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Recently I had the honor to be interviewed for the Local Talk program on KHOI Community Radio. The episode is about “Independent Artists” and also includes interviews with artists Gwen Foster and Valerie Williams.
Update: This program is no longer available online. You can listen to a variety of recent shows from KHOI’s streaming and podcast page.
A lovely certificate, a lovely thought
One treasure going with me to my new location is this Little Flower Award I received from St. Theresa Catholic School after participating in their Social Justice Week earlier this year. It was such an honor it brought tears to my eyes. It meant a great deal to me personally during the transition to my new life — this is what I want to do, and they honored that. The children will continue to inspire me with their generosity and love for others.
The fine print is a quotation from St. Theresa, which I’ve copied below. I think it’s a beautiful reminder that you don’t have to be grand or famous to show love and make a difference to others.
“Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love.” — St. Theresa
Almost-empty vault in the front room
Bernie’s truck made many trips to storage
The train running through the front room. Little kids have come in and "sat in the train"!
Look, you can see the walls! We cleared the way not only for Tina’s new shop, but also my new life of art, travel, and teaching. My move was made possible through the combined efforts of family and friends, just like The Left Bank Studio was created and sustained with the love and support of many people through the years.
Behind Bernie (and the orange truck he loaned to the cause) you can see people looking through the “free pile” next to the dumpster. The treasure hunters included artists and art students. It was another way to closure for me to see the delight on their faces and tell them ways to repurpose their finds.
The bank is still inhabited! On Mother’s Day we discovered a robin’s nest outside (shown below), and she stayed and tended to her family among all the activity. It was a spiritual experience for me to look in her eye and realize we are connected in the universe.
Mother robin, undeterred
My granddaughter commemorated the robin by refreshing the front-room drawing
A colorful preview from new building owner Tina Rice
Update 2017:
The little bank building has once again transformed, this time becoming “a casual coffee stop and eatery,” The Vault! (Link is to their Facebook page.)
(Original post:)
The “bank” building has changed hands, and I’m thrilled to be passing on the baton (or the paintbrush) to its new owner, artist Tina Rice. You may have met Tina at the Transformation Sale. She writes about her plans for the building:
You can see some of Tina’s jewelry, and watch for news of her new shop, at clarkavenue.blogspot.com.
Exuberant faces: Larry and Bonnie Dix discover some finds while Jo Myers-Walker and Tina Rice celebrate the new “Sold” sticker
Steve and Randi Peters stopped by to get a trunkload of artwork
Thank you to everyone who stopped by for the Transformation Sale! You can see exuberant faces in the photos, including new building owner Tina Rice. Tina has some exciting plans for the little Bank building, which I’ll tell you about in an upcoming post.
Update: The Left Bank Studio is now closed (Tina’s new business will open in June). I’m excited at the prospect of more freedom to travel and paint with others, do workshops, and be with family. Stay tuned!
Molly buckles up for safety before she goes on tour (she found a good home with Lisa Cooper)
Lisa with frog chair and other treasures, including the Provence lady “coming and going” door
The girls are out! (Chickens in the foreground, cool against warm)
At my recent watercolor workshop in Maquoketa, we practiced color mixing using chickens! Each practice chicken is a small experiment in how different combinations of colors mingle with each other on the paper. Selecting three colors to use in a painting (two cools and a warm, or two warms and a cool) establishes color dominance, and helps the composition hold together and not be so “busy.” The workshop was on “the figure in the landscape,” so then the students took their chickens and put them into a scene.
The Maquoketa Art Experience is a wonderful space to teach in, and the whole place is something of a mecca. There are many talented artists in that area, and it’s truly inspiring for me to be in their midst. Rose Frantzen, a native of Maquoketa, has a gallery in town with her husband, artist Charles Morris (Rose’s “Portrait of Maquoketa” oil paintings were exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution).
Maquoketa is an old town full of historic buildings — they value it, and have preserved what they have. Some buildings have architecture similar to the “bank” in Gilbert (if not earlier), which made me feel at home! I stayed in the lovely Squiers Manor Bed and Breakfast, a restored 1882 brick house furnished with antiques. I was in the Harriet W. Squiers room, which has a pineapple motif symbolizing hospitality. The Squiers Manor was very hospitable and welcoming — they just pamper you, with dessert at night in addition to an excellent breakfast. I hope to return!
Some of the 10 workshop participants at the Maquoketa Art Experience
Squiers Manor Bed and Breakfast in Maquoketa
(I stayed upstairs)
Update: The Transformation Sale is now past, and The Left Bank Studio will be closed after May 4, 2013 — but I plan to keep painting, exhibiting my artwork, teaching classes, and leading retreats after my move. You’ll still be able to keep track of me here on my website!
Working with painting water, at the fountain area in the Reiman conservatory
Painting by the fountain in the Hughes Conservatory at Reiman Gardens was a great prelude to Easter, enjoying the warmth and sunlight! We worked with the mirror effect and capturing water’s movement. Underpainting first, we then went back in and painted between the leaves (the negative space) in the mysterious background, and practiced techniques like using plastic wrap on wet paint for the rocks.
(The Prairie Watercolors course has ended, but the conservatory is open year-round with admission to Reiman Gardens.)
Conservatory at Reiman Gardens
(composition sketch, and 10-minute wet sketch)
Look what we’ve been doing at Reiman in the conservatory — smelling the flowers, and painting!
Starting with a composition sketch on cardstock, and painting a 10-minute wet sketch before we paint “the big one.”
March, viewed through Reiman Gardens windows (work in progress)
Here’s a work in progress from last week’s watercolor class. We were painting on location inside Reiman Gardens, with smells of spring and flowers blooming around us. Outside, there was melting snow and cardinals at the bird feeder. We worked with basic drawing techniques and overlapping shapes. Looking through these windows gives the scene a vertical dominance and a very stately quality, and some wonderful reflections for the observers to work with.
Jo Myers-Walker's Blog 
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