welcome to
ALICE’S GALLERY
sponsored by the Alice’s Inn Cider Press Association
fresh from Alice’s Inn—i.e., her studio,
not necessarily always displayed
in the direction intended
blue bananas
basho palms
mishugunah spa
— more coming 
Given the digital realm, gallery space & time are both highly provisional, with shiftable content, including relationship of parts, which may depend more on platform used to view than on how the site itself has been composed!
[Arrangements of the present parts that looked great on MacBook & Mini seemed totally discombobulated on the iPad & windows laptop briefly tested. With better digital chops, we might have a universally more pleasing layout across viewing platforms, so apologies to visitors using devices that don’t do the intended compositions justice.]
~~~Each piece is its own world, however, whether
lying down or standing on its head–
Pieces are by “Alice” (VARB), but not the selections, exhibit, or groupings, each an experiment–like the works, exploration in experience. Hardly meant as “art” at all, most were meditations, therapies, reflections on a changing self. (The artist even called a few selfies…, self-portraits.)
~~some were meant from the start as gifts from the heart to specific people
~~others pure play…
observations, introspections, responses to music…
Scales shift–here & there a portrait, a familiar face emerging, its vibrations intact, at one with the artist’s deep impressions, revelations of essence in aspects of light–
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~~~If aspects of neurological machinery sometimes seem represented in her results, other pieces embody pure form, feeling & relationship, as in the gift to her partner (Yours Crudely) titled anniversary dance.
anniversary dance
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stay tuned…come back soon…more on the way…
A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST…
You may call our featured artist Alice (her original middle name before replaced after marriage by her maiden name); Virginia (as on birth certificate & documents); Ginny (as by birth family & many friends); Mrs. B. (as by students); mom, nanamom, dear, sweatheart, friend of all the world (as by some closest); or however else (as by certain crows & other close critters). Similarly, you may call the contents here works, play, therapy, explorations, meditations, escapes…
Although Virginia Alice (Richardson) Bodner could have been professional at any of the arts (visual, musical, performing, literary…), she practiced each as part of living more fully, along with learning from nature & sharing all such with others, which led to teaching as her professional calling.
Nevada born, she was also raised in Hawaii & the Pacific northwest, an ornithologist’s daughter; she learned all over, in schools & out, always a student of nature, lover of the arts & critters (including humans). A dedicated sharer & teacher, she & her little family (hubby, son, daughter, 3 dogs) settled in northern New Mexico, where she eventually taught at every age level.
Her integration of the arts, sciences, natural & human environments attracted national attention, while an outdoor education project that rescued a school-neighboring wetlands led yto her being named “New Mexico Conservation Teacher of the Year.” Retirement from the public school system (partly due to a PD condition) left more time for her personal creative exercises–painting, writing, yoga…. She never called herself an artist or poet, just went on making & doing as a natural part of living fully, with music, dance, friendship & love.
Her formal training was in biology (Harvard, B.A.); French (Sorbonne); & ‘special education’ (NMHU & UNM). Yet she had always loved the arts also, arts of expression & impression. Besides a course or two here & there, she learned mostly by doing, enjoying & loving–poetry, art, music, dance, acting…. These presumably all sprang from the same source: her capacity to feel & to share, to receive & respond in turn–whether inspired by the magnificent examples cited by Yeats as our only singing school, or simply following where feelings lead….
if you knew her, you probably loved her. At various times, she called Nevada, Hawaii, Washington State, Massachusetts, France, Texas, India (Bengal, Srirangapatna & Pondicherry), Arizona & (for nearly 50 years) northern New Mexico home, in the town of Las Vegas (“the meadows”) & at the family’s mountain refuge north of town….
She never tried to “show,” or get the work out there, so Bod Library is pleased to provide this virtual refrigerator gallery for samples. Looking at our walls, I realize some of her very best works aren’t on-line yet, on walls instead. An uncertain number still need reproduction, transmission & uploading….
[To see the NEWLY ADDED, click below “Alice’s Gallery” on the top menu. You’ll be glad you did.]
Most of the text above was written before Virginia’s passing (2019-08-05). Some works have also been added to a new website celebrating her life & work (www.virginiabodner.net), especially examples of her extraordinary writing–posthumously discovering the scope of which reminds some of finding Emily Dickenson’s more neatly tied bundles.
If you came here from “Celebrating Virginia” (the newer site) to start with, you can presumably get back to by clicking your BACK button–or one of the following two links. If going to that site for the first time, click: https://www.virginiabodner.net/2019/07/31/hello-world/.
If you came from that site’s “Art-Play” page, on the other hand, you can get back to that by clicking: https://www.virginiabodner.net/art-play/.
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Photographer Susan Middleton, most-known for books featuring endangered species, called Ginny “the most sensuous” (or was it “sensual”) person she’s ever known. Virginia had been her neighbor & baby-sitter! Virginia was probably also one of most selfless, thinking of others first, at one with nature & its wonders. In high school, she played the title character in The Diary of Anne Frank, was a high-diving lifeguard during the summers. During this time, a crow (“Crocus”) she had rescued & released came to her bedside window every morning for a treat & greeting. Not seen for three years after she’d left for college, it returned briefly on her wedding day.