ann of the Lux Center for the Arts met me in the morning at the gallery. I am excited about the new relationship. I think I will like being a part of the Lux Center, and I am optimistic that they will have success with my work. After that, I met Renee Johnson for lunch at LaPaz, a mexican restaurant. I picked up my work that was remaining in her inventory. Even though the gallery had closed, she continued to sell my work to her clients. She was returning what remained.

I hit the road that afternoon, arriving in Manhattan, KS and Strecker Nelson Gallery at 5PM. My work will be featured as part of a show there in January and February of 2010. I delivered 14 framed etchings for that exhibit. After having dinner and conversation with Jay and Barbara at Harry's, I headed for Kansas City, driving two hours through heavy rains.

The rain had stopped when I arrived at my hotel in Westport in Kansas City. I have mentioned before that I enjoy visiting Kansas City. It is a city that has a unique flavor that has appealed to me for quite a few years. On Tuesday morning, I visited the Kemper Museum. They were hosting an exhibit of Wyeth family works. That was followed by a trip to American Legacy Gallery. Jack Olsen and Marlin (an accomplished watercolorist and the gallery framer) met me. I showed them my newest work and left it on consignment with them. The visit to this gallery was the centerpiece of my visit to Kansas City. My trips to KC do not seem quite complete without a visit to Gates Barbeque on Main Street (closer to downtown). After a plate of short ends, I returned to my hotel room and retired for the night.

On Wednesday, I left a phone message for the curator at the Kemper, attempting to meet with her and show her my etchings. Previously (before leaving on this trip), I had set up a meeting with Beth Lurey at the Stowers Institute. Beth is the curator of the Stowers art collection, but she is also the acting printmaking curator at the Nelson Atkins Museum. I liked her immediately. She was down to earth and there was nothing curatorial about her. She looked at the first three etchings in my folder and said "I think I'm going to like these." How could anyone say anything nicer to me. I feel that I have been around the block a few times with my career. Invincibility is a good idea, but I am still vulnerable to how people react to me and my work. My skin is thick but to a point. I am optimistic that my work will be added to the collection. Time will tell. After my meeting with her, I drove to the Nelson Atkins Museum and spent the next three hours going through the collection. My business trip became a vacation if only for that day. I scooted out of KC just as rush hour was beginning. I headed north on I-29 for Sioux City. I had an appointment with curator, Todd Behrens at the Sioux City Art Center at 10AM the following morning. I will oftentimes drive in the evening. I have never been fond of sitting in hotel rooms while there is still time left in the day. I arrived at Sioux City...once again late. The desk clerk recommended Chilis and another nearby chain. I was tired and hungry. I ignored his recommendations and began driving on an elevated street that seemed to be going nowhere. I had never been to Sioux City before and everything was new. There ahead was an island of light. There was a drive in restaurant still open...something about Taystee in and out. The sign said they had been in business since the mid 50s. I parked and went to the walk up window (my van was too tall for their clearance). A taystee, the woman on the other side of the window told me, is what I had grown up knowing as a sloppy joe, or, in other parts of Iowa, they are called maid rites. It was just the ticket. She threw in an order of their famous home made onion chips for me. It was night time, and kind of dark and lonely feeling. She called me darling and honey. How could there be anything wrong in the world?!

Returning to my hotel, I drove up and down Nebraska street. I spotted a coffee shop. In the morning, after checking out of my hotel, I went there and tried to get a feel for the area and where I was going. Todd Behrens greeted me at the art center. He looked at my work. We had a cordial visit. I had another appointment that afternoon in Mason City, Iowa so I did not stay longer than to visit with him. I would have enjoyed spending more time there.

I drove through rural Iowa on route 20. To me, this is beautiful. Everything was brown and fall like, but the daylight and the rural landscape, a part of Iowa that I had not seen before, appealed to me. My appointment in Mason City was at the MacNider Museum. I was greeted there by Mara Linskey, their curator. I showed her my etchings. She offered me a show in their smaller gallery contingent on the approval of their board. If the show happens, it will be a good venue for my work. After meeting with her, I went through their collection that was on view. It is an impressive collection of works by artists that I like.

