VSA Art Installation in Bowling Green

Yesterday afternoon I drove to Bowling Green, KY with artist Brenda Wirth and her husband, musician, Greg Acker to install a group show at the VSA of Kentucky's Arts Access Gallery. VSA is a statewide, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting arts, education and creative expression for all, with an emphasis on persons with disabilities. VSA Executive Director, Delaire Rowe, worked with Wirth to put the show together to showcase some of VSA's teaching artists on their roster. I've collaborated with Wirth and Acker individually and as a couple over the years on several projects. This project was different in that it is the first time the three of us were doing a formal show of just our work. Even though our choosen mediums are completely different, walking through the show you get a glimpse of our commonalities and a key into probably why we are good collaborators, friends, and inspiration for one another's work.

The above picture is Wirth standing behind one of her vinyl pieces with one of Acker's homemade instruments, Imbira Harp, behind her. Wirth's vinyl pieces were done in pairs for a show we did together on symmetry. One in each of the pairs is vinyl on vinyl with it's counterpart paint on vinyl.

Because so much of my other work is in progress, and I need to reference my new pieces, I brought six pieces from my older doll series (2008). The blue and red dolls are approximately 7.5 feet in height where the other two dolls are approximately 4.5 feet and 4 feet. Although it looks from these picture the dolls are hung in isolation from Wirth and Acker's work, that is not the case. All of our work is actually intermingled throughout the show.

Here Acker is tuning one of his drift wood instruments, Driftwood Koto. The chime instruments, Homemade Gamala, in the corner are all tuned to the black keys of the piano so that a pleasing sound is made no matter how you play them or how skilled you are at music. Acker is brilliant in his adaptations to instruments. He uses many techniques to make music making accessible and comfortable. In addition his calm, open, and welcoming demeanor draw even the least gifted at music into his world of exploration and playfulness.

Here you see the work of all three of us together. One of Wirth's pieces from a series of paintings she did looking up to the sky through trees. I believe this piece is called River Dweller. Next to it is a pair of my dolls titled Convulused Reunion for Michelle and Convulused Reunion for Melissa. Below is one of Acker's driftwood instruments with a gourd attached. It is hard to see from this picture but the diftwood is stung in two places, along the entire length of the piece and then a small section toward the right hand top.

The reception for this show is in conjunction with The Bowling Green Gallery Hop, Friday, October 15, 2010 from 5-8pm at VSA's Arts Access Gallery, 515 East 10th Street Bowling Green, KY 42101. Gallery hrs are Monday - Friday8:30AM - 4:30PM and the phone number for the gallery is 270-781-0872.

Leaving KMAC

Moved out of the studio at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft in August. Here are a few pictures of the installation coming down.

Part of the experiment with this installation was to hang the strips of cotton muslin while they were still wet with dye to see what kind of effect I would get with the dye dripping down the walls and onto the floor. The concept was an abstraction of the muddy Ohio River flowing over the walls of the studio. The above picture shows what was left of the dye on the walls and floor, which of course I cleaned up when I de-installed.

One load waiting to go with my trusty coffee cup that mostly held water to drink while I worked.

The final load waiting next to the elevator.

End of July Stuff in KMAC Studio

Still slowly plugging away at the installation in my studio at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft. I've sorta run out of room in the space I've denicated to the exploration of installation on this body of work. I leave the Museum this month and I'm feeling the pressure of wanting to finish a few more pieces/ideas before I leave. I know once I leave and get settled in my home studio again I'll be very distracted with placement for awhile before I get back to making art. I'm looking forward to doing a show at Zephyr in April, 2011 which will give me tons more space to see my ideas in full form.

New Stuff at KMAC studio

Installation going up in Studio at KMAC

Working on an installation in one half of the studio at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft right now.

So I had to move my workspace and all the other pieces in process to the other end of the studio.

Update to stuff in the studio at KMAC

Stuff I'm workin' on in the Studio

I'm exploring with texture. These pieces were constructed with a wire mesh (chicken wire) frame. Woven with strips of hand-dyed cotton muslin and then dye was again painted on after they were woven. I later took raw wool and hand rolled it into loose yarn and couched it into the piece to create another layer of texture and color. This has been the new experiment I've been working on the past two weeks...so far so good. I'm now curious what will happen if I take some woven work, over dye it with a dark hue or black, and then roll a lighter color or white wool into loose yarn and couch it into the surface. How will the contrast work with the texture?