artHound

An invitation has been extended:

We are deadly serious. . . only the strong of heart and lovers of art are welcome to attend. . . the Haunted Artspace, an eerie art installation created by a dozen area artists. . .

Installation begins in a couple weeks, but a peek at some of the work in progress by Kevin and Dan can be seen here (look for the tree images). I’ll be adding to my Haunted Artspace photos, too.

Photographer Andrew Thomas Lopez captured the creative coven pictured above, including Inda Blatch-Geib, Donna Webb, Joan Colbert, Joseph Blue Sky, Mark Soppeland, Kevin Smalley, Dan Coffield and Miller Horns. Also participating are Laura Bidwell, Leandra Drumm, Rachel Gentner and Bonnie Stipe.

Fresh Art, the annual juried show at Summit Artspace, took on an eerie theme for 2008 and became Fresh + Spooky. Attendance at last Friday’s opening reception approached three hundred, with an additional seventy visitors Saturday afternoon and evening. October seems to put everyone in the mood for some unearthly apparitions and the participating artists did not disappoint. 

Above is the pen and ink postcard art created for the show.

Imprints/around the square, created for the 5-squared show, is headed for the big city!

Don, of Brooklyn, New York, stopped in Angel Falls Coffee Company while visiting Akron and is now headed home with a piece of Highland Square art. Many thanks!

 5-squared =

25 fabulous Highland Square artists
25 different art forms
25 pieces of art

Not all of the artwork in 5-Squared will be hanging on the wall or sitting on a pedestal.  This multimedia exhibit includes design arts, writing, music and video, one piece each from an artist who lives, works or plays in Highland Square. 

Inspired by the concept, Imprints/around the square was created with the neighborhood in mind. This new block print/collage will be on display from September 12 through October 3.

5-Squared opens Friday, September 12, with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m., at Angel Falls Coffee Company, 792 West Market Street, Akron, Ohio. The exhibit was organized by Rosemary Reymann and displayed with the generous assistance of Jim King.

A couple of BlackbirdBoxes featuring imagery from Glendale Cemetery have been added to the Etsy shop. As the weather turns cooler the crows seem to gather there more frequently. In winter large numbers of blackbirds often roost overnight in the trees on the grounds of the cemetery and the usual quiet is replaced by the raucousness of their calls. BlackbirdBox/Glendale Tree features a large silhouetted crow amid a maze of bare branches; the photograph in BlackbirdBox/Glendale Crow captures a blackbird in flight. BlackbirdBoxes can be accessorized with painted twigs, and, just in time for autumn, maybe a tiny pumpkin, too. Both Glendale boxes, and a few others, are available here.

Hobbes loves to hang out with the hounds and can usually be found sleeping with one or the other of them. A photo of the three of them has been entered in the Ohio Basset Rescue Sleeping Basset Calendar Contest. Each vote costs a dollar, with all proceeds benefiting the homeless hounds of Ohio. (Yes, there really are homeless hounds - Dylan was one, although his story has a happy ending!) Visit Ohio Basset Rescue to donate and cast your vote by clicking here, or on the box to the left. Sure, #42 on the ballot is tops around here, but vote for your favorite. You can cast as many votes as you like, so feel free to stuff the ballot box!

Many thanks to Viv of Hens Teeth for including Ash Tree on her Saturday Shopping List! It’s a pleasure to be in such fine company - see all of her picks here. Be sure to check out her work, too - it’s delightful!

Plans have been underway since early June for Haunted Artspace, a group installation that will appear at Summit Artspace just in time for Halloween. An early press release tells of the “creative coven” of “rather scary . . . Akron area artists . . . putting their talents together to build an eerie art installation . . .”

Even though they are raw, the materials I’ve been gathering are pretty mundane. Any guesses as to the medium of choice?

Photos of the work in progress will be posted here.

It happens every year: August arrives at the height of summer, then starts embezzling daytime minutes and changing the quality of the light that remains. Suddenly the season seems to have shifted, so it’s none too soon to begin work on upcoming events at Summit Artspace.

This year’s juried exhibit of fresh, new art will have a twist to it in keeping with the calendar. Scheduled for October, it’s Fresh and Spooky! Although I haven’t begun work on an entry yet, the postcard art is finished. It was fun to play around with the theme. No sneak peeks at the final choice (hint: it’s more than a little predictable), but here’s a bit of detail from one of the alternates:

Fresh and Spooky will open on Friday, October 3 and run through Saturday, November 8, 2008. Artists who live, work or attend a university in Summit, Portage or Medina counties in northeast Ohio are eligible. Guest juror and curator is Mark Soppeland, Distinguished Professor of Art, University of Akron. Click here for an entry form and further information.

Only winter allows a view of the linear qualities of the wisteria - by summer it is a mass of green that has conquered the arbor and threatens to overtake the house. This new addition to the BlackbirdBox series features a view of its meandering branches through the grid of the window screen on a cold, gray day and is available in the shop.