I am celebrating Beltane a bit early this year. I booked a short interfaith and artistic retreat at Adobe – an interfaith and spiritual retreat center in New Lebanon, NY about an hour and a half from me. It will be a chance for me to work through some things personally, as well as some time on my wildcrafting for my artwork. Over the years of collecting plants for my artwork I have gotten to know several edible plants and one of the things I want to do is make meals from my walks in the woods. I am planning to go the weekend before Beltane (end of April) so I have been doing some additional homework on figuring out what I could potentially make. I have also been devouring foraging videos on youtube, specifically Coastal Foraging – Outdoor Chef Life and Fisher Locker!! Makes me miss the oceans. Anyway, here is a round up of recipes I found on Pinterest I’d like to try during my retreat.
Category Archives: Art
Experiments: WTA – Ferrofluid Attempts #1
Thoughts:
- I used too much, or didn’t dilute it enough – a little goes a long way
- Didn’t realize my LED strip needed an adapter to plugin into the wall so no light source at the moment
- Fun playing around with the fluid dynamics of ferrofluid
- The circular pieces of glass I bought weren’t clear at all so I am not able to use them
- Fun playing around with something I’ve read so much about
Project: WTA – Ferrofluid #1
Year: 2018
First attempts with ferrofluid. Nothing special just fluid dynamics doing its thing.
Experiments: Inside my Sketchbook: 01 – Illustrations
I have been working on my traditional art skills for sometime now and I am finally feeling comfortable with my style/approach to illustration. It’s taken me awhile to break away from the traditional/conventional realism but nowadays anything can be considered illustration if it’s not obviously hyperrealistic. So just for fun, I will be posting a new series of ‘inside my sketchbook’ and show you what I’ve been working on!
Inquiry: World’s Largest Kaleidoscope
Mount Tremper, NY | World’s Largest Kaleidoscope – While staying at the Emerson Resort and Spa one of their biggest features is a silo that has been converted into a kaleidoscope show. The show is an interactive display of light, sound and form and tells the story of the universe through this. The display was created by a local film firm in NYC and by two artists. After the show, you find yourself in a gift shop fill of different kaleidoscopes ranging from all sizes and prices. The team at Emerson gifted me a travel-sized kaleidoscope that I now keep on my kitchen table. Not only is it a feast for the eyes, but this experience has inspired me a bit in my own photography.
The above image was taken through a triangle tubular piece and had a mandala panting on the back wall. This image is pretty cool and makes me wonder if I can recreate the effect by creating a kaleidoscope lens. Throughout the shop there were interactive displays where you can look through kaleidoscopes and spin a bowl of marbles to create your own visuals. This activity is complimentary for guests.
Exhibition: Solo show at City Hall
I’m super excited to announce a solo show at City Hall in Northampton with the Northampton Arts Council! Reception September 8th from 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm.
Microscopy: 02 – Dryads saddle
Workshop: PVMA – Microscopy Workshop
LEEDS, MA – Last weekend, I attended the mycological association’s microscopy workshop and learned how to create a slide and use a microscope. This is something I’ve been wanting to get into for awhile now, and now that I have moved and have my own space I can plan/save some money to buy a microscope. I’ve been seeing some of my friends’ microscopy images and I think it might be a cool and interesting project to do microscopic images with my electrography, as they too in some respects are microscopy.
The leader of the association had a home lab setup and microscopes for us to use. I really enjoyed learning in an environment that wasn’t stressful nor as formal as a classroom and aim to find more workshops like this in the valley.
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Experiments: Mystical Objects
Project: Mystical Objects
Year: 2013
A photographic tryptic of altar objects manipulated in photoshop.
Experiments: Typography
Project: Experiments in Type
Year: 2015
Projects from a Letterpress class I took at Harvard in 2015.
New England Destination Guide
New England Destination Guide
I am very excited to have connected with Tomiko Harvey at Passports and Grubs to write this New England Destination Guide! A fellow colleague – Jessie Leiber over at Little Legends Design suggested I do a New England travel guide of the places my work has taken me. Below are some places off the beaten path that are perfect for the aspiring adventurer.
