Oh, and there's the homesteading thing...

I know it has been forever since I've written anything about how things are going on the farm.  The public art project has taken over my brain lately.  But, we still have to attend to animals, bees, and the massive garden.

So, just a quick summary:
We have 3 ducklings and 2 chicks.  They are in a rabbit cage in the barn with the goats, kept warm with a heat lamp.  But, they are growing fast and I need to figure out a safe way to give them some room very soon.  Unfortunately, the one duckling that I suspect is female has a deformed leg (or more likely, suffered a fracture early on and it healed wrong.)  I tried to create a splint to support her foot and leg, but she pulls it off every day.  She is still eating and drinking and growing, and the other ducks seem to protect her, so I am hoping she will be able to live a decent life with only one good leg.  We have tried to hold her a lot so that she will be more comfortable with us when she needs our help later, but all of the ducks are skittish.

We have a tractor-mower now, for keeping the lower pasture tended, and it has a system where we can catch the trimmings in big bins, easy to dump into the goat yard.  This provides fresh food for them and saves having to buy hay.  The tractor also has a little trailer that will help us haul wood, mulch, weeds, compost, etc.

Another new acquisition is a pick-up truck.  This is essential out here.  I had been carrying hay in the trunk, which is messy and inefficient.  The truck is only for hauling, not regular driving, and it makes life a whole lot easier.

We picked up two new hives of live bees in mid-April.  They are happily installed in their fancy new hives that Mike worked on throughout the winter.  We think the hives we lost this past year succumbed to mold, a common problem in this area.  But the new hives should help keep moisture out.

This time of year, it is important that we till, fertilize, weed and plant in a timely manner.  Having two big projects going right now makes it very hard for me to focus on the farm.  I manage to keep up with slug hunting and some weeding, but Mike has had to do the rest on his own.  He spends all of his time off work mulching, turning soil, amending, fixing and building new beds and structures.  Yesterday, he created a table for starting seeds in the sunroom, with a grow-light attached.  All of the beds are ready for planting, so I need to find time in the coming weeks to help with that.  If I don't, his hard work is for nothing and we don't have food in the coming year (or we spend a lot more buying things we could grow.)

Right now, I'm still making our morning smoothies with ingredients we harvested last summer.  We still have winter squash to eat and a lot of canned peaches and jam, plus many jars of honey.  There is so much summer squash in the freezer still, I will probably start feeding it to the goats and chickens.

So, while I have been writing more about the Artesian Well mosaic project, the little farm is still in progress and going well. 

So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!

The community-participation aspect of the Artesian Well mosaic project took place this past weekend, in partial conjunction with Olympia's Spring Arts Walk Festival.  I anticipated a good turnout on Saturday, because it coincided with the festivities, where many downtown streets become pedestrian-only, filling with jugglers, musicians, and citizens interested in enjoying the art and fun atmosphere.  I wasn't sure what to expect on Sunday.

We were not disappointed!  We managed to set everything up early, and we had participants coming by already, so we had several people already in progress on their fish well before the official noon start time.  From there, it was a full house all day, with people always waiting for a spot to open up.  We had to improvise and set up extra spots.  Volunteers found extra chairs and we accommodated as many people as possible.

I was very impressed that so many volunteers showed up and jumped right in to help.  Alan Rodgers was there when I arrived, and helped Lisandro and I with the whole set-up, both days.  After that, Jamie, Karen, Tina, and Bryn jumped in, helping new participants find spots, cutting and laying down contact paper, explaining the process, nipping when necessary, and wrapping and stacking the completed fish.  Frank Lynam helped with clean-up both days.

We had snacks and beverages provided by Grocery Outlet, and Vic's actually delivered pizzas for the volunteers both days!  It was most appreciated, since we really didn't have time to take breaks.  We just took it in turns to go off to the side and wolf down a slice.

As busy as it was, it all went off without a hitch.  We had plenty of materials, we managed to rotate people through at a good pace, getting new people set up quickly.  Two sets of wheeled nippers walked away on Saturday, which was disappointing, but that is the worst thing that happened, and it is quite minor.

Many people worked in groups, often teaming up on one fish.

Pizza delivery accomplished, time to make a fish.

Getting started.

Beautiful fish!

