daydreamer

Rosa’s Closet resale shop; interior design showcases high end fashion

2012-02-29T12:38:00.000-05:00

Rosa’s Closet resale shop; interior design showcases high end fashion

FACE ME; Artbeing at ArtPrize 2011

2011-09-19T23:08:00.001-04:00

The orange and gold kinetic sculpture is now on display on Monroe Avenue across the street from the Amway Grand Plaza.

Find your name on the sculpture and see how it moves with the human touch.

The message is about people losing out on face to face interaction because of this modern era of communication. Are we just plain lazy or is the need not there?

The sculpture is made of metal and turns on a base plus moves at the elbows, wrists and neck. The face and hands are cast from a live model so they look realistic but the rest of the body is a tangled mass of metal strips.

FACE ME is ready!

2011-09-19T15:13:00.000-04:00

Face Me is ready to be installed at ArtPrize 2011. We are taking it downtown tomorrow (becasue it's raining today and I want to make sure the paint is dry)

Good news! Face Me is one of only a handful of ArtPrize projects to make it on Kickstarter. They helped me raise the funds for Face Me and here's the video that was posted for the project campaign. Over 30 people signed up as backers for the ArtPrize sculpture and we raised enough to pay almost all the expenses.

I hate to say it but there was about $900 devoted solely to gasoline for my Ford explorer. I need a big vehicle to haul around all the stuff and the finished sculpture itself.

ArtPrize 2011; FACE ME; Artbeing. Process

2011-09-01T14:42:00.000-04:00

The process of building FACE ME; First I came up with a concept….

Then I decided what to make it out of and looked for places to find the materials I would need….

Next I looked for people who would like to get involved. Lots of people said, "I can help!" Drew from Keller Ford helped me with used parts. He talked to the mechanics and found all kinds of cool stuff.

Joshua and Paul Evans said, "Sure! We love to weld and cut and bend steel. We can help."

Then I designed some fun stuff to give away to my supporters. Miriam Yisel models the medallion that the supporters of FACE ME get. Kickstarter has all the info.

You can make a keychain with it or use it as a necklace or even hang it in a picture frame. The medallions will have your name engraved and will be signed by me.

ArtPrize 2011; FACE ME; Artbeing Update

2011-09-01T14:18:00.000-04:00

Hey, everyone! There is a lot happening and I can't keep up. I'll give you all the info I have up to this date. Look for more great photos and video Labor Day weekend.

You can see almost the whole skeleton here. The head is missing! But there will be a lot more added to this structure. You can see how it will be about 6 1/2 feet tall.

Working on the legs. See the red hot iron below. This is how we're bending it. The feet are being welded here.

The forge is fired up until the coals are nice and hot. Then the iron is placed in the coals until it's red hot and bendable. You will see lots of twists and bends in FACE ME.

ArtPrize 2011; FACE ME; Artbeing

2011-08-16T23:53:00.001-04:00

Want to know what I'm making for ArtPrize this year? It's going to be a kinetic sculpture so the whole thing will be based on metal parts with moving joints. Here's some of the cool stuff I get to choose from. This is all stainless steel and is being dismantled by Melching Demolition. They are donating anything I can use for the sculpture.

Here's some of the guys at Melching, Nick, Brock and Chris. They are always happy to help.

Here's some of the stuff I will be using to make FACE ME; Artbeing. It's stainless steel and will also be used to make the medallions which were cut from some big sheets at the scrap yard. I used a grinding wheel to smooth the edges and polish them up. Then I used Maggie's drill press to punch the holes. You get one if you support the cause on Kickstarter.

Here I am at Melching Demolition. The wrecking ball is what they use to demolish buildings, some of what's left you can see here. I had the pleasure of choosing anything!

Drawings of the sculpture are all you get to see now but I will be posting lots of pictures of the progress starting tomorrow. There will be a lot happening in the next few weeks with only about 5 weeks to go before ArtPrize begins.

ArtPrize; The Story of Rain, chapter 9

2011-06-15T22:17:00.000-04:00

ArtPrize Sculpture Dedicated at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital

By Rachael Recker | The Grand Rapids Press

Rick DeVos, founder of ArtPrize, and Anna Donahue wait to speak at the dedication ceremony.

Anna Donahue, far left, talks about her sculpture, Rain, at Mary Free Bed.

GRAND RAPIDS -- A CAT scan at age 1 revealed that now-28-year-old Emily Donahue suffered a stroke at about 2 months old. A bronzed ArtPrize sculpture depicting Donahue, dedicated Monday morning to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, reveals a sense of hope and inspiration to future patients.

"I felt that any patient to be wheeled into this area ... they would think, 'If she can do it, I can do it," said Betsy Mathiesen, a Mary Free Bed Guild member who headed the fundraising campaign on behalf of the guild to purchase the $18,000 ArtPrize '09 sculpture with private donations.

"Rain," created by Emily's aunt -- Grand Rapids artist Anna Donahue -- was bronzed and re-positioned in the same location in which it was displayed during the inaugural art competition. Mary Free Bed will be an ArtPrize venue again this year.

The outdoor sculpture of a young female holding a leaf in her bent right arm -- Emily's paralyzed arm -- can been seen on the lawn off the hospital's main entrance off Wealthy Street. Emily, of Comstock Park, received physical therapy treatments at Mary Free Bed at age 3, 8 and 16.

"I think it's more beautiful," Anna Donahue said about the sculpture being bronzed -- a $10,000 endeavor -- for its permanent home at the hospital. "The coloring is more natural."
ArtPrize founder Rick DeVos spoke at the dedication, expressing surprise at the stories that continue to emerge from the not-yet-year-old art competition.

"It's amazing to see everything that has come out of it," DeVos said. "I'm just happy that we could be a catalyst for this."

For more information, visitartprize.org or The Press' ArtPrize site.

ArtPrize 2011; My Venue

2011-06-10T01:41:00.000-04:00

My kinetic sculpture for ArtPrize 2011 will be exhibited at The Calder Plaza Building on Monroe Avenue. The venue is using the wide sidewalk space in front of the building for three different artist's sculptures. This sounds like a great location because it is right across the street from DeVos Hall which will be a busy venue for ArtPrize.

The concept for this kinetic sculpture is about spending face time with one another. We are losing touch physically because of modern technology and the ease of communicating. My design will include the use of kinetics for movement in the hands and face of this life size sculpture of a person. The body will be industrial and the hands and face will be casts from a live model.

Artists are now matching up with venues and by the end of June there should be at least 2,000 artists placed. Then we have a couple of months to do the final work on our art pieces for display in September.

Madame Gamborota's Art Critique

2011-06-06T21:48:00.000-04:00

The town of Assisi, where everything is covered in stone and marble. My first impression was, "What a dreary looking town. There's not much green here and it looks like everything's covered in cement." It wasn't tourist season either so there were very few people around.

I remember one old staircase we climbed that was worn with a deep curve on every step. It was solid marble and 1,000 years old. How many feet had climbed up and down those worn treads?

The steps led to the apartment of an American lady who had lived in Assisi since World War II. She was someone who had a deep appreciation for the art all around her. The apartment had a single window up high on a wall in the kitchen with a view of a stone wall. The rooms were spacious and we all sat down on the furniture and the floor as Madame Gamborota poured us each a small shot glass of Gamborota.

She told the story of what that name means. She had a limp and complained of rheumatism so she went down to the local storekeeper to ask for a remedy. The shopkeeper said, " Oh Senora Gamborota, you have Gamborota in your leg and you need to drink a little Gamborota to ease the pain." It's all Italian, of course, so I still don't know the exact translation of what that means. The important thing was that she was in the right place. Her name meant something there, her malady had the same name and there surprisingly was a remedy, with the same name. She always kept a bottle of the liqueur handy.

Then Madame Gamborota talked about the color of several stones and a small marble sculpture that sat in the center of the room. For some reason everyone looked at me when the questions began. I was not sure how to respond but did my best to answer her color quiz. She very politely explained how I was all wrong and challenged us to see color everywhere and in everything. Gray and brown have underlying hues that the average person doesn't really notice but it was important for the artist to see color.

Later as we were walking back to the bus I thought about what colors I could see in the gray stone that covered absolutely everything. The sun was setting and now the missing hues showed up.

