Rest of the Story

Lincoln Journal-Star image of Raspberry Beret

Now, for more of my inspirational eight days of travel.  After working hard moving around paintings in the Noyes Gallery, my son met me for a stroll through the new rail yard district in Lincoln's Hay Market.  We stopped for burgers and fabulous waffle fries at LeadBelly pub.  Mine was the Raspberry Beret, which includes jerked ginger peanut butter, jalapeno raspberry jam, Romaine lettuce, red onion and smoked candied bacon atop a beef patty.  He had the Hangover Burger, with "bloody Mary" sauce, celery, and a fried egg!  It was great to hear stories of his busy semester, get to know his roommates better, and reconnect.  Wednesday, his house full of ROTC cadets was up early and off to PT.  But he came home before class, to say goodbye before I headed back west.

crop from Eulabee Dix in her Wedding Gown
Museum of Nebraska Art

I got to Kearney before noon and spent a couple of hours in the Museum of Nebraska Art, where there is a genius exhibition of art and memorabilia from Eulabee Dix, the woman in Robert Henri's wedding portrait owned by the Museum.  My sister-in-law met me there, and we enjoyed conversing with Russ Erpelding, who curated the show.  The museum will be gifted with many of the items that have been loaned from Eulabee's family.

Afterward, I got to be part of the Wednesday open-studio painters at Pat Wiederspan Jones' Studio 3.  What fun to get some brush time in while meeting new friends.  Pat was working on a landscape with pine trees and a great sky.  I played with a plan for one of my gesso juice starts from camp in Halsey.

Hospitality Bar Mural included in
Axtell program 

Finally, I met up with my sister-in-law in Axtell, where she'd requested a program for her church ladies group on my spiritual connections in artmaking.  It was fun putting together a PowerPoint with images of murals in our local church, entries in our 2011 Advent devotional, and other art based on a spiritual theme.  Fourteen women put up with my ramblings.  Other than taking a little too much time, the program was a success.  New friends were made, new ideas discussed.

Now for some serious doing of the work, after all that inspiration in a short period of time.  Next up: open house at my studio on Thursday, October 17!