Letters to the Elves!

  The elves love to receive letters!  Here are is a nice one they shared with me recently:

When Pigs Fly

 I thought I'd introduce you to one of my helpers.  Magic pig contains fairy dust!  At festivals, we have a clear letter writing procedure for kids.  After they write down their wishes, the winged pigs sprinkles them with fairy dust.  Then the kiddos fold up their letters and carefully place them in the elf mailbox.  Finally, the kids ring the bell on the house to let the elves know they have new mail.  We always clap when the bells ring - its a joyous fun moment.  I haven't come up with a good name for magic pig yet, let me know if you have any ideas.

Letters to the Elves!

  The elves love to receive letters!  Here are is a nice one they shared with me recently:

Franconia Arts & Artists Celebration

 Franconia Sculpture Park is practically our neighbor, so it fair to say we spend a ton of time there.  We love it!  There is so much terrific art.  We'll be there this weekend as well for the Arts and Artists Celebration.  So many fun family activities.  My youngest son will also be selling his art in the vendor area.  Hope to see you there!

Here are some our our favorite images from Franconia's last festival:

My son will be selling his small abstract pieces at the vendor market.  Here are some of his more recent

works.  Should be fun!

Rainbow Loom - Eagan Art Block's Momentary Certainties

 I'm posting an extra post this week because the Momentary Certainties Show is coming to an end this weekend.  I posted earlier about installing my Rainbow Loom piece.  The Rainbow Loom looks good as a piece of art, but it is also supposed to be used!  I visited the installation and was super happy to see that people have been weaving materials from the site into the rainbow colored strings.  Its great when a plan comes together.  If you're going to see the Rainbow Loom, stop by by youngest son's exhibit too.  I've included a picture of his installation piece "Frames" below too!  

My son's installation - Frames! I'm so proud when we can do a show together.

Here's the information on the exhibit if you want to pay a visit.  I encourage you to go see the many wonderful pieces by a dozen artists on display before the exhibit closes this weekend.

Letters to the Elves!

  The elves love to receive letters!  Here are is a nice one they shared with me recently:

Letters & Art from Mac Groveland Community Festival

Look at all the lovely art and letters the elves received at the Mac Groveland Festival!  Kids artwork always makes me smile.  It expresses such hope in the world.

Mac Groveland Community Festival

 We had a terrific day at the Mac Groveland Community Festival.  Our elf house at the Edgcumbe Recreation Center gathered a ton of letters! It’s going to be fun to read through them all. 

Installation Day

 Yesterday was a busy day.  I installed my Rainbow Loom and my son's project Frames at the Eagan Art House.  This is all prep for this weekend.  I was thankful it was a cool day for the work.  We have had some really hot days lately, but I lucked out.

Here is a sneak peek at the Rainbow Loom

 My Rainbow Loom project will debut this weekend at the Eagan Momentary Certainties Exhibit.  Here are some photos of me working on the project.  My new shop "helper" Mochi, was often on hand to help me.  Several times she managed to wrap the thread around her tail and pull out all my work.  Still, she is too cute to be mad at for very long.

Here is the information about Momentary Certainties - a terrific outdoor program with dance and wonderful art that is free to all.

Letters to the Elves!

  The elves love to receive letters!  Here are is a nice one they shared with me recently:

Mac Grove Fest - Eagan's Art Block Momentary Certainties

 This September 9th weekend will be a busy one for me artistically.  I will be in person at the Mac Grove Festival with one of my Huldufolk (elf) Houses.  So if you have a problem that only an elf can solve, please stop by and leave a letter for the elves.  Here is some more information about the festival.

The Fest is an all ages, FREE event at the Edgcumbe Rec Center Fields!

Join us on September 9 from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at the Edgcumbe Rec Center Fields (320 Griggs St S) to celebrate the businesses, organizations, artists, and residents that make Saint Paul a great place to live, work, learn and play. Attendees are encouraged to walk, take public transit, or bike to Mac-Grove Fest.

-Food trucks: Buy tasty treats from local food trucks and vendors: Soft Serve Social, The Big Red Wagon, and Thai Thai Street Food

-Music and dance: Enjoy a variety of performances throughout the day: School of Rock, O'Shea Irish Dance (OID), Kashimana, and Lex-Ham Community Band (you are welcome to bring blankets, chairs, hammocks, and more!)

-Arts & Crafts: Look out for the free teaching artists on site: Now Make Art, Art Start, Crayon Kelly, and Huldufolk Houses

-Activities: Face painting, craft fair, robotics demo from Highland HS Robotics Team, yard games, gaga pit, and more!

-Marketplace: Visit local businesses, artists, and organizations in the Business Marketplace and Makers Market!

The same weekend, at basically the same time, my new art piece "Rainbow Loom" will be making its debut at the Eagan Art Block Momentary Certainties exhibit.  Here's some information in that terrific event as well.  Fall is a very busy time in Minnesota!  I will post photos from both events here in the blog.

Momentary Certainties 2023, examines the intertwined themes of ephemerality and permanence. This outdoor, temporary exhibition will be installed along walking paths and throughout the lawns, meadows, and native grasses on the grounds of the Eagan Art House as part of the Eagan Art Block 2023 celebration of art and community.

Summer Fun!

  My last post had me re-thinking where summer had gone.  I took a quick stroll through my camera on my phone and remembered a lot of good times.  Here's some of the things I did!  Remember, the average human only gets 80 or so summers (if they're lucky).  Be sure not to waste them!

First off, we adopted a new puppy from a rescue organization.  She's my new shop assistant!  This is me holding her in the picture (she likes me best!)

This summer I made some more pottery.  I was happy to show this piece of mine in the Rum River Art Center's "Home" show.  The vessel's shape is meant to look like a Viking ship and the runes on the shields spell out the names of my family members.

I helped a friend get married.  I had previously married this couple at the Chapsicle of Love in January.  However, they wanted a summer affair with more friends and family.  I helped out by reading the epic poem I wrote for them in January.

I was certainly a proud father.  My youngest son painted these images for the newly opened TreeTop Trail at the Minnesota Zoo.  That was a good day when I got to see his art on the wall.

I went to some fun parades.  I marched in a few, but also enjoyed sitting on the sidelines.  The art bikes were definitely a summer highlight.

And last but not least, we went to New York to visit family.  I'm a retired firefighter, so one of my favorite stops was the New York Fire Department Museum.  It was just amazing!

Summer felt short, but we have a lot of things planned for the fall, including some elf houses!  Stay tuned for my next post and I'll tell you all about it.

Summer Went By Fast!

    Sorry I haven't posted much this summer!  So many wonderful but busy days!  We started the summer off right at Grand Old Days in St Paul.  We received over 200 letters to the elves and got a terrific view of the parade.  

This winter, I'll have time to sort and post the many wonderful letters the elves received! Until then, don't forget to enjoy these last days of summer.