Summer here, summer not

Lynn Rae has wisely escaped the summer heat by heading North. Way North to Nova Scotia! She'll be blogging here about her summer vacations, while her Staff mans the fort at the construction site in Tucson.

Ebay Store!

As of today we have an Ebay store! We are selling some of the inventory we just don't have space for in the new office. There are only a few items listed so far but we will be continuously updating throughout the summer, including several of the Inner Landscapes.

See the offerings at LynnRae Lowe's Metal Arts Gallery Ebay store!

The new office

Snug and neat.

We have moved!

As of June 9th we are nestled into the snug sales office of the Metal Arts Village, which will also function as our stream-lined showroom while the rest of the Village is constructed.

The timing worked out perfectly with a story about us that just ran in the newspaper. "Forging a metal village' by Elena Acoba ran in the At Home section this Sunday the 8th.
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/242390.php

We're Outta Here!

We've been quiet lately because we've been busy moving! If you've been by recently, you'll have noticed more and more items disappearing from outside and inside. We're now mostly packed away except for the paintings and a few sculptures and have found new tenants for the yellow house.

The new Metal Arts Village sales office at 3230, where we'll be for the summer, is coming along nicely. We're currently designing the final details of our layout for the interior and will be moved in within the next couple weeks.

We're smaller and sleeker for the summer but still open and doing business! We'll let you know when we're ready to start seeing visitors in the new office, for now you're welcome to swing by and see the outdoor sculpture garden which is already open.

Moving in May

It's happening! We've given our notice and before the end of May we'll be out of the yellow house at 3326 N Dodge. Now we need to shrink our inventory to fit into the Metal Arts Village sales office just down the street. Many items are on sale from finished stock (paintings, sculptures, screens, tables) to raw materials (jewelry findings, stained glass) to craft supplies (easels, display cases).

We're moving and downsizing for the summer but we are not closing! While Lynn Rae works on opening the new gallery in Nova Scotia, staff will be operating out of the Metal Arts Village sales office and showroom at 3230 N. Dodge Blvd. We'll still be making sales and taking commissions so keep our info handy!

Ship view

The landscape process

Honored

How exciting! I've been chosen as a nominee for a LUMIE - a Tucson Pima Arts & Business Award - in the Lifetime Achievement category. It's truly an honor just to be considered. Thank you to Susan Cassidy, Claire Scheuren and Stephen Kimble who thought my life worthy of nomination!

Here's some information about the event from TPAC's web site:
Please join us for The LUMIES on Sunday May 4th at 6pm at the FOX Tucson Theatre for an evening of celebration as we honor those Luminaries in our community—artists, volunteers, individuals, businesses and arts organizations—nominated for their outstanding contributions to the arts!


more about the LUMIES here

Question: What is your artistic impetus with the Inner Landscapes?

As a child I spent my summers in Canada traveling the roads of southern Ontario, with my mother at the wheel of our impala convertible I would squint my eyes through my wind blown hair to document the growth on the passing rows of vegetables and flowers. This is my first memory of observing the beauty of nature.

We lived on Lake Erie. As one of the Great Lakes, it more resembles an ocean in its changing waves and light. Its estuary was the wetlands where cattails lined banks swaying in the wind. It was here I grew to love the water and all it nutured.

I went to college in Boulder, Colorado crossing the Mississippi for the first time. I picked my sorority because the house we lived in had the best views of the Flat Irons that welcomed you to the Rockies. That great wall acted as a canvas capturing the palette created by the sun.

After I married, my husband and children Bradley and Damion Alexander moved to Telluride Colorado driving cross country through miles of farm land actually crossing the Rocky Mountains. I soaked in the vast variety of landscapes that constitute this beauutiful country.

It was in Telluride I first began to sketch landscapes. When we would drive to Montrose across the Dallas Divide, the splendor was breathtaking and I had to try to capture it in line if not color.

In the sixteen years I lived in that beautiful mountain town I extensively traveled by car the four corner states of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah.
In the early years my children took most of my time, but as they grew I found sketching the passing landscapes offered me great peace of mind and connection to the land.

Capturing the light

One of the things I love about the Inner Landscapes is the way each one seems to change and dance depending on how the light reflects off the metal. This also makes them difficult to photograph in a way that truly reveals the depth of the colors and motion of the grinds in the metal. Below is a series of images of the same painting, taken in indirect interior lighting, spotlit in a dark room and outside sunlight. See for yourself how the painting dances with the light!

Daylight Savings Sale!

For the month of March many items in the gallery, including paintings and wall art, will be available at 20% - 30% off retail prices. We're spring cleaning in anticipation of summer and in order to make room for more new work!

More sculpture

"Embrace" by Steve Kimble. Photo by Everett Grondin.

MAV Sculpture Garden

A few images from the sculpture garden, featuring works by MAV artists and guests Lynn Rae Lowe, Steve Kimble, Everett Grondin, Pattie & Mark Johnson and W. Micka. These items are all available for purchase.
Picture on left: "Robbie" by Lynn Rae Lowe.
Picture in middle: sculpture by W. Micka.
Picture on right: "Spirit Dancer" © by Pattie & Mark Johnson.
Photos by Everett Grondin.

MAV Groundbreaking images

Metal Arts Village has Broken Ground!

This Monday, March 3rd we officially broke ground at the Metal Arts Village! On hand were MAV artists Steve Kimble (our Village's fearless leader), Lynn Rae Lowe, Everett Grondin, Pattie & Mark Johnson and many of our friends and compatriots in the metal arts world. Thank you everyone who came out to have a glass of champagne with us and view the architectural plans.

We'll be posting a bunch of pictures shortly!

Groundbreaking of the Metal Arts Village

After more than five years of planning, construction begins on the Metal Arts Village

A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Monday, March 3, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. at the site of the Metal Arts Village, 3230 N. Dodge Blvd.

The Metal Arts Village is a collection of eleven individual art studios devoted to metal artisans. The 10,000+ square feet of studio space will house artists creating within those disciplines. The studio space is complimented by a 2,000 square foot art gallery and a 3,000 square foot sculpture garden.Completion of the project is scheduled for fall 2008 but already a number of prominent local artists have signed up for studio space. This includes award-winning artists Lynn Rae Lowe, Everett Grondin, Pattie and Mark Johnson and Stephen Kimble.

This asset to the Ft. Lowell Furniture District is located on an acre lot ½ block north of the Dodge / Ft. Lowell intersection. The actual site is in the Binghampton historic district, which has had a long tradition of community cooperation dating from its beginnings as a Mormon neighborhood. This spirit of cooperation will continue as an integral part of Village's mission.

Something a little different

Sketched while sailing around islands in Nova Scotia this fall.

Matisse Hooks

The popularity of the design easily adapted to a functional use with these hooks.

Matisse 3

Like the sylph series, this design also adapted to free standing sculpture.

Matisse 5

Several years ago I was in Philadelphia and Andrew gave me a personal tour of the Barnes Museum before it opened. It was such a privilege to hear about its collection and history from such an informed director.

The only thing more humbling than standing in the hall before the Matisse mural was seeing my work for sale in the museum.

Spiral Dancer

I created another series of dancers that originated with this single figure created in honor of Henri Matisse. I was so excited when Andrew Stewart of the Barnes Foundation discovered them and to this day is one of the Museums that supports my work.