WELCOME TO KOS ART EXPO 2023! This is a collaborative showcase of Art and Music created by your talented friends at daily kos. The Exponauts who belong to this Artist Co-op call it a “Museum of the Beautiful and the Curious.” Please do not touch the paintings, but please do ask questions of the Artists and Musicians about their lovely masterpieces.
One of the traditions of the Kos Art Expo is to listen to a magnificent Horn Concerto to get us in the mood while we view the beautiful and the curious below. So, here then is our Maestro GAS:
MT Spaces: Images from my recently-published book “Amsterdam’s Compleat Fools” --
Footsbarn Theatre’s 35th Anniversary Celebration 2006
From Footsbarn Worldwide Pg 555 — all photography by Michael (MT Spaces) Evans
Artists from Australia, Copenhagen, Ireland (especially Puca,) France, Korea, Germany, a Shakespearean company from Chad, Canada, and the USA.
I readily volunteered as a driver, since France uses the proper side of the road:
I visited the “Montana” region, with three extinct volcanos driving to Clement-Ferrand, and the hot springs at Volvic, with ruins hearkening back to Roman days.,
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGMAR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gwennedd:
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
GAS presents Dr. Grace
I have been producing Grace’s songs for several years while she was an under grad and while working on her PhD in art history. She’s now a professor at a university in Atlanta.
We record her songs on a stereo track with vocal and guitar simultaneously. Eventually, I lay a bass and drum track and “color” tracks.
The first collection of songs she dubbed “Symphony No. 1” she subsequently recorded eight more songs in various stages of completion.
Something a little rockier:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Paintings by Ralphdog
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enoch Root Stuff
Here are mine for this year — A fractal image I created some fifteen years ago.
And a retro V-10 convertible I made with a free 3D modeling program called Blender.
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
PAINTINGS BY GLASTOSARA
“Let There Be Snow” is a painting by GlastoSara that she had printed out into Christmas cards. The same is true of the painting below, which is entitled “Christmas Tor” - one of Britain's most recognisable sights, Glastonbury Tor, dressed up as a Christmas Tree!
These are your Seasons Greetings from Sara.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Artworks by A Pagan In Arizona
This year I haven't created as much, but the projects I have completed are things I really enjoyed making. My kids found the skull on a hike near our home.
My son found a dinged-up metal watering can at a yard sale in Sedona last summer. I enjoy painting on metal (mainly gas tanks for motorcycles and sandrails) and couldn't resist having fun with this. I left parts of it unpainted, since the chipped and faded original paint was not unpleasing in it's own way.
The painting above is the most recent thing I've completed and will most likely be the last project I work on in 2022. It's an honor to be able to display my work alongside so many beautiful creations by my fellow artists here. Bright Blessings for the New Year from A Pagan In Arizona.
▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀
A PAINTING BY CMAE
▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀
POLITICAL CARTOONS BY HILMBROWN
Egoroller (October 2022) — Inspired by the January 6th Committee testimony.
How they play (March 2021) - Since I made this, there’s a lot of tape I could add! (voter intimidation, election worker threats, absurd lawsuits, gerrymandering, etc.) As we know, they have a full array of tactics.
The Republican Party (April 2018) — Trump is not the disease, but rather an inevitable symptom.
▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀
Ceramic Arts by MEL in PGH
The Tile Table Saga Nears its End
This commissioned project began almost a year ago. It was an exercise in “whatever CAN go wrong WILL go wrong” since several kiln disasters caused the tiles to need to be re-made up to 3 times. Two of the tables are finally completed. There is still one table left to finish.
Here are two photos of the tables alone:
This final photo shows the tables in the client’s home along with the painting they were designed to compliment. I DID NOT do the painting. It is by Didier Lourenco. His works are available from Casa de Tesoro in Tubac AZ.
The last table will be a small full round table the diameter of the half-round one. It will have the pattern seen on the cat.
Recent Selections from the 50 Plate Project
I have shown some of the 50 Plates previously and here are a few of the most recent ones. These plates are approximately 4.5 inches across.
This project is to provide gifts for a select group of people. I will have made 80 plates in the end to have 50 that I’m satisfied to give away.
▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀
Nature Photography by OceanDiver
Winter snow and ice moments in the Pacific Northwest during a rare deep freeze, December 2022
◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘
Paintings by Nolana
This first one may be a repeat. I can’t remember whether I posted it before. It is a watercolor of a red-breasted nuthatch, which I made a couple years ago as a birthday gift for a friend.
Next, Lady’s Slipper and Ferns, watercolor. It took me three or four tries to get this one right.
Lastly, Lilies and Chicory, watercolor. This one took probably over 20 hours, if you include the flower studies, composition studies, initial sketch, transferring to watercolor board, refining and then painting.
◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘
Watercolors by Laurel in CA
In addition to my watercolor sketches when I travel, I make little sketches for greeting cards for special occasions for my grandchildren. Here are a few for my grandson over the years.
Gandalf stands in front of grandson’s house, inviting him for an adventure (9th birthday.)
