Show and Tell Sunday-What About You? What are You Working On?

  

Work in progress, She’s Come Undone©, Kim Radatz, 2011


During the Florida Craftsmen show this past summer I sold quite a few pieces. Yay! In this economy I'm not going to take that bit of fortune for granted. Truth be known, I never take sales for granted. I am always so pleased to hear positive words about my work that I’m tempted to give my work to that very nice person.

Thankfully, I don’t handle my sales!

Anyway, I got a commission for one of the sold pieces, She’s Come Undone. I don’t make duplicates, but similar pieces. I don’t think it’d be possible for me to duplicate something. But like my twin sister and I, the work looks similar yet different.

Here are the 2 pieces I’m working on. The buyer will take her pick once they are finished and the remaining one is slated for a show at The Pump House in La Crosse, Wisconsin this September. I’m pleased to be getting a jump start on that show, should have all of the work done by April. It’ll help eliminate some last minute stress, which there always is, no matter what.

So, that's what's new with me.

What about you? What are you working on?

Edit, Organize, Edit, Organize



Packed and ready to go to Florida.


Sorry for my long absence, but in the midst of packing up my tiny Minnesota studio to head south, a family friend lost his son to suicide. I watched my friend’s son grow from a little boy into a man and his suicide took the wind right out of my sails. I allowed myself some down time from the “shoulds” and savored the last few days in Minnesota and the trip home to Florida, as well.

And now, one week after leaving Minnesota, I am almost done getting my home-base studio in order. I tweak each year to edit down to the bare essentials and this year is no different.

Edit, organize, edit, organize.

So, unpacking takes a bit longer than packing. Both in the studio and in the house.

I feel a garage sale coming on. :)

Which has been our practice the last few years. Keep the stuff we edit out of the landfill and let somebody else put the items to good use.

But for now, it is back to sorting and editing for me. I’ll be settled in soon and back on track. In the mean time, I’ll keep working in my head and when the time is right I’ll be producing again.

Until the next time, may your days be creative!

Facing My Fears, Yet Again

Do one thing every day that scares you.

  -Eleanor Roosevelt     

I am a scardy cat. No doubt about it.

But I am trying to get better by facing my fears.

And not all of them are art related. Many, if not most, are just about regular ol’ life.

Like my fear of heights.

So, today in honor of my birthday I climbed the silo here at the farm. Made my heart go pitty-pat. But I did it, and I am glad. Not earth shattering in the whole scheme of things, but rewarding nonetheless.

Checkin’ that one off the bucket list as my gift to myself.

May your day be a wonderful one!

Welcome Fall

Fall display by the 49 Ford truck


Happy first day of fall to you!

My twin sister’s birthday is next week and as a gift I picked a passel of gourds for her to decorate her house with.

And that inspired me to do a little fall display for us to enjoy as the days wind down here in Minnesota.

And then I snapped a few pictures to remind me of what we grew and harvested in the pumpkin patch during the summer of 2011.

And I wanted to share them with you.

May your fall days be full of sunny days, cool nights, and lots of creativity!

Creating in the Kitchen Instead of in the Studio

We woke up to 40° weather this morning with a promise of 30° tomorrow morning.

Puts me in the mood for soup.

I strolled through the gardens earlier and this is some of what I found.

I’m thinking Butternut Squash Soup.

Or maybe Roasted and Curried Butternut Squash Soup.

Hmmmm.

I think I’ll go with just regular ol’ squash soup tonight and do the curried one later.

There are tons more tomatoes, which will all need to be picked tonight before the freeze. So a roasted tomato soup sounds good for later in the week.

Or maybe…..

I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, may your day be full of warm and wonderful things!

Show and Tell Sunday- A Crushing Blow

A little over a week ago I got the bad news that my beloved 2 year old cat, Hennessey, had feline leukemia. Fortunately her sister and litter mate, Molly, does not. In the days that followed, I found out that most of the barn cats I care for here at the farm, 10 of the 12, also have feline leukemia. It has been a crushing blow. I have fixed, vaccinated, and loved these guys for many years and now they will die. Had I received more advice, I could have saved them from their fate with a simple vaccination in addition to the others they get annually.

It is possible they were born with it, both my adopted two, and the rest, a common problem on the farm, I now know, but maybe not. A moot point, though one I will continue to second guess forever.

After many tears, which I know I will shed for a long time to come, I have accepted that my beloved cats and I were only meant to be together for a short while and we are all richer for the experience. The sun will continue to rise, as it did today while Hennie and I watched, and the world will go round and round. But I am still profoundly sad.

So, I beg of you, please, if you have cats, inside, outside, or feral cats you care for, get them checked and vaccinated for ALL contagious diseases. Speaking from experience, it will be worth the extra effort.

And now, I am going outside to visit with my barn cats. May you find happy moments in your day too!

