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.