a work in progress

May in Eureka Springs is so green and so luscious it feels like I’m at a bird symphony holding a bouquet of tropical flowers. Every sense is bringing information about the power of the creative or life force. This weekend in Eureka Springs has been jam packed with art events. Art that makes you laugh and grin until your cheeks hurt and you feel warm all over certainly makes you feel very alive. My happy mind is juggling thoughts about the creative force. For example, I have been noticing that artists, who are constantly producing and offering expressions of their connection to the flow of life, seem much less likely to have children… Lots of ways to branch out from these thoughts and perhaps I will some other time. Tonight, I’d like to skip that monologue, hop over the long and varied list of enchanting and exciting creations that filled my weekend and land in the center ring to share a few photos of the highlight of this weekend. The Aerial Angels, led by director and playwright Allison Williams (better known as Isabella) are flexible in mind as well as body. The fact that they play with fire and do splits in the sky turns out to be just a little bonus. The substance of the show, lies in the ability of Isabella and the angels to turn notions of life as we know it upside down.

Art baby, ART

I had to prepare for the publicity materials for the Eureka Springs Artist Studio Tour and thought I’d share them here. These are the photos and the info which will be published in the directory for the tour. The Studio Tour will be happening at the end of September again this year and I will be sure to post again as the event nears.

Background:

I have lived in Eureka Springs for 7 lucky years.

Work/Media

I have always been interested in discovering other perspectives and finding the common threads among people. I enjoy working with the universality of form and color. I create paintings in acrylic which serve as meditations on abundance or, as I prefer, plenty.

Artist Statement

I paint small moments and everyday objects as totems of beauty and gratitude.

I paint big eyed girls to arouse ideas about the power of child-like wonder.

My work is inspired by child’s play and science, by Wonderland and rabbit holes, by cartoons, graphic arts, and funk, by the interplay of colors, the seduction of a curve, and by the awesome experience of being part of the natural world.

Mark Hughes, the artist behind Regalia Handmade Clothing made a big impression walking in his fantasy bug costume. Too bad I didn’t get a good shot of the amazingly cute bug butt or his awesome giant eyeglasses.

The Art Colony wowed us with a great float and lots of dancing art faeries. Show above are Robert Beauford who works in jewelry and Jerri Stevens, one of my favorite painters. Not pictured, unfortunately, is Robert’s lovely wife, Wendi La Fey, who flitted about dispensing packages of marigold seeds to the crowd lining the street. Wendi is a portrait artist and she and Robert recently moved to Eureka Springs from Taos. They have opened the Hummingbird Gallery on Main St. I’m sure I’ll have more to share about these new friends of mine and their talents as the May Festival of the Arts progresses.

Isn’t that beautiful?

See the little hole?

That’s where the rock hit. It was flung by one of my godson’s friends.

He burst into tears and apologized a million times. It was a total accident, but if I were meaner I could have arranged to get all my digging done this summer!

After calming the child and making a few jokes, the boys ran to play in the ravine. I listened to the crackling noises and watched the pattern develop.

It bulged a little bit near the entry hole and when I opened the sliding door the whole window did a wave-like motion. I did that a couple times before calling the kids and setting up a tarp to catch the pieces.

The boys threw small pebbles, this time on purpose, coaxing the glass to fall. A section would pop out in slow motion and crumble before hitting the ground.

I am almost done with my database. It almost karaoke time again! I hope to be back at the easel soon and to have a new painting to share soon.

Setting up the database is not my favorite thing to do in the studio obviously, but it is what I have been spending most of my time on for over a week, maybe that’s why I look so glum in the shot above! It was a thrill to actually put the database to good use over the weekend when I was asked for the prices on a couple of paintings and also about the availability of different prints. I simply typed in the titles and bingo! records of originals and prints with prices and locations were at my fingertips. Love that!
I have taken a break from the database to make some entries to competitions and plans for local shows, like White Street Walk, and I’ll post more about these local favorites as the events draw nearer. Right now I’d like to step away from the computer and oh, I don’t know, maybe PAINT! I do still have some more work on the database with show history, publications, and other bio stuff. There is also a section for supplies which I may or may not choose to use. If you are an artist interested in getting all your work and info cataloged or in tracking your artwork as it travels and sells, check out the software developed by painter Kathryn Townsend, Working Artist.

