To learn about this project, click here. This post is organized this way – the grocery lists, information & facts on food insecurity, resources, and anonymous general information about the people who submitted the lists published. Looking for ways to help out? Check with you local school district or houses of worship to see if they sponsor backpack or grocery bag programs. Check online for organizations such as food pantries, food banks, and soup kitchens that collect food in your area. A list of such organization is being compiled below and will be added to each week.
Items on the list above include: tissues, brown sugar, wine, spaghetti sauce, liquid hand soap, swiffer pads, bananas, total, iced tea, lactaid, english muffins, herbal tea, crystal liste, tea bags, bread, tuna fish, applies, Tazo Awake.
Helpful Hints when Donating to a Food Program:
*Food Banks are able to buy in bulk for very good prices so donations of money are always very useful, maybe even more useful than actual food. However, Food Pantries benefit from both actual food items and money. The difference between Food Banks and Food Pantries are as follows: Food Banks feed lots of people from a wide area, either directly or by supplying to soup kitchens and other community food programs. Food Pantries are locally based and address individuals’ needs in the immediate surrounding community. They are often located in churches, or social service agencies as part of larger missions. It is a good idea to check with your local Food Bank/Pantry to see what is most useful to them.
*When donating to backpack programs, choose canned items with pop off or peel off lids in case the recipient does not have or cannot use a can opener.
*When donating macaroni & cheese try to get the kind that is premixed so that no additional ingredients like milk, which may not be available, are needed.
This is an unusual pairing of lists this week. There are four people involved total and they all live alone, however, three of them are currently on vacation together. The description for that bunch is “Three fussy people on vacation”. One of the people used to dine out often for lunch and then save the leftovers for dinner; however, Covid has changed that so now that person cooks home more.
To learn about this project, click here. This post is organized this way – the grocery lists, information & facts on food insecurity, resources, and anonymous general information about the people who submitted the lists published. Looking for ways to help out? Check with you local school district or houses of worship to see if they sponsor backpack or grocery bag programs. Check online for organizations such as food pantries, food banks, and soup kitchens that collect food in your area.
Some items on the list above include: taco kit, red cabbage, coconut milk tofu, canned pumpkin, fresh mozzarella, quinoa, sponges, eggs, ricotta, granola, yogurts, parmesan, elbow noodles, cheddar, greek yogurt, parsley, peanut oil, lasagna noodles, zucchini, soup, ginger, radishes
This list is actually a master list (on the left) and the weekly list (on the right). The numbers indicate what aisle the items can be found. This list has been used for many years so the aisle indicators are not related to Covid style shopping.
Helpful Hints when Donating to a Food Program:
*When donating to backpack programs, choose canned items with pop off or peel off lids in case the recipient does not have or cannot use a can opener.
*When donating macaroni & cheese try to get the kind that is premixed so that no additional ingredients like milk, which may not be available, are needed.
Each household is comprised of two adults. One household is mainly vegetarian and the other household tries to include one vegetarian meal a week. One of these participants experienced some food insecurity during college. One of the household’s food preferences is heavily influenced by their travels around the world. One of the households has limited their shopping off and on depending on the level of Covid infection in their area. One household has access to a grocery store but in order to shop at an Aldi’s has to travel approximately 50 miles.
The Grocery List Project is a multi-participant conceptual art project to bring attention to everyday consumption habits of an unspecific group of people as well as bring attention to the problem of food insecurity.
Participants are asked to anonymously share a grocery list to the project. They also have the option to supply other information surrounding circumstances that influence what they shop for. As lists are collected, they will be posted on this blog along with information and resources that address food insecurity. There are a few spots left so if you are interested in participating in the project, please contact me. The project will start to be posted on this blog the end of January, 2021 and run through March, 2021.
Food Insecurity Fact: When donating macaroni & cheese try to get the kind that is premixed so that no additional ingredients like milk, which may not be available, are needed.
Frottage of an image from a storm drain with watercolor on top
At some point, you probably took your nice new crayons and started to peel the paper off. Maybe when the tip got dull you did this to expose more of the crayon. Then perhaps you used the side of the crayon to fill in large spaces. And then one day, either you discovered on your own or somebody showed you that you could use the side of that crayon to do something wonderful – transfer an image!
The ancient art of Frottage (derived from the French verb frotter which loosely means to rub) is basically just that, transferring an image to a piece of paper by the simple act of rubbing or dabbing pigment to paper that is on top of a raised surface.
Storm drain used for frottage image at top of this post
Frottage had, and still has, uses beyond aesthetics. In ancient China, frottage was a method used to preserve culture by recording sacred text made from carved blocks and images carved in stone, which could deteriorate over time. In addition, rubbings from brass plaques and bronze artifacts not only record historic events but also things like fashion.
A popular past time is taking rubbings from tombstones. Old tombstones are often quite ornate but also tend to give brief biographical information about the person buried. Before going to any public place to make a rubbing, it is best to check with the caretakers to see what the protocol is as many historic sites need to make sure items are not being “over rubbed” which can damage the artifacts over time.
