Oh Bacteria, My Bacteria!

I work as an exhibit developer at my local science museum. Folks often ask what the difference is between an exhibit developer and an exhibit designer. Short answer: I read all the scientific papers and figure out how to make the juicy data fun for 8 year olds. And then I coordinate with the exhibit designers, who do everything from color schemes and fonts to figuring out how to make structures that won't fall over when countless 4-year-olds throw themselves headlong at them.

It's mostly a writing and thinking job, but I do get to scribble in the margins to help me communicate my ideas. And I will admit that I've gotten very fond of creating fast scribbles of microbes in fat felt-tip markers. Kind of a zen circle sort of thing.

My big new project, Zoo in You: The Human Microbiome, is just now packing up and getting ready to head to the next stop on its national tour. Look for it in Ashland, Oregon, or San Diego, California, or Boca Raton, Florida, or beyond!

It's all happening in Eugene

May is Wildflower Month in Eugene, Oregon! I'm delighted to announce that the Wildflowers of Oregon show that I'm participating in will be on exhibit at the Art Annex all through May. (I'm also really jazzed to be heading to that fine, funky town for the reception, on Friday, May 3--join me?)

In other wildflower news, the poster for the Mount Pisgah Arboretum Wildflower Festival is gearing up for a crazy-fun day on Sunday, May 19. The poster, featuring my oversized Nemophila flowers with the happy dance flies, is probably sprouting up all over Eugene and Springfield right about now...Fun times!

Wildflower Festival Update

When I last updated, it was with watercolor in progress on the first layers of watercolor being laid down for the Wildflower Festival poster. Here's how that turned out:

I then returned to the digital version that we're using for the t-shirt and modified those colors to match the watercolor palette more closely.

An exciting addition to the regular festivities this year is that the Karin Clarke Gallery in Eugene, Oregon is hosting an art show devoted to native wildflower paintings, as a way to get even more Wildflower Month activities happening this May. Yesterday I got to work on framing my early sketches and the final painting for this exhibit.

Baby blue-eyes and dance flies as far as the eye can see! If you're in the Eugene area, do stop by the art show--grand opening will be Fri, May 3, 5:30pm – 7:30pm.

Perspective

Lois Reynolds Mead, one of my wonderful aunties, just installed an art exhibit in her hometown of Orinda, California. The show features not only Lois' wide range of lovely artwork--ceramics, bookmaking, photography, collage--but also a sampling of drawings and paintings by my grandfather, Chang Reynolds.

Collages and travel journal by Lois Reynolds Mead.

Now, I need to confess something--I can get frustrated with my old artwork. Sometimes I just want to take all my old drawings and paintings that are stuffed into boxes and folders all over the house, and just chuck them out the window. Why they heck do I keep this stuff around?

Sketchbook by Chang Reynolds. Photo by Lois Reynolds Mead.

But looking through Lois' photos of her art show reminded me that preserving my old work really is a wonderful investment. Even if I am not working in a certain medium any more. Even if I'm not convinced that it turned out quite how I wanted it too. Despite any doubts that I may have, being able to lay out decades of adventures in art and see how it all builds on itself is a magical process. And the way I'm reacting to these photos--"Man, I just LOVE that!"--may well be how other folks react to some of my stuff, too. (It's hard to remember that, sometimes.)

Photo by Lois Reynolds Mead

I also realized that seeing artwork that is done by family members has a unique layer of wonderfulness built into it. It's not just a question of thinking, "That is beautiful." There is also the thrilling additional dynamic of thinking, "That is part of who I am."

Sketchbook by Chang Reynolds. Photo by Lois Reynolds Mead.

Big thanks to Aunt Lois for putting this show together, and being a delightful inspiration in so many ways. If you're in the Bay Area, I'd encourage you to swing by the Orinda Public Library and see the show in person! It's up through the end of January 2013, and the artist’s reception is on Sunday, January 27, 2013, from 2:00-4:00.