I never set out to be a “felt artist.” It just kind of happened.

In previous posts, I’ve talked about the material’s wonderful versatility. Strong, fragile, resilient, crafty, industrial, tactile—I could go on and on. Over the past year, I’ve made felt do things it isn’t supposed to do. Felt became architectural, and, in some instances, menacing. I formed felt firing squads, bays of felt guns, and complex structures that challenged my abilities as a “felt architect” It was exciting.

Then I came home from six months of traveling. I took a week off. My brain did its work while I did things outside the studio. And let me tell you, after the intensity of the last six months, I was pretty happy to let my subconscious figure things out!

Change is happening in my studio. I am doing what I feel like I do best: I am playing with materials. Think fur. Think pleather. I am, as they say, “in the zone.” It’s really lovely. I’ll write more when I surface for air.

I left my truck in Denver and arrived in Milwaukee via plane for the installation of my work as part of the Abstract Fiction exhibition at UW Milwaukee’s Union Art Gallery. I was one of four artists–the exhibition also features fabulous work by Lisa Congdon, Deedee Cheriel, and Eddie Villanueva.

Once in the gallery, I found that the incredible UW Milwaukee Union Gallery workers had already painted for me (!!!) and I was met with another gorgous space, complete with soaring ceilings and unique concrete alcoves. And painted PINK, per my request. Pink paint…pink felt…lady trucker was glad that she had abandoned her truck and was ready to soar above the space in a cherry picker!

The transition from lady trucker to lady lift operator was an easy one, particularly since the student workers moved the lift around for me! And time was on my side. I had anticipated painting, but with wielding a paint roller removed from the equation, lady lift operator was leading a life of install leisure!

In all seriousness, the project marked a slight departure from previous projects in that the color palette was completely comprised of pink. As my always-astute mother said, “Wow! That’s a lot of pink!” Indeed. The narrowing of the palette forced me to contend with shape and composition in new ways. The gun forms that appear in the work are both more subtle and more evident, if that’s possible.

I have a confession: I was so frightened to do an all-pink project that I brought some green felt with me…and even started preparing it for install on-site. But I just couldn’t do it. There was something about the work that really resonated with me, a combination of bold form with subtle color. But is that much pink really soft, really subtle? I’ll leave that for the viewer to decide!

In the past 12 months, I’ve taken on many projects. Detractors would say it’s too many.  At times, I’ve wondered myself. But in the moment of this installation, I could see the relationship between all of the past projects and this particular pink project. It seemed a perfect culmination of all my recent work, both a building up…and a paring down.

While working, I was inspired by the work of the other artists in the exhibition. One of the best parts of group exhibitions is the energy that is created when all this work is in one big space together!

I worked alongside the amazing Eddie Villanueva, whose installation The Hunter creates an exciting and intriguing play between dimensionality and flatness while utilizing an array of humble materials:

Eddie Villanueva, The Hunter, mixed media installation, 30' x 25' x 8', 2012

You can learn more about Eddie by reading this awesome article, complete with photos of his install in-progress!

Likewise, the intimate two-dimensional works of Lisa Congdon and Deedee Cheriel offered windows into ambiguous narratives and a beautiful and poignant use of form and composition. I felt truly honored to be included in this group of artists!

The painting of the gallery by others put me so far ahead of schedule that I was able to spend time with some Milwaukee-based friends and former students, take a run by the lake, and get my hair cut. Who says that installation artists don’t lead a life of leisure?!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone involved in making this show happen, particularly UW-Milwaukee Union Gallery Manager/Curator Andrea Avery and the amazing student crew.

Now onward to Chicago for Pop-Up Art Loop! You’ll find me installing in Chicago this weekend at 150 N. State Street. Prime real-estate. So excited.  Thanks for reading and have a great weekend everyone!

On January 14, I picked up my 16’ rental truck and set out to deliver 20 dimensional works on paper to Denver, Colorado, for my solo exhibition at David B. Smith Gallery. The lead-up to my debut as lady trucker was a last-minute framing extravaganza. Minneapolis-based Hang It came through and framed all twenty of my dimensional works on paper in record time–and with a meticulous attention to detail that completely wowed me. So grateful! I put the beautiful Plexi boxes in my truck and hit the road!

