Seth's Buried Treasure

Seth Apter continues to encourage and promote a lot of artistic bloggers. And, as the photo above shows, he is a very talented artist.

His current project is Buried Treasure: "There are usually many, many posts that I have never seen that were put up before I discovered a new blog. I just don't have time to go post by post from beginning to end in order to see all that is available. So...Buried Treasure is about digging deep to uncover some hidden gems. The premise is simple. On Thursday July 16 all participating bloggers will re-post one (or more) of their favorite posts from their blog. "

I'm giving you three selected posts. One because it shows one of my favorite art pieces, one because it shows you a rare picture of my Blog Wrangler, and then there's one that is a pathetic attempt at making excuses for my slothful blogging and posting behavior.

Thanks, once again, Seth, for doing so much to promote blogging and encouraging us all.

Originally posted on September 3, 2008:
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Sometimes all I have to do is look at my scrap metal and a piece will turn into a person before I know it. Then, it's just a matter of waiting until the right ceramic head appears. I don't design the heads with the scrap metal pieces in mind. But, when the right combination happens, you just know it. It speaks to you.


Originally posted on August 11, 2008:
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We picked Janis and Carol up at the hotel for a quick trip to Whole Foods. As soon as Carol had settled in the car she said, "Oh, Don, I've seen your blog and you and Susan seem like such a loving couple!"

Susan and I both burst out laughing. We explained to Carol that she needed to rewind the tape to 15 minutes earlier as we drove to Target to get one stupid item:

D: "If you think you can do a better job, then you can drive!"
S: "Watch out! You're going the wrong way down the parking lane!"
D: "I'm looking for a spot in the shade!"
S: "Just park the damned car in the right direction!"
D: "You want to drive?!? I'm looking for a shady spot."
S: "This is it? You park the %$#*-ing car in the shade to keep it cool but I have to walk back past 4 empty rows in the 175 degree heat to get in the store?!?!"

Why does Target put all the totally useless junk at the front of the store but puts very useful things, like light bulbs, toilet paper and boxer shorts, way in the back? Fortunately, we managed to get out of Target without ripping each other to shreds. So goes a normal day in the life of a loving couple.


Originally posted on January 1, 2009:
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Here's hoping we all have a Happy New Year. Zee Bunny went to my sister-in-law, Linda, who took the snowy Taos picture posted from a few days back.

To all the faithful readers of my blog, thank you for your validation. Throwing thoughts, words and art out into the vast anonymous cyberspace can be a lonely feeling but you have all made me feel so much richer for your comments and your contact.

My Blog Wrangler, Susan, is everything a computer-klutz like me can hope for. She types for me, fixes my photos, sends me off to Adult Day Care (better known as my ceramics class at our community college), and keeps order in my world and on my blog. She has pushed me and shoved me into the art world and into the blogging community and I'm a much happier person for it all. However, she has given me my one New Year's Resolution: To be better about reading other people's blogs.

Is a Resolution resolved if you do it 3 days in a row?

Susan speaks:
Don used to claim that his dyslexia made it hard for him to use the computer. But his prolonged playing of Bejeweled and TipTop let me shoot that claim down. I do try to balance out internet information time with creative time for him but, as we all know, any type of balance in life is hard to maintain. We'll continue to work on it.


For those poor demented souls who think we are such a Perfect Couple, here's a brief peek into our life that might provide a little reality wake-up:

S: Check out the blogs, ______ has a great entry today (just fill in your name here).
D: What does it say?
S: Check it out yourself. Besides, you haven't looked at anyone's blog in over a week and they look at yours all the time, you rude clod.
D: How do you know they look at mine?
S: By their comments. You have been checking your own comments, haven't you?
D: Oh. Sort of. Well, what do they say?
S: Say about what?
D: Anything. What do they say in their blogs? And in comments?
S: Read them yourself, you lazy bum! I can't be reading everything to you. I already have to tell you when you have email.
D: Email? Do I have email? What does it say?
S: Definitely what is says it that you're not going to get lucky at all, ever, in 2009. And now you're working on 2010.

Stay Tuned

Tomorrow is the day for Buried Treasure.