It was dusk as I departed for Cedar Falls, Iowa a little over an hour away. I called Henry W. Myrtle Gallery. I would arrive after they closed. I called Hugh Pettersen, the former owner of the gallery. We arranged to have dinner together, and he would deliver my artwork to the gallery the following day. I drove to his house and we took his car to CU, a restaurant in Waterloo, Iowa. Hugh has become a good friend over the years. I value my conversations with him. He bought me dinner. I will take him out the next time in the area. We talked about life and music. There is a Russian pianist who has taught at UNI. Hugh is familiar with him and his work. Hugh has worked hard to keep him on the faculty. I will try to return in February for his performance with the Waterloo Symphony of A Rhapsody in Blue.

I drove home to Wisconsin. I arrived at midnight. The house was quiet. The trip was over. It had been planned extensively. The actual travel is not that hard and is enjoyable. It was a good trip, but I was quite tired. A glass of wine later, and it was time for sleep.

Back in the studio

On my return trip from Ohio, I had planned on taking a side trip up into Michigan and visiting the Petter Gallery in Douglas/Saugatuck, along the shore of Lake Michigan. It is a tourist area. I decided, however, to continue traveling on the Indiana Turnpike. While I like to visit most of my galleries at least once a year, I decided that I needed to get back to Wisconsin and could ship my work to the Petter Gallery instead. I was home before midnight.

The trip to Ohio was successful. Denis Conley took great care of me in Akron. I arrived Thursday evening and delivered three new etchings to him. We went to Rousseau's a restaurant on the outskirts of Akron. On Thursday morning, I drove to Youngstown and picked up the work from my exhibit. I spent a few hours going through the museum. It was relaxed and wonderful. The day was beautiful too. I look at the beauty created by other's hands, but I also look for information for myself. Etchings that I have in progress (there are about 25 of them) sometimes feel at an impass. Looking at other works, not always having any subject similarity whatsoever, can make the answers seem obvious. I left the museum feeling enriched and eager to dive back into things in Blue Mounds.

I transported the framed work to Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio. They will have a show of my work at the Crandall Gallery in November and December. I will return to Ohio in December for a closing reception and to deliver a gallery talk on December 10th. I returned to Akron, having my afternoon coffee and taking notes on what had transpired that day. In my journal, I recreated (with words) the galleries in the Butler. They will be referred to and the works will be remembered and the inspirations will return. Denis closed his gallery, we hit the wine bar across the street, and finished the day eating Larry burgers at Larry's, an eatery next to the gallery.

Friday was the Cain Park Arts Festival. I arrived at the festival in the morning, setting up my booth. The show began at 3pm and the crowds came. The people of Cleveland were intelligent and receptive to my work. Sales, however, were sparse, an obvious result of our lackluster economy.

Saturday brought heavy rains until early afternoon. The public simply did not show up on Saturday. Sunday was gorgeous. The crowds came, but still the sales were infrequent. I was fortunate. At the awards brunch before the show began, I was awarded first prize. A check for $750 accompanied the ribbon. I am grateful to the judges and for the award. With few sales, there were quite a few long faces among the artists.

I met people at the show. Mystery writer, Richard Montanari, purchased an etching on Friday and introduced himself to me. Being a fan of film noir, I have read Hammett, Chandler, and among contemporary authors, Lehane and Ellroy. Soon I will have read Montanari's "Badlands". Can't wait. I will visit Booked for Murder, a mystery bookstore in Madison tomorrow. Past collectors came as well as Kate Martinson who teaches art at my alma matter, Luther College. Kate was accompanied by her daughter, Robin, who lives in Cleveland. Margo Miller, from Mount Union College stopped by with her mom. Linnea Nereim came by and told me that I had to visit Squaw Rock and the South Chagrin Reservation. She plays bass clarinet for the Cleveland Symphony. We talked about music and performing it. I am fascinated by the concept of creating art that takes place in time. If I am working on an etching, I can stop any time and resume later. I try to imagine what it would be like to play in something as large and potentially powerful as a symphony. It is difficult to grasp, but I could feel my pulse quicken as I listened to her tell me about things like playing the solo in the last movement of Shostokovich's seventh, and creating her performance based on her own conception as well as that of the conductor. Packing up my booth at the end of the day, I returned to Akron and a wonderful dinner prepared by Denis at his home.

