Sunday June 07 - Monday June 08, 2015 - We slept late on Sunday morning (having been up late for the concert in Talsi the night before). I spent much of the day working on the blog, organizing photos on the computer and working on the big print design in photoshop. Dad and Ojars were planning to go into RIga to get his steel, sand for molds (and my remaining print supplies) but some car trouble / car inspection delayed this trip (they finally managed to go Thursday). Since they couldn't go to Riga - Dad spent a lot of time on Monday helping me lay out the grid (I'm working in 5 cm squares) and draw the central circle and concentric rings using a string held at the center point (couldn't have done this solo, that's for sure). Transferring the drawing took some time - I emailed Laura a jpeg instead of the photoshop file (which had the grid on it) to print out for me, so I had to draw the grid in by hand. Since the source images for the figures are all gesture drawings I had a lot of "finishing" to do while enlarging them, but am pleased with the result. (Monday we also ran into an unexpected issue. Shellac is available here, but only as dry flakes, requiring mixing. On top of that, the stores don't have the quantity we need, and the price is absolutely outrageous! Carl believed we could find a substitute in the hardware store in Sabile - his suspicion was proved correct on Tuesday when we walked into town for supplies - lacquer rather than shellac, but available in town and at a reasonable price, too!) Tuesday June 09, 2015 - SInce the Riga trip had to be put off again, Carl and I walked into Sabile to see what supplies were available at the local hardware store. Almost everything we needed, but thought we'd have to obtain in Talsi or Riga was within easy reach! Also, first official carving done today (just the two concentric white rings - will start figures tomorrow). Ojars worked in Jurmala today - but that allowed him to make a run into Riga and he picked up the felt, canvas, ink (to test before we order more), and the new German rollers - printmaking Christmas! One of the performers from the Talsi concert visited the park and sat with us at dinner - Victoria Grebezs: https://www.hangmusic.com/artists/victoriagrebezs/ https://www.youtube.com/user/storiatime On the evening of June 9 we "smoked the fields" (a traditional way of protecting seedlings/newly planted material by lighting fires to create a layer of smoke to block the frost) - in this case we smoked the stone planting field to protect the wishes on the planted stone seeds. Wednesday June 10, 2015 - Another day of carving, got started on the figures today (did the largest two in the center foreground) - the work is progressing well. The concrete mixer arrived and the Pedvale workers poured the pad for the steamroller printing - glad to have that accomplished! Dad and I tested the lacquer (in Latvian, "laka") which dried really quickly in the sun (and absorbed well into the wood) - we may want to lightly sand the blocks between first and second coat to nock down a little of the tooth, but a good substitute for the ridiculously over-priced shellac. I cut a few different sizes and depths of lines into the test board before the lacquer was applied - once it was dry we were able to test the industrial printing ink (another substitution for traditional relief printing ink) and the new German rollers. I was able to get a solid image transferred to paper using a stone as a burnisher. Thursday June 11, 2015 - Dad and Ojars were finally able to go to Riga (by way of Jurmala to drop off workers and so Carl could see Ojars' landscape architecture project at the summer home of a wealthy client). They were able to get Carl's laser cut steel sheets and sand for George Beasley's mold as well - so work can begin in earnest tomorrow! For my part, I carved all day - finishing three more of the largest foreground figures in my composition - only 11 more to go! (I'm working from the front to the back, so each figure gets a little smaller and is easier/faster to cut.) Friday June 12 - Sunday June 14, 2015
Big days for Carl! He and Ojars picked up the laser cut sheets of steel (314 steel, to be precise) in Riga on Thursday. On Friday Carl was able to create the dynamic wing forms he's envisioned by using ratchet straps to pull the bottom corner toward one another, creating compound curves in both horizontal and vertical aspects of the steel sheets. A first attempt at stick welding (with the wrong electrode) didn't hold - but on Friday Ojars took Dad into Talsi (with no time to spare before the shops closed) to get the correct electrodes. The first sheet was welded into its permanent form by Friday night, and the second was ready early Saturday. Dad spent part of the middle of the day Saturday using a grinder to create a textured, linear/circular pattern on the "insides" of the two pieces and then welded them together. He'll need the help of Pedvale workers on Monday to position the sculpture so he can grind the "outside" planes and attach the anchoring system - but the piece is really close to done, really quickly! I got another two figures completed on Friday. On Saturday, Ojars drove to Latvia to pick up the woodblock by the Lithuanian artist Simona Bogdanaite (she is getting married/going on honeymoon the weekend of the printing/iron casting so will probably come to see Pedvale, meet me and discuss process either before or after the event). He'd planned to drive late Frida night, but we're all glad he chose to go early in the day Saturday for safety's sake. [Here's the link to the facebook events page https://www.facebook.com/events/851292648297954/ - the five printmakers included in the event are: Benjamin Billingsley (ASV), Peeter Allik (Igaunija), Simona Bogdanaite (Lietuva), Paulis Liepa (Latvija), Laura Feldberga (Latvija) - we'll have techno music courtesy of DJ Mr. Ikazz! I finished another 2 figures on Saturday. Saturday night we drove to see the Devil's Footprint - a stone with impressions of various kinds that look like human and animal feet - including one which looks like a devil's cloven hoof! We left offerings of salt, pepper and extinguished/broken matched to help ward off evil effects. I've included a photo of the information sign at the Devil's Footprint to help explain the historical context - Laura told us that on the night the local baron (who owned the Pedvale property) died the devil was seen dancing on the stone! We also drove to the Hill of Hawks, a pagan ritual site still actively in use (primarily by women, it seems) - clearly people are getting ready for midsummer night rituals! Sunday was a long working day - I finished another 3 figures, leaving only the four smallest left to carve! The Beasleys arrive Monday - and our events happen this coming Sunday - pressure is on!
