Artist /Author Franke James, whom I admire tremendously,  lives there and had agreed to meet me.

One can’t even begin to imagine my “pinch me” delight at this opportunity!  I say pinch me because Franke’s an inspiration to me.

Prior to my leaving, Franke shared some very alarming news about the canadian government blacklisting her pending european art show. Her post sharing this news was written the night before I left.  All I could do with the time I had was share a tweet about it pointing to her post. Her headline spoke to being silenced.

WOW — I found myself wondering how that would feel?

Imagine having your voice or your art completely squelched!

In today’s day of free speech and expression that just doesn’t seem possible, yet we ALL know censorship happens all the time.

On her blog post I wrote this comment:

Franke James examples creative brilliance, powerful voice and female gumption. Blacklisting her or any artist just isn’t right. Governments rearing their ugly heads like this show who and what they really are. I agree social media will have a field day with this, to your advantage I hope Franke – you deserve better.

Just watch social media will take this ugliness and story to a level not possible in traditional mediums. It will be interesting to see what happens as the situation continues to unfold.

Our time together was amusing.

My getting way lost in Toronto ( ugh ) delayed my arrival terribly.  She, in the mean time, found herself in between a conversation with Huffington Post and a radio interview.

I had all kinds of questions prepared in my head, yet with my late arrival, her flurry of activity, her returning from being out of town the days prior, and everything else. I found myself unfocused and I have to admit a bit star struck.

She told me I looked exactly like she imagined.  I felt the same way  – her big warm smile, giggly personality, cute as a button outfit and her trying to just go with the flow and make it all work was positively endearing. She, her home, her husband, her daughter just arriving for a visit and again the absolute flurry of her life all still had me feel welcomed, treasured and exactly what I might expect from Franke James.

I spoke to her about being famous and what that might be like and she just said …you mean that we might be normal despite being famous??   Uh – I had to agree!!

Franke James green journey captured my attention in 2007.  I was a brand new and very naive blogger.  I left a way too gushy “fan” comment on her post about her giving up her SUV. The truth was I had never been exposed to such original expression or voice.  She impressed me.  Her visual essays exampled the amazing potential and unique opportunity blogging offers.  She also examples a very human and accessible person.   Not often found in fame.

Since, and purely because of the blogosphere I have felt an integral part of her green evolvement and fame!   This speaks over and over to why I love the connecting and power of blogging.

Thanks to social media her recent turn events will not go unnoticed.

I look forward to continuing to be part of the story.

P.S.  Thank you Franke for the signed copy of your book, My Green Conscious!!

Images below taken by karen hanrahan 

Images below taken by Franke and Bill James 

These are the two pieces I submitted:

Photographer: Karen Hanrahan ~ scapes: stills, nature, nudes etc

photographs by Karen Hanrahan

oh my mother earth goodness these blossoms on my tree are turning into leaves in the shape of hearts!

Jason is a remarkable and innovative artist.  One if his unique presentations includes windings.  He spins very thin threads of glass into a form. One of those forms is a Christmas tree.  Last year, near his studio, he demonstrated a winding while the community watched.  The more glass the community contributed the higher the tree!   LIVE art. The result was this amazing sculpture.


photo courtesy of Jason Mack – I adore this photograph!

This year Jason will be winding at a more prominent community location, the Performing Center For The Arts.  The first two weekends of December, Bloomington folks can contribute glass and come watch this holiday glass tree become.  Let it wind – Let it wind!  This years goal is a 16ft  tree! 

$50 $100 and $500 sponsorship tiers are available. Mack Glass Factory will also be selling special handmade glass items, including ornaments and goblets at the Performing Center For The Arts

drawing by Jason Mack

By the way, the windings are on wheels. He can do them in just about any community! Perhaps your community wants one!

I met Jason this past June. He gave me “his version” or tour of this town as well as shared the name of his best friends realtor.  The rest is history. I moved here in July!

Timothy Kent Gallery And Framing hosted an opening of Jason’s glass drawings in August.  Much of what was shown were these stunning panels of woven threads of glass. All were heated in a kiln that Jason actually built himself. To me they appeared as fabric. He experimented with hue, shape and width of threads. He even created  tables! The results are absolutely breathtaking

above photos courtesy of Jason Mack

Over the summer Jason entered a live art competition. ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Michigan hosted over 1200 artists. Each artist had to be accepted and affiliate w/ a business in town.  The works were created on site live and spanned over several weekends. Votes were gathered as the artists created. The goal was to make the top ten and the prizes were big cash!!  Jason made a tidal wave completely out of threads of glass. In the end Jason Mack was voted in the Top 25.  An amazing accomplishment!!

photo source unknown – sorry
Jason Mack’s Glass Tidal Wave

Scott’s sweetheart, Dale is recovering from emergency back surgery and will follow as soon as she is able. 