I departed on Monday morning, visiting the Conley Gallery one additional time and leaving a few more works with Denis. I went to Squaw Rock. Linnea was right. It was beautiful. It was like walking around in a Bierstadt painting. I did not have more than a couple of hours, but I made four sketches. Sketches are better than photos. They plant a time and a place in your mind. Try it. I will remember that visit forever. I needed to be in Toledo later that afternoon. The American Gallery is in Sylvania. I delivered my new work. Toni, the owner, came to see what I was delivering. We had a good visit and I left my newest and best work. It was late afternoon when I departed from Toledo. It was at least another 300 miles back to my home. I took a different route through Chicago at dusk. I am curious about things and enjoy having a tourist's point of view.

This is long. Please let me know if it is too much so. Talk to you later!

Ohio trip

I will be traveling to Ohio tomorrow, picking up my artwork on Thursday at the Butler Institute in Youngstown. I will be delivering the work from that exhibit to Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio where there will be an exhibit of my etchings in November and December. Returning to Alliance in December, there will be a closing reception and lecture on December 10th.

This weekend, I will be participating in the Cain Park Arts Festival in Cleveland. It is a unique outdoor show and one of the few that I am still pariticpating in. Denis Conley of Akron will provide me, once again, with a place to lay my head at night. There will also be other gallery visits during this trip, which will last about one week. Today, I will complete the framing and presentation of work, load my van, and tomorrow, I depart with the first stop being Graphic Chemical and Ink in Chicago. They provide me with many of the printmaking supplies and tools that I use. I have been their customer since the 1970s. They know me and I them. A few of my etchings are on the walls of their main room. The day's travels will end in Akron, Ohio tomorrow evening.

I ride my bicycle to my studio almost every day. There is a bicycle trail between Mount Horeb where I live and Blue Mounds. It is about six miles each way and is a wonderful way to start the day. I am greeted by robins and gold finches that dodge and weave ahead of me in the tunnel of the trail. Cardinals and Thrushes have no time for that nonsense and choose to make hasty exits to the surrounding forest. Rabbits and ground squirrels dart in front of me (I have never hit one) and an occasional deer appears in front of me as well(I have not hit one of them either).

The trail is an old train road bed. As I ride, I can envision the locomotive and freight cars making their way through this same tunnel in the past. I have seen the rails from this perspective on a couple of occasions. I remember being a teenager traveling through North Dakota and the rusty old van breaking down. Having nowhere to stay and no vehicle and heading west, I ended up staying (voluntarily) in a jail cell in Jamestown. The next day found me, after several hours of very bad luck attempting to hitch hike making my way to the freight yard. I remembered someone telling me that it was possible to catch a ride in box cars. The yard was huge. Avoiding the yard bulls (police), I inquired as to which track would take me to Seattle (a stepping stone to Alaska where I was headed). I found an empty box car with the door open and hopped on. The view was glorious. The trip was magical. It is not the recommended way for young men from Hibbing, Minnesota (or from anywhwere) to travel, but it worked, and my youthful spirit of adventure lead me to travel in this way.

Riding my bicycle to the studio, on this trail, reminds me frequently of this small, but exciting chapter in my youth.

Spring Art Tour

It is the start of the 2009 Mount Horeb Spring Art Tour. It will be held today, June 12th through Sunday, the 14th. Last year was my first year as a participant. In 2008 the road between Mount Horeb and Blue Mounds was under construction. It needed it. There was also the rain. It was torrential and kept coming throughout the weekend. In spite of this, people showed up at my studio door. There were not a lot of people, but everyone who appeared, was here for a reason. They were a great and receptive audience.

This year the tour coincides with the dates of the Old Town Art Fair in Chicago. Old Town is one of the grand daddies of art fairs in the US going back to 1951 (the year of my birth). Old Town is a quaint neighborhood located just north of the Chicago loop. I began particpating in this art fair in 1981. I was still a kid looking for a means to make a living with my art. Throughout the years, Old Town has been a mainstay for me. It is an event that had its own personality before there was a recipe for art fairs. The ingredients were their own and they invented them. For this reason, it was and continues to be valued by me. It was a tough decision to make, but after close to thirty years in my shady booth on Lincoln Park West in Chicago, I opted to drop out of the Old Town Art Fair and stay close to home, participating in the area art tour.