In addition to being a graphic designer, I am a fine art photographer who has exhibited work in over 32 exhibitions in the last 3 years. As an avid traveller, I have made a point to go to the receptions of these exhibitions to mainly network, meet new people and see a new place. I’ve been lucky to have exhibited abroad as well as nationally and have exhibited in almost all of New England. Today, I will share with you gems that cannot be missed that I have discovered while adventuring around New England!
1. Pomfret, CT – Celebrations Gallery and Shoppes
Unfortunately the shop has since closed, but the town of Pomfret, CT is certainly a destination off the beaten path. Located in the heart of Windham County Connecticut, it is a town that boasts beautiful rolling hills and bed and breakfasts that promote a country vacation. The town it’s self is known for a strong artist and crafters community and it’s businesses are a reflection of that. While on a vacation in the country you can stop by local artistsan shops and find the local dressmaker, furniture maker, holistic health practitioners, ceramics and other unique products. One must not forget to stop by Martha’s Herbery for local greens and herbs.
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2. Beverly, MA – Cabot Street Studios
This business has since dissolved and is now Zeitgeist Gallery. I had my first studio at this location for about 6 months. I feel like Beverly often gets overshadowed a lot because Salem, MA is right next store. The tourists flock to Salem for it’s obvious charm, but Beverly, has a lot of charm of it’s own. It is a small artist and holistic practitioner community that is well connected. With Montserrat College of Art right there, it is a great resource and destination for an emerging artist.
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3. Greenfield, MA – The Boxcar Gallery
This location too has since closed (noticing a trend here??). I swear there are galleries my work has been in elsewhere that have remained open! Greenfield is a hub of commerce and culture and one of the cool things about this gallery was that yes, it was indeed an old Boxcar – turned – gallery! Also interesting to note that this particular exhibition had original works of art from JMW Turner. It was pretty cool to exhibit my work amongst a classic. Greenfield is nestled in the Hampshire County in Western MA, and a great location spring and fall – especially so to see the foliage.
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4. Cambridge, MA – Gallery 263, Kathryn Schultz Gallery, University Place Gallery
Cambridge, MA is an interesting city as it houses many famous universities, businesses and is a high tech cosmopolitan city that boasts historical charm. The combination of the past and the future provides a unique symbiosis for emerging fields in art, science and technology. Cambridge, MA has a lot of unique gems and museums to walk through; for example the Harvard Natural History Museum and the MIT Museum provide invigorating stimulation.
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5. Provincetown, MA – Gallery Ehva
This destination has a fond place in my heart because my family and I would take me to Provincetown every summer growing up. As a child, I had dreamed of exhibiting in Provincetown and finally it happened in June 2014! I had met a gallery owner through an arts festival in Provincetown and we connected and planned to exhibit my work in their upcoming show that reflected Amy Winehouse; it featured works done by my age group (20 somethings) which was rare for me. We later partied the night away in Provincetown.
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6. Bethlehem, NH – 42 Maple Contemporary Arts Center
After going to college in the infamous Christmas City in Pennsylvania, being accepted into an exhibition in Bethlehem, NH was the ultimate irony. Bethlehem, NH is very different than Bethlehem, PA especially it’s location. In New Hampshire it is situated in the middle of Franconia National Park. A location where you can see the sights and hike the mountains. My work was accepted into a show called the Bee’s Knees which promoted the depopulation of the Bee species at a location known as “The Tallest Toy Box in Town” – 42 Maple Contemporary Center.
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7. Gloucester, MA – Rocky Neck Arts Colony
Noted as the oldest artists colony in the country, Rocky Neck Arts Colony is nestled in Gloucester, MA – a charming, unique fishing town on the North Shore. The Rocky Neck Arts Colony community center is located in a renovated church in downtown Gloucester on a stretch of rocky land that sticks out into the water. There are many unique shops, galleries and restaurants to wander around. It is a nice way to spend a summer day without having to go all the way to Cape Cod.
