2019 08 Lily's Book: A Charming Canvas Book with Pockets with Leighanna Light

At Shake Rag Alley in Mineral Point, WI, each year the art campus hosts a four day Art Adventure which features multiple instructors teaching many class in all the venues associated with Shake Rag.

The Lind Pavilion

This August 22 & 23, Denice and I signed up for a class called Lily's Book: A Charming Canvas taught by Leighanna Light. Each day, from 9:00 a,m until 4:00 p,m. the group gathered for instruction and book making in the Lind Pavilion building on the Shake Rag campus.

Leighanna Light

Here is the course description from the catalog: "Create a sweet sturdy book made entirely out of canvas and embellishments. You will learn basic bookbinding skills, and we will experiment with texture gels, gesso, plaster, molding paste, and ink to create fabulous backgrounds and pages. The book starts out at approximately 5”x7”, but can be much larger after we add embellishments. The canvas pages make it a hardy, durable book that can travel far and survive your most adventurous trips. We will fill it with secret compartments and pockets, perfect for your souvenirs and writing, providing a safe place to keep your writing that you may not want to share with the world. I love to show off my art journals, but I find that this sometimes prevents me from writing all that I want to say. Now you can write your heart out and still have a gorgeous art book to show to your friends! This is a fun, intense class with multiple steps, techniques, and supplies. A whole lot of love and work goes into this book, but you will leave with a gorgeous art book that will be treasured for years to come."

After two days, the class inspects the results

Both Denice and I took our unfinished projects home to work on them. Here is Denice's book entitled'

Twins Grow

Here is my book called

Our Past Life Appears as a Wake Behind Us

Inside Front Cover

Inside Back Cover

2019 Milwaukee Irish Fest, Day Four

2019 Milwaukee Irish Fest, Day Four

Today is the last day of the 2019 festival. On the skirting crew, we have to cover the entire grounds from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. when the festival grounds opens after the morning mass. We are moving and cover everything as we are supposed to but it is only because all hands are on deck today.

Once the gates open today, I had the pleasure of seeing the winners from the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center Guitar Festival competition on the Coors Stage.

Fingerstyle--Michael McKinnon (Milwaukee)

Jazz--James Zitto (New York, New York)

Classical--Kasey Ellis (Chicago, IL)

and the winner in my book...

Rock--Millissa Henderson (Boston, MA)

As a photographer, I never know who I will see on the grounds. This attendee, in her costume, was more than willing to pose for me. 

It was back to the Irish Theater for me. 

So remember the photos of Millissa Henderson, winner of the rock competition above? Watching her performance from backstage were the boys from Moxie. After the performance, I was backstage and we were all praising Millissa for her performance when I turned to the keyboardist for Moxie and said, "You should hire this girl for your band!"

Moxie was the next act up and I was back from some wanderings to photograph them when who do they invite up on stage to play a song she learned in the intervening hour by watching one of the boy's cell phone--none other than my new guitar hero, Millissa Henderson.

One of the things that makes Moxie inexplicable

Day 4 means it is my last day to shoot We Banjo 3. It is Silly Sunday for the band and this year the theme is "Shorts."

The Huntertones

Performing with Boxing Banjo and another band to be named later 

The Milwaukee Irish Fest Choir

The Byrne Brothers

Connla

The Dance Contest winners

The Dance Contest loser but...

...it gave him the chance to propose.

I think she said, "Yes."

Socks in the Frying Pan

This band is definitely the high lite for me when I come to Irish Fest in Milwaukee. 

Denice had this crazy dream in the spring to have We Banjo 3 come to her school, Milwaukee Parkside for the Arts. Darned if she didn't pull that off and she had a chance to reunite with the band and thank them once again. As David says, "Meet us after the show and hug a sweaty Irishman!"

Despite the high of the last We Banjo 3 concert, I still had work to do. Because of the absence of Elephant Sessions, Susan O'Neill got a shot at one of the big stages and she did not disappoint.

She had visitors as well:  Socks in the Frying Pan

Weird fact: these guys all went to the same high school

During this set I turned around and out in the audience Darren Roche from Moxie seemed to be enjoying himself.

Hermitage Green

It takes courage to be in the pit for a Gaelic Storm concert. The fan base is huge, odd things are flying around but the music is so engaging and fun that it is worth it all. 

Next up on this last day was a band I enjoy a lot and this was my first time to see them: Sock in the Frying Pan.

Connla

We Banjo 3

The finale of Irish Fest every year is a stage event called The Scattering. It is an all-troops on board  type of event and has a party atmosphere that still produces some pretty good music. It starts with a modern segment (this year hosted by We Banjo 3) and finishes with the singing of some traditional Irish songs led by the traditional musicians who have played the fest. 

Amongst the chaos, in the middle of the stage, hidden from the audience

As the last notes faded out at The Scattering, it is time to say goodnight to the 

2019 Milwaukee Irish Fest.