Man and Metal in Motion

My Blog Wrangler, Susan, has figured out video!!! Yes, I am real! The music you hear in the background is She Ain't Me by Carrie Rodriguez.

My workspace is one large corner of her studio space. I have strict orders to keep flames and clay out of the house so all my ceramics and soldering work is done in the garage. But here in her studio I can work in air-conditioned comfort and you see me working on bezels like I showed you in a previous post.

The painting shown above and in the video is by James Janknegt, an Austin artist. Susan bought it for me the 10th year I was in the corporate world. At that time it cost us an amount we could NOT afford and it scared us both enough that I worked even harder, thus becoming even more like the man in the picture. The scene is downtown Austin, next to IH 35, and the figure in the car is a woman.

Man and Metal

These first three pieces were made in a class I took. They probably won't get any more work done on them as Susan doesn't wear jewelry, but some of my ceramic dudes might wind up wearing them. They are made of old roof tin, copper tubing from old air conditioners, copper wire (soldered), copper rivets, and rebar wire.

The next picture shows my first attempts at soldering. Yes, I can weld but until I took a class from Stephanie Lee I didn't seem to be able to solder at all. I was trying to create an organic look around some bezels made from 1" copper pipe.


Finally, the pieces below are what I'm going to be working on next. The flies and the turtle are bought pieces, the mask is a button, and the hand is a charm I found. I plan to solder the bezels and then do a resin cast for the pieces in the bezel. That's the Plan anyway, Susan Lenart Kazmer will be my mentor in this.

Ceramics is taking a back seat for a while. Since we are projected to get to 106 degrees today I find it much more enjoyable to be inside working instead of in the garage.

3rd Rock From The Sun

This is Violet BGH (Big Giant Head). She is Spike's sister but they have a lot of sibling rivalry and don't speak to each other.

I like to combine metal and clay because I think it adds a 3rd dimension and I like the weirdness it gives a piece. The spikes and nails I put in pieces don't signify anything mean or evil, they are just giving me a contrasting material to work with.

Colors come from different layers of underglaze that I apply and then sand down until I get what I think will be a good blend of colors. My inspiration in a lot of this is Seth's work and the effects he gets from layering.

Ixion, Tin Man

Were you wondering about those doll heads (and their arms and their legs)?


I made Ixion, my Tin Man, in Thomas Ashman's class. Susan decided he needed a turban. I like his arms the best.

Susan speaks: At the store he poked at the doll's heads, pulled up their dresses and checked in their bloomers to see how the legs were joined, and pulled at their hair to see where it would come off. I pretended I wasn't with him. At home he undressed them (baby doll clothes going to Goodwill), pulled their hair off and ripped off their arms and legs, all in the name of art. After he took the butane torch to this doll's eyes ("I had to get rid of those eyelashes!") I told him to be sure he kept the garage door closed. No sense in having the neighbors thinking he's really weird.

Remembering on the 4th of July

Today, July 4th, is designated as the day we celebrate our 1776 Declaration of Independence, a national holiday with its roots strongly based on a foundation of political freedom. That freedom has been protected and preserved by our military forces and continues today.

I took the photo above of some army nurses in Vietnam, not because I knew any of them (I didn't) but because they were the first American women I had seen in months and they all smiled at me. Their job was to help patch up the wounded soldiers, making the pain and fear ease as they smiled and joked with them.


Today, women are on the front lines in Iraq, even though the government likes to pretend women don't serve in combat positions. They had courage, dedication, and responsibility back in 1969 and they still have it in 2009. When you see veterans marching in our 4th of July parades, look hard for the women. Do you see any? You should.

Americans will have picnics, parades, concerts, and fireworks, all in celebration of our country's birthday. We'll also remember those who died making sure we still have that political freedom today.


Captain James Clifford McKittrick is still Missing in Action. And I'm still waiting to be able to send his bracelet to his family.


Captain Barry Lynn Brown was returned to his family. I was the one who gave his family the flag that had covered his casket.

Dug Up

Meet Mach. His body is some kind of stop-piece that's used in organs.

