September 26, 2013 At the Denver Botanic Gardens

The terrible rains and floods that decimated communities around Boulder and Estes Park recently had the opposite effect on the gardens.  Unusual for this time of year, many plants were still in bloom and color was lush.  Inside the main building behind the central plant display and water feature is a small gallery that has done intriguing art shows.  This time Charles Coulter was presenting works in wood and plastic in a show called Reallocate.

I was impressed with the craftsmanship. The work was really fine with recessed areas in the pieces where plastic objects were inlaid.  In some the composition continued from the surface around the edges and onto the sides of the wood and delicate painted areas enhanced the work.

Six Sticks, #1

Smith's Addition #2

And then there are the natural artists that live in the gardens.  Here's one created by the spiders.

Dewdrops on Gossamer

September 14, 2013 Another day at the DAM

A few days ago I was at the Denver Art Museum again to see the exhibit in the new textile gallery on the sixth floor.  What a beautiful space and what an interesting variety of textiles on display.  Who knew that cigars used to have silk cigar bands?  Here is a shimmering 1880 yellow quilt made from them.

Another unusual quilt, from China in the 1990’s, featured raised three dimensional objects depicting the five poisons such as snakes, scorpions, centipedes, toads and spiders and was used to protect children from these creatures.  There were so many other wonderful textiles including several religious ones as well as shawls and tapestries.

In an adjacent room I found the educational piece of the exhibit.  Around the walls were displays of all the varieties of fiber processes, dyeing, weaving, lace-making and more.  also several videos showing the processes.

This lace shawl was so fine it could be pulled through a wedding ring.

As part of the SPUN exhibit, local artists were invited to submit a small quilt to become part of a larger quilted piece.  The Spun Community Quilt was hanging on the wall between the first and second stories.

On the mezzanine was another artist-community participation piece, by Marie Watt, a Seneca artist.  She asked people to donate a blanket that had special meaning for them. Each blanket was tagged with the story of the blanket’s meaning for the donor.  Placed in the museum’s mezzanine gallery of Pacific Northwest American Indian art, you could see the relation of this piece to the tall totems and blanket garments.

September 14, 2013 Answer to the mystery photo

I admit that this photo was a challenge.  A couple of the responses were: flattened bubble wrap, used and peeled off neoprene gloves.  But, here’s the answer.  I had a package of cubed lamb defrosting on the kitchen counter and, as I walked by, the defrosting process was at the stage where the ice becomes momentarily opaque.  That was it!

September 8, 2013 Horizon, the Guild of Book Workers Exhibit

This morning I took some time to drive over to the University of Denver library which is hosting an exhibit, Horizon, of artist books created by the Guild of Book Workers. The 53 artists represented have interpreted the theme, “horizon,” on a large variety of ways.  The show was presented in glassed in cases spread throughout DU’s wonderful library.

Madelyn Garrett’s The Dream of Perpetual Motion was beautiful in its use of copper leaf boards with windows for the images bordered with inset brass-leafed edging and the old world quality of its illustrations.

Whimsical and nostalgic, Sue Collard’s Interior Landscape skillfully coordinated the use of salvaged lumber for the pages with  a carved recess for a meniscus lens and illustrations that alluded to books of old anatomical drawings.  

I liked the playful quality of Emily Tipps’ The Heart’s Horizon: A Refutation with its oval translucent pages spilling out in all directions.  The photo of this piece on the show announcement was what motivated my seeing the exhibit.

Fe-O, the symbol for iron oxide is a collaboration between Sammy Lee and JongKu Kim, an artist who creates works from iron filings reduced from a solid form. The work with its stone embedded in stacked landscapes, corked specimen tube, translucent cylinder and enigmatic image in its open door provides a wonderful mystery for contemplation.

There were so many other imaginative and successful books treatments but lighting and reflections made many too difficult to photograph.

September 4, 2013 Mystery photo

Every once in awhile I see something unusual happening in a very ordinary object in my environment and can’t resist taking a photo of it.  I’d love to know what you think it is.  Click on the title of this blog entry and leave me a guess.  I’ll tell all in a few days.

September 4, 2013 Online auction coming soon

For those of you who are dying to own a small wonderful piece of artwork, check out the SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) Benefit Auction at http://www.saqa.com/gallery-mini-detail.php?ID=2379 to view all the donations.  Bidding begins on September 9.  My donation, Unanticipated Effects, can be seen towards the bottom of p. 1b. and below.