Hauling 20 Plexi boxes was a dramatic contrast to transporting felt. Felt is not fragile…and my felt had, in fact, been shipped to the gallery a few days prior in 3 cardboard boxes. But those works on paper are another story. Despite extensive care with bubble-wrapping and packing, you can bet that I worried a bit about each bump in the road. Still, I was rewarded with remarkably warm, snow-free January weather and an incredible Nebraska sunset. I stopped in North Platte to rest and refuel, then made a beeline for Denver the next morning.

The landscape gradually shifted as I soared towards Denver in my 16’ truck. My spirits kind of soared, too. What is it about the west?

I arrived to find a gorgeous gallery space…friendly people…temps in the upper 50′s…and a bunch of felt waiting for me! And so I got to work:

As I’ve said in previous posts, my project at David B. Smith Gallery marked a unique partnership with the Clyfford Still Museum. It was exciting to utilize Still’s work as a point of departure, both in the studio portion of the project and while composing in the space. In planning, I tried to keep the focus on Still’s work as opposed to his personality. And yet, while installing on-site, I felt a kinship with Still in terms of the rebellious way the work unfolded.

You can read more about the project in a recent Huffington Post feature as well as in an interview on the Illiterate Magazine blog, a brief article in the Denver Post, and a lovely feature in Modern in Denver. The response has been really overwhelming. I am so appreciative.

One of the most gratifying aspects of the project was seeing my dimensional works on paper, all 20, hanging on the gallery wall opposite the installation. For years I’ve struggled to create a body of smaller works that feels cohesive and in-keeping with the spirit of my installations. I feel like these works fill the bill, while also offering new possibilities for my large-scale work.

As is typical, my life in Denver was mostly spent in the gallery! However, I had a bit of time to explore on my final two days in town. I left my amazing accommodations at the dog-friendly Curtis Hotel (no poodles this trip, maybe next time!) and ran by the river and bought some rockin’ green cowgirl boots at the renowned Rockmount Ranch Wear store down the street from the gallery.

AND, I finally made it to the Clyfford Still Museum, the newer wing of the Denver Art Museum, and the MCA Denver. Being in the Clyfford Still museum was an incredible experience. I was truly moved. After spending months thinking about Still’s work, to see it in that setting, at that scale, and in that quantity truly took my breath away. The depth and tactility of the paint was surprising, as was the intensity of the color. The work was both beautiful and unsettling. I hope that this combination of beauty and unrest translates to my installation.

Recalcitrant Mimesis is up through Feb 20^th. If you are in Denver, please check it out.

THANK YOU to David B. Smith Gallery, the Clyfford Still Museum, and everyone in the Denver community and beyond who has expressed their interest and enthusiasm. I appreciate it.
 
And thanks for reading. Stay tuned for posts about my adventures in Milwaukee (part 2) and Chicago (part 3, happening this weekend)!

What a year. I am still catching my breath. I felt like words had left me at 2011′s tumultuous end. But, to the relief of everyone, I’m sure, words have finally returned. I am ready to share with you, dear readers, the good happenings of late 2011 and early 2012.

First off, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who made 2011 a great year for me. There are so many of you. You are family. You are friends. You are colleagues. You are arts professionals. You are students. You are adults. You are children. You are members of the general public who I have never even met in person. I felt so loved in 2011. Excuse the cheese factor. I speak the truth. You are all amazing. You know who you are.

Right now, I am looking ahead to 2012 with excitement and anticipation. January is already bringing new opportunities…and new challenges. I’ll backtrack a few weeks (still technically 2011) to recap an incredible research trip to Washington, DC, made possible by a Faculty Research Grant from Minnesota State University-Mankato.

I spent December’s final week recovering from a brutal cold…and visiting the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to research weapons and military uniforms. Seeing so many objects in person was so cool. Especially relevant was The Price of Freedom: Americans at War exhibition. I took hundreds of photographs.

I was also able to expand my focus to include the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, where I photographed reconnaissance aircraft…and some outer space vessels. I also discovered the amazing work of Jeffrey Milstein.

I am currently organizing the weapon and military uniform photographs and preparing them for use as stencils. Stay tuned!

We also had some time to explore DC’s amazing art museums, including the Corcoran, the Hirshorn, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the National Gallery of Art, among others. I was completely wowed by the masterpieces at our nation’s capital. And we didn’t even have time to see any of the smaller galleries! A highlight was definitely 30 Americans at the Corcoran. Wow!!! I also stumbled upon some works by artists I was not previously familiar with. For example, futurist Giacomo Balla.  Check out the relationship to my dimensional works on paper (read on).

