Spins

First Friday in Wilmington is a great opportunity to see what's going on around town.

Scott and I headed to the Delaware Museum of Natural History where Scott's squash buddy Halsey Spruance is Director and Stan Smokler had the opening for his exhibition Steel Currents. It was a very fun evening on many levels....Turns out that Stan the Man on the squash court is also Stan the Artist that I had heard about. Stan is a wonderful sculptor using found metals and objects that he transforms into organic forms that are unique beings unto themselves. The piece above is not in this show but has that lyrical and fluid sensability found in is work. Stan also teaches a week long summer welding workshop at his home studio in Landenberg, PA. Also, that night, we met a couple other accomplished sculptors Dennis Beach and Dave Meyer who assist during the week at the Stan's "Art Camp" (!)

What was really fun for me was going out to Buckleys for dinner and a local brew and talking about art with my new art buddies. It's always an adventure when you move somewhere new as we did a couple of years ago, but it is also a challenge (and yes an adventure) finding kindred spirits. I find that my studio time is that much richer when my time outside the studio is being fed by art and ideas.

Dennis recently sent me this link to her video on youtube that shows a piece currently on exhibition at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gGFykAAO7M

Learning to Look...Remembering Mary Buckley Parriott (1926-2010)

I received my new issue of Gateway- The Community Newsletter of Pratt Institute in the mail today. Browsing through it, I learned of the passing of Mary Buckley Parriott. Mrs. Buckley (as we knew her) was my teacher foundation year for the Light, Color and Design course, and truly taught me to LOOK at light, color and the relationships between the two. I have thought of her often over the years and continue to remember her as I notice the red light filtering through the trees at sunset in my backyard. I continue to remind myself to pay attention and truly look, as well as pass on her teachings to my students and my own children, urging them to lift their eyes from their books or ipods to truly look out the car window and notice the beauty in simply looking.

This news comes at the heels of learning about the death Louise Bourgeois another artist whose work I have always responded to and loved. Truly an icon and a pioneer, I remember seeing her in person at the Max Hutchinson Gallery in Soho in 1980-81 where I had my real first art job as a gallery assistant. Max represented Louise, and there she was at an opening - diminutive with her long graying hair in a pony tail wearing a tuxedo T-Shirt!

As I work in my studio these days, preparing for my window installation on 38th St. in NYC, I think of her work and how it first influenced me as a young art student and continues to resonate with me as a mature woman and artist.

Life as a daring adventure or nothing at all..

I Love that Quote by Helen Keller. It is paraphrased of course, but the gist of it speaks to me about risk and adventure and not playing it safe. Spoke to my brother in law Larry yesterday as his beloved daughter Katie is off on a great adventure in Peru. Katie is a beautiful soul, inside and out and well travelled for the 20 year old she is. Larry dropped her off on Saturday at Philly Airport for her amazing adventure to Peru. She is down there doing internship and community service with an organization called Cross Cultural Solutions. I will be following her blog and invite you to do the same. There are wonderful opportunities to experience the world while serving others.

http://katiemaeinperu.blogspot.com/

Here's a picture of proud Papa Larry with love Katie.

PS. What I am working on these days:

Getting ready for my Koi Pond Exhibit at the Empowered Yoga Studio in Newark, DE

Installation ideas for my 38th St. Window in NYC

Painting my boys' playroom- the back wall is a bright blue called SNAP!