Performance art piece- On my Dad's 89th birthday he suggested a performance/installation art idea for me. - I think?

I went home to celebrate my dad's 89th birthday. While at lunch he suggested I make some beef jerky by placing it between two pieces of wire cloth and hang it from a tree just like the Lewis' used to do when I was about four years old. The Lewis' were ranchers in the Guadalupe Mountains outside of Dell City (where I lived on a cotton farm). I often would find a brown paper bag in the seat of my Dad's pickup truck full of the most amazing beef jerky given to him from the Lewis family. I loved it.  He went on to say he thought it would be good for my work. I politely agreed and said I would take his suggestion. Afterwards my sister and I had a good giggle wondering what kind of work does he thinks I do? That said maybe he is on to something - the Homemade beef or vinison jerky making process could be a cool performance/installation work of art. Ina moment of giddiness my sister and I fantasized about my Dad's suggestion:  I could build a faux bois tree in front of Lawndale to hang the wire contraption that protects the lightly seasoned meat. When it is ready the viewers can sit in a 1950's/60's pickup truck and eat the piece (the jerky) from a brown paper bag and listen to some 60's tunes or news reports. 

I just reread this post and we were a l i t tle exhausted from preparing for his birthday celebration. 

My Dad wearing his 89th birthday party  crown.  

My Dad wearing his 89th birthday party  crown.  

My sister and I throw him a birthday celebration every year. This year he wanted everyone to come to his place since it is too tiring for him to go anywhere. We brought breakfast tacos and silly holiday headbands to make it seam festive. My sister Janet Fortune and I also wrote a 12 days of Bob-pa's 89th Christmas adapting each verse to something we remember in his life.  We made my non singing family sing it to him. I repeat we do not sing. Our singing is so bad that we have used kazoos at birthday celebrations to sing happy birthday. 

Below are the words to the verses we wrote.  

The verses to our 12 days of Christmas.  

The verses to our 12 days of Christmas.  

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Party headbands  

Party headbands  

My dad Bob Travis and my sister Janet Fortune after the serenade. 

My dad Bob Travis and my sister Janet Fortune after the serenade. 

He liked the song/birthday party and I got a great tip for a performance/installation art piece and some quality sister time. 

Happy holidays to all.  

 

 

"comb here" charcoal 2015

"comb here" charcoal 2015

My Dad and son Griffin about 20 years ago.  

Hats

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My hat thing has deep roots. When my grandmother Pina Mae Earp passed away I inherited her hats. We had just purchased a new home with nice high ceilings. I purchased an artificial tree to fit the ceilings then needed an economical way to decorate it. The hats were the perfect ornaments - just add a few bows. A few years later I found vintage beaded ornaments at a shop in the heights just like used to be on my grandmothers tree.  

Merry Christmas  

A hand written note - a moment that matters.

When a piece comes back from a show I always open the box, examine it for damages, and write the name of the show on the back of the piece. When I opened "comb here" - to my surprise out fell a hand written note. What a nice touch  from Amy of Impasto Art Gallery in Colorado.

"Comb here" handwritten thank you note from Impasto art gallery in Colorado and artist statement for drawing.  

"Comb here" handwritten thank you note from Impasto art gallery in Colorado and artist statement for drawing.  

The show was "moments that matter: Finding the Extraordinary in the ordinary".  

Thank you notes are extraordinary. 

peace pigeon project # 15

Peace pigeon project - Friend

Peace pigeon project - Friend

One thing I like about art is the people. The Houston art community is very supportive.  We all help each other and cheer each other on. A few weeks ago leaving TXRX I saw a big wooden wire spool by the road. I thought it might be a great pedestal for one of Barbara's found object pieces. I saved it for her. She ended up cutting up the spool for another piece. Peace pigeon #15 is a scrap from that spool. Barbara saved it for me. It is a beauty just like Barbara. I was very touched that she would go to the trouble to capture this pigeon for me. 

Thank you Barbara.  

Haunted studio tour

About once a month I take a quick studio video- just for kicks.  

This time I applied the haunted filter- tooooo cooool. I love this filter.  

 

Acid rain patina - 3 little Muensters

These bronze pieces are bronze with a liver of sulfur patina under a gold leaf. The problem with gold leaf is it looks gaudy until it ages. When it rains I put them outside to speed the process.  

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Peace pigeon project- Migration #13

 From a sombrero- 

The step by step is below. 

Migration  - found object (sombrero) 

Migration  - found object (sombrero) 

Sombreros  

Sombreros  

Covering the sombrero in wax to give it body.  

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Heating the wax until it completely soaks into the straw.  

The heat gun gets so hot the piece is smoking.  

The heat gun gets so hot the piece is smoking.  

Lastly I shape it into a pigeon while it is hot. 

I am creating a sculpture a week of a German beak trumpeter pigeon with leg muffs. Each week I use a different material.  This pigeon was Picasso' peace dove. 

 

Additional artist statement and title -

  A few months ago I  found an article online regarding equestrian women and suffrage. Specifically the role of riding aside vs riding astride and the right to vote.  The side saddle is in fact a symbolic of man's empowerment over women and riding astride was used to protest for the right to vote. It is a fascinating story. Details are in the link below. http://www.lrgaf.org/articles/sidesaddles_and_suffragettes.htm

This additional historical layer in the piece's beautiful narrative calls for me to write an additional artist statement.  The purpose is not to provide historical fact that can be obtained on the internet. The purpose would be to convey the experience of the suffragettes and Victorian equestrian women. To encourage the viewer to listen to the stories enscribed by ages of wear and tear, to feel the frustration women without voting rights have felt, to experience the fear women felt riding a 1200 lb. animal with no control. Below is the piece and my first attempt at this additional artist statement.

 

suffrage - victoria aside 10" X 20" X 30" bronze and distressed gold leaf 2014

suffrage - victoria aside

10" X 20" X 30" bronze and distressed gold leaf 2014

My first attempt at rewriting my statement-

suffrage

Torn billets - whisper tales

of antiquated sexual expectations. 

A single iron slipper stirrup - weighs

of masculine oppression. 

A lower pommel - lames 

fashionable Victorian feminist. 

The crackled and distressed girth - surrenders the scars of suffrage riders. 

Riding aside - symbol

of suffrage.