Hurrah! My first multi-state composition is sold to a beautiful couple in a beautiful home in Milwaukee , WI !! This is a very meaningful piece to me, as its exhibition-history starts with my very first public show in Milwaukee in 2010 at the Brook Stevens Gallery. That year, it continued on to the Harley Davidson Museum for the Fine Furnishing’s show, just before traveling to Madison to hang at the Underground Food Collective for 7 months thereafter.
The first showing of my state shaped cast iron works. Harley Davidson Museum, Milwaukee, WI 2010.
As the story goes, just 3 days before a fire took down the Underground’s beautiful restaurant space in June 2011, I had switched this Midwestern composition with the newly completed East Coast states composition so that the “Midwest” skillet composition could be shipped to Scranton PA for a double show; first at the AFA Gallery in Scranton, followed by a month at SUNY New York before returning back home to Wisconsin.
Its last public appearance was back here in Madison in early 2012 at a one-day art fair called Ritz Crafters at the High Noon Saloon before it was permanently installed inside a residential home back to the start of its exhibition journey in Milwaukee.
"The Midwest" hanging in it's new home in Milwaukee. Photo courtesy Jill Ponasik.
I love it when life’s a circle. The special new owners had first seen the piece at the Harley Davidson / Fine Furnishings show 2 years prior to the final install in their home. The castings that make up this composition are of the first ever that I had created of the state-shaped skillets. Some interesting facts about these castings are that the “FeLion Studios” brand had not yet been conceived, so they bare no signature name / number / or initials from me, as we now do with each hand-made casting. They were also initially cast with hanger “tag” that came out of the top of the pan. I ended up scrapping this design idea because it was difficult to assume where the center of gravity was for each state before it was cast, making each pan hang crooked on the wall if using these hanger-tags.
I’m just so fortunate to see that kind of perfect ending to a piece that really started a new chapter of work for me. Bon Voyage, you special first 7 castings ! I know you’re in a loving new home now!