It's easy to see the small town of Assisi in one day and you can enjoy walking it's marble covered streets and staircases. Assisi info for the traveler tells you all about what to expect.

ArtPrize #3 Kinetic Sculpture

2011-06-03T03:00:00.001-04:00

This year I debated about entering ArtPrize but gave in to the creative urge to do whatever I want. Usually I am designing and creating on commission so I don't always get to do everything exactly the way I would like. ArtPrize gives me the opportunity to really express myself and have fun with the creative process.

Here are some sketches I came up with to illustrate my concept. I am using my past ArtPrize sculptures as a springboard for this new project.

The hands and face will be made of ceramic or plastics but ideally I would like to use bronze.

The kinetic sculpture, Face Me, stands about 6

feet high and the structure or body is made of steel. There are rotating joints that connect the

moving parts to the steel. The hands and face are designed to resemble reality and have the same anatomical movement of a live person. The hands and face rotate 180 degrees on an axis and the steel arms are also jointed at the elbow to add more movement. The only restriction will be at the elbows to prevent the hands and face from touching one another. This restriction is part of the message of the piece; the face being separated from physical touch and the hands also being “tied.” The original design calls for ceramic hands and face but I will adjust that to urathane plastic or bronze if the sculpture is exhibited outdoors.

The viewers on the right are about the same height as the sculpture on

the left that I have named "Face Me."

Art School #9 Caravaggio

2011-05-22T23:38:00.002-04:00

Renaissance Art History was the subject so we saw all kinds of antiquated artifacts and architecture.
Thirty students were touring on a semester break in January to earn some extra credit. Most were not serious artists but rich kids who's parents could afford to send them off on an adventure. What's the easiest A in college? You guessed it, Art History.

That was perplexing to me because no one else in the group (except for the professor) seemed to have a true interest or appreciation in what we were experiencing. I soaked it in and captured it's essence on paper. We were supposed to keep a journal but I used a sketch book instead and drew everywhere we went.

The schedule was full and we entered at least one Catholic edifice every day. That is where most of the art in Italy was and we searched out every nook and cranny.

One day we walked to Santa Maria del Popolo to see something special. We entered the empty sanctuary and saw a scaffolding towering up to the ceiling. Ongoing restoration projects were a common site and this time we saw a fresco in process. Unfortunately artisans actually working was a less common sight.

There was no one there to tell us where to find our treasure. The light was so dim that we needed a flashlight to find it. We stumbled around and peered into every corner. Just when we were ready to give up hope of finding it someone spotted it in the shadows. The professor scanned the flashlight over pieces of the huge painting; first a horse and then a body laying prone on the ground under the horse. He talked about fore-shortening and the significance of the artist's techniques.

Conversion on The Way to Damascus by Caravaggio. What a sight and to think that anyone could stroll in here anytime and come right up and touch this 400 year old painting. So much art and so much to see once you found it.

Find out why this painting depicts the second most significant event in history.

Interior Design Requirement: Rosemaling

2011-05-19T17:15:00.005-04:00

The Scandinavian interior design requirement: at least one hand painted design on something or maybe on everything! Rosemaling is an age old decorative art that is usually displayed on wood or metal dishes, platters, bowls, and furniture. The most daring rosemalers will paint doors, cabinets, walls and rafters.

The art of rosemaling is part of Norway's culture and history and if you are Norwegian you must know how to do it or at the very least know someone else who can. It's like being an American and making apple pie. Not everyone can make the pie but absolutely everyone knows what it tastes like.

Here's a sample of Elias Halling's Rogaland design. He was a master rosemaler who taught me his techniques. I learned the basics from him and then studied on my own just so I could say, "I am Norwegian and I can rosemal".

Elias made his own wooden platters and table tops and painted with artist oils. His colors and technique were refined and his designs were the most difficult style of Rosemaling. I remember watching him paint so patiently. The brush was loaded with two or three different colors for every stroke. He dabbed the brush in the first color, smoothing the paint into the bristles with swipes across the palette. Then the edge of the brush was lightly swept across another color so just the edges of the bristles touched. And sometimes another color was added to the opposite edge or the tip of the brush. Then the brush was deftly laid down on the artwork and twisted and turned to create a beautiful singular stroke. The colors blended and shaded one another and the results were a completely finished leaf. Now the process began again for the next leaf.

You would be amazed to see this small brush he used, only about 3/8 inch across and 1/2 inch long with a very long handle of course. Each finished leaf measured only about 1 1/2 inches long.

Here are a couple of samples of what I learned from Elias:

Here is a great link to more pictures and info Now the big question: Are you Norwegian and can you rosemal?

Lightening Pope

2011-05-15T02:26:00.002-04:00

The only modern building I saw in the entire country of Italy was the Papal Audience Hall. Opened in 1971 it was practically brand new when we were there in 1975. Here's a panorama view of the inside showing the ceiling and both sides of the room.

We were studying art history and the St. Olaf Choir was on tour as well. We all met up in Rome after touring around the countryside. One of the highlights of our stay in Rome was the special treatment we received in the Papal Audience Hall.
See the inside of the Papal Audience Hall.
We were ushered to the center front rows where we waited. I gazed at the windows and the interesting shape of the room.
See a close up of the window

Suddenly everyone stood with a loud roar. I was surprised by the noise and the continuous flash of white light that lasted at least 5 minutes. The Pope was carried down the center aisle from the back of the room. He was actually sitting on one of those "Cleopatra" thrones just like in the movies about ancient Rome. I stood silent (probably with gaping jaw) as the applause and cameras went crazy. Once he was positioned on the stage the ceremony began and he spoke a short message in several languages. A medal was produced and our choir director was summoned to the stage. This was an historic moment since we represented a Lutheran college and this was the first time in history that a Catholic Pope bestowed this honor on a protestant. I was completely clueless until later about the significance of all that took place.

What really impressed me about the whole event was seeing the huge oval stained glass windows, one on either side of this gigantic wave room. The windows were glowing with color as the morning sun shown in.

Sticky notes are not art until…..

2011-04-30T00:22:00.001-04:00

they are all stuck together to make this beautiful mosaic! The Sticky Note Art Show is now on exhibit at Rest Haven Homes

Several residents got together to create this unusual art project.

And here's a giant flower made up of several hundred sticky notes. Ruth Johnston shows us just how big this mural really is.

Look at this close-up. You can see each little note and the shapes that are made.

I am so glad that there are no reminders or lists to read on any of these sticky notes!

Ever Eat Snap Dragons?

2011-04-24T22:05:00.001-04:00

Love the look and they taste great too. What a wonderful way to decorate a plate…..with edible flowers!

Savory crackers with crab salad and snap dragons or pansies. I found these where the fresh herbs are displayed in the produce section at Meijers.

Who are the Wyeths?

2011-04-06T04:04:00.000-04:00

The Wyeth exhibit at the Kalamazoo Institute of Art was so worth it! Almost 100 beautiful works of art by 5 different Wyeths, America's most famous family of painters. Hurry, this show ends April 17.

Andrew Wyeth's famous painting "Christina's World"

You can see the original at NY Museum of Modern Art

Most of the exhibit shows work by N.C. Wyeth and his son, Andrew Wyeth, the shining star of the family. There are several early works by Andrew that demonstrate how his style developed. Trained by his father, he brings realism to life with exceptional detail. His work shows more than a picture of reality because he tells a story from a specific moment in time. Every detail seems to have special meaning for Andrew and the complexity of his style contradicts the simplicity of his subjects. “ If I can get beyond the subject to the object , then it has a deeper meaning......I can never get close enough to an object or inside of it enough.”

N.C. Wyeth became famous for his illustrations and is known for his work on “Treasure Island” and “Kidnapped” by R.L.Stevenson. It was his popularity as an illustrator that brought notoriety to his family. Because of his success as an illustrator he was never able to establish himself as a studio artist. However, several memorable seascapes and landscapes from his New England surroundings endure.

His daughter Henriette is skilled in the tenets of realism and 2 oil paintings in the Kalamazoo exhibit show her ability. I was surprised and impressed by “Blue Cineraria”, a still life with flowers. The other is a life-like image of a man called “Portrait of Chookie”.

Jamie Wyeth is Andrew’s son and is a prolific artist with several paintings that show the progression of his painting career. It is obvious that he too carries on the family tradition of realism. He studied under his Aunt Carolyn whose compositions are creative but outside the ultra-realistic Wyeth style. He is known for his sensitive style and was sought after as a portrait artist.

