More Work

Getting closer to installation day. Some new works finished and painted, rust on the new swamp shacks, and some new paint on one of the large boat frames. A few things are in the kiln now for a cone 10 reduction firing and that is it for new stuff. Now comes the work of cleaning, oiling and taking inventory and then packing all the works for the installation. Phew.

Repairs, Re-fits, and Some Remodeling

Working with epoxy resin to do some repairs and alterations of older boat, light areas will be dyed darker when complete. Also wire added in for support and for emphasis on different areas. Also re-figuring some components on smaller new boat, it will be painted red when done. Lots of small things like that to be completed in the next few weeks.

More New Stuff

New Swamp Shacks, had to get in pre-dawn in order to beat the heat. Still have lots more work to do and need to consider what kind of finish I want to use.

More Stuff In-Progress

Parts of new Ghost Ship sculpture pieces as I am working on them in the shop.

Updates

Ahhh, classes are finally over. With summer classes being every day of the week the work load is pretty amazing with little or no time to do my own work. I now get a two week break to do as much relaxing as I can and try and get some sculpture made. I have two ghost ships in the works in the school shop right now (it has AC!) but my work has been punctuated by many other little tasks that have come up and need to be taken care off. So I get a few hours and then I have to run off, come back for an hour and then I am off again. Oh well at least I am getting something done. I would really like to get some metal work done , but with the 100+ heat indexes we have been having I am simply not going out to work in the shop.

I finally got my contract for the North Carolina show and after studying the images and layout of the space I think I have come up with a good idea for the installation. I am excited! Physical help will be minimal so I am thinking about something that does not have a lot of hanging from the ceiling involved. I will probably do a wave effect; boats coming off the floor, in a tightly knit grouping that waves up onto the wall and back down again and so on and so forth. Of course their will be houses in their as well, of course.

In the fall my teaching schedule goes back to two killer studio days a week, Tuesday and Thursday all day with Wednesday being my office day. Friday many times ends up as a meeting day. I have a lot of work to do this fall, the early part devoted to this big installation in North Carolina and the later part of the winter and early spring devoted to the show in Florida. And somewhere in there will be the museum commission for up in Jackson. Whew! I am tired just thinking about it. It was interesting when I was talking to my students about my job and was explaining to them about how making work and having exhibitions was actually part of my job and that if I did not keep up with it I could lose my position. Most people don't understand that. They think that us faculty members have some cush life, teaching a few classes, making some "fun" art. Most people have no idea of the pressure we are under to perform, so to speak. Luckily I love what I do, even if the pressure is substantial, my love of my work and making that work outweighs all the negatives.

Here is a PR image from the Majestic National exhibition, you can see my work on the bases in the background.

New Show

I just found I got into another show in California (yay!), this one at the Haggin Museum in Stockton. It's the Stockton Art League 56th National Juried Exhibition. It's just one sculpture, Kickstand, but that's OK, that's probably all I can afford to ship right now anyway.

Been pushing myself to get into the studio as much as possible. Class will be over at the end of this week (July 30th) and that will help. Right now the heat is a killer and that makes it hard to want to put on jeans and work boots. I was actually welding in long shorts the other day! In addition right now I am having a squirrel infestation. Although I don't mind the critters they have just trashed the insulation, which is now hanging down all tattered and such. I have to do something soon before the cold weather gets here in a few months.

The commission at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, that I am working on with Martha Ferris had been rescheduled for later in the fall, of course that's exactly when I will be the busiest. But no matter, I am sure it will all work out in the end. My students and friends ask how do I make plans for using funds when projects get delayed or temporarily tabled all the time, I tell them, I don't make plans until I have an actual check deposited in my back account; until then it's all just neat ideas on paper!

Been Busy

Oops, it's been a while since I had a chance to post. Been busy with summer teaching duties and trying to get some studio time in. Since I work in steel and wood and my studios have no AC it's been difficult to convince myself to put on jeans and work boots to go out side in 100F temps to weld. I digress! I have been working on some ceramics projects, as that is inside and it's what has my interest right now. I do need to force my self back into the wood shop for a bit as I do have that big show coming in October in NC and want to have new work for it. I guess I will use the shop at school, it's cool there!

I have a few ceramic sculptures about to get high fired and glazed this weekend so I'll post pictures of those when they come out. I am experimenting with some new glaze colors so they might be just disasters but hey, that's they way it works.

Since I last posted I was excited to find out I got into a very sweet national juried show in Berkeley CA at the ACCI Gallery. It was a fast turn around; they contacted me one day then I built my crate and shipped off the work, Swamp Shack I, a day later. I like to have a little more turn around time but when dealing with commercial galleries you sometimes have to jump through a few hoops. I have been trying to get some work onto the west coast and with this show I can tag that one. I am now hoping I can do more in that area.

Well that's all for now, hopefully I'll have some pictures soon of those new ceramics works. Cheers!