Pounding Metal eliminates stress

What's in my head, comes out my hands....

I believe that.

This became a Talisman for a friend 

who works right behind front lines in a Madison hospital.

It hangs perfectly.

When the wearer begins to move about, it begins to look left and right,

sort of watching out, 

as a good Talisman should, protecting it's charge.

(It's now referred to as a Talisman Action Figure)

I thought perhaps I had more worried heads in me.  No.

Red Herrings! 

Red Herrings are good.

They are not stinky fish to avoid,

but kindly ushers showing the Curious paths never considered.

Linda Kelen's Solo Show

Linda Kelen's Solo Show, "Anything but Driftless".....

November 4 through January 2, 2011...

at the Anaba Tea Room

2107 E. Capitol Drive

Shorewood, Wisconsin  53211

(414) 963-9510

The woodblock prints of Booger's 40 Day and 40 Night disappearance are exhibited,

which are all true supposed events, worries and happenings...except those that are very real.

It's an eclectic sampling of my arting, including the newest SardineTins.

SardineTins #13, #14, #15

Sardine Tin #13...6" high x 5"wide

Sardine Tin #14....4.75"high x 5" wide

Sardine Tin #15...7"long x 5" high

Copper Spoon

I have made a functional item!

~My First Spoon~

chased/repoussed copper,5.75"long spoon on wall hook

SardineTins for Woman Made Gallery

Pounded (chasing/repousse) sardine tins...

re-assembled with necessary materials: which might be copper, steel, aluminum, leather, a paperclip or two...sometimes glass eyes...and a little paint....

They will be in the
Woman Made Gallery's "and You Think That's Funny?" show...
January 23rd-February 26th

SardineTin#10...7"wide, 4"high, 1.5"deep ($1200)

SardineTin#11...5"wide, 5"high, 1.15"deep ($900)

SardineTin#12...3.25"wide, 7"high, 1.15"deep ($1000)

Artist Statement: "My arting has to do with whatever is in front of me,
although, I do seem to have an on/off relationship with fish...RedHerrings in particular...
which I've never been able to see as stinky fish to avoid, but beginnings of fit and beautiful and humourous visions.
Sardines, a relative of the herring, travel in wonderful containers."
Written for the show, but was lost.

Sardine Tins in Progress!

A perfect day:
13 hours in the studio on the last day of the year
preparing SardineTins for a show in Chicago....
almost done....I'll post official photos in a few days...

Aluminum pounded into Man of Teeth

Two weeks at Haystack has had impact beyond what I was warned about...
I can't put it quickly into words right now...
and can't find any of the words sent to friends which did...
or I'd be using them....
it has, however, been showing up in the arting done since....

(work in progress)

I am attacking the studio, head on.....
making some readjustments which will enable me to keep going...
moving a big bucket of wood ashes in for steel annealing....
my big surprize was what it did to aluminum!

I swore I'd own what I learned out there....
it's mine...
and I'm not stopping.

I'll post pictures soon.

Pitch Bowl

It was difficult...
hated to stop...
but, I brought my pitch bowl into the house

in order pack off to Haystack Mountain School of Crafts...
where I will meet up with it and my tools
in order to take the class taught by Kirsten Skiles.
Marcia Lewis, of ChasingMetal.com told me I'm going to learn a lot from her.
(she says "Hi" Kirsten!)
I guess I could keep figuring it out myself....
but, taking this class will speed things up for me...
answer lots of questions...
and who knows what all.

I'm leaving this one in the pitch
because I want to know if there are tools I can learn to make
that will do some things I can't do right now...
so it's coming with me.

It is an odd feeling, though, sending my tools off to "camp"....
but, I'll be busy...
there's a woodcut to work on...
another to start...
a painting to complete...
a couple drawings to finish....
I'll still be arting.

Aluminum poundings...(chasing & repousse)

I really have no idea what I'm going to do with these...

3.25"x4"x1" 2.25"x3.35"x1"

.....not yet.

Driftless Area Land Conservancy--Silent Auction

L. Kelen absolutearts.com Portfolio

I am one of many artists who have donated art to the Driftless Area Land Conservancy... http://www.driftlesslandtrust.org/ for a silent auction being held at
the House on the Rock Resort...(near American Players Theater)
in Spring Green, Wisconsin...
Sunday, March 9th from 3-6pm
$30 per person reservation
Feel free to contact me through this website...
you can post a comment and it will get to me...
or the contact information on the driftlesslandtrust.org website.
Details:

All donations go to the Driftless Area Land Conservancy...which I fully support.
3-3:30...socializing, tasty hors d'oeuvres & dessert tarts, complimentary wine/coffee
3:30...Doug Cieslak, Executive Director..opening remarks, challenges met
4:00...David Lowe, researcher...Prehistoric Rock ARt of Southwestern Wisconsin
4:45...Silent auction/socializing continues until the 5:05 bell ending auction.
5:15...Mark Mittelstadt, president...anticipations...closing remarks.

That's the line up....
Other artists are:
Karen Bassler, Kathy Cahill, Pamela Callahan, Karen Fitzsimons, Kathy Halverson, Sue Moore, Lauren Thuli, Ramona Palzkill, Jeb Prazak, Sue Quale, Geri Schrab.
This is the best I can do...
contact me if you've got questions.

I've got everything else scribbled out on paper here
since, I've managed to misplace the invitation with all the details....
or MeMe ate it.

"Wedding Procession led by the
Small Dog of Power. Once a
common sight...this and
other traditions of the
Driftless Area have been
forced by mondern mans
activity and expansion
into deeper seclusion." Kelen 2008

"Accustomed to formal attire
when performing in St. Elmo's
Circus of Indigenous Animals
which traveled about the
Driftless Area...the Small Dog
of Power continues to dress
appropriately for various
processions." Kelen 2008

L. Kelen absolutearts.com Portfolio

Pounded Copper Christmas Present

One of the latest poundings...
Tony's Christmas Present...

Wiro..the Electric Boy in a 3 3/8" square piece of scrap copper...

It's a work in progress...as I don't know enough about working with metal to be able to take this further...

at least not yet.
I'm figuring it out as I go...
I'm taking Wayne Farra's soldering (riveting) class in February, which will definately help with a lot of these other things I've been pounding on.
I want to know about patinas, so I ordered the book Japanese Patinas, by Eitoku Sugimori.

I found it in the Ganoksin archives.
This next year I'm making the studio friendlier to this whole process.
It's too much fun to be fighting with the awkward nature of how it is now.

SardineTin Number 4

SardineTin#4...sardine tin, paint, wireit is sold.