My personal favorite, "Wind From the Sea" by Andrew Wyeth

On Safari

2011-03-23T00:34:00.001-04:00

This safari scene is a little daunting as you step down the staircase. What are all those beasts and why are they staring at me? I can't tell you their names. Do you know what they are?

Dr. John Ludwig loves to hunt and these are a few of his trophies from Africa. I painted the background scene with a watercolor wash and some impressionist scenery. The detail is very subtle so you can't see too much here. The painting is designed to create a grassland for the display area, a staircase. We added the woven wood blind that hangs from the ceiling. Notice the real grass and wood used with the mounts.

At the landing is this beautiful mount on a pedestal.

Black and white beauty with leathal horns.

These two friendly beasts greet you as you turn past the landing

The final two are waiting at the bottom of the staircase. The one on the right looks a little cranky.

If you can name any of the above you win the unofficial "Name the African Animal Award"

PAINT LIKE MONET

2011-03-20T02:03:00.001-04:00

I teach a class about once a month at Rest Haven Homes in Grand Rapids, MI. This is an opportunity for any of the residents to learn about fine art. Our objective is to study and practice fine art techniques. Today we are learning about Monet and impressionism.

Short brush strokes and lots of color.

White or yellow is added for the light reflective quality.

Using one of Monet's paintings for inspiration helps.

Another interpretation of the same painting.

Flower Garden by Monet

Critics panned the concept of impressionism and made fun of Monet and his contemporaries but today this is one of the most popular classic styles.

This is the painting that started the Impressionist movement in 1872. It is titled Impression, Soliel Levant or Impression, Sunrise.

One of the most famous subjects: Water Lilies by Claude Monet

Who's Chihuly?

2011-03-14T17:52:00.000-04:00

This is what I saw at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art

I felt as though I was diving in a coral reef and exploring things that would never be seen by the human eye.

Neodymium Spears

The organic shapes that depict natural elements from the sea and nature are what gives Chihuly the edge with his glass sculpture. He gives us a look at vivid color and designs that we might never imagine.

Did you miss the Chihuly Exhibit at Meijer Gardens? OK City has a permanent exhibit. They purchased all 18 exhibit installations plus a 55 foot tall Waterford Crystal Chandelier that is lit 24/7. It hangs in a window at the main entrance so you can see it from outside anytime day or night.

Rowboat with Floats

Tigerlilies

Ancestor White Seaforms

Wild Animal Prints in 4 Steps

2011-03-12T16:59:00.002-05:00

4 Steps to Hand painted walls: Wild Animal Prints
Here is a beautiful design imagined by Kathy Barry a talented interior designer. This project was completed for one of her clients and they loved it! By following her design ideas I came up with this method to paint different animal skin prints on the walls of a guest bathroom. Here is how it's done:

1. Choose earth tone paint colors and mix half and half with water based glaze.

2. Use a moistened sponge to apply the paint in large organic shapes.

3. Use a marker to draw the animal print shapes on plastic. I use heavy clear plastic report covers.

The plastic is cut with an x-acto knife to create a stencil.

Make sure to protect the surface underneath with a board or a piece of drywall.

4. Tape the plastic stencil on the wall and brush over with glaze in the desired color.

I am using a cheap natural bristle brush because I want the finish to be rough and random.

More stripes can be added by moving the stencil around.

Each of the different prints are created with the same technique. I used a sponge instead of a brush to apply the glaze over the leopard and giraffe stencils. Use a random design by applying the stencils at different angles.

Results: beautiful faux finish on your walls. Now decorate the rest of the room with fun animal accents. Ask Kathy Barry if you need help.

Art School #8: Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater

2011-03-11T04:17:00.005-05:00

Find out how you can create papier mache sculpture on your own.

This is similar to what the "Peter, Peter" sculpture looked like~ for real! Imagine the newspaper wife of Peter sitting despondantly inside with mushy pumpkin everywhere.

Freshman college art was fun. I dove in and neglected the fundamentals that are required for graduation. Who cared about graduating? That was at least 4 years away.

I took every art class I could fit into my schedule and slept, drank and ate art.

One project for design 101 was "Create an environment." It was called environmental art back then. That was before ‘green speak’ so it had nothing to do with environmental science. Always loving sculpture and the human figure, I decided to make a paper mache doll, carve a pumpkin, and place the doll inside. After carving the pumpkin I placed it on a radiator in the back of the studio room, hoping to dry it out. It sat there over the weekend and when I returned the pumpkin, paper mache and all, was covered in mold. The project was due that day! what could I do?

I was last to arrive in class, large cardboard box in tow.

“Ok. Who’s first?”

Everyone took turns exhibiting their environments. There were boxes that housed rooms similar to miniature doll houses but with different settings. Their concepts displayed everything within a small and confined space. Finally my box was opened. I lifted the pumpkin out of the box carefully. Slowly the classroom became the environment as the aroma of the moldy mass was exposed.

Peter’s wife sat dejectedly inside the pumpkin, her feet resting on the crumbled open side that poured out onto the table.

No one seemed impressed at least not in a positive way but I did get an A.

If you are looking for info on paper mache this is a great link. You need to register to get into their network but it will be worth it. You will get everything you need to know about Papier Machè and if you are an artist you can create a portfolio to display and sell your work.
Paper mache info

Art School #7: "You don't have to peel the bark off a tree to find out what it looks like."

2011-03-11T00:06:00.004-05:00

As a freshman in college in my home town I sought out every opportunity to learn about art and practically lived in the art department. There were a few of us artists that were allowed to set up studios in a large open room that was used mostly for drawing classes. We set up dividers that were used to hang artwork and each had our very own studio space. It was a working environment and even though most of what we created would later be considered "studies" we were serious about our work.

I decided to paint something big and made a stretcher about 10 feet long by 4 feet tall. I sized the canvas with untinted rabbit skin glue which really tightened the canvas nicely. A friend modeled for me and I drew several reclining figures in pencil. Then I enlarged the drawing with an opaque projector which superimposed the original onto the the canvas. I traced over the projected image with pencil and added acrylic color in a wash over the raw canvas.

The result was a simple figure reclining across the horizontal canvas titled “Landscape”. Yes, it was a nude in the classical style although a very simple line drawing with subtle shading.

drawing by Henri Mattisse

It was so large that I had no place for it and had to leave it behind when I moved on to another school. I remember seeing other cast off paintings and odd artifacts left behind in the art department. I wondered who made them and why they were left there. Didn’t the artist appreciate the attempt or feel the art was really worth anything? Selling something like that never even occurred to me so I went on my way to St. Olaf College and forgot about it.

Then 10 years later I came back and was astonished to see that painting hanging in the student center on a prominent wall. Someone appreciated it or maybe they just thought it was cool to have a nude painting hanging there.

Later I heard the teaching, "You don't have to peel the bark off a tree to find out what it looks like." I still believe that today and think artists don't need shock value. The human body can be a beautiful thing but not always and not to everyone.

Art School #6 Pants on Fire!

2011-02-25T23:32:00.006-05:00

Unheard of! There hasn't been a girl in the shop since WW2's Rosie the Riveter! Are you nuts?
"Yeah, I guess, kinda. Just thought I should learn how to weld since it is something that sculptors do"

http://www.rosietheriveter.org/
So I got my way and one guy got his way to eat free food in Home Ec class. I'm not sure if it was a trade off or not because politics wasn't my concern.

Me and the guys sat through some boring lectures and took a couple of tests and then were allowed to enter the realm of the imaginable. We dressed in fire repellant coveralls, clumsy gloves and heavy helmets with blinding face shields. The shop teacher taught us to handle the tools needed to bend and cut pieces of iron and the only hard part was working with all of the protective gear. We learned to cut through iron with a torch and how to weld with both acetylene and electric equipment.

I loved this world away from the rest of high school drama. All you could see with the helmet on and the shield down was the bright light of the sparks as they flew and bounced in all directions.

One day as I was thinking about how good I was getting at this new skill another student yelled out, "Fire!" I stopped and threw off my helmet and looked around but didn't see anything. It always smelled like fire in the shop with the flames dancing around.

"There! Your feet!" he yelled and I looked down and we both started jumping up and down on my ragged edged bell bottom jeans that protruded from the coveralls. The flames licked my ankles and encircled my feet.

