project results
This image is all Pressly Dowler's doing.

solo projects

Amelia Fais Harnas
Decision Rocks

I simply wanted to be creative in a way that was meditative, instead of mentally taxing (I'm all taxed out these days). So, partially inspired by The Alchemist, I took rocks from the grounds of Beulahland, painting them decoratively, with YES on one side and NO on the other. One some variations: 1 dot = yes, 2 = no; an open circle = yes, solid = no.

After the Color Exchange, I received inspiration from Filomena's tattoo sketches 3 of the 4 nights, and notation from Devin's compositions.

Also, I wanted these stones to be chosen by folks at 65 to take home. The leftover stones will be distributed either as gifts or simply left in spots to be discovered by passersby.

It was so satisfying to complete all 65 stones. 
Jennifer Fais
No Fear

For several years now I have wanted to move from representational to a more spiritual art.  With that in the back of my mind, I have been reading the New Testament especially and have been struck by what I think is Jesus' major message: Fear Not.  I started to look for 65 Quotes to that effect; but felt, at this point, that the dozen I had found (Matthew is full of them) provided rich themes to mine for my project.

Day 1's afternoon time was spent in reading and prayer. During our sharing time that evening, Willa let me choose one of her 65 Polaroids.  I closed my eyes and took a photo of  geranium flowers on both sides of a wire fence - a metaphor for inside/outside and the clear possibility of fear.  My watercolor sketches were still representational but focused on the tension of the wire.
Gretchen was my next inspiration with further encouragement and Cookie provided the theme of helpfulness as I strayed from my project to work on the Yarn Bomb Project in particular. My final inspiration was again from Gretchen who gave me a bird's-eye-view sketch of the three pines where she had spent her time.  Suddenly I was seeing the relationship between Jesus and those around Him - Him always reaching out with his calming message of Fear Not,  and us making choices to open our hearts or not.

My project is far from complete. 65 Hours gave me the sacred afternoons to begin this journey.
Filomena Jack
65 pieces of Tattoo Flash

This year I worked on 65 sketches that I hope to translate into tattoo designs for my "tattoo flash" portfolio. I'll be starting an apprenticeship in a few months and need to build a collection of designs. My rules for the drawings were: Confident line work, open areas (for skin to show through), and designs that said "Filomena drew this."​
Bridget Bossart van Otterloo
Clay pots on farm equipment potter's wheel

For the Hours Festival this year I set out to make 65 small pots/vases on the farm machinery wheel that was built by Noel Sylvester and Eric Holbien during 61 Hours. I enjoyed having a little studio for the 5 days in the chicken coop (aka Tetanus Cathedral).

I used the technique of "Throwing off the hump" to make my tiny pots. This is a technique where you center a large chuck of clay, then create small pots off the top, cutting them off when finished. The wheel was challenging and temperamental. Most days it did not want to start, and I relied on the help of Ian.

​I finished the 5 days with 24 pots lovely little pots, which is more than I would have created without this 65hours challenge. Now for firing and glazing!
Kathrine Page
Welding

My intention for my project at Beulahland this summer was to have Noel teach me a new art media--welding. I needed to challenge my preconceived ideas about it, and to ameliorate the fear or intimidation I've had about the whole notion of operating a torch. I wanted to create something with my hands; something substantive; something I could immerse myself in for a whole week. I intended to create a metal sculpture that incorporated the number 65, but having found materials in the scrap yard that didn't accommodate my original design, I learned the art of rearranging and redesigning. I'm grateful for the opportunity to study under Noel's mastery and gift for helping me understand the nuances of metal-work.
Barb Taylor Rossi
65 Beaded Ornaments

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Kylie Baker
Handmade paper

My experience at 65 Hours was very experimental and about letting go. I was inspired when Jen Fais selected my color-aid paper Tuesday night and talked about "fearing not." This is something that has held me back most of my life and kept me from doing as much as I should/would like to do.

I had Tuesday, Friday night, and Saturday to devote to my project of making paper with herbs. I harvested mullein and burdock, cut them down, and cooked them over an open fire for a good while. 

I put mullein leaf and its liquid in a blender and blended it down to a pulp. I used a screen to collect the pulp and shape it into paper, the mullein paper looked more like the lint you would collect from a dryer and it wasn't very strong, but still a beautiful color and texture.

When I came back Friday night with a rocket stove, I cooked the burdock stalks for a few more hours on Saturday. It never really cooked down well enough. I was able to make 3 pieces of paper with burdock and then I blew out my blender because the stalks were still too hard. The paper is strong and has beautiful textures but I don't think I would use it as part of my dream journal paper.

It was a great experience and I appreciated having the time, space and resources to play!
Ian Keith
Hand-built lathe

​My personal project for 65 hours was learning how to use a woodworking lathe I had constructed using an old washing machine motor, some iron pipe and miscellaneous lumber.

The experience of learning to turn wood on a newly built homemade lathe was interesting to say the least. It was a continual process of evaluating how the machine was behaving, what I was doing, and determining if a given result was due to the setup, my technique and tools, characteristics of the wood itself, or all the above. It was certainly a challenging procedure, but also a quite enjoyable and rewarding one. Some of the key lessons learned are that stability and rigidity matter a great deal and that sharp tools lead to smoothness and speed.

I knew going in that turning 65 pieces over 5 days was probably not attainable. The final tally of successful pieces was closer to 6 + 5, including various tool handles, a chisel mallet, a light bulb sculpture, and several purely artistic experiments in spindle shapes, however it's quite likely I made 65,000 wood shavings in the process.