2023 off to a crazy busy start!

 Hello Friends!

So much has been happening recently in my world that I'm not sure where to start. So, I decided to write a blog post over here on this platform, rather than directly on my website.

Though I was selected for my current project in May, the proposal and contract process took through December, so I wasn't able to really start ordering supplies and confirming logistics until the start of the year. This project is for a new low-income housing complex in Port Townsend, WA being built through an organization called OlyCAP (Olympic Community Action Programs.) In Washington State, all publicly-funded construction is subject to a 1% For Art allocation, so a portion of their budget is dedicated to a creative component. The theme is a celebration of the Salish Sea, with emphasis on the vital relationship between sea stars and kelp forests. 

As I did research for this project, I learned more about how sea star wasting disease is decimating the kelp in our region, and here's why: Urchins feed on kelp and sea stars consume urchins. Without a strong population of sea stars, urchins are prolific and are "mowing down" the kelp forests, which provide essential habitat for all of the sea life, including salmon, harbor seals, orcas, anemones, etc. If we lose our kelp forests, we are in serious trouble. But all along the Pacific coast, that is exactly what is happening.

So, here is one frame from my proposal, which will embellish the child care center:

The sea stars along the bottom will be mosaic, made by local kids, while the kelp walls will be painted onto a special mural fabric called Polytab, then adhered to the walls when weather permits. The artwork extends around the building, connecting this entryway to another one for residents.

So, in order to engage local kids, I applied for a Centrum residency, which is an organization located on Fort Worden in Port Townsend. And to make the most of it, I submitted it as a group proposal, which would allow 6 regional mosaic artists to share the apartments and the cost while giving us the opportunity to enjoy each other's company and completely geek out on our shared medium. 

Left to right: Lynn Adamo (face covered), Karen Rycheck, Joanne Daschel, Mark Brody, Richard Davis, and me in the center.

During my week in Port Townsend, I spent 4 afternoons working with the kids at a YMCA after-school program. They made sea stars and a few urchins from recycled glass tiles. Joanne, Mark and Lynn each took it in turns to help out with these sessions.

Over the weekend, I visited the three science centers in Port Townsend. The aquarium was closed for winter, but the aquarist generously took Joanne and I for a private tour. I felt remarkably lucky because I was able to visit with the rescued octopus on site, which was released to the wild that very afternoon. This guy was found in a light trap for studying sea life as a tiny baby, but had reached sexual maturity. During our visit, he was pressed against the clear walls of a tank, and it was a special experience to take a close look at his tentacles up close.

At the flagship location downtown, artists Timbul Cahyono and Mariah Vane have created an experiential exhibit to demonstrate the importance of kelp forests. The docent there said she had been on a sea star count very recently and was happy to report increased numbers. That is hopeful news!

Our group also met with Rebecca Welti in nearby Port Hadlock to get a tour of her art installation in a public park, which happened to be created around the very same theme of the Salish Sea. She focused more on the importance of plankton, and had kids create ceramic elements that are embedded in concrete. She designed many interactive structures to inspire kids who visit the park.

It was a particularly chilly, windy day for our field trip.

Joanne, Mark and Lynn playing on a plankton structure designed by Rebecca Welti.

The six of us shared apartments and a large studio for a week. Here are some snapshots from our studio time:

I made a tiny bit of progress on a project I need to be a bit cryptic about for now.

This is Richard Davis's work space. So organized!

Karen Rycheck worked on hand-built ceramics in her unmistakable style.

Joanne Daschel made small mosaic studies based on observation in a plein air approach, but in the slow-mo medium of mosaic. 

Mark Brody worked on torch-burned and colorfully stained, large-format wood mosaic and Lynn Adamo is exploring assemblage with found objects, incorporating fiber. But I can't upload those photos. It is always a pleasure to spend time with what has become an extended family. We bounce ideas off of each other, discuss technique and materials, and work through the unique dilemmas of our creative life and work. This is our second year with a Centrum residency, and it has been a really wonderful opportunity.

One more thing I worked on in the evenings was becoming familiar with my new iPad and Procreate. I have been mainly working in analog for all of these years and my digital art skills are pathetic. About 2 weeks ago, I invested in the iPad and I'm struggling to learn how to use it for illustration. I have a proposal I need to refine asap in order to submit for some grant opportunities, so I spent time this past week honing the concept with Procreate. If you have any digital art skills, you will not be impressed, but I about jumped up and down a couple of times as I slowly navigated the program in the evenings. I have a basic design to present for the next community mosaic project, slated to go somewhere in downtown Olympia in fall 2023.

In 2021, I announced a project that would incorporate mosaic butterflies at Monarch Sculpture Park. However, things didn't pan out. A few people sent butterflies and I've been wondering how to shift gears and make use of them. Since I'll be the featured artist for Olympia's fall Arts Walk, I thought it would be fun to plan something big with local community. My idea is to have a figure emerging from a chrysalis with wings spread, life-sized so that visitors can pose in front of it for a photo op, becoming one with the art. The surrounding wall will be filled with butterflies made by everyone who wants to participate. The message of the design is a celebration of becoming your unique, authentic self. 

No, I do not yet have a wall or funding for this project, so it feels really scary. But I was just approved for fiscal sponsorship and will be able to crowdfund and donations will be tax deductible, and I will be applying for grants and seeking corporate sponsors. I'm trying really hard to take this one step at a time, but I'm so excited about it, I've already gotten ahead of myself! This is one of my fatal flaws.

For right now, I'm still at the early phase of the project at hand, which is the Sea Star/Kelp Forest mural for the 7th Haven building in Port Townsend. That's my main priority. But I'll be sending out more information about the butterfly mural as details are confirmed. I already have some mosaic butterflies and a new one was waiting for me when I came home. This is from Aya Kinoshita in Pennsylvania:

*As you can see, the mosaic is completed, including grout. I'll be able to set it directly into mortar like a single tile. Not all butterflies need to be pre-grouted like this, but it sure will make it easier to install.

If you made it this far through another wordy post, thank you so much! I know I should write shorter posts more frequently. Ah well. I hope your January was as fulfilling and energizing and I'll catch up again in February!