The fire was out but my jeans kept smoldering away so someone grabbed a hose and soaked my feet and that was the end of the most exiting day in shop class. Glad I wore all that protective gear!

The rest of the day in that other world of high school classes I wore my trendy bell bottom jeans with the blackened ragged edge that smelled a little like charcoal.

Easy Art

2011-02-20T21:07:00.003-05:00

For kids and anyone who wants to do a really fun and messy project.

FINGER PAINTNG

Use finger painting paper because it doesn't wrinkle up with all of the goopy paint. It comes in a large tablet and has a glossy surface which prevents the paint from soaking in. Another option is old fashioned butcher paper. Paint on the waxy surface side of the paper. You can buy finger paint in multi- colored sets as pictured or you can make your own:
Finger Paint Recipes This link has lots of recipes for different kinds of homemade paint. All you have to do when you are finished is wash your hands and of course everything else within a 6 foot radius of the painting project. Yes, it's messy but it is sooooo fun!

Deby loves pink and Esther likes lots of different colors.

7. Beautiful Canyon

2011-02-12T02:05:00.004-05:00

"Do you want to see Beautiful Canyon?" It used to be called Black Canyon because it was a place of mystery and death. The Anasazi ruins were there and if you followed this canyon for miles and miles you would end up in Canyon de Chelly (pronounced d-shay). There were about 8 of us who said yes and climbed aboard the old pickup.

We drove for a good half hour over rough terrain, across dry creek beds and wound our way into the canyon wash. There are washes everywhere across the desert sand. Washes are like gullies or small canyons where the flood water flows when the mountain rains come. This one gradually became wider and the walls of the canyon began to rise up higher and higher.

Finally we came to a broken down wire gate that closed off the canyon. The gate was pulled open and everyone climbed out of the truck and started hiking into the hot sun. Soon we saw several appaloosas grazing on a ridge. That is what the fence was for.

The canyon walls rose higher and higher and there was now some shade for relief from the August heat. Huge overhangs created natural caves and in some places we saw markings that looked like abstract art. It was art created by the Anasazi centuries ago.

White House Ruins from Canyon De Chelly

Looking up we saw black sediment that created dramatic streaks of color as it ran down from the top of the canyon wall. The ruins were built into the walls and you could climb up and explore the spaces. There were small rooms made of ancient adobe that connected along a narrow ledge. Pieces of pottery shards were scattered amidst the rocks and sand at the base of the vertical wall. I could imagine children playing in the ruins which were used as shelters for the Navajo's sheep. There was no certain explanation for the Anasazi: Where did they come from? How long had they lived there? Where did they disappear to? You can read about them and get some answers: ANASAZI

I handled the shards, examining them and wondering who made each one and what it looked like before it was shattered. They were beautiful. Each piece was textured with a design or painted with a diagram. The amazing thing was that these small pieces of history still existed. The Anasazi have been gone for hundreds of years but remnants of their art was everywhere.

Art To Eat: Wonderful French Toast

2011-02-04T00:06:00.000-05:00

Art To Eat is easy and fun. Beautiful to look at and tasty to eat.

Have you ever made French Toast? It's easy as pie to make the most Wonderful French Toast.
Start by slicing the bread in 3/4 inch diagonal cuts. Whisk about 4 or 5 eggs and add an equal amount of sweet cream or half 'n half. Dip the bread in the mixture and place on hot griddle seasoned with olive oil. Turn once as the toast turns golden. Use generous amounts of olive oil for every new batch.

This toast has a beautiful golden, crispy texture thanks to the olive oil and it tastes oh so good with real maple syrup.

6. The Big House

2011-02-02T22:05:00.000-05:00

Right next door to our trailer home sat a huge building called the 'Big House'. The massive structure looked as if it could tumble down any second but it had already stood sentry over the mission compound for decades. There must have been a stone foundation but most of it was made of adobe brick. There was a first floor dug a little into the ground and that is where Tim's classroom was. It stayed so nice and cool there with the natural surroundings. The fresh earthy smell was a welcome reprieve from the hot Arizona sun. Several windows let in light from the west.You couldn't help but look up often at the rafters above when they creaked with the footsteps of the older children. The classrooms up there were spacious with lots of large windows for natural light. Walking from room to room you could feel the openness with the outside coming in. There was absolutely no privacy in that building. Two stairways, one outside, one in, headed up a flight to the third floor with yet another creaky floor.

Leaving the big house was like descending the gangplank onto the dock after a smooth sail. The main entrance was off the center floor and there were several steps to descend to solid ground. Once safely ashore you could gaze back at this 'big as a castle' sandy formation sitting on a red beach somewhere.

The children in Tim's class were happy and eager. They didn't speak English yet and that was Tim's main focus. He made school fun and always held the philosophy that students should not hate school by the time they were in 3rd grade. I came by occasionally to teach some simple art classes. Supplies were limited but we always had lots of color crayons and tempera paint.

One of Tim's students was Michael Blackwater. His grandmother, Anna Blackwater, was one of the first converts to Christianity and the best rug weaver around. One day about 13 years later we received a graduation announcement in the mail. It was from Michael. He was planning on going to college.

ArtPrize: The Story of Rain, Chapter 8; Bronze

2011-01-30T01:38:00.004-05:00

The Alchemist Sculpture Foundry in Kalamazoo Michigan is owned by Brent and Brett. These guys really know the business of bronze casting and can do it all. I will show you the process with lots of pics.

If you want to know more watch the Utube video listed at the end of this article. I chose the video because of the narrator's cool accent. He sounds so enlightened and artsy!

Here's Brent showing a rubber mold. This is the first step in the casting process. The rubber mold is applied to the original sculpture and it is called the 'mother mold' which means it is the original and can be reused to make more of the same sculpture.

The hot wax is poured into the rubber mother mold and after it hardens the rubber shell is removed and saved. The wax is then examined before proceeding. Brent and Brett show the wax image after the mother mold cast is removed.

I worked on the wax to make sure the image was exactly right before the next step. I added and subtracted wax as needed. The sculpture was cut into 5 different pieces.

Next the wax pieces are dipped in liquid glass. This is a ceramic mixture that coats the wax in several layers. It is dried and then baked in a kiln to a hard impervious finish. The lost wax method is what it is called because the wax melts away leaving just the ceramic mold.

Brett shows a piece that is ready for the bronze pour. This is from a different sculpture. A styrofoam cup is attached to the wax and covered in ceramic also. You can see it at the top of this piece. That is where the molten bronze is poured.

This is the Crucible. The place where the bronze is heated up to 2000 degrees (I think….really hot anyway!!) Brett is holding a brick of bronze.

After the bronze is poured and cooled off the ceramic shell is broken off. Sandblasting is used to clean the ceramic out of detail areas and to polish the bronze.

The pieces are then welded together and polished so the entire sculpture looks seamless. You can't see where the sculpture was cut apart. Brent is using chemicals and fire to burn the patina into a small bronze sculpture that he designed.

Here is the finished sculpture, Rain, at the Alchemist Sculpture Foundry. Notice the different coloring that Brent used for the leaf, the skin and the hair. (you might notice this photograph is spliced because I made a mistake setting the camera)
That is it and now this sculpture, Rain, stands forever at the entrance of Mary Free Bed Hospital. Whew! What a job. I'm glad that one is done! Thanks to all the people that helped out with this project. See Chapter 4. I think there were over 20 of you. Next I'll post some new photos of Rain on site by Bob Pearson. We are waiting for the weather to clear a bit because there's over 2 feet of snow on the ground now.
Here is a Utube video that shows the bronze casting process. Enjoy!

Beautiful Kiwi

2011-01-29T22:56:00.002-05:00

Art To Eat: Get creative in the kitchen!

Kiwi, the beautiful, crunchy, sweet, tangy fruit

Peal it, slice it, taste it. Put it on top of any kind of salad or place it along with parsley on the side when serving up your favorite entree.

ArtPrize: The Story of Rain, Chapter 7; Finishing

2011-01-27T01:08:00.000-05:00

ArtPrize Finishing Touches

This was it. Done. Now the sculpture could be secured in place. ArtPrize was starting in just a few days. What would people think about this piece of art? Would they like it or hate it? Would they praise it or laugh at it?

Too late now to worry. This is the risk that artists take; to put ourselves out there and let the critique begin.

