Hello friends,
This time has been a blessing - I can't remember a time when I had so much space to work and explore.
Since my last post, I hosted a POWER ANIMAL PARTY for all the residents, where they all either drew an Animal Medicine card or brought their own special animal relationship, and created a mask/costume by the end of the evening. I set up a video shoot room upstairs, and took before and after shots of each friend - the footage excites me, and I have been processing and playing with it among several other projects. You'll have to wait till next post for some of the edited video, but here are a few teasers from test prints on my studio wall...
My CNC and 3D modeling skills have taken a leap forward (from almost zero...). I used much of my first couple weeks here to teach myself the basics in Rhino (a 3-D modeling software) using the amazing Lynda.com tutorials. In the last couple, I have then been able to built, scale, and slice the 3D model, then process these parts and generate tool paths for the CNC router, and finally, get all 9 pieces of my lion-mask cut, with front and back sides matching up pretty well.
I am also developing the felt masks from my POWERPHERNALIA series...seeing where they might go next. They will soon be part of a show at shop ESQUELETO, a beautiful desert-themed jewelery shop across the street from my apartment in Temescal, Oakland in April and May.
Speaking of shows, if you are in the bay area, I have work exhibited at
Kala Gallery in Berkeley, and
DiRosa Gatehouse Gallery in Napa - both excellent exhibits. If you get a chance, stop in!
But I don't work all the time! One of my goals for this expanded time away is to substantially slow my pace, and get deeper into my body and the nature surrounding me here. I got hold of some cross-country skis, and went out for the first time ever when Amanda came for a visit last weekend. We had a blast! It was lovely to discover a way to be out there inside all this mountainous snowy beauty. We also saw elk on the side of the road that weekend - my West Oakland studio's Power Animal, about stamina. Huge wooly creatures...I hope to see more in the early morning, or twilight hours.
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| hot springs in nearby Glenwood Springs, CO |
There are also several openings and events in Aspen and Carbondale that I attend with our group of residents. Lot's going on, even way out here. And, of course, I will be doing taxes this weekend.
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| Anderson Ranch gallery opening showing two of our studio coordinators - Jason (wood and furniture), and John (sculpture!). |
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| awesome prints from the monothon preview exhibit in Aspen at Harvey Meadows gallery |
Several of you will have already received your Power Postcards (more still to come!), and I enjoy spending my mornings drawing and feeling gratitude for this incredible and spacious opportunity.
Greetings from Snowmass,
Welly
