Rah Rah for Rugby!
Goodness, my sweet pickles and parsnips out there in Internetland, but I have had such an epic adventure this weekend! Do allow me to relay this tale to you. I present it beneath a cut, for I have included pictures and somesuch for your elucidation and entertainment...
Late Wednesday I received a phone call, asking me to be involved with something--my understanding of the specifics were vague at best--in Rugby, where I'd come and talk about my work as an artist, and show some stuff, and be a panelist at a forum on art and the internet. I said "okey dokey" and the next evening was rather crazy-go-hectic as I scrambled my portfolio together, packed up what books and postcards I had on hand, plus my paints, borrowed a display easel from my father, requested to take the day off work, located clean socks...et cetera, et cetera.
Anyway, I ended up on a van with an assortment of UND-related persons...faculty, staff, grad and undergrad students alike, and we were spirited off to...
...Rugby! One of two towns in North Dakota that claim to be the geographical center of North America! Exciting!
Lemme tell ya, folks: this is one happenin' hamburg! The geographical thing inspired the name of the very fine motel where the event du jour was to take place:
It was a place of wonders.
And just what was this event I had agreed to participate in? I was handed a folder with brochures and organization newsletters and event schedules that informed me!
I soon learned that this entire town just happens to exist nigh-exclusively in post-war, mid-century design, with the most darling color palette...
Color by COLOURlovers
Color by COLOURlovers
The festivities began with a rather delicious lunch, and then three panel sessions. (Nine panels total.) Three of them were art related, in the "Dakota Room", which is the establishment's bar lounge. It was the most splendid room, and I took many photos of this, and of the entire town, to inspire me. <3
I busied myself in sketching some of the Dakota Room's furnishings while sitting in on the panel concerning the Native American art scene hereabouts.
After that came the "Online Promotion of Community Arts" panel that I was on...And I really wasn't sure what I should be talking about, and I did feel rather distinctly like an idiot, but I'm told that it went great? People wanted to talk to me afterwards, and that is probably a very good sign. Huzzah!
I'd been up 'til about 3AM the night before, and the van left Grand Forks at 8AM, so you can guess I hadn't had much sleep. And in Rugby, I didn't have much of my typical life's blood on-hand. So in the absence of the sweet nectar of the gods, I found myself falling asleep during the third panel! This was in the Mid-America room, and I was way, way at the back and off to the side. Quite unnoticeable. And they were talking about "Community-University Collaborations" and what the heck do I know about that, anyway? Before I lost the fight against the gentle persuasions of Hypnos, I'd been trying to keep myself alert by doing some more sketching.
I woke up as it was ending, and then we were all parceled onto vans, again, to be taken to see some of the more particular enchantments of the venerable village. First, there was the factory where luxury pool cues are lovingly crafted from sundry woods. They are mostly sold to, like, the emperor of Brunei and swell folk like that. The factory was full of dust. Oh, such exquisite dust as lay upon every free facet of every object, tracing poetic patterns of multied hue...I got some great new stock photos for when I do that digital thing!
After this, we went to a design and printing shop, which is special because...it is owned and operated by ladies? They had many amusing signs on their walls, which they had collected here and also there.
We were also supposed to go to the radio station, and some other place, but I guess we were running behind, or something. Dinner was had at a combination antique store and 1950s-style diner. The service was terrible and the food was amazing. I had an ice cream soda and some barbecuey thing they called a "John Wayne", and did I mention how much I love post-war design?? =D
After this, we were scurried to the local high school, where a concert was held in our honor. Apparently, as far as anyone can tell, Rugby is the smallest town in the country that boasts a full orchestra. Crazy! They played Vivaldi. <3 And I kinda dozed off some more.
But I could at last unwind in my own little room at the Econo Lodge, settling into a contented sleep immediately after Super Jail! (which was on the tee-vee. <3) This room had the most fantastic color of any bathroom I have ever had the pleasure of brushing my teeth in, and I fully feel that the entire trip was worth it just to experience this bathroom.
The next day (That is, today.) did not involve any speaking or running around. Instead, I was just an exhibitor. I was given a table, but rather than just setting out promo cards, I went into my habitual convention routine. I wrangled myself up a chair, sat behind the table, and began painting in watercolor, while I had a copy of Dis, postcards, and my portfolio on the table, and "...But I Know What I Like" on an easel just behind-and-to-the-left of me. So, I was very happily engaged for the next three-ish hours, painting while folks would come over to see what I had goin' on, and talk to me. It was a very profitable and promising venture. I might be making some more trips around this'n here state. :D
I painted Eros...
...Then a quick (delicious) lunch, a scramble to get my gear all packed up, and back on the van for the return journey, after pausing briefly at the monument to middleness, to gaze upon its glorious medianliness. (Plus one adventure mini-quest stopping at a local-handmade-knick-knacks store in Michigan, North Dakota.) (By the way, almost every place in North Dakota is named for some other place. It's quite curious.)
