Friday, August 31, 2012

1000 Pound Tomato Harvest at Midnight Sun Farm!


Today, Audra and I helped Nick and Becky of Midnight Sun Farm harvest 1000 pounds of tomatoes!  I loved every minute of it.  Each tomato is so different from the next and they have planted many varieties.  


Going down the rows of tomatoes!


Many, many rows of tomatoes!


I really love the yellow ones.  They taste so good.  I am going to make some salsa with them.


I love my Friday mornings on the farm.

Current Exhibitions


I visited my best friend, my grammy, for a few days this week and she took me to visit Water Street Studios to check out Indulge curated by Anni Holm.  My piece, Diversity of the Tomato is in the photo.  It is such an excellent group of work!  Thanks, Anni!


This is a watercolor painting I made for Grammy 4 years ago.  It is a collection of objects that remind me of my lovely childhood with her.  I love her a lot!


Tomorrow night, at 7:30pm in Ukranian Village, I will have two pieces in Push, an art apartment show curated by Lisa Muscato and Sean Murty of Paperish Mess Pop-Up Gallery.


Midwestern Clover


Rosa Bianca Heirloom Eggplant

I will also have two works on display at The Shoe Factory Art Co-Op in Rochester, New York from September 7 to September 26.  The Group show is called Green: What does it mean?  I really like the title!  This gallery is super fun.


Farmer Joel's Duck Eggs


Spinach and Peas

Monday, August 27, 2012

Citizens' Greener Evanston 4th Annual Green Arts Show


I will be exhibiting two pieces in the Citizens' Greener Evanston 4th Annual Green Arts Show from September 7-23 at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center.  The opening reception will be Friday, September 7 from 5-8pm.  I will be exhibiting alongside my friend and awesome artist, Kristina Knowski and fellow Chicago Twelve artist, Mary Ellen Croteau who won the People's Choice award at last years Green Arts Show.


The Vegan Eats an Egg will be on display.  It is a mobile with the definition of vegan and eggs hanging over the viewers head.  This piece questions living by a definition.  It is made of wood, fabric, paper mache and jute, and is 21 x 11.5 x 26 inches.  


80 Becomes 40 will also be on display.  It is 36 x 2.5 x 45 inches and is made of paper mache and oil paint.  This piece consists of 40 sculpted, moldy, dented, bruised, or slightly nicked apples.  These are the apples thrown away in the process of putting up a box of 80 apples at the grocery store.  The 40 missing are the ones that have sold.  

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Tomatoes!

I officially stopped purchasing tomatoes at the grocery store about two years ago after tasting local and in season tomatoes from the farmers market.  Once you have one you know there is no reason to buy a red bubble full of water in the winter.


I received this beauty in my CSA share this week.  I want to pull out all the colors I am seeing and make a collage of them.


Once I have done enough paintings I can cook him with some okra and peppers!


I have been making tons of bruschetta with all the tomatoes and basil in my CSA.  Last week I received purple basil.


This week I made some with a variety of different cherry tomatoes, including some sungolds!  

Monday, August 20, 2012

Glenwood Ave Arts Fest!


Molly and I had a great time selling our artwork at the Glenwood Ave Arts Fest this week in Rogers Park. 


Molly and her awesome display.


Mrs. Chicken's chance to shine again.  Children are very tempted to tear off her feet....



I have many pins and earrings left over, so if you are interested let me know!


Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Glenwood Ave Arts Fest is Quickly Approaching!


I am halfway finished with all my pins and earrings that I will be selling at the Glenwood Ave Arts Fest this Saturday and Sunday, August 18 and 19, noon to 9pm!


I had the paintings printed on cardstock paper, then I cut them out and glue them to thin cardboard so they won't tear when I sew through them.  Next is cutting them out of the cardboard and sewing them to fabric!


I bought a whole lot of cayenne peppers from Montalbano Farms last Sunday.  I am hanging them up to dry.  I like my food spicy!


And I am so excited that ENVIRONMENTAL ENCROACHMENT will be performing again at this years Glenwood Ave Arts Fest, Saturday night at 7:30pm!  You can't miss them, they are so fun!

