2018: This Year I ...

On this snowy January morning, I’ve been rereading my journals from last year. I’d say it was a really good one! In no particular order:

• I read more books!

• Took a writing class & found a mentor.

• Taught a bookbinding class at CCAD and loved it.

• Took a letterpress printing class and finally made a book of my poems (which I am finishing this year!)

• Celebrated John’s four stripes and tagged along on a bunch of his trips.

• Put on the red dress and sung jazz.

• Got appendicitis and had my first (and hopefully only) surgery.

• Attended the reception for the students I worked with at the Ohio State School for the Blind and was so thrilled to see their finished projects.

• Sewed a bunch! (including this dress I made for my trip to Paris in April)

• Climbed the Eiffel Tower on my birthday.

• Boated around the Venice islands & got to eat my favorite sandwiches!

• Sat on my favorite mountain (Kitt Peak in Arizona).

• Finally spent time in Vermont again (yay for creemes, the Long Trail, Bristol, and visiting Jeanette!)

• Bought a typewriter from a typewriter legend.

• Flew a little.

• Sat on the beach in Florida more than once.

• Spent a lot of time in my courtyard working on the chaise lounge (#freelancelife)

• Changed up my studio.

• Got through half of my house projects, which I would definitely call a win.

• Got to see a Manhattan skyline sunrise, which is such a completely magical thing!

• Spent time with great friends, made some new ones, and re-found some old ones.

• Spent Thanksgiving in the Asheville mountains where I sat by a fireplace every. single. day. for a whole week. Ahhh…

• Received a Columbus Arts Council grant and re-inspired my photo-self.

• Had a wonderful Magpie Consort season & sang at the Ohio Theater (dream come true!)

• Was visited by my brother, who flew in for one of the concerts :-)

• Lost my kitty of 18 years.

• Adopted a new kitty.

• Had a super-fun, unconventional, and memorable Christmas & New Year’s.

• Got ready for a big exhibit. (And today I just found out that I sold one of my photographs from the show!)

There’s plenty more, but these were kind of the big ones. Thanks & so long, 2018! Cheers!

My Exhibit at the Meadowlark

It’s up! My exhibit at the Meadowlark Restaurant in Dayton runs from now through March. It was my original intention to just display my Velvet Winter series, but with all the wall space at the Meadowlark I was able to add a sampling of The Blue Hour and Enchanted Kingdom as well. It feels SO good to have photographs up on walls again! I’ve been working on the Flying Adventures book project for such a long time that my other work has taken a back seat, and this show couldn’t be a more perfect way to get that part of my photography life up and running again.

I started by unearthing all the prints I had, signing and labeling them.

Miss Hazel was, of course, helpful in every way possible: “No prints under here!” she says.

I cleaned 42 pieces of glass…

… and did my best to frame prints without the inevitable stray hair of kitten fur finding its way in.

“Ooooh I think I see one right here!” Miss Hazel says.

This was the first time I made wall labels and proper signs for a show. I thought that since each photograph had the same info (size, price, edition number, etc.) that I could just lump all of that together on the larger project statement sign, but I realized each photograph deserves its own. Besides, if someone’s interested in it, why should they have to track down the sign in the foyer?

Each wall at the Meadowlark is unique. Two are brick but the rest are painted bold colors. I wasn’t sure if I’d like how the photographs looked on bright walls, but I love how the images pop!

The foyer is home to two of my favorite images from the series, “Silver Forest” and the title piece, “Velvet Winter.” On busy nights when there’s a wait for a table, hopefully people will enjoy the snowy view.

To view images from all three series click the links below:
Velvet Winter . Enchanted Kingdom . The Blue Hour

To inquire about purchasing photographs or scheduling an exhibit, please email me directly at
studio@claudiaretter.com

Thank you to Wiley and Lisa for the opportunity, and to John for all your help.
xxoo!

Life Lately: Happy New Year!

A very happy 2019 to you!  It’s been a busy, festive, and happy December that included my Magpie Consort concerts (thank you to all of you who came!), my brother visiting for a weekend, and adopting Miss Hazel, a rescue via Colony Cats... John and I were Christmas shopping and—poof!—there she was, all cuddly and lovey!  It was a no-brainer. Obviously she has some experience in the arts— in the photo above she is helping me get photographs together for my Velvet Winter exhibit at the Meadowlark restaurant in Dayton next week. I'm busy framing, cleaning glass, making wall labels, etc etc. It's been a while since I had an exhibition, and I'm excited. 

January also brings the start of rehearsals for the Magpie Consort's spring program, and my bookbinding class begins at CCAD's Saturday morning program on the 19th. There is still time to SIGN UP if you're interested. Anyway, here are more bits of news from the month…

December started with a visit to the Boy Scout troop 555’s Christmas tree lot. We found the perfectly un-perfect one!

Then, my brother came to town! Last year he wanted to come for my Magpie Consort concert but the snowstorm cancelled his travel plans. This year was a go!

The concerts were the perfect way to start the Christmas season, and I have to say I thought we sounded SO good at St. Francis. We packed the house that night too! It made me happy to look out into the audience and see so many friends (and family!)

That weekend my brother even got to fly “my” airplane! Not everyone knows that he has his commercial & twin engine ratings. Buuuut…. this was his first time in a tailwheel! On this 20 degree day, I think the heater only warmed up his left foot. And only a little. By the time his flight was finished his toes were frozen solid.

Speaking of flying, I tagged along with John on a couple of his long layover flights, including one to Augusta, Georgia. Right across the street from the hotel is my favorite cafe, the Boll Weevil. EVERYTHING is good there and they are famous for their “slices” of cake which are pretty much the size of entire cakes.

On the 18th, we adopted Miss Hazel…

I swear she was a Christmas gift from angels!

Sherman is slooowly coming around to tolerating/liking her. Copper never liked him AT ALL. She hissed every time he came near her. So I think he’s kind of surprised that Miss Hazel wants to be friends.

Ooooh it really felt like Christmas when the Magpies sang at the Nutracker. We caroled in the lobby before the show, and then the ladies sang the “Snowflake Waltz” for the performance. It does NOT get any more Christmas-y than that. We were in the orchestra pit and it just felt sooo magical.

John was working over the Christmas holiday, so I thought I’d follow him around on all his trips. Read more about that HERE.

At home, finishing my favorite puzzle…

It’s been a lovely Christmas. I wasn’t sure if I’d feel sad this year without Mom and Dad, but I didn’t. I was having too much fun. I kinda like what could be a new tradition of zipping through random airports on Christmas Day. My favorite mornings, though, are still the ones spent with pets and tea in my own living room.

Today I will more than likely be following John around on his trips, so if anyone is traveling through ATL give me a shout!  Cheers!