Inspired by the “Rangers Apprentice” book series, grandson on his 10th birthday appears in the forest, dressed as a Ranger.
For grandson starting freshman year at university - inspired by “Magic: The Gathering” cards. This card was accompanied by a large cookie cannister filled with homemade cookies, as portrayed in the sketch, and promise of refills whenever it runs out. (Grandson’s comment later: “My study group loves the cookies!” - so it worked out as we hoped - something to share with new friends.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fractals and Poetry by Judith Moffitt
(This poem was written in 2020)
The Sorrow of the Valkyries
The heroes were no longer
On the battlefield
But in Emergency Rooms
And ambulances
They fought
To save lives
Not for land,
Politics,
Or patriotism
The battlefields halted
As sickness racked the lands
And the Valkyries
We wondered what
Our role was
In this new world
I pondered deep
This new and unfamiliar scene
Unsure what to do
They were heroes
And then they sickened
With the disease
They fought so heroically
But to take them
To their reward
Was hard
They were needed still
To save others
When heroes aren't bleeding to death
How does a Valkyrie decide
Who may live and who may not
We watched at first
As they became
More exhausted
Losing hope
But still struggling
To see one more patient
Keeping them alive
For one more minute
We watched the pain
As yet another patient died
As they called the families
of the dead and the dying
When they sickened
We had to choose
Who would go
To the Hall of Heroes
For not all may go
Choose the nurse
Who kept seeing patients
Even when he had been given
No protective gear?
Or choose the doctor
Still practicing at 80
Who had every reason
To let others handle this
Candidates
Came from
All countries
All ages
Young nurses
In their first year
Middle aged doctors
With teenage children
Pregnant women
Risking more than their own lives
Elders long past retirement age
Who could not lay down the torch
And as for the Valkyries
There was no rest for us
No location that was
Free of this disease
No place without heroes
No silent nighttime
As we toiled on
For the first time in
Centuries
We despaired
It is usually a joy
Collecting the heroes
And introducing them
To Valhalla
Giving them
Their first drink of mead
But these heroes
Weren’t happy to go
To a well-deserved rest
They begged
They pleaded
They wanted to
Return and fight
I took to crying
With every hero
I choose
In the dwindling spaces
Between pickups
I sorrowed
Devastated beyond words
Brynhildr was first to give up
She stayed behind
In the Hall of Heroes
She would not be the last
Of us to crack
Finally, it was down to me,
Grimhildr
I, too, wanted
To take my rest
After centuries,
Millennia
Of service
But there were still
Heroes to collect
And honor
And only me to do it
◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘
Photography by gizmo59
◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘
PAINTINGS BY DESERT SCIENTIST
These are old watercolors, mostly if not all on Arches 140 lb. cold press.
Fly Agaric
Hay bales in Mesilla Park, New Mexico
Old Engine, Snoqualmie, Washington
◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘
WATERCOLOR AND INK BY RIVEROFTHEWEST
The first one, Storybook House, is a watercolor and ink drawing of the house I have lived in for 52 years. The house is in town but in this depiction it’s on a hill in the country. Artistic license has been taken especially as to landscaping.
The 1930 house is basically English Cottage style, but some details are “Storybook” which is one of many styles derived from Gothic Revival. The Storybook House is done in the style of illustrations in children's books of the 1920s and '30s. I expect to do more in this style when I illustrate the Endless Work-In-Progress, my local history book -- it's a fun technique!
The second is also watercolor and ink. I have several Christmas cactus started from cuttings from a plant that belonged to my grandfather. Before he died he gave his big cactus to his lawyer who hung it from his office ceiling, which was about 15 feet high. The cactus extended all the way to the floor. I have had my plants for several decades and many cuttings have been given to daughters and grandkids.
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
A PAINTING AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY TROT
Rhyolite
8x10 Oil on Canvas
The remnants of an old building in the Nevada ghost town of Ryolyte. Brilliant sun and ghostly quiet make this tumble-down town seem timeless, if creepy.
Stately Old Tree
Old Santee Canal Park, Monck's Corner, SC
My husband and I found this wonderful park last year. We absolutely love it. There are many beautiful nooks and crannies.
Over Yonder
Photograph
The Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the most scenic drives in America. The views almost make you believe you can see forever. I've only been there in the Spring. I'd love to visit in the Fall.
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘
LINOCUT BY MARKO THE WERELYNX
Well, this probably won't teach me not to leave things until the last minute, but here’s a look at my New Year’s card in progress. I've been assured that it’s normal for artists who make their own New Year's cards to send them out in late February.
A few more days of work left on it and then I'm getting a friend to help me print it. I'd usually do the printing myself, I’ve been doing one of these linocut cards every year for awhile now, but this year the scale and detail requires a proper press and not an hour of rubbing at the back of the print with the bowl of a spoon.
2022 wasn’t a great year for my artistic projects. Here's hoping this ambitious little linocut kicks off a year of creative endeavors.
All the best from your fuzzy-headed friend Marko
◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