Winning an artist grant: stunned and grateful

This is how it feels to find out you've won grant money to support your art.

I was worried I must be hallucinating or something, when the Sustainable Arts Foundation emailed me:

Say what now? They said yes?

I'm still stunned. Even better, the award comes from an organization dedicated to helping artists keep making art while juggling parenthood. Honestly, I don't know of any other opportunity that recognizes the existence of artists raising children, let alone the particular challenges of this life. I'm also impressed with the diverse backgrounds of the visual artists and writers selected. This grant will go straight towards funding my Great Mystery Project! 

Taking the first steps into an art career with Artist Trust, at North Seattle College. ©Lisa Myers Bulmash

I got the news just before I delivered my final presentation about Artist Trust at North Seattle College. How poetic: I'm now a living example of how important it is to keep applying for funding opportunities, just like in the the ATAL talk. Wow. Just think: if it happened to me, it could happen to you!

Work-in-progress: St. Felicia

I've had to bring my work home with me several times this month, but I've also had enough studio time to make progress on the "St. Felicia" pieces.

You might remember the internet has proclaimed St. Felicia the patron saint of farewells...

Actually, the image is of St. Ifigenia, an African virgin saint and protector of women forced into marriage. (Bonus black feminist points!) So I'm aiming for an independent woman symbol: less agonized parting, more "don't bring that nonsense around here."

Just so happens these ballerina dolls were striking the right pose, so their arms have been repurposed into halos of dismissal.

Count on doll parts to add a touch of weird to any artwork. For the moment, the assemblages still look more like "the world's creepiest seder plate," according to The Husband.

Oh, it's gonna stay creepy and weird for a while. That's part of the fun. I hope these pieces will add many laughs of recognition to the Great Mystery Project. More to come...

Art auction donation: "Minors"

Just a few more hours, and then this new artwork will be ready to go to the highest bidder.

You remember I took on the challenge of creating a piece of art to donate to a Seattle Children's Hospital fundraiser. Usually when I think of kids, I think of them playing. But the cigar box's sandy, almost gravelly texture made me think of grubby faces after a long day's work. 

So I turned to this image of young coal mine workers from the Library of Congress. It's part of a photo collection from the early 1900s; the images were used in the fight to pass laws against child labor. 

I incorporated iridescent beads as faux rock inclusions, at first imagining miners digging for these sparkling bits. I've since learned many child mine workers at the time were employed as "breaker boys," sorting out impurities by hand. Remember, these kids were between eight and twelve years old, and the job was hazardous even for adults.

If you'd like to help today's children, please consider bidding on this diorama assemblage and other pieces of art at the "Art ala Carte" auction. Details:

Not surprisingly, the title of this piece came to me right away: "Minors." Yes, it's a play on words, but it seemed important to go with it.  The fact is, there are still children working in mines today, just not in the United States. I'm grateful my own children have never been in this kind of danger, and grateful for medical centers like Seattle Children's Hospital.