Second Page of Blog
October 12, 2010
An
architecture firm exploring the concept of design asked artists to submit
postcards on which they had finished the sentence, "Design is . . ." I
believe they were expecting postcards made of paper. I don't work on paper. So I
created this one of vitreous enamel on formed copper.
I created it a month or two ago, but before posting anything about it here I waited to see if they sent it back for being made out of metal. They didn't.
This is in my peace pole blog because it is part of my continuing development of the process of melting glass onto metal for use on peace poles. I haven't put it on a peace pole yet. Still working on it.
July 29, 2010
I
dropped everything else to work night and day for a couple of weeks to create a
dove with an olive branch in its mouth out of copper.
Along the way I created some paintings on copper with vitreous enamel. One was sold at an auction to raise funds for a non-profit organization. I gave a couple of the others away. An experimental one made of an irregularly shaped scrap of copper sits on my coffee table wondering where to go.
May 30, 2010
In
today's New York Times, Sri Lankan rap artist Mathangi “Maya”
Arulpragasam, also known as M.I.A., said "Give war a chance."
Doesn't look like a militant rebel, does she?
April 18, 2010
I've been buying equipment and supplies to take my work in a different
direction. Experimenting, learning and practicing takes an enormous amount of
time. I spend less time updating this site or adding things to this blog as a
result. It could be a year, or maybe this fall with luck, before I have a full
peace pole resulting from this. There might be some plaques, and maybe some
caps, before that. But the new peace poles, when available, might end up being
more expensive than most of the rest of what I make. I am working hard to avoid
that. We'll see.
A jig that withstands a couple thousand
degrees (F) when holding experiments.
April 14, 2010
In Paris on December 10, 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They say it has been translated into
more languages and dialects than any other document in the world. It was the
first global expression of the rights to which all people everywhere are
entitled.
Article 18 of it says "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought."
Does that give the politically correct something to think about?
March 8, 2010
Every once in a while I try to remember to post an email from someone. We're
supposed to do that, aren't we? It's easy to remain lost in creating the work
and forget to tell anyone about it.
He is in another country, so English isn't his first language, but he is speaking about the plaques and cap I made for him.
"I just want to tell you that I am very, very happy with the plates and the top. Very beautiful and artistic!!!! So much feeling! Thank you!"
February 26, 2010
I didn't know what waterboarding is. When I found out, I assumed it was
something our country was doing for the first time. As it turns out, it goes way
back.
Around 1900 the USA annexed some islands in the Philippines. The Philippines declared war to prevent us from taking their islands. And thus began the American-Philippine War in which we not only used waterboarding, but even sang at least one marching song about it. It was called "The Water Cure" and celebrated the use of waterboarding on Filipinos.
Mark Twain was so unhappy about that war that he founded an Anti-Imperialist League (there were more than one). Could it be that rather than launching negative responses, like that one - being against something, instead we should be ahead of the curve with a positive response? If we predicted what the next trouble spot would be, and therefore where our militarists next would advise sending soldiers, could we try to go there first with scholarships, students, musicians, cooks, etc., to meet hearts and minds and see if we can prevent it from becoming a place that people with guns view as a trouble spot needing their attention?
February 25, 2010
Artist's Statements:
To me artistic statements cerebralize the viewer's experience with the work by creating
what feels like a high school art instructor's dictum about what should
be kept in mind while viewing the work. Is there a surer way to prevent an
emotional involvement with it?
I once was walking through a museum when I passed an art teacher leading a group of senior citizens in an art appreciation course. I tried not to appear too dismayed. "When you look at this painting, look at this person in this window and think of the relationship that must exist between this person and the one on the floor below. Think up a story that connects the two people." Oh, for god's sake.
Is Mozart improved by noting cord changes? However much more an artist's statement might be than that, it still intellectualizes the experience in a way that violates the best cords art ever strikes.
One of my works was hanging on a wall when a viewer asked me what it means. The artist standing next to him said, "You can't ask an artist that." Isn't creating an artist's statement, in part, answering that question before it is asked?
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Index of Blog Archive
(in chronological order.)
Artist's Blog Archive 1
Artist's Blog Archive 2
Artist's Blog Archive 3
Artist's Blog Archive 4
Artist's Blog Archive 5
Artist's Blog Archive 6
Artist's Blog Archive 7
Artist's Blog Archive 8
Artist's Blog Archive 9
Artist's Blog Archive 10
