Sunday, December 14, 2014

Winter News

The Great Spirit (owl)

The Myth Makers, Donna Dodson & Andy Moerlein, recently launched their brand new, catalog- if you did not receive one, please let us know! In it we announced our upcoming public art project, Avian Avatars, in The Garment District on Broadway below Times Square in New York City from January-April 2015. To read a full copy of the press release, click here. To see a calendar of our upcoming public programs in New York City, click here

At this time, we would like to invite you to an Open House in Boston on Saturday, December 20, 2014 from 1p-3p at Save That Stuff warehouse in Charlestown (Moran Access Rd) where we are constructing these monumental sculptures.

The Scold (crow)

See the recent Save That Stuff blog post here about our Artist in Residence and RSVP using this link- we look forward to seeing you!

The Tastemaker (falcon)

Update: Susan Doucet from The Concord Monitor covered this story, click here to read it. 
Liz Cahill, From GTI Properties in Boston, Also posted a blog about it for SoWA Boston, click here to read it.

Also coming up this week, Sketchy Sculptors at the Boston Sculptors Gallery, a group show featuring sculptors' drawings in different materials, December 17th 2014-January 11th 2015.

Opening Reception: Wed. Dec. 17 from 6 – 8 pm- Please join us! I will be there!



Recently returned from SNHU sculpture park, and currently available for loan: The Tiger Mothers! Please be in touch if you would like to purchase these sculptures, or arrange for a temporary loan.

 


Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Autumn News

Hello, Many of you may have noticed the Mighty Lionness in the SoWA neighborhood of Boston. This sculpture was recently installed at the 500 Courtyard in SoWa – right opposite Cinquecento. Liz Cahill did a great write up about it for the Sowa blog, in September since it was installed in time for South End Open Studios. Please read below for more information and Save the date: There will be a reception on Tuesday December 2nd from 5p-7p at Cinquecento, and you are all invited. Thank you!

 The Mighty Lioness by Donna Dodson

The Mighty Lioness, or “The Monument to the First Female President of the USA” as she is officially entitled, is 13 feet tall and probably weighs more than a ton. I’m not sure if she ever stepped on a scale, frankly. And yes, I jest. But, please while you’re walking around Open Studios this weekend, or when you come down to SoWa for one of our events or just to peruse, please stop by and visit. And take a picture, because TheMighty Lioness will only be with us for 7 or 8 months, before she heads off to Chesterwood in Stockbridge, MA.

According to the Artist, this monument is for the dream that every girl can become President of the United States of America and is also Dodson’s homage to the great American Sculptor, Daniel Chester French.

And, so, in May, along with a group of other Sculptors from the Boston Sculptors Gallery, this piece will travel to Chesterwood, the historic home of Chester French, the creator of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.

Donna Dodson and Boston Sculptors Gallery

Donna Dodson is a member of the Boston Sculptors Gallery, located at 486 Harrison Ave. Her artwork celebrates the mystical relationship between human beings and the animal kingdom.
“My artwork celebrates the mystical relationship between human beings and the animal kingdom. Because there were no icons of women in the church that I grew up in, my vision is to create them. Through hybrid female-animal forms that I sculpt in wood, I flesh out sensuality, sexuality and soul with a well-proportioned figurative vocabulary.”

From her bio: “Donna has been carving images out of wood for nearly 20 years. Her sculptures explore feminine beauty and evoke humor and playfulness but also grace, power and emotional strength. Her unique vision responds to the relation of animals to the human spirit that have existed since ancient times. Her figures are almost always female and range in size from the intimate to the monumental.”

A Monument to the First Female President of the USA by Donna Dodson, 13 ft tall, poplar wood, paint, 2014. Courtesy of GTI Properties, Mario Nicosia, V. Lessard & Sons and The B
oston Sculptors Gallery.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

September News

Sculpture Tour & Talk

Thursday, September 18, 2014 5-7 pm

Join sculptors Donna Dodson, Gillian Christy and Dale Rogers on a tour of the sculpture park at Southern New Hampshire University. SNHU is located at 2500 North River Road, Manchester, NH, 03106 


Image Credit: Donna Dodson, Tiger Moms, 2013.


Saturday & Sunday September 20 & 21, 2014 11a-6p

Join sculptors Andy Moerlein and Donna Dodson at 93 Forest Hills St #3 both days for a preview of their new work! 





