All setup and ready for the Evergreen Arts Festival tomorrow & Sunday. Camping out in the lot at old Albertsons with several other artists. Went to dinner with Jerome & his wife (name escapes me) & Dave at Taco Bell across the lot. Instead if hanging my shower bottle from the back trailer door, helped Dave (who I met at keystone last weekend) put up his new outdoor shower enclosure. It was great fun - you should have heard/seen us. Included a couple of pics…
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Photo taken from my bunk in the trailer…
Got re-acquainted with my mountain bike (and the ground) today. Just could not unclip with the new shoes ;) Finally found some mountain stream trout - with a bowl of chicken-tortilla soup to start off - YUM!
Sitting here on my futon with the door of my utility trailer open to the roaring Arkansas River following a thunderstorm. Eating Dolmas and pita chips after a day of shooting - which started off by a good breakfast with my neighbors and fellow artists from Florida at their campsite beside me.
I was like a kid in a candy store earlier crawling down the bank of a creek, through Poison Ivy and brush. Here, off in the back-roads, lay several old vehicles with water running through and around, moss, spider webs, and overgrowth. BEAUTIFUL! Waiting for little spurts of light through the thick trees and making due with the overcast. A sort of paradise as I step down onto a large boulder to find it give a little - like the top of an old car! :D
Before I descended, the county water commissioner drove by and after I swung my mirror around and moved a large rock to let him pass my truck, we chatted and he told me they were put there originally 30-40 years ago as rural ‘erosion-control’.
After a while, it started to rain, so I headed back into to town for a long walk with an new friend and a bite to eat along the river watching kids float by and kayakers practice. Then when the Sun came out later, I drove back out - but alas by time I arrived, it had gone down behind the mountain. Tomorrow I will go back with my wet shoes and hopefully a little more sun, then maybe off to a mining town.
Alright time to bungy the door and lay down in my sweats for a chilly night…
Of course, pics later ;)
Dad & I built some new crates last week:
Really a great time working with Dad while Mom was away to Kansas City.
1 holds up to 32″x48″* canvases and the other up to 18-20″x27″ canvases. The larger one opens up from either side to allow opening in tight quarters…
- together with current crates…
the largest size holds a 40″x60″ canvas, the khaki color holds my 24″x36″ canvases and the smaller hold 18″x24″ canvases (the smallest I normally carry to shows).
Update: 2010-07-31: The new ones are shown above un-sealed, just got done sealing them with Marcela.
* intend to start bringing this size out to fill a gap, but the crate also holds all sizes like my 12-18″x48″ (long ones) etc..
Hanging out with Mom & Dad. Building a new crate for canvases, will stop in to FrameIT Gallery in Midland, shoot some and see old friends….
late posting this ;)
On Sat had an old friend drop by and two old really good friends on Sunday. Really neat and interesting to see them. Jenny said I must be ‘closing a loop’ :)
Great to see ya guys!! :D
I stayed over the rest of the day after taking Lee Ann & Beth to the Airport to try and take some more shots around Chicago, but it just poured rain all day. But on my way to the zoo, I did meet a new friend, Shannon who I had lunch with and perused the neighborhood second-hand shop. On the way back to pick up my rig from the Airport, I was determined to get at least one shot before I left. So I skipped one train and captured this platform shot in the rain. Yeh-yeh, I guess I wimped out and stayed dry this time ;0
Kinda goes with the train tunnel I posted earlier…
And of course being an ‘Apprentice’ fan (at least early on), and rooting for Bill R. had to get a couple shots of Trump Tower ;)
Kept running out into the middle of an intersection trying to get this without being run over while Lee Ann & Beth were in line for a Pizza down the street :)
I just loved the facade of this building - with the light and different colored windows & hiding behind the large trees :D
here’s another from running around with Lee Ann & Beth. Looking up at the train station and down the street…
Part of Chicago Transit Authority’s ‘L’ system which we used to get around town. 
Ok, now that I’ve gotten out all my orders from the trip (except a couple waiting on stretcher bars to come in), I’m able to start working on new pieces. :D
This may be the first to be completed - just started working on it a couple hours ago and looks good. Named ‘Chicago Time’ it’s a really special piece to me as it represents time spent with my sister Lee Ann & her partner Beth Akard. Beth actually pointed the clock out to me and I positioned myself to capture the sun in the haze behind the statue.
Welcome to my portfolio guys! ;)
I will always cherish the time spent that weekend with Lee Ann and Beth - especially getting to know Beth a bit. I hope this piece will remind me to take time and enjoy my time with friends & family even when the schedule is hectic. I was able to bring along to a show or visit with each of my family members on the 2 month long trip and that was very important to me :)
When we set out I told Lee Ann - “during the show (Wells Street Arts Festival), I’m in charge - outside of that you set the schedule and can be the Entertainment Director etc. I will just ‘be there, immersed’ not needing to ’seek out’ anything”. Seems to work ;) ….
‘Chicago Time’ - even though many of us select ‘Chicago Time’ as our time zone (CST), ‘Chicago’ time does seem a little different - as should all our time :)… Arrived in Chicago yesterday, went with my sister LeeAnn and her partner Beth down to the Navy pier to alk around, dodge SeaGulls and watch fireworks. Todayis a work day for me prepping for Wells Street show this weekend and getting out a couple orders…
Well, went don to Harpers Ferry to hike around and shoot: cool ruins, railroad tressels & Bridges, Blue Heron etc.