Anyway, Rugby rocked, and I have otherwise been having a very lovely past few days and they seem to be getting lovelier and lovelier
Late Wednesday I received a phone call, asking me to be involved with something--my understanding of the specifics were vague at best--in Rugby, where I'd come and talk about my work as an artist, and show some stuff, and be a panelist at a forum on art and the internet. I said "okey dokey" and the next evening was rather crazy-go-hectic as I scrambled my portfolio together, packed up what books and postcards I had on hand, plus my paints, borrowed a display easel from my father, requested to take the day off work, located clean socks...et cetera, et cetera.
Anyway, I ended up on a van with an assortment of UND-related persons...faculty, staff, grad and undergrad students alike, and we were spirited off to...
...Rugby! One of two towns in North Dakota that claim to be the geographical center of North America! Exciting!
Lemme tell ya, folks: this is one happenin' hamburg! The geographical thing inspired the name of the very fine motel where the event du jour was to take place:
It was a place of wonders.
And just what was this event I had agreed to participate in? I was handed a folder with brochures and organization newsletters and event schedules that informed me!
I soon learned that this entire town just happens to exist nigh-exclusively in post-war, mid-century design, with the most darling color palette...
Color by COLOURlovers
Color by COLOURlovers
The festivities began with a rather delicious lunch, and then three panel sessions. (Nine panels total.) Three of them were art related, in the "Dakota Room", which is the establishment's bar lounge. It was the most splendid room, and I took many photos of this, and of the entire town, to inspire me. <3
I busied myself in sketching some of the Dakota Room's furnishings while sitting in on the panel concerning the Native American art scene hereabouts.
After that came the "Online Promotion of Community Arts" panel that I was on...And I really wasn't sure what I should be talking about, and I did feel rather distinctly like an idiot, but I'm told that it went great? People wanted to talk to me afterwards, and that is probably a very good sign. Huzzah!
I'd been up 'til about 3AM the night before, and the van left Grand Forks at 8AM, so you can guess I hadn't had much sleep. And in Rugby, I didn't have much of my typical life's blood on-hand. So in the absence of the sweet nectar of the gods, I found myself falling asleep during the third panel! This was in the Mid-America room, and I was way, way at the back and off to the side. Quite unnoticeable. And they were talking about "Community-University Collaborations" and what the heck do I know about that, anyway? Before I lost the fight against the gentle persuasions of Hypnos, I'd been trying to keep myself alert by doing some more sketching.
I woke up as it was ending, and then we were all parceled onto vans, again, to be taken to see some of the more particular enchantments of the venerable village. First, there was the factory where luxury pool cues are lovingly crafted from sundry woods. They are mostly sold to, like, the emperor of Brunei and swell folk like that. The factory was full of dust. Oh, such exquisite dust as lay upon every free facet of every object, tracing poetic patterns of multied hue...I got some great new stock photos for when I do that digital thing!
After this, we went to a design and printing shop, which is special because...it is owned and operated by ladies? They had many amusing signs on their walls, which they had collected here and also there.
We were also supposed to go to the radio station, and some other place, but I guess we were running behind, or something. Dinner was had at a combination antique store and 1950s-style diner. The service was terrible and the food was amazing. I had an ice cream soda and some barbecuey thing they called a "John Wayne", and did I mention how much I love post-war design?? =D
After this, we were scurried to the local high school, where a concert was held in our honor. Apparently, as far as anyone can tell, Rugby is the smallest town in the country that boasts a full orchestra. Crazy! They played Vivaldi. <3 And I kinda dozed off some more.
But I could at last unwind in my own little room at the Econo Lodge, settling into a contented sleep immediately after Super Jail! (which was on the tee-vee. <3) This room had the most fantastic color of any bathroom I have ever had the pleasure of brushing my teeth in, and I fully feel that the entire trip was worth it just to experience this bathroom.
The next day (That is, today.) did not involve any speaking or running around. Instead, I was just an exhibitor. I was given a table, but rather than just setting out promo cards, I went into my habitual convention routine. I wrangled myself up a chair, sat behind the table, and began painting in watercolor, while I had a copy of Dis, postcards, and my portfolio on the table, and "...But I Know What I Like" on an easel just behind-and-to-the-left of me. So, I was very happily engaged for the next three-ish hours, painting while folks would come over to see what I had goin' on, and talk to me. It was a very profitable and promising venture. I might be making some more trips around this'n here state. :D
I painted Eros...
...Then a quick (delicious) lunch, a scramble to get my gear all packed up, and back on the van for the return journey, after pausing briefly at the monument to middleness, to gaze upon its glorious medianliness. (Plus one adventure mini-quest stopping at a local-handmade-knick-knacks store in Michigan, North Dakota.) (By the way, almost every place in North Dakota is named for some other place. It's quite curious.)
Anyway, Rugby rocked, and I have otherwise been having a very lovely past few days and they seem to be getting lovelier and lovelier
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