Monday, June 16, 2014

Summer News

Lift off of the Great Blue Heron, 50'w x 20'h x 20'd
by the Myth Makers Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein
took place on Saturday June 14th, 2014 at 9pm- see our photos below...





CONVERSATION PIECES: PAINTINGS BY BETH DACEY, DANE EISENBART AND SCULPTURE BY DONNA DODSON


Asian Elephant, 32" tall, wood, paint 2007
Photo credit: Clements Howcroft

June 20, 2014 to August 14, 2014

Opening Reception: 
Friday, June 20, 2014 - 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Essex Art Center, 56 Island Street, Lawrence, MA 01840


MEET THE MYTH MAKERS: DONNA DODSON AND ANDY MOERLEIN

Tuesday, June 24 at 12:00 pm
Krasl Art Center, 2nd Floor Library

Artists Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein are the Myth Makers. The two share a mutual love of the wild that has led them to work collaboratively and creatively with natural, site-specific materials to create monumental forms. Their collaborative sculptures are stunning to behold, but only temporarily in existence.  Learn more about their collaborative work in this unique noontime lecture with the artists.

Both artists are featured in the KAC’s 2014 Biennial Sculpture Invitational. Donna Dodson’sCinderella Seagull is on view at the Margaret B. Upton Arboretum and Andy Moerlein’s Impossible is located on the KAC’s grounds.

Pillars of the Community, a solo exhibition featuring Donna Dodson's wood sculptures
'Dodson is a sculptor of idols, woman-beasts who blend regal formality with wildness. '
-Cate McQuaid, Boston Globe
Diva, 12" tall, mulberry wood 2013

July 11-August 24, 2014
Opening reception July 11th 5p-7p
636 Marble St. West Rutland Vermont


Artist Talk and Reception with Andy Moerlein and Donna Dodson

Different Perspectives
2013 wood, ceramic 
by Andy Moerlein

We face the same world from such very different points of view.
Red Wing Black Bird, 40" tall, wood, paint 
Wednesday July 23rd 4p-7p
3555 Arctic Blvd
Anchorage Alaska


Brown Pelican, 34" tall, wood, pigment, paint

August 14th - August 27th, 2014

Rice Polak Gallery
OPENING RECEPTION: 
FRIDAY AUGUST 15, 7:00pm
30 Commercial St., Provincetown, MA 02657



Sunday, May 4, 2014

Silent Scream: Personality Type and Body Language

May 21-June 22, 2014

Boston Sculptors Gallery
486 Harrison Ave Boston MA 02118

Opening Reception: Sat May 31st, 2p-5p
First Friday Reception: June 6th, 5p-8p

Gallery Hours: Wed-Sun 12p-6p
www.bostonsculptors.com

Those who see any difference between soul and body have neither –Oscar Wilde

Boston, Mass. In the history of the world, up to the present time, the animal community has known only two types of hippopotamus, the common hippo and the pygmy hippo. In May 2014, a new species of hippo will appear in the city at the Boston Sculptors Gallery.  The Mighty Hippo stands at nearly the same height as the common hippo, but her five foot frame is vertical, not horizontal. The significance of her stance has yet to be determined by science.

In Donna Dodson’s third solo show at the Boston Sculptors Gallery, she brings together her signature vocabulary of animal headed goddess figures with her favorite material- wood. Dodson has created a new series called Silent Scream. This body of work references the Egyptian Goddess Tauret: a hippo/lion/crocodile composite figure.  Tauret earned her reputation as an apotropaic deity from people noticing how fiercely protective hippos are of their young.  

Prominent artists, such as Stephan Balkenhol and Walton Ford, who use animal headed imagery, eventually shed the animal, and continue on to make a commentary about the human figure in their work. In that case, the animal image was a mask. In Dodson’s work, she sees the animal head as a representation of an abstract idea, for example what is it like be powerful (like an elephant) or free (like a bird) or fierce (like a tiger). The fact that these abstract ideas are married to a human body, reveals Dodson’s vision of how it looks to feel beautiful, and wild, or free.

Donna Dodson’s animal headed goddess figures expand the visual language and narrative scope of traditional mythological depictions of deities, meditating on the intersection of personality type and body language that define the human/animal world.  Although human faces rarely appear in her sculptures, their presence is always implied in her human/animal figures.

