July 13 & 14, 2024: Columbus Book Festival , Special Exhibit

Huge thank you to @stephanierond & @columbuslibrary for the opportunity to try something new!! See it on the first floor of the main Columbus library all weekend for the @columbusbookfestival! Inspired by author Porochista Khakpour @pchza themes of balancing cultural heritage and individuality.
“Core”, mixed media with wood, paper mache & plaster.
Additional thanks to @salmonshatcher & @ericlanese for their help!!

This video features all of the artists asked to participate describing their works & connections to the authors/stories that inspired the work.

Five extraordinary artists are paired with famous authors and commissioned to create these unique, breathtaking artworks at the 2024 Columbus Book Festival. 00:00 Kayneisha Holloway (Hanif Abdurraqib) 02:34 Kate Morgan (Porochista Khakpour) 03:52 Margarita Vilshanetskaya (Nick Petrie) 05:15 Kenya Davis (Kennedy Ryan) 07:09 Catherine Bell Smith (Veronica Roth) Connect with the artists: Kayneisha Holloway   / artdealerchicc   Kate Morgan https://katemorganart.com/ Margarita Vilshanetskaya https://www.mpvartist.com/ Kenya Davis   / kenya_d_artistry   Catherine Bell Smith https://www.catherinebellsmith.com/ #ColumbusBookFestival #Art #Columbus

Group Exhibition in Havana, Cuba

I am so grateful to have been asked to be part of an interdisciplinary group to show in Havana, Cuba. Visual artists, performing artists, musicians and spoken word artists were put together to share this once in a lifetime opportunity: Letters to Cuba. Artists from Columbus, Ohio each created an artwork to & for the Cuban people while Cuban artists did the same for us. All of the artwork was shown at the Columbus Museum of Art in Columbus, Ohio in August 2022 and then in early 2023 made the long trip to be shown in Havana, Cuba. An international ode to the arts & culture.

As part of this group we got to visit Cuba for 6 days and meet other artists, performers and facilitators to the arts. We were able to go on a cultural visa, making it extremely special as Americans are unable to get tourist visas right now. 

Letters To Cuba Group Picture with Cienfuegos Artists

Kate Morgan Artist, Mixed Media Collage art in group Cuba Exhibition

Letters to Cuba, Group Exhibition in Havana, Cuba

Kate Morgan Artist, Mixed Media Collage art in group Cuba Exhibition

Kate Morgan with Artwork in Havana, Cuba, March 2023

Kate Morgan Artist, Mixed Media Collage art in group Cuba Exhibition

Letters to Cuba Exhibition Gallery, March, 2023

Kate Morgan Artist, Mixed Media Collage art in group Cuba Exhibition

Michael Reese & Jami Goldstein describe the art exchange exhibition in Havana, Cuba. March, 2023

Kate Morgan Artist, Mixed Media Collage art in group Cuba Exhibition

Letters to Cuba, Group exhibition, Havana, Cuba. March 2023

Kate Morgan Artist, Mixed Media Collage art in group Cuba Exhibition

Brenden Spivey, Ohio artist at opening of Letters to Cuba in Havana, Cuba. March. 2023

Kate Morgan Artist, Mixed Media Collage art in group Cuba Exhibition

Letters to Cuba, Group exhibition in Havana, Cuba. March, 2023

Kate Morgan Artist, Mixed Media Collage art in group Cuba Exhibition

There was a bit of culture shock for sure, but the warmth of the Cuban people was far more impactful. Everywhere felt so safe; it was very easy to start talking to a perfect stranger and feel at ease.  As an aside, I’ve never had mango so good in my life!!!!

Cuban breakfast in Cienfuegos, made by our host who picked the fruit from her backyard that morning.

Once we were well fed each morning, we went on different art exploration excursions. We went to so many unique places - ISA (the Cuban Art University), Fabrica de Arte, Regla, Fusterland…I could go on & on. The art we saw was absolutely world class. It made the honor of being a part of this group even more humbling. We were invited into artists studio from the street (not even planned as part of our experience!) It is always so exciting to see another artists studio - how they organize materials, half completed projects, resource references…I could go on! Some artists didn’t speak English & many of us tried with very broken Spanish. But through the language of art we understood each other. 

