Terri Saulin: Lines of Flight

September 17 to October 20, 2009

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 17, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Artist talk begins at 7:15 p.m.

Flipping, deleting, expanding, speeding up, slowing down, layering and distilling visual material into art pieces, Terri Saulin creates artwork organic in nature and layered with meaning. Her interest in biology, botany, classical music, geology, and gastronomy are evident in every nook and crevice of her densely textured ceramic pieces. Although her process begins in sculpture, it develops into drawing (a backward play on the traditional preliminary sketch to final sculpture). Drawings and plaster prints, supplemented by their ceramic references will be exhibited in Lines of Flight.

Finlandia University
601 Quincy Street
Hancock, MI 49930
carrie.flaspohler@finlandia.edu

Kitchen Up-Grade, Walls Set and Gravel Fill

WOW! After about 13 years it feels strange to have real cabinets and some counter space. This is a temporary up-grade made possible by Uncle Guido. He's been renovating his old apartments and graciously donated fixtures and cabinets to me. Amazing! It's better than it's ever been and only partly finished. We plan to use the new counter spaces as a test to practice pouring concrete counter tops...for the even newer "dream kitchen."
...baby steps....


Well on my Birthday, we took down the kitchen wall.
For Carl's...we worked on the foundation for the new addition.
Ms. Karen made a delicious chocolate angel food cake w/ strawberries.


The walls went up without a hitch!


...secured with bolts....


...all buttoned up and ready for the vapor lock and gravel.
...after I finish some masonry work!




It took one and a half tons of gravel to fill the foundation.
...lots of shoveling
...Uncle Guido dumping
...Is it beer-o'clock yet???
NO...GET TO WORK !


...finally finished and ready for the decking.

Amazing Progress: Inside and Out!

Well, in the middle of March I was beginning to feel pretty stressed out. It seemed like every other hour the entire back of the house was off. The thin layer of plywood between us and the outside world was seemingly permanent and offered the neighborhood stray cats easy entrance to the basement. Grace Jones was hissing at the door and I stopped making late night trips to the kitchen for water. I was a'scared!!! (On this particular day...sorry for the graphic description...but, I essentially P'd outside as there was no bathroom wall!)


Each time we opened up the back of the house, a concrete cap was being formed and poured. This was one of Carl's favorite jobs, next to busting things up. Even though the mess was frustrating, the holes were becoming smaller and easier to cover. Closer to being able to begin the foundation!!!


The dirt pile was increasing exponentially and as we got closer to foundation pouring time...more dirt was heaped on the pile.




It was dumpster time. We filled one 10 Cu.Yd. with the wood and plaster debris. We ordered a 15 footer for the dirt, brick and concrete.


It was not a barrel full of monkeys style fun.

Each trip from the yard and down the driveway got longer and longer.


The job made everything hurt! We compared bruises and aches a la Indiana Jones and were thrilled to be done.

(I must confess, I was really into pushing the wheelbarrow...it was a first for me!)

Here is some of Carl's excellent concrete form work!
Before:

After:




Journeyman Carl did such excellent work Uncle G. decided it was'a da' time to getta' him a tool belt of his own!

It inspired great pride. I think he's going to leave the Bagel Bakery and go off and get a new job...with a drill!



The dirt pile grew again while making final preparations to pour the footings. I could not bear losing my Butterfly bush and Peonies forever. So...I dug them out. In the process I learned how crazy nature is.




I found oodles of Crocuses, Lilies, Daffodils and Tulips that were growing like albino asparagus under the heap of dirt. We dug up as many as we could and put them out front and they are doing well!

Saving the Peonies....

Uncle Guido worked tirelessly and when the inspector came to check out the footings before the pour...he gave it a double thumbs up and said it was some q-u-a-l-i-t-y workmanship!



We mixed approximately 43 bags of concrete to pour the footings. They came out expertly. Uncle Guido is good!

Each pour was 2 fifty pound bags. Here is the first one!!!


The agony before the victory...


It went much quicker than we thought. We started around 7:45 am and completed it by 12 pm!
Here it is 1/3 done...


Almost....done....
Carl...go mixa one more....


Finally done, ready for a last smoothing....


Now you...go clean up!



Now you...pass out!

Karl Busts Up the Privy

Uncle Guido is Back and Ready for Action

Uncle Guido was back for one day and had a plan in place to begin demolishing the old bathroom.
Karl and I could not get to it while he was away. I was frankly a little nervous about doing it and had visions of the entire back of the house falling down. I was sure we would end up in the trench with a claw foot tub over our heads. The process ended up being the most fun thing yet! I also conquered my ladder fear.

The lovely Lady K. stepped up and helped us for the day. We removed the shingles from the exterior, while Karl and Guido worked on the roof and interior.



Lady K. rocks and her best man Mojo came along for support. (Grace Jones did not know about this...she was snoozing on the third floor with a pile of treats and the big TV.)


He is the sweetest gentleman!



Demolition Man
Karl was filled with great bubbling joy a la Alex de Large throughout the entire day. He likes to wack things with hammers and kick them until they fall down.


He's been dying to throw this tub out the window...but we're saving it for Mojo's bath time.


There was plenty of other stuff to hurl out the window...like the wall surrounding it!

It was amazing how quickly it all came down.


...and oh so many adorable E-Harmony moments.


E-Harmony $$$ Shot! Priceless.....


Karl breaks on through to the other side.


Just a few cuts in this wall and it will go down easily.


There was this one tense moment when there wasn't much left to hold on to...
Lady K. looks worried!


But, all is well. Only one corner left.


Uncle Guido and Karl trained in the Bruce Lee style of demo...


....and the 2nd floor is gone!





YIKES! The rubble pile has grown considerably...what can I cook for dinner that could encourage some helping hands when the dumpster comes???





Karl decides to literally burn down the house. He fished through the rubble pile and got plenty of wood to heat us up as there was a storm heading in. I didn't really think it was going to snow too much. We were working out side all day with no coats. But a snow day would be magical...need that Polar Bear voodoo to work.

We checked out back on the new X-Bath deck and the first flakes were falling as was the temp.


Karl built some ragers.


Before we went to sleep we found out we would have our snow day!!!!


Double YIKES! The pile looks more daunting and closer to the 2nd floor covered in snow.
hmmmm...what voodoo do I have around for those helping hands...or will I have to steal some kids of the street Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang style???? (just kidding!)



It's still snowing now...is it possible to get two snow days????
It would be the best week ever!