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.
A week ago this past Saturday
My father passed away.
Robert Ira Travis - He made 90 plus laps and on March 24, 2018 with dignity and grace he finished his race. He left us with many beautiful memories that we will always cherish and share with all those that loved him.
I drew many drawings of him in recent years. The one above is my favorite. It is how I picture him now in a new youthful, strong body running fast and free of human burdens.
the first three together
The next three I experimented more with the movement.
the following two drawings I drew in 2015. I drew two because I was not happy with how dark my son’s face ended up in the first drawing. His face was very pale and knowing him it was wrong. That said the first photo is my favorite do showing the energy of the moment.
COMB HERE I
30" X 22" charcoal, ink and pastel 2015
Artist statement -
Comb Here
This piece is inspired by an out of focus photo I took in 1993. My father stopped by my home as I was taking my son’s Easter photo. To make sure every hair was in place my father of little hair whipped out the comb he always carried in his shirt pocket. The quality of the photo was poor but the moment was priceless.
The obituary was written by myself and my nephew Barrett Travis.
Obituary -
Robert Ira Travis -
With sadness, the family of Robert Ira Travis announceshis passing on March 24, 2018, at the age of 90. He was born to the late Gene Louise Young and Robert Fleming Travis on December 10, 1927.
Bobby attended Austin high school,graduating in the class of 1946, where he excelled in football, basketball, and track.After high school, he enlisted in the Army and was stationed in the 11th Weather Squadron in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. He then attended Texas Western, now known as UTEP,where he was a brother in the Phi Tau fraternity.
Starting his family, he managed one of the farms in the lower valley owned by his grandfather, Robert Fleming Travis Senior. From 1951 through 1964 he was one of the pioneering farmers who helped utilize water pumps to establish the large acreage of Dell City for cotton farming, a foundational industry for the small town that continues to this day. He was also a rider on the Dell City Cowboy Polo team, which brought home a world title in the early 1960s. He additionally farmed in Laredo, Texas from 1964 to 1966.
In his early forties, he took over the Valley Feed store on North Loop Drive in El Paso, Texas, which grew during his life time from a small store front and warehouse in an inauspicious strip mall to become the Pet’s Barn chain of pet food and supply stores with 24 locations in El Paso, San Antonio, and Las Cruces.
While he was a great sports fan, especially fond of the patient, strategic pace of a Diablos baseball game (and attending cold beer, Diablo dog, and peanuts), he was a greater fan of people. He liked to drive his pick-up truck from store to store in El Paso, ostensibly to make deliveries, but it was pretty clear his aim was to connect with employees and remind them all to always keep a comb and pocket knife handy. It is quite possible that there is not a road in El Paso he has not driven in search of a good meal and good conversation.
It was his way to connect with others over food, and he was a connoisseur of El Paso cuisine. On his rounds, he scouted the city for locally owned gems to share with those he loved. He was a fine cook as well, especially known for his smoked meats, and knew that care and attention to detail could make any meal, from a 20 hourbrisketto a simple bowl of corn flakes, memorable.
Bobby was a self-starter with an independent streak, and while fortune did not always shine on his ambitions, he possessed the resilience and (he’d insist) plain dumb luck to build a lasting legacy. Not just in the business he helpedstart, but in the wit, wisdom, and love he shared with friends and family.
He is survived by sons Bob Travis (partner Terri Sanderson)and Dean Travis (partner Linda Razloznik) (El Paso); daughtersCindee Klement (husband Curtis) (Houston) and Janet Fortune; and his son-in-law Craig Fortune (El Paso); grandchildrenBarrett Travis (partner Amber Giese) (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), Eric Travis (wife Josette) (ElPaso), Aaron Travis (San Antonio), Nicole Ramirez (husband Renee) (Columbus, Ohio), Kyle Razloznik, Ryan Razloznik (wife Shellie) (San Antonio), Griffin Klement (wife Alex Groome) (College Station), Sage Klement (Houston), Travis Fortune (El Paso), and Reese Fortune (El Paso);sister Genie Lou Irvin (husband Widgie) (Columbia, Missouri); brother Warren Travis (San Francisco, California); great-grandchildrenAbby, Emma and Danica Travis, Adam Hernandez and Julian Perez (El Paso), Collin Travis (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), Aiden and Harper Razloznik(San Antonio), and Evan Ramirez (Columbus, Ohio); and brother- and sister-in-lawsRobert and Mary Earp (El Paso).
A wake will be held in the warehouse of Pet’s Barn at 368 Yarbrough, El Paso, on
Sunday May 6th, 2018 at 2:00pm, where his family and friends are invited to celebrate his life.
Memorial funds may be donated to theAnimal Rescue League of El Paso, 7256 La Junta Dr., Canutillo, Texas79835, www.arlep.org/. 915-877-3785,
His family extends a special heartfelt thanks to Christina Rodriguez, whose care throughout the years made it possible for him to live at home, and to Eileen Carbajal, whose endless personal assistance and friendship throughout the years relieved him of daily worries and helped to maintain the independence he valued so greatly.
“You’ll remember me when the west wind moves
upon the fields of barley. You can tell the sun
in his jealous sky when we walked in fields of gold.”
Contact: Cindee Travis Klement, 3102 Locke Lane, Houston, Texas, 77019, cindeeklement@gmail.com, 832-358-0001
VoyageHouston
http://voyagehouston.com/interview/check-cindee-travis-klements-artwork/
Every once in awhile when you really need it something nice happens. Thank you VoyageHouston for featuring my work and focusing on Houston Artist.