The Mighty Hippo, 50" tall, wood & paint, 2014 by Donna Dodson

Update: Cate McQuaid reviewed my show 'Silent Scream' in the Boston Globe, on June 10, 2014. Suzi Grossman also reviewed my show on her blog, bostonhassle.com on June 10, 2014.

Monday, April 14, 2014

April/May News

I am very pleased to announce that I will be participating in the 2014 Biennial Sculpture Invitational at the Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph Michigan this year. My piece, the Seagull Cinderella will be on view from June 25, 2014- September 2015. If you're in the area, please join us for the opening reception on Friday April 25th, from 6p-10p.


Seagull Cinderella, 2012-2013, styrofoam, cement, acrylic, 8ftx4ftx4ft by Donna Dodson

Seagull Cinderella is as common as the birds we see at the beach. Yet she is uncommon, like Marilla in Anne of Green Gables, corseted and bound by the sweet virtues of her character. Her full length gown is alive with neon daisies and flower power! This piece is Celebrating a Common sea bird as the American mythic princess, Cinderella.

Also, on view at the Krasl Art Center, in the Galleries from April 25, 2014- June 22, 2014, is a show of Biennial maquettes, models and drawings. I will be exhibiting a wood sculpture and two small colored pencil drawings of the Seagull Cinderella.


Seagull Cinderella, 15" tall, wood paint by Donna Dodson Photo Credit: Cliff Pfeiffer
Save the Date for ArtWeek Boston: April 25-May 4, 2014 and these two upcoming events: Inside the Studio with the Boston Sculptors Gallery. During ArtWeek Boston, Boston Sculptors Gallery will present two pecha kucha style events that will offer rapid fire presentations rich with images and stories to illustrate how each sculptor develops ideas, responds to site and community, and engages audiences. The artists take you behind the scenes for a sneak peak into the how and why of their studio practice. 






Tuesday April 29th, 6p-8p
Discussion topic- The Great Outdoors


Speaker Lineup: Caroline Bagenal, Rosalyn Driscoll, Mags Harries, Andy Moerlein, Nancy Selvage, Nora Valdez, Hannah Verlin






Saturday May 3rd 3p-5p 
Discussion topic- Indoor Sites


Speaker Lineup: Liz Alexander, Donna Dodson, Susan Lyman, Eric Sealine, Liz Shepherd, Julia Shepley, Jessica Straus







The Boston Sculptors Gallery members offer the audience an unusual experience you can't get in commercial art gallery and museum shows. Moderated by Ron Mallis, of BostonAPP/Lab, each event includes a lively Q&A. Free and open to the public of all ages, light refreshments included. The events will take place at the Boston Society of Architects, 290 Congress St, Suite 200, Boston. To RSVP for either one or both of these events, please send an email to reception@architects.org and specify the date(s) of the event(s) you wish to attend.



Flock Together, installation, 2012 at the Boston Sculptors Gallery

Also in April, The International Sculpture Center will honor Judy Pfaff and Ursula Von Rydingsvard with Lifetime Achievement awards at a Gala event on April 30th at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City. I will be participating in the International Sculpture Center's Art Benefit Sale, at the 2014 Lifetime Award Gala. The sale will Include works for sale by world-renowned artists, emerging artists, and past and current ISC Lifetime Achievement Award winners. A special online preview will commence on April 16th through April 30th where patrons can be the first to browse through newly donated artworks. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the ISC website. Here's a sneak peek of my piece:

Pregnant Kangaroo, 6" bronze on limestone base. Limited edition, 2/10

Coming up in May... Silent Scream: Personality Type and  Body Language, my third solo show at the  Boston Sculptors Gallery.  It will open May 21st and be on view through June 22nd. I will be exhibiting concurrently with Kim Bernard.


The Mighty Hippo, detail, 50" tall, walnut 2014

On May 3rd, Rice Polak Gallery opens for the season with a group show of the artists they represent. I am proud to announce that I will be showing with this esteemed gallery in Provincetown for the first time this summer. Stay tuned for more details on my upcoming feature show that opens August 15th with Sean Thomas and Patrick Webb. Here's a teaser...


Ms. Pea Hen, 2012, 29" tall, birch wood & paint
Drole and yet a nobody. An undistinguished madam trapped inside a very distinguished body. Singularly peculiar. Regal, rampant and rebellious, like the statue of Liberty's sister. Someone who we know is someone but we've never heard of her.


Update: Nancy Egol Nikkal, posted a great review of our booth at the Fountain Art Fair, on her blog, The Art of Collage, and she included a lengthy spotlight on my work, in her piece "About Donna Dodson."

