Lemon Tree Tales

Petaluma Art of the Doll Exhibit Part II

Here's Part II of the Petaluma Art of the Doll Exhibit that ends this Sunday September 19th. Info for it is here. Wherever possible I've included links to the artists websites or other info.

I'll start with another of Phillip Glashoff's metal sculptures. They're all so whimsical that it brings a smile to my day.

Marilyn Monrobot by Clayton Bailey.

Cotillion by Bill Yoes ... I got such a kick out of this one. It's full size and reminds me of the aluminum suit and dress that I have sitting on the fireplace (found at Ikea). I couldn't find a website for Bill Yoes but there's going to be a garden tour in his hometown of Sebastopol where you can see his garden - info here.

One of Sha Sha Higby's performance costumes/masks - larger than life and most colorful and intricate.

Detail of Sha Sha Higby's costume and doll. I really like the color palette that she uses. Subtle yet rich.

Suspended in Time by Cassandra Light

Detail of Suspended in Time by Cassandra Light ... the angst in her face is startling.

Spinal Creature by Deborah Colotti .. this reminded me of something that I would see at the art gallery showing of graduating seniors at art school. It's cool but also creepy at the same time.

Detail of Spinal Creature by Deborah Colotti

One of Nuala Creed's Fairies .. interesting that her dress is made of little fish ... Not sure what medium but I'm guessing that it's encased in resin.

Child with Flowers by Margaret Keelan .. at first I thought that this was carved from an old piece of wood. Imagine my surprise to discover that it was made of clay. Isn't that fantastic? I love the look of peeling paint and wood grain. I wonder how she did it. I really could have stood in front of this staring at it for much longer than time permitted me.

Detail of Child with Flowers by Margaret Keelan

Jane Pittman by Floyd Bell ... he's famous for his African-American dolls carved from wood. I've heard about his work for years but this was the first time that I saw them in person. The wood is so rich and looks inviting ... I was so tempted to touch the doll just to feel the smooth looking texture.

Detail of Jane Pittman by Floyd Bell

Balancing Ball and Paddle Ball by Charlene Doiron Reinhart

How could I not show you the charming Sophia the Sock Monkey and her Happy Tiger by Erica Sommers?

Another whimsical pieces, Prince Albert in a Can by Christy Silacci

And I got such a giggle from The Card Board King by Christy Silacci as well.

Whimsical and delightful Kokeshi Dolls by Phoebe Washer and Henry Washer ... sadly I discovered that Phoebe died at a very young age in 2008. Her work was featured in the Japanese American National Museum in 2009.

Who's this hiding in amongst the other Kokeshi Dolls? I think that he's a little uneasy with his mates.

There are still many more dolls at the exhibit but I didn't take pictures of everything ... and once again, you truly have to be there in person to see more of the details and the rich colors and textures. If you can't make it then I hope that you've enjoyed this virtual walk through the Petaluma Art of the Doll Exhibit.

Petaluma Art of the Doll Exhibit Part I

Before Steve and I drove to the Oregon coastline we stopped at Petaluma so that I could see their gorgeous Art of the Doll Exhibit. Wow! Truly amazing to see all these dolls up close and personal. I've taken pictures to share with you but let me tell you that pictures just don't do these artworks justice. You have to go and see them for yourself. The exhibit ends on Sunday September 19th and is closed on Tuesday September 14 and Wednesday September 15. The hours are noon to 4pm. The address is: 230 Lakeville Street at E. Washington in Petaluma CA north of San Francisco. More info can be found here. If you are in the area please make an effort to go - you won't be disappointed.

I couldn't decide which pictures to show you so I've divided them into two posts. As I've said, they're just snapshots. Where possible I've included links to the artists.

Phillip Glashoff's metal sculptures greet you outside of the arts building.

Dolls by The Flying Phoebes members (my friends, Laurie Scott, Valerie Michael, and Daisy Kiehn have dolls on display). I'm an associate member meaning that I only go to the quarterly meetings (not enough time right now to be a full-fledged member and attend monthly meetings and responsibilities.) Aren't they a talented bunch of artists?!

Four Seasons by Anne Klocko ... an amazing polymer clay artist. She's going to be teaching a class sponsored by the Flying Phoebes in January. I've already signed up for this one. It should be great!

Four Seasons detail by Anne Klocko

Norman by Ute Vasina ... she makes the most lovely trolls and I was fortunate enough to take one of her classes. Of course I have yet to finish my doll. There are little troll parts sitting in a bag begging to be completed.

Passage to India by Christine Shively .. Christine is coming to the Flying Phoebes in October to teach this gorgeous doll. I can't wait! Of course I have to get cracking on all the homework that's been assigned.

Detail of Passage to India by Christine Shively

Patience by Akira Blount ... truly stunning in person. I've admired her dolls for years but this is the first time I've seen one in person. She has a DVD about dollmaking that I'd like to order.

Charla Khanna's dolls - she doesn't have a website but I found this blog post about her. I was so surprised by the size of these dolls. The one on the far left is about 2 foot tall ... you just can't get that from seeing pictures of them. The textile work is stunning.

Detail of Charla Khanna's Water Crossing/Walk on Water doll in the middle

Turandot by E.J. Taylor ... there's no words for how beautiful his dolls are. He's doing some online courses from his out of print book, Dollmaking.

 

Rigoletto by E.J. Taylor .. he also has a facebook profile with updates to his courses and new dolls.

 
Balance by Toby Froud ... he's the child of the famous Brian and Wendy Froud. I've been fortunate enough to take a class from both Wendy Froud and Toby. They're very talented and Toby has an amazing gift of teaching the sculpted human form. I learned so much from his rod puppet class. I have yet to finish that one but I did complete the fairy from Wendy's class. Class schedules here.

