I heart Open Source!

I just thought I would give a shout-out to Sweet Home 3D... I've been using this great free online tool for designing both the house rehabs and prepping for art installations from a distance. One of my upcoming installation spaces is an odd triangular wedge with a large column to contend with--- so it was great to plug in the floor plan and get to see it in graphically 3D, since my photos were deceptive in depicting the angles of the space. It's very easy to use- thanks SorceForge.net! This is one of the great accomplishments from emergence--- a mid-blowing idea I came across a few years ago in

Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software

by Steven Johnson. It makes you rethink creating objects...and questions several assumptions. Not an easy read, but it made being close friends with a computer programmer that can speak simply a small cream-cheese-frosted slice of heaven.

Upcycling old prints, Paper Girl Style

I've been going through moving boxes and have come across some work I am ready to part with--- and found a great outlet.

Papermotion from Papergirl on Vimeo.

"The Paper Girl Northampton Project is a locally based, self-funded, nonprofit project to be modeled after the Paper Girl Project originally organized by Aisha Ronniger in Berlin Germany. The objective of the project is to hold an open call for donated, original works of art on paper which are to be displayed in local shops and restaurants for a period of two weeks in this coming September. At the culmination of the exhibit the works will be rolled into brown paper and distributed at random by a team of cyclist to persons on the streets of Northampton, MA.

The Paper Girl Project extends itself to Northampton via the efforts of Eben Kling, Adam Kology and Katherine Romansky. The Paper Girl Project is rapidly gaining momentum and is taking place in other major cities and on an international level. As a result, The Paper Girl Northampton Project will be simultaneously tying itself into an international arts community movement while soliciting an unsuspecting bond within the immediate Northampton community.

The open call for The Paper Girl Northampton Project requests original works of art on paper , works are not to exceed 30 x 30. Multiples of hand printed series such as screen prints, lithographs and other similar types of prints will be accepted. However, photographed-digital reproductions of any type of work will not be accepted. Participating artists will make donations with the understanding that their work will not be returned to them as it will be given away for free.

Donations can be made in person at 103 State St, Northampton MA, 01060 There will be a drop box in the front hall of the building which will be emptied regularly.

Donations can also be mailed to Katherine Romansky at 103 State Street apt 4 Northampton Ma 01060.

Please be sure that all your pieces are labeled with your name, title, medium and any contact info you may wish to include such as an email address or website, should you be interested in the recipient being able to contact you."

Sweet way to start the morning

After a great breakfast of cinnamon toast, grilled peppers and eggs and spending some quality time with Brad before he headed to work, I open my email and see my artwork featured in the WomanMade Gallery July Newsletter. And a hearty congratulations to WMG for being selected as one of the best art galleries by Today's Chicago Woman readers.



A very friendly voice from WMG called recently to make sure I really didn't want to the birdseed mailed back to me. It feels great to be low maintenance and let them know "really, you can just spread the seed outside (hopefully in a an artful pattern) and just reuse or recycle the containers." The gallery gave me such a sweet spot to install- right at the base of the stairs, under their street level window. Due to the crowding during events and the length of the show- the work was placed on a base for this one instance. Beate-the director and Tasha-the intern who answered my barrage of questions made the installation process enjoyable. Their staff and volunteers are wonderfully professional and friendly. It was great to work in such a lovely space- especially since I had to travel half a day to get there- with a staff that was organized and laid-back. This image- the one from the newsletter- was a great view down from the stairs and the artists shown were working on the peice for at least about a 1/2 hour, some nearly 1/2 of the opening. It was great to see others get lost in the act of making.

"Interactive" gets a review from TimeOut Chicago

I love google. The show came down yesterday---but Check out the review!

"“Interactive” makes one’s body feel welcome in the gallery space, rather than feared as a source of potential damage."

Although it poured outside, seeing friendly faces and getting to spend some quality time just enjoying artwork on a more visceral level, flipping delicate pages and smelling vials of "literary essence" was worth the drive up and back. The public transport I took to get from Elburn to the gallery ran like clockwork and was a gorgeous alternative to sitting in Chicago traffic. Too bad Brad was caught at the airport for the "worst day ever" with delays and cancellations and a comedy of errors, so I was solo- but it was worth it and very enjoyable meeting other artists and playing with the works in the show.

with a 10-foot pole...

I've been spending the last week putting together all the last scraps of wallpaper and finalizing the mounting process. I'm going to be an expert at ironing after not using it for my first decades of life. I've caught a snag in the ordering of the cream felt, so I'll have to literally wrap up the wallpaper in the pink gauze and clear out space to work on the phalanx installation in the interim.
I purchased more conduit for the ArtSpace 144 installation today--- and decided on PVC for the wider pipe if I need more of a transition from the 90-inch circumference pole in the space already.10 feet is longer than I imagined and the length created quite a few logistical challenges. I almost flipped over my cart in the aisle loading my needs and had to switch to a horizontal cart. Missouri's heat is much harder to bear when toting pipes out open windows and going slow to accommodate the load. I had to store it on end in the garage at the peak of the roof. Good thing we don't have an attic in the garage. Now for more research on fabrics and coverage, as well as hanging methods. Tomorrow will be an uninterrupted studio day, except for one afternoon appointment and perhaps that pesky lawn.

Summary Statements for August's Install

This artwork has all been created during the last year, in which my family has relocated for a job opportunity to Saint Louis and into a new home. I have documented the uncomfortable process of acclimatizing to a new city and its quirks by creating small drawings that take into account the emotional discoveries along the way. These small works are magnified by a digital projector in Gallery Two and serve as a bit of “war room briefing” of what others can expect from the process. The words and works are meant to be a humorous and personal record of processing new information and places.

In Gallery One, I continue this idea through the home we purchased a few months ago. Removing the wallpaper- a painful endeavor, I decided to make a trophy of the former skin of the kitchen. This destructive act made the house like a home.

Now a caretaker of a large yard and small garden, I have been researching composting, soil ecology, and native plantings. The resilience of the prolific organisms under the soil and above inspired this work combining mechanical and natural elements into an ancient warfare formation. This aggressive, yet playful work seems appropriate in Art Space 144 across from the athletic trophy cases.

Interactive Chicago

Last Friday I drove up to Chicago for Woman Made Gallery's "Interactive" exhibition. I wanted to see the reception of my work as well as meet some new people and see some old friends. The weather was horrible- thunderstorms and lots of rain, but several people still came out. B got stuck in St. Louis due to weather, and I didn't MegaBus it due to our original plans of spending some quality time in IL with friends the rest of the weekend together. Luckily, I met some great artists and met up with good friends-so I enjoyed myself despite the unseen solo aspect.

The works engaged several people, especially since people saw others engaged in it. So many of the book arts on display still seemed so fragile, I don't know if people really got to enjoy them as planned. I recommend the show, but bring a group to friends to play or the younger braver set.

I did get to have a great museum day (after nasty traffic) at the Art Institute of Chicago to see the new Modern Wing. The gardens were wonderfully cool comparatively and a great introduction to a new mindset after sitting in parade traffic.A recent work by Charles Ray. He found a fallen tree, fell in love with it, and had it carved by Japanese woodcarver. After seeing some of Bidou Yamaguchi's work during Ayomi's installation- all completed with handtools and no sanding- the labor that went into this is a thing of beauty itself.