I had the pleasure of meeting Sheep Jones today at the Torpedo Factory where she maintains a studio. 

I have long admired her gorgeous encaustic paintings with their rich depth of color and layered imagery so it was a great delight to finally meet in person. To see more of her work go to www.sheepjones.com

Opening at McLean Project for the Arts!

The opening reception for my solo show at McLean Project for the Arts was last night and 

we had a fabulous turnout! Many thanks to my friends and fellow artists who turned out on a dark and rainy night to see the show.

Also opening last night was To Tell the Tale, a narrative art exhibition featuring the works of the talented Michael Janis, Allegra Marquart and Tom Baker and an exhibition of paintings by Marise Riddell. 

Michael and Allegra each gave informative and revealing talks about their work, which I truly enjoyed. If you get a chance, go see the show. It is up until November 7 at McLean Project for the Arts.

Met again with Washington Parks and People to determine bird placement with paper models. Can't wait to see it finished!

Met with Washington Parks and People this week about their public art piece, deciding how to change the metal framework before they did the final welds. 

This piece goes by their front door to the Riverside Center in Marvin Gaye Park. I will be making ceramic birds to perch on the stylized branches.

It will definitely be a challenge to finish by the end of September but it will be rewarding to finally see it finished.

Installed solo show at MPA today and it went very well, thanks to the excellent eye of Nancy Sausser, the talented exhibitions director of MPA. Here's a teaser of the bee installation.

Finalizing work for installation tomorrow at MPA. Really happy with how the burnt wings have turned out. 

The day has finally arrived! Installation of the mural at NIH.  Thanks to the outstanding efforts of Erwin  Timmers of the Washington Glass School, Noah Armstrong, my studio mate and Nicole Puzan, a local glass artist, we were able to install in one day. Poor mural, with its tape bandages- holding the last tiles which were left out to screw the back panel into the wall. 

More to follow as it sheds its swaths of blue tape and Philip Kohn installs the camera, screen and interactive software.

Bees are finally all fired and I am now gluing tiny mounting tacks to the bellies of each one.  HOURS and HOURS of gluing tiny mounting tacks. 

I am the envy of every eighth grader right now.

Soooo, one of the things that takes so long with cutting the backing boards for the mural is that the entire mural must be removed, placed on small boards in sections, and then reassembled on the backing boards of birch plywood and all 400 pieces squared up and tightened. It must then be measured and traced then removed again. Cut and repeat all of the above. And repeat and repeat and repeat....

Nicole Puzan, who has been assisting me part time, has been a godsend. Sanding acres of wood isn't nearly so miserable with fun company, especially when she can sand faster than you!

Cutting backing boards for mural so it is in 6 manageable pieces that slot together like a puzzle piece with the tiles overlapping the seams. Tricky but I get to jigsaw crazy angles and turns, all at a 45 degree angle which has had a steep learning curve for me but has been great fun.

Who doesn't love power tools?

( Well, maybe not my studio mates, who MUST be tired of the roar of the saw and compressor by this point- sorry Laurel and Elena!)