Glass flowers always in bloom at Harvard

 The Ware Collection of Glass Models and Plants in the Harvard Natural History museum/Peabody Museum will blow your mind. Every specimen is made of fused, softened, blown, enameled glass. Between 1886 and 1936 Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka, father and son team, created nearly 4400 models for scientific research in Hosterwitz, Germany. It was an act of love, a delicate calling. Commissioned by a professor of science who was frustrated over the cheap paper mache models currently available, the Ware collection includes over 800 species with accurate anatomical sections and enlarged flower parts. It is hard to imagine how they were packed and shipped from Germany during the war over to the United states. The whole shipment was financed by Elizabeth and Mary lee Ware, wife and daughter of Harvard medical school professor , class of 1834, who passed away in 1888. The collection was given to Harvard in his memory.
Mary lee was an avid botanist.
The glass room at Harvard is always in bloom, and is a great place to visit. I was there in February and the colors, the pollinating (sexy) activities, the details in the room almost made me faint with delight.

Visiting the studio of Sara Stites and Fountainhead

Stites pointing out artists in books and art history that inspire her

There is nothing quite as powerful as exposing your students to a working artist's studio process. I was fortunate enough this spring to get 10 of my AP students to visit the off-the-beaten-track Fountainhead Residency Studios just north of Little Haiti, Miami for a day of inspired expanding dialogue. Katherine Mikesell is the contact at Fountainhead. She was very helpful in pulling together a roster of diverse artists willing to take the time to talk to my group of kids. Part of the mission of Fountainhead is to encourage art education and the contemporary art dialogue. It is safe to say that Sara Stites, painter and sculptor, blew their minds. Full of whimsy and humor, Stites shared her process, her sculptures, her paintings, her sketches, her bookshelves, and even the maquette for an upcoming show being planned in Maine. The kids learned how (contrary to sequential high school art classes), the art world cross pollinates and artists use a mixture of media to convey their messages in singular pieces.
We also got to visit the studio of Lori Nozick and Andrea Nhuch. Those artists shared about their search for abundant affordable material and the path to being a professional artist via, grants, school, and the workforce. It was a very refreshing day for me as a teacher and artist. I loved getting to know new talent and look forward to seeing their work again.
In fact, Lori has work in the I am Woman Hear me Roar show in Wynwood now.

Nozick discussing practical routes to afford life as an artist

Nhuch sharing her bubblewrap sculpture fabrication process

Dimensions, an intimate show of artworks

Michael has 6 beautiful drawings in a show at a new gallery in Wilton Manors, Florida. He hangs with George Goodridge and Gerbi Tsesarkaia, two artists who work both on and off the wall. It is a sweet grouping put together by the gallery owner/artist Aster da Fonseca.(He is on Instagram)

2201 Wilton Drive

Show is up until April 22nd

Brothers!

Astor , Michael and Bruce Gellatly and artist Krisse Pasternack

Gerbi and her husband rest for a minute

Doing the art talk thing

 For these drawing Michael built small models of iceberg-like characters and photographed them in different lighting. He then rendered them in an assortment of media such as pencil, graphite, ink, and collage. They are very  soft, intricate and evocative of the iconic fragility of our climate issues.

Gerbi with fellow Bakehouse artist Tina Salvesen

A nice crowd for the mid show reception

Tumultuous Times of April

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Spring-Taxi-text-collage-Eye-Words-NYC-Cab-Original-Movement-/322477366418?hash=item4b15261c92:g:WEYAAOSwpP9Y6OxR

There seems to be a stirring and awakening of humanity all around us in this season. Is it the sounds of spring? We just dropped 50 Raytheon-made Tomahawk missiles (what a nice Indian war game name for them) on Syria in the middle of the night, and now the media are commenting on how "presidential" our president has become. The call of "real" government seems to be war and oppression. The call of humanity in response is to personalize the drama. RISE UP ARTISTS.
April is called the "intense" month. Poe wrote about it being the "cruelest month". It takes us to our edge outside the comfort zones. Many give their lives up. It happened this month in 1526 with the first slave revolt in the USA. Can you imagine the drama of that historical moment? This is the month of recorded hyper anti-immigration laws (Arizona 2010), the One Million March on DC for LGBT rights (1993), the acquittal of the police for beating Rodney King (1992), the launch of the Bay of Pigs (1961) and Martin Luther King assassination in 1968. The calendar is full, and this is not unique to our country or our own time. This is the month Jesus was tortured and put to death.

Small theatrical paintings starting at $10 on sale on eBay this month. Satisfaction guaranteed.  Check it out here

April Auctions

 Bid for Country Dream Bed here.

 Bid for Jump For Joy here

 Bid for Symbolic Painterly Brush here

 Bid for Unique Pop Talk here

Bid for Atmospheric Mountains here
I have listed nineteen paintings, so far, as part of my #SurrenderforLent project. Collectors have won original paintings as far away as from California to Connecticut, and Illinois to North Carolina. All bids start at $10. All paintings worth at least 9 times that. Great gift ideas. A bio is on the eBay page.  Good luck!. Good Lent.