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.