Group photo of the 2023 participating artists with Cuban National Fine Arts Museum curator, Omar Diaz. March 2023.

Photo credit: Krystopher Scott

We were very fortunate to get a personal tour from Omar Diaz, curator of the Cuban National Fine Arts Museum — A fantastic collection & experience! This included extra history & cultural lessons that added so much more richness to our visit. 

Art is one of the few special things that creates opportunities, creates dialogue & creates relationships—without the need for a written language (I mean, it doesn’t hurt to have..but it’s not necessary when you express from within). I’m so grateful to Michael Reese of Artway, Columbus City Council, Greater Columbus Arts Council and all of the donors that contributed to allow us this amazing opportunity. This experience allowed me to experience art in a new culture with other artistic disciplines that helped inspire & educate me. It always amazes me how art is its own language. It always has something more to say.

I made a few ATC’s (Artist Trading Card) sketches of experiences & people I saw. These were for fun and to send as a thank you to some of the donors that funded the trip.

No trip to Cuba is complete without a PIÑA COLADA, vintage car or grand hotel. And no trip I take is complete without a random cat picture! I hope to visit Cuba again someday! If you ever get the opportunity— it’s an absolute must. Cuba is like nothing else in the world.

I hope to visit Cuba again someday!

Original Ceramic Cups are Coming!!!! (Hopefully in March 2021)

Here’s a pre-fired preview of some of the cups coming! I have no idea how they will turn out! You might remember this project from 2019—a collaboration with an artist friend of mine her in Columbus, Ohio, Kate Menke. She builds the cups, then has artists do their thing, then we give them back to her for final firing. This is something I have been looking forward to since the first time we did it. Believe me….I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see how they turn out!!! I know from my old ceramics classes….you must leave it in the kiln gods hands…sometimes they require a sacrifice. Fingers crossed!!

19 cups ranging from tea cup size to pint glass size. All under glazed pre-firing.

An afternoon with Mr. Goldenrod

This is some much needed silliness. My studio is in a big warehouse of other artists and they sometimes bring their family, friends or dogs. I had no idea my friend brought his cat in sometimes. He offered to let me spend an afternoon with his adorable cat Goldenrod. If you know me…..you know I couldn’t resist! And before you ask, Goldenrod is a trained cat. Yes, trained. Don’t ask me how they did it (his family trains dogs)! He said it took time & patience. So I guess I’ll never have a trained cat! We had an absolute ball together & decided to make a tutorial video for any cats wanting to start their art career. Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you: Mr. Goldenrod.

Another Video of my process...this time with snails!

This piece was an idea had had in my head for quite a while. It was one of the pieces I was most excited to make when I finally got past the winter blahs. I’m happy to say it sold to the first person I showed it too and now has a permanent home in a periodontists office in Columbus, Ohio. I loved the piece so much I will be making a few more variations…I can’t wait to see where they’ll go! Please enjoy this super fun video of the process!

This is the finished piece that measured 18 x 36 inches (I think!). Prints are available in my etsy store :)

In Between Everywhere at Mansfield Art Center

I’m super honored to have two pieces in part of this group show at Mansfield Art Center in Mansfield, OH running January 24 - February 28, 2021. We are all so hungry for art & experience again! This is a great opportunity to absorb some culture & break from the crazy we’re in safely. Masks are required (click on the image below for detailed information/hours/etc.) There is a short video below from the curator Adam Brouillette that shows how the show came about.

All of the artists are in a beautiful book that Adam designed & made. If you’d like a better look at what kind of artists are working in Columbus, Ohio……you really should get a copy here

Gallery image with my work on the back wall. The large piece is 5 feet tall (just for a sense of scale). Image ©2021 Adam Brouillette

“Dyad” (SOLD) Mixed media collage made with original drawing on bristol, antique Arabic script, nautical maps, ink, watercolor, colored pencil & gold leaf on baltic birch. ©2020 Kate Morgan

“Aeol” Mixed media collage made with antique script, sewing patterns, ink, watercolor, colored pencil & gold leaf on baltic birch. ©2020 Kate Morgan

Quick Documentation of Process (with fun music)

Lots of you have asked how I do what I do….and I kept saying someday I’ll post a video. Well, the time has come! I have always documented & shared different stages of my process. It’s just me FINALLY remembering to document all of the stages for a single piece instead of being willie nilly about it. So I hope you enjoy this very quick video that gives hopefully a better understanding. I admittedly forgot to mention the inking/shading step….but hey, I’m a work in progress!