Sunday, February 23, 2014

March News

Save the Date for Armory Week in New York City: March 7th-9th. I will be exhibiting my work for the third year in a row at the Fountain Art Fair in the 69th Regiment Armory (Lexington Avenue & 26th Street). Our booth is called 'The Artist Collective,' and it features the fabulous artwork of Stephan Fowlkes along with mine. Organizers Kelsey Marie and Elizabeth Tully recently profiled my work on their blog, Selavy Says...

Bantam, 46" tall, wood, paint by Donna Dodson

Dodson’s art celebrates the relationship between humans and the animal kingdom.  Replete with mythological imagery and age-old iconography, her sculptures evoke a mystical reverence for feminine strength and beauty.  Her inspirations include ancient Egyptian art, traditional African sculptures and Native American totems (among others, of course… pre-med studies, and she often uses logs of osage orange wood from her grandfather’s farm in Illinois).  We enjoy that there is something “goddess” about her pieces that strikes a cord in the gut.  We also love how she works with her materials, whether it requires letting knots in wood emerge as eyes or delightful nipples, or shaping styrofoam and cement into buxom seagull cinderella, or exposing the serene solidity of stone in oracle elephants.  Just saying, we like.

Madam Elephant, 38" tall, wood, paint 2005 by Donna Dodson Photo Credit: Bruno Giust

Friday, March 7


12 – 7pm: VIP/Press Preview (Open to the public)
7pm – Midnight: Opening Night Reception

Saturday, March 8

12 – 7pm: Open to the public
7pm – Midnight: Saturday Night Event
Music Lineup : THE DEEP!

Sunday, March 9

12 – 5pm : Open to the Public
Also happening in March: 'Sculptures in Wood: students of Joseph Wheelwright,' at the Northeast ARC, at 22 Foster St. in Peabody MA (the old post office building). The show dates are March 14th-April 19th with a gala opening on Friday March 14th, from 6:30p-8:30p. This group show will feature art work from many of the sculptors who studied with Joseph Wheelwright in the years from 1980-2014, myself included.
Ebony Rabbit, 28" tall, wood, 2003 by Donna Dodson Photo Credit: Cliff Pfeiffer
I recently launched two catalogs of my work, Elephant Tribe and Flock Together. Both booklets are 24 page, full color, and each one measures 6"x9". If you did not get one in the mail, and would like me to send you one, please be in touch ASAP while supplies last.

Save the Date: My third solo show at the  Boston Sculptors Gallery is fast approaching. It will open May 21st and be on view through June 22nd. I will be exhibiting concurrently with Kim Bernard. More details soon... Hyperallerigic's Philip Hartigan, recently profiled my studio, in his column, A View from the Easel.

Monday, January 20, 2014

January News

I recently completed an international residency in Cusco Peru at the Escuela Superior Autónoma de Bellas Artes. Living and working in another country was a challenge on many levels. Dealing with a language barrier, different electrical circuits for my power tools, foreign types of wood, and different chemicals and chemistry for products I rely on to finish my work was not easy. But it forced me to try new materials and techniques, and it pushed my work in a different direction, which in the end is what residencies are all about.



Puma Senorita, 36" tall, loro wood and ink, 2014 by Donna Dodson 


Nora Valdez is an internationally exhibited artist. She has organized many sculpture symposia. When we said we wanted to go and work in Peru to make new work with the other artists in the show, she had the idea to secure the ateliers at the art school in Cusco for our use, since the students would be on vacation while we were there. In Cusco, we had the honor of meeting the Director, Professor Carlos Larrea Garcia, who welcomed us into residence at his school. We had many adventures together getting wood and tools to use.



Puma Senorita, detail 

Side by side with artists from the Boston Sculptors Gallery and artists from Peru, I made new work in preparation for our upcoming group show at the MUSEO Convento de Santo Domingo QORIKANCHA in February 2014 called Visions/Visiones that will be curated by Nora Valdez. In addition to the new work I made in residence, I brought recent work with me to exhibit, Condorita, that I showed in the Nesto Gallery at Milton Academy this fall, for our preview exhibition, Connections/ Conexiónes.