My first visitor today was my good friend, Charlie Baker. He came with his son, David, driving over from Mineral Point. We had a great visit. Several additional people have come since the event began 2.5 hours ago. Some were on a mission to visit all of the participating artists' studios. Others simply saw the signs, followed the arrows and stopped in. Each artist was provided with ten signs. While Pat, my wife, was baking cookies for me last evening, I mapped out the strategic spots to place my signs. At 7AM this morning, I was staking the signs into the earth. After that, I worked on location on an etching plate that I have been working on. Then I went for a bike ride riding to Barneveld, a neighboring town, with one side trip that took me accross 18/151's four lanes, but into new territory. As I ride, I compose, doing quick mental sketches of the places that I see. I was motivated. I like the pace of a bicycle. I also like knowing the fact that I need to remember what I am seeing...the unbelievably long row of trees along the edge of a field, the starkness of their profiled shapes. The shadows thrown down the hill from the forest higher up. Knowing that I needed to return for the start of the art tour, I curtailed my adventure and rode back to Blue Mounds via the Military Ridge Trail. Good. There was still time for me to mow my tiny opera house lawn. I also went to the nearby grocery. I had sugar, but I needed cream for the coffee pot I had put on and also needed to distribute fliers to a few of my neighbors who I hoped would drop in. If you want to visit the tour electronically, go to www.springarttour.com

I am upstairs at my desk writing this. I hear my door opening downstairs. I hear voices. I need to go and see who it is.

The University League

Today, a group visited my studio to participate in a printmaking workshop. Jean-Pierre Golay had visited my studio several years ago when I was located in neighboring Mount Horeb. In 1999 I had hosted a get together for the Madison Print Club, and Jean-Pierre had attended. We began communicating about a year ago when, after visiting my studio during the spring art tour, Jean-Pierre suggested that I invite the league over for a workshop. It took place today. I spent yesterday cleaning my studio (it needed it) and preparing for the group. This morning ten people appeared at the studio door, and we dove into creating etchings together. I demonstrated the basics of line etching and described the process to them. They worked, drawing their compositions onto copper plates. The plates were small and were completed by noon. During their lunch break, I etched the plates in the acid bath. The afternoon found everyone eagerly inking, wiping and printing their plates. I showed them how to do chine colle. We used sheets of dyed Japanese paper. It was fun to watch the excitement on their faces as they pulled their etchings through the press. Other than me working intently every day in the studio, the place can be pretty quiet. That was not the case today. The university league was a delightful group to host. They took photos. I hope the shots capture the energy of the day.

They departed with their prints by mid afternoon. I took a break to assess the remainder of the day. The plate that I had drawn on at Phelps Park in Decorah needed attention. I had drawn a drypoint with an etching needle over my sharpie lines (see previous blog entry). I had printed this drypoint image. Using these outlines, I began laying in values with charcoal, pushing the charcoal around on the surface of the printing paper. I erased frequently. The printed drypoint lines were a rough guide for my development of the composition. I made only a few adjustments to my printed drypoint composition. Looking at the charcoal drawing that I have now completed, I need to decide how to approach the etching. Will it be done in line? Several stages of sugar lift followed by drypoint? Will it be entirely drypoint? Will there be soft ground used? It could be a combination of all of the above. The melody (drawing) has been put into place. Now, I need to decide which members of the band will be participating and playing the parts. I will put it away for a while, and when returning to it, I will reassess. This is how I typically approach my work. There will be additional trips to Decorah, Iowa to look at the place and to work, on location, on the copper plate. I feel confident that this will be the best composition that I have made from this location. It is a place that was the subject of one of my first etchings as a young art student at Luther College back in the early 1970s. I will study my new drawing (which was done from a new vantage point) over the next few weeks. I will, at times, detach myself from it so that I can look at it critically and analytically, and hopefully make the wise choices. The purpose of detaching myself is necessary. I mention analysis and critical thinking. This is important, but equally important is the need for spontanaeity and freedom in the execution of the work itself. I have learned, over the years, how I can make my best work.

Bluff Country Artists Gallery Spring Art Tour and...