Dad and daughter working side-by-side.

The crowd rotated through, changing throughout the day.

I think it took, on average, about an hour for each person to complete a fish.  A few people spent half the day, using smaller pieces and putting careful effort into their creation.  Some people went with larger pieces and more abstracted fish.  We gave them some simple guidelines (take care with sharp edges, leave space between pieces, try not to mix up all of the colors, have fun) but it was impossible to really exercise quality control.  I will spend today and tomorrow adjusting each fish and covering the surfaces with tile tape.

This weekend was both exhausting and invigorating at the same time.  The fish-makers were all so excited, they expressed over and over that this was one of the most fun experiences they'd had in a long time, that they loved how the design incorporated the community, and they each took photos of their fish so they can find it easily when the whole project is finished.  People working on mosaic under that canopy over the weekend included a wide cross-section of the community, from all socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.  We had fish made by toddlers and elderly people.  Whole families worked on one fish, and a couple of adults came by both days because they had so much fun the first time.  At the end of Saturday, we had made 82 fish.  (I haven't counted Sunday's yet.)

Vince Brown and Monica Peabody came by and played music for us on Sunday!

So, the community mosaic project was a great success.  Now for the serious work of transferring all of that hard work onto the concrete forms around the well, filling in the space between them, and getting it grouted.  My biggest fear is that there are some people who will sabotage the work while it is in progress.  I will have to leave ungrouted mosaic untended, and it might be tempting for some people to pry the pieces off and ruin the work before it is finished.  I certainly hope that will not be the case.

Thank you to everyone who came to help, both volunteers and fish-making Olympians!  I could not create this project without you!  And extra special thanks to Lisandro for organizing the donations, helping to keep track of materials, and volunteer recruitment and scheduling.

Artesian Well Community Mosaic - Next Week!

I meant to keep updating this blog about the progress of the community mosaic project, but I've been pretty overwhelmed with getting ready, and documenting the process hasn't been a priority.  I feel utterly grateful to have an intern, Lisandro Perez, who has taken on donations acquisition, volunteer organizing, and keeping track of the pallet at Furniture Works.  Meanwhile, I've been trying to get the word out to all event calendars and print media, going through all of my own materials to contribute as much as I can, and going to community groups to do the project the way it will be done next weekend so that I work out the kinks ahead of time.

Luckily, every group has done a great job making mosaic fish, it has been fairly simple to explain and execute, and only one person has cut themselves on a piece of glass.  Fish have been made by students at Choice High School, a McCleary girl scout troop, and the Olympia Senior Center.  We have 40 fish made already!  Meanwhile, Seattle Mosaic Arts graciously offered to create some fish to contribute.  Claire, the owner of SMA, originally convinced me to try her contact paper-tile tape method, and I can't tell you how helpful that is.

We were becoming anxious when we had only 2 weeks to go and only a fraction of the materials we would need to cover the surfaces of the concrete forms.  But then, Advance Glass and Spectrum Glass both pledged donations of surplus stained glass!  I will drive to Spectrum Glass in Woodinville tomorrow to pick up 150 lbs of glass, which is a huge relief.

So, everything is coming together.  I hope we have an enthusiastic turnout to ensure as much community participation in this project as possible.  Don't forget: noon to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday April 28th and 29th at the Artesian Well on 4th and Jefferson in downtown Olympia.  Also, we could still use a couple more volunteers.  If you are interested, email Lisandro: artesian.well.mosaic@gmail.com.

Olympia Artesian Well mosaic beginnings

I will be honest; I'm a little bit nervous.  Last weekend, I attended Laurel True's slideshow presentation about her most recent project in Haiti.  It is a 140 s.f. mural that took 3 months to complete, with a dedicated crew working long days, 6 days per week.  The surface area of the Artesian Well project is also about 140 s.f.  I will begin adhering the design at the end of April and it is supposed to be completed by mid-May.  The original time frame was not to exceed 2 weeks, but the City is giving me a bit of leeway to make sure it is done with integrity.  Laurel also had a large budget and a giant pallet of colorful tiles to work with.  I have no idea what I will have at this point.

But, mine is a very different kind of project and I think everyone understands that.  The design will be guided by what I am able to get from the community, both in materials and labor.  It will be fun, full of texture and different materials, so that people visiting will find little surprises throughout. 

