Rated G

On Friday, September 22, we will hold the opening for our new show at ERA Gallery titled "Rated G." As noted on the card above, it is a collaborative show. The items on display can be grouped into three categories, which each artist created a piece for. Our first project was to design quilts, which were then taken to a local quilt-maker for construction. The second group is a collection of paintings which each artist created a paint-by-numbers pattern for. Multiple copies of the patterns will be available and displayed next to each painting. The final element, which was also the largest undertaking, is a children's coloring book.

Local author Joel Finsel contributed five short stories, and five artists illustrated each of those stories. The name of my story is "Ruby's Slippers," and I had previously mentioned doing illustrations for this a little while back. Needless to say, getting this book made has been no small task, but it is finally coming to fruition. Each artist's illustrations will be displayed individually in the gallery as well.

Of course, as is the custom at ERA, plenty of additional elements will be present the night of the opening, making it a bit of a inter-disciplinary event. Among those will be performances by the 1997 International Grand Teenage Whistling Champion, Tony Woodard. In addition, each story from the book will be read to the attending audience by special guests.

The painting for which I created the paint-by-numbers pattern is With Open Eyes. I felt it lent itself well to this endeavor, and I hope that it will complement my other offerings such as the quilt. Now, I still haven't seen the quilt itself, and I must admit I am a bit anxious as to how it's all going to turn out. At any rate, this is shaping up to be quite an affair.