The Words Are No Longer Inside Me

I've written a couple of posts about the recent 100 Artists Show at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery. For a link to my initial post about the mechanics of it, click here. I then wrote about the opening, which you can read by clicking here. All that clicking and linking basically tells you that I was paired with another artist and we wrote each other a letter, then using the letter we received as inspiration, we created a piece of art. My artist, Kim Robertson, created The Words Are No Longer Inside Me and I was able to hustle down to the gallery just in time to place the winning bid on her painting. Here is the packet that came with the art (that's my original letter on the right hand side!) and the lovely piece itself.



Our two pieces of art, side by side at the gallery. Both with big RED dots.


Where my Kim original now hangs in my home - a snug little corner overlooking our bistro table (with a row of my Fearless Faces keeping her company).


What I wanted to share is that Kim and I have become real life pen pals, writing each other with real life pens and putting our letters in real life envelopes and attaching real life stamps. It's a rare thing anymore. The last letter I received from Kim had a couple of juicy tidbits that I couldn't wait to write a letter and put in the mail so I sent her an e-mail and told her I was too inpatient to write and put it in the mail. Kim wrote an e-mail message in response to mine (we do cheat once in a while) and said it so well:

E-mail is like a quick handshake and 'hi there' and letters are like a hug or a nice warm sweater -- they linger longer.

Then there is the fact that almost as good as Kim's letters (she writes wonderful, newsy, descriptive letters) is that we have been sending each other little art offerings. My last letter from Kim was written on one of her hand made cards (it's titled red head).


Before that, I received a small original painting on canvas, Artist on a Rainy January Day.


In the past, I've sent Kim a small piece of art on cardboard and one of my original cards. But what she doesn't know (shhhhh), is that I'm sending her one of my Curious Elements. Her art offerings have touched my heart, I want to do the same for hers.

The Art of Communication

The 100 Artists Show at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery has opened. I wrote about my donation to the show, Fragments, about a week ago. You can see more about what I created by clicking here. Mary Lou's website has all the details of the show as well as photos of the over 100 pieces of art. Just a simple click right here and you'll be taken to her site. You can also check out Mary Lou's blog post about the recent opening. Mary Lou describes the essence of the show:

During the month of February, the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery will be presenting “The Art of Communication”, the 10th annual 100 Artists show. Participating artists received a blank letter through the mail and were asked to write a thought, a story, or whatever they so choose and then send to their “partnered” artist. The artists had over three months to transform the writings into their work of art.

All art is for sale by bidding, which can be done in person or by calling the gallery. Bids start at $50 and can be raised in increments of $5. There are four closing dates, so the artist's assigned number determines the closing date. The closing date for my art is next Friday, February 10th -- so if you're interested, get your bid in! And I must say, there are some great pieces of art in the show this year.

Okay, let's get on with some photos. On Wednesday of this week, I met up with Tory and Steph, who both have pieces in the show, for a preview of the exhibit before the opening reception later that evening.





Each of the artists has a folder at the gallery, which Steph dubbed our dossiers. Inside each folder is a copy of the letter we received from our partnered artist (mine is Kim Robertson who has become a real life friend and pen pal through this process - she lives in Pennsylvania!), our artist's statement about the piece we created in response to the artist's letter, and some of our business cards.





The fabulous and tireless curators, Tina and Mary Lou.


A preview of the show . . .








After an afternoon of roaming around downtown Salem, our tummies were rumbling. None of us had eaten at Napoleon's, a newish French restaurant, so buckwheat crepes were the order of business. Melissa, Tory's daughter who is also in the show, joined as well as two husbands, Antoine and Howard.







Mary Lou and Tina put together an artist's only reception next door to the gallery and our passes were the chained post cards I shared in an above photo.






And then it was time for the opening!




Now I just need to decide which piece of art I want to bid on!

100 Artists Show: Fragments

I'm filled with wonder. I am one of the participants in Mary Lou Zeek's annual (and final) 100 Artists Show: The Art of Communication, running February 1 - March 3.


Mary Lou paired two artists with the assignment to write each other a letter (paper and envelopes provided). Then, using the letter received as inspiration, we had to create a piece of art in response (the finished pieces could be no larger than 12 x 12). Mary Lou wrote a longer and more detailed explanation of the process, so if you're interested in the nitty gritty, just click right here. You can also see photos of all of the art donated (the whole thing is a fundraiser and all of the artists donate their art) and read the artist's statements about the creation of their piece. So here's my journey in words and photos.

I received my letter from the artist I was paired with: Kim Robertson of Pennsylvania, back in October.



About the same time, I sat down to write my letter to Kim.



After reading her letter, a page full of rich imagery and juicy words, I decided I would create a mixed media piece. I set out to glue strips of worn linen and gauze and planned to build up layers using plaster and paint, but somewhere along the way, I totally switched gears. At the time I was working on my piece, I was at the beach with Stephanie and Tory and we were all working on various art projects. One of the other things I was working on was some guerilla art (here's a little blip about that). Well, a comment from Tory, a comment from Steph, and before long, the guerilla project was put on hold, but the cardboard tiles I thought would be guerilla art pieces became the focal point of my piece for the 100 Artists Show. Words were chosen and circled from Kim's letter and eventually the chosen words were stamped onto the little cardboard tiles . . . . Fragments was created.





The finished piece.


The individual tiles.








Post Script: I made a cardboard tile for Kim as a memento of our project and sent it to her with a note.


Post Post Script: Two years ago I bought a piece of art from Mary Lou's 100 Artists Show. I didn't think anything about it until I saw some of the art that Kim created. It got me to thinking, so I went to my studio and looked at the art I had purchased in 2010 - yep, Kim was the artist! We were already connected and we didn't even know it.


Post Post Post Script: Kim sent me a beautiful three-page handwritten letter this week with an original piece of her art! I feel so honored. And the best part is we're now officially pen pals - the real deal kind. Handwritten letters on real paper. Tag, I'm it.