On Saturday, April 25th, I drove to Spring Grove, Minnesota. The Bluff Country Artists Gallery is there. As you know from an earlier entry (February 20, 2009), I am new to the gallery. It was the spring art tour weekend in southeast Minnesota, and the gallery was part of the tour. They had invited me to be there on Saturday to meet people who would be visiting the gallery. I was uncertain as to what the outcome might be (Spring Grove is quite a small community), but it ended up being great. What a wonderful turnout of interested people, a number of whom had come down from the twin cities. I guess the point of all of this is that sometimes things happen in the least likely places. I work hard to become established in larger metropolitan areas such as Washington DC and Chicago, but the true excitement can be right in one's own back yard.

On the way to the gallery in the morning, I stopped in Lansing, Iowa which is a small town, relatively untouched by tourism and located on the Mississippi River. I had coffee with an artist friend from Cedar Rapids who has a place there. Fred Easker and I had communicated previously by email and this get together was a chance to become better acquainted. After the art tour and the time in Spring Grove, I drove the several miles to Decorah, Iowa where I delivered an etching to Agora Arts, which is a gallery that has represented me for a number of years. If you have read my February 20th blog entry, you will know about my previous trip to Decorah. The Phelps Park drawing that I had drawn onto the plate in the cold of February was compositionally not sitting well with me. I had come to accept the fact that it was necessary to redraw the composition onto the copper plate. As I pulled into the park, I could hear thunder in the distance. Being near the end of the day, it was also getting dark out. I knew that I had to make the most of my time there. I was able to get the new drawing onto the plate, once again drawing directly onto the copper using a sharpie. In a half hour, large drops of rain began to fall. The water prevented my marker from working on the metal. The time spent since February deliberating over the composition was well worth it, however. The results this time were better. I darted through the pouring rain back to my van. I drove the 2.5 hours back to Wisconsin, tired but invigorated by the day of meeting people and hard work. I do my best to make sure that my artist's life is never dull.

Washington, DC April 14-21

I planned a spring getaway to visit my daughter in Washington DC. She works for the Human Rights Campaign. She found a new apartment and was preparing to move. I made sure that I timed my visit so that I could help her. My instincts told me to book a flight, get to Washington, rent a uhaul, make the move, enjoy a day or two with my daughter in the city and fly back. I resisted these instincts and took the train. The Capitol Line left Chicago early on Tuesday evening (April 14th). I sat in the sightseer lounge, facing the large windows, watching the city gradually dissolve into countryside. The same was true of Toledo, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Country became city and city became country. This is not like traveling on the interstate. There are no fast food joints or hotel chains, no manicuring, no sanitizing. It is simply the countryside and glimpses into the world of others. It is remarkable to pass through a town, getting very quick glimpses into peoples lives. Stories are told quickly, and associations are made. Emotions are felt. At night, there is a kind of warmth in the islands of illumination. Yet, the emotions felt were not warm, fuzzy or Rockwellian. The trip took seventeen hours...it went too fast. There are others who share my enthusiasm for traveling in this way.

In addition to my suitcase, I brought a small black presentation box of my work...small etchings which can be shown easily. I had hopes of capitalizing on my show at the Butler Institute in Youngstown, with the intent of showing my etchings to possible contacts in Washington. None of them worked out, however. It was disappointing. I also called a gallery in Chicago that I have been interested in for a few years. I determined that, on the return trip the following Tuesday, I could walk to their gallery from the train station (a little over a mile) and upon returning to union station later in the day, could catch a bus back to Wisconsin. Sid at Printworks Gallery initially declined my offer to visit, but instructed me to send them a disc with images. By the time the conversation was over, however, I had an appointment to show my work on Tuesday morning (the 21st) at 11:15 AM. With all the activity of moving my daughter in DC, I had forgotten that I was going to call Printworks on Saturday to confirm my visit. Remembering it on Sunday, I called and left a telephone message confirming my Tuesday morning visit. On Monday (my return train did not depart until later in the afternoon), I was complete concentration, madly drawing the view out the back window of my daughter, Claire's new building...it was the backside of the adjoining neighborhood. I had noticed it immediately when we were in the process of moving, and this was my opportunity to put it down on paper. My phone began to vibrate in my pocket. Standing and fumbling my sketch book, I answered. It was Bob the co owner of the Chicago gallery. He and Sid have been best friends for 40 years. He told me that they would not be able to meet with me, telling me that Sid, who is 85, had fallen and cracked some ribs. I hope that Sid is okay, but I guess sometimes things are simply not meant to be. I was hoping to use the influence of the Butler show to make some good contacts...perhaps another time.

