Facing Fear

Fear is something I face inside and outside the studio every day.  Big fear.  Little fear.  Unfounded unreasonable fear.  Understandable perfectly sensible fear.   Loud obnoxious screaming fear and almost imperceptible but nudging fear. The best creative work takes me to places where I scare myself and face the fear of failure by pushing my comfort zone. Zaydee frightened by the storm

While Momma Nature was carrying on with storm after impressive storm this morning on the mountain, poor Zaydee suffered.  She shivered and quivered her way through thunder, hail and the dramatic racket of rain on my metal roof.  Zaydee crawled under my legs up and under my armpit and squeezed herself behind me on the couch.  Poor thing.

Last year about this time my nieces, Zaydee and I weathered similar storms while exposed on a ridge in the Crazy Mountains.  I had reason to be concerned in our situation.  We did what we could to minimize the potential for danger while we huddled and laughed our way through the storms before scooting back down the trail and sliding down snow slopes to better shelter.

Weathering hail, rain and electrical on a ridge in the Crazies with my nieces.

Zaydee was in the comfort and shelter of my cabin today while the storms raged outside, yet she shook as much as she did on the mountain top last summer.  Her reaction made me think of how much drama and energy I can lose at times in the studio when really the “danger” is in my own mind.

Inspired Artist Adonna Khare

Artist Adonna Khare with her Art Prize winning workBlown away by the psychological depth, sensuous surface, drawing mastery and creative vision of artist Adonna Khare – I was especially tickled to meet her a few months ago at the opening of the exceptional exhibit “Face to Face; Wall to Wall” at the Yellowstone Art Museum.  Adonna was hunkered down on a bench in front of her work – sick.  She had spent the night before in ER with pneumonia.  Poor gal.  I was suffering from acute bronchitis – we were a sorry pair on antibiotics but our challenged health didn’t dent the spark and instant good energy we shared.  Turns out she had seen my installation "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" during her untimely hospital visit the night before.  I insisted Adonna come back to visit so I could share more of Montana with her - luckily she was already scheduled to return to work on the special installation of her awesome Art Prize winning piece in the spring. Adonna's daughter Kinsey and I enjoy a ride on the zip line...

Super tickled to have Adonna and her family stay in my humble home earlier this week.  Her sweet husband grilled steaks on my deck, s'mores were roasted, the zip line enjoyed, we hiked with her mom.  Adonna and I sat out on my deck under a thick slice of moon long after everyone turned in for the night to talk art, art world and studio lives.

I highly encourage you to check out her work: Adonna Khare

Season's First Ride

Hyalite LakeTwo weeks ago on a splendid sunny afternoon, the talented artist Stephanie Revennaugh and I left our studios,pulled on padded shorts and peddled up Hyalite Canyon to the reservoir. Felt good to move. Felt glorious to feel the heat of the sun. Felt refreshing to leave a snow angel behind... [embed]https://youtu.be/TlJ3BNF4bkk[/embed]

Kaden Creates at the Studio

Ten year old Kaden spent an afternoon with me two weeks ago as part of a year-end project for his 4th grade class.  He created an artwork obviously influenced by my current series but I welcomed and encouraged his ideas.  I was impressed with his intent and appreciated the reasons he offered for the various choices he made.

“My parents would NEVER let me use sharp tools like these!” Kaden said over and over (his mom told me later she counted his fingers).  I have learned when confidence is projected people (and children) most often embrace it and surprise themselves.  Being calm helps.  Mistakes?  All of art making (and life) includes mistakes.  A cabinet maker friend told me years ago that it is not the mistake so much as how you fix the mistake.”

Moments shared with young people in my studio are one of the many gifts of my profession – a treasure and a treat!

The Calm Before the Storm

mini reliquaries Immediately after I finished carving the new mini-reliquaries I cleaned the studio.  The photo was taken before I left for Texas to visit TD Kelsey last month.  Cleaning and clearing is an important step between stages in a project.  The last weeks have been a fury of creativity – too focused to share.  Starting a whole new series is as engaging as the intimate journey with a new lover.  Precious.  Scary.  Exciting.

Intensely engaging.

I have been sequestered daily with the new work (for many weeks now) and am just beginning to be at a place where I can begin to share…

"Sojourn" is going to the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport...!

The Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport Board of Directors unanimously selected my bison bench titled “Sojourn” to be placed permanently in the airport.  The life-size bench was originally carved in black walnut before being cast in a limited edition of 5 bronzes.  Two of the sculptures, plus the original woodcarving are in private collections outside the state and one sculpture was purchased for a museum in Arizona.  The bison bench is a wonderful public sculpture – made extra popular since it is a bench - offering an invitation to react with the sculpture.  People sit, touch and pose for photos – creating a truly memorable experience and an inviting first impression of Bozeman and Montana for first-time travelers. Sojourn and Tony

As the first female artist selected to place art permanently at the airport, I feel honored.  When I entered Mrs. Orr's kindergarten class at Longfellow School in Bozeman more-then-many-moons-ago, I had plans to be an artist.  What an opportunity to have a sculpture inspired by an experience in Yellowstone National Park and created locally actually be placed here - since all of my major pieces have gone to collections outside Montana.  The sculpture was particularly labor-intensive to cast but they have captured every chisel mark and even the beauty of the wood grain.  The sculpture is ready to install.  The Danforth in Livingston is the Fiscal Sponsor for the Bison Bench project.  The benefit is two-fold since support for my project at the airport will also help support Park County Friends of the Arts in Livingston, a 501 (c)(3) organization.  PCFA (Danforth)  will receive a percentage of the funds processed through the organization to help their mission.  PCFA's mission is "to nurture the creation and awareness of art by providing opportunities for contemporary artists and by offering innovative outreach programs, so that our community—especially our youth—can realize the importance of art in their lives."   The Gallatin Yellowstone International Airport is the most popular airport in Montana.  A bronze plaque will be placed near the piece with the opportunity to script whatever the donors/patrons wish.  Only a few donor slots remain (contact me if you would like to know more).

artist visit: td kelsey

I woke this morning to a few inches of fresh snow - a startling difference from the dry scratchy Texas landscape I left behind one week ago today.  I was too busy just being in the moment at TD Kelsey's ranch to update my blog.  I hit the ground running with the mini reliquary project in my studio upon my return.  Inspired with the new work; a whole week passed by in a blink. The visit with prolific adventurous sweet-souled artist TD Kelsey was a treat.  Fueled by a cup of tea and vivid memories I sat down for a bit this morning to write about the trip.  But the writing - well - it isn't "blog worthy" yet (such a story to tell).  But here are a few photos:

skiing with ben (in the eaglemount program)

I want to share a photo of my favorite ski buddy this year. Ben is an 11-year-old Developmentally Disabled little "pro" skier who instantly let me know that skiing was his favorite thing in his "whole life."  The first day of the eight-week volunteer program, I helped Ben find a silver helmet that seemed so wonderfully "superhero" compared to his thick wire-rimmed glasses and tiny little face. Ben and I decorated our helmets the last day together

Ben easily and naturally slipped his gloved hand into mine within a minute of meeting - a surprise (I'm grinning right now just thinking of the warm fuzzies).  He held my hand often when loading and unloading the chair but assured me he REALLY knew what he was doing when it came to skiing.  Ben's main preoccupation was SPEED and making sure everyone saw him go fast.  He would yell up at the peeps on the chairlift.  He would yell to the sky and trees and he'd yell just for the hell of it from pure happiness while constantly asking me, "How fast was I?!  How fast was I?"  I assured him that his speed matched his silver bullet helmet.  He said my skis were the "BEST skis EVER!!! - which tickled me since they are an old used pair without all the beautiful fine fun graphics of trendy skis but then he told another fella we sat with on the quad lift that HIS skis were the BEST skis EVER!!!  So it went with many things being the BEST EVER in his life.  One lift ride, Ben rattled off 3-4 things he was thankful for so I kept him going, both of us thinking of things we were thankful for all the way to the top of the lift.  We repeatedly found our “favorite things” each day we skied together.  He said he wasn't very strong yet but that he did have "little muscles and they were going to grow into BIG muscles."  I asked him what he planned to eat to make his muscles grow and he said without hesitating, "BROCCOLI."   We always danced to the liftee's music while waiting for the chair and sometimes sang while riding the chair.

I assured Ben that when superheroes in silver helmets ski really fast they are like silver bullets and you can't see them which put a stuck-on-forever grin onto his face and eased the consternation he felt that no one seemed to see how fast he could snow-plow down the slope.  I had a blast sharing some magical moments this winter with that sparkle soul Ben.

For more information (or to support) the Eaglemount Program visit their website.

welcome to my (itchy) world

Sawdust is part of my life.  Some days are dustier than others depending on the tool, the project and the sawdust fairies.  Last weekend I posted this quote on Facebook: “Dancing in the sawdust - between concentrated rounds with dueling routers I find myself shaking loose with goofy moves and a grin beneath my dusk mask.” The photo was taken a few days later (and that isn’t router sawdust)

sawdusty selfie

artists collaborating for charity

The artist Parks Reece and I joined efforts in a live painting event for the Livingston Rotary Club last month.  We each had a large canvas and worked together for three hours painting in a live performance during the Valentine's evening banquet.  We spun each other around every now and then and painted on each others' canvases - so each piece was predominantly by one artist but with some flair and inspiration from the other.  Each painting was signed by both of us and auctioned off that evening raising more than $4,000 for their charitable work in my little town of Livingston.