Another Heroes piece-
Those teenagers
30” X 22” water color monotype
the ghost
Roots- Thank you Soul Cycle
These two dead plants were in pots outside of Soul Cycle. The roots were exposed and beautiful. This summer every week I would ask the staff if I could have them for my art. Every week I received the same response, that they would have to get approval from the locations manager to remove the dead plants. They are mine now. 😊 thank you, everyone at Soul Cycle for not getting irritated with my constant persuit of these roots.
My interest in roots has to do with my interest in regenerative agricultural. I will explain in the next roots blog post
Hurricane Harvey Project - confronted with humanity #4
A piece from a large series of work inspired by the everyday heroes of hurricane Harvey.
He was wearing overalls
22” X 30”
the ghost print
What does sound look like?
Using the Schlieren Flow Visualization method of photography, scientists photograph sound vibrations (even with them moving at 761.2 miles per hour.) NPR does a beautiful job of explaining this complicated process that scientists use to see sound. See link below-
https://www.npr.org/2014/04/09/300563606/what-does-sound-look-like
It is amazing and inspiring to see photographs/videos of sound. With this additional visual inspiration and conversations with art critic Laura Wellen and curator Kimberley Davenport, I have decided to create an installation in my new studio.
I have moved my “score” (working title) sculpture to my new studio.
Everything else is in a temporary storage facility
I will miss my dogs 😒
With some luck by the end of the summer my new studio will be filled with a 4D installation of the voice of the violin.
Photos 🙏🏽 title of work? and artist statement ?
photos by Nash Baker
Earlier this week I received the images taken of my sculpture. There is great satisfaction seeing this piece finally photographed. Many many thanks to Nash Baker for taking the time to get the perfect lighting and angles.
I am struggling with the title and the artist statement. This is where I am presently on the Artist statement for the piece. Some possible titles follow. I would appreciate any suggestions
”___________” A three deminsional depiction of the the passage of time through energy, produced by playing contemporary classical music. I was inspired by a long exposure photograph of my cousin, Arkansas Symphony Concert Master Andrew Irvin, that captured multiple images as he played his violin. I was struck by the simple back and forth movements of a bow, composed of horse hair, drawn across strings that create emotionally charged sounds. In this piece, the music radiates off the musician as he plays, as well as off the strings of the violin, sometimes like a painfully slow waltz, and sometimes with the sharpness of a quickstep. Working on the piece during the last weeks of my father’s life I examined each movement of the bow and the wire/sound that comes off the violin. Some warble and then end sharply like a tear running down a cheek. Others gently twist into a whisper that fades into a broken heart, and some linger and then pivot like a murmuration of birds and is set free, each movement triggering a unique emotion. I applied the concept of seeing multiple images, and seeing music as emotional energy in three dimensions. The piece is built on a steel armature covered in plaster, recycled wire cloth, and baling wire.
possible titles
Documents of Time’s passage
Rhythm
Oscillations
“Lost in time”
Sonata
Rhapsody
Movement
Interval
dimensions of time
Intervals in time
Sonatas of time
Scores in Time
score
Seeing faces at Dachau -
We recently toured the Dachau concentration camp. It was known as the S.S. “school for violence.” The facility is now a memorial to those who suffered and died at Dachau.
After seeing a few of the images in the memorial; I had to turn away. That is when I noticed that the immense suffering that was inflicted upon innocent people inside the walls of Dachau is not only told in the photos; it penetrated and lives in the structures of Dachau. The walls are scarred with the suffering. In every wall I saw the faces of pain, misery and stories that can not be ignored. Below are a few words That the images in the walls inspired.
Dachau
In the walls of Dachau
the sunken eyes of starvation still cry.
Through it’s cracks,
faces of fear still hold their breath.
In the walls of Dachau
the contorted faces of torture still moan.
Through it’s scars,
calls for tolerance plea to be heard.
In the walls of Dachau
the stripes of prisoners are held in respect.
Through it’s survivors,
stories are preserved and true heros are honored.
In the walls of Dachau.
Below are are some photos of the images I saw in the walls when I turned away.
sunken eyes of starvation
The fear seen in eyes of those confronted with the evils of humanity watch helplessly through cracks in the cement walls.
contorted face of torture
an emaciated body
face contorted in pain
human figures bent over in pain and suffering.
After you walk through the tortuous halls of the Dachau maintenance building and walk around to the front of the building there is a magnificent sculpture. It is an abstract figurative piece that beautifully expresses in monumental style the bodily harm endured by those who threatened the ideals supported by the S.S. .
In front of the sculpture is an additional memorial: The foundations of the 30 barracks that housed the prisoners of Dachau are each marked with a tombstone style market and numbered.
Picasso Museum in Paris
Three of his and a few of mine.
Dove/pigeon - bronze
Doves/pigeon and a fish
Dove/pigeon
Two of my Herman Beak trumpeter pigeons with leg muffs in charcoal
Two frill back pigeon is one in Talc powder and one in charcoal.
