The MacNider Museum reception in Iowa (and the circuitous route getting there)

I left the studio at 2PM on Tuesday, February 21st. There was a layer of ice on everything. After stopping in Iowa City to view the exhibit, The Art of the Print, I continued the drive to Kansas City, arriving late in the evening. Wednesday morning was spent with Jack at American Legacy Gallery. After lunch and a second appointment, I made the drive to Cottonwood Falls, KS. It was mild (60 degrees), and I worked on material for a possible etching project. I drove on through the Flint Hills to Manhattan. It was dusk, and there was sky all around me. This ain't Wisconsin. Before continuing north to Lincoln and Omaha on Thursday, I will deliver work to Strecker Nelson Gallery in Manhattan. Word has it that there will be weather after midnight.

Part 2: Thursday, I awoke to the sound of freezing rain on my Manhattan, Kansas motel room window. After delivering work to Strecker Nelson, I headed north to Lincoln, Nebraska. The temperature dropped and soon it was snowing hard on top of the ice. Driving was treacherous...so was Lincoln. Bags of water softener salt on my rear axle seemed unnecessary the day before in Kansas. Today, it kept me on the road. Buck, at Kiechel Fine Art in Lincoln, told me the best way to get out of town. The snow was blinding and covering the road and the street signs. Somehow, I made it. Omaha was 45 miles away...an eternity. On Friday, I woke to sunshine and the drive to Sioux City and the Sioux City Art Center. They are interested in my work. I stayed at Hugh Pettersen's place in Cedar Falls that night. I love the drive across Iowa. It must be a past life. On Saturday, I drove to Mason City and the reception at the MacNider Museum. They had hung my work beautifully in the Center Space Gallery. Presentation is so important. They are professionals. There was more snow, but people still showed up for the reception. The drive back to Wisconsin was beautiful and slippery.

snow and wind

It snowed last night...about six inches. There is more snow coming along with high winds. By the time it is finished we could have just shy of two feet of snow. The morning news mentioned the possibility of ten foot snow drifts in open areas. Chicago said it could be the worst storm since '67. I cleared my driveway and knew that I should be doing the same at my studio in Blue Mounds. I drove to Garfield Street in Mount Horeb instead. I have had my eyes on that street for a few years now. In the winter there are contrasts that I like. I knew what it would look like today. I had not tried to capture it before. I have a small pocket sized sketchbook that I always have with me. I draw with a pen. Today is the day. The street was covered with snow. When it is like this, at the horizon the street disappears into the sky. I like this. I also like the way that the white, snow covered earth contrasts with just about everything, and the tops of the trees are like layers of veils. Making a sketch of this is a way for me to practice my craft, and it is also a way for me to put down onto paper an idea for a future etching. I draw quickly in a small pocket sized sketch book. A snowplow pulls up behind me and wants me to move. See you in Blue Mounds...maybe in one of those ten foot snowdrifts.