I’m planning more videos since I’ve mastered creating a YouTube Channel (*note I mastered making an account, not creating & posting to it LOL!) I will post the videos on my blog as I make them. I have more than one rabbit up my sleeve so I hope you’ll come back for more!

Quick info about this piece:

1. It’s Sold (like weeks before I even posted this video)

2. It was a commission based on a previous piece I made (yes, I do commissions!) This one was 24 x 36 inches

3. My substrate is Baltic Birch

4. The actual final step is 3 coats of UV sealer (which is why it looks kind of flat, then gets a deeper, richer vibe for the last shot)

Shameless plug if you want to buy or share info with friends/family:

Originals: www.katemorganimagedesign.com (you’re already here)

Prints & random fun stuff: www.etsy.com/shop/kmid

The Giving Tree - A way to give art to the community. For free.

The Vanderelli room , known for providing unique opportunities for artists and patrons alike is hosting a social distancing event called “The Giving Tree”. This is an outdoor, neighborhood experience where you can get one of possibly 200 original pieces of art. For free. It’s located on the Franklinton Art Walk in Columbus, OH.

The “lady cards” These were great to do because I was able to play with color in a new way. Further down you can see more experimental & illustrative work.

The Franklinton Arts District is normally bustling on the Second Friday of every month for an event called Franklinton Fridays. This event was created by the artist community several years ago and has open artist studios (up to 100!) in multiple walkable venues within a few blocks of each other. It’s free. Anyone can come look at art, talk to the artists and meet great people. There are also several watering holes and food trucks. With the development of Covid-19 affecting everyone and everything, AJ Vanderelli has been promoting outdoor, self-guided art experiences that are safely spaced apart. But you can’t really take things home with you. For June, she’s changing that

AJ is collecting original artworks in the form of Artist Trading Cards, (or ATC’s) donated by the artists. ATC’s are purposely small—2.5 x 3 inches and the idea is to trade them with others. But this is a “Giving Tree”, not a "trading tree”. The Giving Tree will be blossoming with these ATC’s for the taking by anyone. So here’s the deal:

While you’re on your walk, keep your eyes up in the trees. If you see the trading card (sealed in a ziplock bag) grab it! It’s for you! Each bag includes an original artist trading card, an Art Fan sticker, a pack of #artmakescbus trading cards and a raffle ticket for a live raffle on @thevanderelliroom and @ajvanderelli Facebook page June 12th beginning at 8:30p. Winning raffle tickets will also be posted after raffle. You’ll have 24 hours to contact me to claim your prize.
Win art, gift certificates, t-shirts!!! This months raffle sponsors include @pinnacleperformanceoh @roygbivgallery @glassaxis @strongwatercolumbus @witchlab @ajvanderelli @katemorgankmid @james_kindler @eln4art
Artist trading cards include but not limited to @ajvanderelli @jaymuellerart @alan.reeve @nsmeltze @katemorgankmid @aimeeinks @5_13studios Lynda McClanahan @donnaestep @tiffanychristopher Samantha Farkas @jenalan79 @janetdgeorge @eln4art @mugwortandroses @swing_low_studio @palefacerudy @allisonsponhaltz @henryhessartist and more!!!

Promoting art, artists and always providing opportunities to engage with her community, AJ never disappoints in being a visionary leader in the Columbus Arts community. This is why I’m proud to be friends with her & be a part of it. I’m donating A BUNCH of cards I have been working on over the last few weeks. Soma are easily identifiable as mine, while others are just playing or experimenting. I won’t lie, several were done on Zoom calls!

These are a few of the experimental pieces. Some are familiar subject matter, but all were fun to make. It’s important as an artist to challenge myself and try new things so I don’t get stale!!

I already have requests for more of these cats. Believe me, I plan on it.

AJ Vanderelli runs the Vanderelli Room, a gallery and event space in Columbus, OH. Se is an artist, leader and advocate for humanity. You can see her, her work and her efforts here:

The Vanderelli Room Website

The Vanderelli Room Facebook Instagram

AJ Vanderelli Instagram

AJ Vanderelli Facebook

We’re waiting to see when the city will allow us to be open like before. For now you can walk the outdoor galleries and plan your route! Stay safe!