When I arrived in DC on Wednesday afternoon, Claire, my daughter, was at work. She walked to her apartment so I could drop off my things. She directed me to Kramer's Books, which is not far away. Nearing the store, I saw a sign for the Phillips Collection. I went there instead. It was wonderful. The afternoon went quickly.

The time in Washington was spent renting a uhaul, moving my daughter, helping her to get settled, and enjoying the city with her as my guide. It was good for a former city dweller to once again be in the thick of it.

Last chance to see it!

In case you are in the Youngstown, Ohio area, you can catch an exhibit of my etchings at The Butler Institute of American Art. This show contains about forty of my etchings. It is an honor for me to have an exhibit of my work here. The Butler is the oldest art museum in the United States that features the work of American artists. Not often would I guarantee your satisfaction, but in this instance, I would. The galleries contain work by the famous (and not so famous) American artists from all eras.

It was necessary for me to frame all of the etchings that were included in the exhibit...a somewhat daunting task when you consider the amount of presentation work that I need to do in order to simply keep my art business going. Anna King was then working as my apprentice. She was simply amazing. She did all of the framing for this exhibit. During the months that she worked in my studio she became, in a sense, and extension of my brain. My studio is more organized now, and because of that, I am undoubtedly a better person!

In mid January, I delivered the framed work to the Butler. Denis Conley, who owns the Denis Conley Gallery in nearby Akron, allowed me to stay at his home. We went to the Diamond Grille (which is an institution in Akron). Denis is passionate about Italy and things Italian. In 2003, he organized an exhibit of my work at Galleria Ferrari in the city of Ferrara. He did all of the work. I simply had to show up for the opening. He sings opera. He has training as a singer. He stood up spontaneously by the bar at the Diamond Grille and sang an excerpt from an Italian opera's aria. It was memorable.

Having delivered the work to the Butler, I made the return trip, driving back to Wisconsin. On January 25th there was an opening of my exhibit in the Butler's Mesaros Gallery. This time, I traveled by air, flying into the Akron airport and once again staying with Denis Conley, and indulging in his kind hospitality. Throngs of people were at the Butler on the 25th. There was a regional art competition that was opening on that day. Lou Zona, the director invited me to this exhibit, where I invited the attendees to "come down and see my etchings". The Mesaros Gallery, by the way, is on the lower level of the museum.

My exhibit was scheduled to close on March 1st. The dates were extended. It will be hanging in the museum until April 19th. If you have not been to the Butler before, now is your chance.

Preparing for the Mount Horeb Spring Art Tour

Hopefully, it will become part of my subconscious to post messages. My professional life is never dull. Each day seems to be packed with things to do. Last night there was a spot on "All things considered" about musicians who were taking things into their own hands and circumventing the standard channels of recording, producing and distributing their music. "Wait a minute", I thought. "That is how it always has been for me!" Of course, I hold with the highest regard the many people who have truly helped me and my career as an artist. There are, of course, the art galleries, who, knowing that there is not a ton of money to be made by selling my mostly small etchings, have featured my work in exhibits time and again. But, basically, it boils down to much time being spent just keeping on top of the professional side of things. There is more to it than meets the eye. These are the kinds of things that no one ever tells you about when you are a student. We learn as we go. I always am giving myself talks, encouraging myself, with the end result being a sort of unusual happiness with the uncertainty of things...a life on the edge where that which for many comes as a paycheck at the end of every two weeks, is for me is only a maybe. It is exciting. Honest.

One event that is coming up in my schedule is the Third Annual Mount Horeb Spring Art Tour (http://www.mhaaa.org/). It will be held on June 12, 13, and 14. This will be my second year as a participant. Last year was, to say the least, interesting. The road to Blue Mounds was torn up and under construction. There were also torrential rains on that weekend. I was amazed and completely surprised when, in spite of the conditions, very engaged and interested people actually appeared at my studio door! I am eager to participate again. So eager am I, that I canceled my participation in the Old Town Art Fair in Chicago. I have been an exhibitor in that event pretty much continuously since 1981. It is one of those art fairs that are truly an institution. Narrow 19th century streets make it logistically quite difficult to set up booths, etc. I love and will truly miss all of the energy that is there. Back to the spring art tour. There will be events leading up to it...not sure of what they will be, but there will be a preview exhibit at the Overture Center in Madison, which should be fun. ALSO....tomorrow evening there will be a pot luck get together of the participating artists and spouses. It will be held at my studio. Oh, oh...guess I better clean this place up. Jesi, who has been working twice a week as an intern at my studio, will come early and help with set up. If I have some presence of mind, I will grab my camera and take a shot or two of the attendees!