Condorita, 23" tall, walnut 2013 by Donna Dodson 

While in Cusco, we were fortunate to meet Mabel Allain, the new curator at the Qorikancha Museum. She has ambitious plans for the permanent collection and exhibition schedule and will bring new energy to the upcoming program of artists they are exhibiting in 2014. We also met the former curator of the Qorikancha Museum, Vera Tyuneleva, who recently completed her PhD in history at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. She is currently a docent and professor at the University San Ignacio de Loyola- Cusco Extension. In addition, we were pleased to meet Manolo Chavez, one of the best professional photographers in Cusco who will be helping us with the images for the forthcoming catalog for Visions/Visiones.



Condorita, detail 

The show, Visions/Visiones will open February 1st and remain on view through March 31, 2014. The show will feature artwork by the following artists from the Boston Sculptors Gallery: Caroline Bagenal, Kim Bernard, Murray Dewart, Donna Dodson, Rosalyn Driscoll, Laura Evans, Peter DeCamp Haines, 
Michelle Lougee, Nancy Winship Milliken, Andy Moerlein, Nancy Selvage, Liz Shepherd, Jessica Straus, Nora Valdez, Hannah Verlin and Joseph Wheelwright. These Boston sculptors will show alongside many notable Peruvian artists such as: Ronald Alvan, Pablo Yactayo, Jacob Sulca, Persi Narvaez, Ivan Tovar, Victor Zuniga, Luis Angulo y Gianfranco Yovera, Carlos Bardales and Xavier Cano.

Update: Weekend, picked up the story, 25 sculptors gather convent of Santo Domingo Qorikancha on January 23, 2014. Lima Gris picked up the story, CUSCO: 25 international sculptors IN QORIKANCHA on January 23, 2014. La Primera Peru picked up the story, Sculptors from the United States and Peru share experiences in Cusco on January 25, 2014. Prensarte picked up the story, Peruvian and American sculptors presented at the Convent of Santo Domingo, Koricancha on February 1, 2014.



Pumita, watercolor and pencil on paper, 9"x12" 2014 by Donna Dodson 

In addition to working in wood, and creating new work for Visions/Visiones, I was also busy preparing studies in pencil and watercolor for a show that will run concurrently with our show at Qorikancha. Transcripts/Transcripciones will be curated by Jose Luis Morales Sierra and will feature drawings and works on paper by the following members of the Boston Sculptors Gallery: Caroline Bagenal, Kim Bernard, Murray Dewart, Donna Dodson, Rosalyn Driscoll, Laura Evans, Andy Moerlein, Nancy Selvage, Nora Valdez, Hannah Verlin and Joseph Wheelwright. This show of drawing and visual design will also feature work by the following distinguished Peruvian artists: Jacob Sulca , Ronald Alvan , Ivan Tovar , Luis Angulo, Gianfranco Yovera, Pablo Yactayo, Persi Narvaez, Victor Zuniga, Roger Bellido, Pachacutec Huaman, Marcial Ayala, and Jose Luis Morales. It opens to the public on Jan 31, 2014 at ICPNAC (Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano del Cusco) and runs through Feb 28, 2014. 



Condora, colored pencil on rice paper, 9"x12" 2014 by Donna Dodson  

Closer to home, I am exhibiting some new wood sculptures in the windows at the Boston Sculptors Gallery from January 20th to April 26th 2014. The gallery is located at 486 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA 02118.

Mama Duck, 18" tall, mulberry wood & paint, 2013
Wistful for the carefree life that she used to have but wilfully wrapped up in her children’s lives as much as her husband’s. She is the epitome of motherhood, and yet, she still finds time to look and feel elegant. If she is trapped, it is by her own standards of perfection that she has embraced.

Prodigal Daughter, 2012, 18" tall mulberry wood & paint
An extraordinary woman- ready to take the blame for stepping out of the flock to discover herself first. For that she is rewarded with all of the family blessings by a family who treasures her as a champion that lives among them with such wisdom in her wings.

Diva, 12" tall, mulberry wood 2013 by Donna Dodson 
She can hit the highest notes in her arias and shake the opera house with her mighty voice. She is a Diva in her viking helmet sporting cow horns and two long blond braids, with concentric breast plates of armor.

