tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53502628218438883702024-03-05T00:06:44.841-08:00Uncommon ThreadsRandom thoughts about the unexpected connections uncovered while living the creative life.Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.comBlogger151125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-31787509606443451622021-08-05T13:12:00.000-07:002021-08-05T13:12:02.227-07:00MOUSE HOUSE PARTY <p> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-_mtpiBSTWvuHUV8MJ-MSKqLSWrP3y4-2uSsGfNOEZBoPfCT09m33Go_GZsHZIIBqxwqm-2UMGlisWMrK9ue2Rx0GaERNMTJqz-ySyg6rRDzs69LpXavlmtfzW2Kh4aF4goAdIT07n8/s1080/Mousehole+opening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-_mtpiBSTWvuHUV8MJ-MSKqLSWrP3y4-2uSsGfNOEZBoPfCT09m33Go_GZsHZIIBqxwqm-2UMGlisWMrK9ue2Rx0GaERNMTJqz-ySyg6rRDzs69LpXavlmtfzW2Kh4aF4goAdIT07n8/w355-h355/Mousehole+opening.jpg" width="355" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mouse House Party: Fill the Hole opens this Friday!<br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I am honored to be one of 150 artists invited to participate<br /> in the Mouse House Party: Fill the Hole.<br /><br />The exhibit opens at Current Cleveland art gallery on Friday, August 6, 2021<br />and was spurred by Liz Maugans and organized by her, as well.<br /><br />Using an arch shapes provided by Maugans and representing a Mouse Hole, artists were asked<br />to make work expressing how they felt last year during the Covid pandemic, <br />or illustrate how they spent their time.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGYYSCdQqm4kQh5nn5mBO8Op3RutIRm2-L-_3DixHn89Lm4SjRO0J1PX2j1rLro_PcN0BjuQGqTGNm3JThuJYy26KL02cTAFEK_dWvC_0XVIxgzMqK3hhQ8m3rtZgepjEPAKMsZHy7Ok/s2048/Mouse+House+Party+Prayers+for+the+Dead+by+Gayle+Pritchard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1562" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGYYSCdQqm4kQh5nn5mBO8Op3RutIRm2-L-_3DixHn89Lm4SjRO0J1PX2j1rLro_PcN0BjuQGqTGNm3JThuJYy26KL02cTAFEK_dWvC_0XVIxgzMqK3hhQ8m3rtZgepjEPAKMsZHy7Ok/w488-h640/Mouse+House+Party+Prayers+for+the+Dead+by+Gayle+Pritchard.jpg" width="488" /></a></div>My work, Prayers for the Dead, illustrates the grief and loss I have <br />been experiencing since the beginning of the pandemic.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-27075004814072242142021-05-31T12:28:00.001-07:002021-05-31T12:28:30.583-07:00Learning To Follow My Bliss: part one<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbv789Bvj9EGh9FJKA9O1muuw55dWNOeYpqWSe4wPabpc8G-Ep3Li-g8aCPjPuCOgq1Z-w__umxC9X5_aI2e15c6N14OSeUF_GzUK4O-sH9SzBOne2pp-Px94LWCyuzy1gqF_wiixqlgQ/s2048/rainbow+vw.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1789" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbv789Bvj9EGh9FJKA9O1muuw55dWNOeYpqWSe4wPabpc8G-Ep3Li-g8aCPjPuCOgq1Z-w__umxC9X5_aI2e15c6N14OSeUF_GzUK4O-sH9SzBOne2pp-Px94LWCyuzy1gqF_wiixqlgQ/s320/rainbow+vw.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Double Rainbow, barely visible</td></tr></tbody></table> The spiritual writer Deepak Chopra has a <a href="https://choprafoundation.org/science-consciousness/the-hidden-power-of-follow-your-bliss/" target="_blank">meditation</a> that I like to do on a regular basis that he describes as "Follow Your Bliss." Translated from Sanskrit, Chopra describes these meditation principles, Sat Chit Anandan as foundational to existence. This meditation mantra emphasizes that there is more than enough of all we need and desire to go around. In my meditation, I try to focus on being filled with love, and calling in the love that I desire, the love that is already there for me.<div><br /></div><div> Extra love is the nourishment I require right now. Extra is the wrong word, but I don't stop to interrupt the flow of writing to try to find a better one. I call in love to comfort my feeling of overwhelming grief.</div><div><br /></div><div> I don't think I told you yet that I saw a double rainbow last week. During my trip back home to see my ill sister, I was a passenger, so I tried to capture the private sensations I experienced while traveling the familiar roads, because I wanted to share them with you, you riding beside me in the car, walking beside me as I walked the familiar streets, seeing all the familiar places that created us in our youth.</div><div><br /></div><div>Seeing a double rainbow is a spiritual experience, an auspicious omen of good things ahead. That's how it felt seeing it, the longest-lasting rainbow of any sort that I have ever seen. Barely visible in this snapshot from a moving car, it shimmered in a rainstorm sky for a good twenty-five minutes, sending out its blessings to all who saw it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today I am the white horse riding alone, remembering the rainbow, but not basking in its soft, colorful glow. I am seeking my bliss, but not finding it today, even though it is there waiting for me. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3YkEE259uaG4CCq_NUTIrpgK1_HUdV9n9E-6FvF4Hg8YHCPIG8aS-RgCrtXCY9z4j1EigDpfpge7FmEHNI6bxXHuWFMKMwHN_W7WEjgPjmkV1C-Lylrep3Mi0mEXJNC33WGEUcDzS18/s2048/medicine+sticks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1165" data-original-width="2048" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3YkEE259uaG4CCq_NUTIrpgK1_HUdV9n9E-6FvF4Hg8YHCPIG8aS-RgCrtXCY9z4j1EigDpfpge7FmEHNI6bxXHuWFMKMwHN_W7WEjgPjmkV1C-Lylrep3Mi0mEXJNC33WGEUcDzS18/w400-h228/medicine+sticks.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medicine Sticks for the memorial</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Yesterday, while I was still in the thrall of my bliss, I did my meditation at my studio. After a morning of sorting through my brother's belongings, a parting gift from his former landlord as I left my childhood home to return to my current one, I needed a place to put my feelings of peace and joy and connection. I took with me a stick my brother had started to work into something, the dark one second from the left, along with some deer hide lacing he had wrapped around the stick. Both the stick and lacing reeked of cigarettes that will eventually dissipate, even as they carry the energy of my brother's hands. I put on my new Spotify playlist, and got to work with my drill, the stick beginning to smoke from the friction of the drill bit going deep until it emerged on the other side and I thought of my deep joy. I finished with sand colored waxed linen, carefully wrapping it tightly around the surface, imbuing the beautiful beach stick with my wishes for dear Denny: Deep peace of the quiet earth to you. <div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And I am looking to find my double rainbow.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hkiiUlWw3lMD3T00uPvS7zVaznHiil3cDCHwB8zaIWP8oXfACpK_gd-p2OD4fEl5Sp2kZfHZhoFDYPjrZdqZW9f4HtnuatLxvgCTFtGoxr1AskFpR6Zxw1rmdmOVMSsXvLkY-NHM-gQ/s2048/medicine+stick+for+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1463" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hkiiUlWw3lMD3T00uPvS7zVaznHiil3cDCHwB8zaIWP8oXfACpK_gd-p2OD4fEl5Sp2kZfHZhoFDYPjrZdqZW9f4HtnuatLxvgCTFtGoxr1AskFpR6Zxw1rmdmOVMSsXvLkY-NHM-gQ/s320/medicine+stick+for+me.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are, each one, on our own path.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /><br /><div><br /></div></div>Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-78240897255914463482021-05-24T17:46:00.000-07:002021-05-24T17:46:39.270-07:00Full Circle, Beginnings and Endings<p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2bVbyVA8dsAD9HS6VlMnPSJoJdK58_zJ4AsWq7jo9i2gl_WSOKBdOgzlBsyrG6t_TRjqsqlPnMvwRbYO1ISkQhiZB7m7ZsYVJWPOIdJuZYV2GAll7RSgw_cAmJrbwIuEri5mxX142Nc/s1200/1950s+Denny+Vickery+with+his+mom+Betty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2bVbyVA8dsAD9HS6VlMnPSJoJdK58_zJ4AsWq7jo9i2gl_WSOKBdOgzlBsyrG6t_TRjqsqlPnMvwRbYO1ISkQhiZB7m7ZsYVJWPOIdJuZYV2GAll7RSgw_cAmJrbwIuEri5mxX142Nc/s320/1950s+Denny+Vickery+with+his+mom+Betty.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brother Denny and my mom in the 1950s</td></tr></tbody></table>This has been quite a year so far, a time of quiet reflection, of rediscovering passion, of circling back to childhood, of reconnecting with people who loved my family and who love me. It has also been a time of unspeakable loss, beginning with the sudden death of my brother at the end of February and the precarious nature of life itself even in the present, as other loved ones face down illness and more. And in the middle of all of it, I had an amazing opportunity to exhibit my work, which is one of the greatest honors of my life, sharing my work with the public and hearing their comments and feedback.</p><p><br /></p><p>Working on the exhibition interfered with my grieving process. Because I am an artist, I was grateful to be able to begin finding my way again through sitting quietly and making art as I prepared for it. I mentioned one of the new pieces, <i>Traveler,</i> in a <a href="http://gaylepritchard.blogspot.com/2021/04/art-and-meaning.html" target="_blank">previous blog post</a>, which I finished and dedicated to my brother. Following the gentle rhythm of my ideas and trusting the process, I kept working.</p><p>I finished a second piece, <i>Talisman</i>, that ended up being a trip down the rabbit hole back into my childhood family and my own childhood. The eggs at the bottom are my siblings; the five of us, now down to three. There are many childhood references, address numbers, birthdates, toys, moving parts, game pieces, a clock face, a broken Swiss army knife. A whiff of the past that pulsed through my veins into the present, as I let it come out in the work. It's one of my favorite pieces. Value the process.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAuXlwBcjIVf0aiYL66Fh30Jmzx6gF2UCTrkrnspXTOREqhSX1b9y7xUV4d3sK6wI3OZc1k8C6tg93S_78uOM6gB5YsdeQ7acL3RV1g_QHS5zrAmB8Kc_KxY3FNztHVzi3ozJbnrWbNfY/s2048/Talisman+postcard+image+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1544" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAuXlwBcjIVf0aiYL66Fh30Jmzx6gF2UCTrkrnspXTOREqhSX1b9y7xUV4d3sK6wI3OZc1k8C6tg93S_78uOM6gB5YsdeQ7acL3RV1g_QHS5zrAmB8Kc_KxY3FNztHVzi3ozJbnrWbNfY/w301-h400/Talisman+postcard+image+1.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Talisman by Gayle Pritchard, 2021</td></tr></tbody></table><p>So, I go 'round and 'round, my head and heart spinning and breaking as I try to return to joy. This is the energy of the week of an total eclipse, the psychics and astrologers say, a week where it is time to be quiet and reflect while the full circle is completed. Clear the way for the future, make room for what is coming.</p><p>Grief and loss can consume a person. The path to living, however, is digging your way out from the abyss. That takes resilience, a highly undervalued skill developed through adversity; a skill that allows humans to completely lose their way and still come back, full circle, once again, to brings their gifts back to the world. What I am truly grateful for, as always, is that I know how I will heal; it will be the same way I have always healed: picking up the bits and pieces, fragments of memories and conversations, glimpses into another's soul, while I wait for what is mine, a gift from the universe.</p><p>This last artwork says it all, which is why I bought it from my friend <a href="https://www.jillmilenskiart.com/" target="_blank">Jill Milenski</a> when it spoke to my heart. I have it hanging in my home where I can see it several times a day. It will be my new mantra for now.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhasO-EME2FQlDCY7MEgNBetBrm935H5zAOr2xHgPLo42uigt0LOovdKcO1-y3mI4MxEIE8Irkrz59kZFbN7gwXPzVh3Mq5goTGD1pXp1FVoHVlvaJ_hTtQ9vMvM-XQMIf4i6P8LcbWk/s2048/Parachute+Jill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhasO-EME2FQlDCY7MEgNBetBrm935H5zAOr2xHgPLo42uigt0LOovdKcO1-y3mI4MxEIE8Irkrz59kZFbN7gwXPzVh3Mq5goTGD1pXp1FVoHVlvaJ_hTtQ9vMvM-XQMIf4i6P8LcbWk/w299-h400/Parachute+Jill.jpg" width="299" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-81024508930223248582021-04-29T11:37:00.001-07:002021-04-29T11:37:31.629-07:00Art and Meaning<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMT6XiuG8SYfUX6fS2ct46EY7WiIUiVel2nUdSI2Cl9JpI9nOQ1jFWTpiRp4suyZoQjTwQGwWb4IzoJW16EFckLiz1cdqXzD9dG5tLnAUqgUM-cVVjES_VVY6HHFBs4VsNDxTVQv11ikc/s2048/IMG_2040+voice+crop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMT6XiuG8SYfUX6fS2ct46EY7WiIUiVel2nUdSI2Cl9JpI9nOQ1jFWTpiRp4suyZoQjTwQGwWb4IzoJW16EFckLiz1cdqXzD9dG5tLnAUqgUM-cVVjES_VVY6HHFBs4VsNDxTVQv11ikc/s320/IMG_2040+voice+crop.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She Found Her Voice by <a href="http://www.artbycrum.com">Gail Crum</a><br />from the exhibition <br /><i><a href="https://bayarts.net/galleries/current-shows/28-galleries/current-shows/1563-playhouse-gallery-uncovered-stories.html" target="_blank">Uncovered Stories</a></i></td></tr></tbody></table></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> If you are a member of the viewing public as opposed to being an artist, you may not know that one of the many beautiful things that art does is bring meaning to the times. Artists have a way of looking at the world differently than most people. That quirky way of seeing gets combined with the tools of expression, and the end result, the piece of art, is what you see when you visit an exhibition like my current one, <a href="https://bayarts.net/galleries/current-shows/28-galleries/current-shows/1563-playhouse-gallery-uncovered-stories.html" target="_blank"><i>Uncovered Stories</i></a>. </p><p></p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> In this three-woman exhibition, the fourth one presented by <a href="http://www.artbycrum.com" target="_blank">Gail Crum</a>, <a href="https://www.jillmilenskiart.com/" target="_blank">Jill Milenski</a>, and <a href="https://www.gaylepritchardart.com/" target="_blank">me</a> in as many years, much of the work presented was made during the pandemic last year. Artworks, such as our trio of altered books made to keep us going and connected, reflect what was happening just as a contemporaneous journal written during the Civil War would. You just need to open your heart to connect to the artwork.</p><p></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEEpYtXw_xe_GEaBl1VWY1q3saAn-kTky-BypSJUBaUNy2uFA1lDfRkri9JNfIyXitSQbNH92WIQrUz72wj0CvhuX_6CBieIKUlN15Y2_zF4FRyPlaOOY_KpNOCV0EnLptCrXcSinxOyg/s2048/IMG_2079+books+install.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEEpYtXw_xe_GEaBl1VWY1q3saAn-kTky-BypSJUBaUNy2uFA1lDfRkri9JNfIyXitSQbNH92WIQrUz72wj0CvhuX_6CBieIKUlN15Y2_zF4FRyPlaOOY_KpNOCV0EnLptCrXcSinxOyg/w400-h266/IMG_2079+books+install.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The artists created altered books, which they shared in a <br />round robin during the pandemic, to stay connected with <br />each other when they couldn't meet.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p>Gail's piece, shown above, finds meaning in uncovering the beauty in a cast-off cloth doll, which she placed in a glass case she lined with delicate handmade paper. She recasts the broken-down figure, ennobling it with beauty and grace. Indeed, she found her voice.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In her piece, below, Jill combines drawing, painting and collage to create <i>Doorways Into the Past</i>, a piece that contemplates the joys and perils of raising a teenager during the pandemic. It's both fraught and wistful at the same time, and certainly something any parent can relate to.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbzEwkHeEZJ51jw1gwajlDXheQkdM2-ZJFz8PlYlRmoR8PjwLCjjgzJNABtiwoMDr6UjPpQSxstCbag4hvCRC3OBrmUMPwZ-G0fQVHSa_ULSuf1ylI7TCXnDxNCVdtmaiU0LU0lc65ao/s2048/IMG_2065+doorways+into+the+past+crop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1466" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbzEwkHeEZJ51jw1gwajlDXheQkdM2-ZJFz8PlYlRmoR8PjwLCjjgzJNABtiwoMDr6UjPpQSxstCbag4hvCRC3OBrmUMPwZ-G0fQVHSa_ULSuf1ylI7TCXnDxNCVdtmaiU0LU0lc65ao/w286-h400/IMG_2065+doorways+into+the+past+crop.JPG" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Doorways Into the Past</i> by <a href="https://www.jillmilenskiart.com/" target="_blank">Jill Milenski</a>, as<br />seen in <i><a href="https://www.bayarts.net/galleries/current-shows/28-galleries/current-shows/1563-playhouse-gallery-uncovered-stories.html" target="_blank">Uncovered Stories</a></i>.</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p> Jill has made nearly two dozen pieces in this series, exploring the rabbit hole of feelings, finding new expressions every time. This is another beautiful aspect of art, this time reserved for the maker of art. Yes, the viewer reaps the benefits of the rabbit hole journeys, but for the artist, long series such as this one, lead not only to deep personal meaning, they create breakthroughs in one's work that forge new paths and create new challenges. It's an exciting place to be.</p><p> One of my own series relates to home and houses. I started both drawing and constructing them as assemblages about five years ago, when we were working on an exhibition entitled <i><a href="https://lakewoodobserver.com/read/2017/03/07/memories-of-home-and-the-wisdom-of-women" target="_blank">Memories Evoked: Circling Back Home.</a> </i>In addition to teensy little oil pastel drawings of houses on top of boxes, I added sticks stitched in place. I even created one large piece from an old dresser drawer. Called Pink House, it was almost a 3-D diorama of my childhood home. I put legs from an old television on the bottom and an old rabbit ears antennae on the top. I love that piece, which I still have.