ROAD TRIP

Fidosaurus 2 (from the Max-Cast website).

I've been remiss in my blogging lately. My camera seems to be broken, leaving me with just my Iphone to take pictures. The phone takes pretty good photos, but I never think to take pictures until night time and without a flash they don't always come out so well. I think there is an app for a flash, but I haven't seen it yet.

Yesterday, I took a little road trip south of Iowa City with Cindi to visit a friend. On the way back, we stopped in Kalona to get a treat in the bakery and to wander around a bit. While wandering, we came across a gallery and workshop that seemed quite out of character with Kalona's quilt shops and antique stores. It was a gallery called Max-Cast. The artists are metal casters Stephen Maxon and Doris Park. I was really impressed by their work. Some of it was truly bizarre and darkly whimsical, coming from a wonderfully twisted imagination. While still other pieces were based on forms found in nature, realistically and wonderfully executed. They work in bronze, cast iron, and aluminum. I found a piece there that I think I'm going to go back and buy. While I was on their website, I got very excited when I found that they offer workshops in lost wax casting, a skill that I have always admired and longed to learn. I think I'll go back down soon to buy the little piece that I'm thinking about and talk to the artists about a workshop. More on that later!

If you'd like more information on Max-Cast, click here.