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.