Show Time for Greg and Dustin!

Michigan's ArtPrize has become quite the art event, attracting artists from all over the country who compete for cash prizes, voted upon by the people.

Greg and his friend Dustin Farnsworth, who is now at Arrowmont in Gatlinburg, TN, are participating this year with the Grow Faster entry -- something originally created for their senior project at Kendall College of Art and Design and previously highlighted on the Gypsy HERE.

It is basically a giant ViewMaster and when you look inside you'll find his drawings that relate to war. (When you are young, you play be carrying the flag with your friends; but war finds a soldier presenting the folded flag to the daughter of a dead soldier.) There are about 10 of these comparisons, and when you click the ViewMaster, another set appears.

The s entry is showing at a location called "The Spot" in downtown Grand Rapids. (For those from Michigan who are attending, it's on Pearl Street, between Ionia and Ottawa and right across from a parking ramp. (Hungry folk: Try the Ottawa Tavern, just down the street.) Greg did the drawings and Dustin built the ViewMaster.

The gallery hosted an opening preview for the artists exhibited there, and Rick and I, and our friends Paul and Bonnie Davis, eagerly anticipated an evening art and hors d'oeuvres. (That's Bonnie and Paul below.) Greg said, "Now, wear a suit and a dress." It was fun to get the dress code from the kid!

It was exciting for us to see Greg interact in a rather sophisticated venue, speaking with strangers as though he'd known them his whole life.

And it was also fun to see the other art displayed there. This panel covered a very long wall, a detailed pen-and-ink drawing. (I'm sorry I don't have the artist's names -- none of them had been posted yet.)

This one took a 26' truck to deliver! It depicts the great world disasters of the first six months of this year (Joplin, Tuscaloosa, Japan's earthquake and tsunami) and is in oil, taking the artist two months to create. Personally, I don't see the specific disasters there, just a bunch of troubled people, but then I'm a fairly literal interpreter. The techniques, though were lovely. (His first name was Nick.)

This was my favorite, by Rebecca Green.

Becca went to school with Greg and for my birthday he gave me one of her prints. I think she has potential to be very big as an illustrator. She's very Somerset in terms of her style, which of course I love very much.

This was another favorite. This beautiful Japanese woman just jumped off the canvas.

I also was in love with this pencil drawing of a Chinese temple.

This one appealed to my love affair with cutting out tiny things. Looks like a beautiful tree, right?

Take a closer look -- it's entirely made of words and type! That's too anal retentive even for me, but I loved seeing it!

The exploding floral bouquet in this oil was a little odd, with flowers bursting from the bouquet on fire. But it was captivating and the technique was marvelous.

I loved the colors of this one. You would need a very large house to display it, though! I'm thinking office lobby only!

This was intriguing, too -- wild animals chasing people, while birds swarm above. I wish I had a tight shot of the birds, as they were outstanding.

The show wasn't limited to two-dimensional art. These three teapots were well done and whimsical in sort of a twisted way. (They were accompanied by "brass" knuckles and the gun at the top of this post in the same style.)

This fellow, Cameron, made an amazing bench, for which he was to charge $25,000. It was stunning.

And I loved this sculpture by an artist from Madrid, NM.

But back to Greg. We were so proud to see how people were responding to Dustin's giant ViewMaster with Greg's intricate drawings inside.

So, three cheers for a great evening. Lots of smiles all the way around. Let the voting for ArtPrize begin!

(Now, there was another show at this Gallery, happening at the same time, with equally amazing art to wear! That's the next post!)

NOW at Chopsticks and String: "We Might as Well Win" by Johann Bruyneel and Bill Strickland.

Enough to Make You Smile

It was a perfect day for a wedding. Though two hours to the east it was stormy and gloomy, in Ludington, Michigan, the sun was shining and the temperature was in the high 70s.

The sky never seemed more blue. Late season beachies had settled in for a last go at a tan or frolic in the Lake Michigan waters.

Fisherman dipped their lines into the brisk waters, hoping for an end-of-season catch.

Boats were out for a mid-September sail...

...and although the lighthouse was closed to the public, it didn't stop people from enjoying a walk on the pier, just to make sure.

Yes, it was a fine day. Better than fine. Exquisite.

The occasion was the daughter of my longtime friend, author, special needs advocate and blogger Judy Winter. I had known Jenna since she was a baby, then little girl, teen and finally, poised young woman.

Jenna is a graphic designer now and has the Etsy shop Bright Wall/Vintage. She married Erik Taylor, who has the creative Etsy design shop Bright Wall Studios. Together they are a delightful pair, formidable with their talent, enchanting with their grace.

Our base was "The Big House," a guest house in Ludington a few blocks from the beach. Those who couldn't fit into the house enjoyed retro rooms in the adjacent Blue Spruce Motel, complete with knotty pine walls and quaint messages reminding the women to take care with their make-up on the white towels. The sign was vintage, too. (Does anyone else see the irony of this sign? Maybe I should post this as an ironic photo around Christmas. They may want to rethink that.)

Of course we gathered before leaving for the wedding. One must!

And then it was off to Lake Michigan for a beautiful beachy wedding!

Jenna never looked more lovely, nor did her father look more proud than when they came through the tall grasses to the water.

The ceremony was short and meaningful.

And of course, we had to have pictures of us!

Pretty much everyone wanted to dip their feet into Lake Michigan for one last time before summer ended -- and got the chilled toes to prove it!

This was one of the most personal and creative weddings I'd ever attended. We received our table numbers tied to a bottle of local Michigan Faygo pop.

Our assignment (said Kip, who met us at the arbor) was to write a message to Jen and Erik on the back of our tag and leave it! What a memento.

Erik and Jenna had purchased lots of sets of vintage china. Each table setting was different! (They will donate the china sets after the wedding, keeping a few pieces as mementos.) We also each received a seed packet for various herbs.

Wine bottles were on each table, some personalized.

The soda, water and beer were put in a long metal canoe filled with ice -- another vintage find. (At night, the ice was illuminated from below.) A refurbished bar was close by.

Yet another take-away was a selection of vintage candies -- scoop your own into a small bag with their initial.

And while I don't have a photo of it, Erik also constructed a photo booth so you could enter with your sweetie and have your pictures taken!

Not that there was any shortage of cameras. Or pie. Sweetielicious -- DeWitt's celebrated pie shop and bakery run by national pie champion Linda Hundt -- provided the vast array of pies. It was dark when the pies went out so I don't have photos, but they were never-ending. Cherry, Caramel Apple, Raspberry-Blueberry, Lemon Chess, Banana Creme, Pecan, and more. Go back for seconds? I don't know who didn't!

The toasts were heartwarming as all such things are.

You can tell from the expressions on Judy and Dick's faces that they had much about which to smile.

But then, there were smiles all around. And they were still there the next morning when we gathered for brunch at the Taylor house. (There was leftover pie, but I'm pretty sure it disappeared that morning. After all, pie for breakfast -- well, you can't beat it!

A happy bride -- and happy parents, whose generosity in taking care of their friends during this special weekend was above and beyond the call of friendship.

And for me, great happiness as well, to see these two people who so clearly are in love and who are so ideal for one another together. There were angels all around -- and they were smiling.

NOTE: I'm finally posting about some of the many books I read over the summer at Chopsticks and String. Right now, the delightful "Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt" by Beth Hoffman.