What a relief to be done but what a lot of work was ahead with all of the promotion for ArtPrize. There were lots of events and promotions set in place by Mary Free Bed and now I was committed. Ann helped with the organization and we worked together to promote "Rain" and seek out votes.

We loaded it up in my truck and lined up a bunch of people to help install it. Here's me with the head grounds keeper at Mary Free Bed.

Narumi came to help with the installation. And below is Ann and John helping out.

Anyone who signs up at ArtPrize can vote on each ArtPrize entry. It's free for viewers and you can vote for every single piece either up or down. The winners are determined by the number of up votes and the down votes are stimulus for conversation. Would it work? No one knew.

We do know now that ArtPrize was a huge success because of the public response. There were hundreds of thousands that came out for this event. And anytime you mention the word ArtPrize to anyone a conversation will commence for the next 15 minutes.

Finding a buyer was my main objective and a difficult one. Winning some of the prize for ArtPrize was Ann's objective (even more difficult) but because of her enthusiasm many people at Mary Free Bed started talking about purchasing the sculpture so they could keep it on exhibit. See a photo and short article about it on my website.
When the dust cleared and ArtPrize 2009 was over The Mary Free Bed Guild started a fund to purchase a bronze version of 'Rain'.

We drew up a contract and scheduled the sculpture to be bronzed in Kalamazoo at the Alchemists Sculpture Foundry. I'll show you the results next. The coloring is much richer than the original shown above.

Art School #5: The Painter Lady

2011-01-25T00:32:00.032-05:00

My mother gave me every opportunity to express myself through painting. She was the driving force behind most new opportunities that came my way.

"Anna, do you want to paint your bedroom? You can choose the color." That meant if my bedroom survived the paint job I would have the privilege of painting the rest of the house!

"Anna, there's a lady painting a new house down the street. If you go there right now you can watch her paint." That meant the lady was expecting me and was ready to teach me everything she knew about house painting.

"Anna, Mrs. McKay needs a painter and she will pay you. " That meant I got my first real paint job and earned real money.

That really was an experience. I had no equipment of my own so relied on Mrs. McKay to provide all the tools. There was no extension pole, something that every professional painter uses to paint a ceiling. I had no idea what that was anyway. I just dug in and climbed the ladder with roller in hand.

The bed was not to be moved and, of course, we couldn't put the ladder on top of the bed. The only solution for me was to stand on the bed and bounce up and down while swiping the roller across the ceiling on every up bounce. If only I could freeze like one of those photos with everyone jumping. I would have given anything for wings but my method worked….eventually. I remember Mrs. McKay standing in the doorway, wringing her hands, worried and questioning, "maybe we should have someone come and move the bed?"

I assured her that everything would turn out fine and it did. Thanks, Mom, for all of the references and encouragement along the way. I learned early that contracting paint jobs paid better than minimum wage. My career as a house painter began early and laid the foundation for a successful decorative painting company, called AK Donahue Design.

2011-01-23T20:14:00.001-05:00

ART TO EAT

So Easy..... So Good.....

Stack your favorite brownie or chocolate cake with loads of whipped cream and top with a big fat berry.

ArtPrize: The Story of Rain, Chapter 6; Sanding Dust

2011-01-21T11:34:00.000-05:00

Have you ever used a Dremel? This is the coolest little rotary tool and it made the sanding workable. The entire sculpture from head to toe needed sanding and it was hard to work with all of the detail. Just think how intricate a fingernail is when manicuring. Standard sanding equipment just wouldn't work for this project.

Usually a soft and pliable media that can be subtracted or added to like modeling clay is used for a sculptures on this scale. The clay is used because it is fairly cheap and very workable. Once the original is finished it is sent off to the foundry where the bronze casting takes place. Because of ArtPrize I did not have that luxury. My sculpture would be outdoors on exhibit for 3 weeks in the unpredictable Michigan climate. That is why I chose to use the urethane plastic compound called Shell Shock.

Constrained in some ways but learning a lot as I went, the process was finally nearing the end. The urethane plastic was hard and impervious to the Michigan moisture and I knew this was the only way to go. The sanding commenced.

The Dremel tool made it easy to sand out the detail and even 'Rain's' teeth needed work. I felt like a dentist with his fine little drill buzzing away. The only painful thing for me was the headgear I needed to wear. The sanded plastic was fine and powdery and was dangerous to breath in. I had to use a painters spray painting mask complete with a double filtering system. It almost covered my entire head. I sanded for about a week and looked forward to the day when I could start painting the ugly gray shell. She would come alive with the reflective bronze coloring.

ArtPrize: The Story of Rain, Chapter 5; The Goop

2011-01-14T00:56:00.002-05:00

This was nothing I had ever seen or worked with before; liquid plastic. It didn't smell but it was gooey awful stuff and hard to manage. Shell-Shock is what it is called and it dries hard in just a few minutes and becomes very hard and brittle over time.

Small amounts are mixed in disposable cups and applied with a brush or stick. The brushes will harden after about 15 minutes so many disposable and cheap brushes and small paint sticks are needed. It can be poured and that is what I did to make the casts.

There is another type of goop that is more fun to work with. It's called Body Double and is less toxic and like rubber. It's a two part mix as well and is applied directly to the skin to create a mask or mold. It dries fast to a flexible rubbery substance.

Then a coat of medical plaster and gauze is applied to make a form that hardens over the rubber. The plaster will serve as a support for the rubber mold and help it to keep the shape when the liquid plastic is poured into the mold.

Once the cast was completed you could see the fine detail in the fingers. The mold turned out beautifully and Emily's arms and hands looked just like her.

The entire sculpture needed to be completely covered with the goop. This is what would make it impervious to moisture and the outdoor elements. After applying about an 1/8 inch over the entire surface the sanding began.

ART TO EAT: Yummy Roast Chicken

2011-01-12T21:23:00.002-05:00

Too Easy Roast Chicken

And Roast Vegetables Too!

Be creative with this easy to fix meal.

Place a fresh whole chicken on an open roasting pan in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for about 2 hours. Use a meat thermometer to make sure it's done-165 degrees.

If you would like extra seasoning put your favorite herbs ( I like sage or savory) along with fresh onion and celery inside the bird. Sprinkle the outside with salt and pepper and a little turmeric.

Place quartered fresh potatoes and chunks of carrot on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for about 45 minutes or until tender and brown. Yum....tastes as good as it looks!

5.Drums and Generators

2011-01-09T22:47:00.001-05:00

The sun was set and it was almost dark when we arrived at our new home. Tim knew the place well because he had already lived there for two years. It was hot and the windows were down so we could hear the drums in the distance. How odd that was; here we were on the Indian reservation and there were drums just like in an old western movie.

Don and Nona Perrault were the sentries and saw to all of the daily details at Immanuel Mission. As we got out of the car Nona trotted up with a serious but friendly smile. She was short and wiry and looked like she could fight a bear. Their trailer was near the entrance and right next to the well. In the morning you would see Nona running out to greet the steady stream of pick up trucks that came with their empty 55 gallon drums. Wells were scarce because they had to be drilled over 500 feet to get to a good water supply. Some were as deep as one or two thousand feet.

Nona commented on the drums right away, "Yei-bi-chai", is all she said. Tim explained later about how the Navajos have a ceremony to call on the spirits to protect their children before they send them off to school.

Tim asked her why it was so quiet. I didn't know that he was referring to the generator. Normally the drums would not be heard above the steady hum of the only power source for the mission compound. Nona motioned towards Don as he strode up with a wrench in his hand.

Don was short and stout and always friendly. He also always seemed to have a wrench in his hand which reminded everyone about his duty as the master of the generator. He built it and knew every nut and bolt and it was his job to keep it running. The generator would have to wait for morning now.

We got the key and headed towards our new home. It was a deluxe trailer that once traveled across the country as a high end vacation tool. Exactly 8 feet wide and 30 feet long, the interior was finished in birch veneer and the multitude of cabinets and cubby holes meant everything was automatically organized.

At the end of the trailer was the one bedroom with a window facing directly at the campsite where the Yei-bi-chai was happening. There was light from a huge fire that lit up the colorfully dressed people. There were people walking around in the shadows too and small children darting in and out. The outline of many pickup trucks faded in the background. I wanted to get a close up look and see this spectacle but everything was in miniature since the campsite was so far away. They were in another world and I felt like I was reading the National Geographic live. I fell asleep that first night with the sound of the drums echoing in my dreams.