“Heritage-dust to dust.”
“Heritage-dust to dust.” My dad was not part of the hat generation, he was a cap dad. He did, however, have the traits that are reflected in each of my Heritage pieces and I do see glimpses of him when I look at them. This is one of the two hats I worked on during his last weeks of life. The week after he passed with a large hole in my heart, we poured the bronze. When I broke off the shell I was not really surprised to see the large hole in the heart of the crown.
Last week I completed the metal work on the piece and this week my siblings and I will celebrate his life, as he requested, with a simple bar-b-que in the feed store warehouse. It won’t be your normal wake, with guest dressed in formal black jackets and pants. We will all be in jeans, boots, or tennis shoes and he would like that. My sister and I will decorate the tables with two of the things he loved: tomato plants and footballs. We will drink beer, eat texas bar b que, and share memories and his love. He may not have worn a hat but he did leave a hole in this one.
Installation day - “feminam”
“Feminam” is Latin for feminine. I gave this piece a Latin name because she was purchased by two physicians. Over a year ago I agreed to sell G.G., my female wire cloth sculpture, titled “January 21st, 2017” as she saw it in our 2017 Spring Block Exhibition. I was amazed that G.G. asked me if she could buy the piece because I was already anticipating the problem of where I was going to keep her. G.G. was the first person who came to mind. G.G. loves art, is a very particular collector and any artist would be lucky to have their work in G.G. and Mark’s collection. A year later I was still having studio visits with people that I wanted to see “January 21st, 2017." However, I had said I would sell her so it was time to give her up. I decided to make another one for my studio. I started the second piece and showed her to G.G. and the new piece is really a better fit for G.G’s collection. She has a beautiful run just off center down her middle and she has more whit plaster on the surface. I am really pleased with the new piece. I wanted G.G. to have her pick and it worked out GG. for both of us. When I first met G.G. I automatically liked her, I tried to channel her inner beauty into this new piece, “feminam.”
Diane and Nate of Level Arts were very patient as G.G. and I decided on the perfect height.
They were also extremely patient as we played with the lighting. And I can play with lighting all day, it is so much fun.
Job well done. I could not be more thrilled to work with Nate and Diane of level Arts.
G.G. And me- both happy
I
Gust - grinding down the sprue stubs
tools
Score #39 one sculpture, one room filled to the rafters with sculpted sound.
I had a studio visit recently with an art critic. We talked for two hours about all of my work, my long term goals, short term plans and my artist statement for score. Regarding score she suggested I rent a storage unit for all my work except score. Move score to my new studio and fill the studio to the rafters with with the sweet sound of delicious violin music
artist statement - revised.
”Score” is a sculpture of energy, sound and the physical act of playing contemporary classical music, and its primal impact on emotions. I was inspired by a long exposure photograph of my cousin, Arkansas Symphony Concert Master Andrew Irvin, that captured multiple images as he played his violin. I was struck by the simple back and forth movements of a bow, composed of horse hair, drawn across strings that create emotionally charged sounds. In this piece, the music radiates off the musician as he plays, as well as off the strings of the violin, sometimes like a painfully slow waltz, and sometimes with the sharpness of a quickstep. Working on the piece during the last weeks of my father’s life I examined each movement of the bow and the wire/sound that comes off the violin. Some warble and then end sharply like a tear running down a cheek. Others gently twist into a whisper that fades into a broken heart, and some linger and then pivot like a murmuration of birds and is set free, each movement triggering a unique emotion. I applied the concept of seeing multiple images, and seeing music as emotional energy in three dimensions. The piece is built on a steel armature covered in plaster, recycled wire cloth, and baling wire.
.
just a quick phone sketch
“Score” big day of pruning #38
Monday, I had a meeting with the artist, Brian Portman. Brian speaks wire and teaches drawings no and painting at Glassell. I asked him to stop in my work space to look at the piece with fresh and wise eyes. I find his suggestions are dead on. He had no trouble seeing the movement of the hands, and understood my vision of seeing the music. He felt the music that wrapped around the back of the figure and worked its way into the movement of the right arm was burdensome. He felt it looked like he was carrying something on his back. So today it pruned away.
After the pruning.
Side view after the pruning.
Before the pruning.
I might need to do to do some more pruning.
“score” after a critique score #37
I had a studio visit Thursday with one of Houston’s top curators. This was her third visit to my studio. She gets my work and I highly value her input. It is always nice when they love your work but when you are trying something new that does not always happen. I don’t Invite them to visit your studio just to give you compliments. I showed her the piece I am currently working on without sharing with her my artist statement.
