"Live in the sunshine, drink in the sea, drink the wild air." | Emerson |
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Whew August went by like a blur! I feel like I need to preface this email by saying it is shorter and sweeter than ever- I really did nothing but sling bowls of plaster for the past 6 weeks or so. I moved into a new studio space on the 5th and immediately went into plaster production mode. Remember the crown molding from last month? Well I teamed up with body casting artist, Ali Waller, to make 40 feet of that for the old Chattanooga Bank building now set to become a Hilton Tapestry Hotel. It has been such a fun experience going on the construction site (hard hat and all!) and working with such history. I love a good before and after, so it is very satisfying to take part in one with such great scale. Very rewarding but I will say I am very exhausted…..but I did say I was doing a marathon and not a race. In order to get the bulk of the work done while Ali was in town from NYC, there wasn’t a weekday I didn’t have my hands in plaster. I loved being able to work as a team, by the end it felt like 4 right hands were in the room! It took me back to studio days in Florence when I would work for my studio mate’s cast business. |
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| | The crown molding design. |
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| | The bottom row of shapes will be joined together to recreate the coffers. |
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This is a painting of what the bank looked like back in its prime in the 1920s. And this is the extensive fire damage that I am helping to fix. I think it is due to be finished sometime next year and I will be most excited to show you the final! Here is a link to an article by the principle architect firm HK Architects with more details on the project and more building renderings from the past. | | |
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While I might be in a new studio space, I have yet to unpack my clay tools-or anything else other than what is needed for plaster work. Other than not having my hands in clay for 2 months now, it felt good to grind in production mode for a bit. Definitely looking forward to getting back to it soon though! |
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Everything with the ArtsBuild Art+Climate project had to be put on the backburner when I left the old studio space. That will be finishing out in October, so not too much longer! There has finally been a date set to show the two portraits I did over the spring. It will be October 19th at the Sculpture Fields here in Chattanooga. This will coincide with the annual wooden sculpture burn which I have never been to before so I am very excited. Leaving a link to the Sculpture Field's website below that will stay updated with the latest details. (I will send a reminder out next month as well) |
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I must say that I very much have missed the flower meditations the past few months. It really is a beautiful practice of slowing down- especially if you have trouble sitting still...finding every petal will keep you occupied. Here's to hoping that when I am back from out of town I can sit and draw one of these beautiful blooms. |
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**FUN FACT*** In floriography, dahlias represent “dignity” and “my gratitude exceeds your care.” |
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The weekends this month were very eventful. We got to spend a lot of time visiting with friends and family. Then the one weekend we didn't have plans, we spent it getting started on redoing the front landscape. We aren't quite there yet - still need a load of mulch but I have spent some time getting some perennials in for next year. One that I am super excited about is this beautiful white rose bush. That paired with the mock orange tree is going to for a luscious smelling corner of the house. |
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Tomato update- not one has started to turn yet. They have grown so much since last month though so at least have that working for me. The photo on the left is from last month for comparison. Everything is at least still alive! |
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Fried zucchini slices pair so well with a BLT so before the season is up, you should give them a try. It was my first time trying this and it came out well- and also was pretty simple, even with a double dip in batter.
Thinly slice zucchini long ways, sprinkle with salt, and leave to sit out. Whisk an egg white and EVOO in one bowl, in a second bowl put a mix of flour, garlic powder, onion powder, a lil salt and pep, and paprika, and finely crushed bread crumbs or panko for your third bowl. Once you have pat the excess water from the zucchini slices, dip in the succession of the three bowls, and then carefully lay them in the frying pan. Your pan should be covered in veg oil and at medium heat. The slices should only take a few minutes on each side to get crispy and golden and pair so well with ranch. |
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If you liked this end of month recap. please consider sharing with a friend to sign up for next month's... the more the merrier :) |
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