Meet Amanda~Lily

Meet Amanda~Lily!
Unlike my other masks based on characters from Amy Herzog's play 4000 Miles, this one is all glass.

Lily is Leo's sister. Amanda is a young woman he picked up for a one-night stand. I won't spoil the play by sharing all their similarities, but it became clear to me that they couldn't be ignored.

The logical approach was to create a mask depicting both characters. Both characters are drawn in intimate ways , yet occupy very little space in the play.

I am a committed Amy Herzog fan. She is masterful in using dialogue to create her characters and bring out plot rather swiftly. There are no wasted words.

I saw Belleville (another of her plays)  a month ago....and was equally mesmerized.  I'll see any play she has written...You should too!

Vera: Fused Glass Mask

In the play 4000 Miles by Amy Herzog, one of the main characters is Vera, the grandma. She is a card carrying communist and progressive thinker (91 years old). She has challenges hearing...so I made hearing aid earrings for her. IN fact there is a story about those hearing aids that I will share later in this blog post. Vera may be developing dementia...she is always losing her words so I made glass blobs with her lost words as her curly hair....right there on the top of her head. The sickle and hammer eyebrows are glass and of course reflect her once staunch devotion to the Party. Scrap metal rings and a key make her glasses. Keys are a significant piece of the play (both actual and metaphorical!)

And now for the story about the hearing aids! A number of years ago I had the pleasure of knowing an elderly woman named Sylvia. She was from New York originally and had a thick Bronx accent. She was in a convalescent home where I volunteered. She had a magnificent sense of humor. She had a pair of old hearing aids converted into earrings. Whenever a new care giver or visitor saw her they would usually say in a very loud voice..."SYLVIA, YOU FORGOT TO PUT YOUR EARS IN TODAY!"  and she would loudly reply...."DARLING, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHOUT! I GOT MY EARS IN....THESE ARE MY NEW EARRINGS!"

The use of  hearing aids as earrings on Vera is in fond memory of dear Sylvia.I love the character of Vera...her dignity, her humor, her absolute "real-ness." And I believe Vera and Sylvia would have been good friends!

The show continues at A.R.T through the end of May! See earlier posts for more details!

Meet Leo- the glass mask

Leo is one of two main characters in the play 4000 Miles by Amy Herzog. He has completed a 4000 mile bike ride from Seattle to NY and lands on his grandmother's door stoop at 3 am. I used bike parts for hair & eyes.Leo's beard is made of copper mesh sandwiched between the glass layers. He is also into rock climbing so I used a climbing carabiner for an earring and attached a key (keys have a role in the play) and a Seattle Mariner's  key chain.

French cleats are attached at the back to accommodate safe hanging on the wall.  He is on display and available for purchase at Artist Repertory Theater through the end of May.

Geezer Gallery manages the exhibit....and info is available on site about purchasing.

Leo is an interesting and mostly like-able character. He's a bit immature....still in the process of trying to find himself (not unlike most 21 year olds.) He is a loving grandson who seems caught off guard by the harsher realities of life, but he also has a keen sense of  environmental politics. He is confused about love...and sex.

You'll need to see the play to see what I mean....no spoilers here!

My Masks

The Play 4000 Miles by Amy Herzog was the inspiration for these playful and colorful masks. These are a departure from my more traditional work and represent not only an exploration of each of the characters but also a journey into mixed media . Only one mask is pure glass. The rest involve bike parts, computer keys, keys, hearing aids, metal, and more.

They are on display and available for purchase at Artist Repertory Theater  through the end of May.  

It's a colorful display curated by Patty Goodlund with Geezer Gallery. Separate from the main lobby exhibit, these masks and other character portraits are located on a wall between the theater and the bar.

Closeups will follow in a few days.

another sneak peak!

Nope....I won't post pics of my masks or glassware at A.R.T. until this weekend.
First Thursday is tomorrow night. Free champagne, noshes, and the opportunity to meet the artists. Learn more about our hosts: Geezer Gallery & A.R.T.

Tonight I will go see the play 4000 Miles that inspired our art! You  should too. I read the play. It is awesome!

Come see us tomorrow night!!!!! You are invited!

Artist Rep. Theater
1515 SW Morrison
Portland, Oregon

4,000 Miles: Glass Mask

                         This is a sneak peek!

Meet Amanda~Lily! She is one of my new glass masks that will be on display at Artist Rep. Theater in Portland through the end of May.

