Water lilies and Soundsuits

                                                                

If you have not yet viewed the 12 Monet paintings at the Cincinnati Art Museum yet, there is only a bit of time left! The show will be ending on May 13 after being on exhibition for several months now. I myself have had my fill on Monet's impressionistic works, standing in the gallery for a total of many hours. I encourage you to stop by sometime to take a look at his works, even if you are not a huge fan of impressionism. As an artist there is much to learn about his technique and dedication to painting.

Also, there is even less time to see Nick Cave's "soundsuits" at the museum. This show will be ending April 29th. The soundsuits have invaded Cincinnati in various locations: Fountain Square, the Opening Day Parade, and many more. His human-size soundsuits are colorful, strange, and life-like. Please come see them while you can!

With this said, tonight is a great opportunity to see some great artwork. Art After Dark will start at 5 and end at 9pm. Free snacks, cash bar, and great artwork! Stop by and say hello :)

Walk on Woodburn

Two weekends ago I was lucky enough to catch a show by my former art professor Daniel Graham. He was one of several artists to be a part of the "Walk on Woodburn." This showcased galleries in the Walnut Hills area of Cincinnati. I took along Claudio and two friends to see the artwork and enjoy some free snacks.

I enjoyed seeing Daniel's exhibiton "Echoes." If you are not familiar with Daniel's work, he works mainly with different forms of printmaking as well as sculpture. We also went to Manifest gallery to see  a collection of works from various artists focusing on plant life. It was very interesting to see all the different pieces that focused on a similar topic, but used various media.

The Walnut Hills area is a great neighborhood to visit if you haven't already. There were other galleries that we weren't able to see due to the weather but I would love to go back.

Migiwa Orimo: Artist in Residence

Just the other day I had the opportunity to visit Kennedy Heights Arts Center in Cincinnati to be part of a core group meeting. Artist Migiwa Orimo will be doing a residency at KHAC and for part of that she is leading a core group of adults to complete a project. During the first meeting Migiwa spoke to us about her work and background. There were about 15 adults ranging from about 24 to 60 years old. Before Migiwa began speaking, we had the chance to see some of her work on view in KHAC's gallery space.

She then told us more about herself, where she came from and her artistic background. Much of her work has to do with her own experiences as well as involving others in various projects. She told us a lot about taking care of her mother after having a stroke and that being a source of inspiration for her work. One piece that blew me away was a large drawing of her mother's face, specifically her eyes. As she zoomed in on the image, we realized all the detail drawn was not pencil lines but Japanese writing!

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Migiwa speak about her work and seeing it as well. Please take a look at her website or even visit KHAC to see it firsthand. After hearing about her artwork, we then went around the room telling everyone about ourselves and why we want to be involved in this project. I was very surprised to hear all the different backgrounds and walks-of-life shared by each individual. Some artists, some retired professors, librarians, you name it. We also shared ideas of what we actually came to do: the phonebooth project.

You can look at her website more to learn about this project and what it entails. I am very excited about this opportunity to work with an artist. I just hope my schedule will allow it every week!

Good Monday Morning

Most of the time when I wake up on Monday mornings, I regret waking up so early and having such a short weekend. Many times I just get Sunday off and one day is never enough. However, I look forward to this week and hope that it goes by fast. I will finally be making it home for the first time since Christmas! I am excited to see my family, be in my home, and celebrate Easter.

This weekend was another good one as well. The weather was perfect on Friday and Sunday (Saturday was a bit too cold). My lovely friend Nate tied up my hammock and I am looking forward to reading a few books while relaxing under my two trees. I also spent my Sunday relaxing, reading, and taking a short walk with Claudio to the park. Not to mention making some delicious curry from scratch.  I love Spring! And with Spring, brings the perfect weather to go biking. Today will be my first ride with Suzann and it should be fun!