This Week

August is panning out to be another busy month, and I have artworks in several shows opening this week both locally and out of town.  I am looking forward to seeing the shows in Cape Girardeau & Mt. Vernon this weekend and am excited to be included in the two landscape shows as well.

Not Just Landscapes
Sebastopol Center for the Arts
282 S. High St., Sebastopol, CA
Aug. 2013

Hot Town, Summer in the City
Webster House Galleries
7522 & 7526 Big Bend
Webster Groves, MO
Aug. - Sept. 2013
Reception: Friday, Aug. 2

Contemporary Female Perspectives
Rosemary Burkel & Harry L. Crisp Museum
Southeast Missouri State University - River Campus
518 S. Fountain St.
Cape Girardeau, MO
July - Sept. 2013
Reception and artist's talk: Friday, Aug. 2, 5:30 PM

Cedarhurst Biennial
Mitchell Museum
Cedahurst Center for the Arts
2600 Richview Rd., Mt. Vernon, IL
Aug. - Oct. 2013
Members' preview: Saturday, Aug. 3, 6 PM

Highlights from Kansas

I just got home from a delightful trip through Kansas with my mother, touring roadside attractions, art & oddities, and visiting a friend.  Here are some highlights from the trip.

Wheat Liberty Bell, Mennonite Heritage Museum, Goessel, KS

Dala Horse, Lindsborg, KS

 ReBarb artworks & installation, Grassroots Art Center, Lucas, KS

 Twine Ball, Cawker City, KS

Concrete Teepee, Lawrence, KS

The Cat's Out of the Bag

A long time ago I posted some preview pictures of some artworks I donated for an anonymous fundraiser event.  These pieces were Werewolf & I'm Not Speaking to You.  Now that the exhibition itself is over, I will let you know more about where they went below even though they are technically still anonymous.  (Consider it a blog readership perk that you get this kind of insider information...)

And as an added bonus, they are still available for purchase along with a bunch of other incredible works (I purchased two myself), so scroll through the show and look around.  There are a lot of amazing pieces, both sold and remaining.

6 x 6 x 2013
Benefit of mail art sold anonymously for $20 per artwork

Rochester Contemporary Art Center
137 East Ave.
Rochester, NY 14604
http://www.rochestercontemporary.org/

June - July 2013

Art of the Week: Figure Drawing

I finally made it out to figure drawing again this week after several weeks off with travel and other conflicts.  We met in a sculpture studio this time, so I enjoyed translating some of the sculptures into this drawing.  The model was actually leaning on some stone blocks, but I added the bust for greater interest, and as an added bonus it lends a sort of Judith and Holofernes feel.

Art of the Week: Please Recycle

Please Recycle incorporates a digital print of Chuck's hands reaching out from a recycle bin as photographed during Artist's Day at Circus Flora on June 15, 2013.  The photos have been inserted into cleaned recyclable plastic bottles with labels removed, with the end result touching on similar environmental themes as Water:Life & Cast Off.

The first edition includes 14 bottles found during a walk from my house to the grocery store and back, less than two miles.  And there were many more bottles that I did not collect, already too crushed & filthy to gather easily and ill-suited to this project.  All of these bottles could have been recycled but instead were found littering the street among all sorts of other refuse.

Interview & More Menstruation Art

I was recently interviewed by Chloe Cross of VICE UK for an article about my menstruation artworks, which has been published online through ThoughtCatalog here.
http://thoughtcatalog.com/2013/i-make-art-out-of-my-own-period-blood/

In the wake of the recent countrywide legislature aimed at closing health clinics that provide abortions (among other services), I feel that it is even more imperative to foster and promote discussion about female reproductive health, especially after the confiscation of tampons during the recent Texas legislative meeting.

In response (and sort of in conjunction with my Dressing for the Occasion works), I have created menstrual jewelry incorporating tampons, making approximately 30 pairs of earrings and 4 necklaces which I then distributed to women I know throughout the country.  Feel free to check out my jewelry design in the photo here.  The necklaces include cotton cord & plastic beads and the earrings are formed onto surgical steel earring wires (I adapted mine to attach to some existing clip-ons) with just tampons and plastic beads, using the tampon strings to attach everything.  I encourage you to design and make your own tampon jewelry to help promote discussion and address the taboo and stigma associated with menstruation.

Art of the Week: California Dreaming

I took some watercolors and paint pens with me on the trip to create some plein air paintings on paper.  Here are some highlights as art of the week.  These pieces range from 4" x 6" - 8" x 10" and are for sale at very economical unframed prices starting at $20 (matting and/or framing will cost more).  If you are interested in learning more, please feel free to email me at jennifer (at) jenniferweigelart,com.

What a trip!

We're back from our big adventure!  We enjoyed a lovely visit in Phoenix, Arizona with Chuck's family over July 4 to celebrate his grandparents' 70th wedding anniversary.  Then we rented a car and drove to San Francisco for the Sweet & Subversive reception, visiting some of Chuck's Rock Band friends in LA and taking Highway 1 up the coast.  Here are some photos from our journey.

 Cambria, CA

Nitt Witt Ridge, Cambria, CA

 Elephant Seals, San Simeon, CA

 Monterey, CA

Bicycling in Monterey, CA

 Sharky's, Monterey, CA

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA

 Red Victorian B&B, San Francisco, CA

Web Updates & This Week into Next

I just updated my website to include the new Augusta plein air paintings and Scavenger Hunt! Please check it out.  There are also other updates scattered throughout, so dig around.
http://www.jenniferweigelart.com/

Augusta plein air 2013
http://www.jenniferweigelart.com/Gallery/Environment/PleinAir/pieces/2013Augusta.php

Scavenger Hunt
http://www.jenniferweigelart.com/Gallery/Critique/pieces/ScavengerHunt.php

This week and next, I have artworks featured in a couple of women's exhibitions outside of St. Louis:
Feminine Perspective
Black Door Gallery
124 S. Spanish
Cape Girardeau, MO
July - Aug. 2013
Reception: Friday, July 5, 2013

 Sweet & Subversive: Contemporary Feminist Craft
curated by Jaimianne Amicucci through the Young Women's Caucus for Art
Arc Studios & Gallery
1246 Folsom St.
San Francisco, CA
July - Aug. 2013
Reception: Friday, July 12, 2013

As always, if you want a more complete record of where you can find my work right now, not only is there the list here on my blog (to the left) but I also post everything to its own page on my site.
http://www.jenniferweigelart.com/Exhibitions.php

And don't forget to check out Art Saint Louis' Kickstarter campaign.  It ends July 15 so time is limited.  Please consider showing them your support by making a pledge, and take advantage of all the great kickbacks.
http://chaoticblacksheep.blogspot.com/2013/06/art-saint-louis-kickstarter-campaign.html
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/asl/gallery-cafe-hybrid-in-downtown-st-louis