November 2008

Last Friday the Alliance for the Visual Arts (AVA) opened their sixth annual juried show, Kaleidoscope 2008, at Summit Artspace. AVA is comprised of four area non-profit visual arts groups: Akron Society of Artists, Artists of Rubber City, Cuyahoga Valley Art Center and Women’s Art League. Entry into Kaleidoscope is open only to members of the sponsor organizations. Juror, Craig Lucas, Professor Emeritus from Kent State University and distinguished painter, chose 85 pieces from 64 artists for this collection.

Kaleidoscope will be open through January 3. During Akron’s First Night festivities a handmade kaleidoscope, created by glass artist Bob Pozarski, will be presented to the artist who received the most votes for the Peoples Choice Award.

Visit the Summit Artspace site for information on hours and free workshops.

Postcard art is from a watercolor/Prismacolor piece by Margaret T. Otley; graphics by Immix Studio.

. . . and a tip of the (bowler) hat to Rene Magritte. Happy birthday to the artist at 4:00 on the wall!

Here’s a bit of silliness for the easily amused, right up there with the daily horoscope and finding the perfect dog breed for your personality. Typealyzer instantly provides a personal profile (available in both English and Swedish) based upon your blog . . . and is probably no more accurate than the quizzes that dare to suggest that, instead of hounds, I should consider retrievers, either Labrador or golden!

The first snow of the season fell overnight, but the sky cleared at dawn. A while later a flock of robins gathered in this tree, probably wishing they had headed south just a bit sooner.

Today’s Daily Drool Calendar page features a couple familiar basset hounds: that’s Dylan, facing the camera, wishing Thurber a happy third birthday! Ahrooo!

About those pods. . .

Encased items suspended in Bedtime Stories form little dream images, or pods. Some are created from string, fashioned after a popular children’s craft. Others are formed of wire and cheesecloth and are modeled after Chinese lantern plants.

The bright red lanterns were abundant (invasive) this year and the intensity of their color clashed with many of the lighter hued neighboring flowers. There is always the temptation to banish them from the border, but then the color begins to fade and they take on their own subtlety. The lantern deteriorates into a lacy membrane revealing a red fruit within. The delicate transformation, from lantern to winter cherry, ensures them a place in the garden next year. This year they provided inspiration for dream pods - and ideas for a future print series. . .

During childhood almost any object can appear sinister in the wee hours and a harmless bedtime story may turn into a horror story overnight. Shadows in the bedroom change the mundane into the menacing and every little sound is amplified along with one’s imagination.

For Bedtime Stories I drew upon vague memories of nursery tales and subsequent nighttime awakenings where reality and illusion intertwined. The initial appearance of innocence might become a bit unsettling, even creepy, upon closer scrutiny, but with the waking day (or a flip of the overhead lighting switch) any apprehension seems silly.

The written words include the following: gray owl verse by Southwest Indian Tribes, a selection from In the Night by Elizabeth Madox Roberts, troll chanting from Out of the ‘Kalevala’ by Anselm Hollo (moom moom), verses from C is for Charms by Eleanor Farjeon, and bits and pieces from Silly Will by Lucy Sprague Mitchell (Silly Will still creeps me out!).

There is still time to see The Haunted Artspace - but not much! Summit Artspace will be open regular hours this week: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, noon to 5.

Part of the transformation from blase to amazing is shown above. Pictured is the diagonal walkway through Leandra Drumm’s Mr. Boogie Bones installation. Along the way is one of many ghostly figures constructed by Rachel Gentner and Bonnie Stipe. The promenade ends in Edgar Allan Poe’s sitting room by Inda Blatch-Geib.