I can’t tell you how happy I am that September has begun! (See previous post re: favorite time of year.) The air feels different already. I described it to my husband this morning as, “The cooler side of hot.” To which he said, “That makes no sense but I completely understand what you mean.” Morning walks to the lake and spending time in my garden are mandatory this month. They have been more or less mandatory anyway, especially since the isolation began in March, but now even more so because I don’t want to miss any of the subtle changes day to day.
September also means classes are going to start up again! Register here for Fall 1 Mixed Media for Beginners, or Intermediate/Advanced Mixed Media, and for a day of making collage papers on Saturday, September 19, 10:00-2:00 at the Oak Park Art League.
I also just spent the last weekend of August taking a three-day intensive color & design workshop from the incredible Mark Eanes and his wife Marija. It was incredible! Color is something I have always felt intuitively, and I have some formal education in it, but have felt I had only scratched the surface. Of course a three day workshop also barely scratches the surface, but I learned a color vocabulary I didn’t know before and took a deep dive into color mixing that I otherwise would never have taken on my own. The design part of the workshop was a surprise, in that I got brave with designs I also otherwise would never choose on my own. I love the process of discovery and I can’t recommend his workshops highly enough. A few bits and pieces from that experience:
I also have just delivered artwork to a new business in an old building in Oak Park, Cross Function, at 1033 South Blvd, across the street from the train station. It’s a 1920’s building designed by E.E. Roberts that used to be a shopping arcade, and a lot of the original features are still in place, including a massive vault door, an atrium and ceiling tiles in just about every room. I’ll have photos of the installation in a week or two. I’m lucky to share the walls with several other Oak Park artists – Jen McNulty, Joe Barabe, Shelly Thompson, and Maria Gedroc.
It’s a nice feeling to have artwork out in the world again. My paintings will be in this location until the end of December, and they are all for sale.
