SEUSS ON THE LOOSE

For the past year I have been working on a curatorial project - bringing a selection of original drawings and political cartoons
of Dr. Seuss to the Durango Arts Center, Colorado. The art of Ted Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) is being loaned by the Seuss Collection, Special Collections Library at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). For a complete schedule, see durangoarts.org.

INTERVIEW ON THE WEB -

Detritus San Rafael - Book sculpture on site

Concentric Circle, 2nd phase

Just posted on New Voices is an my interview with Dottie Moore. I speak about my environmental art work at length. The site also shows some images. See my links for the ladybug address and then scroll "programs", click "The Gallery".

MEMORIAL - LOIS CRAWFORD BUB 1927-2011

ME and first cousin Lois, July, 2003

SUMMER IN COLORADO

Another beautiful, blue sky day, hiking the high country trails.

Above Little Molas Lake, San Juan Mountains, north of Durango, CO

Old growth ghosts

COLORADO HIGH

Family hike

Wildflowers on the mountain

Each summer the high country of the San Juan Mountains calls. This year my New Hampshire family, Mark, Rebecca, Nathaniel, and Ellinore visited and climbing Engineer Mountain was a high point of their stay.

KUMI KORF EXHIBIT CLOSES

After a two month stay, the exhibit of prints and sculptural books is over. The Art Library in the Durango Arts Center has been a beautiful space with soft colors hung unframed on the walls.

Mary Ellen and Kumi at the opening reception in July

KUMI KORF'S SCULPTURAL BOOK WORKSHOP

Walks in the Wild Box

Another view

Box top

Box bottom

The two-day workshop recently taught by Kumi Korf of Ithaca, NY at the Durango Arts Center was quite fascinating. Kumi has invented an architectural structure that is inventive and open to numerous interpretations. Participants came up with lots of interesting uses for the structure.

I used topo maps and journal text from my forest hike book "Walks in the Wild", created in the nineties. It was interesting to revisit text selections and bring another perspective to the theme by using Kumi's box form with its unfolded stages and spaces."Stage" objects included lichen ball, wasp nest fragment, sumi-dyed roots and animal skull, and small books of photographed root forms.

EDGEMONT HIGHLANDS HIKES

Big Oak Bird Rest at Edgemont Highlands


Tomorrow is the first of a series of hikes through my environmental art sites

CREATED ALONG THE WILD TRAILS OF EDGEMONT HIGHLANDS IN DURANGO, COLORADO

GUIDED HIKES BY THE ARTIST
MARY ELLEN LONG
Saturday, July 16, 9:30-11:30
(the first half of the trail system)
Sunday, July 17, 9:30-11:30
(the second half of the trail system)
----------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, August 6, 9:30-11:30
(the first half of the trail system)
Sunday, August 7, 9:30-11:30
(the second half of the trail system)

PLEASE CONTACT MARY ELLEN LONG
FOR RESERVATIONS

WMELART@YAHOO.COM

WINTER PRESSING 2010-11

Winter Pressing series 1

Winter Pressing series 2

Winter Pressing series 3

Each year I lay paper on the earth and bury it with snow. In December 2010 I laid 3 paper pieces wrapped in wire (8"x10" each) and through the winter, about 40" of snow fell. When the papers were harvested in April, I found that the rust marks I had hoped for were not left on the paper. The papers, nicely sculpted however, were perfect for sumi-dyed roots with accompanying ink drawings.

ASPEN GUARD STATION VISIT

Aspen forest in Montezuma County, Colorado

Recently, W. and I took a drive west and above Mancos, Colorado to revisit the site where in the mid-90's I had an artist residency. Friend Jane Pedersen was having her residency for the week, making books in the quiet atmosphere of the aspen forest. Just as beautiful as we remember it, the visit brought back fond memories of my time there. I had made site installations through the land adjacent to the old cabin...stone circles, carved logs, sculpture out of natural elements, all connected with a path through the aspen meadow.