Big Day USA, and my day in reverse

late afternoon today, Obama gets out of the car and worries the Secret Service. They all keep their coats open in the cold so they can easily access their weapons if they need to. I make calls for my new job, and every time I'm on hold, I turn the mute off and smile as I listen to the cheers from the huge crowd and the commentary.

After dropping off the knitting chair at the Lancaster Yarn Shop www.lancasteryarnshop.com, Max and I went to market and got lots of fruit, lemonade and cornbread. A cold day to be outside, and I thought of all the people outside in DC during the inaugeration.

I wake up, and while Max watched a cartoon, I photographed the knitting chair (my 17th folk art chair!), and made a little tag. Delivery to the Lancaster Yarn Shop is today. The chair will be for sale there for $185.
After breakfast, Max and I watch the inauguration. I was very moved during Aretha Franklin singing- I remembered my visit to a plantation outside of New Orleans, and I remembered how I felt like I could die on the edge of the cotton field due to the heat. I thought of all the suffering that black people have endured, and how if you had told the slaves of that plantation that a black man was going to be President in 2009, they would not have believed you.
As I listened to her beautiful and black voice, I couldn't help think that the slaves who sang would have had a similar voice, and today their day had come- and it was a better dream then they could ever had imagined.
Max marched around the living room and we practiced saluting each other. I say, "it's Obama!" and he says, "Omama?"

"Central Market" Chair at the Hotel Brunswick

So Friday was the Building Character event. That day or the day before, I found out that I would be able to display a chair in the window of the Hotel Brunswick! www.hotelbrunswick.com
This hotel is right downtown, on the corner of Queen and Chestnut. Currently they are displaying art from local artists. The Obama headquarters has moved out so the space is empty and currently for rent.
So since I was bringing two chairs to Building Character, I decided to make a new chair for this occasion, and I had three days to do it. I decided on another red chair since the hotel window background is black. I have been reading the Central Market Cookbook lately, (the descriptions of the downtown market at the turn of the century are just wonderful to me...something like, "the carriages drive down the city streets under the street lamps, with shutters closed...bleary eyed children help their parents unload fruits, eggs)...having driven down the streets to Eastern Market in the early morning to set up my stand, this was just really sweet for me to read.
So here's the chair at home, and set up in the hotel window (drop off was today). Thank you to Hollis for offering me this neat opportunity.
As I was painting this chair, I realized that I am developing an open bright folk art-y style. I know that I was really really influenced by the Niederhoffer house, as I spent so time there, surrounded by so much folk art it was unreal. When you see that much folk art at once, over a period of time, you see honesty and whimsy, but not forced whimsy. I know my letters often are not centered or styled in a certain font, but it is my own thinking, my own writing, and that is why I say I'm a folk artist.
I hope that the chair inspires people as they walk past the Hotel Brunswick. The chair celebrates the Lancaster, so I hope it makes people smile and be proud of Lancaster.
The edge of the seat says all kinds of things you can get at market. my favorite part is the front of the seat where I put, "Friends, Flowers, Fassnachts, Fish" it continues around to say, "cheese, gorp, fruit, chocolate, etc etc.
Available for sale for $240

Chair for Dad

Here's a pic of Max sitting on the "Izaak Walton" chair that I painted for my Dad for Christmas.
My Dad is President of the Lancaster Red Rose chapter.

Izaak Walton was one of the earliest conservation groups in the US. They defend "soil, air, woods, water and wildlife." It was fun to paint the chair- the top of the chair says, "Defenders" on both front and back.

My Dad and his group work with a lot of kids and teach them how to fish. He really enjoys it. As for the chair, he thought it was cool, and was happy I didn't get him another polar fleece shirt.

Max is wearing his new "Life Is Good" hat. It's really really soft inside. His cute turtle shirt is by Creekside Studio www.easysite.com/creeksidestudio...my friend Mary makes them.