The Deadline is Looming!

The deadline is almost here!!  This painting has to be finished by tonight, so that it can be dry for delivery on Wednesday.  I can't even begin to tell you what an ADVENTURE this has been!!  I've always been kind of fascinated with the idea of working large.  This project has CHANGED me in so many ways.  Ways I can't even begin to comprehend, and it will only become more obvious over time.

Here is a quick video that my husband and I shot yesterday.  Robert Ivey Ballet is putting together videos for each dance/music/art segment and I sent this to them for use in their video.

Two nights ago, I got to see the dancers rehearsing and listen to the orchestra practicing.  It is the Youth Orchestra, and these kids were great!!!  I also met the other artists (everyone was very friendly), and I came away from that production meeting completely buzzed with energy and excitement.  This event is truly about the WHOLE experience.  It's not just about the ballet, or the music, or the art - it's about the total experience of seeing three of the basic art forms come together.  It's about reaching for your dreams, and visualizing something and then making it happen.  These kids in the ballet and the orchestra are just awesome and they work HARD.  The professionals who are there are leading the way, supporting the kids, having fun, and pursuing our dreams as well.  It's very exciting. :)

Fascinations! with Robert Ivey Ballet

Here is the flyer for the super cool upcoming event!  I've been painting away, and just today I have FINISHED!  It's drying, getting ready for delivery on Wednesday.  I am so excited for this event! What a very cool opportunity this has been! Even my 4 yr old is excited and will be attending the event on Friday :)

Painting on a HUGE Scale!

Surprise! I'm back!  I'm sorry for the absence - sitting down at the computer is so hard these days.  The kiddo always sits in my lap and bangs on the keyboard - which makes it very hard to type :)  She's almost 1 1/2 yrs old now and is in such a cute phase!

But I am writing because I want to share with you a crazy cool, crazy fun project that came my way 2 days ago!  I was contacted by the Robert Ivey Ballet, here in Charleston.  They are putting on a very cool event called Fascinations, and it is a multi-disciplinary event combining dance, music and art.  What it is is this: each artist is given a piece of music (to be played by the orchestra) that is to be the inspiration for the artwork.  The artwork will act as a backdrop for the scene; it will be brought in via the stage rigging, and the dancers will perform their original numbers in front of the original painting.   Therefore, the size of the painting has to be way bigger than anything I have ever done.  My painting will be 9'x12' and it is on two pieces of stretched canvas.  

I was a little freaked out by this project - it is due NEXT week - but things just started falling into place!  The babysitter was available for extra hours (thank goodness!), the canvases were already built and I was given permission to use them, the girl at the art store gave me some good advice on which paints to use.  I even almost got a parking ticket, and the meter maid let me out of it!!  It was like the universe was giving me the push to do this project!

Here's my music - Its called Dance of the Knights by Prokofiev, a well-known Russian composer.  This  will be a performance of Romeo & Juliet, and this piece of music will be for the scene where Romeo and his friends enter the ball and start a fight.  It's so powerful!  I love it and I can't wait to paint to it!!

So yes, I am very excited, and I will  be sharing the process, here, as I go!  Here's to big challenges and new experiences!!!

Sharing my Story

As an artist, it is my responsibility to share my story.  When you make art, people always want to know the inspiration behind the pieces or why you've made a certain thing.  As most of you know, I make a lot of bird sculptures, and here is a short video about how it all got started.  I could go on and on about the symbolism of the birds in my works, but this little video certainly gives you a good idea!

Kudos to my amazing husband who did this for me.  He shot and edited, and then put this all together!  Thank you, babe!!

In this video, I'm building one of my newest sculptures, entitled Thinking Cap.

Let me know what you think!!!

Studio Workshop in my personal studio!

I am so excited to be sharing some news today!  I am preparing to start offering  
weekend workshops in my studio!  My first one is already scheduled for march 2 and 3, 2013, and I have a limit of 5 students.  I have a great studio space, but there is only enough room for roughly 6 (including me), not to mention my dogs! :)  And I am also pleased to say that my first workshop is already full!  We've got students from Colorado, South Carolina and Georgia, and I can't wait to share my studio with them. 

We are planning for a nice, relaxing weekend, creating sculptures of Human/Animal Hybrids.  We will be talking about techniques for blending the two bodies together, and focusing on construction techniques.  I'm going to have our lunch brought in both days to the studio so that we don't have to leave (and since I live in a rural area), and we are just going to play, play, play! 

If there's interest, I could easily see this as being a 2-3 times a year thing, depending on my schedule.  I enjoy sharing my studio with other people who are interested to learn.  I have gotten so much of my knowledge from workshops, that I wanted to start giving back to the system.  Going to workshops is one of my favorite things - I love the synergy that is created and the knowledge that is shared.  There is always something to be learned!

More information can be learned on my website, under Workshops.  Let me know if you have any questions!!  I'll be posting photos and a video soon, as we get closer to the date. 

Yay, for fun things and fun times!

Swan Coach House Gallery Exhibit

A few months ago I was contacted by a very nice woman at the Swan Coach House Gallery in Atlanta, GA.  She was the curator there and she was inviting me to join in their popular exhibit "Little Things Mean A Lot". I was so pleased!  And I even had enough time to make a few pieces for their show- which was good, since I had no more inventory of the small stuff.  (Yikes!) These pieces all have to be under 8", thus the name of the show. I think it's a fun theme, and I'm looking forward to seeing the show.  Since I have family in Atlanta, I'm going to head down for their opening reception.  That way I get to see my family AND the show! Win win!

These are the pieces that will be in the show.  Swan Coach House Gallery is a small space, so they requested 2-3 pieces from many, many artists to fill their gallery! I'm excited to see it,and I'm thinking I may just do some Christmas shopping while I'm there!! :)

Come out and join us! November 15, 6-9 pm! There will be over 300 works of art!

Damian Hirst Sculpture, Love it or Hate it?

Now, if you haven't already seen pictures of this sculpture, Verity, you are in for a surprise.  Damien Hirst is a very popular contemporary artist, who recently had a large bronze installed on the Illfracombe Pier  and when I say "large bronze", I'm talking about 67' of bronze!

I know there is a lot of talk about this sculpture, some people love it, others hate it, but oh wow, you have to appreciate it.  It's so monumental, and the process of creating this thing is just amazing. Take a minute to follow the link and look at how this piece was installed and created.  Just amazing. Absolutely amazing! 

This piece is on a 20 yr loan, so my question is, what will happen to this sculpture in 20 years, when the loan time is up??  Well, actually, I have two questions, how does one get funding for a piece like this?? The whole effort leaves me rather speechless!

~Kelly