Rubbings are also a great way to learn about your community – what types of vegetation is growing by recording tree bark, leaves, and plants. Utility covers are another way to learn about your community. The storm drain above is an example of how the local water company is educating people not to dispose of things in the storm drain as it can harm aquatic life in nearby streams.
Above – textures that can be used for decorative or informative rubbings. String at the top left is patio furniture, tree bark, a utility cover, and spurge
Most surprising to me was to learn that Max Ernst, a German artist active in the early and mid 20th century, used frottage as a break though method for his drawings. You can see a YouTube video on that here.
In my research, I have come across some other information that you may find interesting and useful and those links are below. The NYT article is particularly a favorite of mine because it is a true reflection on the time it was written.
PLEASE NOTE: My website has move. This site will remain up as a blog with a few other information tabs at the top. You can access my new website from the top menu or here.
Above (left to right): Friends, A Prayer for Justice & Peace, and section one of The Big Question. To see the complete books, visit my website here.
The books I have worked on over the past few months have in common the topic of multiculturalism, but each book focuses on different aspects of the topic. Friends is a light hearted look at a group of girls from different cultures enjoying a day outdoors. A Prayer for Justice and Peace is based on the imagery I made to participate in the Raise Your Voice mural project at the Hickory Museum of Art. That project responded to the recent protests on racial injustice. The Big Questionaddresses the irony with regard to why people easily accept differences in appearance among animals but not among other human beings.
These pieces were made using a variety of media including, but not limited to: relief printing, drypoint, embroidery, and collage to name a few. I often get ideas for books in my mind but it may take months before the ideas take form physically. And even when I think I know how I am going to go about making the images and constructing the piece, it often changes during the course of the process. Figuring all this out and seeing how it turns out, for me, is the fun of making art.
Letterboxing is one of those odd past times that when you discover it, you can’t believe it has been going on all this time right under your nose. I learned of it from an old customer while I was set up at an art show in a park. The best website to learn about letterboxing is here, but a quick explanation would be “a scavenger hunt where each party exchanges rubber stamp imprints”.
After that customer told me about letterboxing, I looked it up when I got home and saw that there was a box hidden at the very park where the art show was. So I took one of my rubber stamps and a notebook and printed out the clues and the next morning after I set up my booth I grabbed my friend Claudia and we searched for the box. It took us only a short time to find it. Instant success, I was hooked!!!!
A letterbox kit contains a stamp, ink pad, notebook, and pen. The box you find will contain the same except for the inkpad.
I have letterboxed off and on over the years and spoke about it with my friendAlice who also heard of it but never embarked on it. So we finally set out to letterbox together. Recently, somebody planted a whole pile in the areas near where we live. Alice and I like to walk so she recommended two that were within a few miles of each other and offered sidewalks so we could safely get there.
Imprint of the Alpha-Omega stamp
The first was a graveyard that is part of Davidson College and the occupants of that cemetery were associated with the college in some capacity. Alice filled me in on some of the local history and we found our box which was called Alpha and Omega. All letterboxes have a theme. This appropriately used the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet to symbolize the beginning and end of life. The photo above shows an imprint of the stamp made by the person who planted this box that contains the letters Alpha and Omega. This person is a magnificent carver and also planted and carved the stamp for the next box.
Homeless Jesus by Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz
I was pretty excited about our next stop because I have heard about the Homeless Jesusstatue but never saw it. It was one of those things I was going to get around to. So that was the day. We arrived at the church and first viewed the Homeless Jesus who was right out front. Now according to Alice, the statue caused quite a bit of controversy when it was first placed but now is accepted among the community at large. What is very nice is that a space is left at the end of the bench so if you want, you sit next to the sculpture. I did not do that but think I will go back in the future to do that. I enjoy finding quiet places to sit and contemplate and this would be one of those places. Apparently there are several of these sculptures so maybe there is one near your community.
So at first I thought the clues to this box were too easy because it gave you exact directions: “Turn right on the path and the box is hidden in the bush at the end of the building.” Sounded easy enough until you get to the end of the building and see lots of bushes. Eventually, we found it and exchanged stamps and signed the box log book. If you return to the photo with the Alpha Omega imprint, you can also see the stamp for this box which is the face of Jesus.
So that was our adventure Letterboxing! Happy that so many new ones have been planted.
Like most people, I have lost track of how long we have been living an altered life style. But last week I had what almost resembled what I would have considered a normal week at one point. So I will recap it here as a reminder that, with adjustments and care, we can sort of move forward a bit.
