Sleuthing Milwaukee

After a nice September rest, I am back to work. Yesterday's definition of that work was pounding 26.2 miles on my Newton sneakers along the lakefront of Milwaukee. Marathon #4 is down! As much as it hurt 24 hours ago, why am I already contemplating which one to do next year? I attribute this craziness to my mother, who kindly watched and cheered me during the race.

Anyway, now that my training is finished, and now that I feel rested and rejuvenated again, I am back to sleuthing. I am changing up the formula a bit, a little less rigid in the 'one artist a month' and secretive concepts. I am just going to share my studio adventures and hope you all enjoy.

On that note, today I want to share a bit of my visit with Milwaukee painter Zim Zwadlo. He is the master of the aerial observation, and I absolutely love the pedestrian piece that my firm placed in our first round at 1600 Glenarm Place, so it was nice to meet the man behind the brush.

Jim's house is in an eclectic part of Milwaukee, not far from the domes that house the city's botanical gardens. First glance - yes, an artist lives here:

Inside the Victorian I was delighted to meet Jim, sporting a tweed sportcoat, as well as his wife Sue, also sporting a tweed sportcoat. They were quite the cute couple. Here is a shot of Jim in front of some of his works:

And, bonus, it turns out that Sue is a painter as well. Here is one of her floral still life paintings:

August Off

Your studio sleuth has been slacking...obviously. I have teed up my next artist, actually couple of artists, but the two are spending this month getting married and have, understandably, not been too responsive to my prying questions. So I'm going to let them honeymoon and use the August month to freestyle my posts.

Today's topic is located in a little place called Aspen. Well, it's actually close to that little place in another great mountain town, Snowmass: Anderson Ranch Arts Center. The mission of the institution is "to nurture and inspire imaginations of all ages, encouraging experimentation, intensive inquiry and creative production. Anderson Ranch is an international center for the creation of new work and untried art forms for leading artists of our time." What better place? The mountains always inspire me, and I can see why convening talented teaching artists with inquisitive practicing artists can lead to new frontiers in art creation.
Here is a piece by a former resident from the 2009-2010 season, E. Piatt Wilson:

August Artist X: Karen Scharer

Artist X for August is revealed to be Karen Scharer. Karen is a self-taught painter who has transitioned her work over the past few decades from representational watercolor landscapes to acrylic and then oil abstracts. Her work is soft, simple, stunning. She is a great fit for many of my corporate clients who seek to create soothing, sophisticated spaces. And, to top it off, she could not be more hospitable and friendly. I treasured my mid-summer visit to her stunning Estes Park home and studio.
Here is a link to her website: http://www.scharerfineart.com.
And I will end the month with a few more of her pieces...

Mantra Monday

The life of an artist is not always easy, and I have found through my dealings with professional working artists that the ones who are successful possess similar business and organizational skills to people who are successful in business in all fields. Accepting the call to create art is one thing....accepting a call to make a living creating art can be another entirely. So I love the button that August Artist X keeps beside her easel, a mantra to keep the juices flowing:

Here is another mantra from one of my favorite masters, Henri Matisse:

Benefits of Bartering

Most artists' homes are adorned with a combination of their own work a scattering of pieces made by others. Of course artists love art and fundamentally believe in supporting the artistic community, but here is the secret: most rarely actually purchase anything. They rely on the age old bartering system.

August Artist X has an interesting story of how she acquired the friendly bronze moose that stands at attention in her front drive. A few years ago she was heading to the same art fair as its artist, Jim Budish, and the two made arrangements to share a truck. When the shipment arrived, however, all was not safe and sound....seems that one of his friendly bronze beasts had impaled one of her canvases en route. Horror! Jim did his best to make it right, but when the repair was not 100% he sent this critter to comfort:

Jim Budish images and contact information