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Monday June 01, 2015 - I spent part of the morning getting the blog up and running (and messing with our various tech/electronics - and we didn't even remember the swanky cannon rebel until Wednesday). Meanwhile, Laura and Ojars were working on updating the Pedvale image galleries on Facebook [here's a link to opening ceremony images https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.905358882858211.1073741861.100965273297580&type=3
and the delivery of the metal church roof (among other images of works at the park and behind the scenes stuff) are under the "photos" tab https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pedvale-Open-Air-Art-Museum/100965273297580?sk=photos_stream&tab=photos_stream] - internet was running a little slowly with all of us on at once! An essential task for Monday was the inspection of the facilities and equipment for the various projects. Carl will be running an iron casting event and needed to inspect the furnace (which is in better shape than expected, thankfully). He is in communication with George Beasley about the requirements for his mold, but we're confident we have enough iron on hand (just need some Pedvale workers to bust it up for us). We discussed the size of the concrete pad we'll need to print the large-scale woodblocks with a steamroller - blocks are 1 meter by 2 meters (I know metric is easier but I always have to remind myself what the sizes would be in feet and inches - 3 by 6 feet give or take). Another concern, as always near Midsummer, is wind and rain - so if we can't print outside there is a large workroom with a new concrete floor we can use (all we have to do is remove part of the wall to enlarge the door to accommodate the steamroller!) Looks like we have enough space to roll up blocks with ink AND run the steamroller inside if need be - of course, everyone wants the inking to take place inside and the printing to happen outdoors - we're hoping to attract an audience! At the end of the day, Ojars ran us to Sabile quickly for food supplies. [He has a solo sculpture exhibition at the Synagogue building at the moment - really impressive wooden pieces - abstractions of different aspects of nature and weather, somewhat similar to some of his stone images, but these are also painted.] Tuesday June 02, 2015 Ojars spent the day in Jurmala, working on a commission. He asked me to help Laura Miglone with a biography he needs to submit for an event in Scotland in September. As a result, I learned a great deal more about our amazing host. (The park is magical and amazing - but that is only part of Ojar's remarkable story.) When Ojars Feldbergs was born, Latvia was under the control of the USSR; he attended vocational construction/builders college (his brother runs a monument and commercial stone carving business today) and did compulsory military service before attending the art academy's sculpture program (he graduated in 1976). He bought the Pedvale property in 1991 and has been organizing special events and symposia here since 1992 (he's published a book about the first 20 years of Pedvale's history). In January 1991, the Baltic states were trying to achieve independence from the USSR, and the military moved in to intervene. After seeing the Soviet tactics against Lithuania, people in Riga erected barricades to block tanks from accessing primary targets (like the Parliament House, media broadcast buildings, etc). Ojars built one of these barricades with large stones from his Riga studio - and was later awarded a medal for his defense of the barricades. Info and images available here https://latvianhistory.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/386209_big.jpg Ojars' other awards include Pedvale being honored with the UNESCO Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes in 1999 - http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/514 as well as being named an Officer of the Three Star Order (the Three Star Order is the highest civil distinction Latvia bestows; the stars are a reference to the three stars on the Freedom Monument) - http://www.president.lv/pk/content/?cat_id=1279&lng=en (and unless the internet is lying to me, Hilary Clinton was made a member of the Three Star Order [for her work as Secretary of State] in September 2014, she visited with Bill Clinton, first US president to visit a free Latvia, in 1994). SO - I've had scotch poured for me by a freedom fighter and cultural hero of the Latvia people - not too shabby! Wednesday June 03, 2015 A big day for me, especially - we traveled to Riga to get crucial supplies for the large-scale steamroller woodblock printmaking event. First, we met up with Laura Feldberga and went to a felt factory in Riga. Beautiful old machinery for making felt! Laura F. and Laura Miglone helped translate for me so we could find the right size and thickness - we got two pieces of felt, each should last for multiple uses (in the hopes that our event is successful and can be repeated easily in future). Next we went to the art academy (a truly beautiful building) to buy fabric from the art supply shop at the school. We got a lightweight canvas - more light gray than white, but not too heavy! After lunch we saw an amazing exhibition at Arsenāls - 5th RIGA INTERNATIONAL TEXTILE AND FIBRE ART TRIENNIAL - Tradition&Innovation - Theme: DIVERSITY&UNITY - http://www.lnmm.lv/en/arsenals/info/explore/exhibition/2015/diversity-unity/. I'll include some of Carl's photos in my next images-only blog post. It was also the presidential election today (members of Parliament vote from a field of candidates, one of whom must have a clear 51 or higher vote majority to win - citizens vote for members of Parliament, but only the Parliament votes for the President - there were at least 4 rounds of voting before a winner could be declared) - we'd hoped to see the new president since we had coffee only a block away from the House of Parliament, but they were still voting while we were there. We did see an outdoor exhibition of photographs of important events in Latvian history (including the Barricades of 1991 - a monument for this event is also near the Parliament building) - I'll add those in the images-only blog post. After a few other errands (most important, buying a new keg of alus (beer) for the Dare cafe) we returned to Pedvale. It was after 8pm that we learned a new president had finally been elected - his first name is Raimonds (Carl's middle name is Raymond - a good enough excuse to toast the new president and his American friends with some of Ojars' apple vodka)! A very successful day! (Carl will demonstrate the correct technique for breaking iron - the last worker who attempted it broke more sledgehammer handles than iron, it seems - so the retired professor must teach again on Thursday morning while I get the blog caught up!) |
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ArchivesBen billingsleyPainter and printmaker - art instructor (CFCC Wilmington, NC) |