Introducing my 2023 Black Hills Stock Show Western Art Show Chair-ity chair! (Wow…that’s a mouthful!)
The Chair-ity is a silent benefit auction hosted in the Western Art Show to add a fun interactive element to the art show. Several artists in the art show create works of art on a chair, hence the name Chair-ity. In 2022 it was a huge hit!
Some of you may recall the chair I created last year, featuring South Dakota Prairie.
This year, I found this sweet child’s chair. I created a template before cutting out Dance With Me for the seat, back, and legs. I also added a blade of brome grass (which is the grass featured in Dance With Me) and sideoats grama to one side of the chair.
When I started creating, a few weeks ago, I was thinking this would be a much easier than the full size chair I created last year. I didn’t have to strip the bad varnish off this chair because it was nearly perfect. However, this sweet little beauty has been hard for me. This month has been very stressful as I prepare for the Stock Show, made my first post-surgery trip back to Mayo (which had wonderful news—scans show no traces of the cancer and I’m healing well internally!), homeschool and be a present mom.
This Dance With Me chair has a lustre photo paper print mounted to the wood, coated with Mod Podge to protect and glue, followed by a layer of resin. The resin both preserves the print and adds the glossy texture. Due to the rotating of the chair to coat with resin and the liquid state of resin when applied, it made a huge mess. I was careful to protect what didn’t need the glossy coat, but some drips still ended up in areas I did not prefer.
This chair is not perfect but, I was able to redeem some sections that seemed to be ugly. The leg with the grass ended up with some scratches. It was then that I thought of the idea to add the grass and bring it back to life. Taking what seemed ruined and creating something lovely.
Dance With Me is one of my abstract photographs that I created using motion. It’s one of my absolute favorite photographs because of the colors, the way the grasses are shown as dancing and it feels so peaceful and free.
“Walking down the path the horses made, from the pasture to the water tank, my hands brushed the tips of the tall brome grass. The gentle evening breeze invited them to sway, the slow motion of their movement appearing as though they dance.
Photography is typically known for still imagery. In order to capture the motion of the moving grasses, I moved my camera with them. The gold tones near the roots of the grass contrasting the purples and blues in the sky made my heart rejoice.“
The Chair-ity Benefit Auction can be found in the Western Art Show during the Black Hills Stock Show January 27th – February 4th. You can find us in the Alpine/Ponderosa Room of The Monument, Rapid City, SD.
During the week, you can bid in the silent auction and on February 3rd, after the Quick Draw (ending around 6:30 pm), the Chair-ity auction will finish. The proceeds from each chair benefit the Central States Fair Youth Scholarship Foundation (25%), Rainbow Bible Ranch (25%) and the artist (50%). If you are unable to attend but would like to place a bid, please contact me. Bids start at $100. Better yet, come check out all the chairs January 27th – February 3rd! 🙂