A New Garden Goddess

This is Evelyn. Late this spring I took a one-day workshop from Lana Wilson and Claudia Reese. As you can see from Lana's website, I've come fairly close to being able to work in her unique style. Now my hard task is to use her techniques but rework them in MY style and not hers. This is always the challenge when you admire someone else's work and take lessons from them. Copying is the first stage in learning a new techique but you have to move on past that.

Claudia Reese is an Austin artist who has always been supportive of my effots. She puts in a lot of time and effort supporting ceramic artists. Her work is nationally recognized and if you ever fly into the Austin airport you'll see some of her work. She also has worked with children to make tiles for our library.

Rodney

I like to look for rusty metal pieces with character, which means they "speak" to me. Then the challenge is to make a head that also speaks to me. And the final challenge here was to make a head that looked like it had been around as long as the metal piece had.

Susan said, "What do you want me to type in for his name?"
I said, "Little Dude".
She gave me The Look and said, "You can't keep calling every piece you make the same thing. It will give them an identity complex".
His name is Rodney. Why? Beats me. It just jumped into my head. Or maybe he told me.

Angela Cunningham

One of the nice things about going to craft shows is being able to talk to the artists as you look at their work. When we were in Washington DC in April we went to the annual Smithsonian Craft Show. You have to submit your work to a jury to be considered and only 120 artists are chosen. Even if you were in before ,you still have to be re-juried in every year. So, the Best of the Best are on display.

Angela Cunningham's work is shown in these pictures. Be sure to check out her website. She is a very talented artist who does meticulous, unique work. Best of all, she talked to me about techniques and methods of working and shared some tips with me -- just as though I was a real artist, not just some guy muddling around in community college classes!

Spike

My tribute to all those kids who spike up their hair. What do they do when they go to bed at night?

I built the head to fit around the metal pieces that I'd found in the trash can at the blacksmithing class area. The head will fit on a welded body-like piece I had. Because it's real tall I'm not sure now to photograph it for the blog. Robyn does well with pictures of her tall pieces. I'm thinking I need to make Susan do a video of the tall pieces I have. If she does, we'll be sure to make them short so my dial-up followers can easily see them.

Too Many?

Can you ever have too many books?
Not as long as Susan has an account at Amazon.

Her comment when she saw this picture: "We could get a bigger house. . ."

Late edit from Susan: Don got an email asking how the bookshelves were constructed. Sorry if you got the wrong impression -- this is not a picture of our house. But I can dream, can't I?

A Head of the Game

I needed a ceramic doll head for a class I was going to take from Thomas Ashman. Susan taught me how to clink on the head to see if it was ceramic or not because most of the ones I spotted at Goodwill were plastic. Then, right next to my favorite Harbor Freight store, I found a Super Saver store (it benefits Easter Seals) and in the "Antique" area was a section of dolls with china heads. So I bought 3. And then decided I needed more. So I bought more. OK, it was for a good cause -- both mine and Easter Seals.

I ripped off their glued-on hair but they all had holes in the top of their heads! Their arms and legs also got ripped off. It's all a work-in-progress right now but this is an interim photo. Susan was sort of wistful about me tearing up all the "baby dolls" but understood that when art speaks to you, you rip.

Washington DC - Another Graffiti Guy!

April 2009, Washington, DC

Does this guy look familiar? Did Susan get yelled at twice by cars full of people while she was standing in the middle of the street taking this picture? Did I ignore her when she said "Don't let anyone hit me!" when she ran out into the street? [Like I was going to throw my body in front of the cars? Not a chance. I believe in Equal Opportunity near-death experiences and it was her turn.] This picture was taken on 17h Street, at the north corner of the Corcoran Gallery, right across the street from The White House.

In case you forgot, here are the pictures from April 2008 and April 2009, on 53rd street in front of the American Folk Art Museum.

April 2008 <------------------> April 2009 (New York City)

Anybody else find the Graffiti Guy on their streets?

Taken inside the National Portrait Gallery

We left Washington DC, to head down to Hampton, Virginia, for Art and Soul. No pictures from that, we were both too busy to bother. When we left there we had to do a lot of zig-zagging to avoid nasty weather so we were really tired when we got home. After 23 days on the road and being together 24 hours a day, we were still talking to each other. Barely. I missed my naps. Susan missed her pillow. Home, sweet home.