Artist to Artist

About a year ago an artist friend of mine that I adore & admire (for so many reasons) Stephanie Rond asked if I would be interested in doing a commission for her husband. This was to be a birthday surprise for him. I decided it was time I got a large piece from Stephanie as well. We set the deadline to finish (Nate’s birthday) & went from there. We spoke only a couple of times tweaking details & requests, but I’d like to share with you my part of the experience. Our pieces were both 30 x 40 in.

This will also give you some insight into my process. I will add that this was during quarantine, so I’m not in my normal studio— Enjoy!

After drawing a really quick sketch & color plan (you can see in a pic below) I started by sketching directly onto my wood panel. I stalked facebook for some of my reference pictures.

Here is the first layer. With the layout marked off & the first go of ink done, this is maybe 10-15% done.

I use kind of a gesso to seal parts and provide a brighter base so that colors appear more vivid. The kitty in the corner was drawn & cut out of bristol vellum (what I normally do body parts out of).

So who are these adorable kitties? Meet Dot & Dorrie. They are world famous art curators of S. Dot Gallery and an integral part of the family. They HAD to be included! That colorful bit to the right of them is the pre-sketch I did.

On the left the collage is mostly complete. Notice the cats are in a different place on the right image. The papers used are all symbolic to them. I won’t give you too many details because I want them to be able to keep and share them for themselves. There are languages, maps and words that represent important things to them. The image to the right is the very beginning of more ink washing. Fun fact: I forgot to gold leaf before I collaged their hair.

After MANY washes of ink & watercolor, it’s getting much closer! Gold leaf is done. Now I said I was relegated to my living room instead of my normal studio. Have you ever heard an artist go on & on & on about “the lighting”? Look at these side by side. Can you see how bright and vivid the image on the left is compared to the one on the right? The one on the left was mid-day, while the one on the right was at night with clearly not adequate lighting.

So here is where I made this piece (and several others as you can see). Again, this is a makeshift studio set-up for quarantine. It’s a mess!!

Here it is (with another commission I worked on at the same time) ready for sealing. I usually do at least 3 coats of an archival UV protectant. This seals, protects and actually helps the color saturation immensely. I will tell you Stephanie told me my piece was ready 2 weeks before I was done —so the anticipation was intense!!

Here is Stephanie Rond’s piece I got!!! We did a socially safe contactless hand off in my driveway & I am absolutely in love with the piece she made for me! Fun fact: the vulture is my spirit animal!

And here is her finished piece! I can say she had to hide it from her husband for a bit until it was his birthday! Fun fact: On the ground at each side is a little present for each of them: On his there is a buckeye (representing Ohio). On her side is some clover (representing Ireland), one of which has 4 leaves.

Who is Stephanie Rond? She’s an artist & a person I absolutely admire. Please click on her name to see her website to learn way more about her (like her TedX talk, or her award winning short film). She is an Internationally recognized force of vision & action. Below are only some of the projects that she has been running in addition to making her own art & fighting for good.

stephanierond.com

womenstreetartists.com

sdotgallery.com

I hope you enjoyed!

Meet My Friends (Please Support Small Business)

I’d like to introduce you to some people that are of the highest quality. In addition to being genuine, delightful & hilarious people they also happen to be fellow artisans extremely talented in a variety of mediums. I’m very proud of what I’m able to do for a living. I’m also proud to have met each of these talented artists while traveling the country. I own several pieces from each of these artists. And I can’t wait to own more. I hope you love them as much as I do!!! In no particular order…..

Don David Designs I met Don & his wife Serena just before I was able to go full time. It was a horrible show, but we each gained friends for a lifetime. You have probably seen me in my staple “DD” necklace, a blue sphere. These are lost wax cast sterling silver with lost wax cast glass.

Lab Partners Jewelry -the team of JD & JD have become almost a daily requirement for me. We met through a creative community and quickly became friends. They constantly raise the bar on themselves & everyone around them. They’re probably the smartest people I know. See their science inspired jewelry that looks like glass but is incredibly lightweight acrylic. I have a piece from them that is my other “go to” —especially in summer!

