Rockport Center for the Arts, Rockport, Texas

We had anxiously awaited the opening of the Rockport Center of the Arts and were finally able to view some of the buildings. There are three separate buildings, one enclosing several Galleries, a classroom, giftshop and front desk, the second a conference center, and the third a place for performances.

Around the outside, sculptures are tastefully placed, and as one would expect highlights the warmth of Rockport and its laidback coastal attitude.

A pair of seahorses dominate the front and a touching sculpture of a young man and his dogs are located in the outer center plaza.

Entering the Center a receptionist desk was staffed by exuberant staff who justifiable and proudly talked of the new center,

A gift shop included local jewelry, fabric arts, and several hung pieces, (I was glad to see that the pieces were not described as craft as the term craft is used as a means to denigrate traditional women’s artwork).

To the left is the Mendez Family Gallery, where a variety of artwork were hung.

These included paintings, pastels, and photographic works. I am not a painter and know better than to describe my photography as professional, although quite a few people have suggested we should sell it, (we are too busy with our lapidary and jewelry making). On the way upstairs, and yes there is an elevator, we passed the classroom and figuring out how to work the elevator, (we have no elevators in our small town)., reached the McKelvey Charitable Gallery.

There a pottery show was displayed, and the pottery pieces were both composed of contemporary clay and mixed media. Returning downstairs, we passed through the classroom and stepped outside to the plaza.

Two more buildings were still being finished and we were unable to enter the first as the painters were busy. The Conference Center was also closed and gated as was a staircase to the top of the Art center. Hopefully we will be able to view these before our five month stay here ends, (we have spent part or most of the past fifteen winters here along the Texas Coastal Bend). We had a very positive impression of the new Rockport Center of the Arts and its staff! We look forward to viewing the new areas and new hung shows. Well done, Rockport! Clear skies

Working Glass at the Karg Glass Works, Wichita, Kansas

Last April we traveled to Kansas, and while there our friends Bob and Nancy took us to the Karg Glass Works, near Wichita. There we learned that you could take a class on glass blowing and participate in the process of making a glass ornament and a heart shaped paperweight.

We thought it would be fun to investigate a different art medium and so when we returned this fall, we signed up for the class. Nancy and her cousins husband Mark, (a retired custom jewelry designer), also signed up for the classes, and we met at the glass works.

We were all nervous about working near one-thousand-degree molten glass, but we shouldn’t have as our glass master, NIc Dickin, warned us about the different parts of the foundry and wisely did not trust us near the molten glass blobs, (I was nervous about getting burned). Our participation was to pick the colors, watch the process, and blow through a tube to expand the material while it was being shaped.

We had already picked the colors and Nic showed us the cold glass fragments that would be melted into the molten material. Collecting a blob of molten glass, he spun it into a cylindrical shape before rolling it on a steel table with the glass colors. He then reheated the glass, spun it again and inserted it into a mold which gave the preform glass its ridges.

Next, he had us move to a spot where we would blow into the tube, (blow don’t inhale), as he manipulated it into the desired form, (either a heart or an ornament).

Adding a stem, the final step was to place the work into an annealing oven where it would cool to room temperature, about five days of slowly dropping temperatures. These finished pieces were not like the small works you see made at fairs.

The first series of images were taken while making an ornament and the second series were of making the heart shapes paperweight. This first image is of some of our glass master’s work. His work and others from around the country were for sale in the large gallery. The last two images are of my finished pieces, (we also got a glass disc made from excess glass and of course I had to wire wrap it into a piece of jewelry!

Teaching a simple but effective Fly fishing Technique and a trip to the National Wildlife Museum

Our summer shows are upon us and so we have not kept the blog up to date. Still, we have been able to take time to teach Barb and Dan how to fly fish a small stream. On a rainy day we also traveled to Jackson to visit the National Wildlife Museum. The biggest problem fly fishing here is all the willow trees. They crowd the banks and so most beginners spend much of their time retrieving their flies from the willow’s branches. The answer to this is to use a technique called roll casting.