“score” #28 new violin
Once I added plaster to the first violin it lost it’s fragility it list it’s magic, I tried scraping it off but it just was not the same. Today I whittled out another.
how does it look?
“score” #27
3/19 end of the day
“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.
“score” - #25 marching on
I was able to get another full day of work in. I was primarily focused on integrating the large piece of welded wire that makes up the movement created by his right arm with the steel and plaster figure’s arm and head. I am integrating the two by adding small broken pieces of wire cloth within the welded wire.
Shoulder and neck attaching to the head
Shoulder view from the front
I also added some tiny delicate wires to the movement of the bows. The delicate sounds coming off the strings.
the top back of the head
One of my artist friends Vincent Blair stopped in and took a quick pic as I worked.
My wire stash is on the pedestal.
“Score” today’s progress.
I made a lot of progress today. All those wires that were making me crazy because they were in my way were very useful today. They came in handy for creating the movement of the right arm pulling back as it moves the bow across the strings of the violin. They also worked out well to add motion to the left leg as his body sways to the sound of the violin, in creating the motion in the upper back of the figure and the movement of the bow.
I also added the violin bows
I listened to a playlist of violin solos on Spotify. I was working on the bows when Massenet: Thais/Acte Deux Meditation religieuse came on. It is a tear-jerker. I kept thinking about my 90-year-old Dad who is not doing well and was just approved for hospice. It is ironic that the piece I am working on during this sad time is titled “score”. The title today has a double meaning; it not only refers to the music score, but for my father's love for sports and scoring on the football field.
https://open.spotify.com/track/2TkpA2qsGI60157gXszMg0?si=Hma56nj1ToiImjelxQsn4Q
Below are a few of my favorite pics of the day.
The motion of his right shoulders it moves back and down.
The head focusing on the strings of the violin.
right hand movement
Right hand movement.
view from just left of him
the right hand and bow in motion.
upper body
“score” a hot mess
I love spring break because I can really spread out and workworkwork. I made progress today on his upper body. I filled in the texture on his chest, added several hands, active fingers and the violin.
Below are a few images from the end of the day.
still a hot mess but I am making progress.
gust - patina - una mas
Thursday nights= patina night. One more ✅
the before
“Score” with a second look
3/8
Today was a studio visit day so I did not make any progress on my piece. However, Sara Henderson who manages art collections came by in the morning and Christina Reese of Glasstire visited in the afternoon. And, yes, I showed them all my work; even my current project with which I am struggling. Setting up my large sculptures gave me a good second look at the “score” piece and the finish so far and there are parts of the surface that I do like.
I love it when the plaster oozes through the lath.
left foot
leg
leg detail
I am seeing some things that are working that I need to expand on. I can’t wait until my next day to work on it.
“score” - day 2 of plaster.
3/7
This is feeling like a slow process and I am now regretting adding the wires before covering the piece in plaster. The wires are making it difficult to cover the lath and rebar. I initially wound them up to get them out of the way. Today I unwound them to see if they are less of a nuisance straight, but they are still irritating me. I am trying to decide if I should cut them off or wrap them into the piece as texture now. This is a decision I will make tomorrow when I am fresher.
Front
Right
Left
Back
“Score” - the instrument
“score” #23 the violin
1/22/2017
it is a start
I used stainless steel wire fabric. I have fired the material in my barbque grill to break down the stainless finish sprayed it with an intense cleanser and then left it outside to rust.
day 2
Human chain - Galveston a commissioned piece
I have been commissioned to create a human chain for a fabulous Galveston home. It is important to me that I get this perfect. It is harder than I anticipated because the sun light in Galveston cast a green tint on everything. I made the first piece and then went to Galveston with the owner and the last two pieces of the triptych were great the others had too much yellow in them. My friend the owner gave me a pillow from her sectional in order to help me get the colors right
Below are the pieces I did, the one that worked is the next to the last one.
a ghost print
“Score” - a change of plans
3/6/2018
The entire time I have been building the armature, I have been wrestling with which media to sculpt it in, concrete or plaster. There are pros and cons to both.
Pros and cons of Concrete and plaster-
- I have a lot more time to work with the concrete, before it sets. Working in plaster is very fast and does not have to hydrate while it cures.
- The color of concrete is not as bright as plaster.
- The concrete I would pour at home, and then allow it to hydrate for five days between layers. This would tie up my welding space, and keep me from starting a new armature.
- If I make it out of concrete at home, then I will have to hire movers to get it to my studio at Glassell, in order to photograph it, and then pay to have it moved again, as we are moving out of the building in May. That is a lot of extra expense.
- I have never made a large plaster piece.
Plaster it is, now is the time to try new things.
one last look before I start mixing the plaster.
The left foot- plaster and cut up pieces of wire and broken wire cloth.
The right foot and leg.
Detail of right leg
“Score” - more violins and bows
3/7/2018
I was ready to start plastering again and a friend had set up a piece of her art in the middle of my work space in the sculpture room. No worries, I decided to work on some of the additional pieces that will be added as the plastering progresses.
A few bows and a violin
Human chain commissioned piece
“Human chain H20” it took me 6 attempts (that is X 5 pieces in a pentaptych) to get the colors perfect.
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