We'll Miss David, Joni, and Jake

This past year the students of the Lamar Dodd School of Art were treated to the opportunity to work with visiting Professor David Sandlin. David's presence and energy were a positive force in the department and our entire community will miss the friendship and laughter we shared with him, his wife Joni, and son Jake. David, it was "grit" having you here.

Didi Dunphy and Jim Barsness hosted a farewell gathering for the Sandlin's in their lovely garden populated with Didi's original playground equipment. It was the most perfect of days.

Brian Hitzelberger special ordered a carrot cake with a scary carrot for the occasion.

Jessi and Kim try out Didi's swing set. While Jake and his friend go for some side-to-side swinging action.

Do you think Rob got into some of that moonshine corn liquor that Georgia brought to the party?

Artists, Dennis Harper, Carol John, and Lou Kregel relax on the lawn.

Welcome Home Erin 2.0

We celebrated Erin's return from Italy over pizza and beer at Transmetropolitian. Quite a trendy affair! Fashion tip, Kids..... Kelly Green is the new Black!

Brian Hitzelberger, Stacy Isenbarger, Zuzka Vaclavik and Kim Deakins are cutting edge.

Welcome Home Erin

Our friend, MFA Drawing Painting Candidate, Erin McIntosh Kumm, has just returned from Cortona, Italia where she spent a semester abroad. I'm so happy she's back. She's not so sure....

Check out Erin's awesome paintings at

www.erinmcintosh.com

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

to Meeeeee..... and all the other Moms out there. I woke before anyone else in my house and treated myself to a morning at the J & J Flea Market. I used to be a weekend regular, but it has been a while since I made the trip and of course the market has changed a good bit. The pony ride was not there, maybe that was just today. And acres of trees have been clear cut. The "In the Woods" restaurant is no longer in the woods. I ended up purchasing 5 plants for 5 dollars from the plant man, aka, C.L. Morehead, who happens to own the largest collection of Lamar Dodd paintings. And I took this picture at the bar-b-que. This is so gruesome and funny, I don't know what to think of it.

I spent the rest of my mother's day potting up the plants I'd purchased and feeling very happy.

Farewell Cedar Street Studios

It's moving time at the Lamar Dodd School of Art. 50 years worth of artstuff, classroom and office crap is packed into boxes and being relocated to the beautiful, new and very clean....intimidatingly clean.... new digs. The graduate painting studios at Cedar Street will be doing the same in the coming weeks. Of course, this is very exciting news. The new studios are awesome, and did I mention.... clean. Cedar Street is a lot of things, but clean is not one of them. Still, it's hard to say goodbye. We've had some good times. And check out the view from my window!

Congratulations John Powers!!!

Wow, sometimes great things really do happen to nice guys. Doesn't hurt to be super talented, smart and all-around awesome.

Check out more of John's work at http://www.john-powers.com/ !

John Powers wins 2008 Joan Mitchell Foundation MFA Grant May 1st, 2008
John Powers, a UGA sculpture MFA candidate, has won the 2008 Joan Mitchell Foundation MFA Grant in the amount of $15,000.The Joan Mitchell Foundation was established in 1993 in memory of Joan Mitchell, a celebrated and widely recognized contemporary American abstract expressionist painter. In furtherance of the Foundation’s stated purposes, the MFA Grant Program was established to help painters and sculptors completing graduate programs as they begin their careers outside of an academic environment.