Prayer for Justice and Peace, 2020, Mixed media on paper mounted on canvas, 3′ x 6′, Hickory Museum of Art Raise Your Voice Project
Monday – I installed my piece Prayer for Justice and Peace on the Raise Your Voice community mural at the Hickory Museum of Art. The mural is a 75 foot long, 9 feet high piece of canvas installed in the museum’s main gallery. They invited people to submit their ideas on social justice. They graciously accepted my proposal but I choose to work on my section at home on a large sheet of paper (6 feet x 3 feet) and then mount it on the canvas when it was complete. So on Monday, I went to install my section. It was a wonderful experience and I felt very safe the way they arranged for every person participating to be there at different times. Of course I wore a mask as did the gallery manger. The other pieces installed were extremely powerful but museum policy is that I can only share my own work at this time. When the museum photographs the project, then I will be able to share their links. (Note – since this post was written a time lapsed version of the mural installation is now available here)
Getting near the end of the tomato harvest this year
Tuesday – Tomato harvest day. At 6:45 a.m. I headed over to my friend’s “garden” which consists of 350 tomato plants and an odd assortment of okra, cucumber, and who knows what else that he decided to plant this year. After all, he is cutting back (so he says). Now this is a man who spent his entire life farming. He is now 92 and growing things is what keeps him going so his daughter and I talked him into planting a few tomato plants this year. Of course this was before we knew about a pandemic and our idea of a few plants was maybe 50 tomato plants and a few other odds and ends. Well so much for plans. In his mind, what he planted is scaled back from whatever he did at another point in his life. Everything is relative.
Wednesday – I had a Zoom meeting with artist friends from the Plastic Club, an historic artist club from my old home town. We were going over the details of a program I will be presenting. I am still of the opinion that, on the whole, more good things are coming out of this goofy situation than bad things. Lots of new ideas, ways of approaching things that I think will be useful when this is far behind us. But what is most interesting about this Zoom meeting is that not only have I connected with many people I have not seen in quite awhile but have managed to make new artist friends. Wonderful!
Thursday – not really memorable. I seem to recall being aggravated by something that I now cannot remember so that goes to show it was not worth being aggravated over to begin with. Note taken for future.
The Great Herbarium Exchange
Friday – I had an appointment to go to the herbarium where I volunteer in order to pick up work to bring home. Right before everything shut down, the herbarium was given an enormous amount of collected plant specimens that needed mounting. Having the plants sit around waiting to be mounted is not a great thing so these arrangements were made. I was not allowed in the building so the staff brought everything out to my car. It was really wonderful to see “the gang” at the herbarium – Lenny, Stefanie, and Dr. Jim Matthews, who the herbarium is named after. The herbarium is one of my earliest social encounters in North Carolina and will always hold a dear place in my heart. I have posted other articles on collecting specimens that you may have read. The only mishap out of this was that the glue we use spilled on the floor of the back of my car. Oh well!
Saturday – we steamed cleaned the carpets. I am not fond of our carpets but since we live in an apartment I have little choice. After we had done the entire apartment we realized the plug was faulty. Of course, I still worried over this after-the-fact event. Anyway, the carpet is greatly improved and we have decided to hire someone in the future.
Sunday – Today we had an earthquake. Like I said, it was almost a normal week.
Cats on the brain. Here are a few new block prints. Some of these I did in early spring and the astronomy one I finished this week. I waited to put them up here and on Etsy until I found a post office I didn’t mind going to!
The Astronomy club Meets on Tuesdays, Original block print,
Fat Cats, Original block print & chine colle, Edition: 11
This spring I sort of binge watched Mad Men. I had no intention of binge watching it but Netflix was cancelling it as of mid June. Man Men isn’t an easy show to binge watch because it is filled with nuanced behavior and speech. It is also kind of dark but I managed to watch about 1.5 per night.
Since I had seen the series before, I figured I would add a bit of fun to my viewing schedule by giving myself a task. I decided I would count how many “encounters” Don Draper had with women over the course of the entire series which explains the title of this blog post. It was critical to pinpoint the exact indiscretion I was tracking in the title to this post since Don seemed to engage in so many.
Season 1:
Don is married to Betty Draper
Midge, the graphic artist
Rachael Menken, the department store owner
Season 2:
Don is married to Betty Draper
Bobbie Barrett, manager and wife of a well known comedian
Joy, a young girl in California living a jet set version of a vagabond life
Season 3:
Don is married to Betty Draper
Shelly, an airline stewardess (that was the job title then). You only saw her once but you got the idea they squeezed each other in during layovers
Suzanne Farrell, Don’s daughter’s teacher.
Season 4:
Don is now divorced from is wife, Betty, so he makes up for any lost opportunities
A prostitute he sees regularly, name not mentioned
Allison, his secretary
A woman from an ad agency, a one night thing
Doris, another one night thing
Bethany, a friend of Jane who is Roger’s wife
Dr. Faye Miller, a psychological consultant under contract with Don’s firm
Meagan Calvet, his secretary
Season 5:
Don is now married to Meagan, his former secretary. He actually behaves himself for this whole season.
Season 6:
Don is married to Megan.
Sylvia Rosen, his neighbor downstairs
Betty (Draper) Francis, his former wife
Season 7:
Don is now separated and eventually divorced from Meagan
These drawings by Anders Hansen are from a trip he took to Spain in the fall of 2019. Note: if the images are reading too small on your device you may want to right click on them to enlarge.
This spring I sort of binge watched Mad Men. I had no intention of binge watching it but Netflix was cancelling it as of mid June. Man Men isn’t an easy show to binge watch because it is filled with nuanced behavior and speech. It is also kind of dark but I managed to watch about 1.5 per night.
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