I woke up to the sound of eggs crackling on the stove. "Tim was cooking? Hmmmm," I thought that was my job. There were no drums. Looking southwest was the beautiful earthy red rock, Tsetse-uh standing straight up towards the sky. The flat table top basking in the sun. To the west was the campsite, the Navajo's homestead where we heard the drums. All of the trucks were gone except one.

A mounded adobe hut, a hogan, sat in the center with some other small wood buildings surrounding it. Two women slowly carried a gigantic tub across the yard and began to tip it over the fire pit. Smoke clouded up and engulfed the scene. A dog and three small children ran through the smoke, barking and hollering and laughing.

There were no other people around. The women disappeared into the hogan followed by the children.

Suddenly there was a loud noise in the distance, a muffled roar that didn't stop. It was the generator. There were no power lines leading to the mission but there were lines leading to the generator. I would get used to the noise and if it stopped it was like a breath of fresh air for an instant and then worry that something was wrong. As long as the pulsing motor drummed away we knew our refrigerators would keep running and our lights would stay on.

ArtPrize: The Story of Rain, Chapter 4; Help!

2011-01-05T00:37:00.003-05:00

I only had one month to work on this sculpture. My venue was established and there was just enough money saved to pay for all of the materials. But there was only one month to the deadline when the artwork would be unveiled: a realistic/impressionistic, life sized sculpture of a young woman standing. How was this going to happen? Where would I get the energy, the skill, the guts to get it done?

I prayed, Ann prayed and I am sure there were others praying too. Over 20 people came to my rescue during the 30 days. I had no idea it would take this much effort to accomplish the goal.

2 Assistant artists: Ann Bjorlie and Miriel Williams assisted in making the casts and applying the 'goop'.
(more on 'goop' later)

3 Photographers: Robert Pearson who does wonderful nature photography and Kathy and Jenifer
Barton, sisters who work together and do beautiful action shots.

2 Consultants: Paul Evans is an all around nice guy artist who knows a lot about structure using plastics and metal and Brian from Michigan Foam who was a great connection for info on materials and equipment.

Link to: MARY FREE BED REHABILITATION HOSPITAL

2 Public Relations Coordinators: Meg Duhrer and Darci Luykt from Mary Free Bed helped with mailing and scheduling special events.

3 Models: Emily Donahue was the primary model and gets all the credit but Danni Donahue, my daughter-in-law stopped by one day and agreed to model for awhile. Ruthie Garcia also helped out a lot because Emily decided not to have her face cast and Ruthie who had no idea what she was getting into stepped in.

2 Cooks: Mrs. Barton who brought the best burritos ever and my husband, Tim, who can always be counted on for fast food delivery.

8 brawny men to move the sculpture and place it in the exhibit location at Mary Free Bed. At least 4 guys from the staff at Mary Free Bed helped along with my brother John Bjorlie.
Curt Veenstra and two of his sons helped to install the final bronze sculpture after ArtPrize was over.

Now I was really stuck. There was no way I could back out of this corner and the days were clicking by. The foam was not working out and I had to insert an armature to hold the whole thing together. The armature should have been built before I even started but now I was working backwards.

I figured out a way to stabilize the structure with Paul Evan's help but I would have to rely on castings for the hands, feet and face because of the foam. This was challenging and fun. The garage door was always open because the September weather was beautiful.

Now it was time for the 'goop'.

Art School #4: No Making Ashtrays in Ceramics Class

2011-01-04T00:14:00.003-05:00

Seventh grade art class was a mandatory class. Everyone had to take this class. I was in heaven - an entire hour dedicated to nothing but art every single day!

  Mrs. Byberg was good at teaching this class. She wasn't the kind of art teacher to reach for your paint brush and show you 'how it's done'. She never stood behind you and peered over your shoulder and made weird noises.

  This was art, not crafts. We heard lectures on the masters and saw photographs of famous works of art. Then we learned the fundamentals of drawing and painting. 'Learn by doing' was Mrs. Byberg's motto.

  The only rule I remember hearing was, "no making ashtrays in ceramics class." She gave very pointed instructions which everyone followed. It was dangerous not to because there were chemicals and other questionable substances around. But creativity was never discouraged.

  After seventh grade there was no more art class until Junior year when it was offered as an elective. I would miss the art room with its random collection of supplies and its fresh paint smells. For the next three years I daydreamed during school as usual but I wasn't challenged to put those dreams on paper until my brother and I had private lessons.

Our mother saw this gift, this talent that we possessed. My brother John was especially gifted and everyone knew it. He was known as a natural born artist from an early age and not just because he could draw like crazy. Many people thought he was crazy. One of his elementary teachers for example thought he was retarded and wanted to flunk him. My mother marched into the principles office and insisted on having him tested. This was quite an unusual circumstance because in the 60's no one ever heard of A.D.D. or dislexia or any other learning disorder. If there were problems in school you were either stupid or lazy.

John wasn't stupid because he scored in the genious percentile on that test. He wasn't lazy because he was very active as a school yard athlete. And he could draw like crazy. So it wasn't long before mom introduced us to 'private art lessons'.

The lessons were at the teachers home. Kitchen table art was what it was. There was a single rose in a vase in the middle of the table. She presented us with water color paper that was stiff and thick and we began to draw with special drawing pencils. Then the india ink came out with old fashioned quills. This was different and fun. We drew over the pencil with the ink and then rubbed out the graphite with gum erasers.

Another step added color to our drawings which now became paintings. Water color filled in between the lines and shaded the petals of the flower.

I loved the process and wanted to continue with these classes forever. John impressed the teacher who proclaimed him a gifted protege. We came back for more and more until the teacher moved away.

4. Touching the Clouds

2011-01-03T23:11:00.009-05:00

We turned off the pavement onto sand. You could see where the road grader had smoothed the red earthy surface and it was very smooth except for the washboard rivets. Our car was sailing along on a bed that sat below the surrounding flat land. The roads weren't built up here with gravel and pavement. They were carved into the landscape and when they got too deep the road grader moved over and cut a fresh path in the sandy terrain. This was the high dessert in northern Arizona and the road into Navajoland.

I peered over the dashboard to see a herd of horses with one lonely rider. I wanted to get a closer look at them. They were multi-colored and all sizes but as we drove nearer the rider backed away from the road as if to say, "keep your distance."

Low shrubbery and tufts of grass dotted the scene. The horizon was sculpted with two or three mesas at all times. You could see only one in every direction except for East where the mountain range sat.

Clouds like puffy cotton balls rested in the bright turquoise sky. I felt I could reach up and touch them if I wanted to.

The 14 mile drive to Immanuel Mission took about 45 minutes. We saw only one other vehicle on the road ahead of us. We kept our distance because of the cloud of dust it kicked up. The truck veered off to the left eventually. There were lots of smaller roads that y'ed off the main road. The only real intersection was at the junction for Sweet Water, a small town that wasn't really a town but a trading post with a bunch of old satellite dishes in a fenced yard.

The mission was hidden behind a long gray rock formation that created a cliff. The road curved around and sloped down to the main entrance where a marker stood with a sign reading Immanuel Mission, est. 1924. Off to the east the cliff rose up gradually to the plateau where we had just been. It seemed like the end of the trail but the road meandered on through the dessert towards the west and a stately red mesa called Tsetse-uh (pronounced sessa-uh). Tsetse means rock in Navajo and maybe all mesas have that name to them but this was Immanuel Mission's Tsetse-uh. After that there was another mesa and the road continued on and eventually lead to many more.

We were home now. This is where we would make our new life together. Tim taught kindergarten to 10 little 4 and 5 year olds and I found paper and pencils and began to draw.

LEARN MORE ABOUT IMMANUEL MISSION

3. The Bowling Ministry

2010-12-30T02:12:00.005-05:00

"Oh, look at this book! You've got to read it!" I was talking about 'Evidence That Demands a Verdict" by Josh McDowel. I read it shortly after becoming a Christian and it helped me to realize how the Word of God is really true and not just a collection of stories with deep meaning. There were a bunch of people in the book room, a small bookstore set up for the Bible Conference in Fargo, North Dakota. Tim was there and I was thinking how I couldn't believe I just yelled that comment out. I don't even know if I was talking to anyone in particular.

