New acquisitions

This weekend was another busy one for me. Although I was dreading a lack of free time, I actually had a very pleasant weekend. Friday and Saturday I helped out with the Southwest Indian Arts Fair. I checked in art that was submitted for the judged competition, and made sure it was safe and unharmed for the duration of the show. This gave me a wonderful opportunity to get to know some of the artists (many of whom are well known for their work). It was such a heartwarming and humbling experience to meet these artists and see the immense quality of their work. I managed to befriend a few, and was really happy when some of them won awards in the show. One of the people I was most proud of was Hector Valencia, a sculptor from Tucson who works in metal. The pieces he entered for the competition were quite large, and contemporary. In more ways than one, they really stood out from the competition. It was only his second time showing these pieces, and he was really honored to receive an award for achievement in sculpture. At the fair the next day, I was then truly honored, as Hector insisted on giving me one of his handcrafted bells.

I picked out this bell with a cow skull, as I think it will be a great souvenir of my time in the Southwest, and of my experience working with Hector and the other artists. Plus, I love the earthy colors, the perforated metal, and isn't that just about the cutest cow skull you've ever seen? I think it's pretty cool.

Following the art fair, I stopped by the University for another art show--this one consisted of students and alumni from the art department, and included my friend Jessica Drenk. This was her final show before moving to the other side of the country. I'm a huge fan of Jessica's work--it's the kind of art I would like to make, were I as talented and creative an artist as her. Although I'm sad to see her leave town, I am really thrilled to be the proud new owner of one of her works. The piece above (with a detail below) is called Bibliophylum, Excerpt #25. Jessica uses everyday items--in this case a book--and creates something entirely new and different. She draws a lot on museums and nature for inspiration. Please check out her website--and don't miss her Erosions series--this is one of my favorite.