Hello,Hello.....Hello.Hello! Hello:) (Hello) Hellloooooo??? Hello: Just nod if you can hear me.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, almost!
This is my art blog, and I'm reporting live (for the most part) from Madeline Island--not quite the middle of nowhere, but you can see it from one of our shores. Currently, the temperature is 12 degrees, a whopping 2 degrees higher than the mainland, 2.5 miles away. We are only days away from windsled season, when the ferries shut down for the winter. If you are unfamiliar with windsleds, you can image-google "windsled Madeline Island" and see a variety of pictures, or go to http://www.windsled.com/. I would post a picture here, but I havent' figured out how to do it yet.
After a few weeks of windsled season, if the temperatures remain butt-cheek clenching cold, the ice should be thick enough for us to drive across to the mainland.
Meanwhile, I have been busy here in my home studio, as well as a tiny studio I set up in Mpls., at the house I stay in when I go down there. I've been painting in a "pointallist-imprssionism" style, which I've discovered is a dandy way to paint if your near sight is failing. The painting is created by layering tiny dots of color on the canvas, which the eye automatically blends when you step back. When you have failing nearsight, the colors blend even when you are up close, because your eyes are unfocused. I'm convinced that the old masters all had poor nearsight!!!! It would be VERY tedious to paint in this style if you had good nearsight, because you would be constantly forcing your eyes to unfocus, or you would have to step back.
My first painting in this style is my blog picture--my "self portrait" of my eyes, peeking over a lowered harlequin mask. Click on the picture to enlarge the image.

I'm very excited about the coming summer. Last August, I left the gallery known as "Imagine", which I co-created and co-owned with Holly Tourdot, and I have since been asked by Steve McHugh--the owner of the new up and coming "Bell Street Gallery" on Madeline Island--to be one of their featured artists. The gallery will feature the work of local artists including mine, and provide some studio space for us to work in as a "working artists exhibit". For more information, and to view the gallery in it's present progress, visit http://bellstgallery.blogspot.com/
Be sure to stop in and say hello this summer. I am working hard on a whole new body of work (paintings, sculpture, jewelry...) to display. Some of my older pieces will come out of hiding as well. The gallery will have a homey and welcoming atmosphere that celebrates the unique flavor of island life. There are plans in the works to be oen every day, with later weekend hours, and plenty of fun art openings and events. It's going to be a BLAST, and I can't WAIT!
For now, I'm having fun playing in my studio and snowshoeing! Stay tuned and have a great New Year!
Cheers~~~~ Diane Marie