Hennie and I watch the sun rise together

The Gleaners

It is impossible for me dig potatoes from my garden without thinking about Millet’s The Gleaners. Impossible, I tell you. Which is a good thing. I always feel connected to the art world and women throughout history. Nature’s bounty teaching me life’s lessons.

Recently I was talking with my Mom about a farm that was down the street from my suburban LA home (yes, there used to be many farms in So Cal) and she told me that we were allowed to pick veggies from the fields after the farmer was done harvesting. How about that, I was a gleaner and didn’t even know it. More of life’s lesson. Fantastic.

Here are the first potatoes we have picked this season, some of which we had for dinner last night.

And the original inspiration.

The Gleaners by François Millet, 1857

And just in case you wanted to know more about the practice of gleaning, here it is:
 
In this depiction of the rural life of nineteenth century France, we see three female figures gathering the leftovers after the harvest. This practice – known as gleaning – was traditionally part of the natural cycle of the agricultural calendar undertaken by the poor, and was regarded as a right to unwanted leftovers. Although the practice of agricultural gleaning has gradually died away due to a number of historical factors (including industrialization and the organization of social welfare for the poor), there are nonetheless still people in the present day that we might understand to be gleaners.

I hope you glean much from your day!

Show and Tell Sunday-A Budding Artist

When I was 7 or 8 my Mom let my sibs and I buy a packet of seeds to plant in a makeshift garden in our suburban LA home.

1 Packet.

Hmmm, what to choose, what to choose.

While my sibs picked radishes, pole beans and carrots, I picked gourds. Gourds?

I should have known something was up at that point.

I think what was up, was that I was a budding artist. I didn’t want to eat what I grew; I wanted to enjoy something visual way beyond summer.

And here I am, a bazillion years’ later, living part-time on a farm with a real garden, and my favorite plant is still gourds. Pumpkins too, but they’re just part of the family.

Some things never change.

And now we are at that time of year when I stroll through the gardens daily just to see what has appeared since yesterday. Sort of like an egg hunt, but with pumpkins and gourds.

Here's what today brought.

young jack and gourd cross

winged gourd

warted gourd

blue hubbard and white pumpkin cross

jack

I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Until then, may your day be blessed with treats too!

Show and Tell Sunday-Double Edged Sword

I have been working towards a show a C. Emerson Fine Art, and instead of delivering something from a current series, I wanted to try something new and different.

Which brings me to the double edged sword.

It is great to be challenging myself to try something new, as in doing so the challenge is also pushing me forward towards new and wonderful possibilities. But, it also leaves me feeling nervous and vulnerable.

Tell me, does the same thing happen to you?

And if yes, how do you deal with it?

In the meantime, here are some pix of my new piece, Letters to My Lover (Bleeding Out), along with my artist statement.

For many years I used the house form as a metaphor for people. That concept evolved to include clothing as an actual house for our bodies. Taking the concept one step further, I removed the form altogether using only the skins. Like cast off tattooed bits, the skins remain to tell a story long after the moment has passed.

With Letters to My Lover (Bleeding Out), I am reintroducing a form, this time a simple envelope, but one rich with its own history and symbolism. In tandem with the memories of the viewer the piece becomes a unique experience to each individual. 

Letters to My Lover (Bleeding Out)
2011
©Kim Radatz

Letters to My Lover (Bleeding Out), detail
2011
©Kim Radatz

Letters to My Lover (Bleeding Out), detail
2011
©Kim Radatz

Whaddaya think?

And no matter what you do, I hope you have a creative day!




P. S. The gallery owner loved the piece. :-)

Q and A Monday- How? and What?

Judy Hayes, a fellow Minnesotan, asked the other day, “How did you get started making pattern paper dresses? And, “What inspired you?”

First, what inspired me?

Long story short, I started out life as a potter, and pottery deals with containment. Not that I was a production potter, but I do know how to throw on the potters wheel and have made my own dishes, cups, teapots, etc., so the whole concept of “containment” in deeply entrenched in my brain. Plus, all of us are essentially “containers” moving through the world. Our bodies literally contain our thoughts, ideas, and memories, in addition to the stuff of our physical beings. So, I‘d have to say that concept is the jumping off point for the dresses and almost all other work that I do.

On using actual dress patterns as material, well, that takes a bit longer to explain.

I collect things and vintage dress patterns have long been on my list of favorites. It probably started with the patterns that my Mom used while I was growing up. Both of my sisters and my Mom were great seamstresses. Me on the other hand, not so much. I loved looking for fabric and patterns and wearing clothes that reflected my design sensibilities, I just wasn’t good at sewing. In high school I actually had some of my clothes made by a local seamstress. So the sewing machine as my go to tool didn’t happen by choice.

Fast forward approximately 20 years to when I was invited to do a themed show about “transparency.” My original idea didn’t work out as I had hoped and with a looming deadline, Plan B was hatched. I thought to use some of my vintage patterns but quickly realized that I needed two matching patterns for my vision to work. Nix the vintage patterns and buy new ones. The next hurdle was how to stabilize the patterns to withstand the actual sewing process and survive getting delivered to the gallery. Which I eventually figured out through much trial and error.

