Wednesday, September 23, 2009

another great collaboration

I went to another Brunswick Art Collaborative meeting last night and it was so much fun! This time, we actually had an organized event with a guest speaker, Blake Hendrickson. Blake is an incredible artist who makes wood collages/sculptures. If you've ever been inside the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, you've probably seen his work; if you haven't seen his work, make a trip to the library (or his Facebook page). He brought a ton of supplies for all of us to use: a huge variety of wooden pieces of all shapes, sizes and types (including pieces of sumac, which were absolutely beautiful), glue, and wood squares for us to work on. We had a blast! Everyone made very different pieces: some were figurative, some were patterned, some were random, some were inadvertently reminiscent of familiar images (a pier, sushi, mushrooms), and all were fun and expressive. It was our largest group meeting ever and there was an incredible amount of energy and excitement in the room. Blake is funny, patient, and full of information and stories. He said he would like to come back so we can do a couple of large group pieces (rather than small, individual pieces, which we did last night) and I am already excited about that idea. I think I may try an abstract painting based on one of the wood collages I made last night...time for another trip to the Art Guru for some square canvases!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

second friday art walk

I went to the Second Friday Art Walk in Brunswick last night, and I'm glad I did. I always come away from the Art Walk very inspired and full of hope. It's pretty cool that I live in a town where there is an Art Walk, and where so many different types of art and artists are represented. My favorite show of the ones I made it to had to be Emily Weir's exhibit of self-portrait photography from the last twenty years (her studio is above Estilo on Pleasant Street). Her work is personal, raw, and strong, and she is more than willing to make herself vulnerable for her art. Most people try to hide parts of themselves or their lives, but Emily does not and as a result her work is extremely powerful.

On a related note, can anyone tell me how the hell to get around inside Fort Andross? I know how to get to Jai Yoga and Frontier Gallery but that's about it. I kept getting lost while looking for different studios. A stranger was kind enough to lead me to the Art, Mind and Soul studio (where Patricia Boissevain has a space) but then he left and I was lost again. I kept trying but ended up going in circles and hitting dead ends. I had an Art Walk map but it didn't help. After wandering around for a while I finally had to admit defeat: you win this time, Fort Andross, but I'll be back.