I received a package from Snowcatcher, and I found 6 crocheted snowflakes in an array of delicious coloration. What a wonderful surprise it was, since I wasn’t feeling well. This one is perfect for Orange Tuesdays, and is more a “sunflake” than a snowflake. Snowcatcher is a photographer of wildlife, a resident of Colorado, a maker of snowflakes and my number one commenter for 2012! I encourage you to check out Snowcatcher’s blog and also support her ride for MS.
In fulfilling Stratoz’s 2012 resolution to have people over for pizza, Heather and Harry Boardman were our last guests for 2012. They are a dynamic duo of artists. Harry does paintings and custom portraits, and Heather creates glass beads and when we attended their open studio tour at their house in the woods outside Telford, I gravitated to and purchased some of Heather’s swirly glass discs for focal points in my mosaics.
When the Boardmans arrived, Heather handed me a sparkly bag of glass as a gift, beads she made for me, in my favorite orange tones. I’d mentioned to Heather how much I loved glass tile with streaks of coppery crystals, and she had mixed in some goldstone to add the extra sparkle. It’s a thrill to have such a custom gift, and I look forward to incorporating them into my work. It was great fun having Harry and Heather over, talking about art and business and getting to know them better.
When I went to photograph the beads, I saw the Fenton leaf plate that my friend Joanne had given me, and it seemed a perfect setting.
My sister moved to South Africa in 2010 to live with her love and to work in her field of English as a Foreign Language, and the first weekend of January 2013 was the 3 day wedding celebration. My mother and step-father(who officiated at the ceremony), and my father and step-mother all made the 17 hour plane ride to Johannesburg shortly after Christmas. Although Stratoz and I couldn’t be there, my mother commissioned a wedding gift for Cate and Sello, and it went with her onto the plane, and we were thrilled to create a plaque commemorating their union. We used wood so that it wouldn’t weigh down the luggage. I managed to remember from my Canadian youth that the rest of the world puts the day first and then the month. Unfortunately, there was a bit of tangled communication as to which day of the 3 was the actual ceremony, which turned out to be the 5th not the 6th. Cate told me it would make for a funny story. I am grateful she values a good story! And as Stratoz says, everyone in the US will think she was married June 1st anyway. I chose colors that reminded me of some African fabric Sello was wearing in one of his photos, and which is expressed our joy upon Cate and Sello’s marriage. I also know that Cate loves orange, which is another part of our sisterly bond!
Welcome to the New Year with John Coltrane. Take a few minutes to listen.
Stratoz took a photo of this intense orange glass vase by Tiffany at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Sunday. It’s called “Vase” which isn’t very descriptive, but I’m guessing it’s a shrimp? I love the swirls of the waves. Have you ever seen a shrimp as a motif in art?
Evelyn Ackerman was born in 1924 in Detroit, and died at the end of 2012 at the age of 88. She worked in a multiplicity of mediums, from enamels on copper, to mosaics, tapestries, and woodcarvings. Evelyn and her husband Jerome were a Dynamic Duo. In 1949 they went to an exhibit at the Detroit Institute of the Arts, For Modern Living, which introduced them to post-war design, including Ray and Charles Eames. As Jerome Ackerman relates:
“Evvy and I looked at each other,” recalls Jerome, “and very prophetically said, ‘If the Eameses can do it, maybe we can do it. Or at least, we can try.’”
They set up a studio together in 1950’s California, and became lifelong friends with another Dynamic Duo, Gertrud and Otto Natzler(who also favored orange). I am inspired by the generative spark in the Ackerman duo, and glad that they had a chance to witness a retrospective of their work, “Masters of Mid-Century California Modernism,” in 2010 at the Mingei International Museum in San Diego.
Many of Evelyn’s creations include splashes of orange, and the Cats mosaic table is enlivened with golden orange squares.
Evelyn worked with a mosaic workshop in Mexico, sending her colored drawings keyed to tile samples for artisans to set. I see orange. And it makes me happy, and I am grateful to Evelyn for such unabashed orange, and delight in creating.
More Orange Goodness at my Orange Tuesdays Pinterest Board.
Ackerman Modern: The Mid-Century Modern Works of Jerome & Evelyn Ackerman
Bonus Orange, evocative of Evelyn’s tapestry: Pink Orange Red by Cocteau Twins(a band I listened to over and over again on my cassette Walkman in the 1980’s. Note the hair.)
I first discovered Kerri Farley’s nature photography through twitter, and then she purchased one of my mosaic pendants. She loved it, and proposed a giveaway of another pendant on her blog A Little Piece of Me. I took that opportunity to ask her to guest post for Orange Tuesday. Kerri pairs her photos with quotes about art and creativity and inspiration, and chose this one from James Sallis to go with her photo Orange Leaves. I enjoy Kerri’s close observation of these leaves, and the glowing color and detail, down to the dark red veins.
More Orange Goodness at my Orange Tuesdays Pinterest Board.
Stratoz and I met up with Abby Sernoff and her husband for dinner and for delivery of the collage commission/collaboration, featuring Abby’s re-envisioning of Stratoz’s colored pencil doodles. As I wrote about on a previous Orange Tuesday, Let the Creativity Flow, Stratoz was wondering what kind of client he’d be, and the nature of riffing on themes, like John Coltrane’s many versions of My Favorite Things. Abby did a fabulous job. I told Stratoz he needs to hang the collage in a strategic spot in his studio so I can see it from mine.
It was fun to look at Abby’s blog post just now to find out she named the collage Jazz Tree, which makes perfect sense to me. It was also fun talking with her husband Mike about taking a Jazz History class as an undergraduate at U/MASS with Max Roach. Mike learned a lot about jazz, enjoyed the class, and said it was one of the hardest finals he’s ever had.
For bonus points, here’s Abby’s bird collage made entirely from campaign literature for the PA 2012 Election. Vicariously enjoyed her ripping and shredding and creating art.
Note: I missed my first Orange Tuesday in the wake of Sandy. I am thankful I only lost internet, and a couple screen doors, and my thoughts are with those who suffered great loss.
More Orange Goodness at my Orange Tuesdays Pinterest Board.
For the first time I will be participating in the Galaxy 2012 Art Show and Sale to benefit the Network of Victim Assistance(NOVA), Bucks County. A portion of the proceeds goes to the important work NOVA, which supports, counsels and empowers victims of sexual assault and other serious crimes in Bucks County and works to prevent and eliminate violence in society through advocacy, training, community education and prevention programs.
The Blue Path Spiral Mandala is one of the works I am including in the show, and resonates the vision of NOVA of a society free of violence, one that empowers individuals and promotes respect for the privacy, diversity and dignity of all people. May we all find the blue path that spirals into our hearts and brings us peace.
Dates: Thurs. Oct. 25 through Sun. Oct. 28
VIP Preview Party: Thurs. Oct. 25 – 5:00 to 8:00 pm, ticket needed – $35 per person
FREE ADMISSION:
Fri. Oct. 26 – 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sat. Oct. 27 – 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sun. Oct. 28 -10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Place: Bucks County Courthouse 3rd floor Rotunda, 55 E. Court St., Doylestown, PA 18901
Special Jazz Event on Sunday October 28th:
Jazz and Mimosas featuring the Delaware Valley Saxophone Quartet
www.delvalsaxquartet.com
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
