North Light Studios

Several years ago Mike created Outside the Circle, which you can read about on a previous blog. Around the same time, he created this statue: Immortality Part of the story is mine. Shortly before Mike created this piece, I had my first miscarriage. What they say is true: you never understand how difficult it is until you go through one yourself. I remember talking to Mike about the sacrifices that so many women make. We give up our bodies for years at a time. Our bodies sometimes fail us. Our minds suffer when things don't go as planned. Emotions are high, and so are the stakes. This statue, aptly named "Immortality," is the embodiment of those sacrifices. Not only do women bear children, but we don't bear children. We adopt and we foster care, and we babysit our nieces and nephews. We lose sleep. We toss and turn. We worry. We lose our marbles. Sometimes, women can look down at themselves and see only stretchmarks. We a wreck of the person we used to ...

Have you ever taken the time to observe people around you? Normally, I'm pretty oblivious. But sometimes, I like to sit in my camp chair at the park and do some people watching. If you're an artist, being observant is essential. Mike is an extremely observant person. He can see details in humans; the differences in their expressions, the way they hold themselves, the tone of their voices. I have another question. Have you ever been outside the circle? The inflections of this statement are many. This could mean feeling left out of a group. It could mean watching a group who is excluding someone as someone on the outside looking in. Who is outside the circle? You as the viewer? Or the girl who is being used as a pedestal for the other girls?  Outside the Circle, by Michael Aaron Hall Mike's response to the inspiration and reasoning of the statue is this:  I created Outside the Circle because I wanted to examine the topic of exclusion. At some point in our live...

I know I said I would focus on places this year, but don’t call me on it just yet. Paul Dubois had a lot of public art pieces in many different places, so it counts. As I searched through images of the sculptures he’s done, I was incredibly impressed with his talents, and this is why my blog this month centers on him.   The first of his works that I’d like to bring to your attention is The Tomb of Paul Baudry. Dubois sculpted only the bust of Baudry that you can see in the center, the other figures were done by Antonin Mercie. I've included this one particularly because I love cemetery art, which is something else you'll see a lot of this years. Le Chanteur Florentin This sculpture, Le Chanteur Florentin, is one of the most sought-after pieces he's done. The bronzes are still being sold. It is currently displayed at the d'Orsay museum in Paris. He's talented with faces and expressions, and at catching this young minstrel in the middle of his song. Y...

I’ve been holding off on this one, simply because I know it so well and could go on forever about it. But the Springville Museum of Art is one of the best museums I’ve ever been to. So why am I talking about it now? Because it’s director, Dr. Vern Swanson, is retiring this August. I’m both hopeful and fearful for whoever is taking his place, because he is seriously irreplaceable. I’ll start with the exterior. The building was originally a high school, built in Spanish Colonial style . Two paintings were donated to the school, which transformed into a museum when a bigger high school was built. The step-down gallery is home to exhibitions, whatever the flavor-of-the-month is. From the International Spring Salon that runs May through July every year, to the Quilt Show in the fall, there is always something fantastic to see here. I admit, Mike’s piece is in that room right now, and I love to go look at it, along with the other pieces. Each room on the main level is spacious and...