Hover Craft 2011

Hover Craft
[a Milwaukee showcase of artists, crafters, businesses and musicians]

Saturday, December 3, 2011
Marketplace event: 12:00 - 6:00 pm, Sweet Water Organics, 2151 S. Robinson Ave, Milwaukee
Admission: $2, children free

Hover Craft is pleased to announce its second annual one-day only marketplace event to take place on December 3rd at Sweet Water Organics in the heart of Bay View featuring a diverse assortment of local artists, crafters, designers, makers and performers.


Come check it out! I'll have a booth set up with a bunch of art & hand-made items. Cash and checks accepted for any purchase. (Sorry I don't have a credit card machine.) Enter to win a free admission ticket to the Milwaukee Art Museum "Impressionism: Masterworks on Paper" exhibition.

My Morning Commute

The first day of November started off warm, with a cloud-filled sky perfect for capturing one of the many reasons I bike to work year round no matter what the weather is.

"Life Cycles"

Sometimes the art you make turns out so well that you are asked to do it again. The first time I painted this image it was on the wall of an office. This time around it was painted on canvas heading to California to be hung on a wall of a very lovely home.





















As I was painting it I was reminded of the days of my youth. There was a time when I was intrigued by the art of tracing sewing patterns to create my own coloring books. Something about the black outlines fascinated me. Apparently it still fascinates me, as I have re-found my love for this and have begun introducing it into my paintings. Sometimes I paint the entire canvas black first and lay in the colors on top. In this instance I actually created my own coloring book page, from which I continued to fill in the shapes with colors. I've titled it "Life Cycles", for both the obvious connotations in the image as well as the connection I made with my inner childhood self.

Tree Pose

Here's the finished "Tree Pose" painting I did during the event "Art is Grand; The Grand is Art!" at the Grand Ave Mall in downtown Milwaukee. Went from blank board to completed painting in about 2 hours, and was sold to a very patient lady who kept coming back to check on my progress. Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

ART in the Grand, The Grand is Art!

Happy October Everyone!
It's time to bring the parties indoors - this time at the Grand Ave Mall in Milwaukee. I'll be painting live and showing some of my art on Thursday, October 6th from 6p-10pm. Event details below. Stop by and say hi, bring your friends, and join the party!


ART in the Grand, The Grand is Art! ART Jamboree

They say it’s your birthday!!! ART Milwaukee is turning ONE! One big fat year of creating a social experience around ART, creating opportunities for artists and building a sense of community around Milwaukee.

ART Milwaukee celebrates our one year to with a large b-day party. We are shutting down the Grand Ave then opening it back up to one epic ART Jamboree. We have invited over 100 artists of different mediums 10 singer songwriters, DJ’s and we are partnering with over 20 other creative groups and businesses for this special celebration.

Students from The Peck School of the Arts, MIAD & Carroll University will be showcasing their talents along with live interactive art projects.

Event Details:
Date: October 6th, 2011
Time: 6-10pm after party 10pm – 12am
Location: Grand Ave Plankinton Building
Cost: Free
Parking: Free parking until 12am in the Grand Parking Lot

Timeline:
- 6pm – 6:10pm “Creative Milwaukee Movement” in Milwaukee Julia Taylor from the GMC
- 6:10pm – 6:20pm “1 Year of ART Milwaukee” ART Milwaukee President Jeremy Fojut
- 6:20pm – 10pm ART Jamboree on all three levels of the Grand Ave
- 10pm – 12am ART Jamboree after party at Stir

Beverages:
- Complimentary Coffee Tastings by Stone Creek Coffee
- Wine / Beer
- Soda / Water

Food:
- Complimentary sampling thanks to vendors in the Grand Ave Mall

Participating Businesses and Organizations:
ART Milwaukee Headquarters – Live Murals, Painting, Music by Mike Brumm and Galleries
Milwaukee Public Theater - Labyrinth, Live Performers, Galleries
Third Coast Digest - Marcus Artist in Residence on Display, Local Photographers
Spreenkler – BMX Biking, Live Music, DJs and Designers on Display
UWM – Student Galleries and Live Painting
MIAD – Student Galleries and Live Painting
Carroll University – Student Galleries and Live Painting
Marquette – Marquette Choir Performances
NEWaukee – Monthly Young Professional Social Meet Up
Stonecreek Coffee – Coffee Tastings, Chalk Artists
VetTransfer – Guitars for Vets, Illumintek Design Display
DDS Media - Live Sound Studio, Video Projects on Display
Sofia's Heart – Children’s Choir Performance
African World Fest – Local Artists, Dance Performances
Uncage Ergonomics – Local Artists
TruSkool – DJ Scratch Lessons and Performances
Flux Design – Flux Design Displays
ArtWorks - Gallery Displays
Milwaukee Odyssey - Live Art
Living Photo Booth Project - Birthday Themed Photo Booth
Translator – Creative Design Displays
Rubins – Furniture Displays
Creative Alliance – Monthly HUB Meeting

Race Recap: J-Hawk Latebird Triathlon

The anticipation of the final race of the season became a DNF due to a flat back tire at approximately mile 9.5. Contemplated running all the way back with my bike, but even after taking off my clip-in shoes to run in socks I realized it was still 4 miles back to transition before I'd start the muddy cross-country section of a 5k run. By the time I got to the next turn on the course, the 3 bikers who'd past me let the volunteers know I had a flat, and they had already radioed in to the "sag" truck to come get me. Had it been a proper sag truck, it would have been equipped with a tire patch kit so I could have at least finished out the race (albeit with a much slower time than I was going for), however this guy was called in last minute because another guy didn't show up. As soon as we loaded my bike in the back it started to rain. I guess this race just wasn't meant to be.

On the plus side, I had about a 10 minute swim time, and probably was biking at my fastest pace yet - around a 20 mph steady pace. There was no wind, which is unheard of in WI, which I why it makes it unbearably LAME that I got a flat tire out of nowhere (there was no big POP, it just slowly became harder and harder to pedal). When I jumped off my bike my time was at 46 minutes (that included the 10 minute swim and transition 1), with only 4 miles left on the bike and most likely a run of about 24-27 minutes.

So what, you ask, have I learned today? 1st off, it's a good idea to carry your own patch kit and pump with you while biking. Secondly, don't jinx yourself by wondering how far you'd be able to get on the course before it would be faster to turn around and go back the way you came if you were to get a flat. (1/2 way point doesn't work for this one, as the course loops back on itself twice.) And 3rd, never, EVER, talk about how the only way you won't beat (insert someone else's name or time here) would be if you would break yourself or your bike, no matter how slow that other person's time might be. It is clearly bad karma. Especially if there are only 2 other people in your age group and you have a 1 in 3 shot of coming in 1st place.

J-Hawk Latebird Triathlon

The summer season has come and gone and it seems I have hardly prepared myself for this triathlon. The running has been sporadic since mid-July, the swimming non-existent. I have kept up on the bike, managing to get in a "longer" ride at least once a week while the weather was nice. If the weather cooperates I should still be able to beat my time from the spring.

If anyone wants to watch this sprint distance event (9 laps in the pool, 13 miles outside on the bike, and 3.1 miles running on the cross-country course), it takes place at the UW-Whitewater campus on Sunday, September 25th. I will be starting in Wave 24 at 10:13am (although less people are signed up this time around so I may start earlier than that). I hope to finish the race in just under 1 hour 30 minutes, or if I'm have a really good day maybe I'll have my best time yet. We'll find out on race day!