Goldyfish Handbags by Jessica Joy. 100% designed & 100% handmade by her in Ohio. I fell in love with mine. If you know me, I’m pretty hard on things (not the delicate flower sadly). I can say I still have my original purse from 8 years ago. It is SO durable. I think I’m up to 8 bags now. I love her bags almost as much as I love her. If you’ve seen pictures from the New Orleans trip…that’s JJ!!

Eric Lanese Woodcraft is a Central Ohio woodworker that does everything from small charcuterie boards to full restaurants (see Ambrose & Eve). His favorite is one of a kind coffee tables. And black walnut. He loves working with people to create custom pieces….and it’s not as expensive as you would think.

Mikelle Hickman-Romine demands elegance in any form. She is multi-talented, but her seed bead weaving is just stunning. I have the first version of this style of necklace. It was her rebuttal to my statement “I don’t like gold” (yeeeears ago). Her reply was “you haven’t found the right gold yet” and handed me a box with my necklace.

Sankora Studios have become amazing friends - part of my core group. Genuine, amazing people. Did I mention talented? They are in the Cleveland, OH area, and anytime I have a show there I stay with them now. I get to see all of the bits & pieces. Focused on lamps now but he’s also made tables & room dividers in this style as well. I’m saving up far a floor lamp….they are stunning.

Allison Metalworks is a Central Ohio certified goldsmith & loves doing custom. She is working on a custom piece made from my parents wedding rings right now. One of the coolest pieces I got to see was a wedding ring with meteorites set around the diamond. Crazy cool.

Shearrow Pottery another artist that creates only elegance. “Famous” for his Raku, naked raku & horsehair finishes. Bill also known for his custom tiles either individual or entire kitchens.

Lily in Flux makes super funky & chunky jewelry & mixed media sculptures. She always finds the coolest stones. She’s making me a set of clavicles out of ancient Roman glass—I can’t wait!!

Gallery Shows

Scheduling couldn’t have been more perfect! Three group shows in March! Heck yeah! With the newly State mandated Covid-19 quarantine regulations however, the galleries all had to close their doors to the public. But also to the artists!!! 90% of my work is inaccessible to me right now. Mid-April was the earliest pick-up date. Now there are talks of extending Ohio’s deadline until May. Which means I can’t pick my work up until the venues are able to open for non-essential business.

I thought this was a fitting image to sum up my emotions on the situation. There is artwork out there, all over the world that just wants to be seen & experienced. All of that artwork is as lonely and confused as many of us are. I hope everyone is being safe & responsible so that we can get back to our “old ways” as much as possible. If you are on the front lines of this pandemic, thank you. If you know someone who is on the front lines, thank them.

If you are one of the lucky ones who have the capacity to continue supporting local & small businesses, please do.

“Aeol”, 3 x 5 feet. Collage, ink, watercolor, colored pencil & gold leaf on board. $7,250

Return to Spain (& barely back)

Well. Quite frankly, that was not the vacation I was expecting. Arriving in Spain felt amazing, it was the first day of vacation after doing over 30 shows last year. I like to think I earned it. But here’s what happened…

Frigiliana mountainside fountain with a surprise duck, fresh local olives at EVERY restaurant & a beach cat!

A beautiful Seaside shrine called Virgen del Mar in Nerja, Spain. You place a stone with your wish/blessing & place it on the shrine that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. I think I left 3.

While in Spain we saw Italy shut down. Then Portugal, then Spain. It was an unnerving experience to say the least. We had to discuss the potential of staying in Spain for an undetermined amount of time. We opted to fight to get home.

The streets of Malaga, Spain completely empty the night before we left (March 17, 2020). We were told we could stay at this hotel for 1 night, then they were closing & we would have to find other accommodations if we couldn’t fly out.

We were scheduled out on the 18th but flights were being rescheduled/cancelled etc. Long story short we DID make it out after a few nights in various airports (literally all over the world).

Frankfurt Germany Police directing non-European Union passengers to sleep in the airport because of Germanys border closure that happened while we were en route.

I came home to a flooded basement, a newly broken garage door, my first experience with low blood sugar & statewide closure. Needless to say, I would have rather set my booth up in the rain. But all was not lost. HOME IS HOME especially after an experience like that!