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQBvwioUB61l5NDfk-9n3lyWklP2UUApq50wnaA78QyQ6H-FXMp0bZz_YqTrGMofTu-GdbnUYp8W1SL6MDLxwLyC3EN-P6KXlP5m3miEw4r9FhQ7HqEndmnINcKPVqC1JmgbDx7-HPQU/s1119/TRAVELER+by+Gayle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1119" data-original-width="896" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQBvwioUB61l5NDfk-9n3lyWklP2UUApq50wnaA78QyQ6H-FXMp0bZz_YqTrGMofTu-GdbnUYp8W1SL6MDLxwLyC3EN-P6KXlP5m3miEw4r9FhQ7HqEndmnINcKPVqC1JmgbDx7-HPQU/w320-h400/TRAVELER+by+Gayle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Traveler</i> by Gayle Pritchard, as seen in <br /><i><a href="https://www.bayarts.net/galleries/current-shows/28-galleries/current-shows/1563-playhouse-gallery-uncovered-stories.html" target="_blank">Uncovered Stories</a></i>.</td></tr></tbody></table>As I was preparing for my current exhibition, I started working on several new house drawings for my series, including <i>Traveler</i>, left. The two-dimensional wooden house is mounted on another piece of wood replete with my ubiquitous marks. A sort of map is nailed to the bottom, the "ground" area, and a beach stick is attached at the bottom. My oldest brother died as I was completing it, so I decided to dedicate the piece to him. I added the word cut from an old dictionary, traveler, as a sort of send-off for his soul. The map will help him find his way. Traveler is also a metaphor for his Irish blood; he had even more Irish DNA than the rest of his siblings, and one of our Irish surnames is a "traveler" name. Rest in peace, my brother.<div><br /></div><div>So, these are just a few of the ways that artists both find and create meaning for the rest of the world to contemplate. I am grateful for the task.<br /><p><br /></p></div>Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-71820493574045556522021-04-15T10:31:00.001-07:002021-04-15T10:31:05.006-07:00Uncovered Stories: Open Through May 14, 2021<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1xgVugeGF1fCaPoUAeyNg70lZ7jostjGUOMsroG8VeS3CAID-1NRx9ERC1MVXXWpE9tn4DM1vy5UtwdB4LqgQcr6IophKrlESHiUgktRDqO9esQ_Ax4SQ4EtL881GTyS7dG25jgNKok/s2048/Gallery+open+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1xgVugeGF1fCaPoUAeyNg70lZ7jostjGUOMsroG8VeS3CAID-1NRx9ERC1MVXXWpE9tn4DM1vy5UtwdB4LqgQcr6IophKrlESHiUgktRDqO9esQ_Ax4SQ4EtL881GTyS7dG25jgNKok/s320/Gallery+open+sign.jpg" /></a></div>Yes, the Playhouse Gallery on the BAYarts campus is open, and our exhibition, <a href="https://coolcleveland.com/2021/04/three-artists-explore-shared-ideas-about-their-lives-as-women-at-bayarts/" target="_blank">Uncovered Stories</a>, is installed. We had a terrific (and safe) opening last Friday, with more guests flowing through all afternoon on Saturday. Hope you can stop by to see the show. <a href="https://www.bayarts.net/galleries/current-shows/28-galleries/current-shows/1563-playhouse-gallery-uncovered-stories.html" target="_blank">Click here</a> for the show times and appointment schedule. We will be in the gallery every Friday night and Saturday afternoon through May 14th.<br /> <div>As always, it is such a rare honor for artists to be able to speak with exhibition guests about their work. Many visitors were familiar with our styles, but many weren't. Gail, Jill and I are always eager to answer questions.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm21BmYq2PnISsBaI2ox7YKkSzzWFUfwlT7yD5EPxgIwGRh-THSqHIGoe2Q68K9dGLQVqe5xTmvLNuUa5chG6oXhYODWpP0lkYr7tzuVcN1D41QtCxf74n8yrOlUfj383B8TK0Wl2rpYo/s2048/IMG_2079+books+install.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm21BmYq2PnISsBaI2ox7YKkSzzWFUfwlT7yD5EPxgIwGRh-THSqHIGoe2Q68K9dGLQVqe5xTmvLNuUa5chG6oXhYODWpP0lkYr7tzuVcN1D41QtCxf74n8yrOlUfj383B8TK0Wl2rpYo/s320/IMG_2079+books+install.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>In the front of the gallery we installed Jill's Fairy Tale series, which makes for an intricate and unusually beautiful entry into the exhibition. Along with many other highlights, the altered books we made during the shutdown, and shown at the <a href="https://www.yardsproject.com/new-events/2020/6/24/art-made-in-the-shut-down" target="_blank">Yards Project exhibition</a> last year, were very popular.<br /><div><br /></div><div>In the BAYarts Sullivan Gallery the same night David King's exhibition <a href="https://www.bayarts.net/galleries/current-shows/36-galleries/current-shows/sullivan-family-gallery/1236-david-king-time-travel.html" target="_blank">Time Travel</a> opened, also an interesting exhibition of paintings about family.</div><div><br /></div><div>After the crowds died down, we enjoyed the firepit and lovely outdoor patio with some pizza from the delicious new hot restaurant on the campus, <a href="https://www.chattyspizzeria.com/" target="_blank">Chatty's Pizzeria</a>. I can personally attest to the deliciousness of their gluten free cauliflower crust. Yum!</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qO_yOHQr-0YzBoxwW526jTa3aRUWwuKWrZGwNFehJOXl6N73RNzubsln9hpabHCXoseizqEcPXu7DFQJgEJfPYSOWBhVhk1WYpSR_5_-6Nj1ZHRkSlxwWtxUmJytEMB5bQCZtvoomO0/s2048/IMG_5553+US+installation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1679" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qO_yOHQr-0YzBoxwW526jTa3aRUWwuKWrZGwNFehJOXl6N73RNzubsln9hpabHCXoseizqEcPXu7DFQJgEJfPYSOWBhVhk1WYpSR_5_-6Nj1ZHRkSlxwWtxUmJytEMB5bQCZtvoomO0/s320/IMG_5553+US+installation.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Installation view, Uncovered Stories</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> Today, <a href="https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2021/04/15/bay-arts-rings-in-spring-with-two-exhibitions-time-travel-and-uncovered-stories" target="_blank">SCENE magazine</a> had a nice article about both exhibits on the BAYarts campus. Arts writer Shawn Mishak, who interviewed us prior to the opening, called our work "outstanding and contemplative." </div><div><div style="text-align: right;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5_2scIUyqCrKHwQOVONhqA8qxXTXBDVL1GhAuCrDOVYC7j3mq0syYBi-9ZFfszmXhyphenhyphen0j5xDlAVgXr1-M_LUFY3b5Eq6FKZTPjcCGBqL36ZT3KGrX8dawEElcGj27xlMh7Vs_pQ_p-MQ/s2048/IMG_5549+US+patio+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1635" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5_2scIUyqCrKHwQOVONhqA8qxXTXBDVL1GhAuCrDOVYC7j3mq0syYBi-9ZFfszmXhyphenhyphen0j5xDlAVgXr1-M_LUFY3b5Eq6FKZTPjcCGBqL36ZT3KGrX8dawEElcGj27xlMh7Vs_pQ_p-MQ/s320/IMG_5549+US+patio+a.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gayle and Jill relax on the patio in their<br />Gudrunjodens dresses.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We had a lot of sales at the opening, but there is a lot of excellent work available and waiting to go on YOUR walls. Hope you can stop by the show. It will be installed through May 14, 2021.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ibpOUfdmwfnb1h-S8TnCsAjREFTxrvXuOXMg7Qy18_XYo9Wo4pRGfle8t2m7OQhVT8CPGDmYQT7QdvZ2KK8edlm1q4JUdOtqLFAtRzu_lGSQW-GGjOn0sRq-Ub_FNHp14_j9FOT6tQA/s2048/US+opening+9+April+HB+Gayle+Wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1759" data-original-width="2048" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ibpOUfdmwfnb1h-S8TnCsAjREFTxrvXuOXMg7Qy18_XYo9Wo4pRGfle8t2m7OQhVT8CPGDmYQT7QdvZ2KK8edlm1q4JUdOtqLFAtRzu_lGSQW-GGjOn0sRq-Ub_FNHp14_j9FOT6tQA/w400-h344/US+opening+9+April+HB+Gayle+Wall.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.artbycrum.com" target="_blank">Gail Crum</a>, <a href="https://www.gaylepritchardart.com/" target="_blank">Gayle Pritchard</a> and <a href="https://www.jillmilenskiart.com/" target="_blank">Jill Milenski</a><br />at the opening of their exhibit Uncovered Stories.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div></div>Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-57229110249113156222021-04-08T13:29:00.003-07:002021-04-08T13:29:57.818-07:00New Year, New Art, New Opening<p><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15m2IXZTZENtf-vobvCujpRmTTLUq7utjkt-3OI1I988DEQCMEzQdUc-1l27etLL6fBgw9NcbvAIQBC_uWzXtXjDfXkgMXRoiLjgx_nDOda6HozwaSHTaLPO0qh245Zo6veJnI3LAP2A/s1280/2021+our+studio+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="961" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15m2IXZTZENtf-vobvCujpRmTTLUq7utjkt-3OI1I988DEQCMEzQdUc-1l27etLL6fBgw9NcbvAIQBC_uWzXtXjDfXkgMXRoiLjgx_nDOda6HozwaSHTaLPO0qh245Zo6veJnI3LAP2A/w240-h320/2021+our+studio+b.jpg" title="In Our Studio" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Our Studio</td></tr></tbody></table></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"> Spring has arrived, along with vaccines, we have a new studio space, new artwork, and a new exhibition. </div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"> The opportunity to exhibit our new work, and some made just at the beginning of the pandemic, came about suddenly. In the past three weeks, we have been working like crazy to finish up pieces and install the show. It opens this Friday. Here's the <span> </span>information:</p></blockquote><h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://bayarts.net/galleries/current-shows/28-galleries/current-shows/1563-playhouse-gallery-uncovered-stories.html" target="_blank">Uncovered Stories</a></h2><h3 style="text-align: center;">featuring the artwork of <a href="https://www.artbycrum.com/about-gail" target="_blank">Gail Crum</a>, <a href="https://www.jillmilenskiart.com/" target="_blank">Jill Milenski</a> and <a href="https://www.gaylepritchardart.com/" target="_blank">Gayle Pritchard</a></h3><h4 style="text-align: center;">BAYarts, Playhouse Gallery</h4><h4 style="text-align: center;">28795 Lake Rd., Bay Village, Ohio 44140</h4><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Wy-GChgYNSw7POnqwgo0t1tBT15F_trqLuTR2nO0IlmiibfaeSiVolvR6OilxJ2YF9dlMZBBcJRzLk8VnFNKj7hsMapMsaRqlCP51EarTLVF_MuV_Da79YUMnqa-o8U8Vryvw2GlmDs/s1800/US_postcard_front_v3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Wy-GChgYNSw7POnqwgo0t1tBT15F_trqLuTR2nO0IlmiibfaeSiVolvR6OilxJ2YF9dlMZBBcJRzLk8VnFNKj7hsMapMsaRqlCP51EarTLVF_MuV_Da79YUMnqa-o8U8Vryvw2GlmDs/w573-h381/US_postcard_front_v3.jpg" width="573" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3_9kC1NMcdxFn0_maOF0ohZa5hi09xLs9a9qUozP3bm5lknYDDHrKiCrBxtnip1vEAhHuIBXYKPf-cAYk0R1OCxi-1ZjkHO8ubxJOV5VykqjnL7LjeDGYACyE2DGjWJg75lbL_Bapho/s1800/US_postcard_back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3_9kC1NMcdxFn0_maOF0ohZa5hi09xLs9a9qUozP3bm5lknYDDHrKiCrBxtnip1vEAhHuIBXYKPf-cAYk0R1OCxi-1ZjkHO8ubxJOV5VykqjnL7LjeDGYACyE2DGjWJg75lbL_Bapho/w564-h375/US_postcard_back.jpg" width="564" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hope to see you there! Masks are required, and the number of people in the gallery at once is limited. So, grab your mask, and enjoy the beautiful patio and firepit after you see the show.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-12156996640750025782020-09-24T08:12:00.001-07:002020-09-24T08:12:39.737-07:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYyHWP5dEZv_HI6b_cy4iErmGvtGf5cdveZuL5EbKs9p9e1FvK-YTPflV_M0IRbyBacS4IpZHRoJKn1CBb_FdsdY4uKZlb30AWVn6IQ7oytKvKywYg4EHAMMC7j3fIUmbOZpgXK_d5oE/s2048/2020+22+Sept+WIC+reopening+Gail+Beth+Gayle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1460" data-original-width="2048" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYyHWP5dEZv_HI6b_cy4iErmGvtGf5cdveZuL5EbKs9p9e1FvK-YTPflV_M0IRbyBacS4IpZHRoJKn1CBb_FdsdY4uKZlb30AWVn6IQ7oytKvKywYg4EHAMMC7j3fIUmbOZpgXK_d5oE/w320-h228/2020+22+Sept+WIC+reopening+Gail+Beth+Gayle.JPG" title="Gail, gallery director Beth and Gayle on re-opening day for Women in Conversation." width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><b><i><a href="https://www.lorainccc.edu/stocker/beth-k-stocker-art-gallery/">Women in Conversation</a></i></b> reopened this past Tuesday for the final four viewing days, and we couldn't be happier. The opportunity to show a body of work is rare enough, but in these times, it is truly soul-stirring. As an artist, it is a rare moment to sit in a large gallery space and see the work you have created over years installed, living and breathing, interacting with the other artworks and the viewing public. It leaves me breathless. </p><p>As Ben Johnson observed in the opening line of his <a href="https://chroniclet.com/news/235843/women-in-conversation-will-finally-be-seen-at-lorain-county-community-colleges-beth-k-stocker-art-gallery/" target="_blank">article in The Chronicle</a>, "Time stood still...". Indeed, our work has been in place since February, and stayed in place over the ensuing months, bravely waiting for our return. We are so thrilled to have a few more days to enjoy the work in situ. Here's when you can see it: </p><p style="text-align: center;">Thursday, September 24, 2 p.m. - 7 p.m.; Tuesday, September 29, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Closing day: Thursday, October 1, 3 - 8 p.m. See the gallery link above to read the safety protocols.</p><p style="text-align: left;">You can also choose a time slot for the the closing event on October 1 and view a map <a href="https://coolcleveland.com/2020/09/three-woman-show-re-opens-at-stocker-arts-center-gallery/" target="_blank">CoolCleveland</a>.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Can't make it to the show? You can still see it at the Beth K. Stocker Art Gallery <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwuupechGrs" target="_blank">Women in Conversation</a> online. Check it out, and thanks for your support.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In these crazy times, it's wonderful to have a 'rainbow day' as my family calls it. I get a few extra ones this month. Stay well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghp3mIxXRA40SaVwiq8NV4CoPa51_h6Q5aBpL__P4zaQVwgqtZ6zvdhA2HZP7CWJOrrAnlZch3CsNNbDi40vBfToLsBUnc3yr6QbCrL0dium9eMqehsT-UqDDq0vAUaLYQ4hbWvNUhLdc/s2048/2020+22+Sept+Reopening+GAP+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1634" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghp3mIxXRA40SaVwiq8NV4CoPa51_h6Q5aBpL__P4zaQVwgqtZ6zvdhA2HZP7CWJOrrAnlZch3CsNNbDi40vBfToLsBUnc3yr6QbCrL0dium9eMqehsT-UqDDq0vAUaLYQ4hbWvNUhLdc/s320/2020+22+Sept+Reopening+GAP+1.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p><br /></p>Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-47124170835885270102020-07-10T12:38:00.000-07:002020-07-10T12:38:07.058-07:00Four Months Gone; Carry on, if You Can<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnPa-DKahlvC6dmhyphenhyphenqXd9bfOG5IRrBDvpmnRmFyhafN1h5N-LlDTpR9ENORPNPgDYfBiI5zdRbt4VIVaADZ48C04M8hGFE8IyoRlg2Ta5T0dO9Sxhso7_wvGDf1fbVkMUkIfxwYjXUwU/s2048/Blog+alt+book+pages+c.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnPa-DKahlvC6dmhyphenhyphenqXd9bfOG5IRrBDvpmnRmFyhafN1h5N-LlDTpR9ENORPNPgDYfBiI5zdRbt4VIVaADZ48C04M8hGFE8IyoRlg2Ta5T0dO9Sxhso7_wvGDf1fbVkMUkIfxwYjXUwU/s320/Blog+alt+book+pages+c.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of the mask I made for a<br />collage page in my friend Jill's<br />altered book.</td></tr></tbody></table><div> So, it's July. Though I have been gathering both my thoughts and images on my computer, for much of this Stay-at-Home time, I have been quasi-frozen. Like many of you, I have learned how to manage a Zoom call. I have rearranged my work spaces, including clearing out a lot of currently unused items from my art studio, to make room for more art supplies. In the process, I found some wonderful old artwork treasures that I'll share with you another time. </div><div><br /></div><div>Some days I hum along happily, doing the work in front of me, writing emails, letters and postcards, and, now, in the summer weather, spending time in my lovely garden. Other days, though, like my birthday in May, or now, when my county in Ohio is in the State's Red Alert public health crisis zone, I feel alone, isolated, vaguely sad, and, recently, absolutely furious. Outraged, in fact. Darn right pissed off at the self-centered crazies who simply will not wear a mask or follow the simple rules to get us all through this thing. They are making it worse for all of us, as we suffer together through a lack of federal leadership and crisis response. I have never witnessed such blatant corruption and incompetence in my life. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, what to do? Well, I do have a journal on my desk in my office here. It says Grateful on the front in all caps, gold lettering on a pretty orange cover. I write in it. Some days I can't think of anything new to write that I'm grateful for. But I'm trying.</div><div><br /></div><div>Enter my longtime art group. The three of us, Jill Milenski, Gail Crum and I, have had three three-woman exhibitions with a hundred artworks in the past four years. We normally meet every week. I cannot tell you how much I have missed them.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwdqZwIP-ZaZHu_UtMay_WiiP6zlMG_5v7SeaVx1QEVL6GvBwBZ9ldVr1gKHE_p2yDzWde3zGxBWLlAxjeCSq0ebdpXEb4SIUTSMW7HYmLzKErBI__SiSlUcvBqDg3NGStMkG7mrCVYY/s2048/Blog+art+night+in+quarantine+4-13-2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1503" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwdqZwIP-ZaZHu_UtMay_WiiP6zlMG_5v7SeaVx1QEVL6GvBwBZ9ldVr1gKHE_p2yDzWde3zGxBWLlAxjeCSq0ebdpXEb4SIUTSMW7HYmLzKErBI__SiSlUcvBqDg3NGStMkG7mrCVYY/s320/Blog+art+night+in+quarantine+4-13-2020.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>Back in April we "met" on Zoom. We didn't make anything; we just talked, face to face, so to speak. I talked about how surprised I was at what a hard time I was having. We caught up on news, family stuff. At some point, Jill, always full of boundless energy, suggested we do an altered book round robin. It works like this: we each picked a book to alter and worked on it to set the theme, making pages to build on. Then, dressed in masks and gloves with books in plastic ziploc bags, we traded on each others' porches every week or so. Gail picked a German language kids book. Jill picked a kids book of knowledge, and I picked a book I'd had for years, Drawing at the Circus. The circus theme appealed to me, given the fact that a few months ago I finished making Clown Show: The Smallest Man in the World.