The Pretty Hop Vines

When Alex Ganum of Upright Brewing contacted me to make him a hop vine piece for his brewery's tasting room, I was so excited! He's been a great supporter of my work for many years and is so trusting, the only restrictions he gave me were the size and that it be hops. Excellent! I've been a long time admirer of the beautious hop vine, but had never cut one before, so I was thrilled and up for the challenge.
Since I had just missed hop season, I was forced to do my research online. I prefer to have a real plant right in front of me, but I LOVE google images! It's just amazing what you can find and how easily you can get sidetracked while "researching."

He wanted to be about 5'x14" so that it would a particualr spot in the brewery, so I had an excuse to work big. That ended up being very good, you just can't do a vine in a small area, long and skinny is totally appropriate.I'm not going to lie, it was a challenge, but that's why I liked doing it!

It's hanging in the tasting room now, so get down to Upright Brewery, enjoy a delicious beer and see it in real life!

AND, now I am on a total vine kick. I think the next one might be a clematis or a passion flower, two of my favorite vines!

Cerebral Commission

Sometimes people see art and fall in love then are disappointed because the piece is sold! That is exactly what happened in this case. A gentleman named Kyle fell for this piece called "Migration on the Mind" and someone else had already snapped it up.

Kyle came out to my studio during the Art Harvest Studio Tour back in October hoping to find something that made him swoon. He almost bought this piece entitled "Out on a Limb", but when he called back the next week about it, it too had been sold!

So this time, he decided to commission me to make a piece just for him. He is a brain surgeon, so we decided the brain was a natural subject matter. After working out some details, this is what I came up with. I find commissions to be satisfying, they tend to push me in directions I would not have normally gone, they can be challenging, but are usually rewarding as well.

If you have a commission in mind, email me and we'll discuss!