2013 Fields Project Part 6: Cathi's Well

On the 2nd to last day of the

Fields Project

, resident artist

Cathi Shwalbe

orchestrated a water event at a public well located outside

Ashton, IL at Gurler Road and Schnell.

These

photos document her fourth gesture related to water. Her

handmade cups and this public well brought out many folks from the community througout the day. It was a beautiful thing and the water so fresh and cold and and lovely in her earthenware cups.

From Cathi: "Water should be free and clean = that is my the foundation. I was told about this well last year during

The Fields Project

by

Aneda Ebert

and knew what I would be doing during the 8th annual (for me) Fields

Project experience."

Anne, Cathi, fellow artist Carol Luc and Farm Hostess with the Mostest, Aneda Ebert!

These additional photos show the sky at the time I arrived to help Cathi set up at the well: Roll Clouds. I'm sure I've mentioned how much I love weather and storms and clouds. These were extraorinary...but it wasn't good timing for Cathi's event, luckily we were spared. Not even a drop of rain fell. The folks at either ends of this front were not so lucky. There had been pretty torrential rains the night before as well..as can be seen below. Farmers were out all morning anxiously checking the fields.

Aneda and Carol arrived fashionably early in the storm armoured John Deere!

The

Full Fields Project 2013 Blog Series:

Part 1: Bocker Farm/Barnacopia

Part 2: Walks/Drives/Sights

Part 3: Elevator/Horse Ride/Sprayer

Part 4: Process

Part 5: Shoot Out

Part 6: Cathi’s Well

Part 7: Art Fair

2013 Fields Project Part 3: Elevator, Horse Ride & Sprayer

More from the Fields Project in June: early in the week I put the word out that I wanted to see the landscape from the farmer's perspective. What I had in mind was a ride on some farm equipment, I should have know with this group I would get that, and so much more! Gary Bocker was geneorus enought to send me up the elevator, 180 feet...so high I looked down on their enourmous corn bins.The view was spectacular...and a little unnerving for the first 10 mintues (I could see straight through to the ground from the grate we stood on).

In the distance you can see 'The Rail' ... the train cars are loaded with corn and travel a short distance to the main railroad line.

Such a view!

With Gary Bocker, overlooking his corn kingdom! He had never been up here and wasn't going to join me. I insisted that he come, too...I think he was glad he made the trip.

The drive where the trucks cue up with their loads of corn.

I was very lucky to be up there when a load came in, look at that gorgeous yellow grain!

The trucks pull in over a grate and the corn fills the coffers (I hope I have that right!) It was pretty cool, I could hear what sounded like rain, as the corn was pumped up into the giant metal pipes and distributed back down into the bins.

Later that day, driving 'home'. I was at the highest point you see there!

After that awesome elevated view, I drove a few miles to one of their fields and grandson, Winton, took me out on the sprayer (above).

This a very sophisticated piece of equipment, that computer tracks a myriad of info including moisture, and temps. He educated me a bit about weeds, if they grow higher than 4 inches they take more moisture from the soil than the corn.

Anne choose Chief

A horse of course! ...at White Pines Ranch

My third elevated view of the day, this one on a mammal! My horse's name was Chief...prior to our ride we had to watch a video (geared mostly towards a younger crowd). They instructed riders to go stand in front of the horse they wanted and point (so I did!). To my left is fellow artist: Jan Sorenson and in front the owner of White Pines, Gig Bellows. So grateful to her for inviting me out for the trail ride. Chief was a trooper, can't imaging carrying 'me' up a canyon trail..but this guy did!

The

Full Fields Project 2013 Blog Series:

Part 1: Bocker Farm/Barnacopia

Part 2: Walks/Drives/Sights

Part 3: Elevator/Horse Ride/Sprayer

Part 4: Process

Part 5: Shoot Out

Part 6: Cathi’s Well

Part 7: Art Fair

Today....

My facebook fan page has stolen all my blog time...I will attempt to start sharing those updates (and more!) here on my blog. Today, so far:
Happiness = a fresh new sketch book, the old one is now full and stained with a coffee spill!

Quotes read to me by my friend, Cathi Schwalbe, at last week's Fields Project. A photo retropsective of my trip is coming soon!

And new prints now available for sale on Fine Art America:
Above: One Chick + One Peppermint Tree

Purple Poulet

Tall Cow

My dog spotted on Mapquest satellite map...

At this year'sFields Project Art Fair I had a lovely lady and her daughter come to my display and excitedly share with me that my dog field sculpture (done in 2007) shows up on the MapQuest satellite map! This is pretty amazing because we mowed that field in one day and the photo was obviously taken early in the day since the negative space around the dog and the flowers was not mowed yet. You can't see us, by we are down there on the tractor...we stayed out there until it was done, in spite of the fact that Jennifer, the farmer was pregnant at the time...women farmers rock! ; ) See below for the finished project:

Anne’s 11 acre Field Sculpture

...made the Ogle County News!

Here is a great little article about the Fields Project in the Ogle County News as well as interview excerpts from participating artists...very grateful, as always, for a little press! Thanks to reporter, Chris Johnson for interviewing me.

....it was an amazing week on the farm: part I

I spent a magical 9 days, June 18-26th, at the 13th Annual Fields Project Artist Residency. I'll split my recap into a few posts because I have a lot of photos that I would like to share. I stayed with the Pfieffer Family near Ashton, IL on their pig farm, and I'm glad to report that they have agreed to adopt me! ...do you like their license plate?! My toes are the green ones, painted in honor of the week, which was filled with laughter and an endless supply of rural artistic inspiration.

I'll start with the family farm dogs...this is Beauty.

...and Bebe, hard working farm dogs most of the time!

...and old, Tiger - he has quite a set of lungs!
Lots of kitties running around, too!
Pigs! I'll go into much more detail about these guys in the following posts. Momma cow and her calf...sorry Taryn, I forgot momma's name, baby'g going to be an 'L' name...I suggested "Louie", "Lester"....oh, how about "LeRoy"?
And this is Frosty (note the ears...struck with a little frost bite) and Daffodil in the background..they were really fun goats, totally engaging and loved attention! So beautiful.
A painting of them in process in my outdoor art studio at Castle Rock State Park.
Daffodil, so pretty.

Frosty was often 'standing' on the fence like this when I would get in my truck to leave for the day.
Look at that mug!
...more to come!

Painting again...

This is one of several commissions that I'm working on. The original 7"x14" painting titled 'Field Days', has since sold so I am recreating it much larger at 24"x48". I created the first one at the 2007 Fields Project Artist Residency, the same year I created my Flower Frolicking Dog Field Sculpture. That experience definitely inspired the painting, that and staying on a farm with beef cattle. It's an amazing program...and I've been fortunate to have particpated 3 different years. You can check out photos here....and here.

 

...And as long as I'm sharing,this is the painting that I created at the residency in 2008 chronicling my entire experience with the field sculpture the year before: