slightly wonky

Last Sunday, my friend and I went to the South End Open Studios.  SO much fun!  The nice thing about these open studios is that the majority of the artists are pretty impressive…AND you really do get to visit THEIR STUDIO!!!  My tie for favorite snacks offered were either the crisp apples at Joel Janowitz’s studio (his work is also amazing), or the mini  peanutbutter cups at a new gallery (whose name I cannot recall) in the Laconia Gallery building.  I tried to appear as if I did not in fact want to snarf down the whole bowl of those things.  That’s kind of frowned upon on a studio visit…

SO!  I want to ramble on about two fabulous artists that were UBER impressive…and who can draw like CRAZY.  The first artist is Heidi Hogden:

Heidi Hogden, Star Buck, 2011, graphite on paper, 48×35

This drawing is GORGEOUS.  I mean…so beautiful.  I was truly in awe at how amazing it is.  Her work is just stunning.  Please take a look at her link here.  Much of her work is imagery from her Wisconsin home.  Can I somehow emphasize enough how amazing I think her work is????  In my next life, I’m going to be her.  Or Zooey Deschanel.

The second artist that I wanted to highlight also draws, but her work is typically silverpoint.   Here is a piece by Andrea Sherrill Evans:

Andrea Sherrill Evans, Double Balaclava #2, 2007,

silverpoint and watercolor on prepared paper, 11×11

Her work is so…ethereal.  The silverpoint makes the lines sooo delicate.  These are an intimate size, and they definitely draw you in for a closer look.  I love her interest in knitting, which appears in some of her work.  I also think that her painting skills are lovely as well, as they work well together with the drawing.  She was actually in her studio, and she was so friendly.  I’m sure that she had good snacks too, but I don’t remember.

So, later today I’m having my FIRST session of my class, The Artist Professional Toolbox at Montserrat College.  I’ll let you know how it goes.  If I get any brilliant insights, I’ll be sure to pass them on.  I might suggest that they have topics such as, “Grovelling 101”, or “Harrassment Laws in Massachusetts / The artist’s guide to approaching galleries”, or “‘My kid could do that!‘: Handling criticism constructively.”  Crying is probably frowned upon, so I’ll try not to do that.

My own work ground to a halt this week.  My husband is out of town, so I’m “single parenting” it this week.  I also had an excessive number of errands to run.  I did have time to do lots of Lego with my son.  I’m pretty hopeless with Lego.  I know…how is that possible?  I’M AN ARCHITECT FORTHELOVEOFGOD.  An example:

Okay.  The “cool” ship/vehicle on the left is my husband’s.  Clearly, he’s got this Lego thing down.  Look at that La-Z-boy cockpit!  The middle creation is my son’s.  I love the multi-headed-person-mobile.  Note the interesting lack of symmetry… I must nurture that lest he become too OCD like mommy.  The sad little plane on the right is mine.  Sigh.  I have a tendency to make these squat little creations.  My one bit of ingenuity was to stick the top of the ship on by actually attaching it to the top of the pilot’s head.  Brilliant!  I have no doubt that you will never see that being done by anyone who knows anything about Lego.  Perhaps I should really be going to Lego school?  I’ll go if they have good snacks.