I feel extremely lucky that an Evergreen student happened to request an internship for this quarter, and he happens to have a background in community organizing, so he will be my Olympia liason, helping with materials acquisition and many other aspects of the project.  What a great gift!  An assistant!  I can't tell you how happy it makes me.  So, you will hear more about Lisandro as I continue to document this process.

Here is how it will work:  I will provide simple fish templates and clear contact paper.  The contact paper will be placed, sticky-side up, over the design.  Participants will stick pre-nipped pieces of similar colors onto the design.  We then use one of two different methods to hold those pieces in place; one is tile tape (for relatively flat mosaic) and the other is cheesecloth soaked in a flour paste (for mosaic with different thicknesses.)  Once the fish are sandwiched, they can be stacked and stored until I am ready to place them into mortar.  At that time, I can easily peel the contact paper off of the bottom and lay the fish right into a bed of thinset.  After that, I'll work on the blue/green background, putting it directly onto the concrete, and after curing time, it will be ready to grout. 

My daughter made this fish from glass scraps.  It is sandwiched between contact paper and tile tape.

I hope to have a lot of warm colored tile, glass, broken dishes and other solid materials to incorporate.  Glass gems are great for bubbles and eyes, big beads can be mixed in, fused glass would be a great addition.  I encourage any artists working in high-fired pottery or fused glass to make some smaller (say 6" and under) fish to place between the larger ones.  If you have big fish beads, or want to buy things like this to contribute, I would really appreciate it. 

I've been fusing little fish out of my scraps. I'm totally new at fusing, so I'm winging it.

The complete budget for this project amounts to $13 per square foot, which is not nearly enough to cover materials, let alone all of the incremental expenses.  So, I am keeping my fingers crossed that people will help out by donating to this project.  Just imagine the pleasure of stopping by the Artesian Well to fill your jugs, and spotting that Fiestaware that you never did glue back together or the tile that was part of your shower before the remodel.  Also, if anyone has connections to a flooring or glass supply company, please bring any colorful overstock to Furniture Works.  If you don't have materials, just stop by the Well during Arts Walk weekend and help piece some fish together.  It's going to be fun!

Navigating the Public Art Process

This exterior panel was made to commemorate the new Food Bank, which is supplied in part by the organic garden at the Senior Center.  They rock.

Having completed a handful of very modest public art projects, the largest being a 4' x 2.5' mosaic panel for the Federal Way Senior Center, I didn't think this project could be much more complicated.  The budget is very, very small, barely more than I've been allotted for much smaller projects.  But, it is more formal and complicated.

For one, this is permanent.  It is going directly onto concrete forms, and is designed to last a lifetime.  Next, I have to do the work on site.  In the past, I've done most of the work in my studio, then had it installed, usually by -or in collaboration with- a contractor.  And finally, it involves community participation, which not only brings up liability issues, it also ensures unpredictability.  I don't know what the materials will be.  I don't know who will be helping me.  Anything can happen, and probably will.

So far, Ken, the owner of FurnitureWorks has graciously agreed to accept and hold the materials as they come in.  He is located right downtown, easy for everyone to get to, and it will be a short trip when the time comes to move it all to the project site.  So that is awesome.

I had to purchase a City of Olympia business license, which is technically required every time an artist operates business within the city limits.  I do exhibits and events several times per year in Olympia, but it has always been too painful to pay the $95 for the license, considering how small my annual budget is.  This time, there is no getting around it.  So, I'm legal now, and $95 poorer.

Next, I am required to carry liability insurance to do this project.  So far, one agent has estimated that it will cost me about $500.  This is far more than I had expected, and I'm still researching my options.  Some of my friends have business insurance for closer to $300/year, but I don't know if that covers general liability in a situation like this.  While researching, I am realizing that I really should carry insurance for times when I'm delivering artwork, installing the mosaic on scaffolding or mechanical lifts, and teaching workshops.  I'm a little bit embarrassed that I don't have this in place, but, in my defense, I mainly manufacture the work in my studio or work as a contracted employee of the contractor in charge.  Besides, my business is so sporadic, this (and the stair risers I'm currently finishing) could easily be the only installation I do this year.  And next, for that matter.  So, it's a huge investment when I earn so little.  Most of my budget goes right back into the business, and I have had to claim a loss almost every year.