Now, onto 2012: On January 20^th, Recalcitrant Mimesis opens at David B. Smith Gallery in Denver. The exhibition marks a first for me in that I will be exhibiting 20 new dimensional works on paper AND a new large-scale, site-specific installation. The exhibition is in conjunction with Denver’s much-lauded Clyfford Still Museum, and my work there is a response to Still’s work, as I’ve discussed in a previous post.

I am so excited about the exhibition. It is a departure for me in a few ways, most notably in that I’m referencing the work of Clyfford Still. I had no idea that Clyfford and I would be spending so much time together.  Here I am in Washington, DC at the Hirshorn alongside one of his works…and at another undisclosed museum alongside another of his works. So much art in such a short trip!

I look forward to seeing more of Still’s work in person at the Clyfford Still Museum. It’s also exciting to return to Colorado. I’ve been there several times. I made my Colorado debut back in 1995 as an undergraduate student working at Rocky Mountain Fruitshake in Estes Park. Then, in 2006, I exhibited work at Fort Collins MOCA. In 2010 I exhibited work with the amazing Christopher Baker and R. Justin Stewart at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs’ GOCA. And now Denver. Colorado, you’ve been good to me. Well, maybe except for the part where I made fruit shakes. Live and learn.

The Denver exhibition is also a departure for me because I am showing not 1…not 2…but 20 works on paper. And they are dimensional. And I am going to wait until the opening of the exhibition to officially unveil the finished works as a group on my site. In the meantime, I’ll let you see the two that I have already “leaked” on Facebook, as well as the in-progress photo.

In the past week I’ve learned a few things about framing and renting 10’ trucks, and have refamiliarized myself with the route through Nebraska on I-80 to Denver. Road trip! As it turns out, making and transporting ginormous felt installations is easy in comparison!

After Recalcitrant Mimesis, I’ll be flying directly to Milwaukee to participate in Abstract Fiction, a group exhibition at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Union Gallery that also features the work of Deedee Cheriel, Lisa Congdon, and Eduardo J. Villaneuva. So honored to be part of this group of artists!

Hope your year is off to a magnificent start everyone. Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for updates from I-80…Denver… Milwaukee…and beyond.

My first project of 2012 will be a site-specific installation at David B. Smith Gallery in January, coinciding with the museum’s new presence in the city. The project has been both a unique challenge and an exciting opportunity. When first presented with the concept, I’ll admit to being slightly perplexed. How could I respectfully appropriate some of Still’s forms, colors, and compositional devices while creating something true to my own interests? Would the forms in Still’s work be exciting to work with? After all, I’d been researching weapons all year…and this abex-er’s painterly strokes seemed a bit of a departure from swords, knives, missiles, and guns!

Once I began my research, my fears were quickly put to rest. Still’s oeuvre provided a kind of creative jolt, a dose of something that otherwise would never have crept into my conscience. Instead of easily translating to stencils, his brushwork translates awkwardly. Mimicking a Still gesture is an effort in futility, especially when that gesture is to be translated as a hard-edged stencil. Through a careful process of identifying and isolating marks and gestures from a variety of works, I was able to freeze Still’s organic, expressive marks in Photoshop (ahem, please excuse lackluster Photoshop skills), create stencils, and begin translating these stencils to felt.

Although distanced by process and material and recombined to suit my own goals, I am excited that some of the energy and aggression of Still’s seemingly simple canvases still shines through. There is a disobedience to these shapes, a kind of unpredictability. They are a little unwieldy. And I like that.

I am always reluctant to share progress pics, perhaps because my progress is not very linear. Or perhaps because my studio is littered with coffee cups. Today’s progress may well be washed away tomorrow morning by a new strategy. And certainly all preliminary strategies will shift as the work moves into its home in the gallery. For me, this is the magic of installation–the ability to respond to a space, to improvise during the act of creating the work on-site.

Still, I think these initial dress rehearsals in my studio are important. They create a kind of logic for the ways in which various forms work together and allow me to experiment freely with no audience and no obligation.

The title, Recalcitrant Mimesis, summarizes my approach. I will admire Still’s work. I will study it. I will scrutinize it. But when I copy it, I will do so obstinately, and when possible I will deviate.

I’m not sure what Clyfford Still would make of my installation. But I like to think that he would approve of my attitude.

In the interest of a surprise, the remainder of this project will be mostly top-secret right up until the install. Can’t wait to share the finished work with you in January.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!