my son's first grade class came to redline for a field trip to see what real artist studios look like and to try a little mosaic making. the kids got the hang of it pretty easily and didn't make too much of a mess. they were thrilled by the chance to ride the city bus as an extra added bonus. i was glad to be able to encourage their creative juices and to show them that people really can be artists when they grow up. the best part though, was when he brought his mosaic home from school after they were finished and the teacher handed them out. during dinner he made his papa and i both close our eyes while he took it out of his back pack. when he said "open" he had it proudly displayed in both hands held high with a huge grin on his face.

this fine snowy day i spent a lot of time in the studio- most of it cleaning. wah! but it needed to be done. after what is almost a year in that space there were piles on top of piles and they were beginning to take over my work areas. the horror! i know. so i just had to clean. i even labeled file folders. not as fun as making stuff but i got into a groove none the less, and next time i go into work i think it will be a much more pleasurable experience. and there was plenty of time to reassess past work i had kind of forgotten about and ponder about what new direction it might take me in. yes, there was a lot of looking and pondering. and sorting and pondering. and pondering and pondering.

i did manage to snap a few shots of the portrait plates the kids at hartford elementary made through the nohl project i worked with them on last spring. it was pretty cool to get them out and appreciate their fabulous work all over again. 

Howdy. Welcome to my new blog! yipee-o-i-ay!

Sooo, this week I had the fabulous opportunity to help at Teen Night at RedLine Milwaukee. It was supercool. We started off the evening in the gallery watching some fantastic short films put together by teens at Bruce Guadelupe School that dealt with their sense of identity. It was incredible how varied and unique each film was, and what an awesome job they did filming and editing and putting it all together. I really got a glimpse into their world. I wish I had some photos of that, but alas I do not. Better luck next time.

Then, we had the honor to take a close look at the work of Milwaukee Artist Kevin Boatwright whose work is currently on display. It is super spontaneous and has a ton of texture and is just fresh como la lechuga if you know what I mean. He talked with us about how he approaches his work (he gets his materials together and goes for it) and how thankful he is to "just have a moment of serenity" in which to create. How cool is that? I can feel it. He utilizes boards, window caulk, paint, spoons, palette knives & paint brushes to create his masterpieces. He likes to "keep things real" and paint from the heart to make art that can speak to his people. Dig it.

Then, Kevin led us in a workshop and demonstrated his technique in the classroom. That's when things got really crazy. Check it out: