Door Show #4

These are shots of our artists who have been working on their paintings for our Door Show #4. Incredible pieces and amazing artists.

Lucky

wow.

Lucky us.

I'm sure I've mentioned just how lucky we are to meet such amazing artists. We find ourselves in a dance of getting to know one another. We visit studios. We talk about life. We get to know their families.
For us to have artists as friends and representing them in the gallery is such a gift.

and so it seems......

.....that our economy has really taken it's toll on everyone, especially the creatives who I encounter. So a thought came to mind, why not shake things up a bit and attempt something that just make people smile, chuckle or at least shake their heads. We all know that art IS something that should make people think.....So we have an idea.

A few years ago we visited the Visionary Folk Art Museum in Baltimore and couldn't get over the various art exhibits. One that stuck in our minds was the "Bra Ball". Yes, it was a giant ball made from bras that resembled a rubberband ball.
Our minds went into action....why don't we make a "bra ball" of our own at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery.

First things first....we needed to contact the artist, Emily Duffy and ask her permission.
"Not that permission is mine to give, you certainly have my blessings to make a bra ball at your gallery. I'd be grateful for any visibility you'd like to give to the BraBall sculpture project." (thank you Emily!)

How do we begin? Just visit www.braball.com to get a glimpse of this giant colorful ball but also see the amazing process that Emily went through to create this sculpture.


What can you do? Send us your bras of course! Pass this onto your art friends, blog about it, link us...Artists like to create some stir and shake things up and we are ready! Grab that bra and paint it, stitch on it, write on it. Dedicate your bra to a breast cancer survivor or someone you loved...do what you'd like. Send your finished bra to the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery and we'll photograph it and share it on the blog.

We will gather the bras over the next 5 months and then in October (Breast Cancer Month) begin assembling. Keep a close eye on our attempt to bring a smile to those that "think most artists are crazy". Let's keep them thinking.

Bidding Frenzy!

Last night was the last time for bidding at our 100 Artists show at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery. We had many people standing and waiting to make those last minute bids on their favorite pieces. We are now counting up the votes for "Best of Show" for people's choice.....we'll let you know.

Studio Visits

Our gallery is small but our vision is BIG!
We are fortunate enough to connect clients with artists for special commissions. Kristin Kuhns recently completed a 5' x 8' painting for a client who lives in Eastern Oregon. These images really don't give the painting the justice it deserves...one of those, "you need to be there to see it for yourself". Well, we were and WE think it's fabulous.

Our book is finished!

We finally finished our blurb book for our "100 Artist Show". Click the link below to order yours!

100 Artists-2009

"Inside-Out Educat...

By Mary Lou Zeek Gallery

Book Preview

100 Artists "Inside-Out"

These last few weeks have been 24/7 at the gallery and at home. Late night posting images online, creating a Blurb book, tagging each piece of art, keeping 100 art pieces organized, dusting and mopping the floors,; Shelley, Roz, Tina, Bonnie, MiKayla and Monica have all been a force over the last 6 months...these shows would not happen without their help. Also thanks to the "strong men" (Alan and Ted) for hanging shelves and keeping us all on task.
Last,I do believe that this show is over the top and each and every artist has done a fabulous job, without their contributing and creating as they do...this show wouldn't exist...we can't wait for you to see.
Stop in, call us with a bid and watch for pictures online, we'll keep you posted.

Today I came home with a great piece of art by Kim Hamblin a Sheridan artist.

Her pieces are made from paper that's precisely cut and then nailed onto a thick piece of wood. Pretty fab.

Everyday when taking a walk in our neighborhood I find myself looking at various shapes on the ground, it may be moss, stones or just sticks. I spotted this twig and walked right past it, the further I walked the more I thought about it's shape. I walked around the block, found it again and brought it home with me. Simple sightings of nature and being enamored with a silly stick. I like to think of it as "organic sculpture."

"Trashion Show"

This evening I was honored to judge a "Trashion Show" at Abiqua School. I loved seeing these kids showing such enthusiasm in creating art out of trash. Truly, these are our next budding artists!

Books, Books, and more books!

We are in the process of receiving the books for the 100 Artist Show, "Inside-Out/Educating Without Boundaries". Amazing works are coming in that we just can't believe, we love all of the fantastic works each artist has done this year.....they have gone above and beyond.
The show will go online for everyone to view in the next couple of weeks. Be ready to have your socks knocked off!
Here is a peek at a few of the finished books....can you guess the titles?

January Show

Today I spent the day with Alison O'Donoghue and Kim Murton setting up their new show. Crazy afternoon.

Vacationing at Trillium Lake

This December we have had tons of snow in the Willamette Valley but in our craziness we decided to drive to find more. We drove up to Trillium Lake, snowshoed 1.5 miles in the dark with 3 dogs to find our cozy cabin...it was quite an adventure.

We have closed the gallery to spend time with our family and friends but will reopen on Friday, January 2nd. Our new show is "Playful" art by Kim Murton and Alison O'Donoghue...a show that will bring a smile to your face for the month of January.

Catching snowflakes!

We woke up to lots of snow this morning and I couldn't help but take this photo. The mask that hangs on our house looks like he's catching snowflakes on his tongue.

It's snowing!

Even though we had amazing amounts of snow today the gallery was brisk with holiday excitement.
Thank you to all of our true customers who believe in supporting the arts. Yes....Art fills the soul.

Our Christmas Tree

Recycle-Reuse!

I've been working on a quilt for the past year and am finally almost done.(I do have a life outside the gallery!) I have been picking up old woolen sweaters at various thrift stores, washing them in hot water and then cutting them into shapes. Layering and stitching the shapes has been fun until I had to figure out how I would turn it all into a quilt.
I really enjoy the creative process BUT hate to follow directions. When people would ask me..."how are you going to put it together?" I really didn't have an answer because I loved the process of creating the squares. After making a zillion of these and having them take over my house I decided that I would go into a quilt store to ask a few questions. After explaining what I was making and looking at their puzzled looks I realized that the quilt ladies at the store like to sew straight, cut straight lines and like order in their sewing lives. I was in the wrong place.
Since I don't particularly like to measure OR cut in straight lines I realized that I had to figure this out myself.

Recycle-Reuse!

Budding Artist Mathilda

Holiday Cheer at the gallery!

It's just wrong.

This morning I took a walk and encountered these "tortured trees". I couldn't help but spend the rest of my walk thinking about how this relates to life itself. This is about our environment and respecting nature. This just seems wrong.

What a life....

After decorating the tree, Cooper decided to take it easy by the fire.
There are times when we all wish we had a "Dog's life".

Deborah DeWit Marchant-"Painting Cats"

Our friend and artist Deb DeWit Marchant just released her wonderful new book titled "Painting Cats". We had a book signing at the gallery on Wednesday with many "Deb Followers".
This book is a must have for the holiday.