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8. Bar Harbor, ME – MDI Biological Laboratory
This exhibition was unique as it was located at a biological laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. The exhibition was celebrating the centennial of Acadia National Park. I have heard of Bar Harbor being an excellent summer destination and with a unique combination of art and science it was a road trip not to be missed. Traveling only 5 hours from Boston, made it be an accessible getaway for the weekend. The trip was short enough where you weren’t stuck in the car all day but long enough to motivate you to stay longer. The area was magnificent with it’s scenic views and blue horizons. It’s a perfect destination for the outdoorsy and the beach goers. As an emerging artist in the field of art and science exploring the biological laboratory was a dream. It was interesting to see the scientists working there and the types of people the reception attracted.
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There you have it! The above locations have a fond place in my heart for they are slightly different than your typical country destination or even your beach community. Adventuring to these locations has been an eye-opener for me to see new sights and senses. It had never occurred to me that you can combine travel with exhibiting art, but if you make a point to attend the events it will naturally become a part of it.
Kristi Beisecker is an artist and freelance designer in Massachusetts. In her spare time she creates photograms using electricity and organic materials with analog darkroom processing. She also reads and writes about science and spirituality, composes and performs music and gives spiritual guidance.
Check her out on Social Media: instagram | twitter | facebook | pinterest
Bar Harbor, ME – A Taste of Blue
Team K has taken on Bar Harbor! My intern went to Bar Harbor last week on a family vacation and I am here this week for one of my artist receptions; Pine Needles and Rose are being exhibited at the MDI Biological Laboratory through September. So far it’s been a dream and very reminiscent of my trip to Big Sur in 2013. The coast is just as dramatic. I left Boston at 7 am and arrived on Bar Harbor Rd at 11:45. I made a few stops along the way for food and bathroom breaks but otherwise the drive was very painless. It seemed shorter than I expected.
Due to the anticipated cloudy weather tomorrow, I decided to do most of the scenic sightseeing today through drives.
Unfortunately for me it was $25 a vehicle to get into the parks of the popular places; sand beach, etc. but I was content driving along the coast. There are a few free entrances to the Wild Gardens, etc. that I will be making a visit to tomorrow before my reception. I ate at Bar Harbor Beerworks and had their mussels which were amazing! I then did a little shopping and pick up blueberry incense and jam and a couple of postcards.
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Boston, MA – Americans for the Arts Convention
As I lay here trying to sleep, I figured I’d do my write up for the Americans for the Arts Convention that I attended this past weekend. I came back to Wellesley on Thursday to attend a convention that the Mass Cultural Council invited me to. I had been looking for events and networking opportunities over the winter to attend to this year. 
While the theme of the convention this year was Public Art and I originally felt that it wasn’t really up my alley being a photographer, I still learned a lot from it and gained some inspiration. There are new trends and innovations within the arts community that are crossing over to the corporate world which I find interesting. It was also a unique convention in the sense that since it was public art so you were mingling with city officials from all over. Unfortunately a lot of it I felt was related to policy, which to me is totally unrelatable. Not to mention I felt like it was hard to network with some of these people since they were 10, 20, 30, 40 years older than me. Though it did give me some insight and direction as to where I should aim in my career.
In terms of learning, I felt that the skills, management and processes to produce these monumental projects were of like-mind in the sense that project management is project management no matter what the outcome was, which was very relatable for me. Coming to this event from a marketing/journalism background I thought was interesting. As many of these people were administrative/policy/advocacy members and then wearing the artist hat, it was interesting to see the other sides of the judging panel.
Although the best parts were seeing a colleague of mine and a community that I have been in contact with out here in Western MA there. It was nice to see the staff at the Arts Extension Services there. As if it wasn’t for the class that I took with them, I would not have met my current landlord! I also met and introduced myself to Jane Echelman whom I have admired since college. I told her that I had seen her at her Wellfleet talk last summer and that I wrote a paper about her work in college comparing it to 1960s sculpture; she seemed flattered! Then properly handed her my biz card with a copy of my photographs on it. 🙂
All in all, I’m glad I went, though I’m glad I was invited by Mass Cultural Council. Unless the theme was really up my alley, I don’t think it was worth $500 to attend, though I did get a lot of inspiration from it.