I made 4 character masks based on the play 4,000 Miles written by Amy Herzog. These masks are a new adventure for me and I had a delicious time imagining them! This is the 4th and final mask I made for this production. She is actually 2 characters...or is she?.... but you'll have to see the play to understand my thinking.

Artist Rep. Theater has a gorgeous lobby dedicated to art. Geezer Gallery's Patty Goodlund has curated the show that will celebrate First Thursday on May 7th  between 6:30-7:30pm. A major shout out to Amy Henderson, Geezer's director for everything she has done to make this show a reality. There will be a free reception !

1515 SW Morrison is the place! Come see a variety of art (including mine!)...schmooze with the artists....and discover the themes of this amazing play. I hope you'll decide to get tickets to the play... and I hope you'll find a piece of art that is meant to be yours!

More info can be found at:  http://www.northwestjewishartists.org/trifecta2015.html

MY WORK @ A.R.T.

Breath Holding!

A sneak peak at VERA

The artwork is going up on the A.R.T. lobby walls, but my masks are grounded...temporarily.

The silicon adhesive I used to attach the french cleats require 15-21 days to fully cure.  Patty, Geezer Gallery's wonderful curator tried to mount the masks in traditional plate stands but that didn't work. I was prepared to withdraw the masks, but she kindly offered to put them up when they are ready.

The curtains go up April 28. My masks will go up May 4 or 5, just in time for the VIP reception (First Thursday,May 7). 

The masks are playful interpretations of the characters playwright Amy Herzog created. I'll talk about each of them in future blog posts.

I hope you will join me and my fellow ORA artists May 7th at A.R.T. for a champagne and hors d'oeuvres between 6:30-7:30 pm....and/or come see the art and play on another evening!

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friend!!!!

I was born with two hands but needed 4 today as I attempted to attach my first sets of french cleats.  Thank you dear Diane (ORA member, critique group member, and wonderful friend!)

I'm excited to see how this all works out.

The directions indicate a 7-14 day cure time with a 21 day expectation for a full cure. I had no idea it would take that long...so not sure how to display my work at the Geezer Gallery/A.R.T exhibit hall this Monday. Sigh!  

My technique improved by the 3rd mounting project, but there are so many lessons to learn! 

Wish me luck!

Let me tell you about GEEZER!

I just got word that my art submissions have passed muster and I will be part of the TRIFECTA: A Feast for the Senses show at Artist Rep. I am very excited to be part of this wonderful effort. I love, love, love Amy Herzog's play 4,000 miles and hope that my art work crafted for this event will sufficiently honor the show.

In this post I want to honor Geezer Gallery and its founder Amy Henderson. Tomorrow I will share some information about Patty Goodlund, their curator. 

The Geezer Gallery aka TGG is a fabulous concept that honors a segment of the population that is often overlooked.... senior citizens.

Just a few years ago I was able to display/sell some of my art at their Multnomah Village Gallery (they have since moved!)
At that time I dubbed myself a "geezer in waiting." I am officially a Geezer and proud of it!

The face behind TGG is a most innovative and tireless soul, Amy Henderson (pictured above.) I chose this picture of her on the phone because she is always on the move...always doing something energetic to benefit TGG!

TGG isn't just a gallery ... it is a movement! TGG seeks to empower aging artists to continue pursuing their work. TGG wants to empower every senior to have experiences in the arts and in conjunction with medical researchers is exploring the ways in which engaging in the arts impacts the aging brain. I bet you can guess what they are learning!!!!!

No need for me to get into the details...you can discover that for yourself at   geezergallery.com . I just want to sing their praises!

Go to their website and get your tickets while they last! See you at the show!

TRIFECTA in PDX!

Coming in May!

Why TRIFECTA? Because 3 amazing non-profit groups have joined together what they all do best....

ART!

Artist Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) , Geezer Gallery, and ORA Northwest Jewish Artists are in collaboration .....At the center of this is a fabulous play  called  4,000 Miles by Amy Herzog.

Geezer Gallery operates the lobby gallery at ART and were most generous in inviting ORA artists to create art focused on the themes of this theatrical Pulitzer finalist .

This is a juried show...so I'll let you know what happens....when I know.

What you should know is that a 4th entity brings the culinary arts into the mix! Jamison Restaurant has designed a most special menu to compliment the theater production and art work (some of the art will be on display at the restaurant!!!!) There is an exciting restaurant, theater , and meet the artists opportunity.

For more information  go to: 

http://www.artistsrep.org/learn-about-us/trifecta.aspx

I'll post more information soon!

Stay tuned!!!!!!