What to do when the GPS does not work.?  I am finding my way.

Have you ever had your GPS take you to the end of a bridge that does not cross?  or to the center of nowhere?

My sense of direction, while not precise, is not horrendous either. With the gentle reminder of the iPhone, I can get to most places…even on time. Yet, I do love maps. My close friend Gwen keeps telling me I need to use maps in the car. But, when you are the only driver…maps aren’t much use as you are driving! 

My co-pilot has usually been an underage child or an elderly dog, neither of whom were much help. In years gone by I would pour over the road maps and write out my route on a long narrow piece of paper I could tape to my dashboard. Today I am comforted by Siri’s voice even when she takes me to the wrong destination. “She” is so confident in her instruction.

Would that “she” could confidently guide us back to daily/new post-covidish life!

In fits and starts, the art world is opening back up.  I have work in a lot of shows right now. The studio work is going forward, in fits, and starts as well. Simple designs present problems and more difficult things go together easily.

MAPPING 1-3, were very simple designs, flat designs with subtle padding.  What could go wrong?  everything!   They took weeks to problem solve.

MAPPING 4 was far more complex!  I had to figure out how to build a trapezoidal stretcher.  It was a piece of cake!  And then, I decided it needed to protrude from the wall at an obtuse angle.  I designed, bent, cut, and drilled bespoke aluminum angle irons to hold the obtuse angle:  a piece of cake!  Go figure! It would seem to be a metaphor, don’t you think? 

It is our goal. try hard to get where we are going using our maps and devices. We prepare.  We plan.  And life has other plans: like road work that is not in the GPS; like re-opening to “normal life” in a somewhat post-pandemic time, after 18 months of caution.

What could be hard about that? Why would one ever feel lost?

These are the shows in which I am participating:

North by Northwest, 7/1-10/10/21 at the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings, MT

Arrowhead Biennial, opening 10/4/21, Duluth Art Institute, Duluth, MN

North of the 45th, 6/21-7/30/21, DeVos Art Museum, Marquette, MI

Virtual National Competition, 6/10-7/3/21, Denise Bibro Fine Art, New York, NY

Refresh!,6/11-12/10/21, ODETTA Digital, New York, NY

Prima Materia, through September, an Instagram only show, curated by Amy Cheng and Charles Birnbaum