Cari Amici (Dear Friends),
I recently returned from my visit to Indianapolis for two art events at the
Franklin Barry Gallery. I was charmed to meet my formerly only-through-Facebook friend and fellow artist
Travis Little. Travis also has some of his mixed media figurative works at the gallery. He not only supplied the digital projector for my presentation of “My Life as On of the Madonnari (Italian street painters)”, but he also showed me around downtown Indy a bit whenever we found time away from business. I am afraid I teased him about being a groupie because he was so friendly and supportive, as well as complimentary of my work. I am honored to have made his acquaintance for real.
I hope you enjoy this self-portrait I took on a timer of Travis and me showing off some of our artwork in the gallery while owner
Don Elliott was busy choosing frames and taking care of the details for the upcoming exhibit. I wanted to share this cool story: that morning I had a minor “ironing incident” with some olive oil and my skirt and Don ended up pulling some of his mother’s dresses from a closet. So, this may have been the first time I have ever worn orange before! [Don gave me this dress and the vintage slip that went with it before I left his home. How cool was that?!]
I love seeing how Don and his assistant Chuck frame my drawings and paintings. I was delighted that Don chose a thin metallic magenta frame for the oil painting
“Insatiable.” I do not have an eye for framing, but this choice made this painting even more colorful and fun. For November, Don has featured this colorful large sensuous mouth in the front window of the Franklin Barry Gallery aka The Frame Shop. He also exhibits several of my series of “Lips” stone carvings. See them if you can!
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The morning after the First Friday Gallery Walk in Indy, I headed to Chicago to see the family of my late friend and mentor
Vasily Fedorouk.. Vasily’s wife Dilbara and I enjoyed our time together and spoke a lot about ways in which we can keep alive the memory of Vasily and his art. I was thrilled to see my friend’s latest marble sculpture, but so sad to realize this was also his last. Although I am tempted to share images of this composition with you, I defer to his family on this point. Instead, I hope you enjoy this image of a vine growing in their back yard. Can you tell me what plant this is? I have never seen one like it before.