THE LAST FLOWER BY JAMES THURBER AND ART UNBOUND III 11/1/19 - 1/3/20

Super excited & honored to have been invited to be a part of the third installment of Art Unbound. This show asks Columbus-based artists to create original artworks from books donated to Friends of the Library. This years theme asked us to respond to the themes within Thurber’s The Last Flower.

My interpretation was a fable of his parable. I used the soon to be discarded sheet music (mostly teaching materials & symphony) for the trees. This is the largest scale animal based piece I have done - & I couldn’t be more thrilled!

Hope you enjoy!

“Uncharted” in the Carnegie Gallery, 2nd Floor, Columbus Metropolitan Main Library

“Uncharted” 2 x 4 feet.

2 Artists + 3 Weeks on The Road = A Working Adventure!

I am so fortunate to get to do what I love for a living, but getting to meet & become friends with other talented artists is an amazing perk! A few have become very good friends, so much so that I joined forces for three weeks of shows with JJ from Goldyfish Handbags. It can get costly & lonely on the road so having friends like her made it a super fun experience! We started in Memphis, TN for the River Arts Festival , the Gulf Coast Art Festival in Pensacola, FL and ending in Covington, LA at the Three Rivers Art Festival.

Don’t think it was all play & no work however…we both brought our supplies & got plenty of work done between shows. When we needed a break we took some adventures to learn more about the places we were.

First things first! If I’m leaving for 3 weeks, I’m going to need 3 weeks worth of stuff!! Don’t worry though, JJ had plenty of room for my extra stuff, so it was only this packed until I got to Memphis!

Both of us busy at work in Pensacola, FL! It rained most of our stay, so we weren’t tempted by the beach….until the last day!

Just a quick shot from my booth…not a bunch of time, this was just a small break in the crowd!

We got to visit the beach on our last night in Pensacola….it REALLY was that cold!! I think we lasted about 30 minutes.

What does the end of the road look like? We wanted to find out so we drove South waaaaaaay past New Orleans to see what we could find. It was the Sea. And oil refineries. But it was a fun adventure for us. Sadly, we later found out that there used to be a road to Pilottown but that Southern Louisiana’s landscape has been changing rapidly.

More proof of working on the road!!! The piece to the right was a commission based on a previous piece-the difference being they requested 3 baby snails atop the parent snail.

This is one of my favorite tours to do in Louisiana. I just love swamps & boats. Now I will mention that early November has been beautiful weather wise for this, I couldn’t imagine doing this in August!! But it’s just an absolutely mystical feeling down there.

This is the other reason I love the swamp tours!!! Now, I admit it’s different when these critters live so far away….but on vacation, they’re adorable! We learned the wild pig is responsible for a tremendous amount of destruction to the trees, destroying them at their roots as they forage for food.

I saved the most impactful experience for last. We drove to the Lower 9th Ward to see how it was doing since the devastating Katrina flood. I’m sad to say it’s only just begun. Nothing near where it needs to be. But there ARE improvements. There are still large areas of grass - what was clearly a neighborhood that has yet to be rebuilt. There are a few houses/structures that are still standing in good condition, but several new structures are being built to fill those empty voids. We discovered the Lower 9th Ward Living Museum which was an absolutely amazing experience. It is NOT a Katrina Museum. I can’t recommend it enough. Rarely do you get the opportunity to see AND hear the oral history through the eyes of its denizens. There are pictures from the neighborhoods tenants-and let me tell you-it’s powerful. It shows a history of the neighborhood with only a fraction dealing with Katrina, it’s mostly how the lower 9th came to be. It runs on volunteers & donations. The volunteers were amazing. Again, I can’t recommend it enough.

Random boat in the road. Lower 9th Ward Living Museum entrance. Some newly built homes.

Now with all of those shows & adventures done, it’s time to head home again to get ready for the next show!

I promise I was in the passenger seat when I took this picture. Up ahead is New Orleans & we are driving over Lake Pontchartrain, the lake that broke the levies and flowed into the Lower 9th.

Always use your turn signals & check your mirrors! Safe driving everyone!!

Until next time!

---

Animals Everywhere!

I thought I’d share a few friends I’ve met this year. I’ve interacted with far more species than I had anticipated. But as I’ve always said…everyone is welcome in my booth as long as you have 4 legs or less!

This Cicada posed for a mugshot.

We think his name is Gary the cicada. The thumb in the picture belongs to a 6’2” guy named Paul. So if you have never seen a cicada up close before, they are the size of a grown mans thumb & make weird noises. Yup….nature.

This was very exciting for me. This is a sugar glider. Another artist had 4 in her super awesome star wars pouch. She said they can live for 20 years.

This is the wildest of all the forest creatures. He was such a sweetheart. I can’t remember his name because his fantastic EWOK look was too much to compete with.

TOO MANY LEGS!!!! This guy was about 3-4 inches long. Luckily he was outside of my tent, and after I told him he probably would be happier far faaaaaaaaar away from me, he left. Did I mention…..TOO MANY LEGS!!

Well this is what happens when you feed wild animals regularly…they get close & steal your Wheat Thins. I had to use 10 more wheat thins to progressively get him further & further away from the tent…he was wandering in & out of artist tents in the morning looking for food!!! I look at it like this: I paid him 11 Wheat thins for his amazing modelling fee!

Watercolors Surrounded by Water!

Water is the essence of life they say! It’s literally everywhere this summer! It’s been a very wet season so far, so why not join it, right? I decided to honor our soggy season by playing with some watercolors again. I’ve had some extra time at some shows (the wet ones) & as always in the hotel rooms while traveling show to show. Its been fun getting reacquainted with this fun medium again. Any who, I figured I’d share some pictures & let you know that these are all for sale at shows…I usually have a bin on the wall (separate from the prints) that are all original art, matted & unframed for $200-300. I just add to it when I finish one so it’s ever changing!

“Untitled” - Just about finished during the Ann Arbor show in July. Why did I have time? It was 4 days of 100 degree heat index with pop up storms in the afternoon that caused the show to close 3 hours early 2 nights in a row!! It was a crazy weather weekend to say the least!

“Untitled”/Watercolor - Here she is at the very beginning stages. It was great to play with because watercolor needs a lot of time to dry between layers, so I was able to do a little bit then set it in the sun to dry.

“untitled” / watercolor - The best part is watercolor is easy enough to take anywhere! This was a complete bonus day off in Minneapolis just before the Uptown show. This quiet little beach was a small hike from Minnehaha Falls - which is a must do for me every time I visit the area now.

We’ve all been at festivals when it rains. People usually do the same thing in every city…run for cover or head home. Many of you ask what we do when it rains. Well, this is it. We stay with our art! We make sure everything is protected, then wait. That way we’re still there when the skies clear up & everyone comes back. But sometimes that takes a little longer than we want.

Chuck Wimmer, an artist friend of mine shows what artists do when it rains. You can check his work out here

In Progress Mixed Media Reliquary Bust

I love to stay challenged & try new things, so a few years ago I started taking a ceramics class for fun. I wish I could devote more time to it - especially since this ceramic piece was fired over about a year ago and I have only recently had time to work on her again!!! She is meant to serve as a reliquary piece.

rel·i·quar·y

/ˈreləˌkwerē/

noun

1. a container for holy (or sacred) relics.

She is coil built & glazed. Her hair “extensions” are built from a wire frame providing a sturdy form that I could weave the yarn around. She’s definitely more than half done, but I will eventually have enough yarn that the entire yarn section of hair will be solid & capable of mimicking the opening in the back of her hair. Expect to see a series of reliquaries from me someday!

Front, face detail & back.

Details of thread maze, face & attachment.

Cross-Over, a collaborative ceramic show

Opening April 12, 2019 at The Vanderelli Room in Columbus, OH 7-10 P.M. This show is the creation of my friend Kate Menke @katemenke a ceramic artist that wanted to combine artistic efforts & styles with friends and artists. The show features over 20 artists “crossing over” onto vessels that Menke has made either by hand or slip cast. All artists were able to select as many pieces to decorate as they wanted, and could use either ceramic glaze, or their own medium. Menke also used artists line drawings to transfer to cups for those of us that just wanted to explore the ceramic world further.

