I Wish It Was Merry Merry

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of visits; family and friends, roadtrips and bike rides. The last friend-guests left this afternoon, Andy left this morning on the road for a week leaving me and the cat to a quiet evening. It has been fun, the old friends again, tea in New Orleans, New Year's in Gainesville, lunch in Pensacola. But also there is this:
Two weeks ago a friend of mine was killed in New Orleans, in his home. The news reached me a few days later, already en route to my mother's. I missed the second line but saw a clip of it on the news, my friends so sad and strong, playing songs and marching in his memory. Memory. The last time I saw him was the day before he was killed. I haven't talked about it too much. I don't even know what to say here. It brings up everything about my friend Helen's death (four years ago yesterday), all the things without easy answers.
The only answer for now is to be glad for friends close by, for cozy kitchen toasts and all day drives between visits, for family and sun and good things.

My First Polymer

My New Year's postcard is done, the last layer added yesterday using a photopolymer plate to reproduce the type of my favorite typewriter. Close-up views only because these won't go in the mail until next week.

Louisiana in December

This is my favorite month here for sure. It might be too hot to grow anything in August but the week before Christmas, the garden is flourishing. I left the studio early the other day to check on the cabbage and cauliflower and walk around.
I also picked some of the last of the greens which I cooked up this morning with grits and seitan. Time to go go to school and print.

Trades part II

Bryan Kring is a designer in Oakland who sent me this 2011 calendar. This is only a partial shot. I send him postcards every month because I really like his work. Good trade!



Sarah Hayman is first year graduate in printmaking at LSU. Her work is layers of organic forms, stencils, pods, textures. She traded me these two images at the print sale last month and promises to trade more if I can let go of the ceramic nests that are still hanging in the sculpture building hallway.

Keep Writing! Year 3

I love mail. When I moved to Baton Rouge and started college, I wanted to keep in touch with my friends and also give myself a project to complete each month experimenting with different ways of making a post card. For the second year, I asked different friends to collaborate with me. Some of them live in Baton Rouge, others sent me something they printed which I could add to. The card above is a block print and silkscreen by Adam Ross, a high school friend now living in Portland, Oregon. I added letterpress and one layer of silkscreen. Now my list of subcribers is at 120, friends, penpals and people who are receiving these as a gift from a friend. For my third year working on this project, and my last year at school, I wanted to make the cards more interactive. Beginning in February, each mailing will include something for you to send back. Hopefully, I will be include some of these in an art show next winter.
Interested? Send me your name and address. A subscription is $9 for six months and $15 for a year. Trades and sliding scale is available. You can also order a subscription for a friend.
Other examples of cards are at www.gutwrench.etsy.com , under "subscription".
Next month's cards are resting on the drying racks in the print shop waiting for a third color. Don't miss out.

Trades part I

The Holiday Season means multiple art sales each weekend. Living in Louisiana, this means sitting outside in warm, windy, wet weather one day and freezing, sunny windy weather the next. I don't have time to go to many sales but when I do, my favorite part is the end-of-day trading with other artists. Here are a few.


Andrew Gilliat is a third year ceramics grad student at LSU who will graduate in the spring. He traded me this cup, slip cast with laser details, for one of my prints. It fits twelve ounces of liquid perfectly, so yes, I did drink a beer out of it when I got home.


Ty Harlan is an undergrad at LSU who was in my slipcasting class this semester where he made these bowls. He traded me for a postcard subscription and I am happy. It is in my studio at school for eating noodle soup. This one is spray glazed with the same glaze on some of my eggs in previous posts, though his came out more delicately.


Roberta Massuch just started the ceramics graduate program at LSU this year. This photo does not demonstrate how pillowy her forms are. I spent an hour at the sale this weekend picking up her cups and bowls and trying out the handles on platters. They are strangely comforting. Her work will be at the Appalachian Center for Craft this winter.

I have more to show but I don't want to overwhelm you. Another day.

It will make your nose itch and your clothes vibrate

That's right, the Body is returning for the second time in a year. They will be in Baton Rouge January 4th after a show in New Orleans on January 3rd. When I saw them in August, my jaw dropped when, after a few minutes of belly rumbling bass, Chip began screaming over the drums and guitars, without a microphone. And I have time to make to make a flyer.