BFA Exhibition

Opening Friday, December 10th, 5 o'clock pm
Northern Arizona University, Beasley Gallery
This exhibition is my senior thesis and consists of work from the last semester.
All are welcome to attend.

Special thanks to those whose support has made this show and preceding academic career a success.

Bookmans Flagstaff

Some photos of the clean-up after the Bookmans Flagstaff roof collapse...

For updates on Bookmans Flagstaff: http://www.bookmans.com/flagstaff

Snow Day

Our little place after about 4 inches of snow last night.

NAU Biennial Juried Ceramics Exhibition

Here are a couple of short articles about a current exhibition into which this piece of mine was accepted:

http://www.naztoday.com/ae/2009/08/nau-art-museum-throws-a-ceramic-exhibition/

http://www4.nau.edu/insidenau/bumps/2009/8_19_09/ceramics.htm

A Beautiful Lady Just out of the Bath

On the edge of the fountain at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum last March. "Oh, towel boy!"

Shrike Tuck

Last year, on our annual Thanksgiving weekend trek across the San Rafael Valley and parts surrounding, My good friends Homer, Jen and I came across a fence full of assorted grasshoppers, beetles, and lizards impaled and left to dry by a local loggerhead shrike. I believe we counted over thirty individual kills. It was a sight to behold. I think Homer and I got more photos of shrike food on that stretch than we did of birds for the entire trip. What better way to spend the day? To top things off, we even met up with my other good friend Glen, his wife and partner in exploration Linda and their faithful terrier Winston on our way over Canelo Pass. The trips over the pass have been some of my favorites. And friends with which to share such experiences are invaluable. Thanks guys, for making that day special. Now get your butts up to northern AZ so we can do it some more!

On Vacation in Fangorn Forest

I'd swear he groaned as I walked by.

BICAS needs help!!!

Just in case more people than my four friends read this blog, I thought I'd post about it.

The folks who helped me put my classic bicycle, and that of my daughter, back on the road are in need of help.

"Located in the heart of downtown Tucson, BICAS (Bicycle Inter-Community Action & Salvage) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit collectively-run community education and recycling center for bicycles that welcomes people of all ages and walks of life."

As you can read on their website they're looking for a solution to their rent/location predicament. Spread the word.

New Painting Series

During the brief break between summer school sessions, I took some time to dust off the easel and do some painting. This is the first of a series titled "Compassion" (8"x10" oil on panel). I'll post editions as they're completed.

So Long Colonel

In memory of Col. Gene Gaddis, one of the finest human beings I've had the pleasure of working with. Gene was a retired Air Force Colonel who was head pilot for Cooper Aerial, my former employer. He built his own aircraft and helped several others do the same. He was dependable and honest and sought little reward for what he did. He leaves an enormous hole in the hearts of those who knew him. So long Colonel.

I unloaded the soda kiln today with much disappointment. I had hoped for rich browns, dripping, and flashing and instead got a lot of grey ware. This is the most successful piece and the largest at 24" +\-. The kiln has the last word but I'll be back for more. The reddish brown is from a Redart slip (earthenware clay) brushed on before firing. I'll have to dip some cups in that for the next firing.

Catching up...

It's been a solid month of hard work and worry but the ashes seem to be settling. The seeds planted in my creative psyche at the pre-conference workshop I attended in April have begun to bloom in my work in ceramics. Nothing fired yet but decisive and promising marks are appearing in clay. I'll post photos at the end of the month as that's when we'll be firing the semester's work.
Here are a few shots of my favorite ceramic artist, Don Reitz, at work at the workshop. He's a great storyteller and a very talented artist. I draw a lot from his philosophy and it was awesome to hear it from his lips as opposed to articles and essays. To paraphrase briefly one outburst, 'Here I am, over 80 years old and still don't know what I wanna be when I grow up. I play with clay all day and people pay me to do it! Isn't that great?! It's unbelievable!'
I've been out to do photography once since the move, with no good photos yet. I'll try again this weekend. maybe by the lake. I'd be able to keep up with more creative pursuits if not for the anthropology class I'm taking this session. It's a 17 week class crammed into 17 days. That means one chapter per night. Each chapter covers a different Native American group. I do a reading summary and reflection paper for each chapter. We just finished our midterm exam today. But, it sure beats working for a living.
This is exciting stuff, doing what you love. Every day brings new possibilities. I'm so damned excited I could puke! Every day I get up, have a breakfast of mixed fruit with my youngest daughter, on the deck in the sunshine, do some homework, boss the kids around, greet Michele as she comes home from class, have a little lunch (lately a veggie sandwich with tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, carrots, radish sprouts, and mayo on ten grain bread-YUM), then it's off to the ceramics lab. There I finish work from the night before, either trimming or assembling pots. I then set out to create more pots. After a while I clean up and head home for a late dinner and more homework. It's just awesome. I don't know what I'll do when the fall semester starts and I have four classes!
Thanks to all for your support, and by all I mean all who receive my posts via email. You've made a difference in my life. Peace.

On the Move

Poised at the blocks, we are set to run, waiting for the "Go".

We'll be leaving Tucson next Tuesday evening. A layover in Phoenix at my parents' place, and off again early Wednesday morning to the great white north eh.

Think positive thoughts about us.

I'll be in touch.

Love peace and all good.

Hawthorne by Hercules

This is my 1960's Hawthorne by Hercules, Genuine English Lightweight. I bought this bike a year ago. It had no crankset, pedals, or tires. I later purchased the crankset on ebay and with the help of the folks at BICAS I had it running in less than a day. The three speed needs some fine adjustment but other than that it's a fun ride!

Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats
Too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking
I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

Excerpt: Bob Dylan, My Back Pages

Copyright ©1964; renewed 1992 Special Rider Music

Roots Rock Reggae

Fun with Photoshop; me as Bob marley.

Son of Delmar

A very cooperative robber fly.

Thinking of you two.

Lockett Meadow is one of my favorite spots near Flagstaff, AZ. These photos from last summer keep me mindful of my friends in that area. At a time of year when friends and family feel very important I am grateful for mine and a bit melancholic that I can't be closer to those two in particular.

"Seeing Things"

Jakob Dylan's solo album "Seeing Things" is important. It's pure acoustic instrumentation, engaging melodies, and poetic imagery are at once stark and sweet. There are no attempts to mask the simple honesty of self expression; no pretentious efforts to make it accessible or marketable. The son of Bob Dylan and front man for the Wallflowers makes no excuses for his perspective and presents a cohesive family of songs for contemplation. This album transcends melancholy and sentiment without defiling the sanctity of music with self importance. "Something Good This Way Comes" sends me to a front porch on a cool fall afternoon with a robust beer and nowhere to go, watching as my hopes materialize in a slow and smiling parade down the soft shaded street to my yard. Hear the album at http://www.myspace.com/jakobdylan

Self Portrait

A self portrait I took for an ID for the ceramics class I'll complete this week. It's been a semester of revelations. I need to create in order to live. To keep from going mental I'll be taking two more art classes next semester. I'll also be careful to keep working during the break. Even if I'm just making hemp bracelets with my daughter, sketching, or writing, I need to keep it up. Self expression is a bit of a misnomer. Creativity is really self realization. Before this class I thought I needed to be left alone to create and I just needed a place to fire my ceramic work. I quickly found that I could learn a lot if I wanted to. And so I did. I learned more than just the technical. Before this class I felt I had little to do or say. Now, I don't know how I'll achieve all of my creative goals in one lifetime. Healing, hope, and self esteem in just a few short months. Thanks to Tashima Sensei. Thanks to my friends. Thanks to my partner, my co-creator, my wife.