My Harris apartment was a sanctuary for me these last three years. The apartment was on the second floor of a Victorian home. It was quirky, old, crooked and filled with incredible light and love. It was a space that hugged. I don’t know how else to describe the energy of the home. When I moved in I needed all the hugs I could get! 

Once the purchase of my home was a given my landlord asked if I’d mind showing the place. Since I loved it,  it was my pleasure to share my affection for the area and the apartment.

I had the opportunity to show the apartment to Scott and Dale – a delightfully sassy young couple. Something about these two just makes you fall in immediate like with  them. I spent 90 minutes sharing every nook and cranny of the apartment. It was ever so clear that they loved it and wanted it. From the ooohs and ahhhs at every turn, to the endless questions and especially when Dale absolutely squealled when she saw the inside of a closet painted purple!!  ( is it still purple?)  

When Scott showed me this painting (see below) on his iphone — I couldn’t stop thinking about it . I loved it! He captured them as a couple ever so beautifully. When they left we promised to keep in touch via facebook and twitter. Imagine finding new friends in this process. 

I found out  several days later through facebook that they were approved for the apartment.  I can’t begin to tell you how happy I was for them.

Since, Scott gave me permission to share his painting. 

Isn’t it wonderful!!?

Painting by Scott Husik

Wishing you both a very VERY happy home .  Dale — I totally have you in my thoughts during your recovery!

Warmly,

Karen

Lantern Collage by Kate

Monkey Face by Kate

Other Binder Collages.

What in heavens this equipment does is beyond me

I find it menacing and cheerful all on the same breath. Great study.

Nice way to play with my new camera too!

All were taken by me — except for the last one.

Karen Hanrahan ~ Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant/Blog Publisher
708.482.0678 ~ Websites: Nutrition, Weight Loss, and Green Clean 

The cast of characters in these include:

Her brother – whom we affectionately call brother
Jorge – the black goldfish Kate gave her brother at christmas – that is thriving beautifully!
Kate – but of course
Cleo – our cat
Marble – our dog
 
As a theme, and in most of Kate’s doodles – Cleo is sitting on a pillow, this is because Cleo lives in our bathroom and really does sit on a pillow most of the time.

Brother has a fish

Pets Americana

This year in math class Kate’s teacher had a baby that went through surgery, in an effort to cheer her teacher up, Kate did a doodle with Marble our dog as a character of some sort. I don’t remember the first one – boy scout marble or something like that, and hung it in the classroom. The next day she did another doodle, and soon there was a row of marble doodles in class. Kate did 100 doodle drawings all told. Can you imagine? The drawings became a source of entertainment not only for her math class but for every other math class as well.  Marble became iconic. We even took a field trip, Marble and I, so that the classroom could see our dog.  When Kate brought all the drawings home we sat and toured them together and sometimes I laughed so hard I could hardly stand it. They were really incredible. 

Karen Hanrahan ~ Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant/Blog Publisher
708.482.0678 ~ Websites: Nutrition, Weight Loss, and Green Clean 
 

She asked if I’d write a guest piece for her too and I thought what a lovely idea.  We plan to post on the same day!

I have an artist in me, I see things artfully, think things artfully, and some say I speak artfully (blush).  I have a portfolio of work from high school and college. Nothing of which I’d reproduce today. Drawings of faces in pencil that are so minutely detailed, I’d need a magnifying glass to work on ? I just don’t have the patience or expression for that anymore. I am not an artist that produces things day in day out, I am not an artist who uses a medium that one might find a bit of it in my hair, I lack a niche, a consistant medium, and I certainly lack discipline.  I want to dress arty – you know one glance and you’d think – yeah that’s an artist. Nope -  I dress ala JCPenny. I have no idea what image that portrays. Probably just very ordinary.  UGH – I hate being ordinary!

I did set up a studio finally for my current collage work, and when I am inspired I will do a piece or two. My very old oak drawing table pleases me greatly as a piece of furniture.  As an active surface for producing art ?  Sometimes it looks more like a closet.  Last month I did 4 collages in preparation for a conference.  I liked the way the pieces turn out. It satisfies me to create them but past that, I don’t see anyone saying hey – are those for sale?

This to me describes the classic starving artist persona, if I had to earn a living as an artist. I’d die.  Yet there is this part of me that wonders what might that be like? What does it feel like to be a full fledged in demand artist? Thus the title of my post:  Mother Earth is a Collage Artist.   I’m just going to fake it.

Below is a cropped section of one of those four collages I did last month.

Karen Hanrahan ~ Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant/Blog Publisher
708.482.0678 ~ Websites: Nutrition, Weight Loss, and Green Clean