All of this, and I haven't even seen the contract yet.  I was told to send an invoice for an initial payment so that I can start purchasing tools and materials, so I concocted my usual written invoice in the word processor program that came with my computer.  Right away, I was asked to submit an actual "Invoice" with my UBI number and correct format.  That's a bit embarrassing.  I googled how to create a real invoice, and found this site: www.aynax.com  I was able to make a nice, professional invoice and email it directly to my contact.  You can print, save, download, whatever.  So easy, and FREE. 

I have been applying for public art projects for years, frustrated that I never have the required experience to land anything that could make my business solvent.  This project seems like a nice introduction to a real public art project, with contracts and coordination with several City departments.  I am getting a lot of enthusiastic support from every direction, and I know that, while I've never done something quite like this before, it is well within my ability.  With luck, this will be a foot in the door to some bigger projects in the future.

P.S. Over the next couple of weeks, I get to finally meet and learn from Laurel True, one of my heroes in the world of mosaic.  For many years, she has been helping communities to rebuild and recover with mosaic.  Check out her work: http://www.truemosaics.com/international.html

Olympia Artesian Well Community Mosaic Project

Before leaving for that long stretch of travel and adventure last month, I received a phone call to let me know that I had been chosen as the artist for a new public space in Downtown Olympia.  As long as I can remember, there has been an Artesian spring bubbling out of an old pipe with some concrete pieces stacked around it in a decrepit parking lot downtown.  As I understand it, it is one of the last of some 95 Artesian springs that once gurgled happily throughout town.  Olympia's motto is "It's the Water," and it has been considered a great resource for the City.  There is a constant flow of people filling containers from the well, so you would think it would have been graced with a more fitting environment before now.

But, there is finally a little "park" installed around the well, honoring the fresh spring water that constantly flows up from deep underground.

Olympia's Artesian Well

My proposal is to collect scrap tile, stained glass, found objects, broken dishes, etc. and, during the Spring Arts Walk weekend, the community will be able to create mosaic fish on contact paper that I will later incorporate into a design that will become a permanent surface treatment for the concrete forms.  They don't look like much, but they measure out to about 140 square feet of surface that needs to be covered.

I am very excited to be a part of this project.  I moved to Olympia in 1988 and I love the city and the community.  The people who collect water from this well feel innately connected to it, and they have a protective attitude toward it.  I think involving the community in the project will support that sense of ownership, and I hope people will enjoy returning to the well again and again, seeing something new in the mosaic each time, and always feeling proud to know they had some part in the creation of the artwork, whether they recognize shards from that broken dish they donated, or they see the fish they pieced together out of bits of tile and stained glass.

February travels part four; Joy, Mosaic, and Tornados in Kentucky

After riding through 7 states (and back one) on a series of Greyhound buses to get to Lexington, I arrived at the conference hotel at about 9:30am in clothes I had been wearing for 3 days straight and in an altered state due to sleep deprivation.  I slept for 2 hours straight, dreaming of missed stops and rude bus drivers.  When I woke up, Krystie Rose (my roommate) was off cavorting with mosaic artist friends, so I was able to enjoy space alone, something I need a lot of in order to maintain my sanity.  I showered and felt all of the stress of the trip wash away.  When I looked out our window, we had a great view of downtown Lexington, which was surprisingly charming.  Best of all, I could see a Starbucks just across from the hotel.

So, I bought a bagel and coffee and used my Nook to access their free wi-fi.  Every sip of quality (not bus station) coffee was more delicious than any I had ever had.  That was the BEST bagel I've ever had.  I could hardly contain my euphoria, having arrived, being comfortable, knowing I could look forward to a week of mosaic immersion.  There was something else, too; a sense of triumph.  I felt like I had come through a rite of passage, stepping out of my comfort zone, facing adversity, and I was just fine.

Granted, when I think about it now, it seems a bit overblown.  I wasn't in mortal danger, I did not witness a tragedy, I didn't survive anything all that serious.  If I had, I would have been traumatized.  But, as a very quiet person who avoids social situations and prefers solitude and home to raucous fun and adventure, it was a transformative experience.  I felt changed.

