Papery Goodness

Hi! I'm Mel! I'm an artist who loves paper, in all of its papery goodness and splendor.

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Making the most of our time

A blog post?  In March?  How is this possible?

Well, as with many things right now, it’s all thanks to COVID-19. But I recently saw an article being posted around my Facebook feed that got me thinking about this particular time in all of our lives and how it’s affecting us in different ways.

You might’ve seen the article yourself – it’s about how to ignore all the covid-inspired productivity…

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Figuring things out (FINALLY)

Figuring things out (FINALLY)

Wow, friends.  It’s the end of the year, the end of the ‘Teens, and the end of my first decade as a full-time artist.  Yes, just two days from now, it’ll be ten years – TEN! – since I took that terrifying leap and quit my job in the newspaper biz.  I can scarcely believe it myself.

I fully intended for this blog post to be a run-down of all of the things I did this year – but about a quarter of…

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I have had a WILD 15 months or so – I’ve essentially worked non-stop since April 1 of 2018 and have roughly 275 new pieces of work to show for it, almost all of it in the form of tiny drypoint prints (with about 50 tiny collages in there too).  That’s a piece roughly every 1.7 days. In that time frame I’ve also taught many classes and participated in a whole bunch of art fairs, curated 15 exhibits in the Langdon Divers Gallery, and completed a 7-week residency at the Children’s Museum of Fond du Lac!

I have to say – I’m kind of proud of my output!  I’ve had three shows since March – my enormous 200-piece show called 200 Days: A Life in the Quotidian at the Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts in March-April; Bird Fest at the Masonic Temple in Oshkosh in May, collaborated by Carol and Roy Toepke; and Places we’ve Been, a collaborative show at ArtSpace Collective in Oshkosh that I just finished, where I took my husband Brian’s photos from our vacations and recreated them in drypoint and watercolor.  Here’s a slide show of that show, which just hung last Friday.

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When I did my “200 Days” exhibit, I wisely gave myself about two months after the completion of my last print to frame, promote and create the companion book for the show.  During the Bird Fest time frame I took a long time coming up with a theme for bird-related art and therefore only had about four days after the last print and before the actual show.  But for “Places we’ve Been”?  I only had five hours between finishing the last print and when we left to hang it. That was nuts, and I never want to recreate that scenario!

I’m tired!  I’ve given myself a couple of days this past week to partake in some fun activities – Monday I got to spend the whole day with my wonderful niece Natalie in Madison, and yesterday, I took in my favorite places in Algoma – Yardstick Books, James May Gallery and James May North, where my friends Megan Johnson, Mindy Wittock and Kendra Bulgrin (also the owner of the galleries) are all in a gorgeous show called MOTHER + ARTIST, and a new shop and gallery called Yonder, co-owned by two very cool artists, Erin LaBonte and Don Krumpos.  It was much needed.  This coming Monday I’m taking advantage of the new Amtrak bus service from Fondy to Milwaukee and then taking the train from Milwaukee to Chicago, where I’ll make my quasi-annual trek to the Art Institute.

I’m telling you this because I want to stop feeling guilty about taking some time for myself. My rational self knows this time is essential, but my productive self is telling me that I’ve got 20 commissions waitng for me in my studio and that I should be doing these before any more fun adventures, even though I’ve been told by those patrons that there’s no rush. I can blame this attitude on my hearty Midwestern work ethic, which I love but which can also be a bit of a burden at times.

If any of my fellow artists/musicians/writers/creatives of all stripes are reading this, can I get a what-what from you all?

  Cutting it Close – and Taking a Break! I have had a WILD 15 months or so - I've essentially worked non-stop since April 1 of 2018 and have roughly 275 new pieces of work to show for it, almost all of it in the form of tiny drypoint prints (with about 50 tiny collages in there too).  

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Growth.

Goodbye, 2018!! I will actually miss this year.  I learned so much that it feels like it was two years long.  You know how it was when you were a kid, where the days stretched by endlessly (but in a good way)? That’s the way it was for me. New Year’s Day seems like a loooong time ago.

I had two incredible things happen this year – the first was that I was asked to have a solo exhibit at the Thelm…

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YAY! I’m back in the saddle with my drypoints - this one is of a necklace my sister @zuttermom gave me some years back. It’s one of my favorites! 😍 #drypoint #tinyart #necklace #sisters

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HOOOOWEEEE! I am STYLIN’ in my magnifiers, no? But I’d be lost without ‘em! 😂 #tinyart #details #magnifiers #stylin

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Having a great time in @stephvanharv ‘s class at the @ideastudiofdlpl - and even on one’s thousandth print, one can make one’s letters backward. 😂 #oops #printmaking #linoleum #workshop (at Idea Studio FDLPL)

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YAY! Here’s another of my tiny drypoints - a pop tart that @ajacksonjarvis got when we were at @colectivocoffee a while back! 😍❤️ #poptart #colectivo #drypoint #art #yum #pink

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Here’s a photo I’ve been looking for, because I need it for my @tedxfonddulac_wi talk in August! I’m ten here, and this photo is almost 40 years old. 😳 #barbies #imold #timeflies #tedxfonddulac

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All set up for the “Birds of a Feather” reception at the Langdon Divers Gallery - after that, head across the street for free music at @thelmaarts51 ! 😃 #reception #art #summer (at Langdon Divers Community Gallery)

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YAY!! Setting up for #artontheisland - come and see us at Lakeside Park (Oven Island) from 10-4! We’re right in the shelter! 😍 #artallaround #fdlart (at Lakeside Park)

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YAY! Here are two of my monoprints up at the Members’ Exhibition at ArtSpace! 😍#printmaking #monoprints #exhibition #membershow (at ArtSpace Collective)

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Try as he might, Brian just can’t look tormented. 😂 #artallaround #fondy (at Fond du Lac Area Convention & Visitors Bureau)

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What the WHAT? Okay, so I’m in Algoma, admiring Lake Michigan, when I see these “foxes” every 1000 feet or so. I had to stop, because from the boardwalk they looked very real. So what gives? Anyone know? 🤔#mystery #foxes #beach #weird (at Algoma, Wisconsin)

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Check out the beautiful prints being made in our @gelliarts class at @mudandprints 😍#gelliplate #gelliprint #workshop (at Mud & Prints)

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So back about 50 years ago or so, two of my uncles were in a pretty popular Green Bay band called The Ants. This is a screenprint I made of a photo that appeared in the Milwaukee Journal back in ‘67, I believe. ‘Twill be a gift for my one uncle who’s left from the group. ❤️🎸 #localbands #thesixties #theants #screenprinting #serigraphy

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YAY! I’ve been “rehearsing” for my upcoming residency at Brandon, starting tomorrow - finger painted monoprints with 1st graders to start! 😍 #residency #fingerpainting #monoprint #schoolart