August 28, 2007 – Sunny, cool. This is the new logo for Art Harvest – Leap of Faith: Four Friends Share Their Art.
It was designed by my great pal and Web and print designer Reanne Wright, who is a genius. She completely captured what we were trying to do, as usual. Can’t wait to see her posters. She designed this awesome website and now works at Trampoline Design in Glens Falls, N.Y.
Maria and Anthony and others have helped me pick out my photographs for Art Harvest, scheduled for October 13 – 14 at Gardenworks in Salem, N.Y., (518 854 3250). I will show and sell about 20 pictures to benefit Friends of Hospice. Mary Kellogg will read from some of her new poems, and others will be framed and matted and sold, also to benefit hospice. Maria Heinrich will spin some threads and show some of her fiber artworks and Anthony Armstrong will show some of his concrete sculptures.
This is a chance for four friends to share their art together, and we called it “Leap of Faith” because showing this work is, in some ways, just that for each of us, in very different and personal ways. Each of us struggled in our own way to make this work and show it.
Of the four of us, only Maria was trained as an artist, and has shown before. Mary Kellogg wrote poetry for decades before showing any of it to anyone, and she will have a book published next spring of her poetry.
I’ve never shown photographs before, and love taking them, but have never participated in any kind of art show. And the Art Harvest will mark a new direction for Anthony, whose artistic side is getting a workout in his new concrete countertop and design business. I hope it’s the first of many for these good friends and talented people. I love them and their work and am proud and blessed to be showing with them.
Mary is calling her exhibit “Musings in the berry patch,” after one of her most touching and beautiful poems. Anthony is calling his powerful works “My life in concrete,” and when you see them, you will see why. He is also going to make casts of kid’s hands, for them to take home. I am calling my part “Pictures from bedlam,” which is apt. In addition to our exhibits, Meg Southerland and Gardenworks will be in full Fall swing, selling pumpkins, cider donuts, produce, art, flowers and other of the farm stuff for which they are justly famous. The show will run all day Saturday and Sunday. I will be there most of that time and give a talk in the early afternoon Saturday and Sunday. Some of my dogs will be there as well. I will talk about my pictures, how the four of us came to do this together, and how my life on the farm with the dogs and animals has changed my ideas about what art and stories are.
We are making up postcards and posters and I hope many of the people who visit this site will come. The exhibits will be downstairs and in Gardenworks’ beautiful big barn space upstairs. No artwork had a better or more atmospheric home.
Below, Anthony starting work in his studio on his sculpture