He struck up a conversation with me after that. We talked about nothing and finally he asked me a pointed question, "What do you think about the bowling ministry?" I said, "The bowling what?" Then the conversation dwindled into nothing again and I kept thinking why couldn't he just ask me out for ice cream...or something. I hated bowling.

So that was the end of our almost 2nd date.

Playing the piano is what kept us close for the next three weeks. We didn't have a lot to talk about but we had a common mission: spreading the Gospel. A group of young men, Tim being one, were brought together by Jabe Nicholson, Boyd Nicholson and my brother, John Bjorlie. I was the designated pianist. Every morning was Bible teaching by Jabe and Boyd and every afternoon was knocking on doors with a Gospel meeting every night. This was the schedule for 3 weeks as we traveled across the state of North Dakota.

During the last week of meetings which were held in my home town of Valley City, ND, Tim and I actually had several conversations. We talked about everything including our dreams for the future. He wanted to kiss me but I insisted that he explain his intensions first. That is when he asked me to marry him. I admit, I forced the issue.

We were engaged. We didn't even really know each other. We just knew that we were both Christians, both wanted to serve the Lord and both were infatuated with each other. We were married 2 months later and drove across the country to Navajoland.

Buy "Evidence That Demands A Verdict"

ArtPrize: The Story of Rain, Chapter 3; Emily

2010-12-27T17:05:00.003-05:00

There was not an official agreement to have my niece, Emily, model. It was an idea tossed around; just a suggestion but my wheels were turning. What if I she would agree to let me use her disability in the sculpture?
Emily, the sharp-witted/quiet, non-assuming/beautiful, girl/woman is a walking conundrum. Her disabilities are major but not readily noticeable. She has what we used to call a 'withered' arm. She has limited use of her right side and has had a kidney transplant. The two physical ailments may or may not be related. It's funny how doctors don't really have an explanation for why Emily suffers this way. She knows that God knows and He is the one who helps her the most.

Emily didn't ask a single question. All she said was, "yes!"
Before I entered ArtPrize I decided exactly what I would enter and made a maquette. A maquette is a miniature clay model that represents what the final sculpture will look like. My maquette stood about 14 inches tall. It showed my idea of a girl standing in the rain, looking up to the sky and holding a giant leaf in her hand. Her right hand is lifted to touch a drop of rain to her lips. The name, 'Rain', tells part of the story. My intent was to let the viewer tell their own story about this person interacting with nature.

Ann Bjorlie, my sister-in-law, was exited about ArtPrize too. She wanted to help me get the job done and help to promote my entry. I knew it would take a lot of time and energy to accomplish the task and there was only 2 months to work. I welcomed the help but warned her that this effort may not pay off. I had no way to pay her for helping me. She was eager to get involved. It seemed to me that she was the only other person I knew who understood the significance of this endeavor.
We began by cleaning out my garage and finding all of the equipment needed. Ann helped me load up a huge block of styrofoam from Michigan Foam in Grand Rapids, MI. We set it up and I began cutting it down. This was the wrong kind of foam to use and I found out much later that I should have used a much denser product. There were little styrofoam balls floating all over the place. It was the beginning of a huge mess.

Then Emily stepped up to model and things began to take shape. She brought along some patience and I continued to carve away. Soon I realized that the styrofoam would not work for carving fine detail. Casting would be the next step.

2. Giving Up My Art

2010-12-26T16:25:00.005-05:00

Story Book Lodge Christian Camp is in the middle of the Iron Range in Northern Minnesota. This is where Tim and I met. He spent summers there as a camp counselor and I came to help out in the kitchen.

On a starry night I worked late in the dining hall painting a poster. Tim came around to turn out the lights and insisted that we must follow the camp rules. I laughed and kept working. He came back about 15 minutes later and proved he was serious by turning out the lights. I suggested that he should escort me to my cabin since it was now very dark. It took about 5 minutes to walk to my cabin and that was the end of our first date.

In 1979 I graduated from College in Billings Montana with an art degree and moved to Minneapolis. Finding a job was tough since there was a recession going on and work was scarce. After several promising interviews that didn't pan out I took a temp job as a Nurse Assistant. I worked in several different rest homes or nursing homes as they were called back then.

My employer was an odd religious group that started an enterprise to support their cause called Selfless Service to Others and I think they were Buddhists. They didn't say exactly. At the time I had no interest in religion and wanted to keep that subject out of my life. But one day as I stepped outside into a winter wonderland I saw the most beautiful bright red cardinal alight on a snow covered branch within arm's reach. My footsteps crunched on the icy snow. The cardinal flitted away and bounced from one branch to another disrupting the snow. The white powdery stuff floated slowly to the ground.

Earlier that day I read an article in the newspaper about evolution. There was evidence now that man did not evolve from apes. It caught my attention because I was questioning my beliefs and wondering if there really was a God.

Within a day or two my brother called and asked me to stay with Grandma while he and his wife took some time to travel. They lived with Grandma Bjorlie in Pekin, ND. John was a Christian and had been saved since I was 17. I remember him telling me one thing. "Anna, if you ever want to know that your sins are forgiven you can pray to God and He will hear your prayers. His Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for your sins." I knew then that he was serious about this Jesus stuff and he had the answers. But I kept on my merry way living a wild and crazy life for 8 more years.

I agreed to go to North Dakota for 2 or 3 weeks. Grandma was born in 1891 and lived a simple quiet life. My job was to keep her company and take care of her daily needs. There was no TV reception and one old radio that worked but there wasn't much to listen to. My brother hung framed Bible verses in every room. After the first week I had read every Gospel text on every wall at least 24 times. After the second I had them memorized. I pondered them but could not understand what "fleeing the wrath to come" and "wages of sin" and "neglect so great salvation" meant.

That is when I decided that if there is a God I really should find out what He has to say. So I found a Bible and began reading. It wasn't long before I was bogged down in Leviticus and decided to try the New Testament. After Matthew, Mark and Luke I entered the book of John. This is where I met the Savior and finally understood exactly who He is and what He did.

And He did it for me. He died on the cross for me. This was amazing and I literally saw my life flash before my eyes. It was a strange experience remembering everything I almost ever did. That is when I gave it all over to Jesus and he cleansed my heart and it was all gone. It was a burden of sin lifted. All of those past grievances and problems and difficulties. Whatever it's called it all boils down to sin.

But art was a significant part of my life. I was an artist. It was part of my identity. Could I give it up for Christianity? Should I? At the time I needed to give it up because it was the most important part of myself. I didn't know at the time that God gave me this gift of art and I could use it for His glory. I thought that I would say goodbye to ever calling myself an artist again. I really did have a cathartic moment of cleansing and rebirth. My life was saved, regenerated. I was new again and now I was Anna Bjorlie, the person, not the artist.

That was the first day of Spring in 1980. About 2 months later I was at Story Book Lodge flipping flapjacks at five o'clock in the morning and painting posters at ten o'clock at night and getting to know my future husband.

Check out the website below to find out more about the history and mission of SBL. http://www.storybooklodge.org/history.html

ART TO EAT

2010-12-25T20:27:00.001-05:00

You won't find detailed recipes here, just a list of ingredients and suggestions. These creations are simple to make, beautiful to look at and scrumptious to eat. Put on your apron and indulge your creative spirit!

Savory Cracker Bites

Your favorite snack crackers
Italian Mascarpone Cheese
Fresh Chives
Olives

Mascarpone is really delicious and creamy cream cheese. Spread it on liberally and add an olive decorated with the fresh chive.

Art School #3: Miss Personius

2010-12-22T11:07:00.007-05:00

It was a contest and we were all judges. The charcoal drawings were held up by the teacher, Miss Personius. She was exactly like her name; Precise, smart, well dressed and predictable. That was what every student yearned for. Above all else she was fair. You knew what to expect and knew that she would always understand and come through for you.

Everyone agreed that there were 2 especially good drawings and for some reason we needed to decide which one was best. Maybe the kids all had to know or there was an exhibition that the one drawing would enter. I don't remember that and I don't know why my drawing wasn't up there. Maybe I had been sick and wasn't there for the art class.

My favorite drawing was of a tree. It showed the texture of the bark and was an unusually close up look at the tree trunk with just one or two branches. The other drawing was of a horse. Again close up with just the profile of the horses head. But I wasn't impressed because I refused to let the subject matter influence my vote.

