Friday, September 4, 2009

Artists' Reception - Of Clocks and Crows - Last Night

Last night Wayne and I went to the artists' reception at the Arts Council of Snohomish County for the Of Clocks and Crows Exhibit in downtown Everett. What a fun and interesting show it was! Crows and clocks were the theme, of course, and as you can imagine, there were many wonderful interpretations. In addition to all the fine artwork, I saw stuffed crows on shoulders, crows as hand puppets, and even a crow perched on a dog wearing wings! There were several pieces I drooled over and if times were different and we had the means, they would be in our collection! Something that puzzles me though, is not having available a list of the participating artists along with the title of their work so that you can remember who did what later. Are shows no longer doing this? Seems the last few shows I've been to, didn't have a list. So, therefore, I don't always remember everyone I met, nor the work that they did.

I did see my friend Janie Olsen and her husband Bill. Janie had two of her magical crow and goat paintings in the show. She introduced me to another artist, Eden Hopkins, who it turned out is actually a follower of this blog! We had never met, so it was fun meeting. Hi Eden! Another coincedence was, like me, Eden used a crow and a sundial in her painting! Nice work too Eden! Eden and Janie will also be in the 6th Annual Arts of Snohomish Exhibit in Snohomish which opened September 1st. That reception will be on Saturday the 12th. So I'll see you two there.

Along with Janie and Eden, I met another artist, Chi Stewart, or Chi Chi as she is known. She did a lovely crow still life with rich dramatic colors and red drapery. She and her son Jason were asking about the surface for my piece, Finding Time. I was trying to explain about the Dura-lar Matte film, so if she gets to read this, she can follow the link. I hope someday to blog about Dura-lar Matte film and how I use it with colored pencil and/or graphite. It's on my to do list.

Another artist I met, Rebecca Roush, did wonderful mixed media beadwork. One of her works was a very large detailed piece, reminding me of a mosaic but with using beads and threads. She even had real crows feet attached to it. I love collecting such things and so I was fascinated as to how she finds them. I liked the way she said she treated the already dead crows and buried them with respect. One of Rebecca's statements on her website is exactly what I say when people tell me I must be a very patient person to do miniatures, or the detailed drawings I do. Rebecca says, " Patience is not a factor. For me, the experience is more like meditating." So true!

I wish I could have taken photos. It was a nice crowd, good food and great flute music. The show will be up from now until October 20th. If you get a chance, be sure to check it out before it flies out the door!

11 comments:

Autumn Leaves said...

Sounds like a really interesting show, for sure. Do they put at least cards with the artists' names beneath their works? At least then you could jot notes as enjoy the pieces to help you remember who does what...

Barbara A. Freeman said...

Hi Autumn, yes, they do have labels next to the work with title and medium and artist name. It is a rather large show on two floors. To me, a reception is like a party, you look at the art, have some food, perhaps some wine, meet new artists and say hello to old friends, etc. I've tried doing that before (taking notes), and it feels too much like work. I'm at the reception to get away from work! It's later at home when I am writing this blog that I am trying to remember what I saw and remember artists' names. But that makes me wonder about a potential collector who just wandered in and saw something they liked, but wasn't intending to buy at that point. Perhaps later, having that list could be the source for a phone call to the gallery to see if the piece is still available. I certainly don't mean to be picking on this great show. After all, there was no fee for submissions. Just putting the question out there to see if anyone has noticed this as a new trend.

Unknown said...

Hi Barbara-Yes it was fun show! i am going loolk up the dura-lar matte--see you next week :) Janie

Barbara A. Freeman said...

I got this comment from Chi Chi Stewart.

Barbara,
Thank you so much for mentioning my son, Jason, and I on your blog. And the good things you said about my painting. (And Eden too). I totally agree it was a fun party! And thank you for talking with Jason and I about the film you use to draw on.

Happy pencils!
chi chi stewart.

Barbara A. Freeman said...

Hi Janie, It was great to see you and thanks for the introductions to your friends. The Dura-lar is fun!

It was great meeting you and Janson, Chi Chi. I hope to see you both again! If you do try the Dura-lar, let me know what you think. Feel free to ask if you have any questions on using it.

Autumn Leaves said...

What you say makes sense too, Barbara. I went to the Picasso show at the Tacoma Art Museum and I so enjoyed the wine and the conversation. I remember being so surprised at some of Picasso's works. I had never cared for his art in the past and then find that he had many traditional and gorgeous paintings too. The flute music does sound wonderful too.

Debra Keirce said...

Thanks for sharing Barbara! It's funny - I just placed a Dick Blick order, and had the Dura Lar in my cart, but took it out at the last minute and stuck with drafting film. I'll have to be sure to try it the next time I place an order.

Barbara A. Freeman said...

Hi Autumn, Yes, it's all so overwhelming at times, I think. I'm in my studio and don't go out socially that often, so when I'm at a reception, I actually get to see other artists in person and not from email only! Between the art and artists and patrons and music and food, well one can get quite giddy from it all! How fortunate for you to see Picasso's work in different phases.

Barbara A. Freeman said...

Hi Deb,

I'm sure the drafting film you are using is probably similar. I just started out with the Dura-lar Matte and it's the only one I know. I love it, though. Do you like your brand? The work I saw that you did on it was so cute!

Anonymous said...

I wish I could have gone to see this one with you. I can imagine how much fun it was to see all the different ideas everyone had for creating their piece.

Barbara A. Freeman said...

It was great and I wish you could have too!