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzagcTAjNzdcfVRteeldM484-tLPHF76F7l1pgoJO8HsIQp5oq9ZimP0STOwqRZ0YW97kuw6_ZVbFxKxCzSd36ahEu_GJnrJ4MzdtSKjGSL-xKcXYu7wCPG-bbigEsFiPAc1oIT9620o/s2048/2020-5-12+project+Drumpf+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1436" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzagcTAjNzdcfVRteeldM484-tLPHF76F7l1pgoJO8HsIQp5oq9ZimP0STOwqRZ0YW97kuw6_ZVbFxKxCzSd36ahEu_GJnrJ4MzdtSKjGSL-xKcXYu7wCPG-bbigEsFiPAc1oIT9620o/w350-h500/2020-5-12+project+Drumpf+a.jpg" width="350" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clown Show: The Smallest Man in the World. It's <br />a big, 3-D piece, 36" high. I haven't been able to<br />exhibit it anywhere yet. It speaks to the times.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcjhxuHmL6dLLvgQkV4jQKGia9T6y7rr-o0j2coYkBxCr9EaxDt0D1HHdi6-9PvLfdFXO-Qc6TsjKKZfOd8DCp-smX2jF-6H7fkCEeKgNNLiOcdCmsnhWk_EWBRFxW02FEwMuV91T-r0/s1390/Circus+1+Front+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="1195" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcjhxuHmL6dLLvgQkV4jQKGia9T6y7rr-o0j2coYkBxCr9EaxDt0D1HHdi6-9PvLfdFXO-Qc6TsjKKZfOd8DCp-smX2jF-6H7fkCEeKgNNLiOcdCmsnhWk_EWBRFxW02FEwMuV91T-r0/s320/Circus+1+Front+cover.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the front cover of my<br />altered book. It is currently on view<br />at the <a href="https://www.yardsproject.com/new-events/2020/6/24/art-made-in-the-shut-down">Yards Project gallery. </a></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div><div> Liz Maugans, the incomparable Cleveland artist, curated an exhibit at the <a href="https://www.yardsproject.com/new-events/2020/6/24/art-made-in-the-shut-down">Yards Project</a> gallery called Art Made in the Shut Down. Gail and Jill suggested we enter our pieces. Gail had already made another altered book by herself, a book about Time, which was perfect for the show. Jill and I entered our pieces. Recently, Liz did a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVaWjs00H8s">gallery tour</a>, and another one is scheduled for tomorrow, July 11. I'll add the link to it after it happens. You can see her paging through a few of our altered books on the video.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-79305790024001423842020-03-22T08:50:00.000-07:002020-03-22T08:50:00.824-07:00Feeding Body and Soul: Staying Healthy and Happy During Social Distancing Season<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Instead of our usual giant salad for lunch, yesterday I made a delicious </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">soup with leftover veggies and ramen noodles, served with homemade beet</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">tahini. It was delicious, and a nice change. It made lunch at home feel special.</span></div>
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So, I'm sure you can imagine that my art group's exhibition, <a href="https://www.lorainccc.edu/stocker/beth-k-stocker-art-gallery/" target="_blank">Women in Conversation</a>, came to a screeching halt here in north-eastern Ohio, where we are battling the spread of coronavirus. The artwork remains installed, while we await the day where a semblance of life as normal returns. I'll keep you posted.<br />
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Meanwhile, a week into Staying at Home, I am keeping busy, and hope you are, too. Because I love to cook, read, sew, sketch and write, it isn't hard. Now might the time for you to develop a hobby. I'm just sayin'...<br />
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Earlier in the week, I set up a still life after my sweet husband went out for a brief grocery run and brought me some lovely yellow roses from the store. The kaleidoscope roses in the small vase came by mail from my sister, a congratulations gift for the opening of my show way back before we knew we had to Stay at Home.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sketch in progress, still life with yellow and kaleidoscope roses together<br />with my favorite vases: two artist vases with faces, and an antique<br />amethyst glass vase that belonged to my grandmother. Though it<br />looks black, when you hold it up to the light, the amethyst color glows.<br />To me, it's the perfect metaphor for the way we can change our perspective<br />and find beauty in the process.</td></tr>
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I have never seen kaleidoscope roses. They are so unusual, I just had to include them in my drawing. Though I am often the one to say there is nothing new under the sun, both the beautiful kaleidoscope roses and the dystopian nightmare we are experience disprove me. I am trying to make the most of it.<br />
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I am working with soft pastel pencils that I have had since drawing classes in college. I don't work with them a lot, because I really prefer oil pastels. That said, there is immense pleasure in the way soft pastels mark and blend. I love how they show up on colored pastel paper, as well.<br />
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Drawing is contemplative. It is a relaxing, focused activity. It is a skill than can only improve with practice. It is a challenge with an immediate sense of reward. It also frees your mind to wander while your eyes and hands are busy learning to see. Even if you are one of those many people ruined by a childhood "art" teacher who told you that you can't draw, I am here to tell you that you can. Give it a try. Don't show anyone. Do it for yourself. Any plain old pencil and paper will work. I highly recommend <a href="https://www.dannygregory.com/home" target="_blank">Danny Gregory's Art Before Breakfast</a> to build your confidence. Danny is the founder of <a href="https://www.dannygregory.com/teacher" target="_blank">Sketchbook Skool</a>, and presents as a gentle, kind soul and wonderful and enthusiastic support for artists and would-be artists. Take an art class with him online. Learn a new skill!<br />
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After two days spent gathering extra art supplies, I dropped them off yesterday (no social contact involved) at our our local non-profit art center, <a href="https://www.bayarts.net/" target="_blank">BayArts</a>. Shout out to the amazing director <a href="https://www.bayarts.net/about/people.html" target="_blank">Nancy Heaton</a> and her wonderful staff, Karen, Jessica and Linda. They are creating free art kits for kids that can be picked up on the porch once a week. The first week, two hundred bags disappeared within hours of being set out. It feels good to do for others. See what you can do in your community. This coming week, I will be sewing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCJcE-r7kcg" target="_blank">face masks</a> for first responders.<br />
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The other thing that I accomplished this week was to finally set up our reiki table again. My husband and I became <a href="https://www.reiki.org/" target="_blank">reiki masters</a> over the past decade. Though I give reiki to friends and family members, I have used my daily practice primarily as a tool for personal growth and healing. My husband does the same, but has also spent a lot of time teaching reiki for hospice, and giving reiki to hospice patients and their families. Instead of keeping our reiki table set up downstairs, I made space and moved it upstairs to a more quiet, personal space. I still have some rearranging to do in the coming days. In these uncertain times, it will be good for us to have a dedicated space to chill out, rest, refresh, and feel loved.<br />
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Wishing you peace and love. Take this time to do something special for yourself and those you love. It's a rare opportunity that has been foisted upon us. Stay in touch!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reiki table almost ready to go.</td></tr>
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Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-44301119674245520942020-03-05T14:07:00.000-08:002020-03-06T09:02:16.635-08:00Women in Conversation: Celebrate the Women in Your Life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i style="font-size: 12.8px;">Women in Conversation</i><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Make and Take</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">participant </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">created a souvenir accordian-fold mini-</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">journal. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The event took place before the amazing</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">play at Stocker Center, </span><i style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ain't I a Woman</i><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">.</span></div>
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Last night's <i><a href="https://www.lorainccc.edu/stocker/beth-k-stocker-art-gallery/" target="_blank">Women in Conversation</a></i> artist Make and Take event took place at the Stocker Center Studio Theater before the Diane Monroe play, <i><a href="https://www.coreensemble.com/shows-on-tour/aint-i-a-woman/" target="_blank">Ain't I a Woman</a></i> featuring the amazing Core Ensemble musicians and the actress Shinnerrie Jackson (an Oberlin Conservatory graduate.)<br />
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UPCOMING: If you missed out, you can join us in the gallery this coming Friday night (March 6) from 6 - 9 p.m. <a href="https://www.picuki.com/profile/jillmilenski" target="_blank">Jill Milenski</a>, <a href="https://www.artbycrum.com/about-gail" target="_blank">Gail Crum</a> and <a href="http://www.gaylepritchardart.com/" target="_blank">Gayle Pritchard</a>, the artists of <i>Women in Conversation</i>, will be onsite during the <a href="https://www.lorainccc.edu/stocker/event-categories/film-series/" target="_blank">Stocker Center Film Series</a>. The movie <a href="https://www.lorainccc.edu/stocker/lccc_events/the-station-agent/" target="_blank">Station Agent</a> screens at 7:30, so come to the gallery to see the show, do our Scavenger Hunt, and create a Make and Take, all before going to the screening. After the movie, come on back up to the gallery. We'll be there to welcome you, and to continue the conversation.<br />
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The <i>Women in Conversation</i> opening reception on Friday, February 28th was amazing, with fabulous food, live music, and a crowd of people eager to see what the three of us have been up to.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJD1xarIpfV8CbLulOyZQS0XIzzKABodsJB3_SI8DzpDV9Nu8uU758Xwp0JxdKjuHxlPXC-5vHaPXzWNNXTf4nwct65rrXOLmFIfEWY5ZTYHo5WpImtJdtmCEPxf9LvN2Y2S-ItXgMAJ0/s1600/Women+in+Conversation+opening+reception.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJD1xarIpfV8CbLulOyZQS0XIzzKABodsJB3_SI8DzpDV9Nu8uU758Xwp0JxdKjuHxlPXC-5vHaPXzWNNXTf4nwct65rrXOLmFIfEWY5ZTYHo5WpImtJdtmCEPxf9LvN2Y2S-ItXgMAJ0/s400/Women+in+Conversation+opening+reception.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Jill Milenski, Gail Crum and Gayle Pritchard at the opening reception for</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">their exhibition, </span><i style="font-size: 12.8px;">Women in Conversation</i><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Photograph courtesy of Steve </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Sefchik.</span></div>
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As you can imagine, putting together artwork for an exhibition is labor intensive. The three of us, my art group, meet every week, virtually without exception. For more than a year, we have worked with intensity and focus in preparation for <i>Women in Conversation</i>. The Beth K. Stocker gallery is a huge space, and we were all afraid we wouldn't have enough work finished. Not to fear! We delivered a ton of artwork to gallery director Beth Bryan, and she in turn did a magnificent job installing the show.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCdx3s_-t2ZZWVE43FHzhet77KRm75N3zQyNOUarwmM-V8_KtioNrh1ogR_0dwSs9ILYCh_hcbRM7UHzAerkImdzrGfciYBqtsq1QFLr-A8nFehyphenhyphenaBr-mft1cmiBignNIA7yAUHo2nn4/s1600/Gail%2527s+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1525" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCdx3s_-t2ZZWVE43FHzhet77KRm75N3zQyNOUarwmM-V8_KtioNrh1ogR_0dwSs9ILYCh_hcbRM7UHzAerkImdzrGfciYBqtsq1QFLr-A8nFehyphenhyphenaBr-mft1cmiBignNIA7yAUHo2nn4/s320/Gail%2527s+wall.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four wonderful artworks by <a href="http://www.artbycrum.com/" target="_blank">Gail Crum</a> from<br />
<i>Women in Conversation</i>, February 28 - April 2.</td></tr>
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To showcase our assemblage work properly, dozens of pedestals were put into service. These were placed along the walls in the center of the gallery strategically, highlighting all the work around them. This was essential for Jill's Fairy Tale series, which is comprised of small but powerful, intimate pieces. There are several more unique installation discoveries in the gallery, but I won't spoil it for you! Come see for yourself.<br />
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If you can't make it during regular gallery hours during the day or this Friday, we'll be back on Friday, March 27, 6 - 9 p.m. and, of course, for the closing on April 2, 4 - 8 p.m. We hope to see you soon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHowcRRJk9GGfdIoce2d0WlVBoxQbMYcF70sdpjK9gCa36dTE23CPdd1oQXOJU38WLLfxHg9b8RIIs0OtbE_GawCYK7qeLWyGEmAklmVG5Ic6JdVDoouF3im6b-85Nrk8o_KQY0Ir6eM/s1600/RED+and+Fairy+Tale+Series.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHowcRRJk9GGfdIoce2d0WlVBoxQbMYcF70sdpjK9gCa36dTE23CPdd1oQXOJU38WLLfxHg9b8RIIs0OtbE_GawCYK7qeLWyGEmAklmVG5Ic6JdVDoouF3im6b-85Nrk8o_KQY0Ir6eM/s400/RED+and+Fairy+Tale+Series.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fairy Tale Series and Red Series by Jill Milenski from <i>Women in<br />Conversation</i>, February 28 - April 2. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Installation of <i>Wounded: What You Can Do For Your Country</i><br />
by Gayle Pritchard with <i>Lady, Not Liberty</i> and <i>We Are<br />Better Than This </i>by Gail Crum, a great pairing at<br />
<i>Women in Conversation</i>, February 28 - April 2, 2020.</td></tr>
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Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-63049443109188135292020-02-27T09:19:00.002-08:002020-02-27T09:19:59.366-08:00Women in Conversation Offers an Intimate Look into Women's Experience of the World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top row: artwork by Jill Milenski; Middle row: artwork by Gayle Pritchard;<br />Bottom row: artwork by Gail Crum</td></tr>
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Our show <a href="https://coolcleveland.com/2020/02/three-artists-explore-their-friendship-womanhood-at-lorain-gallery/" target="_blank">Women in Conversation</a> opens at the <a href="https://www.lorainccc.edu/stocker/beth-k-stocker-art-gallery/" target="_blank">Stocker Center Gallery</a> tomorrow night. We are so excited to see the installation. <a href="https://www.artbycrum.com/about-gail" target="_blank">Gail Crum</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jillmilenski/" target="_blank">Jill Milenski</a> and I (<a href="http://www.gaylepritchardart.com/" target="_blank">Gayle Pritchard</a>) first met years ago in my first <i>Spirit Boxes, Sacred Vessels and Shrines</i> class. The artwork was so amazing, we created an exhibition of the same name. Now, some twenty-five years later, this sisterhood of artists has created a new exhibition, our third in the past four years, and we seek again to offer a strikingly powerful view into how women see and experience life.<br />
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From the passage of the 19th Amendment a hundred years ago<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: -24px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: -24px;">–</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: -24px;"> </span>giving women the right to vote <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: -24px;">–</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: -24px;"> </span>to the present day #MeToo era, we three artists celebrate woman's necessary role in society and the importance of hearing steady, strong diverse female voices expressed through art. The urge to create is itself transformative and necessary, a balm for the soul. Women communicate differently about the gendered dimensions of their place in the world.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW4BvUHmWLkrT5aOaAJwBNp8mHay_EYXCnSIC2D7JF7XFKssflUH60_89S8o-PjpF9bx_JyHQRqF8hNb5cqj_JeccTa2EkCKfEpSttA1bieuc6Q_IZZ9gpADpdweGuz01if9kl6xnBDNw/s1600/The+World+at+the+Door+Jill+for+blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW4BvUHmWLkrT5aOaAJwBNp8mHay_EYXCnSIC2D7JF7XFKssflUH60_89S8o-PjpF9bx_JyHQRqF8hNb5cqj_JeccTa2EkCKfEpSttA1bieuc6Q_IZZ9gpADpdweGuz01if9kl6xnBDNw/s400/The+World+at+the+Door+Jill+for+blog.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Fairy Tale Series: The Wolf at the Door,</i> in progress. Artwork by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jillmilenski/" target="_blank">Jill Milenski</a></td></tr>
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In this groundbreaking exhibition, we raise our voices and speak through our work, a year in the making. Viewers are invited to be collaborators in completing the circle from the birth of an idea to the magical process of turning that idea into an art object that is put on display for all to engage with.<br />
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The pieces presented are inspired by daily life, the result of the way we, as women, skillfully and passionately navigate the multi-faceted roles we play: We are sisters, wives, mothers, aunts, daughters, grandmothers, soulmates, girfriends, caregivers, teachers, advocates, activists and artists.<br />
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<i>Women in Conversation</i> is the natural outgrowth of long-time artist friends who share a love of process and materials. The unbroken threads of decades-long conversations about our lives,our families, politics, women's issues, art, and techniques are woven into the work we are exhibiting. The show is a unique opportunity to share a piece of what brings us together as women and artists: the vulnerability, the intimacy that arises from telling our stories in our conversations with each other and through our artwork.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5wJgc9lDQwcxq9D7HaGIwkKncBg5I8ogw2bHNiqi0ocITCbn_kDCy_3RAOWYZppQBlCRLetFqRQtTTTFhzY24ECPo0S951f4_a_DiHDq8EWN9GsSqxuMCdo1IWDTF8FsibN0oiL-kZ0/s1600/Saturday+Night+%2528Record+Series%2529+Gail+for+blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5wJgc9lDQwcxq9D7HaGIwkKncBg5I8ogw2bHNiqi0ocITCbn_kDCy_3RAOWYZppQBlCRLetFqRQtTTTFhzY24ECPo0S951f4_a_DiHDq8EWN9GsSqxuMCdo1IWDTF8FsibN0oiL-kZ0/s400/Saturday+Night+%2528Record+Series%2529+Gail+for+blog.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Saturday Night (Record Series)</i> by <a href="https://www.artbycrum.com/about-gail" target="_blank">Gail Crum</a></td></tr>
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Along with the shared narrative, we also often share art supplies and found materials unearthed in junk and antiques stores. We share a love of process, of making something from nothing, or trying out new tools and birthing new visions in our note- and sketch-filled journals. We love laughing at the persistent compulsions that are the never-ending subjects of the objects we create. We share processes and favorite techniques with each other, simply playing and exploring ideas while we stretch to make new work that is out of our usual comfort zone. We nurture each other through our sharing and our play-days.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6yZvp5K6XltA17b-EcMlSeRiCgwjgbzs6lk_GrvxIPxIXvmA_o00K7lhL7dsrqOuPzScKH06dGvDt93SBNjBxFLhHcCxYETqwKrO7eIy6WzqK8xD_NsSN_7zdoh4xaeJiqncw_dLNzM/s1600/IMG_7781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1323" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6yZvp5K6XltA17b-EcMlSeRiCgwjgbzs6lk_GrvxIPxIXvmA_o00K7lhL7dsrqOuPzScKH06dGvDt93SBNjBxFLhHcCxYETqwKrO7eIy6WzqK8xD_NsSN_7zdoh4xaeJiqncw_dLNzM/s200/IMG_7781.jpg" width="165" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A box of ephemera ready to<br />be added to an artwork</td></tr>
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We love color, old books and postcards, broken objects, paper dolls, fabric, and time-worn wooden blocks. We peruse junk shops, where intuitively gathered new treasures await our artists' mojo <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: -24px;">–</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: -24px;"> </span>that magical moment when the discarded trinkets and trash of everyday life are transformed. These snippets, pieces and parts are paired with process to become objects that carry the stories of our ideas.<br />
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We invite you to join in this living conversation about women, art and community. The chance to show our work and have this conversation is nurturing and necessary. It's a supportive, feminine thing we do together. We raise our voices to speak through our work. We hope you are moved, amused and inspired. Above all, we hope to see you there.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">Women in Conversation</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; text-indent: -18pt;">· </span><b style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Where:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://www.lorainccc.edu/stocker/beth-k-stocker-art-gallery/" target="_blank">Stocker Art Center</a>, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">1005 N. Abbe Rd., Elyria, OH 44035</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">· </span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">When: </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">- </span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Friday February 28, 4 – 7 p.m.: Opening reception, refreshments, Scavenger Hunt, live music and gallery talk at 6:30 p.m.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">- Wednesday, March 4, 6 - 7 p.m.: 'Make and Take' with the artists before the play, <i><a href="https://www.lorainccc.edu/stocker/lccc_events/aint-i-a-woman/" target="_blank">Ain't I a Woman?</a></i></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">- </span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Friday March 6, 6 - 7:30 p.m.: Visit the gallery before the <a href="https://www.lorainccc.edu/stocker/lccc_events/the-station-agent/" target="_blank">Winter Film Series</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">- </span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Friday, March 27, 6 - 7:30 p.m. | Visit the gallery before the <a href="https://www.lorainccc.edu/stocker/lccc_events/the-red-violin/" target="_blank">Winter Film Series</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">- </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Thursday April 2, 4 - 7 p.m. | Closing reception, refreshments, Scavenger Hunt, live music and gallery talk at 6:30 p.m.</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">- </span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">TBA Other events celebrating Women's History Month and the centennial anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of Travel Ban by <a href="https://www.gaylepritchardart.com/" target="_blank">Gayle Pritchard</a> and<br />utilizing an altered <a href="https://www.blurb.com/b/4149819-the-handkerchief-memory-project" target="_blank">Handkerchief Memory Project</a> printed by<br />Clare Murray Adams</td></tr>
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Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-73896057604276595532020-02-24T17:06:00.000-08:002020-02-24T19:53:38.151-08:00It's Here: Women in Conversation Opens This Friday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0unY6fB2iJ5eIglFvWssAcI6OPX_gavHO2ZP_JkLmjCwaUNNXWgxZxO6KEYpIvYIDyP6TNsgrpCYaAW8eAt-8Gf36q_gCSmMyej2M10nsrH33YaheRZDcZ2icKqkNi-hsNcw5MAd1WQ/s1600/Spring+Revisited+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1213" data-original-width="1206" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0unY6fB2iJ5eIglFvWssAcI6OPX_gavHO2ZP_JkLmjCwaUNNXWgxZxO6KEYpIvYIDyP6TNsgrpCYaAW8eAt-8Gf36q_gCSmMyej2M10nsrH33YaheRZDcZ2icKqkNi-hsNcw5MAd1WQ/s320/Spring+Revisited+detail.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail, Spring Revisited by Gayle Pritchard</td></tr>
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Such an exciting week lies ahead, culminating with the opening of our three-woman Women's History Month exhibition, <i><b><a href="https://www.lorainccc.edu/stocker/beth-k-stocker-art-gallery/" target="_blank">Women in Conversation</a></b></i>, on Friday night.<br />
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On Saturday, we unloaded six carloads of artwork into the gallery and carefully unwrapped all of the pieces for the gallery director. The space looks beautiful, and we cannot wait to see the show installed.<br />
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We all worked until the very end finishing work, wiring for hanging, adding titles to the artworks, sometimes the most difficult part. There is such a broad array of work from paintings and drawings to art quilts, assemblages, hybrid books and so much more. We created educational displays to illustrate our processes and highlight some of the materials we love to use. We even made a scavenger hunt game. Come to the opening at the <a href="https://www.lorainccc.edu/stocker/beth-k-stocker-art-gallery/" target="_blank">Stocker Center Art Gallery</a> Friday, February 28, 4 - 7 p.m. to play! Enjoy the art, live music and refreshments, as well. If you can't be there Friday, join us Saturday, February 29, 6 - 7 p.m. We'll be in the gallery then before the <a href="https://www.lorainccc.edu/stocker/lccc_events/terrance-simien-and-the-zydeco-experience/" target="_blank">Mardi Gras concert with Terrance Simien</a> begins.<br />
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One of the new pieces I created for this exhibition is called Target Family. Here are some images showing my process.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomWxBbaIACpqZV7dHP0zDAf7az9KJtmvkk-mJmieFCx3OH6qCtD9S4XMdI6KEJRo8LV1GqZ5lXCBImUyWVZTdhvqkKPisS-wEsx3ckl4mcWgrchxcQmxKARmC9vOm5Lafqtp7c0ZEKZ0/s1600/Target+family+c+faces+in+progress.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomWxBbaIACpqZV7dHP0zDAf7az9KJtmvkk-mJmieFCx3OH6qCtD9S4XMdI6KEJRo8LV1GqZ5lXCBImUyWVZTdhvqkKPisS-wEsx3ckl4mcWgrchxcQmxKARmC9vOm5Lafqtp7c0ZEKZ0/s320/Target+family+c+faces+in+progress.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wanted to create a diverse sense of the<br />
people who come to this country, so I<br />
looked for eyes of all sorts. Detail, Target<br />
Family by Gayle Pritchard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbL34Nm_3-QRc9Ptq8TgBvCw4PzB128GV_8OsDnGA8RdjsZ_pwfA3u9UCkapFIVdNCKLA8zfalymvy4zie_DPGAWUbxiqjJAHa1TU6yE5XHaGQbBxBNqiJqnazXdf1rztkCx9PMHCgRbM/s1600/Target+family+b+faces+in+progress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1597" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbL34Nm_3-QRc9Ptq8TgBvCw4PzB128GV_8OsDnGA8RdjsZ_pwfA3u9UCkapFIVdNCKLA8zfalymvy4zie_DPGAWUbxiqjJAHa1TU6yE5XHaGQbBxBNqiJqnazXdf1rztkCx9PMHCgRbM/s320/Target+family+b+faces+in+progress.jpg" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here are some of the images I found. I really like how it adds<br />
an edginess to the collage. Detail, Target Family by Gayle<br />
Pritchard<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnGukjqb8g1I54H7oFdDvGM68RfdwYGa1PmDh7kwNWAPHlNGGiaiueLLdA_p5IGoq7NnSliZ7Up_mGGHwQkSVxPPH_aORGjuBBgUIPIqAfzTV9Uk_JYiE1hyhtyJShMNNzJiGFdcQDEI/s1600/Target+Family+final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnGukjqb8g1I54H7oFdDvGM68RfdwYGa1PmDh7kwNWAPHlNGGiaiueLLdA_p5IGoq7NnSliZ7Up_mGGHwQkSVxPPH_aORGjuBBgUIPIqAfzTV9Uk_JYiE1hyhtyJShMNNzJiGFdcQDEI/s400/Target+Family+final.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the final piece. My mixed media painting backs the<br />
collage of an official NRA target, an old photograph<br />
that has been altered as shown above. I mounted all on a<br />
painted board, then added the assemblage elements.<br />
Target Family by Gayle Pritchard. </td></tr>
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Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-49308412853957816982020-02-08T14:20:00.001-08:002020-02-08T14:20:32.593-08:00Women in Conversation: Two Weeks and Counting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0dKOnxPQUcEpD_MvQmuIeNXuShUSmvubYsTA5SogpWPhm-6gLEGFR-KTfXj1s4nUK1tJ5-6w4NwqnKuBI3_4mf2gsfR0D_1Y3FtDvI3eVBc0UezyftPTocKj5HHI3c8eA6Jy_Kpt49UA/s1600/WIC_postcard_front_v2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0dKOnxPQUcEpD_MvQmuIeNXuShUSmvubYsTA5SogpWPhm-6gLEGFR-KTfXj1s4nUK1tJ5-6w4NwqnKuBI3_4mf2gsfR0D_1Y3FtDvI3eVBc0UezyftPTocKj5HHI3c8eA6Jy_Kpt49UA/s320/WIC_postcard_front_v2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard Invitation for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/stocker-arts-center/women-in-conversation-opening-reception/172656297408031/" target="_blank">Women in Conversation</a>, which opens<br />February 28, 2020 and features the artwork of <a href="http://www.artbycrum.com/" target="_blank">Gail Crum</a>,<br />Jill Milenski and <a href="http://www.gaylepritchardart.com/" target="_blank">Gayle Pritchard</a></td></tr>
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In exactly two weeks, Gail, Jill and I will be delivering our artwork to the <a href="https://www.lorainccc.edu/stocker/beth-k-stocker-art-gallery/" target="_blank">Beth K. Stocker Gallery</a> for installation. Perhaps you can imagine, then, the frenzy of finishing we are all doing in final preparation for this major exhibition.</div>
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Yesterday, I created a "two weeks and counting" task list in my journal. It took up three pages! When I woke up this morning, I started in: I finished two house drawings from my ongoing series, which included framing them both and wiring them both for hanging, and that involved drilling holes with a very fine drill bit to insert hanging hardware on the tiny frames. Afterwards, I finished drawing a third house, which will be mounted. That's on the list for completion tomorrow. Ditto the "wire for hanging," always tricky when working with found objects. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-4yq2EG6GQiqU-oyb4XwaBSY_2j8aOFejrZdA7BPIULk4ykfuB5Jz1yzJ9zQR0W-5MEBveMr83RIyrBsk348BfoqeBcpUZpRn1UHQuP1LV97TC53VJFLc09O_emY1zuZKb3NyWNZ8v0/s1600/House+drawing+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-4yq2EG6GQiqU-oyb4XwaBSY_2j8aOFejrZdA7BPIULk4ykfuB5Jz1yzJ9zQR0W-5MEBveMr83RIyrBsk348BfoqeBcpUZpRn1UHQuP1LV97TC53VJFLc09O_emY1zuZKb3NyWNZ8v0/s320/House+drawing+5.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House Drawing #5 by Gayle Pritchard<br />Oil pastel on water color painting</td></tr>
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Stay with me here. I found two large pieces of wood on bulk trash day, and they were beauties, old cupboard doors beautifully aged and unpainted. After removing the nice brass hinges (saved for another day), I used one entire door for a single piece, which is also on the task list for final assembly. The other door was just the right size to fit two of my mixed media collages, but it needed to be cut in two. I have a little miter saw in my garage, but nothing to cut this board. It sat behind my garage for about six months, even though the art was finished. Just this week, a friend with a portable saw stopped by, took ten minutes to measure and saw the wood, and hurrah!, I am in business. One of those pieces, called <b style="font-style: italic;">Bingo: Only in America Can Your Dreams Come True</b>, is what I worked on finishing this afternoon. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj309_HTp33Oo8Azwxn6zeIG0sqLXEg-Z3SayYeOeSZproob2m_fqMYl7S0MOc0gflQ6xyaOfdSt8Reyf9XhxUDVL1FTD-VT5nqy2XIL5DBlJpWKc1A5D5V8mkhalOXc43hnTOscG-iB_c/s1600/Bingo+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj309_HTp33Oo8Azwxn6zeIG0sqLXEg-Z3SayYeOeSZproob2m_fqMYl7S0MOc0gflQ6xyaOfdSt8Reyf9XhxUDVL1FTD-VT5nqy2XIL5DBlJpWKc1A5D5V8mkhalOXc43hnTOscG-iB_c/s320/Bingo+b.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beginning parts and pieces for<b style="font-style: italic;"> Bingo. </b><br />Yes, these are the things that inspire me: found<br />photos to be altered, an old box top, a bingo<br />game board and a drawing that is stamped<br />and ready to be stitched. </td></tr>
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The collage is done, but it needs to be mounted onto the cut wood. I decided I wanted to paint it first, so I grabbed my trusty <a href="https://www.jacquardproducts.com/neopaque" target="_blank">Jacquard Neopaque</a> fabric paints for the job. Why fabric paints? I wanted the wood grain to show through, but for that, I could have also used a wood stain. I use my fabric paints all the time because: a) I already have them, which saves me a trip to the hardware store and, b) they seal wood differently than stain, which needs to have a finish put onto it. This way, the paper on the attached collage will be more protected. Here's how the painting came out:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYR9g80zelcEc5VEWpL9LgNgdSwvyQoyV08RY6cVba4c7zWrXDWlheATDIUJWlRCkcrwH4UeCKcRsuRc1XKokgpK9kjwQk57NzBdZsQRncd9w7rENb78TnSQMj-5EmnXNP_CWD3XeI78w/s1600/Background+in+progress+a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYR9g80zelcEc5VEWpL9LgNgdSwvyQoyV08RY6cVba4c7zWrXDWlheATDIUJWlRCkcrwH4UeCKcRsuRc1XKokgpK9kjwQk57NzBdZsQRncd9w7rENb78TnSQMj-5EmnXNP_CWD3XeI78w/s320/Background+in+progress+a.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look how pretty it looks!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakaWceDo9OTDHug6PRc3wThJ7764-TvR6c1nLz9Vvxi_Vt-zSCbkqZ9s2e_n-LyC5IVcZ5WT1hGQSJISYgqdOVzbMsGFPDKjDVddC4Uh0IiYtaYgJpKrnpDrMNxskXny2398jetPkxGc/s1600/Background+in+progress+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1418" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakaWceDo9OTDHug6PRc3wThJ7764-TvR6c1nLz9Vvxi_Vt-zSCbkqZ9s2e_n-LyC5IVcZ5WT1hGQSJISYgqdOVzbMsGFPDKjDVddC4Uh0IiYtaYgJpKrnpDrMNxskXny2398jetPkxGc/s320/Background+in+progress+b.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It adds the color I need, allows the wood grain<br />to show through, </span></span>and seals the wood. </td></tr>
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After it dries, but before I attach the collage, I am adding framing strips which will be painted this black on the side and red on the edge. The collage has some dimension to it, and the framing strips will help protect it. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBmkuETvNHTUjv3NrKHe2hEaFpYSdv48Qq3FrdzWu3cyAU8nh-DUwbl2apC2FDh9SSBWYIFF5rL-ReDBkFC-Qz0umjuxDtUWCl3YWGBO_z8_xsyfIhgzW3x9Z3BE85og_dqyNg-_ZMwO8/s1600/Background+in+progress+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1430" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBmkuETvNHTUjv3NrKHe2hEaFpYSdv48Qq3FrdzWu3cyAU8nh-DUwbl2apC2FDh9SSBWYIFF5rL-ReDBkFC-Qz0umjuxDtUWCl3YWGBO_z8_xsyfIhgzW3x9Z3BE85og_dqyNg-_ZMwO8/s320/Background+in+progress+c.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guess what I will be doing tomorrow?</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Come to the show if you get a chance. With nearly 100 artworks, it is going to be fantastic. See the Events page on my blog for more information.</span></div>
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Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-8529700468090432912019-09-14T13:42:00.001-07:002019-09-14T13:42:23.196-07:00With Loving Regard to my Hippocampus, Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.laralillibridge.com/" target="_blank">Lara Lillibridge</a> giving an author talk on her new hybrid<br />
memoir, <a href="https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781510743564/mama-mama-only-mama/" target="_blank">Mama, Mama, Only Mama</a> last week.</td></tr>
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My mind is still racing with inspiration since returning home from <a href="https://hippocamp2019.hippocampusmagazine.com/" target="_blank">HippoCamp 2019</a>. I began to write a second blog post about it a week and a half ago, before I realized midway through that I still hadn't finished downloading my pictures. My lecture notes and conference handouts are still laying in piles around my office, since I haven't finished digesting them all, or the multitude of ideas that are scrawled in the margins on most of the pages along with snippets of inspired dialogue or description. In the interim, though, I had a chance to experience a little bit of HippoCamp in my hometown.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTM41d7p2BF1PArWjD6lhNqFudrvxU2jK8y3SwtwY8DkBqe8TB0h9iu2gWiaa0msrFhxszgw_5X2Jo0ZG-bawQUqzjcbLyjg_vjFsF7div-kY1gsPJU7Z9sknDaUT9l9N_3MgB6OQlIJk/s1600/Lara+in+Lakewood+Mama+c+with+Morhard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1288" data-original-width="1600" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTM41d7p2BF1PArWjD6lhNqFudrvxU2jK8y3SwtwY8DkBqe8TB0h9iu2gWiaa0msrFhxszgw_5X2Jo0ZG-bawQUqzjcbLyjg_vjFsF7div-kY1gsPJU7Z9sknDaUT9l9N_3MgB6OQlIJk/s320/Lara+in+Lakewood+Mama+c+with+Morhard.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.laralillibridge.com/" target="_blank">Lara</a> with co-presenter <a href="https://www.ruthhanfordmorhard.com/" target="_blank">Ruth Hanford Morhard</a>.</td></tr>
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As it turned out, last Thursday <a href="http://www.laralillibridge.com/" target="_blank">Lara Lillibridge</a> happened to be doing a book talk for her new memoir <a href="https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781510743564/mama-mama-only-mama/" target="_blank">Mama, Mama, Only Mama</a> at a nearby library. I had just participated in the <a href="https://hippocamp2019.hippocampusmagazine.com/sessions/hybrid-truth/" target="_blank">Hybrid Truth</a> session at Hippocamp Lara co-presented with <a href="https://www.rebeccafishewan.com/" target="_blank">Rebecca Fish Ewan</a>. It was one of the best sessions I attended. As soon as I heard about her author event, I put it on my calendar, and made a point to be there. Not only is she a funny and engaging speaker, I wanted to be there to support what she is doing. I know the hesitant feeling that comes before doing an <a href="http://gaylepritchard.blogspot.com/2011/04/i-am-honored-to-be-presenting-program.html" target="_blank">author event</a>, and the trepidation I have felt when my brain starts chanting, "no one is going to come."<br />
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With my home-body husband in tow, we arrived and found our seats in the attractive basement auditorium. Lara presented first, and her engaging subtitle says it all: <i><b>An irreverent Guide for the Newly Single Parent--From Divorce and Dating to Cooking and Crafting, All While Raising the Kids and Maintaining Your Own Sanity (Sort Of)</b></i>. Amusing stories written in diary and blog-style are highlighted with clever "recipes." These form the spine of her hybrid memoir, fleshing out in memorable ways the very real struggles that led her back to school and, ultimately to finishing her MFA and becoming a writer. This is her second memoir, and, like the best of the genre, it is a raw and real look at struggle and overcoming. Even as a grandmother long past the days of child-rearing, I found inspiration in Lara's story of the surprise route to connection with her baseball-fiend son, and how that bonded them together. The story was a great segue to the second speaker that night, Ruth Hanford Morhard.<br />
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Ruth's book, <a href="https://www.ruthhanfordmorhard.com/mrs-morhard-and-the-boys/" target="_blank">Mrs. Morhard and the Boys</a>, tells the true story of the difficult life of Josephine Morhard and her struggle to not only survive as an abused divorcee, but to find a way to provide positive activities and role models in her growing son Junior's life. Through grit and determination, she founded the first boys' baseball league in America in the midst of the Great Depression, an amazing and previously untold story of yet another unsung woman that I hope will be made into a movie.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SLG5qgoBqe4dLzTc6GqXKdMtpUpXVUmEVq23n2GkuYLOMJDUmhbs3t6n0U5YaUO97pNAgYGOj9UxSgad5tnwMXKwEeClq6J54W2rSNNaxu-p-NI3qEi40fvlTsgn8e_q9ekHN6VnuZ4/s1600/Lara+in+Lakewood+Mama+d+Chris+talking+to+Junior+Morhard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1241" data-original-width="1600" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SLG5qgoBqe4dLzTc6GqXKdMtpUpXVUmEVq23n2GkuYLOMJDUmhbs3t6n0U5YaUO97pNAgYGOj9UxSgad5tnwMXKwEeClq6J54W2rSNNaxu-p-NI3qEi40fvlTsgn8e_q9ekHN6VnuZ4/s400/Lara+in+Lakewood+Mama+d+Chris+talking+to+Junior+Morhard.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris talking to Al "Junior" Morhard at the author talk.</td></tr>
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We are so lucky in our area to have organizations supporting and providing resources to writers, like our amazing public library's <a href="https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/Services/William-N-Skirball-Writers-Center.aspx" target="_blank">Writing Center</a> and the nonprofit <a href="https://www.litcleveland.org/" target="_blank">Literary Cleveland</a>. In the car on our way home afterwards, however, I was also thinking how nice it had been to connect with Lara at HippoCamp, and how Ruth, as a non-fiction writer with an amazing book, could benefit from coming to the conference. There is nothing like that supportive national community.<br />
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I was thrilled to hear that <a href="https://hippocamp2019.hippocampusmagazine.com/speakers/jacki-lyden/" target="_blank">Jacki Lyden</a> would be the keynote speaker at HippoCamp 2019. As an avid NPR listener, her voice on the radio had been one of the steady daily beats in my life for decades. She gave a moving and inspiring keynote presentation. Looking out over the audience in closing, she told us that our stories are important, because they provide context to journalistic writing. She was mesmerizing. What a brave, full and amazing life she has led.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7SEPHJA9eUCDYAc5SYSsNFdvs7b85d_IrI3Ob5TCZY1Rih22FJJx8c8Lh0GGHfHs_7BJsZGYhVRM4awYzYZwzVMQxV1WsBqcJrOgdnRwHC-BLlzRyZo-_gnlndtsbQP3fnc1twMzbCE/s1600/Jacki+Lyden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="288" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7SEPHJA9eUCDYAc5SYSsNFdvs7b85d_IrI3Ob5TCZY1Rih22FJJx8c8Lh0GGHfHs_7BJsZGYhVRM4awYzYZwzVMQxV1WsBqcJrOgdnRwHC-BLlzRyZo-_gnlndtsbQP3fnc1twMzbCE/s320/Jacki+Lyden.jpg" width="204" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">To add to my excitement, I had recently<br />added Lyden's memoir to my "want to<br />read" shelf on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>. I bought a<br />copy at the book table, and can't wait<br />read it.</span></td></tr>
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After Jacki's keynote the fun mashed potato martini bar buffet provided the perfect opportunity to talk with old friends and rub elbows with new ones. Everyone (speakers, presenters, agents, editors, publishers, podcasters; there is no pecking order here) mills around balancing plates of salad, hors d'oeuvres, glasses of water or wine and, in my case, a sweet potato concoction in a martini glass. Connecting and reconnecting. It's a big part of what the conference is about.<br />
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The <a href="https://hippocamp2019.hippocampusmagazine.com/sessions/a-night-of-nonfiction-debut-author-readings-and-qa/" target="_blank">debut author readings</a> always follow the reception. A handful of writers give moving readings from their new books, and this year there was even a tear-provoking performance by <a href="https://www.byteresawong.com/" target="_blank">Teresa Wong</a>. I wish I could find a video of it.<br />
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These readings, and the Q&A that follows, are always a highlight for me. In fact, Lara Lillibridge first appeared on my radar at the HippoCamp 2017 conference when she gave a reading from her book <i><a href="https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781510723917/girlish/" target="_blank">girlish</a> </i>as one of <a href="http://www.hippocamp2017.hippocampusmagazine.com/sessions/a-night-of-nonfiction-evenings-readings-debut-author-panel/" target="_blank">that year's debut authors</a>. Six new authors on the stage, each with engaging stories, and books that I eagerly devoured. Some have become among my favorites. I am so grateful for the circle of connection.<br />
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The first full day of the conference ends with the brave souls who entertain us at the annual Friday night <a href="http://www.lancasterstoryslam.com/" target="_blank">story slam</a>. Groans and laughter punctuate the rapt attention paid to true stories told well. After, we pile into the elevator, tired but giddy from all that has transpired. We sit up late in our beds, sipping wine and swapping descriptions of tomorrow's sessions in anticipation of new adventures to come.<br />
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Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-10401740768306285492019-08-27T16:04:00.000-07:002019-08-27T16:07:48.391-07:00With Loving Regard to My Hippocampus, Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My tiny desk shrine</td></tr>
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I keep a little shrine in my office next to my laptop. It is a shifting assemblage of personal objects alongside visual cues, reminders of pressing matters that require my attention. The <a href="https://www.hippocampusmagazine.com/conference/" target="_blank">HippoCamp</a> mementos are among the most meaningful items I keep here, because they remind me every day of the supportive community I have found through attending the wonderful creative nonfiction conference in lovely <a href="https://craftcouncil.org/magazine/article/heart-it-lancaster-pennsylvania" target="_blank">Lancaster, Pennsylvania</a>. I have returned from this year's event enthused, reconnected and newly able to see fresh possibilities for my work.<br />
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The magic begins after check-in and upon arrival at <a href="https://www.tellus360.com/" target="_blank">Tellus</a>, the cool old Irish pub and music venue that is just down the street from the conference location at the Marriott in Penn Square. HippoCamp founders and amazing couple-in-residence, <a href="https://www.donnatalarico.com/about/" target="_blank">Donna Talarico</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-9rcjHiFVU" target="_blank">Kevin Beerman</a>, are there for the pre-conference event, greeting newcomers and repeat offenders alike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLl33hz5pqSb_qJz33QeOTCtvCy-bp4c6Q2vnVOfOexofizUBa1XCITIqU5w1VHFgs-U33Ii48gePPX6xmLgsK2h13fagmL-fvTuroEZ5thE_dRYkNwmS6l7iFIrmIhklgu9fS7m3NpqA/s1600/HippoCamp+Tellus+Group.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1590" data-original-width="1600" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLl33hz5pqSb_qJz33QeOTCtvCy-bp4c6Q2vnVOfOexofizUBa1XCITIqU5w1VHFgs-U33Ii48gePPX6xmLgsK2h13fagmL-fvTuroEZ5thE_dRYkNwmS6l7iFIrmIhklgu9fS7m3NpqA/s400/HippoCamp+Tellus+Group.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So fun seeing old friends and meeting new ones.<br />
<a href="http://www.gaylepritchardart.com/" target="_blank">Gayle</a> with Kevin Beerman, <a href="https://indigoediting.com/" target="_blank">Ali J. Shaw</a>, <a href="https://www.donnatalarico.com/" target="_blank">Donna Talarico</a> and <a href="http://brendanomeara.com/" target="_blank">Brendan O'Meara</a><br />
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Attending HippoCamp with my <a href="http://www.soultreepublications.com/" target="_blank">writer daughter</a> makes the experience even more intimate and meaningful. We relish Friday night after the conference begins, when we sit and pore over the sessions for Saturday and Sunday, trying to decide from the myriad of fabulous choices which ones we want to attend. When we don't select the same one, we share notes and insights on the car ride home, as we prepare for re-entry into our real lives.<br />
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So, yes, I am back home and back at work. Regular readers of <a href="http://www.gaylepritchard.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Uncommon Threads</a> will soon see the fruits from this year's HippoCamp. Meanwhile, I have a new stack of books to read, and a million new ideas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbRKdfQlmIiNCvbXqM_itx0LeVN6jD7hXh5JS2V4x9dKpy2v8kVrMJFtZKUqrdKL4InIiYXIBc5GTHIdSGJtIF6xg7ge5622O3ZzsDmkAFu8_aNsBDXUVN9Pb_JEP3asK1Qlqi22VLp8/s1600/Hippocamp+19+book+pile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="1600" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbRKdfQlmIiNCvbXqM_itx0LeVN6jD7hXh5JS2V4x9dKpy2v8kVrMJFtZKUqrdKL4InIiYXIBc5GTHIdSGJtIF6xg7ge5622O3ZzsDmkAFu8_aNsBDXUVN9Pb_JEP3asK1Qlqi22VLp8/s400/Hippocamp+19+book+pile.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the author's table at HippoCamp 2019 </td></tr>
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Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-2236067440672236152019-06-03T07:46:00.000-07:002019-06-03T07:46:27.977-07:00Target is March 2020<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Target Family in progress, by Gayle Pritchard</td></tr>
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2020 is coming. This is exciting to me for a variety of reasons: a new presidential election, the centennial of the passage of the <a href="http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment" target="_blank">19th Amendment</a> (look it up, please, if you do not know what that is!), and a new exhibition scheduled for March 2020 with my art group: me (<a href="http://www.gaylepritchardart.com/" target="_blank">Gayle Pritchard</a>), <a href="https://www.artbycrum.com/about-gail" target="_blank">Gail Crum</a> and <a href="http://canjournal.org/2018/02/articleart-cleveland-galleries-studios-creative-classroom/" target="_blank">Jill Milenski</a> at the fabulous <a href="https://www.lorainccc.edu/stocker/beth-k-stocker-art-gallery/" target="_blank">Beth K. Stocker Center Gallery</a>.<br />
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My art group tries to meet once a week. We have been doing so for years now. We sip wine, catch up with each other, plan play-days and art-related outings, and, all the while, we work on whatever it is we are working on. When one of us is exhibiting in one of the many juried exhibitions around town, we all try to attend the opening. This type of support is so important, not only for the professional reasons you can imagine, but for the emotional support and the safe creative environment it provides.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8a2hd-CHkPct1UGvoqkuetyqT-O-HPaQ9sjTtIVkDp7qPWKp5x62Hb_TnPYTXvI5NUDYHSmWqcxB8czEibV5c_p7gZqvurrQKj8qWG4O3EJCoctMBYbLB01unh4y9N4ploToTBQgaoQ/s1600/Playday+c.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8a2hd-CHkPct1UGvoqkuetyqT-O-HPaQ9sjTtIVkDp7qPWKp5x62Hb_TnPYTXvI5NUDYHSmWqcxB8czEibV5c_p7gZqvurrQKj8qWG4O3EJCoctMBYbLB01unh4y9N4ploToTBQgaoQ/s320/Playday+c.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A drawing play-day at Jill's</td></tr>
