Nellie's Needles: July 2011

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Back in The Rockies

We left our Michigan cottage a bit over a week ago and are now here ...

The other day we drove to the top of Trail Ridge Road which passes over those mountains in the above picture. There's more snow at the higher elevations than we've ever seen at this time of year ...

Up near the top, but below the snow fields we saw two male elk with magnificent racks. They weren't close enough together to get in the same photo.

The wild flowers are profuse throughout the mountains. I heard it said that the spring ones are late while the summer ones are blooming on time, so the display is magnificent. They'll be the subject of my next post.

Monday, July 11, 2011

More About ArtPrize

The announcement of my ArtPrize entry in the last post may have surprised a number of you ... those of you who remembered reading about an earlier pronouncement that this was my 2011 entry. That it was to be another installation piece featuring an early spring morning in the Smoky Mountains.

I got as far as doing weeks of research about the spring growth at a particular altitude, as well as doing two fabric studies besides the paper one above. My decision to abandon that project for now came before this second one was finished.

The thought of devoting all my time and attention to just one project for a third year. was overwhelming. I decided that what I really wanted was to be available to spend time, as well as to be available to play with my family and friends this summer.

The mountain project is not dead. Although, I think it will be a good idea if it's done as a commission project, as was "Prairie Performance". Especially since "The Lake" is still not sold even though it has received much acclaim. It's presently hanging in Good Goods Gallery in Saugatuck, Michigan. I'm pleased to be able to visit it there, but I'd rather it find a permanent home either in a business or on the walls of a home that does not have the good fortune of having the view I see literally or figuratively of Lake Michigan.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

ArtPrize 2011 Entry

Once again, I'm pleased to announce that I'm an ArtPrize artist and this is my entry ...

"Imelda's Dream II" - 70"x 70"

Some of you may recognize it. The purses give it a new life for its debut in the ArtPrize exhibition. It had been rolled up in storage waiting for a home in a health care setting as a distraction for women waiting for "procedures." That had not happened, so it will once again see the light of day come September 21st. I hope the audience of ArtPrize goers will find it as appealing as do my cyber friends who have left comments on the posts leading up to this reveal.

ArtPrize is a world-wide art exhibition that takes place September 21 thru October 9th. This year's show features 1,582 artists from 36 countries and 43 states who will show their work in 164 venues within three-square miles of downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. The venue where my entry can be seen is the DeVos Place Convention Center ... the same venue that featured "The Lake" in last years show.