Art on Park Award Exhibition Schedule

Information on the Art on Park award exhibitions at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota are now available.  My exhibition will be the last of three.

Jeannie E. Roberts  |  Rocks and Trees: Acrylics on Canvas Opening Reception: February 10, 4–7pm Living in the woodlands of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, I am inspired by the trees which surround me. My tree imagery depicts the Norway pines that border our front yard. My rock imagery was inspired by the man-made stone landmark or cairn called an inuksuk (plural inuksuit) used by the Inuit and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America for communication and directional aids. As an artist, I am intrigued by the organic forms that comprise our natural landscape. And rocks and trees represent the best of these forms. They are not only beautiful and strong shapes but are important culturally to the advancement of the human race. Through my rock and tree paintings, I wish to honor their beauty, strength and cultural significance. Jeannie E. Roberts is a trained artist and arts administrator with a Bachelor of Science degree in broad area art and education, and a Master of Arts degree in Arts Administration from Saint Mary’s University. She has also completed course work at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Roberts is an award-winning and published poet, and the owner of JR Creative Studios (www.jrcreative.biz), an advertising, marketing, art, and design firm. Kathryn Mussack  |  Minnesota Seasons: Oil on Canvas or Board Opening Reception: June 10, 4–7pm The work in this show evoke the wide range of outdoor scenes we are blessed with here in Minnesota. With four full and varied seasons, I enjoy painting nature at any time of the year. I have tried to express each of the seasons: the angular, sharply delineated shadows of the spring, the warmth of the summer, the fuzzy lighting of the fall, the crisp chill of the winter. Water plays an important role in our outdoor life. Many of my paintings were done near a river, on a beach, overlooking a lake. My collection consists of scenes from Minnesota, mostly from the Twin Cities area. The smaller pieces were done plein air, outdoors in one session. Larger works were done in the studio from outdoor sketches, photos, and memory. My early childhood was in Michigan. At 12 my family moved to California, but I always missed the Midwest. With marriage and kids I moved a few more times, picking up my BFA from Loretto Heights College in Denver. I spent time in Texas and Wisconsin, attending to my art in my spare time. I dappled in a variety of styles and media: portraits, still life, landscapes, oils, watercolors, charcoal, pastels. A little over three years ago I moved with my husband and kids to Minnesota. I soon found a group of like-minded artists who reveled in the art of plein air painting. Whether knee deep in snow or swatting mosquitoes, we meet throughout the year to enjoy the outdoors as well as each other’s company. As the kids have grown I can spend more time with my passion. From my family I have learned to enjoy the process as much as the finished work. I am always learning, finding new ways to express myself, discovering new techniques to capture on canvas and board what I experience. I hope you enjoy my show. Sheila McNellis Asato  |  Pausing at Midlife: Embodying Dreams Opening Reception: October 7, 4–7pm What kind of books are capable of holding dreams, memories and waking life reflections together in a way that is true to their original nature? How does the structure of a book affect the content within? Is it possible to embody images from dreams and memories in the book arts? These are just some of the questions I have focused on since I graduated from the human development program at St. Mary’s University of MN. For this exhibition, I will be pausing at midlife to reflect upon the journey thus far and create a new body of work which integrates my dreams, memories and reflections into a series of mixed media and altered books. Sheila Asato, M.A., EIC, is the founder of Monkey Bridge Arts, a center dedicated to the growth, transformation and healing of individuals and the community through art, dreaming and creative spirituality. Sheila has just completed a three year training course with Robert Bosnak to become a certified Embodied Imagination Coach. In addition to her work at Monkey Bridge, Sheila also teaches at Abbott Hospital Institute for Health and Healing, provides customized cross-cultural training for Shepell-FGI and leads workshops internationally on the relationship between art, dreaming and healing. Sheila currently serves as a regional representative for the International Association for the Study of Dreams and has just finished her term as an IASD board member.

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Useful Site For Sticking Things Together

I just came across this very useful site called “This to That”.  It’s a very simple, useful site for figuring out how to stick any two things together.

Now that I am knee-deep in preparing for my upcoming exhibition of handmade and altered books, I am always looking for good ways to stick things together that are non-toxic.  I found lots of good suggestions for products that are new to me as well as some interesting trivia, such as:

Did you know that the famous cow on Elmer’s glue products actually has a name?  She is Elsie, the spouse of Elmer the bull who the company is named after.

Elsie was an interesting cow in her own right.  Initially she was the inspiration for a cartoon of a laughing cow.  Her fame increased significantly after her appearance at the 1939 New York World’s Fair which resulted in her image being used on many familiar products, including Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk and Borden Cheese products.

Beeswax has also been used as a reliable, waterproof adhesive since Roman times.  Traditionally it was mixed together with pine wood tar and was strong enough for us in shipbuilding.

In ancient times, the gold leaf used in decorative gilding was made by placing gold nuggets between the outside membrane of the large intestine of an Ox and then hammering them flat.  This gold leaf was then attached to paper or plaster with egg whites – the same adhesive that is still used today!

In closing, I can think of no better way to kick-start the creative process then by laughing.  Enjoy this clip from YouTube.

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