In it you let your fly line float downstream and then flip the rod tip upstream. The line forms a circle and flips the fly upstream. Tying on dry flies we soon had them both making great roll casts. Now if we could only find fish. The water was not clear, stained really, which presented another problem for novices. Walking up stream Dan soon had a fish on and fought it like a pro.

He followed the fish downstream until I could slip the net underneath the Bonneville Cutthroat trout! Its one of the four types of cutthroats needed for a Wyoming Cut slam Award. Barb meanwhile was making cast after cast, but no fish rose to take her fly. Dan returned to the water and soon landed another nice cut.

As we moved upstream Barb soon had fish attacking her fly, but they were small, and she could not get them to take the hook.

Meanwhile I put on a nymph, and underwater presentation. It worked and I caught two cuts and two mountain whitefish. Releasing them we continued upstream but no more fish cooperated. Renita and I were impressed with how quickly they had caught on! Now if we cold only get a fish on Barb’s flyrod. However, the rains started again, and the waters turned muddy. It was time to do something else.

That something else was to visit the National Wildlife Museum in Jackson. Renita had found out that Wyoming residents got in free on Sundays, and that anyone over sixty-five could buy half price tickets. Dan is a veteran, so he only had to pay eight dollars. Driving by you really cannot appreciate the scope of the museum. There are numerous bronzes on the outside but inside we found a multiroom set of galleries. The artworks included many different mediums ranging from stone birds carved by prehistoric Michigan tribes.

As we wandered from gallery to gallery, we stopped to look at the images of the majestic wildlife. One hallway was filled with womens artwork and discussed the difference between arts and crafts. One exhibit stated that the term crafts is used to denigrate womens work.

It was a real treat to see paintings,bronzes, prints, and other medium from around the world. We strongly recommend anyone in the area take a break and spend a day in the museum. Clear skies

North to Newton Kansas, Easter with Friends

After farewell hugs and a great breakfast, we left Grand Isle and drove to Marshall, Texas. It was a long drive for us, over four hundred miles, but there were storm warnings and we hoped to drive through one of the two fronts. After tornado warnings and heavy, but brief rain we next drove to Perry, Oklahoma. Along the way we passed through another front but thankfully not more storm warnings.

We reached Newton Kansas and arrived at our friend’s house, where we hoped to spend four days before heading for Montana. Its always a great time there as we were greeted with more smiles and hugs at Nancy and Bob’s beautiful house.

They invited us to join them at Nancy’s sister’s house, Patties, for Easter dinner. Nancy also suggested that while there we could visit the Dyck Arboretum and tour the Warkenton Mansion and Museum. She added several day trips, one to the Karg Glass works and The Carriage Factory Art gallery

We had previously visited the Dyck Arboretum but this year we were too early. We met a birder, as we started to stroll around the paths, who saw my Grand Isle Bird Festival tee shirt and told us of the birds he had spotted. It was early, the trees had just started to open their buds, and so we only spotted a few. < >A cardinal greeted us with his song and posed as they often do. Other bird were not so obliging but we did spot several blue jays, one of which got close enough for a fair picture. The flowers were just starting to bloom and were limited to a few daffodils and iris. IT was a nice sunny day, so we had a picnic on one of the patios, where large rocks provided seats and a table.

The next day we headed to the Warkenton Museum, but it was not open. Disappointed Nancy and Bob took us to the Carriage Factory Art Gallery. It features local artists and while the curator said I could take pictures I had to promise to use them just for the blog.

It was an enjoyable place with many artists using mixed mediums. It reminded us of our work as we use stone and wire to make our one-of-a-kind wearable art. Our next stop of the day was at the Karg Glass Works.

It was a Saturday, and the furnaces and cooling ovens were all cold, but the gallery was spectacular’ The glass art works were mixed with a rainbow of colors, a kaleidoscope really, and they did also sell kaleidoscopes.

I bought some of the blue fused glass, which I plan to wrap them in gold and silver. Glass blowing classes are offered there, along with classes that allow you to make your own glass piece. It is definitely a class we plan to take during our next visit!

Easter arrived and we gathered with Nancy and Bob’s family. We were blessed to meet them again, and it was an excellent meal with great conversations on genealogy research, golf, their travels, and retirements benefits! Thanks so much for the wonderful time! Clear skies