I have been making them for 6 or 7 years now and I have fine tuned the process even more. In the past few years I have moved beyond dresses into other forms including a swing set and a boat, with still others yet in the works. I’ll share pictures of the newer work in the near future. In the meantime, here are pictures of the swing set and boat.

Games People Play by Kim Radatz,

installed at

Gala Corina’s iluminación, 2007

Wishful Thinking by Kim Radatz

installed at

C. Emerson Fine Art in St. Petersburg, 2010

Thanks so much for asking, Judy.

And may all of you have a creative day!

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

I just got home late last night from a 10 day trip to my Minnesota home. Going to and fro reminded me of my blog profile statement, part of which says, “.. Jimmy was right; changes in latitudes can cause changes in attitudes..”

Isn’t that the truth!

While I was away I starting thinking I made some mistakes with my recent show and residency applications. Why, oh why, does that happen? How can it feel so right for a time period and then feel so wrong.

I do think Jimmy was spot on. I do think my location has something to do with my thoughts.

I shall keep reminding myself that everything happens for a reason and eventually (I hope) I shall calm down.

In the meantime I’m gonna keep humming the tune as it reminds me of many happy days spent on or near the ocean, which always makes me feel better.

And, apologies to you that I have been out of touch while on vacation.  I look forward to reconnecting with you again.

Until then, have a creative day!  And feel free to hum along.....

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
By: Jimmy Buffett, 1977

I took off for a weekend last month
Just to try and recall the whole year
All of the faces and all of the places
Wonderin’ where they all disappeared
I didn't ponder the question too long
I was hungry and went out for a bite
Ran into a chum with a bottle of rum
And we wound up drinkin’ all night

Chorus:
Its these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
With all of our running and all of our cunning
If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane

Reading departure signs in some big airport
Reminds me of the places I’ve been
Visions of good times that brought so much pleasure
Makes me want to go back again
If it suddenly ended tomorrow
I could somehow adjust to the fall
Good times and riches and son of a bitches
I’ve seen more than I can recall

Chorus:
These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
Through all of the islands and all of the highlands
If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane

I think about Paris when I’m high on red wine
I wish I could jump on a plane
So many nights I just dream of the ocean
God I wish I was sailin’ again
Oh, yesterdays over my shoulder
So I can't look back for too long
There's just too much to see waiting in front of me
And I know that I just can't go wrong

Chorus:
With these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
With all of my running and all of my cunning
If I couldn’t laugh I just would go insane
If we couldn’t laugh we just would go insane

Dorothy was Right

I am home.

In my studio.

And I couldn’t be happier.

Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love my Minnesota home. Ditto for my tiny studio. But as I already mentioned, I was sans working supplies this past visit. And working is what I missed the most.

Today I am super eager to get to work. LOTS of ideas to bring to fruition. I wish I could do them all today. But I know these things take time. So I’ll forge ahead and see what transpires.

I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

I hope your day is a productive one too!

A Sense of Space

Do you visit a gallery before submitting a show proposal?

Sometimes that's a hard thing to do, especially if the gallery is far away. But it can be so very beneficial to do so if the opportunity presents itself.

On my “To Do” list is an entry to submit to a gallery in Wisconsin. I have been there before, so visiting isn’t necessary, right? I also have the work in mind for the space. So again, should be a no brainer, right?

Wrong for me, in this instance.

I happen to be in Minnesota prior to the proposal deadline. Not an accident on my part. Going to the gallery one more time, which isn’t far from here, felt right. I’ve got some new works in the mix and didn’t know exactly which work to submit. The new? The established work? Or a combination of both?

So this is what I did:

I set aside a day to go to the gallery. When I got there I walked in quietly and with an open mind. I had an idea of which work would fit the space, but I remained open to other possibilities.

I took my time. I moved through the space repeatedly and looked at it from different angles.

And softly, slowly, the show emerged. I knew what work to use and where to put it.

This, I must tell you, was different from what I had originally planned.

I am so glad I went. The show proposal will be stronger for that visit.

So my advice, if you are at all able to do so, is to take a walk through the gallery you have in mind and see what emerges. I think you’ll be happy you did.

And let me know how it goes, okay?

In the meantime, may your day be a creative one!

Show and Tell Sundays-Is Bigger Better?

I am at my summer home and studio on this cold winter day. All of my tools and supplies await me in Florida, which means actually making work is on hold for now.

So as I sit here in my tiny studio, literally a drop cloth stapled to the floor in a corner of my bedroom, I ponder work I have made here. And even I am amazed at what has come out of this tiny space. Some of it quite large.

This prompts me to remember that it is not where I am that the works stems from, but rather who I am that matters. The work is always inside of me.

Encouraging to this sometimes doubtful artist. And something I will take care to remember from time to time.

May your day be warm and creative.