River Water

Recently another printmaker suggested using actual water from the Shiawassee in the making of the prints for this series. I don't know why I didn't think of that! It adds a special dimension to the prints.
So, on a very chilly (58 degrees) July morning here in Michigan, we set off to Curwood Castle Park to collect water. I grew up 3 houses from the Castle. This view of the Shiawassee was my view.

We ran the water through our Katadyn filter that we use backpacking.


Now I have a clean gallon of Shiawassee River water to use!

Recent News Article About Shiawassee River Series

The complete article with photos can be viewed at this link: http://www.argus-press.com/news_local/article_79e2d546-660e-11df-a14c-001cc4c03286.html

Portraits of activism

Shown in her home studio, Linda Beeman holds a completed woodblock print that depicts a portion of the Chesaning rock rapids. It is one of the prints which will be in her “12 Views of the Shiawassee” exhibit.

Posted: Sunday, May 23, 2010 8:00 am | Updated: 10:01 pm, Sat May 22, 2010.
JULIANNE MATTERA, Argus-Press Staff Writer

OVID — Linda Beeman was one of many junior high students in Owosso who celebrated their first Earth Day in 1970 by picking up truckloads of trash around the city. Since then, the memory of bags upon bags of trash that students retrieved has remained lodged in Beeman’s mind.
Of course, that wasn’t the only place she’s found trash over the years. Growing up next to the Shiawassee River in Owosso, Beeman often saw pollution-related suds in the water and garbage floating down what she considered a piece of her backyard. And when Beeman took up geocaching as a hobby, she was disappointed to see water bottles and old plastic containers dotting otherwise beautiful natural areas.
“It really surprised me to see the irresponsibility,” Beeman said. “I just thought, ‘How hard is it to throw it away? Why did you have to do that?’”
Now, the Ovid resident and self-described Michigan artist has been awarded a $1,000 emerging artist grant from the Arts Council of Greater Lansing to produce and exhibit a series of Japanese woodblock prints focusing on promoting environmental awareness regarding the Shiawassee River.
Called “12 Views of the Shiawassee,” the exhibition is scheduled to begin around late fall and will include Beeman demonstrating the moku hanga technique — a Japanese form of printmaking that uses watercolor paint and carved wood to create images on paper. Additionally, Beeman will collaborate with environmental agencies such as the Friends of the Shiawassee River and the North Oakland County Headwater’s Land Conservancy.
“Linda was seeking to collaborate on a project that would raise environmental awareness but also produce beautiful prints,” said Katie Robiadek, program manager for the Arts Council of Greater Lansing. “Her work is very detailed and very relevant to Mid-Michigan, so I think the panel was especially pleased with her applications for those reasons.”
In her daily life and with “12 Views of the Shiawassee,” Beeman is a proponent of the environment who is quick to remind people that the Great Lakes are one of Michigan’s greatest assets. Beeman knows she can’t simply go out on a boat and hope to solve all of the state’s water pollution problems, but she hopes her exhibit will inspire others to care more about the environment.
“Art has long been used for political (purposes)” and as a means to reach out to people and get a point across, Beeman said. “I was hoping by showing the river in different settings, in different places along the way and how just beautiful it is, it would entice people to care.”
Beeman’s prints showcase parts of the Shiawassee River from Oakland to Saginaw County. With the exception of one print, all portray the Shiawassee River weaving its way through natural or rural areas, varying from parks to a swamp.
But she did include a print that shows a point in the river behind Owosso City Hall — alluding to the importance rivers have had in being a water source for the communities built around them.
Local environmental topics, such as the future of Corunna’s dam, are also close to Beeman’s heart. One of her completed woodblock prints depicts the rock rapids system that Chesaning opted for after its dam broke. And Beeman hopes Corunna chooses a similarly eco-friendly option when it fixes the dam there.
“When you don’t need the dam anymore to run the mill that’s no longer there, then the dam is really just aesthetic. People like it because it’s pretty,” Beeman said. “And I understand people who live along the river — things will change with river levels and everything once that dam is gone, but everything is not always about humans. It’s not about us, it’s about the health of a water system.”
But most of all, Beeman hopes her prints get people to think about the conservation of the river in its entirety, as well as the Great Lakes.
“I know people are desperate for employment. But we need to protect our state and not be swayed by things that are going to hurt us ecologically,” Beeman said. “My whole thing with this is conservation of the river in its entirety. And that’s what I want to get across to people from Oakland County to Saginaw. It’s not just our section of river; the river flows.”

Ember Tide

My favorite sunset is probably one for the most rare here in Michigan: a green sunset. Our local art guild is having a show beginning in May and our theme was "green" so I decided on this.
Following in the footsteps of Yoshida Hiroshi Sailing Boats series, I reused the same blocks from Evening Sunglow. With these two prints done and looking so different from each other I am going to continue this series. I'll try different times of day, maybe rain, maybe snow. It will be interesting!

