How about a Christmas Sale?

Tomorrow, Thursday, get online and check out my Facebook page around 1:00 Rocky Mountain Time. You'll see I am doing a little bit of house cleaning. Actually it's house emptying, as Daniel and I have decided to make the big move from glorious Montana to sun-warmed California this January. There are fifty very practical reasons why this is a good move, but I don't think my heart will ever leave Montana, or even the Northwest really... this is a special place, filled to the brim with special people. It's scary and sad and exciting all at once.

So it's time to let go of some things... and paintings that I've had around, that don't quite fit into the larger bodies of work, but that I still love... well, let's just say the prices are going to come down, wayyyy down. Hopefully they'll never be this low ever again! But I wanted to give folks an opportunity to own a piece if they've never quite been able to before. So it's first come first serve. First person to message or state in the comments that they want to buy it gets dibs! So tomorrow, hop over to my facebook page look for the album titled Christmas Sale, it should come up around 1:00 but then again my connection is finicky at times so we'll see ;) Anyway,  take a look, you might see something you like :)

 and here's a super stealthy sneak peek at 5 of the 17 or so pieces that will be posted

Studio Visit, Kerry Nagel

Some people just get art on an entirely different level. My friend Kerry Nagel is one of those. Whenever we visit I always come away feeling inspired and determined to delve deeper into my own creative outlets.  Delightfully new thoughts crop up, artistic possibilities seem endless. She is a person who has her finger on the pulse, specifically, at the moment, in the three dimensional, sculptural world of fiber arts.  It's fascinating to hear her describe the processes she has developed and discuss the history and evolution of her pieces and the ideas that brought them into being. Observing how she surrounds herself and lives with art as a collector has inspired me as well. Her choices are fearless, eclectic, whimsical and serene. When one enters her home, one needs to just sit and absorb for a moment, look around and let the beauty permeate.

Last month my friend Kim Lindstrom and I drove down to visit Kerry at her beautiful home in Lake Mary Ronan.  Here are just a few pictures from the day. Kerry's home itself is a work of art (designed by Kerry and her equally talented ex-husband Scott in collaboration with Malmquist construction) you can see it in detail here as it is for sale. It is laid out in three pods;  a garage and woodworking shop, a living pod that also has a cleverly situated guest room, and a curving gallery hallway which leads to the sleeping pod, which includes two bedrooms, a master bath and Kerry's art studio. It's so thoughtfully and originally designed that one simply must visit.  If only I were a professional photographer... but here you are, a little peek.

One of the beautiful little farms alongside the road to Lake Mary Ronan.
Flathead Lake in the distance.

 In the living pod, Modigliani over the fireplace

 Close up of the pod shown in the first picture,  titled Chinese Lantern

Kerry and Kim discussing the construction of one of her pod pieces

 Kerry's beautifully designed, curving hallway gallery includes artists, Susie Brown, Scott Nagel,  Donna Gans, Kathy Bonema Leslie, Burt Brent, myself and Olivia Stark (with whom Kerry collaborated on a large body of figurative sculptural work, one of which is positioned in the hallway under the middle window).

 Golden Anniversary

 A ceramic column by Margret Gregg (my favorite!),

an early, colorful vessel For Pablo, and a bodaciously bosomed 

painting of my own which Kerry bought when I first met her in 1999

 One of Kerry's first paper sculptures, Emergence

 The sculpture in the middle is titled Whalebone

 Peeking into the art studio

Homage to Ace

Moroccan Pod

Close up of Scroll

 The artist in her studio with Wishbone and Why I Don't Eat Oranges


Thank you Kerry! We had a wonderful time :)

Persimmon Pics

 

 "In Livingston" getting framed up the day of the opening, there is always one last thing to do!

 

 Jeweler  Callie Cooper working at the Persimmon Gallery. My "Cut Flowers" series on the wall.

 Green Framed Landscapes and the Anthropologieland series

Kim and Corrie viewing the landscapes

  Wayne taking it in 

Four super talented artists; Persimmon members Jill Gotschalk, Callie Cooper Deliah Albee and Louise Lamontagne one of my favorite oil painters! It was such a treat to be in their company!

Also, the Persimmon Gallery Co-op members have asked me to stay on as a represented artist! So you can count on being able to see my work in person the next time you stop in. Thank you Persimmon artists!