Dobbing me in to the rozzers

 Four pieces of small wood were handed to me while walking to dinner.  We were on the streets in Cádiz, Spain.  The hander of these small pieces of wood to me was a cousin of my traveling companion that's living on the quiet side of an island of the Balearics, Spain.

His words.

"Remember that wood was liberated so make sure you're not dobbing me in to the rozzers.

Those bits of wood were samples of the wood used for some outside benching in a project I worked on about ten years ago.  The wood needed to be very strong to survive not only rain and cold but also skateboard dudes out grinding, graffiti carvers seeking to immortalise that Nikasitimos was here mounting Timiona, and Obnoxious Substances running the gamut of cigarette stubbings, chewing gum gobbings and doubtless all of the 16 main categories of body fluid.  I remember one of the workers calling it an "African ironwood".  There are apparently many called ironwood, and I don't know which one this is.  Every once in a while I write to the various firms but have only had We Didn't Choose it replies. "

 As I listened to his story of the wood I already knew what I would make with them.

 

Got back to the US and started in on two simple bedside tables for Taylor and Nick.  I used a couple pieces of wood that’s been lying around the studio, getting moved here and there over the years, waiting for the right project to come alone.  A large piece of highly figured Eucalyptus and a piece of Madrone I got on the cheap because it was so warped.  Also used some Japanese Pagoda.

 

 

Picked up some seashell or coral pieces, not sure exactly what these things are, from a beach in Cádiz and cut those in half.  Cut out a couple of holes in the pieces of wood the cousin gave me and anchored seashells with epoxy.

 These adjustable Fireball squares are proving to be so handy and configurable.  Double stucked them to the back of the legs to cut long thin triangles out.

 New Neo Realism.  A reality view of how I work.  No curated cleanup of stuff.

 Alright, I hear you out there.  Less words MU, more photos.  I get it.  Photos.

 

Wait a minute!  After all these you still want bonus pics!?

 

Two Months

 Go here for the big pictures and more!

 

Spent some time out of the US to feel what the rest of the world is feeling right now.

 Every time I do the bait and switch, very few take the bait.  That's ok.  All of this is like throwing messages in bottles into the ocean.  It's all out of my control after that.

 

Here Comes a Time

 There is a wilderness that I am going to for a couple months to build some trails in.  I won't be posting anything until I come back out.

So Adios for a bit.

There are always photos from the past that are either similar to others I've posted or the post is getting too overloaded with visuals and I wrap things up.

Just to get them out of the blog folder so I can delete them.

Across the street Barry owns this building a few blocks away

Father and son making music together

Awaiting transport to Death Valley

Water drops

A bad Horsey engraving on the Vandercook

Gate shadows on engraving block

Sidewalk rose

Some end of season courtyard garden veggie harvests

Tone Tones needed a cane cuz of a bad hip. Sycamore and Leather.

Virginia brother along with the kids, spouses.

Looking through a drum skin to Franks pedal board on the floor.

And...wet strainer with shadow

Call/Response

 I'll tell you one thing, I write much better in my mind at night then when I put it on paper.

I had my first show as a water colorist at the Emigrant Gallery Oct 30 and 31st.  I didn't have a single visitor.  Not only it was my first show as a water colorist but at the same time a retrospective of my complete seven day career as one.

I showed early career, as a mid career artist and one in late career.  Not one visitor could find the show a few miles off into the desert of Death Valley.  You'd have to first find the faint trail and then when you hit the big arroyo, go straight across rather than going to the left.  Also, since there are no walls out there, I had to hang the pieces on the ground.  Hard to see that unless you saw my backpack on one of the rocks to help find it.

 I can see why, because this year there was not one person that left the campground to walk into the surrounding land.  They came to Death Valley but would not venture out into it.

Sean El Jewell was going to be my one and only visitor to the show.  I didn't have any white wine or cubes of cheese to serve like at other more established shows but I thought about it.  Sean's motorcycle broke down on him 40 miles away and had to turn back to Arizona.

For the seven days I painted in Major Chords and Minor Chords.  Always the Major Chord was on the left side of the page, always thought and planned out somewhat before.  The Minor Chord on the right was always in response to the Major.  Unplanned, executed without thought.  

Call/Response.  

Balancing one off the other, allowing the Major to feel dominate by size and strength.  The Minor complimented through a strength in acceptance of itself as more quiet and introspective.

And it was here, in the desert in Death Valley that I co-founded along with my partner M. Mushroom the art movement known as Neo Paleolithic Modern.

My -en plein air- brush cleaning towel.  They were also the pants I wore as well.

Just now hung selected pieces in the 3003 Bathroom Gallery.   Second show

 

 

 

 

Curator came and hung the synopsis later.

Bonus Pic

 

 Morning Light