The votes were split and there was lots of disagreement and loud chatter about which one was number one. Then Miss Personius asked me, "Anna what do you think? Which one do you like best?"
There I sat in the back of the row of desks and then stood up like many of the kids who were too exited to keep their seats. "The tree", I said with conviction. There was silence and then everyone started chattering and debating all over again. We voted again and this time the tree won.

I walked up to the front of the class and stared at the two drawings. There was the horse; beautiful like horses are and there was the tree. I couldn't understand why it looked so different. The bark was represented by short course lines and the outline was so primitive. I was kind of surprised because it looked very realistic from my seat in the back of the room but up close it looked so different. It was not realistic but it was interesting and very black and white.

Miss Personius was one of the best teachers in the world and she knew her class well. It wasn't long before I was getting used to wearing glasses. Now I would see the world differently.

ArtPrize: The story of Rain, Chapter 2; Finding A Venue

2010-12-22T01:06:00.004-05:00

Finding a venue for Artprize is challenging. The system is designed for venues and artists to match up on their own. No outside authority or jury decides who gets in or where the exhibit happens. There are rules but they are not difficult to follow. Venues simply have to be inside the downtown Grand Rapids radius that is mapped out.

Any location can apply to be a venue as long as they are able and willing to staff the venue during ArtPrize hours. Accessibility is also a requirement. The registration fee is about $100 and there are other expenses that may be incurred depending on how involved the venue becomes. Some venues will throw big parties with live music and refreshments to bring in the crowds. Others will do a lot of publicity to promote their business or organization.

The cost for artists to register is $50. Literally anyone 16 years and older can enter ArtPrize as an artist. Once you are registered you can publicly promote your work on the ArtPrize website and start connecting with venues. This process of finding a venue that will exhibit your artwork and help you promote it is like The Dating Game for artists. I call it the American Idol of Art because ultimately the public decides who wins.

I found about 35 different venues that I liked and sent them emails with contact info. My favorites were non profit organizations. The response was limited to about 5 very different locations and I looked for the one that best suited the sculpture I was planning. None of the offers fit quite right and I was getting ready to settle. There was only about one week left before the deadline when Mary Free Bed Hospital responded to my email. I was hesitant because they are located on the very outskirts of the ArtPrize boundary and I knew that the crowds would be close to the center of the city.

We set up a meeting to check out the venue. I met with Meg from public relations and we discussed the location and the sculpture. Even though I knew nothing about Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital we had some things in common. My brother-in-law, Mike Donahue, had been a patient there in the past and he also exhibited some of his artwork at their annual art show. Meg told me up front that they had hopes of finding an artist with a disability. I suggested that they might settle for a model with a disability.
That is when I thought about the possibility of Mike's daughter, Emily, becoming the model for the sculpture.
Meg and I tossed the idea around and we shook on it. I had a venue! Now the real work would begin.

ArtPrize: The story of Rain, Chapter 1; Entering ArtPrize

2010-12-19T02:04:00.019-05:00

Reading about the concept for ArtPrize in the Grand Rapids Press the first time was exciting. Half a million dollars in prize money? For art? Unheard of! I talked to every artist I ran into to see what they thought about it.

"Are you going to enter this competition? It's open to anyone in the world. No jury which means no hierarchy of art elitists who determine who or what gets in."

No one would commit but everyone was very much intrigued and pondered the possibilities. I began to formulate a plan.
Here was an opportunity to present my passion to the world; sculpture.

I reserved a spot in my brain for ArtPrize dreaming. This was the think tank for materials acquisition and logistics, space planning, funding, and above all -inspiration and design. Whenever I caught myself in that daydreaming place I connected with the 'ArtPrize Station" and took up the task of flaming the dream.

No one knew what kind of impact this art exhibit would have in the Spring of 2009. Not until it happened that Fall were people completely amazed.

I knew that the prize money would draw a lot of competition and a lot of interested people and I hoped that my artwork would sell. The thought of winning some of that prize money was always a carrot but what kept me driving towards the goal was the commitment of having my name publicized. It is a huge risk to put yourself on the line out there where everyone can see it and talk about it. The public forum is daunting and scary.

I paid my $50 and signed up on line to be one of the hundreds of artists to take the risk. Then I found some info to post about myself and started the search for a venue.

LINK TO ArtPrize

Art School #2: Mary Tyler Moore

2010-12-16T19:27:00.006-05:00

My second grade teacher didn't last long; hardly a year from graduating with her teaching degree and getting married. She was beautiful and everyone said it right out loud. She looked like Mary Tyler Moore in 1961 with dark brunette hair in a flip and red lipstick. She wore dresses like all girls did in those days; big skirts with petticoats and belted waists.

I drew her portrait, secretly, of course. She deserved it but it didn't turn out quite like I wanted. Her profile filled the page but her nose was crooked and her hair didn't fit on the paper. This was a disaster and I wasted no time in crumpling the paper into nothingness. I threw it in the giant waste can on the other side of the room and marched back to my seat. I was determined that no one would see this morbid creation.

Just as I was sitting down I saw Arthur leaning over the garbage can. He was digging around for something and I was mortified. He found it, smoothed out the paper and held it up for everyone in the room to see! Then he lifted his desk top and placed the original there. He looked at me with a crazy smirk as he dropped the desk shut. He had stolen my artwork!

My heart sank but I remembered that I didn't sign it and no one needed to know who I was trying to draw. I ignored Arthur for the rest of second grade. It was easy to do since he sat on the opposite side of the room.

Turquoise Sky and Red Mesas

2010-12-15T20:18:00.016-05:00

We met in Northern Minnesota near Bob Dylan's home town. We were married there and moved to Arizona to live with the Navajos.
How we met and why we lived with the Navajos is a story I will tell you. I still dream about the turquoise sky and red mesas. The high dessert in the southwest is an artist's mecca. Some day I will go back there and paint.

But now here we are, living in Michigan. It's like having a bit of eastern city life with the midwestern culture still in tact.

My smart and funny husband makes life entertaining and interesting. We love to hear our names, Neena and Greepa, spoken by our 2 lovely little granddaughters.

Yes, life is good here and I thank the Lord for all the gifts of life and love bestowed on me. He has blessed this family with good health and strong ties to one another; all three totally different sons and their beautiful wives live here in Michigan.

They call this the midwest but I remember the open prairies in North Dakota with miles and miles of nothing but grass. There are no trees to obstruct the view. You can see the storm clouds brewing far far away and know they will never touch you. In Michigan there are trees everywhere and you can't see the sun rise and set unless you are on the open water.

This is where Tim's family lived since he was fifteen. Before that they lived in Chicago's south side where his uncle who worked for the health department got him a job at MacDonalds when he was 14. Tim and his four brothers always had jobs starting out with newspaper routes when they were 10. Then in 1971 'white flight' moved them to Grand Rapids, Michigan. They were the second to last white family to leave the neighborhood and very disappointed with the change of lifestyle. They loved the city buses and the busy-ness of life in the city. Grand Rapids didn't even have a baseball team!

Summers brought him to northern Minnesota where he worked at Story Book Bible Camp and that is where we met.

Art School #1: This Is What I Want to Be When I Grow Up

2010-12-14T20:56:00.006-05:00

Why do I want to create? What makes me want to do this? It is something that was always of great interest to me; always wanting to make something out of my thoughts and to express my feelings without talking. Maybe that is the only reason that I had this need to express myself this way.

I remember 3 things in Kindergarten: coloring, drawing and story time. Story time was only good if the teacher held the book up high so we could all see the pictures.

First grade was especially fun about twice that year when Mrs. Kennedy passed out the big white papers. Then she walked up and down each row and spooned a big dollup of bright blue goo right in the middle of the paper.

The goo felt oozy and cold and I wanted to squeeze it but I was not sure if that would be a good idea. I did it anyway and then began to dream as I swirled and pressed and slid my fingers across the page. The paper wasn’t white anymore and I wasn’t sure what I was doing but this stuff was something that could be moved and changed.

Soon there was blue everywhere and finger painting was something that I liked, I loved! Too soon Mrs. Kennedy came by my desk and made me stop. Art class was over.

But my inspiration wasn't over. This was the beginning of my career. Now I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I would be a teacher and teach finger painting every day!