Calling all artists and everyone interested in protecting copyrights. It’s time to let your elected officials know that copyrights are to be honored and protected. I have just finished my letters and thought I’d pass on to you all this helpful posting from a concerned artist member of a group in which I marginally participate. It made the task easier for me and I hope it will encourage you to make your opinion know to your elected representatives.
Yesterday, both the U.S. House of Representative and the U.S. Senate
introduced two versions of the orphan works bill. Both the Senate version,
S.2913, and the House version, H.R.5889 are very similar in nature and
closely mirror the Orphan Works Act of 2006.

PLEASE CONTACT AND BE HEARD WE NEED TO STOP THIS:

Find your representative:
http://www.usa. gov/Contact/ Elected.shtml

To get the attention of your representatives, you need to
immediately do ALL FOUR of the following steps:

1. Call the representative and give the bill numbers and say I oppose this
(You’ll get someone who works for your representative and they will log your
address and your pro/con feedback.)

2. email your representative

3. Overnight or priority mail a snail mail letter

4. Fax a letter

Get as many signatures as possible on the paper copies. Do all 4 steps if
you want to be heard!

There is a small window of time to voice your opposition
usually the best time to act is in the 48 hours following the release of the
bill number!

Here is a sample letter you can edit and send to your local and/orstate
representatives and Senators. These letters work best when you make your
point clear, do not curse, and make them aware that you live in their
district or state and can vote for or against them.

Feel free to make this personal with your story on how the Orphan Works
legislation will harm your income. Stories are incredibly powerful.

Faxes work better than e-mails, as e-mails are too easy to delete.

Congressman/ Congresswoman/ Senator (their name)
(their contact info)
Fax: (their fax number)

Re: The Orphan Works legislation

SUBJECT: The Shawn Bentley Orphan Acts of 2008 (S. 2913) and The Orphan Works Act of 2008 (H.R. 5889)-PLEASE VETO!

I am (list state, district) illustrator and author who licenses my art and writes published books and magazine articles to earn a living. I am not a hobbyist. I am (incorporated or operate) as (name company name), and run my (list town) studio as a business, paying corporate taxes and filing all legal documents per the law. I have been registering my images with the Copyright Office for over (number) years, own the rights to (list approximate number) of images I´ve created and am currently entitled under the law to be awarded damages and legal fees if I bring suit against an infringer and win the suit.

Under two new bills being proposed in both Houses, however, all that will change.

Late last week, two versions of the Orphan Works bill were introduced simultaneously to both the U.S. House of Representative and the U.S. Senate. Both the Senate version, S.2913, and the House version, H.R.5889 are very similar in nature and closely mirror the Orphan Works Act of 2006. I am adamantly opposed to these bills! They open up a Pandora´s box capable of destroying the rights of all intellectual copyright owners. These bills MUST be vetoed!

These bills are merely reformatted versions of the defeated Orphan Works Act of 2006 but they are currently being catapulted through both the Senate and House at lightening speed, possibly being “piggy-backed” onto another bill that will pass unopposed. If passed in their current forms, the repercussions from these bills will adversely affect every single intellectual property owner including artists, photographers, illustrators, manufacturers, publishers and more. In a nutshell, the bills will create a huge loophole for anyone to reproduce or use copyrighted materials in any way they choose (including for profit). At the same time, it also removes current existing legal punishment for copyright infringement by removing damage and legal fee awards for those whose works are infringed or stolen.

In our current economic climate and controversies about politics and war, Congressional leaders have much more to worry about than this “little” bill. And that is exactly why it is being timed like this by its proponents…and being rushed for a vote so quickly in May.

The original intent of the Orphan Works Act of 2006 was to allow non-profit and education institutions to publish or use images without the danger of being sued (including paying damages and legal fees) if they could not find the owner of the copyrights. No one disagrees with this original intent. However, for-profit organizations including large stock image companies and visual foundations, as well as other “for- profit” companies who would gain substantially in revenue if they could avoid paying licensing or use fees, got wind of this bill and are backing & lobbying for its passage. The 2006 bill was narrowly defeated but has now resurfaced as the two bills introduced last week and poses the same dangers as before.

If these bills are passed, anyone who chooses to use images FOR PROFIT without permission or ownership will have to first be caught, as our copyright laws currently state. BUT then, according to the proposed bills, all an infringer needs do is claim they performed a “due diligent search” and couldn´t locate the copyright owner so the images they used could be declared “orphans”. The only “penalty” for using these “orphan” images without permission or ownership will be a vaguely worded “reasonable compensation”. The actual owner of the images whose rights would have been infringed will not be entitled to any damages or legal fees! Except for big properties & brand owners like Disney or American Greetings, how many artists, photographers, etc would be able to even FILE suit for infringement, much less hire an IP attorney or go to trial if needed…if these bills are passed? None! So artists like me would lose our rights but the thieves would go unpunished.