I decided to try something new & play with only the glazes and a ceramic pencil. Some came out better than I had hoped, others….well, they didn’t explode in the kiln! This was truly an awesome experience & I hope people can come and see so many tremendous artists in one room that have been brought together by friendship & respect. A humbling show indeed.

All work pictured below is available for purchase from The Vanderelli Room through April 30, 2019.

Facebook event is here for more info on location & hours.

One of a kind cups with glaze & pencil or sgraffito & glaze. Some have 24kt gold glaze.

Image transfer cups from line drawings. Some have 24kt gold glaze details.

Vase in progress - ceramic glaze doesn’t really allow you to see the finished product until it’s fired, so no one knows until the end!

The lines that look like pencil are actually a very special pencil that can withstand the heat of the kiln. A regular pencil lead line would simply burn off & disappear.

My working “pile”. The two terra cotta colored cups when fired will be a deep red. When a pencil wasn’t enough, I used something like a dental tool to carve the lines into the clay; this is called sgraffito.

In addition to colors changing, the size changes about 10% too. Ceramics are magic!!!

Hope you enjoyed seeing the process & results. This was a super fun project & I hope to continue it further in the future! Please contact The Vanderelli Room for purchase inquiry. If any are leftover after the show I will put them in my etsy shop. Until then, back to making!!

Mugshot Effigy Project →

Eleven Ohio figurative artists trading portraits. Inspired by @death_of_a_coworker.

Please follow our almost 4 year journey together on Instagram @mugshot_effigy

Eleven Ohio artists led by @joeymonsoon agreed to commit to a 3-4 year project of drawing each person in the group (3 months per portrait) then meeting for an exchange & beginning again. I am endlessly in awe of the talent I am surrounded by. Styles & experience range dramatically. It doesn’t take long to feel how important & powerful the single voice of an artist can be. I hope you enjoy seeing these as much as we have just loved creating them. As of March 2019, we are still not done.

We hope one day to be able to see everything displayed together. But at over 120 pieces…that’s gonna be quite an experience. Please explore and follow these artists I am thrilled to call friends & colleagues. I am so proud of the Columbus, Ohio art scene.

In no particular order:

Joey Monsoon @joeymonsoon

Cyrus Fire @cyrus.fire

Rob Jones @whalin_rob_jones @uncle_gutbucket

Chris Tennant @heathenhoard

Mandi Caskey @miss.birdy 

Lisa Mclymont @lisamclymont

Kate Morgan @katemorgankmid

Dan Gerdeman @dangerdeman

Grant Gilsdorf @gg_paint

Jason Mowry @j_mowry

Jasmine Yetts @_yaaasmine___

Top row (L-R): Joey Monsoon, Rob Jones, Jason Mowry, Cyrus Fire, Lisa McLymont, Kate Morgan, Grant Gilsdorf

Bottom Row (L-R): Chris Tennant, Dan Gerdeman, Mandi Caskey, Jasmine Yetts

Art for Life 2018 at the Columbus Museum of Art

Art For Life 2018

It's an honor to be included in this prestigious & philanthropic event again. My contributions for their last few events have been made specifically for them. It's a way I can contribute and help make a bigger impact (hopefully). It is also a way for me to show my thanks & gratitude.  This is a wonderful union of community & art supporting each other & I'm proud to be a part of it!! In addition to generating much needed funding, it's an incredibly good time - Having fun doing good! What's better than that? Well a close second would be hanging  with International artists like Keith Haring, Dion Johnson, Dave Chihuly as well as several artists & friends I adore & admire at the Columbus Museum of Art for this event. Oh wait, that's happening too!  But don't take my word for it, visit the link below to see! 

What is Art For Life?

Art for Life is a biennial art auction, created in 1989, that has helped raise awareness and approximately $3 million in funding for HIV/AIDS medical care, prevention, education, testing and advocacy services. The event is not only a celebration of the arts community and Equitas Health’s life-saving work, but also a celebration of life and the artists who enrich it. There is a Live and Silent Auction which feature some of the best local and internationally recognized artists. Art for Life 2016 raised over $600,000 and had over 1,000 attendees, continuing its legacy as the most successful charity art auction fundraiser in Ohio.

Art for Life will return to the Columbus Museum of Art in the Margaret M. Walter Wing on September 15, 2018.

Artwork Preview  here

Tickets / Event Information  here