Friday, June 3, 2011

Frenzied and Frazzled

Base structure for current sculpture, heading to Skowhegan show later this month "Worlds: Seen and Unseen"

Working on the armature for the top part of my "globe".

An idea of how it will fit together when done.

Chris rototilling the garden plot

Yes, frenzied and frazzled would be an accurate description of how things are going right now. The next three or four weeks are utterly overwhelming to think about. There are so many excellent events occurring, but it is hard to keep track of everything or to try to figure out how to fit all that needs to be done into the schedule. Here it is 9:30 at night when I am normally prepping for slumber, but instead I am trying to squeeze-in a blog entry since I haven't posted in a couple weeks and this weekend is packed solid.

Last weekend was the seasonal opening day for Cobscook Pottery and Fiber Arts. It was non-stop activity from the time of waking until sleep. We started off with visitors, moved onto the Tide Mill Organic Farm seedling sale (where we saw all kinds of friends and acquaintances), then customers, an appointment with a photographer, more visitors, and studio time. People have definitely come out of their winter hibernation.

Over that long holiday weekend, we found ourselves at a co-worker's farm shoveling two truckloads of manure for the garden. The next day we gave our hand at rototilling and boy did that work well! In the past Chris would use just a shovel and a hoe to break up the earth. I had no idea how much easier it would be to use this powerful equipment. I must say - there is some sort of residual past-life farmer in me....I really enjoyed climbing on top of that horse manure pile, digging in with a pitch fork, then working it into the garden! After I snapped Chris' pic with the rototiller he handed that task over to me. Fun! The garden is almost all planted and we are hoping for a better harvest than last summer. The soil is more rich this go-around and we have been receiving advice from garden-enthusiasts.

I am spending as much time as possible in the studio, both pottery for the shop and on a sculpture for a "globe" show in Skowhegan that artist Abby Shahn is organizing. I'll post pics of that piece when done. I am working outside my usual medium of clay and opted for plaster, acrylics, and encaustics. The deadline is too soon for me to chance it with clay. So far so good. I have been busy ordering supplies and working out the details.

I also need to work n a piece for the bicentennial lighthouse benefit art auction coming up over the 4th of July week. Two separate political pieces will be off to shows in August, and I am excited about an article in a magazine that is also slated for that month. It is looking to be an excellent summer in respect to art.

Lubec Arts Alive supplies need to be ordered and there is still more prep work to be done before the big event July 5-8. I have yet to design posters for that and will work with other committee members to finish "edging" the components of the sculpture.

I am still teaching full time days and even though we think of the school year as "winding down", this year we are "winding up full speed ahead!" All next week is a very exciting theater residency and our roles will change and flow according to the needs. I will keep in the back of my mind that all grades must be calculated and submitted, artwork returned to students, student work prepped for summer lighthouse gallery sales, and room cleaned and neatened.

Tonight we attended the art opening at UMM of our friend Jean Bookman. It was a wonderful evening with great art, food, friends. Kudos to Jean for such an accomplishment. Her assemblage and sculpture work are bizarrely interesting and it's a show not to miss. Bernie Vinzani did a great job "hanging" the show.

As I re-read what I have written - I am thinking how blessed I am to have so many wonderful experiences in my life! And such wonderful family, husband, and friends. Wow- it really is a good life.

There is much more activity swirling all around me but too much to post tonight. It's an exciting week ahead and I look forward to writing all about it when I can get back to the blog.






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