Two of my main concerns about the bills are (1) what constitutes “reasonable compensation” & how that would be determined and (2) the inability of a legal, registered copyright owner to recoup legal fees in order to defend our copyrights. In addition, the bills offer a solution for artists to register their images in privately owned registries that don´t even currently exist…and at additional expense to the creator! Not only do these registries not exist, there is no way to control how many registries would be created by private for profit companies or if they would be synchronized in searchable data.

From a larger perspective, the effects of these bills, as currently worded, would also hurt small business and discourage entrepreneurship. This will only add to our current economic problems, loss of jobs and possibly affecting U.S. goods being imported into Europe and other countries…plus a worldwide association that would parallel China´s poor reputation for not respecting copyright ownership. This Orphan Works legislation, if passed, will severely impact and permanently damage my income and life as an artist. Not only will it give license for others to legally steal and use my work for free, it will be virtually impossible for me to afford the time and money to register my creations in all the potential new registries.

I strongly urge you to vote AGAINST the Orphan Works bill and protect my rights, my copyrights, to all that I have and will create.

For more information from those opposing this legislation please visit: http://www.sellyour tvconceptnow. com/orphan. html or www.IllustratorsPar tnership. org

Thank you,

(Your name, complete address, phone, fax, email and websites)

I finally took a break from adding my prints, paintings, and origami to the new database and spent some time walking with my favorite sidekick. I was excited to see how much work I have done over the last few years and I enjoyed looking at where I’ve been and thinking about where I am going with my artwork. That’s the up side. The downside is that I have spent countless hours at the keyboard. It has been a bit grueling at times but I have found that I can alleviate the tedium by making my left hand do all the typing. It must also be good for my violin practice since I recently began working to add the fourth finger. That’s the pinkie. As I typed, I realized that the pinkie on my right hand is pretty strong and agile and works quite a bit at the typing while the left pinkie tends to float above the keys. I already knew my left pinkie was the wayward lazy child. So, I’ve taken up its training. It is typing every word in this post all by itself! Yay! Yay! Pinkie! And to you Thumb, Ha Ha Ho Ho and Hee Hee! Yes I am still immersed in my Tom Robbins reminiscing read-athon. Any guesses which of his novels I’m reading now?

This is what it looks like when the mobiles are hanging around my house, before heading over to EureKan Art Gallery. They really do look a lot better in the gallery where they hang freely and you can see the twirling movement of the birds and the sparkle of the beads or crystals. Head over to 150 N. Main Street in Eureka Springs, Arkansas to experience the meditative beauty of these peace cranes. The mobiles range in price from $24. to $168. depending on the papers and beads or crystals and the number and size of the birds. Presented to the bride and groom on the occasion of their marriage, origami cranes are a traditional wedding blessing, with each crane symbolizing 100 years of lasting togetherness. Origami cranes have brought hope for centuries. It is believed that folding one thousand cranes brings the fulfillment of one’s wish. To learn more about the tradition of folding cranes and to read the story of a young girl whose brilliant heart made origami cranes a symbol of the wish for world peace, please visit sadako.org .

Style maven Marcia V. has been keeping the blog world informed of all fabulosity for a full year now. If you have not yet checked out her blog, Precious Style, now is a great time to join the fun. Marcia is hosting a cupcake contest and awarding some fabulous prizes to the crafty winner. Sorry foodies, this contest is for cupcakes which look good enough to eat, not the actual edibles. Isn’t that just precious?

With all these rainy days and the high season approaching, I have been folding origami cranes and stringing them with beads to make mobiles for EurekanArt.

I have been tooling around with my appletini painting to make some fun and colorful poster prints. Starting tonight, these prints will be available at Henri’s Just One More in Eureka Springs, AR where I got turned on to the appletini and where my painting this artwork is based on hangs. I’ll post again to let you know when I add copies to my online shop.

I’m pleased with the mellow feel of the background and the looseness of the text and I am ready to get these printed and packaged for sale. I’ve also been working on a wilder design based on the same painting and I’ll post that later. The first prints will go on sale this Friday night at (you guessed it) Henri’s Just One More.