All Day Saturday, Nov. 14th, Holiday Open House (including directions)

"Angel in Wine and Blue" watercolor by Marion Gunderson, 1954. (Click photo to enlarge.)

It’s official!  I am having a holiday open house for the purpose of promoting (and hopefully selling) prints of Mother’s artwork…as well as having fun getting together with friends and meeting people even if they don’t purchase.  The open house will be in Bill’s and my home 2 and 1/2 miles (2.5 miles) west of Perry, Iowa, on Highway 141.

Saturday, Nov. 14th:  9:00 AM until 5:00 PM (The open house is advertised to have a break between noon and 2:00 because I will not be here for those two hours.  However, feel free to stop during those two hours to browse and purchase, if you like.  I just won’t be here during those two hours to chat and/or answer questions.)

I am happy to meet by appointment, as well.

To the right of this page there is a link that says, “November Open House.”  It has some basic information about the open house.

Here are directions for getting to Bill’s and my home, 14106 Green Dr., Perry, Iowa.

If coming from the east, for example from Des Moines:  Take Highway 141 from Des Moines to Perry until you get to the stop light that is at the Hy-Vee/McDonalds intersection.  From that stop light, continue through the intersection (don’t turn at the intersection) and keep going west another 2 1/2 (2.5) miles until paved (not gravel) Green Drive is on your left.  Turn south onto Green Drive. Green Drive curves back to the east. Our home is about 1/20th mile off of Highway 141.  It is the first house in the development.  (If you get to the airport on Highway 141, you’ve gone 1/4 mile too far west.)

If you are coming from the west on Highway 141, for example from Dawson:  Once you are on Highway 141 with the Perry airport driveway on your right (on the south side of Highway  141), continue another 1/4 (.25) miles east.  (Go somewhat slowly on Highway 141 between the Perry airport and our house because Green Drive pops up sooner than you’d think.) Turn south on paved (not gravel) Green Drive. Green Drive curves back to the east.  Our home is about 1/20th mile off of Highway 141.  It is the first house in the development.

This week on November 10th the Des Moines Register published a story about Mother’s watercolors.  The story also explained how sales of prints will benefit the Rolfe Public Library…and the community of Rolfe, Iowa.

My mind is all a-buzz with excitement planning for and anticipating the open house.  Therefore, my writing might have left out some important details.  If so, feel free to contact me with any questions/comments you might have, or to arrange an appointment.  mariongundersonart@gmail.com or (515) 465-2746

If you have even a smidgen of interest in the prints, please come and see them if you can.  Online photos of them just do not do justice to Mother’s work.

By the way, since I last posted, I added the image of Bunny in “View and Order Prints.”  Except for dealing with the open house, I probably won’t post about other topics until after the open house.

Thank you for your interest,

Louise Gunderson Shimon

It Isn’t Halloween Without The Hallo-Wiener!

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Bill, Jackson, and The Hallo-Wiener (Click photo to enlarge.)

Not to forget a Halloween essential at our house, we just had to pull out The Hallo-Wiener.  Although some of the adult (um…make that adolescent) humor goes right over a 3-year-old’s head, there’s still plenty of emotion and story in the illustrations and text to envelop a little tyke’s heart.

But, for the adolescent humor…here are examples of lines that crack me up every time.

*** When Oscar (the Hallo-Wiener) went off to obedience school, his mother stood in the front doorway waving and calling out to him, “Farewell, my little Vienna sausage!”  With the other dogs watching.  (Poor, poor Oscar.)

*** When Oscar was feeling bad he was “looking quite frank.”

*** And, my favorite…when Oscar got in trouble at school, he had to write on the blackboard 100-or-so times, “I will not sniff my neighbor.  I will not sniff my neighbor.  I will not sniff…..”  (You probably need to “be there” reading this book to fully appreciate this last excerpt!)

When The Hallo-Wiener was first published, School Library Journal reviewed it proclaiming, “This may be the funniest Halloween story ever written, and it’s definitely got the most lovable hero.”  My sentiments, exactly.

Enjoy.  And, Happy Halloween (er).

“Church Yard” Watercolor — Deliciously Creepy!

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"Church Yard" displayed with Mr. Black's Secret by Cathrine Barr. (~20" W x ~14" H) Click photo to enlarge.

Last summer I spoke to a group about Mother’s (Marion Gunderson) watercolors. From Mother’s portfolio, I pulled out several that I ooohed and ahhhhed over. Then I pulled out this one of the cemetery. (Actually on the back of it Mother wrote, “Church Yard.” There is no indication of the exact location.)  I told the group that I love how Mother created an eerie feeling with her technique, colors and subject matter. Then I said, “But, WHO would EVER want to display this painting in his or her home?!”

"Church Yard" (1954) as it was cropped and matted by Mother (Marion Gunderson). Click photo to enlarge.

That’s still how I felt until about two weeks ago when I was decorating for Halloween. Hmmm…the wheels in my brain were rolling.  What could I use to decorate that doesn’t look cheesy, has colors that I love, looks good in my home, and creates a deliciously creepy yet fun ambience?

My brain clicked and sent me directly to Mother’s portfolio.  The next morning I went to Wild Faces Gallery in Rolfe where Mona just happened to have this standard-sized 18″ x 24″ black frame and also the not-typical-orange mat (in the top photo) in stock.  That same morning, Mona had the matted and framed Church Yard ready to go.

