Our much awaited sample of Jumpy Monkey Coffee has arrived and the StudioWorks community has brewed a couple pots. Before I reveal the consensus of our taste test, here’s the background story. We came across the Jumpy Monkey Coffee blog and left a comment wishing their new venture well. Apparently, we were the first to do so and our new friends in Sioux City, Iowa sent us an example of their work. You see, this is no ordinary coffee. The business is run by folks with disabilities under the care of Opportunities Unlimited in Sioux City. It looks like Zoom Group shares many of the same goals and values that they do. Of the variety of premium blends of whole bean coffee that Jumpy Monkey produces, we received a bag of their Cinnamon Sticky Bun java. Now we are aficionados of fine coffee here in Louisville, so we know our stuff, and the verdict was that Cinnamon Sticky Bun is delicious! Even folks within our group that aren’t as fond of flavored coffees, thought that this was done right. We noticed that among the other blends that they are working, a Lewis and Clark theme is present. I wonder if they know in Sioux City that Sargent Floyd was from across the river from us and lived in what is now Floyd County, Indiana? We feel the Lewis and Clark journey both began and ended in our area. Pictured above is our bag of coffee posed proudly next to a plate of our famous, but inedible, ceramic cookies…it’s art and just for looks!
And now for the “More” part. We have art projects going on all the time. Here’s Julie’s latest oil pastel and for the moment I’m guessing that “Kim” is probably in the title? The drawing is about four and half feet tall and made from several irregular sheets of paper that are taped together on the verso side to form an informal rectangle. The central figure is a former friend of Julie’s working (crescent wrench in hand) on the electrical board that operates her houseboat? I’ll have to ask Julie for further clarification, but I think that’s the gist of it. Here’s a detail showing some of the surface.
StudioWorks artist, Sally Hardman, is working on a promising series of artworks that all feature ice cream cones! Here she is talking with our super volunteer, Susie Sherrard about a sewn confection that has just been started. Already in the works include drawings, ceramic tiles, and with hope, a painting or two! It’s great to see Sally working a theme she chose!
Most everybody at StudioWorks likes to draw and it’s fun watching people improve with practice. I’ll end this post with a picture of Lonnie Cundiff’s hands working on a page of bug drawings. This Luna Moth he’s drawing is showing real progress from his earlier attempts. Way to go Lonnie!
Hand Over Hand: 