Jerry Fenter

I’m back from vacation and back to work!  Inspired by Yellowstone National Park and the great state of Nebraska get ready for some great stories of wildlife up close and Beer Can Chicken at it’s best.  I’m going through vacation photos right now and will include some of the most excellent in my next post.

I’ll be giving another Making Monotypes with Pastels and Metallic Crayons Workshop on Saturday and Sunday August 28th and 29th, 2010, from 11:00AM until 4:00 PM at The Dalles Art Center. (The monotype shown above is from a piece I did for a special friend who will be having her first big art show in Florida next month!  I’m really proud for her.)  Over the workshop  weekend  you will learn to make wonderful one of a kind prints using crayons and pastels  at The Dalles Art Center. We had so much fun working with crayon and hot copper before, that we’re doing it again. The workshop will be limited to eight people and the cost is $80 for the workshop, with a one time $10 supply charge. Jerry will bring paper for printing, crayons and some pastels. (However, if you have any old pastel sets, crayons, etc. around your house please bring them to share with others.) Also any squares of fabric for flags…8” x 8” to 12” x12” would be appreciated. The fabric should be light colored to show off the bright colors of the crayons. We will be printing on a copper sheet, heated with an iron, so dress for mess. Bring some drawing paper to sketch ideas, pencils and a roll of paper towels. You must come both days. This is a crazy process! Fun too! SIGN UP AND PAY BEFORE WEDNESDAY, August 25th, AT THE ART CENTER OR USE A CREDIT CARD BY PHONE. THE TOTAL IS $90.00. THIS PROCESS IS TOTALLY FUN! YOU NEED NO EXPERIENCE TO PLAY AND CREATE BEAUTIFUL PIECES.  Sign up early!  To see some examples of our last creations go back in my blog posts and check out what we accomplished.

I’ll be sharing my pictures and highlights from Wyoming and Nebraska soon.  Have a great week. 

“Art does not reproduce what we see.  It makes us see.” 

                                                                            –Paul Klee 1879-1940

                                                                           

Last night I couldn’t sleep.  I lay awake thinking the crazy and random thoughts of night.  I tried to stop them.  I needed some rest.  No luck.

Late night news had shown images of Kyron Horman’s Wall of Hope.  Visions of wrinkling Mylar balloons tied in bunches and slowly losing air, hand written notes with hearts and kisses,  wild flowers, hand picked, now wilting,  smiling stuffed animals and candles lit my darkness.   I thought about Kyron’s Wall of Hope. 

Hope.  The word is defined as trust, reliance, desire accompanied by expectation of fulfillment.  Hope is a promise for the future.

Emily Dickenson, the poet and mystic said, “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words and never stops at all.”

For those of you who haven’t heard of Kyron, he is a seven year old boy from Portland who disappeared from his school about four weeks ago.  Of course all who heard the news are saddened, shocked and at the same time totally and desperately hopeful.  The Oregonian runs daily local stories as do local television stations.  Billboards spring up overnight. Posters begging PLEASE FIND HIM placed above his smiling picture are seen in every store, rest-stop and phone pole in the state of Oregon.  Kyron’s disappearance touches a nerve with all of us.  Here is something we can hope for.  Kyron will be found and he will come home and he will live happily ever after.

 Soon the story takes on a life of its own.  Kyron’s story is now on Larry King Live, CNN, MSNBC and hourly updates appear on OregonLive.com. The story goes viral. Videos are played, interviews are seen, parents and step-parents are questioned.  All of us are putting our hopes on Kyron. 

Our entire country comes together for something they all can agree on.  Kyron and his Wall of Hope… now here’s a chance for a happy ending.

For months and years we have all heard bad news each day.  The oil spill, the floundering economy, the Catholic Church scandal, hard times, environmental disaster, even the coming of “The End of Life as We Know It”.  We watch Whale Wars on cable, think that most everything we eat may make us sicker than we are and are unhappy that we aren’t the perfect size or weight. We cry alot.  We feel for the people of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.  Writers share stories of Katrina like Treme on HBO.  We feel pain for the poor and the sick.  Many of us are trying to care for aging parents.  It’s hard times. We aren’t strong.

We need help.  We focus on a Wall of Hope in a neighborhood in Portland, Oregon.   A victory for a small boy may become a victory for all of us.

 No more disappointments, please.

For the latest news on Kyron go to www.OregonLive.com .

I’ll be on vacation for two weeks.  Have a wonderful July 4th.