Friday, August 10, 2012

Making Pins for the Glenwood Ave Arts Fest


I will be selling my pins, earrings, photographs and small paintings at the Glenwood Ave Arts Fest in Rogers Park this year!  I will be sharing a tent with my friend and talented artist, Molly Costello.  The Glenwood Ave Arts Fest will be on Saturday and Sunday, August 18 and 19, each day from 12 to 9pm.

Above are some pins I have started making.


I print my artwork on cardstock paper and sew it to fabric.  This is the original painting.  Beet, watercolor and marker, 11 x 18 inches.


Here is another original, Brussel Sprouts, watercolor and acrylic, 10 x 10 inches.


I also made some pins with all the beautiful scrap fabric I have.  The fabric is too nice to throw away, but too small to do much with, but I thought making earrings and pins out of them might look interesting.


I am modeling one of the scrap fabric pins...notice the green thread hanging from my head...this is common.  Hopefully people think they are as cool as I do or I am going to have a ton of pins and not enough days to wear all of them!  


Thursday, August 9, 2012

Opening Reception for Chicago's Twelve at Garfield Park Conservatory!


Last nights opening reception for Chicago's Twelve at Garfield Park Conservatory was wonderful.  All the artwork blends beautifully with the plants.

Here I am standing with my piece, Monsanto's Genetically Modified Crops.  This is my first outdoor sculpture I have ever made and it was a real challenge to figure out, but it has withstood a pretty awful storm a few days ago and nothing has been damaged.  I look forward to creating more outside sculptures!  These piece has been an amazing learning experience.


My piece Heirloom Fruits and Vegetables.  This is also my first time making site-specific installations.  The Garfield Park Conservatory is a very warm, humid, and wet location so I and the other artists had many elements to consider when making our work.  This has been an awesome opportunity to grow as an artist!


In this photo is 8 of the 12 artists and Sergio Gomez, the curator of the show.  



We each had a chance to tell everyone a bit about our work.


Heirloom Fruits and Vegetables

Heirloom fruits and vegetables are plants that have been grown for about 50 to 100 years or more before large-scale agriculture began.  Heirloom plants are open-pollinated, meaning they have been naturally pollinated by insects, birds or wind.  The produce found in grocery stores are usually hybridized to make them more disease and pest resistant so they can be grown in mass quantities with less hassle.  These fruits and vegetables are also chosen for their longer shelf stability.  This way of picking and choosing leaves many varieties of fruits and vegetables unknown to us that are often richer in flavor and largely diverse.



Monsanto's Genetically Modified Crops

Inside these jars are the 8 genetically modified crops Monsanto produces and sells at an incredibly large scale.  This includes corn, wheat, soybeans, canola, cotton, sugarbeets, alfalfa and sorghum.  The seeds they sell to farmers have had their DNA manipulated to make the plant resistant to specific pests, diseases or environmental conditions.  This piece serves as a reminder to recognize the history and future of these 8 crops.




Chicago's Twelve will be at Garfield Park Conservatory until December 9th.  We will also be having an artist talk at the Garfield Park Conservatory on October 24 from 6 to 8pm for Chicago Artists Month.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Installing Heirloom Fruits and Vegetables at the Garfield Park Conservatory!


I went back today to finish installing Heirloom Fruits and Vegetables and they look wonderful hanging in the Sugar from the Sun room (this is where they have fruit trees like bananas, papayas, and oranges growing) at the Garfield Park Conservatory!  


I dug 9 pieces of rebar into the ground that my Dad and I bent at the top and tied the plushies from them.  The Make the Daughter-In-Law Potato was the first to be tied.


The Purple Cape Cauliflower.


The enormous Moon and Stars Watermelon was a tough one to hang since I am a tad bit short...




...so was the Jarrahdale Pumpkin!  

Come out to the Opening Reception for Chicago's Twelve at Garfield Park Conservatory this Wednesday, 6-8pm! 

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Installing Monsanto's Genetically Modified Crops at Garfield Park Conservatory



Monsanto's Genetically Modified Crops is finally in it's place in the Monet Garden at the Garfield Park Conservatory!