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Meeting every week provides an incentive to keep working. While it is perfectly okay if you had a hectic week full of distractions or family obligations or illness and got nothing done, we all really want to have something to work on each week, or something to show that we have finished. It's absolutely exhilarating.<br />
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Jill and I, both writers as well as artists, recently took part in a one day writing workshop sponsored by our local library system, The <a href="https://attend.cuyahogalibrary.org/event/1383513" target="_blank">36th annual Western Reserve Writing Conference</a>. Here we found yet another iteration of the creative community in our Northeast Ohio region. We spend the day with like-minded people seeking ways to improve our craft. I am so grateful to be surrounded by creativity virtually everywhere I go. Writing and talking about the writing process is just another way of expressing that fundamental need to express.<br />
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All of which now takes me back to my target: March 2020, the next exhibition, the next body of work, the next chance to interact with my audience, and another giant block of time to work on my art with focus.<br />
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Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-20566395173673649742019-04-29T09:00:00.000-07:002019-04-29T09:00:07.115-07:00Get Out Your Saw, Part II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Measuring the wood strip to cut for framing the sides of the<br />canvas.</td></tr>
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In my <a href="http://gaylepritchard.blogspot.com/2019/03/get-your-saw-out-framing-experiment.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, I showed you part 1 of my framing experiment. This time, I want to show you how I finished framing the piece. Top and bottom, the wood framing strips were cut and attached. To do the sides, I measured the length needed by laying the canvas on top of the wood strip and marking it. I'm going to cut two pieces that same length, one for each side, measured as shown in the picture to the left and below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3GYBJ4g815KK0dPjGROeJpRR24GWUd9xZNFo6TWSDBYJAYmLIlT-GlzhOPqlhdWnzpjUwtomdLare7dcA5P2FDlfbg-mRIP-J-u79H_1Sjnqc6CX5pel0fNFWsxBRRDDr1hG19tbXa0/s1600/blog+framing+g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3GYBJ4g815KK0dPjGROeJpRR24GWUd9xZNFo6TWSDBYJAYmLIlT-GlzhOPqlhdWnzpjUwtomdLare7dcA5P2FDlfbg-mRIP-J-u79H_1Sjnqc6CX5pel0fNFWsxBRRDDr1hG19tbXa0/s400/blog+framing+g.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lay the canvas on top of the length of wood. Measure, marks and cut with your saw.</td></tr>
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I used very small nails to attach the strips of wood. Even then, I found it easiest to make a starting hole with an awl to get the nail started. At first I did only top and bottom, but the canvas wasn't completely square, so I added a nail in the middle to eliminate any gaps.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5IbRQGEZY-QMsy7ygJZBFX25gJhsyqG3fCPgIw1yJ5-juR-F7Blpb-gHW96Z6IV7KVIP5dU8MTAiXYEKd-wP0lvG97a-wATuRRKnwNkeOxAyupqRHxC-xcI4gtqueBf_eL5mBn4F4HE/s1600/blog+framing+j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="1600" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5IbRQGEZY-QMsy7ygJZBFX25gJhsyqG3fCPgIw1yJ5-juR-F7Blpb-gHW96Z6IV7KVIP5dU8MTAiXYEKd-wP0lvG97a-wATuRRKnwNkeOxAyupqRHxC-xcI4gtqueBf_eL5mBn4F4HE/s400/blog+framing+j.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
When you cut the side pieces, top and bottom or side and side, remember to cut them the same size. Measure twice, cut once, but make them the same. Lightly sand the cut edges, mark your nail holes, and hammer the wood strips in place. Make sure you are hammering the nails into the wood edge of the canvas. I may use a drill and even smaller nails next time, as I did end up cracking the on one end of the framing strip as I hammered it into the adjacent piece.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9OsVlH0Pxe_o65yibyXuDpis3H2P15qehHo6iBOOYTRnBx5lG5eNiyWid9qc1TDanRpeJGOQb-LwNZlLEtmiRO4BvLIrj841LE_GhkeIl03LcWLiBxnQ0UmSnoCilAxUh1Fb3OWCLGI/s1600/blog+framing+i.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9OsVlH0Pxe_o65yibyXuDpis3H2P15qehHo6iBOOYTRnBx5lG5eNiyWid9qc1TDanRpeJGOQb-LwNZlLEtmiRO4BvLIrj841LE_GhkeIl03LcWLiBxnQ0UmSnoCilAxUh1Fb3OWCLGI/s320/blog+framing+i.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
After all the wood framing pieces were nailed in place, I painted them with transparent acrylic airbrush paint. It's very thin, so it's easy to paint on in layers to achieve the color you want. I used a golden yellow color to match the artwork without distracting from it. After the paint dried, I wired the canvas for hanging.<br />
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Hurrah, May Queen is ready to show!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_PFeMukeeKOiUFFqLMmURa9Xea6cSp4kR-6ifTMPMpFIS6hfCmSik4yDCyXWosFLPrCoMqlkiHZuGvm31tyR-ZuZaZbJDUboPPVqAXz9PkrL5W7s1ZjOSItcHVDo7YcQ5Jb-43SPg0U/s1600/blog+framing+k+ready+to+paint+frame.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1277" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_PFeMukeeKOiUFFqLMmURa9Xea6cSp4kR-6ifTMPMpFIS6hfCmSik4yDCyXWosFLPrCoMqlkiHZuGvm31tyR-ZuZaZbJDUboPPVqAXz9PkrL5W7s1ZjOSItcHVDo7YcQ5Jb-43SPg0U/s400/blog+framing+k+ready+to+paint+frame.JPG" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May Queen by Gayle Pritchard. The frame is attached<br />and ready to paint to match. The last step will be<br />wiring the canvas for hanging. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFAaoNRpZe1nB-4MQz-HZtJApfXNi9y16eiOnHslhimYllsyQPBKJvI0Ieq4T5NM1WKQrSfrb7ZGOTL-6GZ7KIOa_4hjUd6e4sK3kMbBknOhvTtQyVSmj8tOCb9Dqo0V4O1SRdMOqWCbw/s1600/blog+framing+o+May+Queen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1357" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFAaoNRpZe1nB-4MQz-HZtJApfXNi9y16eiOnHslhimYllsyQPBKJvI0Ieq4T5NM1WKQrSfrb7ZGOTL-6GZ7KIOa_4hjUd6e4sK3kMbBknOhvTtQyVSmj8tOCb9Dqo0V4O1SRdMOqWCbw/s200/blog+framing+o+May+Queen.JPG" width="169" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wired to hang</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSFIUy3U-yUiMLxiGqnT4GU9qjAYKsKygdU2ux6Bo7mUDtrE0l8QKTfj33606IiBkdeeIpASAlIswPYZjb0Pi4mePoA3fl2fi65LRLyjz52BaRV-eXiJIeYuosYeUsNphXhDI26BAFZ0/s1600/blog+framing+p+May+Queen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1264" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSFIUy3U-yUiMLxiGqnT4GU9qjAYKsKygdU2ux6Bo7mUDtrE0l8QKTfj33606IiBkdeeIpASAlIswPYZjb0Pi4mePoA3fl2fi65LRLyjz52BaRV-eXiJIeYuosYeUsNphXhDI26BAFZ0/s400/blog+framing+p+May+Queen.JPG" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May Queen by Gayle Pritchard<br />Notice how the painted color of the frame doesn't<br />detract from the artwork. </td></tr>
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Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-23723659714107854162019-03-18T08:15:00.002-07:002019-03-18T08:15:38.604-07:00Get Your Saw Out: A Framing Experiment, part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzfS4HqrhgXrHtaxGFGdr4mE1n_6OeZ9BVhbSoY1I6eOqkpDBLoLpR8dDTsgUY7wwDOijNK9Bpzbm1mO2-LMGQaR_mvQssueyO0lheMtkIf42FeMKqw_qQ_SusMA_R6ozoT8aNqPAB5Y/s1600/blog+framing+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1274" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzfS4HqrhgXrHtaxGFGdr4mE1n_6OeZ9BVhbSoY1I6eOqkpDBLoLpR8dDTsgUY7wwDOijNK9Bpzbm1mO2-LMGQaR_mvQssueyO0lheMtkIf42FeMKqw_qQ_SusMA_R6ozoT8aNqPAB5Y/s320/blog+framing+a.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My handy-dandy miter saw</td></tr>
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It's been a busy few months, and now it's time to start preparing for my next three-woman exhibition, Conversations With Women, which will be in March 2020. More on that later, but...hurrah!<br />
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A <a href="http://gaylepritchard.blogspot.com/2018/12/loose-ends-new-beginnings.html" target="_blank">few posts back</a>, I was pulling out some unfinished work, and showed you my piece May Queen, in progress. I finished the collage, which I had created on a painted canvas, and now needed a way to frame it for a finished look. Because of the depth of the 3-D elements in the piece, it wasn't going to be popped into a regular frame, and I didn't want it inside a shadow box. So, off to Lowe's I went in search of wood suitable for my purposes.<br />
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My canvas was only 3/4" deep, and I was looking for something a little wider than that. I ended up with 1 1/2" maple, that would do the job, and bought enough of it to allow for the entire perimeter of the canvas, plus extra for mistakes. I bought two 5' lengths.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Zs3F8qS6YRANPxwpZeD7JgtWyVRBfdKzLF-BoB-34vuml_ettVNgUXkwsAw0DfkVhyphenhyphenMpoJ79jeeNQZdMPssPLPW6X59sf9nzHFl1qjKZEN_Lq-ZJufoZ-obXjGIT4SXisnljm0mTc8Q/s1600/blog+framing+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1344" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Zs3F8qS6YRANPxwpZeD7JgtWyVRBfdKzLF-BoB-34vuml_ettVNgUXkwsAw0DfkVhyphenhyphenMpoJ79jeeNQZdMPssPLPW6X59sf9nzHFl1qjKZEN_Lq-ZJufoZ-obXjGIT4SXisnljm0mTc8Q/s320/blog+framing+b.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark the wood in pencil so you can see <br />where to cut.</td></tr>
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I got my miter saw for my birthday one year, and it's perfect for these kind of projects. I use it a lot for my artwork. The saw sits in a groove, and the pegs are movable so you can lock them in place around the wood you are cutting. The blade is replaceable, too, if it gets dull. I have my saw, wood strip, my artwork and my pencil, and first off I'm going to mark the first cut. I line up the wood edge to edge with the canvas, and mark it. I started with the short sides, and made sure the mark worked on both ends. <div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOXKaysOLC815YX1EqAuL37vLWkHdFrIKrsGLtR8fflGwcCEOdQjSj51RUavKnC9HXmJd3CZyr-zkxCe34EjpXXQCss83n_zkbQhpARn-7HCr4djwFFo5ds-DQXcuBBqR0VouGr72mHM/s1600/blog+framing+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1588" data-original-width="1600" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOXKaysOLC815YX1EqAuL37vLWkHdFrIKrsGLtR8fflGwcCEOdQjSj51RUavKnC9HXmJd3CZyr-zkxCe34EjpXXQCss83n_zkbQhpARn-7HCr4djwFFo5ds-DQXcuBBqR0VouGr72mHM/s200/blog+framing+c.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make a hole with an awl, and push<br />the nail in before hammering.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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Saw, saw, saw, and the wood is cut. I used a bit of fine-grained sandpaper to smooth the cut edges. I picked up some really small finishing nails at the hardware store. I used an awl to mark a hole to hold the nail while I hammer it in place. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHp4l42G341IfRSyTCdqpW2Zc9tP6BiDs4uaY_f_kZTkhzeZU997u2PSUQbuPeYCsAQiuL4Spc6HY1YdBVP0O_MB9us0fk0M-rUhY7g8CZ3NeT3R5pdSyT71OqBg2tTbzMMTd9s3GtPW4/s1600/blog+framing+d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="910" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHp4l42G341IfRSyTCdqpW2Zc9tP6BiDs4uaY_f_kZTkhzeZU997u2PSUQbuPeYCsAQiuL4Spc6HY1YdBVP0O_MB9us0fk0M-rUhY7g8CZ3NeT3R5pdSyT71OqBg2tTbzMMTd9s3GtPW4/s200/blog+framing+d.jpg" width="113" /></a></div>
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I attached both the top and bottom frame</div>
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pieces. Voila, I'm halfway home!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhme1lVoDwU1BFnEFOogOtg-s6pDvcgO5Rnwh77MCyKwrbVowSmhKkYz4JcOi8LypL0gkfhLHkcFflIaXUTQfAzkJ2fO7ExQHOeNOHE1GehGPplz_S7SKPAzzVScwxM6qN47TD34IJTYRQ/s1600/blog+framing+e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1428" data-original-width="1600" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhme1lVoDwU1BFnEFOogOtg-s6pDvcgO5Rnwh77MCyKwrbVowSmhKkYz4JcOi8LypL0gkfhLHkcFflIaXUTQfAzkJ2fO7ExQHOeNOHE1GehGPplz_S7SKPAzzVScwxM6qN47TD34IJTYRQ/s320/blog+framing+e.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Measure and pre-mark all the nail hoes with an awl<br />before trying to hammer the finishing nails in place.<br />I ended up adding another nail in the center of each side,<br />since the canvas was not perfectly straight. The extra<br />nail eliminated tiny gaps.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0BF2JoS8fDAPsuISmh85xZqYIpNyZi4XyvooZ117MBjmF5yvTsNb4Pl6BmIexC7mDONfSkeV3i09Ej_c4s8PHlIYeZXvpVX2pWorBG5BK6GgNGQ_wUxjrnIIAYVPVfAN4mlZcAK-neU/s1600/blog+framing+May+Queen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1178" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0BF2JoS8fDAPsuISmh85xZqYIpNyZi4XyvooZ117MBjmF5yvTsNb4Pl6BmIexC7mDONfSkeV3i09Ej_c4s8PHlIYeZXvpVX2pWorBG5BK6GgNGQ_wUxjrnIIAYVPVfAN4mlZcAK-neU/s400/blog+framing+May+Queen.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May Queen by Gayle Pritchard, half way framed!</td></tr>
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Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-58961159143660275392019-01-28T07:36:00.000-08:002019-01-28T07:36:34.315-08:00Making Marks is the Start<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbYLiIlHxAELcBNo9smkwbb6M44lB4sU59-nTLXzhfTtZW_FaXvUtOnBnulRmLvD4L2HPAgYSmQ1B2W48lg7usVciDuPfZk7pXfufyrof5WcOd265qBtXD-IMmiENS9-GqrSaBh_sJd4/s1600/Oil+Pastel++Watercolor+background.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="800" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbYLiIlHxAELcBNo9smkwbb6M44lB4sU59-nTLXzhfTtZW_FaXvUtOnBnulRmLvD4L2HPAgYSmQ1B2W48lg7usVciDuPfZk7pXfufyrof5WcOd265qBtXD-IMmiENS9-GqrSaBh_sJd4/s320/Oil+Pastel++Watercolor+background.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Mexico" by Gayle Pritchard, oil pastel with collage and<br />image transfers on mat board</td></tr>
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I have never met a kid who, at a certain age, did not like to draw. Somewhere along the line, most of them end up abandoning the skill, because they are taught, often by an untrained "art" teacher, that their drawings aren't up to snuff. They aren't taught that drawing is a lifelong skill and one that, no matter how good you naturally are at it, can become rusty or greatly improved, depending on how often you practice.<br />
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So, making marks: It's the key to it all, and my hands long to create them. Whenever I travel, even if for a few days away from home, I always bring along a little travel kit which includes drawing supplies. I especially love the marks that soft pastels or conte crayons make, but I adore using the less messy oil pastels.<br />
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I am fortunate to have two women artists in my life with whom I meet almost weekly: my art group. When we have play days, Jill, the experienced sketcher and painter in the group, often creates opportunities for us to sketch and draw in new ways. Her massive stack of filled sketchbooks regularly inspires us to keep drawing. As further incentive, she even gave both of us a set of Prismacolor pencils and a brand new sketchbook for Christmas. Get crackin', ladies!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibc_grycrtrkWtevaiTl8mi7_6PGpUn9Dm1BY4-TJXBG5crY5Zu-k53ASfrq0azGTajhoKdBfv9O8BPIIfH-aeZvKGM3zgNZ9mmjOuHZaiqfNjlRZrDbkF_k5I_dOfTVLso2ugJ7kEGu4/s1600/landscape+oil+pastel+two+drawings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1600" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibc_grycrtrkWtevaiTl8mi7_6PGpUn9Dm1BY4-TJXBG5crY5Zu-k53ASfrq0azGTajhoKdBfv9O8BPIIfH-aeZvKGM3zgNZ9mmjOuHZaiqfNjlRZrDbkF_k5I_dOfTVLso2ugJ7kEGu4/s400/landscape+oil+pastel+two+drawings.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landscape drawing on two pages, oil pastel, by Jill Milenski</td></tr>
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Inspired by both <a href="http://canjournal.org/2018/02/articleart-cleveland-galleries-studios-creative-classroom/" target="_blank">Jill Milenski</a> and <a href="https://www.artbycrum.com/about-gail" target="_blank">Gail Crum</a> and their drawing practice, I have returned to a drawing series I started several years ago. For one of our groups' two major shows over the past two years, I began making house drawings that went along with the theme of our show, <a href="https://www.cia.edu/events/2017/02/memories-evoked-circling-back-home" target="_blank">Circling Back Home</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmo56OxoP424Oa6x1o-0GHD8SJfEBB0p-KRTKP1tnMlUhR6vR6LdvvW-jougpLphnT_G9Xg6PwLn94BFhLY-jXKPEbUab0Ekv0lmp2TWfcVCkwOr4xCP_ligAByc9VZ7nyDnyGWU1xflU/s1600/House+drawings+installed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1282" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmo56OxoP424Oa6x1o-0GHD8SJfEBB0p-KRTKP1tnMlUhR6vR6LdvvW-jougpLphnT_G9Xg6PwLn94BFhLY-jXKPEbUab0Ekv0lmp2TWfcVCkwOr4xCP_ligAByc9VZ7nyDnyGWU1xflU/s320/House+drawings+installed.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two of my house drawings in oil pastel, bottom,<br />along with <a href="https://www.artbycrum.com/about-gail" target="_blank">Gail Crum</a>'s framed collage, top. From<br />our <a href="http://gaylepritchard.blogspot.com/2017/02/anticipation-before-everything-else.html" target="_blank">Circling Back Home</a> exhibition.</td></tr>
