There's a lady that has come into Phoebe's often, and she's been blind since birth. Recently, I've painted the moon, using extra paint to make crater textures to give the moon a bit of realness. Currently, I have Lost Moon on show at Phoebe's and this lady came in "saw" the painting.
She sees by touching, she analzyed Lost Moon and loved the texture. It is spray-paint smooth on the background, then the roughness of the cratered moon, and then a lighter, smoother texture for the clouds that cover it. This is a woman that has never experienced the moon. We can only SEE the moon, unless you're one of the lucky few, you can't touch it, and you certainly can't taste it or hear it or smell it. The moon's existence is only presented to us earthly humans through sight. So, for the first time, this woman "saw" the moon.
Phoebe relayed this via Facebook: "She said to tell you that she talked to your painting and said it was like greeting a friend...she said, "hello, Moon" and she could feel it."
My mind has been blown.
From Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Art & Soul by Phoebe Gallery; "The War" hanging on the wall with other artists' work; "Lost Moon," hanging where it can be experienced; "El Día De Los Papeles," article and close-up pics next time; and Phoebe, taking a break, relieving a break-er, revelling in success, I hope. Thanks Phoebe!
Also, as promised, a bit about coffee shops, or, at least, one in particular: Country Morning Coffee Co., in Kewanee. It has recently opened, my mom told me about it, and we visited the shop during my trip home. They have wonderful fruit smoothies (coffee and I don't mix; I'm already a spazz).
The owner, Elizabeth Wolf, has been trying to bring the 'art vibe' to Kewanee. Why not? It has a great downtown, with all the old buildings pretty much preserved (not really due to much to any kind of activism, I think it was more that no one new what else to put there so why not leave them alone? Well, except for the always encroaching Good's Furniture of course.) The result is a bunch of old buildings, looking like they would have in the 20's or 30's with lots of lil shops and such that have moved into the ground floors. I assume that people live in the second and third floors, but I've never met anyone that does!
Elizabeth is already hosting art, using the coffee shop walls as gallery space, and Mrs. Lane, my former art subsitute teacher, runs a gallery two blocks away. The library is across from the coffee shop, they could sponsor some reading related events (poetry slam, anyone?). There are some fun restaurants nearby. This is the same area that comes alive during Hog Days (Labor Day weekend, to lay people). Imagine it pumping and bopping every...say Third Thursday...or whatever!
I would love Kewanee to have an event like this. I only wish I was closer, so that I could lend a hand in organizing. There isn't much else going on in K-town, its practically a blank slate with the infrastructure (businesses) in place. There are a few places around Indiana, small towns, that have embraced the artworld as their form of commerce and notariety, there's no good reason Kewanee can't do it. It's ripe for the picking, and we just need someone with the ambition (and proximity) to do it! We all know (especially through Facebook) who can do-play-perform-cook what. C'mon Boilers!
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