Save the following dates for my partner Andy Moerlein's upcoming show at the Boston Sculptors Gallery: Demise, Pondering the Unthinkable 
February 5 – March 9, 2014
Opening reception: Friday February 7, 5 – 8 p.m.
Artist Talk: Sunday, February 9, noon.
Tea and Cake performance event: March 1, 3 - 5:30 p.m.
Closing Reception: Friday March 7, 5 – 8 p.m.
Gallery hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 12 – 6 p.m.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Cusco Peru- International Residency

Overview: In February 2014 members of the Boston Sculptors Gallery together with a group of Peruvian artists will present Visions/Visiónes, in Cusco, Peru, in the Qorikancha Museum, Santo Domingo Convent. This Peruvian Convent and Museum are built on the foundation of one of the most important Inca temple sites near Machu Picchu. This show will be curated by Argentinian artist and Boston Sculptors Gallery member Nora Valdez. In December 2013-January 2014, I will be traveling to Peru to work in residence at the art school in Cusco alongside my colleagues at the Boston Sculptors Gallery and many notable Peruvian artists. My trip has been generously supported by an education grant from New Hampshire Wood Worker's Guild. Condorita is the beginning of what I hope to accomplish in Peru this winter in advance of the upcoming show.


Condora, 23" tall, walnut 2013
December 18th: Andy Moerlein and I flew with Nora Valdez from Boston to Atlanta to Lima, Peru. Persi Narvaez Machicao met us at the airport.  We had our first pisco sours on our first night in Peru! Andy and I explored the area around the airport in Lima on foot the next morning, and then we left for Cusco in the afternoon. Nora and Persi stayed in Lima for the weekend, to get the catalog organized for our upcoming show at the Qorikancha in February 2014.




December 19th: We arrived in Cusco in the afternoon. Our host, Valerio Quinones Leon met us at the airport and drove us back to the guest house where we will be staying for the next 3-4 weeks. We drank some coca tea, with Valerio and his wife Naty, and then we took a nap,before we set out on foot to explore Cusco, the Plaza de Armas, and Qorikancha at night. At the Plaza de Armas, we saw many typical Christmas decorations mingled with Inca statues, Puma heads, and Catholic creches in the main square. We wandered a bit further, and stumbled upon Qorikancha, where there was a Catholic service in one part of the church, and an Andean service in another part. Everyone here says there is tolerance between the two religions. Since we are staying in the old part of the city, everywhere, there are layers of history and culture.





December 20th: We set out to explore the city on foot, and went to the art school where we will be working for the next 3 weeks, to make work for the upcoming show at Qorikancha. From there, we wandered into the main market, where you can buy prepared foods, or fruits, vegetables, cheese, fish, and anything else you can imagine. After a delicious lunch of chuta bread, with avocados, tomatoes, farmer's cheese and mangoes, we went to see the Museo Inka, that had some amazing examples of mummy cloths from the Paracas culture. We also saw contemporary examples of weavings with the Paracas designs, and some gourd carvings, that are also a very traditional type of folk art of the Andes. In the evening, we met with our friend Jose Luis Morales Sierra, and made dinner together, drank a bottle of wine and got to know each other better. He has arranged another show at the ICPNA, Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano, with North and South American artists, and he has invited us to submit some drawings for this show that will open January 31st. 


December 21st: We met Jose early and set out on the bus to see the sacred archaeological sites near Cusco. We hiked from Tambomachay, to Pukapukara, to San Sebastian, Q'enqo and Saqsayhuaman and back down to the Plaza de Armas. We learned that the everyday stones with mortar were built around living quarters, and the more geometic shaped, anguar stones enclosed the sacred spaces. The whole shape of a map of Cusco, is said to be in the form of a Puma. Saqsayhuaman is located at the head of the puma, and the jagged stone walls make up the mouth and teeth. Many rocks have niches carved into them, into which they wrapped and placed their mummies. Hence these large, natural rock formations were cemeteries.




December 22nd: We went to the market this morning, and then to see the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art. There were so many amazing examples of moche pottery, that we had only seen in books! The pottery was very sculptural in addition to being masterfully crafted. This afternoon we went to find the puma house in Cusco, it was a little underwhelming, but nonetheless, we spent a rainy afternoon drawing, and making watercolors of the mighty puma and condor, conjuring images from our imagination and the local sites. Persi and Nora arrived from Lima after nearly 30 hours on the bus, and we celebrated their arrival with a dinner party in Cusco with Jose Luis Morales Sierra and Vera Tyuleneva, the former curator at the Qorikancha. 



