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NOVEMBER 2004
Since abandoning the art show circuit a few years ago, I have been attempting to reclaim that phenomenon known as the weekend. I know that because of this reclamation project, I have lost touch with many of you. It is my hope that we can somehow reconnect, and possibly become reacquainted in cyberspace. I will try to keep my communications in this section brief, but would like to be able to communicate something new to you four times each year.
First and foremost, I would like to thank TeoxSpalatinxfor his hard work in designing my new website. He has worked on it and designed it as if he were doing it for himself. If you wish to contact him, his e-mail is teonikola@ekit.com.
Let me tell you what I have been up to. 2003 was one of my most exciting years. It began with a commission from a Norwegian print club, Kunstklubben, to produce two etchings for their subscribers. After the first shipment was lost in the mail (it was not really lost, but 9/11 played a big role in causing the apparent loss, and ultimately the large amount of time it took the package to reach its Oslo destination), which led to my doing the editions a second time and using a different and more predictable carrier! This was followed by an exhibit of my work at the Denis Conley Gallery in Akron, Ohio, and participation in exhibits at The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City (this exhibit, Shades of Greatness, has also traveled to venues in Louisville and San Diego, and will also appear in several other cities), The Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson, Wisconsin (in the Saint Croix river valley near Minneapolis-St. Paul), and my alma mater, Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. October brought another gallery exhibit at Tamarack House Galleries in Stillwater, Minnesota. Tamarack House Galleries, by the way, was one of the first galleries that ever exhibited my work, beginning in 1976. After this opening, I traveled to Italy for another exhibit of my work in the city of Ferrara at Galleria Ferrari, which opened on October 31 (pictured above). This was followed by a week of siteseeing with my wife Pat. 2004 has been a comparatively quiet year. I do say that with tongue in cheek. When it is quiet, I am often the busiest. I have had one gallery exhibit this year. It was at Sivertson Gallery in Duluth, Minnesota, in April and May. Shortly after this exhibit, I submitted the spot illustrations for Biter av Liv (Bits of Life), a book by Norwegian authors Ellen Kvaerna and Bibbi Lund published by Gyldendal Publishing in Oslo. The book is the psychological study of a troubled young woman. Also, as always, I am incessantly looking for new ideas, continuing my addiction to drawing things in sketchbooks, either drawing on location or relying on memory. I have quite a few sketchbooks at this point, which troubles me, because they all contain material that I am interested in, and if I open one of them, the interest is always rekindled, making it sometimes challenging to stay on one track. Other exhibits are in the works. As they are scheduled, I will post them in the itinerary section of this site. Did I say that I abandoned art shows? Not quite. I still do a small number each year, and they too will be listed in the itinerary. Please do contact me. I am always eager to hear from you!
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