Welcome to October, everybody! I know I'm biased, it being my birth month and all, but I think it rocks! A proper Halloween post will come later on, for sure, but I'm here more to recap the end of September, for reasons that will soon become clear.
First, Star Stable gave us an unexpected bonus bazaar in September! We even saw 4 different breeds (rather than just 2 or 3) this time.
From left to right, we have the Jorvik Warmblood, the English Thoroughbred, the Connemara, and the Dutch Warmblood.
We love our Frosty dearly, but one is sufficient.
It's cool these came on sale after being fully retrofitted for new tack items. They aren't our favorite for a variety of reasons. If we were to get one, it would probably be one of the Equestrian festival exclusive ones (palomino sabino or fleabitten gray). So, no thanks.
I love this breed in real life - probably my favorite pony breed. Alas, I don't love Star Stable's version. It's one of those early Generation 3 breeds with cringey back legs. Interestingly, this one is discounted the least of the four breeds, which doesn't make much sense to me.
The Dutchie - again! Had we known, we could have waited to buy our beautiful Ladyluck. Oh well, I don't regret the extra few months we've had with her, our first fancy warmblood.
Now, buckle up for a whirlwind trip through ArtPrize 2025. This is a free-to-the-public art competition that takes place in various venues in and near downtown Grand Rapids, MI each fall. This year, artwork of 930 artists was featured at 155 different venues. At the end, prizes are awarded in various categories both to the winners of public vote and those chosen by a panel of art experts.
The public grand prize winner:
ARRAS by Mark Lewanski from Lansing, MI
A 10'x7', 400-lb hand-woven glass tapestry
This was remarkable, and we're happy for it and its artist.
Another honorable mention: The Big Joyful Art Installation by Jax. Various sea creatures, flying pigs, disco balls, and even a surfing Einstein graced the outside of Biggby Coffee and some other businesses downtown.
It won the public vote in the installation category.
As in past years, John Jurries was back with his not-so-scary watercolor monsters. He's been creating one of these a day since January 2014! He selected 50 to put on display in a downtown hotel lobby. This year's entry was called March of the Monsters and had one section dedicated to - you guessed it - monsters on parade.
Our favorites this year were food-themed again, however. We're going to go in reverse alphabetical order this year, because why not?
my (Lily's) pick: mustard dog monster
Julie's pick: french toast monster
Felicity's pick: hamburger bear monster
Bethany's pick: jello frog monster
Another entry we all loved:
Pigments of Imagination by Lucy Vanregenmorter
It explored color, emotion, and the way people associate the two. While we all agreed this could've used some purple, here are our favorite color swatches.
my pick
Felicity's pick
Bethany's pick
And now on to our favorite entries!
My top 5:
Snow Bound
You can't tell here, but the snow flecks sparkle!
Sanctuary
So much color, texture, and that gorgeous gold frame... This makes me so happy!
This love of mine
The artist's statement: "this piece is a needle felted and embroidered love story between me and nature."
I can feel the love, and it's the fanciest deer bust I've ever seen. I kind of wish we'd gotten the whole deer, but on the upside, it doesn't take up any floorspace.
The Wheat Field (A Tribute to Ivan Shishkin)
This gorgeous painting blurs the line between 2D and 3D. I have no idea how the artist achieves this sort of depth and texture with paint, but he's truly a master!
Coral Reefs of the World
Clearly I have a thing for shimmer and texture this year. Yet another piece I'd have been really tempted to touch had I been there in person!
Here are some close ups on the felty/embroidery detail on this masterpiece.
Julie's top 5:
Silas Bear
Simple, peaceful, and probably the most cuddly bronze statue ever.
Per the artist, the intent is to gently remind us to reflect on nature's beauty and wonder.
A fading memory illustrated.
Waves & Woven Dreams
The artist blended fabrics, embroidery, sea glass, and shells into this beautiful beach-themed tapestry.
Julie's favorite touch is the lace/sea foam.
Snails and Other Forgotten Things
According to the artist, this little sculpture series was created to "shine a light on the quiet lives of overlooked creatures and everyday objects. Each snail carries a shell made from a repurposed item—things once discarded, now reimagined as tiny homes. Through this transformation, the sculptures breathe new life into forgotten materials and invite us to pause, reflect, and appreciate the hidden beauty in the ordinary."
This was done in colored pencil! Julie thinks it's pretty obvious what the artist is saying here, so she had no further comments.
Felicity's top 5:
"Loyalty"
Small wonder why this acrylic painting of a real-life wolf named Wotan made Felicity's top 5.
Here's a snippet from the artist's statement: "I have long been captivated by wolves and dogs alike, drawn to their unwavering devotion, fierce protectiveness, and innate loyalty. Through this painting, I hope to inspire a deep emotional connection among fellow dog lovers, inviting them to gaze into Wotan’s eyes and perhaps see a reflection of their own beloved companion staring back with the same steadfast loyalty."
Cromara
This colorful crystal-studded sculpture was displayed on a rotating mirror table for maximum sparkling.
The artist purports that it explores the relationship between art, nature, and technology. Felicity (and the rest of us) can see this to some extent, as it does have the look of man-made crystals (or maybe even pixels?) coming to life/growing...
“What if we could see the transmission of energy when something or someone dies?” That was the thought that led the artist to paint this abandoned urban spot in Louisville, KY not as it was, but like this.
Befriending My Inner Monsters
These small sculptures of fantastical creature heads are intended to personify various different emotions/states of mind.
Top row: Loneliness, Anger, and Happiness
Middle row: Fear, Inspiration, and Remorse
Bottom row: Caring, Depression, and Confusion
Felicity was especially impressed with Fear and Inspiration, but all of them fit so well!
Incredible Wildlife
Mom apologizes for the blurriness here, but behold the huge pencil drawing of a misty jungle inhabited by many native animals. It was done in 10 separate panels that lined up perfectly, and it took up a whole wall. The guy in the red shirt is the artist, a man from Manipur, India. He talked to mom and Grandma briefly when they visited this in person. Per his written statement, "he chose to draw wildlife as a symbol of peace, harmony, and diversity." He also mentioned in person that he deliberately chose black and white, rather than color, on this piece to emphasize the coexistence of light and dark.
Bethany's top 5:
Sky Whales
Not sure if this was intended to be a nod to Fantasia 2000, but it reminded us of that. At any rate, this is a gorgeous, dream-like painting, and I can see why Bethany was so immediately drawn to it.
These are black ink drawings done on gray paper, with white ink highlights. Now this kind of animal testing, I would get behind! Side note: Mom hung around this hotel lobby waiting for the seated ladies to move for a few minutes, but they never did. This photo was the best she could do without awkwardly crowding them. XD
Don't Rain on My Parade
The Raven
The poem the artist put with it:
I found an old pile
of steel banding
That I transformed into
something outstanding
With some grinding and flame,
a raven became,
a creature both fierce and commanding
Bethany's animal theme continues. How can you not love this whimsical little painting? Also, Bethany really wants to learn how to fold origami dogs now.
This Tree I Love
This series depicts the same tree - a real-life tree from Italy that sadly is no more - in different seasons. Each is a combination of painting and embroidery, and all 6 were lined up next to each other in a line on the wall. Bethany loves them as a set and would never want to separate them, but her favorite is this first one. I'm partial to early fall. =)
Congratulations, you've made it all the way through this marathon of a post! =^) Believe us, we could easily have made it much longer: there were so many entries we loved that it was painful to narrow it down to just 5 favorites each. Felicity says she might include a few Halloween-esque pieces in our next post - we'll see!