Miss Mamie by Linda Yaxley ... Linda owns a lovely art studio in Reno, NV where she sponsors classes. This is where I took both Wendy Froud's and Toby's classes. In fact it was in Toby's rod puppet class when Linda sculpted this 'lovely' puppet. Great stuff!

Miss Emily by Linda Yaxley ... you have to have a yin to the yang.

If you're anywhere near the Bay Area of Northern California you'll want to make the time to spend an afternoon at the Petaluma Art of the Doll Exhibit. You'll appreciate seeing these beauties in person, trust me. Stay tuned for more dolls in Part II. 

Arizona Beach, Oregon

Steve, Fearghus and I went on another road trip for Labor Day weekend. Unfortunately it was cut short due to the RV's broken water heater, quickly followed by a flat tire on the way home. Before that we had a blast. We drove up the 101 from San Francisco (both ways the Golden Gate bridge was clear and gorgeous!) to camp near Port Orford, OR and visit Arizona Beach during the day. We wanted to see if Fearghus was big enough to enjoy the beach now. The answer was a resounding 'Yes!' - he loved playing in the sand and in the stream that fed into the ocean. Here's a few pictures and a video. Hmm, guess I was the only one with the camera that weekend - there's just pics of my boys.

Steve and Fearghus running in the stream that led to the ocean ... you can see the RV in the background.

Walking to the other end of the stream.

A gorgeous piece of driftwood.

Fearghus making footsteps on the beach.

A little bit of a rest.

And a quick movie of the two of them playing in the stream as it leads to the ocean. Fearghus doesn't like the waves coming towards him but he'll jump in and play in the water.

Unfortunately it was a bit chilly at the beach so when we got home everyone was tired and Fearghus had caught a little cold. Here he is snuggling in the blanket on the futon. (I get up early in the morning and get him from his ex-pen/crate so that we can snuggle for a nap on the futon in the family room.)

 

And a few more pics of Fearghus playing in the backyard earlier in August ...

We have a young hummingbird that likes to rest in the lemon tree ... that's what Fearghus is so intent on watching.

Okay, my next post will be nothing but dolls from the Petaluma Art of the Doll Exhibit .. truly gorgeous stuff so come back in another day or two.

The Road to Bonneville

Not much creativity is going on here this summer. Instead it's been lots of puppy time and a few road trips in the RV. We managed to meet up with my dad at the speed trials at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah a few weeks ago. Fearghus is getting even better about traveling which is great. Here's a few pictures:

Steve and Fearghus on the salt flats

Fearghus and me - it's amazing how big the salt flats are .. miles and miles!

not your everyday runway  :-)

Looking down the race lane ... the fast cars would go to mile 4, 5 or 6 and usually stopped with a parachute ... it was unbelievable how fast they would zoom by. There was also a short course for new racers to earn their license.

Skeleton biker ... Steve liked it because of the Fkawi Racing name ... apparently from an old joke about a tribe with a poor sense of direction so they would get lost even on the shortest trips. They would constantly ask each other 'Where the [email protected] are we?' which was later shortened and became their name.   ;-)

One of the many Rat Rods that we saw at the salt flats ... the cars would get coated in clumps of salt. It looks like it was snow but if you brushed it then it'd flake off into the fine crystals of table salt. In fact the salt flats are getting smaller every year because a company has been harvesting the salt for decades. Before you leave the flats they have guys next to the road who will wash off the larger clumps so that the salt can be dumped back onto the flats.

Poteet & Main guys getting their streamliner ready for its run with the small engine. My dad's friend Bob knew them so we talked with them for a bit. I loved the aprons that the guys were wearing - constructed from denim jeans with heavy duty bungee cords as ties. They were a good mix of young bloods learning from the older guys.

Poteet & Main streamliner at 307 mph or so! We were standing at the four-mile marker and it just streaked by. Can you believe that this speed wasn't fast enough for the record? They didn't do that until the day or two after we left. With this car and one other they broke five speed trial records. What an amazing feat!

Dad and me in front of the RV. We're parked at what's commonly called the Bend ... it's the sandy part of the land just before it bends to the salt flats. There were RVs, cars, trucks and tents. Dad and his friend were lucky and managed to get a hotel room in town but Steve and I were pretty happy out at the Bend. Fearghus wasn't too thrilled with the sand but eventually dealt with it. One night a bunch of college kids were blowing off steam by lighting fireworks and riding their motorcycles until 1am or so. Good thing we weren't on a tight schedule. 

Overall it was a great road trip and my dad was thrilled that we were able to meet up with him. It makes up for the time that he, my brother Ronnie and I borrowed his friend's RV and drove to Bonneville when I was 17. Unfortunately it was raining so most of the racers had left by the time we got there on the third day. It's a week long event and most of the spectators and fastest speed trials take place in the first two days. It was an adventure filled with a sparrow crashing into the windshield, "ladies of the night" at the rest stop who wanted to ooh and aah over Ronnie's telescope (uh yeah, my dad decided pretty quickly that we needed to drive somewhere else to spend the night), rainy salt flats, and sneaking into Circus Circus casino to drop a coin into a slot machine.

This time the adventure involved F16s dropping bombs at a dry lake bed (very powerful to witness), a cattle drive with real live cowboys, a drive through the loneliest road in America and its little sleepy towns (former pony express stops), a friendly drunk lady who loved Fearghus, hot rods, family, and lots and lots of salt. You can't beat a good road trip!