Shy That Way

Last summer I was going thru old family pictures with my mom when we came across this one. It was tiny but the image was so dynamic and told such a story that I knew I had to make a print.
The photo is of my grandmother and taken by my grandfather when they were "courting". My grandmother, Maisie, passed away when I was in elementary school so I didn't know her very long or very well. What I do remember is that she worked for the phone company, she was a proper Baptist lady and always wore a house dress. She taught me to plant morning glories and pansies on the north side of the house, how to thread a needle in a lady-like manner, how to embroider and how to make a perfect pie crust. As her only granddaughter she tried very hard to teach me how to be a proper lady as well. Even though I still hear her voice when I thread a needle in my un-lady-like way (instead of delicately wetting my fingers and then rolling the thread end, I stick the thread in my mouth to wet it so it goes thru the eye of the needle easier), the whole "proper" thing didn't quite stick.
This picture brought back those memories and yet made me wonder what she was like when she was young. Here she is, alone, in a boat, with a man. Was she being shy? Coy? After all, later on in their wedding picture she is wearing a sea glass aqua silk flapper dress with rhinestones on it! Who was this person? I'll never know but I chose to portray her shy and proper - even if I did take away her shoes and stockings and give her a big red hat!

Shiawassee River Series Update

It seems an awful long time ago that I decided to do the Shiawassee River series. I had thought that I would do one print at a time and they would all fit together in the end. But once I got started I realized that I needed to see the river in every season, travel the length several times, talk to more river experts and, finally, refine my skills as a printmaker so there will be consistancy throughout.

I feel like I finally will be able to do the Shiawassee River justice. The series will have all 4 seasons represented. It will show the various typography - from the first trickle out of the ground to swamps, high banks, farm fields, bayou's and finally the flats. It's a wonder filled landscape.

It seems an immeasurable privilege to have traveled the river and seen it's many faces and moods. Growing up with the river as my backyard, I'm sure I, like other people, stopped seeing it. But it keeps traveling the path it has made with no mind to our thoughts. It continues to sustain life in and around it. It continues to accept both man's abuse and recreation, our thoughtless pollution and our care and conservation. It continues.........beautifully.

In the words of John Muir:
One is constantly reminded of the infinite lavishness and fertility of Nature -- inexhaustible abundance amid what seems enormous waste. And yet when we look into any of her operations that lie within reach of our minds, we learn that no particle of her material is wasted or worn out. It is eternally flowing from use to use, beauty to yet higher beauty..........

Stones Unturned

I came upon these stones along the tide line while walking the beach of Lake Huron. I was taken with the simple perfection of their arrangement, the variety of colors and shapes. While I like to collect stones from places I visit, I decided to leave these right where they were.
Leaving stones unturned goes against our grain. We are supposed to "leave NO stone unturned" in our quest to achieve whatever we have set our hearts and minds to do. Opportunities are presented to us and we use whatever means possible to grab it. People use friends and connections. They abuse power and the environment. We've all seen it happen, especially this past year.
But even on a normal day-to-day life we do the same thing. We think just because an opportunity is there that we are fools to not take it. We are fools to leave stones unturned. People don't understand us. But sometimes those opportunities throw us off our path. They wear us down. We lose the focus of what really matters in our life.
Leaving stones unturned doesn't ruin our life. We don't have to say yes to everything! We can look at those opportunities and just enjoy them for what and where they are. Stones Unturned.

Rhythm and Blues

In our travels in the Upper Peninsula this past August, we came upon a rest area. Trust me when I say, if you find one, stop. Not just for the obvious reason but because you never know what else you might find.
We noticed a sign at the far end of the parking area. Usually these signs will have a map of where you are and maybe area attractions. This one though said to follow the trail to the waterfall. A waterfall! Right there! As we were headed to the trail several people were coming back up. We asked them how the waterfall was and they said, "Eh, it's nothing really. Guess it's all right. Thought it would be bigger."
We headed down a very rough trail really not expecting much. The trail was hard to read since it was all rocks and trees. It looped around and over roots and boulders. Finally, the river. The waterfall gently flowed over wide, flat rocks. I could understand the people's comments. It was pretty but not very big.
Our son noticed that the trail seemed to go on. It was a nice day so we decided to hike a bit. About 10 minutes into the hike...........
Well! We found the waterfall! It was HUGE. It went into and around a canyon, dangerous, frothing, loud, breathtaking. It was spectacular! Obviously the people that we had run in to had not come this far. I wanted to run back and grab them and tell them they had missed it. And yet I thought, if you are looking for some quick gawk 'n go before you quickly jump back in your car and move onto the next photo op, go to Disney World.
In doing this print I found myself confused by my own attitude. I love Michigan. I want people to experience the beauty, the serenity, the majesty found in hidden places. And yet, I don't want to tell anyone where this waterfall was. I want to keep it hidden and unspoiled. I don't want it to become just another photo op.
I didn't make a print of the waterfall. This is a small pool at the edge of the river right before the main falls. The water flowed in and over and around the boulder with the rhythm of the river. I want you to see the beauty but for now I am keeping the falls to myself. And I feel sad about that. Sort of!
Hence, Rhythm and Blues