Icarus...a myth, a metaphor, an exhibit.

In March, at Grove Gallery in East Lansing, I'm scheduled to have an exhibit. The concept for this show has been slowly rising to the surface of my consciousness. As always at this phase, I've been nervous...not sure if I'll be able to make a cohesive statement, finish the work in time, or be proud of  the output.

I'm don't remember when Icarus started to speak to me, but at some point I knew that his story would be the focus of this show.

Icarus—brave, inventive, so immersed in the joy of moment that he lost track of the world around him. Or, so arrogantly overconfident that he overstepped his boundaries. Either way, soaring to unimaginable heights, then catapulting back to earth. There's a lot of fodder to explore and I can't wait to see how it all comes together. I hope the exhibit will be striking and thought provoking. There's much work to be done, but now that I have my direction my dreams are leading the way, offering imagery and ideas. I just have to make those dreams a reality.

Here, from last night's wakefulness, is a sketch for a sculpture.

Chris Clark Fellowship—THANKS!

I'm honored to have received funds for a new slab roller from the Chris Clark Fellowship, a grant from the Arts Council of Greater Lansing.

As I take clay more seriously, and as I'm trying to make a living at this art stuff, I need to get as efficient as possible. The slab roller will allow me to make multiple tiles at a time and prepare even-thickness pieces for hand-built vessels and sculpture. It's also usable for printmaking, which opens up what I can offer for teaching. Monoprints, here we come! I'm pretty excited and definitely grateful to the organization. This is a truly supportive group for the arts. Please check them out...you'll be amazed at how deeply their roots reach.

September and October Workshops have been scheduled

It's taken awhile, but I'm settling into my artist's life - mornings at the computer and dealing with the outside world, afternoons in one of the studios, making art. Having large blocks of predictable time has allowed my hands to remember what they do and the rhythm of this work feels wonderful.

I'm looking forward to teaching the workshops in the September/October schedule...some fun things which should help people make thoughtful gifts for the holidays, or just give themselves the gift of learning something new.

The Magic of Yeast September 14
the basics of baking with yeast

Heartfelt September 29
needle-felted hearts

It's all about ME! October 5
fine art dollmaking

Painting Primer October 26
basic understanding of paints and painting tools

Two classes will be at Smitten Dust in Dimondale. Dusty DeHaven has done a wonderful job of renovating her building for classes and receptions of all sorts. I did this logo for  her.

 If you want to be on my mailing list for classes, please pop me an e-mail.

The Language of Flowers

Well, in the effort to schedule this class around weddings,holidays, and graduations, but while there were still flowers in the yard, I managed to put it on Father's Day. Registration was minimal, then two had to cancel. That was that for this year, as there will not be a day again this season where where the garden is so rich with variety.

Still, a friend and I took artistic advantage of the fresh-cut flowers and talked about many of the things which would have come into the class while we worked (gesture, shapes, shadows, viewpoint). Mostly we just drew and painted. Some flowers brought up distant memories of places or friends by scent or association. With the summer breeze wafting in the window it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon. I'll definitely give this another try next June.

Heartfelt Workshop, April 21

I'm very excited to be offering this workshop. Felted hearts are for me, now, what fairy houses were a few years ago - they make me happy and I can't stop making them. I thought it might be a fun workshop to offer, especially with Mother's Day and the wedding season coming up.

Creating a heart is an opportunity to put loving thoughts into an object that then can become a meaningful gift for a mother, baby, bride, or other loved one (you could include a written note of the thoughts you've carefully put in your heart).

Come enjoy the peaceful and heartwarming experience of needle-felting. You’ll learn basic felting principles, create a heart or two of your own, and go home with all you need to know to make more. This class requires no specific skill.

Class fee: $65 (materials included)
When: Sunday, April 21, 2013 from 1–4:00pm
Where: Grove Gallery,325 Grove St., E. Lansing
Questions: bhranilovich@gmail.com

To register, go to the PayPal link at the right.

This is the first time I've tried using this system, so please e-mail me pronto if it doesn't work!!

Grove Gallery

So much water has gone under the bridge since I last wrote here that I'm just going to start with the present and move forward. In January I joined the Grove Gallery in East Lansing. It's a charming space with some great people, located at 325 Grove Street,just north of Ann Street (by the 7-11) in East Lansing. Grove is growing and fine-tuning all the time as resources allow. Working with the gallery is a creative process in its own right. I'm showing a number of media; encaustic, clay, acrylics, pastels and sundry others. I should be teaching some workshops there soon. Please come check us out. Jenny Schu currently has a wonderful bead and weaving exhibit worth seeing.