One year ago...

Most exhibits of my work are in galleries that represent me. Sometimes, however, it is good to have an exhibit someplace where it is just for fun. Venues such as this often do not lead to sales of artwork, but have a certain allure simply because they are different.

Looking at my calendar, I realize that it was one year ago that I had an exhibit in the office of Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton. In case you are wondering, I don't have a special connection to the governor's office (even though I want to mention that we are on the same page politically). It was January 2008 when I got a call from Mikel Kelley who is an artist friend. He had finished having an exhibit of his ceramic work in Lawton's office. The artist who was scheduled to follow him with a photography exhibit canceled at the last minute. "Was I available or interested?" asked Mikel's voicemail. "If so, contact them now!"

A week or two later, there I was hanging the show with John Ribble, another artist friend. John is an art educator who has a wonderful aesthetic and sensibility with regards to not only creating his own artwork, but also to hanging the artwork of others. He also made me feel as though I was making the decisions. I saw through that, however. We hung the work in the staff and public room leading to and also in Lawton's office. It was after hours, and we went to have fish (a Wisconsin, Friday night phenomenon) at the Laurel Tavern in Madison.

The opening was on February 21, 2008. It was at the end of the work day...5:30 to 6:30 and was catered. Ms. Lawton was a kind host for the exhibit and said flattering things about my work to the assembled guests. I learned that we have some things in common. She is from a family of Norwegian immigrants as well. Her brother(s) also studied at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. She described herself, however, as being the black sheep in her family, deciding to attended Gustavus Adolphus College ( and finally graduating from Lawrence University).

My trip to Iowa

Bluff Country Artists Gallery from Spring Grove, Minnesota sent me an email a couple of weeks ago. They are interested in representing my etchings in their gallery. It is a stone's throw from northeastern Iowa. This part of Iowa is a special place for me. I went to college there and it is where I got my start as an artist. Living and having my studio in southern Wisconsin, it is not a major trip to travel to this area. I had been thinking about traveling to Decorah (the town in northeastern Iowa) and working on an etching idea that had been on my mind. I had arranged to be at the gallery in Spring Grove at 4PM. Arriving in Decorah shortly before noon, I went to the place where I would begin my new etching. It was cold...temperatures in the single digits. Making the appointment with the gallery, I did not realize that it would be like this. I had dressed in layers in an attempt to stay warm..longies and the whole nine yards...even three layers on my hands. I took my copper plate to the bridge that I had first seen as a wide eyed eighteen year old. It is still beautiful. I found a place to perch and taking out my black markers, began laying out the preliminary composition directly onto the plate. I love working like this. There seems to be an honesty to drawing directly from nature and directly onto the plate. This is not a typical way to start an etching. Usually the ground goes on first followed by drawing with an etching needle. Sometimes, however, it is good to be able to see exactly how the shapes will lay out on the plate. Black markers are no nonsense. When you make a mark, it is really there. I will look analytically at what I drew in Iowa yesterday...maybe over the course of a month or two. The place had been sitting in my minds eye for quite some time. Now it is important to keep it there and not forget about it. If I decide that I like what I drew in black, I will begin to scratch away at the plate with traditional (and some not so traditional) tools and techniques. I delivered work to the gallery in Spring Grove as scheduled. It is nice to be greeted by people who are eager to see you. I drove back to Wisconsin taking an alternate route...a scenic one. I drove along the Mississippi River on the Iowa side. Large Iowa bluffs were on my right, the mostly frozen river was on my left, with the Wisconsin bluffs looming in the distance. I crossed the river at a bridge in Lansing, Iowa. It was an old, narrow bridge (I love bridges in case you couldn't tell) made of steel girders. Trucks were instructed to maintain a 300 foot interval. Looking out my van window, I could see the lights of Lansing and the bluffs reflected in the sometimes open water. It was almost dark and it was beautiful. The trip was an adventure if only to me. I hope to share future (and maybe some past) adventures with you.