December 23rd: We had a very busy and a very full day. We went to the market early, then ate breakfast with Nora and Persi. We met Jose at the Art School in Cusco, and sat with the Director General, Professor Carlos Larrea Garcia, to arrange the logistics of working at the art studios for the next 3 weeks.  After we said goodbye to him, we went to the studios to meet the general managers, to arrange the tools, materials, and times we can work. We came home for lunch and then set out again to look for tools on the black market then we went to meet with Mabel Allain at the Qorikancha Museum to arrange the logistics for our upcoming exhibition in the galleries. When we left there, we set out to another side of the city in a taxi to buy wood. We found so many huge sections of exotic woods to carve, like mahogany, cocobolo, padouk and bubinga, it was difficult to make a choice, but we came away with one or two good looking scraps, and a giant beam, 9"x14"x12ft! Tomorrow we will go in search of a chainsaw with which to carve our materials.



Decemberr 24th: Christmas eve Day we worked on the press release for our upcoming show, and then headed out to the handicrafts markets all over town. Many indigenous people come from the mountains to sell their wares for two days, and stay on the Plaza de Armas. Everyone comes out to do their holiday shopping for their creches, and see friends. We found a few treasures and gifts to bring back with us, and learned alot more about the culture. We came back in the afternoon to prepare some dishes we were bringing to a holiday gathering we were invited to by Vera Tyuleneva, the former curator at Qorikancha. We went over at 8p, with mango salsa, roasted beets and a fruit salad. She prepared a roasted stuffed chicken, potatoes, home made applesauce and a fruitcake. There were about 12 of us piled into her kitchen making merry. The tradition is to feast until midnight, and then celebrate Christmas at 12am by wishing everyone Feliz Navidad! We wandered home shortly thereafter and collapsed into bed. What an amazing community!



December 25th: Feliz Navidad! We slept in and then headed out to see more markets and shops in town then we hiked back to the guest house, and saw a great view of the mountains. A very special dinner with our friends made a peaceful ending to our first Christmas in Cusco Peru. 



December 26th: After a couple of days off, we got back to work, moving the wood we bought at the lumberyard to the ateliers at the art school. It was a group effort. In the afternoon, we went to buy tools. The view from the art school windows is magnificent overlooking the mountains beyond Cusco. This will be a haven to work for the next 3 weeks.



December 27th: Our first day working in the studio. The electric chainsaw and grinders worked well. We were there all day, until we left to go to the market for groceries after dark. A perfect day!



December 28th: Looking for more Condor and Puma inspirations around Cusco.



December 29th: Andy & I wander up to a park with some very contemporary interpretations of the mythic trilogy: condor, puma and the snake. Corn is also a very popular symbol of the Andes. You can find corn and quesa on the street, which is corn on the cob, served with a slab of farmers cheese. Another popular symbol that we see here, is two ceramic bulls, cemented to the roof tiles on top of the houses. Often they are flanking a cross, but this one has a condor and corn symbol instead. They represent good luck for the house.



December 30th: Great day in the studio with the Puma taking shape and Andy's bird skull emerging.



December 31st: The puma stands on her own two feet and the bird skull begins to proliferate with perforations.



January 1-2, 2014: We took two days off to travel to Machu Picchu. The first day we saw more archaeological sites in Ollantaytambo and we arrived in Aguas Callientes in time to climb Putukusi. The 2nd day we were blessed with clear skies and sunshine, for our trek to Machu Picchu and Huyana Picchu!



January 3-4: Back from our trip and back in the studio for a few days with the Puma and the bird skull.



January 5th and 6th: A day or two off from the studio, so we took advantage of the down time to work on our drawings, and watercolors. We have been invited to participate in a drawing show, titled Transcripciones/ Transcriptions, that will be curated by Jose Luis Morales Sierra at the ICPNA in February that will run concurrently with our show at Qorikancha. 



January 7th: Back in the studio for sanding and finishing touches on the puma. Andy starts a new piece!



January 8th: Nearly finished! But that means it is nearly time to come home. The Puma gets her first coat or preservative while Andy adds color to his piece and gets the first coat of finish on.



January 9th: Finally got some color on the puma! and on the back of her skirt is a surprise!



January 10th: Puma gets buffed and polished. Now she is ready to be delivered to Qorikancha Museum along with Andy Moerlein's large bird skull. We carried them through the streets of Cusco on Friday, our last day in the studio. Check out this short video, of me moving Puma Senorita to the Qorikancha Museum in Cusco Peru. We will leave many special places and friends behind, and we will hope to return soon!