The two weekend art extravaganza, Power of Art, hosted by the Redondo Beach Art Group, closed tonight and I will carry memories of it for the next 12 months, until the show turns up again in 2012.
If I had the space in my home or yard for Daryl Muncey's gorgeous tree sculpture, the centerpiece of one gallery called Project Earth, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Daryl always curates our collaborative project each year and it was Project Earth this year. Daryl's tree was constructed with lathe and the trunk of the tree was at least 10 feet tall, with its black branches spiking up at least another 10 feet. It is magnificent. I was shocked it didn't sell at the show as he was asking basically what he spent on materials--$1500. It even had a little door in the trunk where little kids could hide--and it smelled just like a forest somehow. Here's Daryl and his tree--and, by, the way, the picture hanging on the tree near his head is my contribution, "Our Lady of Sustainability."
There were many magnificent and thought-provoking pieces in Project Earth, but Daryl's won my heart and soul. Hopefully his tree will find a temporary home in a Redondo Beach government office until it sells. I see it in the lobby of a huge company who supports the sustainability concept. As soon as it is placed, I will report where so that those of you who want to experience it can. Or maybe one of you who read here might want to buy it yourself. Just leave a comment and I'll pass it on to Daryl.
And I want to say thanks to the dozens upon dozens of people who worked so hard to make the Power of Art as successful as it was. Job well done. And believe me, folks, if you live in Southern California, it's actually worth a visit to see Power of Art when it comes around again. Today is strike day, taking down the show, and everything has to be out by 5 p.m. Then all the worker bees can hopefully take a well deserved rest.
Out of my four pieces on display, I sold two of them, which amazed me. I gave another mixed media piece to my friend Mary Lou as a gift. I'll write more about this in days to come, but for now, I'm really focusing on the prep for Day of the Dead coming up on Nov. 1 and 2.
