Ever heard of The Cort Gallery? It is at 41881 Sierra Drive (river side of the highway) in Three Rivers. It is a little hard to see because the trees obscure the building, but it is worth the time to find. Gary Cort designed this building with rotating walls that swing open to the outside. He is a talented architect and artist with whimsical ink drawings. He invited me and one of my drawing students, Char Prazak, to show our pencil artwork with him on Saturday – a black, white, and shades of gray kind of event! You may remember Char’s work from a previous blog entry; here it is again:
To preview some of the participants in First Saturday September, go here: 1st Saturday in Three Rivers
A year of co-op school
If you are in your 40s or 50s, you probably keep noticing that amazing phenomenon of how quickly time flies. An entire year has passed with almost every Thursday spent at The Art Co-op. I learned a few new things, and one is that an art co-operative isn’t the right place for me. Another thing learned is that it is fun to watch the river, and I want to share that with you.
We opened on an August evening.
On October 13 it rained very hard. Here is Oct. 14 and 15.
For some reason, I didn’t take any more photos until January.
Water was noticeably up in February.
The flowering plum dominated my photos in March.
April was beautiful, of course!
So was May.
Here is my last day in June. Why no July? Even though we opened in August, we were setting up in July, so at the end of June, my year was completed. And, I feel compelled to tell you that Sierra Subs makes the best sandwiches I have ever eaten in my life. Truly! They are next door to The Art Co-op, which is still in business and has several new artists. Hmmm, did it take 3 more to fill my large shoes? 😎
Dancing Feet on eBay!
Sierra Swinney is 15 years old and has lived in Three Rivers her entire life. Ballet seems like an odd obsession for someone who loves to backpack with her dad in the local mountains, but Sierra has been dancing since she was four and dreams of becoming a professional ballerina. She has been accepted to the American Ballet Theatre’s summer program in Alabama, and this little painting is for auction on eBay to help pay her way. You can go to eBay and bid on it now, and let’s make lots of money for Sierra!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110554193307#ht_500wt_896
Peculiar sights #8
Here is a saxophone player:
I don’t know what this guy is doing, but he certainly is peculiar.
This one will last!
Do you remember my posting about the fat girl inside screaming to be left alone? Now I have the solution to those flimsy chairs:
These redwood chairs are made locally by Bob Kellogg of Three Rivers and when I sit in this, my legs stick out like Alice in Wonderland! It is my throne, and sometimes I am the Red Queen.
What’s That Smell?
For eleven years I have been walking around Three Rivers. The spring is the best time, and this is the best spring I remember, ever! No hot spells, regular rain, tons of flowers in both quantity and variety. . . who could ask for more? Each year, there is a wonderful fragrance that arrives in May, something akin to orange blossoms. Diana and I couldn’t figure it out; Robin and I finally decided it was an orange tree that we just couldn’t always spot. I was not satisfied with either solution, and this year while eating dinner al fresco, I noticed it again. The next day Michael and I both noticed it on a walk, and this time we both discovered the answer.
Redbud Festival Review
The Arts Alliance of Three Rivers did an outstanding job of organizing, publicizing and managing the Redbud this year! The music was just right, the booth size was generous, the signs leading the public in were visible and consistent in color and design, the vendors had high quality products, the food choices were plentiful, the parking was convenient, and the volunteers were always available and helpful! This was a great show! The hardest part was having too many people visit my booth at the same time so that conversations were abbreviated or I missed opportunities to greet folks who took the time to stop by. Look at all the paintings that sold:
There might have been more, or I might have shown you the wrong poppies. . . hard to say because I slept last night. You can see that poppies were the favorite subject. What you might not be able to discern from this posting is that the most popular size was 6×6″. My theory is that people’s walls are full and while their wallets aren’t completely empty, cautious spending is the pattern. This is normal behavior in Tulare County rather than an indication of the entire country’s economic woes.
First Saturday, May Day
Time flies when one is having fun! It is already time for another First Saturday in Three Rivers, falling on May 1 this week. The flyer is too big to load, so for info about this event, go here:
Peculiar sights #4
One day while walking, instead of looking out for that yappy squalling ankle-biter named Miles, I looked up. What a nice surprise!
Peculiar sights #2
This is an undoctored photo of a daffodil. In my regular walking route in Three Rivers, I encounter a yard with several of these. Really! I used to think all daffodils were yellow – many different shades and combinations, but always yellow. Guess I was wrong!