Month: October 2022

Going for the Gold

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Kintsugi (golden joinery), aka kintsukuroi (golden repair) is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum…

Wikipedia

I determined to try the art of kintsugi. I heard about it a long time ago, then again in a fiction book I recently read. It’s beautiful, it’s functional, it’s exotic and practical. What’s not to love?! And… it even seemed like something I could tackle. Not like the time I tried to make my nephew a croissant crab….

Pinterest.
Fail.

But like something I could actually do and it might turn out. My research began on YouTube. Then I read all the articles. Then I did all the supply research and made my purchases. Here are some of the blurbs from YouTube and the aforementioned articles: “Shockingly easy!” “Four easy steps:” “Anyone can perform kintsugi repair.”

Here are some blurbs from me as I attempted kintsugi: “What the heck?” “I thought this was ‘shockingly freaking easy!” “I DID hold this for four minutes! The internet lies!”

Here is my BeReal from try #1. In my head it turned out beautifully.

So, I’m awful at it, but my gosh- I think it’s beautiful. Here are some pieces done by people who got it right:

Isn’t it lovely? I love the philosophy behind it: that things are redeemable, that broken things can be repaired. A vase, a bowl, a person? Maybe they’ve been shattered, but they can be put back together and beautiful, only beautiful in a different way than before. It makes me a little weepy, to tell you the truth. It makes me think maybe I should give this thing another try.

Bonus ArtPrize Post

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I can’t resist one more little ArtPrize post. One thing I love about this event is there are always new artists, but there are several artists who enter every year, giving a familiar feel to new pieces. It’s fun to see an exhibit and know without looking at the placard who made it. Here are a few last year/this year pictures.

Martha Cares’ 2021 exhibit was Adrienne’s favorite!
Cares’ art still cute and fun in 2022!
And this one was Molly’s favorite in 2021. Take a closer look to see the people in motion within the strokes.
Artist Natalya Doudell entered a smaller piece this year, but equally beautiful- more people hiding in plain sight!
These paintings atop rugs surprised and delighted me last year…
And this year! Artist Florencia Clement de Grandprey added these cool eyes around the painting this year.
I love, love, loved this smoky Last Supper scene by Mher Khachatryan.
Different artist, same subject: this was my favorite Last Supper interpretation last year.

Did you go to ArtPrize? Did you have a favorite exhibit? Comment below!

ArtPrize 2022!

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: ArtPrize is my favorite event in Michigan!! Great art packed into a great town? Yes, please! This year certainly did not disappoint. Please enjoy these pictures of (just a few of) the awesome installments we saw. And if you’re looking for a challenge, guess which one received the Artist-to-Artist award (answer at the bottom).

Carla and I knew we were off to a good start when we loved the very first ArtPrize exhibit our eyes landed on. These bears are made of nails! Also, pro tip: the Gerald R. Ford Museum is my favorite place to park during ArtPrize.
This cat is made of Swavorski crystals! It was on a rotating stand, which really gave it a je ne sais quoi vibe. It can be yours for the low, low price of $20,000.
I assure you, there are some pictures coming up that aren’t animals. Just… not yet. This artist had an entire series of jungle animals… all drawn with Sharpies!! Brilliant! (Says the girl who bought herself a 20 pack of Sharpies and put them in her own stocking last Christmas.)
You guys. This eye is a DRAWING! Kaylee Yang did this with colored pencils. The detail blows my mind! She’s definitely an artist to keep an eye on.
I knew right away my kids would love this one! It’s so sweet and whimsical. Zoom in to see the little dog pilots and their slingshot launchpad. Everything about this makes me smile!
There were several of these urns, each with a scene inside from a real place. They were maybe my favorite thing at ArtPrize this year.
This one features Jerusalem Alley (Where Simon helped Jesus carry the cross.)
This was titled “Music in the Air” Clever art, clever name!
The picture does not do this exhibit justice! We talked to the artist for a while and he told us he went to Egypt in 2020 (but HOW?!) to see the pyramids. When he came home he created this replica of the tomb with moving parts and everything! He and his wife of 50 years painted it together, confirming my suspiscion that couples who create together, stay together!
This wall of origami flowers puts my cootie catchers of fourth grade fame to shame. It was featured in the Amway Hotel in the same spot the dictionary dresses were last year! Paper alley, is what we’ll call it from this year on.
This artist made these hats… OUT OF HAIR! Actual human hair that she orders, shampoos, dyes, and turns into hats!
Hair we are!

That’s a wrap on ArtPrize 2022! It was a blast as always. There were tons of talented artists from all over the place, but I was excited to see so many representing Michigan! Keep on creating, artists! I can’t wait to see what you come up with for ArtPrize 2023!

Answer: If you were playing along, it was the clay pots with scenes that won the Artist-to-Artist award. And rightly so. They’re done by Brad and Bryan Caviness out of Greensboro, NC. “Slay with clay” is their motto! (Not really. But it should be.)