It’s the middle of February already and I wanted to post a project update.
The year started off with the launch of a new, exciting project with a big community-engagement component. The project is on the exterior of a low-income housing complex currently under construction in Port Townsend, WA called 7th Haven. This is a publicly funded multi-use building through OlyCAP (Olympic Community Action Programs) and 1% of all public construction in WA State must be allocated to an art component. I am one of two artists selected to add artwork to the building; the other is painter Jean Bradbury. My work will connect the residential entryway to the childcare entryway, about 300 s.f. minus doors and windows. My proposal was to work with local kids to create mosaic sea stars and painted kelp forest murals, along with mosaic octopus tentacles entwining a concrete pillar.
In January, I was part of a group residency at Centrum, which is an art center located in Fort Worden in Port Townsend. I was joined by Lynn Adamo, Joanne Daschel, Karen Rycheck, Mark Brody and Richard Davis; all mosaic artists from the Pacific NW. We shared a large studio for a week and stayed in on-site housing. I was able to spend time working directly with kids at a nearby YMCA after-school program on four of the afternoons. I had bins of recycled glass tiles and templates with clear contact paper so the kids could lay their tiles directly over a sea star design. I then taped them on top so they could be stacked and taken back to my studio. The activity was a huge success! The kids loved it and we made about 30 sea stars (and a few urchins.)
Joanne, Lynn and Mark all took it in turns to assist during these activities, which was so generous and helpful. We had a field trip to get a private tour of artwork in a new playground by local artist Rebecca Welti (https://www.rebeccawelti.com/) all in the same theme honoring the ecosystem of the Salish Sea, but with a specific focus on plankton. Joanne Daschel (https://www.joannedaschel.com/) also happens to be working on a public art project in the theme of the Cascadia region aquatic ecosystem with a focus on tidepools, so she joined me on a quest to seek out more information and inspiration. We found the local aquarium closed for the season, but the aquarist, Emily, generously gave us a private tour. I felt extremely lucky because they had raised an octopus that had become caught in a light trap as a tiny baby, and he was released to the wild that very afternoon. I enjoyed seeing him close up, with his tentacles and suckers pressed against the clear glass of his tank.
Back at home, I was more inspired while completing the tentacles that will go onto the pillar of 7th Haven:
I’ve also been pre-grouting all of the sea stars so they’ll be easy to set into mortar on the lower walls of the childcare entryway. The rest of the murals will be painted on Polytab fabric, which is a parachute fabric primed for muralists to create the artwork indirectly, then adhere to the walls. This is a game-changer! Next week, I’ll be taking some of the panels to Port Townsend, spending two more afternoons with the same delightful kids I worked with before. I’ll have them paint a jelly, a harbor seal and some bull kelp. I’ll be able to then store the panels until everything is finished and the construction schedule and weather line up for me to complete the installation.
In the meantime, there are a few other projects in the pipeline. I was selected as the featured artist for Olympia’s fall Arts Walk festival. This will be my second time gracing the Arts Walk cover. The first time was 16 years ago, and coincided with my official launch as a business. So much has happened since then, and I see this as an opportunity to toot my horn a bit. While I’ve been slowly plugging away at the artwork that will be used for event promotion, I’m also brainstorming a community mural. I wrote all about it in a previous post, which includes the backstory, goals and links to my new fundraiser: https://jkmosaic.com/metamorphosis-a-community-mural/ I am scheduled to lead a hands-on activity at Spring Arts Walk (April 28/29) during which I plan to have participants help create the centerpiece of the mural. Ideally, there will be a number of engagement opportunities from May to September, with a dedication of the completed mural during fall Arts Walk (October 6/7). *I will have a display at Hot Toddy, just like the first time, in 2007!
I’m also getting ready to teach FOUR classes (what was I thinking?!!) at the Glass Craft & Bead Expo in Las Vegas at the end of March. Read more about that HERE.
So, that about sums up my State of the Studio address for February 2023. As usual, I’m in just slightly over my head, but excited about the year ahead. As always, thanks for reading!