Washington DC - Overdose on Eye Candy

John Currin's The Pink Tree, Ron Mueck's Big Man

This photo was taken inside the Hirshhorn and Susan waited about 5 minutes for people to stop walking in front of her so she could get this shot. We loved the juxtaposition.

Actually, it's probably me in the corner there, pondering (and being fully flummoxed) how we actually have managed to stay married for 42 years. The easy answer is:

Luck.

You just get lucky and pick the person who winds up making you a better human being. And poverty, as Susan would say, reminding me of the time we were living in California and she tried to leave me but she/we didn't have enough money for her to buy a bus ticket back to Texas.

Ritual Wine Container, 10th Century B.C., Sackler Gallery

Fill this guy up with some zinfandel (or a riojas) for me. How cool will it be to pour your wine out of his head?

This is a picture outside a exhibit that we did not see.


This is the city where the National Spelling Bee is held. Good choice?

What did we manage to see in under 4 days in April in Washington DC? Antonio Ole's work at the African American Museum, Louise Bourgeoise's art at the Hirshhorn, Phillip Guston's paintings and Robert Frank's photography at the National Gallery, stained glass at the Renwick, Anish Kapoor's sculpture at the Sackler Gallery, and New Deal Artists at the American Art Musuem. Also, Maya Lin at the Corcoran, the Smithsonian Craft Show at the Building Museum and the Vietnam Veterans Wall.

This is sort of how we felt by the end of the stay.

Actor in a Ruff, Jean Dubuffet, National Gallery of Art

Washington DC - A Sad Reflection

We were getting our pictures read for our next few posts, pictures taken in Washington, DC, when we heard sad news. Once again. People shot because someone had a gun, an opinion, hatred, and no conscience.

We'd never seen ruffled tulips before. From the number of tourists taking pictures of these flowers (in April) I would guess we weren't the only ones. They were planted in flower beds right outside the Smithsonian Castle.

On Wednesday the tourists saw police, felt a lurch of fear, heard sirens and never even saw the beautiful gardens of the Smithsonian.

Today, 42 Years

To Hold

So we're dust. In the meantime, my wife and I

make the bed. Holding opposite edges of the sheet,

we raise it, billowing, then pull it tight,

measuring by eye as it falls into alignment

between us. We tug, fold, tuck. And if I'm lucky,

she'll remember a recent dream and tell me.

One day we'll lie down and not get up.

One day, all we guard will be surrendered.

Until then, we'll go on learning to recognize

what we love, and what it takes

to tend what isn't for our having.

So often, fear has led me

to abandon what I know I must relinquish

in time. But for the moment,

I'll listen to her dream,

and she to mine, our mutual hearing calling

more and more detail into the light

of a joint and fragile keeping.

Li-Young Lee

from "Behind My Eyes"

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Photo from November, 1965.

Washington DC - The Corcoran

Blue Lake Pass, 2006

Water Line, 2006

Atlas Landscape, Rand McNally The New International Atlas,
Published 1981, altered 2006.

Maya Lin: Systematic Landscapes

". . . this exhibition explores how people perceive and experience the landscape..."

Somehow she brings the outdoors inside for you to walk through, to feel, to sense the space that you take up in the universe.

The exhibit is at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and will be open until July 12. Go. Or at least look at the video.

Washington DC - Smithsonian Craft Show

We made it to the National Building Museum in time to see the Smithsonian Craft show. These are just a few of the people whose booths we lingered at (and asked permission to post their work). Many of them have their own websites where you can see more of their work.

At the top and right below, Angela Cunningham's ceramics:

Akiko Sugiyama's paper sculptures:

Eugenie Torgerson's beautiful books:

Randall Rosenthal's books, all made completely from one block of wood:

Mike Libby's insects:

Jiyoung Shung's paper sculptures:
And last but never least, Talya Baharal's jewelry (both here and here). It never fails to enchant Susan, and I can only dream of being as creative or skillful.