May 2015

Every year before the summer art shows begin I like to set up my booth and play around with the arrangement of the work I want to hang. By prearranging the work, and leaving the hooks in the panels, setting up does not take so long when I get to a show. It also helps me decide what extra work to carry along with me to replace what sells.

When I moved my studio into our new house in town, it left my old studio in my workshop at our mountain house mostly empty. Surprisingly (for me anyway–I seem to act like I abhor unfilled space) it has stayed way. The size of the studio gave me just enough space to set up the booth panels inside out of the rain and occasional spring snow.

You can tell what images have been selling best lately at these shows by the predominance of crow and ravens on the walls. There’s a good amount of other work as well though, but most of them are on a wall of panels just to the left of what can be seen in this photo.

Man in the Maze
Tucson, Arizona
2015

The man in the Man in the Maze symbol has a name, I’itoi. He is the creator god in the cosmology of the Tohono O’odham and Pima Indians and the image appears frequently in their crafts. Interestingly enough, the symbol in this particular image is on the wall of the Catholic Mission San Xavier del Bac.

It would seem that the story of I’itoi would represent a conflicting view of creation to that of the Catholic faith, but then the Catholic church has historically  been quite good at integrating into their own religion (at least locally) the existing religious symbols and ideas of the peoples who they convert to Christianity. (The Celtic Cross, for example, predates Christianity and had pagan myths attached to it long before it became integral to Catholicism in Ireland.)

Roadblock
Birmingham, Alabama
2015

One of the rail lines at the old iron ore mine on Red Mountain.

Rock Abstract
Canyon Del Muerto, Arizona
2015

Sandstone formations are generally well rounded from weathering and erosion. But when the rock shears off along cracks and faults it leaves quite angular shapes behind–at least until the erosion catches up with them and rounds them off like most everything else.

Kitchen Counter Still Life
Bozeman, Montana
2015

I interrupted my breakfast routine to get this photo, another example of a found composition around the house.

Leaving a Good Impression
Green Valley, Arizona
2015

A close-up shot of an agave. It’s interesting that the shape of the actual sawtooth barbs on the edge of the leaves is mimicked on the surface of the leaves as well. I thought it might be some odd evolutionary vestige or remnant characteristic but I looked it up and found out otherwise. Agave grow as unfolding rosettes, with the outer leaves being the oldest and according to Wikipedia “As the leaves unfold from the center of the rosette, the impression of the marginal spines is conspicuous on the still erect younger leaves.” I think it’s kind of like when you take off snug-fitting socks and for some time after the impression of the sock ribs remains molded into your skin. I think such impressions on agave are more photogenic than sock marks–at least if it’s my legs we’re talking about.

Lectio #52
Birmingham, Alabama
2015

A small sculptural piece by Alabama artist Frank Fleming at the Birmingham Museum of Art.

I know it’s time to start really getting ready for early outdoor art shows each year when I see green grass, flowers and fresh snow in the morning. Montana follows the official season starting dates more so than states farther south, so our outdoor summer shows don’t even start until July. This year, like I sometimes do, I’m getting a start on the season by heading south to do a show in May. (My more gung-ho artists friends often do shows in the south all winter long. I prefer to take a winter break.)

Heading south, at least as far as I go, doesn’t guarantee good weather though. Several years ago I did the Brookside Art Annual in Kansas City the first week of May. The first day was canceled due to snow, the first they’d had that time of year in almost a century. I could have stayed home in Montana if I’d wanted that kind of abuse! (Usually by then the Midwest is more worried about tornadoes than snow.)

More recently I participated in the Downtown Denver Arts Festival later in May and had quite good weather. (Those booths more exposed to the wind that blew down one day might have a different opinion about the weather that weekend.) Of course Denver weather can be iffy this time of year too, but I’ve decided to head back and see what the weather gods throw at us this time.

If you’re in the Denver area, check out this top-rated Colorado show. It’s May 22-24 on the grounds of the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Bring your umbrella, sunscreen, your flip-flops, and a parka and play weather roulette with the artists.

New Moon
Green Valley, Arizona
2015

Nine O’Clock Shadows
Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
2015

The morning shadows on the front of the Painted Desert Inn suggest a row of those vertical wall mount sundials you see now and then. I don’t know how accurate these viga shadows would be at actually telling time over the long term but they seem reasonably accurate for the day the photo was taken. At sunrise that day (approximately 6:30 a.m.) the shadows would have been nearly horizontal on the left (west) side of the vigas. At noon they would presumably be pointing almost straight down, assuming the wall was facing directly south as it seemed to be. Since 9:40 a.m. when I took this photo is about midway between sunrise and noon, it makes sense that the shadow would form about a 45 degree angle, half-way between horizontal and vertical. (Perhaps one of my brother’s science and mathematically inclined students would like verify my logic for some extra credit in his class?)

Whether or not they could tell time accurately, I enjoyed the repetitive pattern of the shadows in the rather minimalistic scene.