A Work in                 Progress...

  After spending a number of summer and fall seasons on location in my adopted home town of Kewanna, Indiana, I purchased the former Odd Fellows Hall on the corner of Main and Logan Streets.  This 7,500 square foot building(c.1889) had also housed the Grand Army of the Republic Civil War veterans' meeting room as well as a succession of hardware, furniture, general stores and restaurants.

  By the time I got the building in 1998, it was in a state of general disrepair. Years of untreated roof leaks and neglect had taken their toll and the mix of fallen plaster and detritus was a sight to behold.  In spite of the squalor, those big 14 foot ceilings and north facing windows suggested a potential for gallery/studio/classroom space. The early years I spent at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria showed first hand how an old building can take on new life and new uses with a modest amount of fixing up.

  The summer and fall of 1998 were devoted to some much needed stabilization.  The leaking roof had caused the back brick wall to peel away, caving in the old meat market at the rear.  That first had to be demolished. Next came one of the most crucial steps: rebuilding the fallen masonry. Then a wonderful contingent of local friends helped me fill five dump truck loads of "stuff" from the first floor. Finally, a new rubber roof and gutters completed the work for that year.

    In 1999, I ordered new windows for the rear wall and had more help tearing out the lowered ceiling and paneling on the first floor.  New plate glass for the first floor and some initial electric lines brightened things considerably.  That summer, I completed my first painting in the upstairs studio, "Peaches and Afternoon Light."

                            

    Local artist and friend Wade Bussert set up a workspace on the first floor and brought over the original hand set type from Karen and Joe Good's Observer newspaper shop across the street.

    The year 2000 saw the welcome acquisition of plumbing: a handicap accessible bathroom and utility room made working in the building a lot more comfortable. I was able to complete three still lifes and start work on "Wine and Roses", a major commission. 

                     

    During the summer of 2002, the second floor windows were repaired and the plywood covers removed, filling the rooms with light.  The floor of the old civil war veterans' meeting room upstairs had sustained a lot of water damage, and that  also  was repaired .  Now it is possible to walk around up there with confidence.

    In 2003, as I had planned, the ceilings of the first floor rooms were finished and overhead lighting installed. Just fluorescent fixtures for now, but what a boost on dark days! I was thrilled to be able to work on monotypes long after the sun went down. 

    New sidewalks were installed around the building in 2005 --an unglamorous but essential improvement. This past summer, I finally settled on the exterior trim colors and am looking forward to seeing the front of the building resplendent in its new look of tan/dark green. 
   
   Our eighth annual October show: "On the Home Front" included 27 artists and was attended by over 600 people over the weekend . Singer/songwriter Cyndi Fisher joined participating artists in an impromptu jam session.

                                                               

  For 2007, I am looking forward to spring and another three-day still life workshop in the studio (May 25-27). Heating the place remains a long-term goal, and I want to look into the feasibility of a corn fueled furnace.  It would seem such a perfect fit for northern Indiana farm country.
   
  If you would like to visit "Works in Progress"-- named for the state of the building as well as what goes on inside, you will find it at: 101 East Main St., Kewanna, Indiana 46939 or contact me. 

-Diane Tesler