New Works by Marjorie Nilssen

 Marjorie Nilssen installed her show of new works in the Windows on Cedar today.  Marjorie is on the faculty of Ridgewater College, in Wilmar, MN.

ARTIST STATEMENT BY MARJORIE NILSSEN

My paintings are based on my long time interest in color, texture and unity.

While I am visually intrigued by nature; rocks, algae, moss, etc., my paintings are not

representations or ‘pictures’ of nature.

I am constantly amazed at what happens in my studio when I let go of ideas and allow the

various processes of painting;  melting wax, mixing paint, scraping, etc., to develop into a work.

It is the mystery of this process that intrigues and inspires me.

Studying under the direction of Larry and Paula Poons at The Art Students League of New York

(September 15-October 1, 2012) enhanced my artistic skills by reinforcing the significance of

color development and the concept of losing yourself in order to make a good painting.

I can still hear Poon’s saying “stop trying to make a painting!!”

Although I was aware of this concept prior to my time at the Art League this idea becomes

more clear to me as I continue to work in my studio in Atwater, Minnesota.

Below is a quote from Larry Poons that I really like:

“Ultimately, the issue with art is art.  And you really shouldn’t worry about:  ‘well….if I do this,

it’s not me.’  It’s always you.  That’s the important part of art:  that this thing comes through if

you let it.  The essential part of what you, the artist is, comes through if you don’t try to be so

overly protective of what you think is your way of doing things.  I think you have to constantly relearn this in your working career---that what you think you can’t do is what you already should be doing, and you’re just putting it off.  Simply because you’re afraid to lose yourself.   But when you lose yourself, that’s when the art happens.”

*From a 1989 interview with John Zinsser in ‘Larry Poons:  Paintings, 1963-1990

Gallery Musings

Today was spent on promo for the Wool Market, yawning from lack of sleep, evaluating the results of the current show in the gallery, updating the website, interviewing several people for the potential new position of gallery associate in January, photographing fiber and recording dye results.

The work day flew by, with both Zach and I smiling as we we realized our work responsibilities were waning. He has finished 2 of his three jobs before grad school and I am almost to the sabbatical date! We are both waxing philosophical/nostalgic even though we will be working together another 2 months!

Leslie Sobels' show comes down after Memorial Day, but we will maintain our Monday hours, getting caught up on gallery admin and planning, web restructure and repair, generalized computer stuff! Our Fridays, which may occasionally become Thursdays or Wednesdays (call before you come), will be spent dying and cleaning out the basement cracks, crannies and crevices to make a fuller functioning lower studio.

From Rust Belt to Artist Belt

Leslie Sobel, here tonight in the gallery, is involved in the Rust Belt to Artist Belt conferences and was instrumental to bringing the conference to Detroit. http://www.detroitmakeithere.com/article/20100405/DM01/304059989

April 2010...

"Wayne State University's TechTown led the city's bid for the conference, working with a number of other local organizations, including The Heidelberg Project, Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit, Museum of Contemporary Art and Design and WSU College of Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts.

The group should know in the next couple of weeks when the conference will be held, said Julie Brock, development director for TechTown.

TechTown has hired Leslie Sobel, an independent artist from Milan and president of the Milan Area Arts Council, to help plan the conference and to expand participation of arts organizations beyond Detroit to those in other Southeast Michigan counties, Brock said.

“The conference is centered on the idea that rust belt cities are the perfect breeding ground for new artists, with low-cost living, industrial spaces and open land you can't get in New York or (Los Angeles,)” Brock said.

“Because it's been so successful in Cleveland the past two years, they wanted one of the other rust belt cities to take it.”"

Read about visiting artist Leslie Sobel

Zach Pearl wrote a wonderful article about Leslie Sobel. Click this link to read it. Come meet her May 21, 7-9pm.

Reader's Art 10 and such

Whew! The boxes are in the mail! So many books! So many boxes! The next show EARTH & AIR: art for the environment, by Leslie Sobel is hung. I have been building stretchers for a series of my pieces that are being hung in a show this weekend. The gallery looks like a BOMB! went off.

But, a wonderful surprise came in the mail today.

Book Arts Newsletter, No. 57, May 2010, an increasingly large publication out of the UK, arrived today with a review of Reader's Art 10. You can find it online at http://www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/newspdfs/57.pdf. The nice thing about reading it online is that it is in FULL color. Go take a look. Our article starts on page 34. Here is a quick snapshot of the poetry reading...poets and listeners reading before all the poets arrived.