Beaver Island Website

Well, now all we have are our memories, and our lingering bug bites, our still untackled piles of island laundry, our unpacked and untouched art suppliles and the website, to remind us that we were there and are now gone.  And sailing away was really hard for me this year.  I guess that is the down side of FOUR weeks in Paradise. 

At any rate, I am plugging along with the website and hope to have it done before too very long.  You can keep track of progress here http://jnbartteacher.com/CMUBS/enter.html

Thursday - Day ELEVEN - it's over - SO SAD

Well, it is all over but the packing up and clearing out.  Seriously, We started setting up our work for the critique about 9:00 this morning.  Always before we have done it late in the evening on Thursday, or (when we were setting up in the common room of the lodge) in a mad scramble on Friday morning.  MUCH less pressure this way, and much nicer displays of the work.  When you see it all laid out it is pretty inpressive.  We have been hard at work and have DONE A LOT!!! 

There will be more pics from tomorrow morning's critique and afternoon show and sale.  And then on the website ( http://www.jnbartteacher.com ).  But THAT won't be until nearly November, judging from the number of images that I have to process (for THREE classes!!)

In the living/common room this morning was a copy of the Beaver Beacon (the Island News Magazine) and pictured prominently in the article about the last classes (clay/papermaking/bookbinding) is a photo of the Raku bowl that Trudy made.  TA DA!!

Wednesday - Day TEN

Quite a day yesterday!  First, we had to have a "rescue at sea" of Larkin and his Hobie Cat full of students from the Chippewa Hills cross-country team.  They capsized just offshore (a common occurance) but could not right the boat (uncommon occurance).  It drifted WAY out into the lake and after about 1 1/2 hours of them trying to get up again, the police boat was called and they were hauled in cold and wet.  No real harm done, but the boat has been banned from the station (this is Lark's third rescue and Jim says "NO MORE!")After a hard day in the mines painting, a bunch of us piled into the van and went across to the west side of the island to Donegal Bay to watch the sunset.

Then we all went back to town to the Shamrock to hoist Long Island Ice Teas in honor of Jodie (an Arnie Palmer for me as I was the D.D.)

This morning this little deer greeted me as I came around the corner of the dorm headed to the classroom.  She was quite unafraid and stood there for a long time while I snapped shots, trying to get one to work.  This was the best I could do . . .  So I saw almost all the available Beaver Island wildlife this morning - a deer, the chipmunk, the big bunny, the flock of mourning doves, some geese - I did NOT, however, see the coyotes who have been plaguing the campground.  Okay by me! . . . .

Tuesday - Day NINE - the beginning of CRUNCH TIME

Sadly, I am beginning to see the dark, dank bottom of the well.  I am trying to avoid the thought that this is all coming to an end, but it is true.  I only have two more days to paint and one of them involves a lot of photography time (taking photos for the class page on my website).  The day is brilliant, and the water is sparkling so much that you can hardly look at it.  This is a photo of the Emerald Isle leaving for Charlevoix and a Dragon Kite flying over the beach (a painting just CRYING to be painted)

Yesterday afternoon I decided to commit to testing the watercolor paper from the book that I made in Sally's class last session.  Turns out it is desperately hard to use - has to be soaked first, pigment sits on top of the paper, must use wet-on-wet technique, etc.  I gave it the old college try in my standard style.  Not so hot.  So I just whipped through some quick paintings (5 X 7's) doing what the paper would allow me to do and everyone said that were great.  So much for my tight "greeting-card" style.  So today they "took away" my little brushes and made me paint with big brushes on wet paper.  I think I like the result, but "we will know more later".

Monday - Day Eight - Watercolor class - Beaver Island

I painted for 12 hours straight yesterday, with breaks for breakfast, lunch and dinner (started at 6:30 am and quit about 8 pm.  The crazy part was that I wasn't even ready to quit when I knew that I HAD to.  I didn't sleep very well last night - don't know why.  I MAY be ready to come home.  I worked most of the day on a painting of Morgan and Cayla Tinney.

There have been a lot of tall ships (two and three masted schooners and the like) going by.  There must be something going on up on the straits.  It is so weird to look up and see one of these big guys going by under full sail - sort of like you are going back in time.  Very nice experience. 

08:08, 08/08/08 - The Memorial for Jodie

At 8:08 pm the CMUBS bell rang 8 times in memory of our friend Jodie Dewey, who lost her life this year.  She was only 48.  The Beaver Island Watercolor group gathered in from of "her" cabin at the Bio Station on the shore of Lake Michigan to say goodbye.  Morgan and Cayla Tinney floated a  wreath of wildflowers out into the shallows and scattered her ashes into the water where she loved to have her daily swim.  Pat Tinney and Jon Bouck both spoke and presented her mother, father and best friend with mementos of her time on Beaver Island.  It was a very moving and beautiful occasion.

"ONCE UPON A TIME ON BEAVER ISLAND" (for Gracie Mae)

I saw the tree, I found the hole, I bought clay, I pressed my friends fingers into making tiny sculptures with me - the rest is installation art history!

Day FOUR - Thursday - Watercolor Class, Beaver Island

Of course, another WONDERFUL sunrise.  I wonder what the sunsets are like on the other side of the island?  If they are as spectacular as the sunrises, I guess I should travel over with a gang in the evening to see one . . . . BUT, since the station is charging .90 a mile for travel in their cars this year that makes a trip into town and back $18 (gas over here is $6 a gallon!) and I probably won't do it. 

Last night and today were "fun with food" days for me.  Trudy and I joked about the "mile high" selections on the menu at Arnies while she was here, so I made my own version with our "Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner".  And this morning I made a scupture from my beverages.  I think Arlene and John were perplexed by it!

The Queen Ann's Lace this morning made me think of the fun Trudy and I had up here last week. There is a TOTALLY DIFFERENT vibe and dynamics up here this session, by the way.  It is really more like a family reunion weekend than a class.  And we have the added to the mix a group of water treatment people from around the state who are studying plankton.  With all of the Plankton People and family members in the dining hall during meals it is a very lively place!!

Pat and Cayla Tinney have been collecting heart shaped rocks from the beach in memory of Jodie Dewey all week.  And tomorrow we have a commemorative service for her on the beach 8:08, 08/08/'08.