My artist statement-”Score” is a sculpture of energy, sound and the physical act of playing contemporary classical music and its primal impact on emotions. I was inspired by a long exposure photograph of my cousin, Arkansas Symphony Concert Master Andrew Irvin, that captured multiple images as he played his violin. I was struck by the simple back and forth movements of a bow drawn by hairs of a horse across strings that create emotionally charged sounds. I cannot carry a tune, I don’t understand musical terms, I have never played or tried to play an instrument, and I don’t sing. I danced, I took many years of ballet. When I listen to music I feel and see movement. On this piece, the music radiates off of the musician as he plays as well as off the strings of the violin, sometimes like a painfully slow waltz and sometimes with the sharpness of a quick step. I examine each movement of the bow and the wire that comes off the violin, some warble and then end sharply, others gently twist into a whisper that fades, and some linger and then like a murmuration of birds’ pivots. I applied the concept of seeing multiple images, and seeing music as energy in three dimensions. The piece is built on a steel armature covered in plaster, recycled wire cloth, and bailing wire.)
She saw my artistic interpretation of the violin music, and movement captured over a period of time as dead vines or plant growth overcoming a figure and she did not recognize my blurred hands as movement. I really appreciate her honesty, her comments will help me make it a better piece. I want the viewer to have to spend time with the piece. I want them to have to figure out what I am saying. Keeping that in mind I have to decide how to make the hands look like hands that are blurred. I think the solution is to physically put some blurred fingers closer to the plaster hands.
She also thought the face needed to be either very refined or less defined.
I was pleased to hear that because I have had the urge to further abstract the face. Today I placed some if the 1/4 rusted and broken wire cloth over his face and I kind of like it. To me it seems to blur the figure as movement blurs in a photograph. I will live with it awhile and if I am not pleased in a week or two I will probably add more plaster and do a Manuel Neri thing to his face.
She loved the back side side of him and suggested I look at http://chiharu-shiota.com/en/works/
I am was not familiar with Chiharu - shiota’s work, and wow! I would love to have place to just go crazy and fill a room with the music made by my figure. This is a thought to keep in the back of my mind.
There is a hole in the armature near his crotch that bothered her. I have been waiting for someone to mention this. It is an easy fix, I will get to it eventually.
She is not a fan of the plaster as a material for this subject. Many sculptors first make small plaster maquettes of their sculptors before they make the piece full size. On this point I respectfully disagree there are many acclaimed artist who work in plaster. I love the white plaster and how it contrast with the wire.
The above images reflect the changes I made as a result of the critique.
“score”- Seeing sound #36
Thinking about my sculpture I googled seeing sound. I found the below link that explains how scientist now have cameras that record what sound looks like.
https://www.npr.org/2014/04/09/300563606/what-does-sound-look-like
I also found the below fasinating article regarding the Nuerology of sight, sound.
https://www.livescience.com/5045-scientists-sound.html
I love it when scienc and art cross paths.
sketch I did in preparation for the sculpture.
“gust” building the shell
dip 3 - wet
Ready for dip 4
the top of the cup is cut off and the blind vents are cut open in order to allow the wax to expand and milt out of the shell.
In the furnace to burn out the wax and the felt
with the wax melted out I now blow out what is left of the felt.
burn out number 2
With an pneumatic air hose I blew out the charred debris from each hat.
A cure from above looking into the cup that the bronze will be poured into.
After blowing out the pieces for a second time I seal all the holes with sparset.
Last Thursday we did our best to pour these but............. plan B we will pour them this this Thursday.
“score” #35
4/7
I worked on the left pants leg today. Adding the blur from the movement.
The before on the left and after on the right.
Score- #29 a meditation
I have no idea whether what I am making is “good art” or “bad art,” but I do know that my brain loves painstakingly placing each and every tiny piece of delicate wire exactly where and how my imagination envisions it, and the sounds that come from the strings of the violin, as the horse hair bow, drawn in a focused and precise manner, moves across them. The energy that this sculpture is depicting is both physical and emotional. The work on this part, for me, is a meditation. I don’t really think about it; I just listen and imagine as I twist and attach the wires.
“score” #29 a meditation
Photo of wires coming off the bow depicting the energy created by sound.
I have no idea whether what I am making is “good art” or “bad art,” but I do know that my brain loves painstakingly placing each and every tiny piece of delicate wire exactly where and how my imagination envisions it, and the sounds that come from the strings of the violin, as the horse hair bow, drawn in a focused and precise manner, moves across them. The energy that this sculpture is depicting is both physical and emotional. The work on this part, for me, is a meditation. I don’t really think about it; I just listen and imagine as I twist and attach the wires.
“score” #26 adding some icing
My favorite part of a cake is the icing and my favorite part of this sculpture is the part I am just getting to - the icing. The little pieces, that create the quiet moments. The little nuances that add the extra flavor and detail that will hopefully make it sing. The pieces that will visually depict those tiny, fragile notes that are unique to the violin.
“gust” in porcelain
I rolled out 4 more porcelain “gust” hat reliefs.
I have covered them in plastic and will let them slowly dry out before firing.