I used my internet to find a coin-op that claimed to be a very short walk from my location, so I collected the clothes I had been wearing through tropical areas the previous week (stinky!) and started walking.  I had to stop several times to ask strangers directions.  I finally found it in a rougher section of town.  And, once my clothes were clean, I was even more filled with gratitude.  Clean clothes!  Whoo hoo!  I spent the day getting some much needed exercise and made it back in time to have dinner with Krystie Rose.

I had to rush back to a volunteer spot at registration where I learned that my Greyhound story was spreading like wildfire.  People said, "That was YOU?"  It was a great conversation starter, and I was feeling about 10 times more outgoing than usual, so by the end of this year's conference, I had about 10 times more mosaic friends than before, and it was a great experience.

For those who don't know, the Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA) holds a summit each year in a different city.  About 400-600 mosaic artists attend from the U.S. and abroad.  By attending these conferences, I have been exposed to innovative techniques, a wider variety of materials, different applications, and motivation to find my unique voice and seek to execute the highest quality mosaic art that I can muster.  To be honest, I sometimes regret it.  I wish I could just go back to blissfully making crafty, fun mosaic with no sense of how much I need to improve.  Opus what?  Mosaic grammar who cares?  Hammer and hardie, who needs it?

Ali Mirsky & Bonnie Fitzgerald

I never take the workshops.  The cost of getting myself there and staying in the conference hotel is already more than my business can absorb.  But, I always glean good information and inspiration from the seminars and presentations, and those impressions have guided me in my work.  I would not be doing what I do now if not for SAMA.  This year, I enjoyed a presentation by Rachel Sager about using hammer and hardie to break open rocks and stones for use in mosaic. Another by Laurie Mika and Jeannie Houston Antes addressed the topic of narrative mosaic, which I found very timely, considering I've been making a series and teaching workshops on commemorative mosaic panels, which are essentially narrative.  Another presentation by Bonnie Fitzgerald and Ali Mirsky described the collaborative process in public art, detailing the process of completing this gorgeous project: (Well, I seem to have no control over where the image goes.  It should appear somewhere on the page.)

Every SAMA conference is accompanied by an international exhibit featuring juried mosaic art from all over the world.  The exhibit is open to the public, and helps to inform the public that mosaic is more than an ancient art form and more than a fun craft activity.  The possibilities are infinite and every exhibit is more amazing than the last.

I was pleased to be able to volunteer as an assistant in Carol Shelkin's workshop.  I took her workshop last summer and I'm still practicing with using color and value to create dimension in mosaic, so it was good to have a review of the information.  Besides, Carol is a delightful person and it is a joy to spend time with her.

This is my practice piece from Carol Shelkin's workshop.

Another conference activity is a mini-salon, where participants pay a small fee to display their own small mosaic, and everyone comes to check it out, and many bid on and purchase the artwork.  My piece "Second Thought" sold, which is great because it helps offset the cost of my trip.

Another activity that takes place at each conference is the Mosaic Marathon.  One person designs and leads in the creation of a mosaic that is completed by SAMA members in shifts throughout the conference, and donated to a local nonprofit organization.  This year, the mosaic was designed and managed by the intrepid Christine Brallier (see her blog about the conference here http://cbmosaics.blogspot.com/).  I love sitting side-by-side with other mosaic artists, working with materials I am not accustomed to.  I always get to meet people I've heard of and whose work I've admired, so it is a great experience.

There is so much that I'm missing, if any mosaic artists are trying to live vicariously.  But I especially enjoyed the keynote address, which was the director of the movie "Who Does She Think She Is?" which follows a group of women artists who are trying to juggle career and family.  It was an emotional day for the predominantly female SAMA members, and I left with a new sense of resolve.

The most exciting part of the conference, however, had to be Friday afternoon, when we were all ushered into the storm shelter of the Lexington Center while a tornado passed nearby.  It didn't touch down, but a friend caught some of it on video on her iphone, and it was pretty scary.  It made this conference one that none of us will soon forget (except Martin Cheek, who told me that, when alerted that a tornado was imminent, he thought it best to take a shower.  By the time he was finished, it was over.)

Well, I'm told that I've been hogging the computer, so let's just say I was happy to come home and start catching up on all of my normal household duties.