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I have also been inspired for many years by two other landscape painters: <a href="http://www.wolfkahn.com/artworks" target="_blank">Wolf Kahn</a> and <a href="https://www.stevenscottgallery.com/artists_jones50.html" target="_blank">Sheep Jones</a>. Their use of marks and color combined create a deep longing in me, and I absolutely love their paintings. I am especially moved by Jones' imagery, the evocative houses standing in landscapes that she captures in her marks. <br />
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Now that the New Year is well underway, I am happy to have entered back into my art studio routine. This month began with the need to clear off my work space, which always leads to the discovery of some forgotten sketch, background painting, or fabric or collage snippet. I found all of these, and since several were already in progress, still in the thrall of the original idea, I just picked them up to finish them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8Hb22soRvcmbGgUbwf4z25yYsHOw-gfHVZpMjSiLJk_GpyyVSYfpCkkfY-WtC6GFC_lr1_jNjDbg0dKN3XV1Q84TQ2hRKhtBn41b3RluLYWXOn1swjuVU3xZ0ZqNv_asBX8EmpmoLvY/s1600/House+drawing+3+b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1129" data-original-width="1600" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8Hb22soRvcmbGgUbwf4z25yYsHOw-gfHVZpMjSiLJk_GpyyVSYfpCkkfY-WtC6GFC_lr1_jNjDbg0dKN3XV1Q84TQ2hRKhtBn41b3RluLYWXOn1swjuVU3xZ0ZqNv_asBX8EmpmoLvY/s400/House+drawing+3+b.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House Drawing #3, <a href="http://www.gaylepritchardart.com/" target="_blank">Gayle Pritchard</a>, 4 x 6</td></tr>
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House Drawing #3 was made on a background painting I had made with a marked gesso surface painted with various acrylics, including interference paint. It creates a nice shimmer behind the oil pastels. It's attached with brass brads to one of a giant stash of vintage boxes that I have. It's a good use for the boxes, and a nice way to finish an artwork, especially these little 4" x 6" ones.<br />
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House Drawing #4 isn't finished yet. It is larger, and I am going to mount it on the piece of wood shown. It has also turned into an assemblage, with a shelf at the bottom and found wood, metal and glass pieces added. The wood background, salvaged from an old dresser drawer, has oil pastel marks, and I will probably add some more. The house drawing, just started, is also being created on a background prepared with gesso that has been drawn into before being left to dry. When the oil pastels are added to the surface, they can be pushed down into the grooves in the gesso, creating an interesting, textured surface.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGF0l_4aXgPVGMgBJuvelnehNmIYiJloF9J2o0Ae8M6nPsjCYWRhQAQLDmLl1ObzNcK-ZzsepcVdAGJCuafzJOPcdz46hwQX31aFkE1bDLoLyaLysO3byp6cgcr3T3n-W-8C2O9bBDII/s1600/House+drawing+new+artwork+in+progress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGF0l_4aXgPVGMgBJuvelnehNmIYiJloF9J2o0Ae8M6nPsjCYWRhQAQLDmLl1ObzNcK-ZzsepcVdAGJCuafzJOPcdz46hwQX31aFkE1bDLoLyaLysO3byp6cgcr3T3n-W-8C2O9bBDII/s400/House+drawing+new+artwork+in+progress.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House Drawing #4 by <a href="http://www.gaylepritchardart.com/" target="_blank">Gayle Pritchard</a>, in progress. Found wooden blocks, beach sticks,<br /><a href="http://gaylepritchard.blogspot.com/2015/03/using-throw-away-pictures-in-collage.html" target="_blank">altered photographs</a>, glass and metal will be attached to a piece of wood<br />salvaged from an old dresser drawer.</td></tr>
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Making marks is the start of creating for me. I use a mark to "open" a surface, even if I'm working in fiber. Making marks gives a start. It's a beginning of a new idea about to come to life.</div>
Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-2197815159618040242019-01-19T08:56:00.002-08:002019-01-19T08:56:54.198-08:00Inspiring Mentors and Faithful Friends<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lois with one of her scarves, made in<br />her late eighties.</td></tr>
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I am such a lucky woman. Throughout my life as an artist, I have been surrounded by amazing friends, several of whom are or were my mentors. Lois Carroll was one of those people, both a best friend, partner in crime, and mentor. She died this past week, right after her 91st birthday. <div>
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I moved back to Ohio in 1988 after living in Europe and then on the east coast for several years. My husband and I and our two little children decided to move back "home" with plans of raising our kids surrounded by grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSptIFs8zyyFPlxE3JjtRwpHbbYCmAOu2qIT3ZJEq8ftO79YMKIRHxTUK-v1IsyNhHFDgFfC-_g0160sS4HuuyPRG7IlRA48KFsOe1zOcd0EbI6Z7uv5iE-4iOspgFVzMkatO42R_NoTc/s1600/GAP+lois+scarf+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1144" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSptIFs8zyyFPlxE3JjtRwpHbbYCmAOu2qIT3ZJEq8ftO79YMKIRHxTUK-v1IsyNhHFDgFfC-_g0160sS4HuuyPRG7IlRA48KFsOe1zOcd0EbI6Z7uv5iE-4iOspgFVzMkatO42R_NoTc/s320/GAP+lois+scarf+3.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An angora scarf, my birthday present from<br />Lois that year.</td></tr>
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Having been part of the quilting community in Philadelphia, I knew that connecting with other fiber artists in my new home would be a great place to make friends. I jumped right in. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyOJcdk1xSW_ordP3EtQw-hx9cJrAwkRyE5bhGMPNBqv10Sc1o1D9xtZMEkyd32g_Hm1Xubd0M95dfpLdgEveLfU1ubKp3WK3DfsPSVQ56wVC-M77iU-7BgjkvAYqM6ZJiAR2F_WFITA/s1600/Lois+2014+scarf+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyOJcdk1xSW_ordP3EtQw-hx9cJrAwkRyE5bhGMPNBqv10Sc1o1D9xtZMEkyd32g_Hm1Xubd0M95dfpLdgEveLfU1ubKp3WK3DfsPSVQ56wVC-M77iU-7BgjkvAYqM6ZJiAR2F_WFITA/s320/Lois+2014+scarf+detail.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of her hand-knit scarf as well as the<br />art jacket she is wearing. With the hands of<br />an accomplished seamstress and artist,<br />Lois still almost always had her nails painted.</td></tr>
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Lois was the first artist I met. She had been hired to present a program at a local quilting guild. Vibrant and funny, she was easy to approach after the meeting to talk to about her presentation. We hit it off right away, and it wasn't long before she became my best friend. </div>
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She introduced me to all the other fiber artists in the area, and to the many groups she was active in. In my personal life, she was there through thick and thin. When times were turbulent, she was a steady friend with good advice, and she was never judgmental. In good times, we team-taught classes and workshops in venues all over the region. When a new gallery opened or the art museum installed a new show, one of us would call the other, and off we would go. She was there at every important family event from birthday parties to graduations. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XIxn_IJiEQ9soLEvbTq8oa5mNK6rxwfmEg7-ehCBB3CLB9JhD1VLd1qikWK3usf6mtGP5pgs6DHNoYf9ob2ylCsABSdieOhE2UHDoP7m9k7jVJBwuYTVcORlhyphenhyphenMOdPLA5a2aEv9tUVk/s1600/Lois+cat+Tote+bag+full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XIxn_IJiEQ9soLEvbTq8oa5mNK6rxwfmEg7-ehCBB3CLB9JhD1VLd1qikWK3usf6mtGP5pgs6DHNoYf9ob2ylCsABSdieOhE2UHDoP7m9k7jVJBwuYTVcORlhyphenhyphenMOdPLA5a2aEv9tUVk/s320/Lois+cat+Tote+bag+full.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lois with her giant cat tote.</td></tr>
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When we had to move to Florida for a few years, I remember the sad phone calls back and forth, me walking the beach, and she surrounded by a Cleveland snowstorm. In the last years of her life, when she was in trouble, I did everything I could to support her. I was sad when she had to move out of the area. And now she is gone. I will never forget her, and will treasure the impact her friendship had on my life. Rest in peace, dear friend.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpQNEYYwReB3cfJ_jIT8SrU8EXE1wV6hyphenhyphenLsKx0amoLJuPY7ur0IJ6JamBfr9I3bv68NfSUW6U4m9_tzIspBl1F4G2P3BRKXIu7s92yITkL8mR6a1cec8yeZlbxuKiGiV_YSJpbpPqYWE/s1600/lois+2013+b1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1209" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpQNEYYwReB3cfJ_jIT8SrU8EXE1wV6hyphenhyphenLsKx0amoLJuPY7ur0IJ6JamBfr9I3bv68NfSUW6U4m9_tzIspBl1F4G2P3BRKXIu7s92yITkL8mR6a1cec8yeZlbxuKiGiV_YSJpbpPqYWE/s400/lois+2013+b1.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At our last visit</td></tr>
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Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-74686855128885293682019-01-13T11:16:00.003-08:002019-01-13T11:16:27.658-08:00Bluebell: First Prize<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bluebell: First Prize; collage by Gayle Pritchard</td></tr>
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I grew up in a small town in the Midwest during the 1960s. Like most kids who grew up then, I had the freedom to roam. The post-World War II neighborhoods were designed for kids and stay-at-home moms, and featured large picture windows in both the front and the back of the house. So, even though my mom worked full time, there were other moms in houses up and down the street watching through wide windows as the pack of neighborhood kids roamed from one unfenced yard to another all day long and well into the long summer nights.<br />
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There were a ton of kids to play with. I had many siblings, walked to the local school, received a great education, had a fantastic and progressive art teacher, and a high school guidance counselor who saved my life.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of Pink House, an assemblage by Gayle Pritchard</td></tr>
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The imagery from that time period still figures prominently in my artwork. Because my work arises from personal musings, that's no surprise. You can see and read more about that on my <a href="https://www.gaylepritchardart.com/mixed-media" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
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I think part of the pull for me is also my interest in family history. My parents died when I and they were relatively young. Feeling orphaned, even in my thirties, diving into genealogy research helped me to feel connected to the greater history of my family. I felt part of something larger. It was comforting. It still is. Decades ago, I wrote this poem, Voices From the Past about that feeling:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> Voices from the
past call out to me;</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">They are my
roots and my beginning,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">but they are
gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I see them in
misty vapors,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">in clouds which
I cannot touch;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">deep inside, I
feel them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Their voices
echo in the woods,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Calling out from
distant places,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">yet they are
near, within.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Faded smiles in
aged photographs whisper;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Glinting eyes,
which hold secrets not revealed,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">will not be
silent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Our voices join
in the chorus of remembrance,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">together
harmonizing in the deep unknown<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">before stillness
falls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqRIhZH7KUNZDdhSGF4dJw09o7NE7vK6gZ3SsAhDN1K7ZA3Q84nFhZL_xPmTDm1sg2g1tPpo3RmnRzqUiDb-1chjQHEVhFT8p_GXOcitzCMjFz31_C7euwfZjfcyLw1BhY86aHvuC6jM/s1600/Pritchard19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1590" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqRIhZH7KUNZDdhSGF4dJw09o7NE7vK6gZ3SsAhDN1K7ZA3Q84nFhZL_xPmTDm1sg2g1tPpo3RmnRzqUiDb-1chjQHEVhFT8p_GXOcitzCMjFz31_C7euwfZjfcyLw1BhY86aHvuC6jM/s400/Pritchard19.jpg" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pink House, assemblage by Gayle Pritchard</td></tr>
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Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-81723216618208039322018-12-30T08:58:00.002-08:002018-12-30T08:58:37.724-08:00Loose Ends, New Beginnings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHxlNoIcl5gMGkCrYi0AxfV2ipCx3zxV5-8EJgjOv6X0y63LwpeLSjG32EXUCvyX8ByDDx5ApW1AJGnwMZ98KPlcVIV7lLDr9GzoRnUX8p-ZlmfcyTGHBhbH8WWapkY7tMwIL_w82nMk/s1600/studio+zine+hope+you+dance+BOOK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1137" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHxlNoIcl5gMGkCrYi0AxfV2ipCx3zxV5-8EJgjOv6X0y63LwpeLSjG32EXUCvyX8ByDDx5ApW1AJGnwMZ98KPlcVIV7lLDr9GzoRnUX8p-ZlmfcyTGHBhbH8WWapkY7tMwIL_w82nMk/s320/studio+zine+hope+you+dance+BOOK.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the book, I Hope You Dance, by<br />Mark Sanders and Tia Sillers.</td></tr>
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It's that funny time between Christmas and the New Year. Today, against all odds in northern Ohio, the sun is brilliant in the sky; even though I slept in, it's the kind of sunshine that makes you want to jump out of bed on a winters' day and greet the world. It makes you want to dance.<br />
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I haven't put the Christmas tree ornaments away yet. In fact, I just finished clearing off the dining room table yesterday, finally removing the soiled tablecloth and taking it outside for a good shake before putting it in the laundry pile. I haven't done much in the way of "necessary" work this week: laundry, grocery shopping and the like. I'm on vacation.<br />
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Thanksgiving builds its' crescendo to Christmas Eve dinner, the big day at our house, I rise to the occasion, making plans, decorating, preparing pies and special dishes, shopping in local boutiques, trying to find just the right gift at the right price. After the family dinner on Christmas Eve, everyone opens their sleigh gift, and the night dissolves into family stories over dessert, talks, conversations in the corner, and mellow holiday punch. After that, my vacation begins.<br />
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I used the time this past week to tie up loose ends. This gets me ready for the new year. I like to start out with a clean slate, or at least a good start on one. I worked on my genealogy piles, scanning pictures and documents, following up on correspondences that have winked at me for weeks when I was too busy to form a reply. I got a good start on thank you notes, returned phone calls, organized my recipe books, returning the loose pages pulled out for the holidays. I gathered stacks of cardboard boxes for the next recycling truck, made a bag of donations, scanned my pile of new books into Goodreads to add to my "want to read" list. I even started reading one of my new books, Michelle Obama's "Becoming."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVlPi5lB-XxDO87C8UQpUtxdIRY7WWsQenGZ3iZOphAFiAjHPstszK0-6pBjzppytfkBSvIW7ADDgOavbv5cvKs3dxNQodWhfLRf3t6lnMvgMepMKbyBNY8ufQeOwC6mm2tpB0CtlyWQ/s1600/May+Queen+2018+July+playday+in+progress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVlPi5lB-XxDO87C8UQpUtxdIRY7WWsQenGZ3iZOphAFiAjHPstszK0-6pBjzppytfkBSvIW7ADDgOavbv5cvKs3dxNQodWhfLRf3t6lnMvgMepMKbyBNY8ufQeOwC6mm2tpB0CtlyWQ/s320/May+Queen+2018+July+playday+in+progress.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May Queen, a collage in progress by<br />Gayle Pritchard</td></tr>
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There are plenty of loose ends in my studio, as well. Because my attic access is through the closet in that room, it gets piled up with Christmas boxes, wrapping paper, gift bags and the like. When I'm not working, the table gets covered with piles of collage papers I haven't put away yet, mending projects, and large pieces of artwork that have been moved to make room for a visiting guest or two. I didn't get the table cleared off completely, but I did pull out a few things to finish up.<br />
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This collage, I call it May Queen, was started back in July in a play-day with my art group. I made several pieces that day, but I really liked this one. I pulled it out this week and finished gluing the three dimensional elements in place. I plan to darken the blue botanical drawing in the bottom right corner, and maybe add a line of nice blue oil pastel, melted to a lip-sticky consistency, along the curve of the woman's back on the left. I think that will do it. The collage was created on stretched canvas, so I will either frame it with found wood pieces, or find a box or frame to pop it into.<br />
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As the new year approaches, I wish you peace and happiness. And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance. I plan to. Happy New Year.</div>
Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-21492450947817073762018-11-25T10:33:00.001-08:002018-11-25T10:33:21.888-08:00About Thankfulness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqh6-R0TDUsD5hcGz9KLjefWgNpc3Feg-Wrvw7PjEE19oSn1a6aTA-zVKJOGeY45k5_MwEtKH1xiJjfeUZ1vOmg_tXKIhn9S8Anv1Lvp_jQ9pkposy8lHfqEEEoHkFbPieOnEPA1vcDs/s1600/Hero+4+Bye+Bye+Daddy+in+progress+a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1158" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqh6-R0TDUsD5hcGz9KLjefWgNpc3Feg-Wrvw7PjEE19oSn1a6aTA-zVKJOGeY45k5_MwEtKH1xiJjfeUZ1vOmg_tXKIhn9S8Anv1Lvp_jQ9pkposy8lHfqEEEoHkFbPieOnEPA1vcDs/s400/Hero+4+Bye+Bye+Daddy+in+progress+a.JPG" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bye, Bye Daddy: putting together the pieces of an idea</td></tr>
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It was Black Friday, 1992, though I don't think we called the day after Thanksgiving "Black Friday" back then, or, if we did, it wasn't such a crazy big deal as it is now. In any case, my family celebrated Thanksgiving day with my in-laws when they were still hosting the family feast. We had done this since we were first married. It was the one holiday in my husband's family where everyone, no matter where they were and what they were doing, made a huge effort to travel to Ohio to join the Thanksgiving day feast. Our family stories for years were measured in yearly Thanksgiving day beats.<br />
As was also usual, I called my Dad on Friday to see how his holiday went, to touch base, to chat, to hear his voice. It was evening time, and when he picked up the phone, his voice sounded funny. We had a short and sweet conversation, and when I said goodbye, he replied with an uncharacteristic "bye, bye." I hadn't told him I loved him. By the next morning he was dead; Saturday, November 28, 1992. I am thankful we had spoken the night before.<br />
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Fast-forward twenty-six years, another Thanksgiving weekend, and here I sit, like I do every post-Thanksgiving weekend, remembering and still loving and missing my Dad. That part never goes away. I had lost my mom the year before Daddy died, in 1991. Her death was sudden, too, and shocked me to the core, because I had never experienced a loss like that before. Dad's sudden death numbed me somewhere deep inside, where a part of me would move forward permanently broken.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ54kzK7BhWGfhFN39nVDUnqQ9-sHAZ876_VMiI8wSo7kctuN6mCGw-tiSGw9fWWWt57FkiX4RZogHfHVxSyUKnMkdrzfVAvD6Y4fB9iKrnOs1XzL95HD1o61xt4jlhL3RbIpWDC6Povg/s1600/Hero+4+Bye+Bye+Daddy+in+progress+b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1054" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ54kzK7BhWGfhFN39nVDUnqQ9-sHAZ876_VMiI8wSo7kctuN6mCGw-tiSGw9fWWWt57FkiX4RZogHfHVxSyUKnMkdrzfVAvD6Y4fB9iKrnOs1XzL95HD1o61xt4jlhL3RbIpWDC6Povg/s400/Hero+4+Bye+Bye+Daddy+in+progress+b.JPG" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of my dad's shirt holds together the other bits<br />and pieces pulled together to tell the story.</td></tr>
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Luckily for me, I am an artist. I have a place to put those feelings, to let them birth out of me into the world where I (and other viewers) can contemplate the expression. It wasn't long after Dad died that I started this piece using bits of his clothing, a photo-transfer I made of an old Army picture, rubbings made in Mexico, hand dyed fabrics, and Depression-era ration tickets for food and gas transferred onto fabric. I got to tell my story and begin to heal my soul.<br />
I have made several artworks about my Dad over the decades since he died, each time reprocessing my thoughts and feelings onto another surface, something I can hold up and examine. I call this group of artwork my Hero Series. I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to show the pieces in numerous venues, and thankful for the chance to touch and connect with a new audience each time.<br />
I became obsessed with genealogy research after my Dad died. On a shelf in his bedroom closet, there was a stack of photographs that I had never seen. Dad's sister Carole, the genealogist on that side of the family, had sent them. He hadn't shown them to me or my siblings. That was a the beginning of a new way to heal for me. Instead of feeling like an orphan, I could literally connect myself to a larger family.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYu0sI5jpiW0NW_CbDM2iUHVxD_KBASo51Oj7K3fMKbFBvPcC8Lyqbfhc-DFZi1Qq9knvR2p4gsOaSyW4I4mjGBSBKyOSbE_IH6S1z7JcSr7XTbthgcBFDDrJD_ftbLnMZ8FnMsPI4asw/s1600/Hero+4+Bye+Bye+Daddy+a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYu0sI5jpiW0NW_CbDM2iUHVxD_KBASo51Oj7K3fMKbFBvPcC8Lyqbfhc-DFZi1Qq9knvR2p4gsOaSyW4I4mjGBSBKyOSbE_IH6S1z7JcSr7XTbthgcBFDDrJD_ftbLnMZ8FnMsPI4asw/s640/Hero+4+Bye+Bye+Daddy+a.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hero 4: Bye Bye, Daddy by Gayle Pritchard. An ancient Tibetan prayer box anchors the top,<br />and my story is written in on the fabric as well as hung onto embellishments that hang down<br />or are stitched onto the surface. Over dad's Army picture, juxtaposed in strips with the<br />statue of David, there is a sheer veil, my representation of death.</td></tr>
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With a chance to do some lazy-day, Thanksgiving holiday digging around on my computer, a moment of serendipity occurred. I was adding photos and scanned documents to my Ancestry family tree, when I ran across a 1949 clipping my sister had found online during a newspaper search. It had the simple heading: Airport News.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWogEOf94-okewsGJed5hh1jdd6QA4l2hky6aytf4Q2-t946h0fboVJsyYOjkE-ijPYEXqe-nv4Jyj5FIjxrMYQ1uq0E3q_K0_4CnwqwYDVRoPUhz8xkTdBHptrwCCbPOfwkBHq5mgGY/s1600/1949+Neil+airport+news+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWogEOf94-okewsGJed5hh1jdd6QA4l2hky6aytf4Q2-t946h0fboVJsyYOjkE-ijPYEXqe-nv4Jyj5FIjxrMYQ1uq0E3q_K0_4CnwqwYDVRoPUhz8xkTdBHptrwCCbPOfwkBHq5mgGY/s1600/1949+Neil+airport+news+crop.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neil Vickery, my dad, landed at this airport.<br />At that time, 1949, he was a barnstormer, <br />doing air shows around the area. </td></tr>
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"Hmmm, interesting", I thought. I have vivid memories of barnstormers who flew into my small hometown. We would stand in our backyard and watch in amazement as they performed tricks in the sky. I could now put my dad's face on those brave flyers.<br />
Then I ran across a picture of dad from 1949. It is actually a photocopy of a picture of dad, and I wish I knew who has the original. In the photograph, he is standing next to his biplane. He's wearing a flight suit and, instead of his flashy Army aviation sunglasses, he has flight goggles pushed up onto his leather flying cap.<br />
For a moment in time, I am connected to my dad in the year 1949, eight years before I was born. Two moments in time, a newspaper clipping and a photograph taken of the young flyer, fell into my lap as a gift. Both had been sitting in my computer, but I had never put them together before. Now, a little piece of my dad had been returned to me. I am so thankful.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUA2FhM0_AC3PCRZrUckbh2uoS6X05qOphZpbvKke0a-r7bbaol4966Of6Y-_yQYRAt08vO6SBrx5mfhFfTcVtoUR1B98VEOUhdAqsELe_NBcmLWeysxn-08nTHAkeA6m7huQVWyKiPg/s1600/1949+Neil+with+biplane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1282" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUA2FhM0_AC3PCRZrUckbh2uoS6X05qOphZpbvKke0a-r7bbaol4966Of6Y-_yQYRAt08vO6SBrx5mfhFfTcVtoUR1B98VEOUhdAqsELe_NBcmLWeysxn-08nTHAkeA6m7huQVWyKiPg/s400/1949+Neil+with+biplane.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dad, the flyer, the barnstormer, in a picture dated 1949.</td></tr>
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Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-89598372713825432172018-02-28T12:58:00.000-08:002018-06-12T08:05:00.122-07:00Art in Cleveland = Article Gallery<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8aAsk85FdEk-WmYa1az5alqSfsNuaWatNmgQTxjkdRFJMagndsbS83gI7KiUoeVwNi0sXVVDPvgnUj6JR5klSNbyYkaJUqvRsQgugGxm6CCZjegn7sfzh03FiybnuvA3RcoRziQ8Qodk/s1600/Show+jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1200" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8aAsk85FdEk-WmYa1az5alqSfsNuaWatNmgQTxjkdRFJMagndsbS83gI7KiUoeVwNi0sXVVDPvgnUj6JR5klSNbyYkaJUqvRsQgugGxm6CCZjegn7sfzh03FiybnuvA3RcoRziQ8Qodk/s400/Show+jpg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hope you can join us at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/artincle/" target="_blank">opening</a> or the closing!</td></tr>
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Once again, my art group pals and I are having an exhibition. Curator Mary Urbas and Article Gallery director Louis Ross invited us to exhibit there during Women's History Month. So exciting!<br />
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I have so enjoyed creating a great deal of new work for this show: fiber art mixed media quilts and hangings, stitched mixed media collages, and 3-D work. I'll show you more over the coming weeks. Here are a few detail glimpses:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharnygvOECjRGJpJEKYYmcdup0E5ehqa_r0Z8BGVpnQa7fsb6cXkCTaignFuqBvFnXG1io1Hl-zMd3Ufr5vVOUfem8PQptglnOLX-nxLk1DxNY86V8pTgxUX1aQJWqEmJZib3jpbqPQU0/s1600/IMG_7779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharnygvOECjRGJpJEKYYmcdup0E5ehqa_r0Z8BGVpnQa7fsb6cXkCTaignFuqBvFnXG1io1Hl-zMd3Ufr5vVOUfem8PQptglnOLX-nxLk1DxNY86V8pTgxUX1aQJWqEmJZib3jpbqPQU0/s400/IMG_7779.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Embellishments being added to <i>Travel Ban.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gRtgPTPGLD2nNlykE_L-pdBW6t4N0fNQIwtBONoWTR2ZfbNCEoS72_2bkyBNHISuqXMnLFgVlx_Tu8aco9cyfFj20gR0KpwuQebxQKXGraaRHleItcNMfux_Y6UD7nd-_WS20jytqW0/s1600/kids+sewing+blog+pic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gRtgPTPGLD2nNlykE_L-pdBW6t4N0fNQIwtBONoWTR2ZfbNCEoS72_2bkyBNHISuqXMnLFgVlx_Tu8aco9cyfFj20gR0KpwuQebxQKXGraaRHleItcNMfux_Y6UD7nd-_WS20jytqW0/s640/kids+sewing+blog+pic.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding stitching, both hand and machine, to my collage, <i>Lost Angels.</i></td></tr>
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Jill Milenski, <a href="http://artbycrum.com/" target="_blank">Gail Crum</a> and I will also be giving a gallery talk at the closing in April. We hope to see you!<br />
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Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5350262821843888370.post-79555880466979321882017-11-05T19:58:00.000-08:002017-11-05T19:59:21.890-08:00Skeletons, Skeletons, Everywhere I Go<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEialIRz0DIkx00m5z-wgpU9ZVODEmPw51kXsYrI6e2_NSH_n3rzd7skMj3amOcjs_Df0pCrxjktFCsrmwERU9G7XaOTVb7HCb3Ch-3dB-1NwfhajuIKgVZDHVxXpIGeRwKIKzqN2ux-QUw/s1600/skeleton+show+girls+c.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEialIRz0DIkx00m5z-wgpU9ZVODEmPw51kXsYrI6e2_NSH_n3rzd7skMj3amOcjs_Df0pCrxjktFCsrmwERU9G7XaOTVb7HCb3Ch-3dB-1NwfhajuIKgVZDHVxXpIGeRwKIKzqN2ux-QUw/s400/skeleton+show+girls+c.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fun night at the Skeleton Show with dear friends.</td></tr>
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Honestly, I simply cannot remember a time when I have been more busy! I haven't even had time to write in my journal, let alone update my blog. So, let me begin with an attempt at a blow by blow of an amazing few weeks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPQK8UxQj_6_LoKjH9a0o2cuC7VkTBvKNVsJvNrOoh2ifd1ATkEpy-28dXTfeT4S5yM43NBGPqTaIQytngBj-9tksaUGH2-ZLzA4hP2il6y1POgRIdUDZa34OAFT1IT4_9tcpEYNZ0go/s1600/Skeleton+Show+Crum+putt+putt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1600" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPQK8UxQj_6_LoKjH9a0o2cuC7VkTBvKNVsJvNrOoh2ifd1ATkEpy-28dXTfeT4S5yM43NBGPqTaIQytngBj-9tksaUGH2-ZLzA4hP2il6y1POgRIdUDZa34OAFT1IT4_9tcpEYNZ0go/s320/Skeleton+Show+Crum+putt+putt.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ghoulish putt-putt anyone?</td></tr>
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First up: The Skeleton Show at <a href="http://www.lakelandcc.edu/gallery" target="_blank">LCCC gallery</a>, and curated by the inimitable Mary Urbas.<br />
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Artist friends <a href="https://www.artbycrum.com/" target="_blank">Sean and Gail Crum</a> were both in the invitational biennial exhibition, Sean with a cool new print, and Gail with her amazing collage <i>Fear </i>and her assemblage, <i>Skeleton Putt Putt.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xmj4dQNKlMfvY9D3yPUvpKIoiu44xYsQtvCoyb3eKVG_Ur9En1KBzqZLcVu4H0QZzX9glFZ8ybsrqog2d6bRNxKaqC-k-vMcjSXARAVCGx-_AWpJgmj4H8sRtfCDrF7KhnhZroEXxn0/s1600/Skeleton+Show+Fear+Crum+2017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1239" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xmj4dQNKlMfvY9D3yPUvpKIoiu44xYsQtvCoyb3eKVG_Ur9En1KBzqZLcVu4H0QZzX9glFZ8ybsrqog2d6bRNxKaqC-k-vMcjSXARAVCGx-_AWpJgmj4H8sRtfCDrF7KhnhZroEXxn0/s400/Skeleton+Show+Fear+Crum+2017.JPG" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sold! Some lucky patron is taking home Gail's <i>Fear</i>.</td></tr>
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Adding to the fun of the evening was a huge crowd, many of whom were dressed in elaborate costumes.They were several booth vendors, as well, selling fun items like sugar skulls, which I bought for my grandkids.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUPxP3K4OWICn79y0iHqE2kZF5WUJQ99eSt_v8G55wQiz9zf-9jpEzbG2RuHEaUBrtRw1AsrfbHlRCVejTx1x8PQ8YW4XhkRzWUfElmt2i0jeKSf8ngkoWIJFfQ4zcDUTCHiyRE4S5cE/s1600/Skeleton+Show+costume+a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1348" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUPxP3K4OWICn79y0iHqE2kZF5WUJQ99eSt_v8G55wQiz9zf-9jpEzbG2RuHEaUBrtRw1AsrfbHlRCVejTx1x8PQ8YW4XhkRzWUfElmt2i0jeKSf8ngkoWIJFfQ4zcDUTCHiyRE4S5cE/s320/Skeleton+Show+costume+a.JPG" width="269" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure what the costume is, but it's festive!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9d0SMzLQvHHx9iJ0lQBB3kym4L6iiqRjOOAWfgIJYMyWcEng3DY_yFufQVxDu9Ho75q-58VVCRRAlG8CmbL7P2k0Eks0RIbYD44qE2mwWRRgg9MofIjavJAcBNHEQwJofWjOl8KJHyU8/s1600/Skeleton+Show+costume+b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9d0SMzLQvHHx9iJ0lQBB3kym4L6iiqRjOOAWfgIJYMyWcEng3DY_yFufQVxDu9Ho75q-58VVCRRAlG8CmbL7P2k0Eks0RIbYD44qE2mwWRRgg9MofIjavJAcBNHEQwJofWjOl8KJHyU8/s400/Skeleton+Show+costume+b.JPG" width="336" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Urbas in full regalia!</td></tr>
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It's always fascinating to see the fleshed out ideas of other artists. Creativity is such a gift to the world: smile, cry, think, observe, react. It's an experience. I encourage you to try it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD97UyqxoBGW9vObB_gMJDM_SkwNxZ9NS427erwVY7k6yL6oelHb7GCIvIhhYuyw_js5Wr4Pm8HQKKGoiPsOUdYolCkpgkwujU8-n_xDXwAlWMOoiK-J6GaaBbFDcVZo1tyP6k2XRmj2M/s1600/Skeleton+Show+Frazee+Wade.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1147" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD97UyqxoBGW9vObB_gMJDM_SkwNxZ9NS427erwVY7k6yL6oelHb7GCIvIhhYuyw_js5Wr4Pm8HQKKGoiPsOUdYolCkpgkwujU8-n_xDXwAlWMOoiK-J6GaaBbFDcVZo1tyP6k2XRmj2M/s400/Skeleton+Show+Frazee+Wade.JPG" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An amazing fiber sculpture by<a href="https://janetfrazeewade.weebly.com/spirit.html" target="_blank"> Janet Frazee Wade</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBLGvDyp_7Zdl0_5B3vSGIJuT8euMwGiltw5o_NW0RBUmWOlEdA2nNEJ6BkEfTE4fw95Aq_d0xQ8f7ye2pMV6mWYBZsoYxwkUNQndl-tvC05ohDqOq8Id8eqBGyB9Cqli2MrIEwYUsj4/s1600/Skeleton+Show+necklace.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1140" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBLGvDyp_7Zdl0_5B3vSGIJuT8euMwGiltw5o_NW0RBUmWOlEdA2nNEJ6BkEfTE4fw95Aq_d0xQ8f7ye2pMV6mWYBZsoYxwkUNQndl-tvC05ohDqOq8Id8eqBGyB9Cqli2MrIEwYUsj4/s320/Skeleton+Show+necklace.JPG" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I soooo love this necklace!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMEbzHbh2dq1LEN6CyMBWr-wQrJN3uDxHZNeSuJa2RdqKWcDIfysKeUjfc-lbdht3OSWU9xKdazeRypV4B07_flvXsOoT3ptJ8ZWY0ij4HG53K2f5k_Di8YpwDvzF1PKHGGQL8x6LyRw/s1600/Skeleton+Show+yasenshack.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1461" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMEbzHbh2dq1LEN6CyMBWr-wQrJN3uDxHZNeSuJa2RdqKWcDIfysKeUjfc-lbdht3OSWU9xKdazeRypV4B07_flvXsOoT3ptJ8ZWY0ij4HG53K2f5k_Di8YpwDvzF1PKHGGQL8x6LyRw/s320/Skeleton+Show+yasenshack.JPG" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite local artists, <a href="https://markyasenchack.com/" target="_blank">Mark Yasenschack</a><br />
made some ceramic skeleton heads for the show.<br />
Dozens of them were sold by nights' end!</td></tr>
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We topped off the evening with dinner at a fabulous chef-run Mexican restaurant in Lakewood,<a href="http://elcarnicerolakewood.com/home.php" target="_blank"> El Carnicero</a>. The atmosphere is urban and fun, and the food and drinks are to die for. </div>
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So, there you have it, details on one lovely night of art, friends and food. Wait until I tell you about Friday, the very next day. Watch this space!<br />
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Gayle Pritchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991345065357492869noreply@blogger.com0