My next stop was about a twentieth-of-a-block from the gallery at Ropa’s Cafe in Rolfe.  I was so excited about Church Yard that I took it inside Ropa’s to show to family.  To my surprise and excitement, a non-family member in the cafe took a look at it and immediately said, “I WANT a print of THAT PAINTING.”  Whoop-dee-doo!  Since it is an initial investment to have prints made (due to being labor-intensive and requiring specialized skill, equipment and materials) hopefully I’ll get another pre-order or two to tip the scale to actually have prints made of Church Yard.

I cannot think of a more deliciously creepy piece of art.  I love it, I love it, I love it.  I’ll display it until the day after Thanksgiving when I’ll transition to Christmas decorating, including Mother’s Santa watercolor original.

By the way, Cathrine Barr dedicated Mr. Black’s Secret (the children’s book in the top photo) to Mother.  How perfect that the cloth cover is almost the same orange as the mat.  (Do you notice the little mouse bookmark sticking out the top of Mr. Black’s Secret?!)

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(Click here to go to this blog’s home page.  Slowly but surely there will be more about Bill’s and my Oregon trip and also about Mr. Spaulding.  I need to talk with Mr. Spaulding about  additional topics before another transcript is developed.)

Cy’s Favorite Alum With His 11.5-foot-tall Cy Sculpture

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Deane Gunderson, Cy and Jackson in Rolfe, Iowa, near the Bud Barn. The "rest-of-the-story" about Cy is below. (Click photo to enlarge.)

Today Jackson (my grandson) and I went to just outside of Rolfe, Iowa, where my 91-year-old father, Deane Gunderson lives. Dan and Rog Allen, loyal friends of my father, saw to it that my dad took Jackson and me for a drive in one of their tractors (John Deere, of course).

Jackson, my dad and I also went into Rolfe to see the Cy that my dad built in 1975. Cy now resides near Rog’s and Dan’s Bud Barn in Rolfe, where there is also their “World’s Largest Clydesdale Hobby Horse.” Lastly, the three of us visited the Rolfe Public Library with which Mother was so deeply involved for thirty-five years.

In the photo above, if you were looking down from an airplane, you’d see that the boulders design (created single-handedly by Dan) is in the shape of a cyclone.  You’d also see that there are steps on the far side, behind Cy.  Also, on the right side of the point boulder, nature has created its own red cyclone-shaped image.  In case you didn’t already notice it, this natural image is more easily visible if you enlarge the above photo.

Immediately below is one story about Cy.  This article was prepared for RAGBRAI’s 2007 ride through Rolfe.  It is a sweetheart of a story. Clicking on the photo will provide “large print” sized text.

(Click photo to enlarge.)

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Oregon: Day #4 — The Natural Bridges (and a little of Day #5)

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Click map to enlarge.

On the map at the left, the green marker line shows our day #4 route from Oregon’s Brookings to Gold Beach and then back to Brookings.  We spent night #3 and night #4 (July 19th and 20th) in Brookings.

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Click photo to enlarge.

In the photo at the left I believe Bill and I are at the Pistol River State Park near the mouth of the Pistol River.  It was quite foggy on our day #4 drive, making it difficult to have a clear view of many of the sights, but still very worth the drive.  On day #5 (July 21st) we backtracked, once again driving north from Brookings on a much clearer day.

Packers, Vikings … and Beer Making

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Jim, Bill and Scott divvying up the fruits of their labors. (Click to enlarge photo.)

Tonight while the Packers went up against the Vikings, Scott Finneseth, Jim Eaton and Bill were brew meisters once again.

Etsy? What? I’m doing what with Marion the Librarian’s watercolors?

My intent was to have completed two more posts about Oregon by now.  Then I got the flu last Tuesday through Thursday and worked yesterday (i.e., was a substitute fifth grade teacher).

What I’ve R-E-A-L-L-Y been spending time on last night and all of today is working to list/sell prints of Mother’s (Marion Gunderson) watercolors on Etsy.  I’ll put the profits toward funding the giclee printing expenses of the Rolfe (Iowa) Public Library fundraiser.

Oregon: Day #3 — The Rogue River Gorge (and a Brewpub)

Click to enlarge.

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The Rogue River originates at Crater Lake National Park.  It then twists, and sometimes rages (for example, through the chasm as explained and pictured below), as it winds its way to the coast at Gold Beach, Oregon.

Oregon: Day #3 — Crater Lake to Brookings

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For previous posts about Bill’s and my July trip to Oregon, visit the “travel” category archive.

Click photo to enlarge.

On Sunday, July 19th, after investigating Crater Lake, Bill and I drove to Brookings, Oregon.  Early in the drive we checked out several views of the upper Rogue River.  Then we had lunch at a brewpub in Grants Pass.

At the recommendation of several Oregonians, to avoid a windy, slow drive west over the mountains, we briefly dipped into California.  By doing so we were able to see a few redwoods.  Then we headed north back into Oregon, arriving at Brookings where we stayed the third and fourth nights of our trip.

What I remember most from this day (besides the intense blue of Crater Lake) was the rugged power of the upper Rogue River.

Within the next day or two, I’ll post photos and more information about the upper Rogue River and the brewpub.

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Mr. Spaulding and His Charges: Part VI

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Previous (and explanatory) posts in this series may be located and read by using the archival list of posts about Mr. Spaulding.

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L.:  So, getting back to the explosives, and you working on your fireworks, did you say that maybe you did that around when you were about sixteen?

Mr. S.:  About the time I got out of high school.  That’s when I burnt my hands up.