At about 3p-4p ascended a ridge to photograpgh the town with Shanbandoa @ Potomac River converginging. ~20 min before reaching the overlook heard lots of rumbling, which was cool cause it was an old civil war battle area with boards describing the posts, battles etc. I could imagine the scene. When I came out from the trees at the stop, it was dark and began to lightening around. I stepped out on the ledge, took a few shots, paused a moment to enjoy then retreated for shelter to check my shots. A couple was still out there and another guy came along saying ‘the storm was aways off, but he had gotten caught recently in the rain in New Jersy.
I hi-tailed it down the mountain (on a sore ankle) and by the time I was 2/3 down it was raing pretty good and the lightening was around. I tucked my camera in the backpack and tripod in its case and preceeded along the uncovered trail from the base of the mountain o the long METAL bridgeI had to cross. Keep in mind walking along this bridge is like walking in a metal cage accross the river. I thought I might experiance the ‘tesla cage’ effect, but made it across safely - soaked, but safe ;)
Said to someone ‘thought it was supposed to be a ‘nice day’ - he replied ‘it was!’ :) Another smal adventure :D
-pics later…
After a 4 days of driving and my dad & I made it Montauk last Thursday nite. I picked Dad up from my brothers in Richmond, Virginia the day before. We setup on Friday and the show was Sat-Mon (memorial day). Met some neat people including my neighbors Cheryl & Emily and had some great food! :)
Got around to take some shots around the area Monday morning and Tuesday before we left. You can see a preview of some upcoming works by clicking here - Montauk 2009 - Preview.
Wasn’t able to get the second half of my 10×20 tent there so rented a tent which they setup just before opening - the wind took it away from the guys setting it up and it rolled over and damaged a couple canvases :|
Met Warren out on the point catching a 50lb bass!
Dad & I atop the Lighthouse :)
Today I was attending an event at the Business Success Center here in Austin and at the end I picked up a brochure and thought ‘what a neat image on the cover’ ….
- then it hit me: it was mine! :0
I had done it for then a while back and its even in my inventory ;)
guess thats a good compliment for myself then… :)
Wednesday - January 9, 2008
Tonight I took the bus downtown to a group meeting where one of the discussions was about promoting ‘the intersection of life & art’. I took the bus to save some petrol and on my return, after waiting quite awhile, Bus 1L speed by me even though I was waiting with my ticket in hand. Bus 15 saw this and came immediately to my rescue and followed Bus 1L several blocks with horn blaring until it would stop and let me on. Not the first time I & others have been passed up - once, after over an hour waiting with some other riders of Asian descent, and several busses zooming by, I stepped out in front of an approaching 1L bus only to have it swerve around me at the 1L stop.
Anyway on the way home you could hear several conversations at once: a man in the back talking about riding with generals in Iraq, a young man talking to people about Jesus and some female heavy metal musicians he knew & idled etc. Soon a man appearing old and dirty came down the aisle. I reluctantly moved over to allow him to sit beside me. As he sat down & began to speak, I braced myself for the foulest of odors to come from is mouth to my nose only inches away, but to my surprise there were none & in fact he did appear not to smell at all. ‘Bob’ was his name - tired, wrinkled skin and straw cowboy hat with a friendly Texas drawl. One of several characters on the bus that could make a fantastic photograph in the right setting. He rambled on about crocodiles and how he and his friends would save me from them, asked me to remind him of my name several times, talked about his love who lives in another town, and that he could smell someone ‘had the good stuff’ (i.e. drugs) onboard today. I listened politely - best I could follow anyway while cautiously covering my hip pack with my left hand (so I could continue shaking his hand time-to-time with my right one). Before long there was a full crowd of all sorts crammed in the aisles, sitting on the floor, greeting friends etc.
A trio of ‘punked-out’ riders boarded: one thin male with red mohawk and spikes all over his jacket & apocalyptic scene painted on the back, a beautiful intellegent-looking young lady with ‘f*ck the flag’ & ‘666’ on hers with a whole myriad of colors in her hair, body rings and the whole bit, and a dark-haired young male in large overalls who looked like one of the Gieco cavemen with a look of ‘deep altered reality’ on his face. They were from around Albuquerque - I guess passing through. Caveman was clutching some stones wire-wrapped into pendants and shining a flashlight in fascination on one that was translucent. Our eyes met a couple of times - he started with a boyish grin which turned to a quite, acknowledging smile. A white haired woman who boarded at the Capital presented the young girl with a pretty purple glass butterfly, perhaps too big to be a pendant. The girl was visually grateful and began cuddling and stroking the piece as if was the most valuable thing she had ever held. I wondered how long she would keep it - if it would get traded or discarded or if it and this moment would stay with her forever.
As I got up to stand by the door, ‘Bob’ took a couple more swigs from his flask & told me he’d remember me in his prayers tonight and asked that I say say a prayer for him. I assured him a couple times I would and smiled. As the bus slowed, there by the door was the young girl still affectionately stroking her treasure…
this was my stop - at the intersection of life & art…
Sweet dreams ‘Bob’… :)