Falling Leaves

Please click here to view my first foray into Flash! (oops-it takes a few seconds for it to load and become visible) I've been taking a digital media course at Wesleyan this fall. The flash portion of the course has been difficult to say the least. My learning curve has been slow and frustrating, but so satisfying when things come together. Todd Jokl  my instructor has some interesting work to check out at his link.

A modern fairy tail

Yes, I'm back after a brief time out. I haven't been posting for awhile. Plus, I admit

I have much to catch up on the blogs that inspire me. I can't explain it, I just needed

a break. I haven't been totally inactive. I worked on an artist book project that just

hasn't come together. Some art failures I'll blog about some not. I've been working

with narative and I have something to offer. The following is a 12 piece fairy tale. 

Each panel telling a story. 

An Old Work

I've been looking over old photos of my early art and thought

some bloggers would be interested in where I was at my beginning. 

Born in a small town in mid-state New York to a family business

of auto body repair. I worked in the shop from age 12, and learned

welding. Thank God I excelled in school and got a scholarship. I 

started in business but quickly found art. Much to my family's

distress. My work in the shop lead me on a path of large welded

 sculptures. But times change and now my canvas is different.

A very minimal approach - concentrating on structure.  This work 

consists of three one inch thick steel plates holding a concrete 

wedge. This work was part of an exhibit at the Arnot Museum 

in the 70's. Got a $500 dollar prize for best new work, but not

the collection prize. 

Nightball

Karen and I were in Ithaca, N.Y. over Labor Day. I was involved with

developing an upsurd game that has persisted with our college friends

for 30 years. Yes, we even party with our college age children during 

this event. The game is based on croquet played at night. The illuminatin

is provided by lighter fluid. We set the wickets, balls and sometimes

mallets ablaze. At the start Fluxus and Happenings were the thing.

I  dropped Minimal went with the flow and 30  years later I still

 have a work in progress. To most a wild party, to me a work of art.

A big multi-generational get together. I get to meet everyones kids

not just to see pictures. How cool is that!

The t-shirts have become a pet project. I've been providing free t's 

for at least 20 years now. This years model features a rift on a

1890's croquet rule manual. The mister wicket® has a long history

probably explained on my other blog, if I can get help or find time.

Enough summer fun, I'm back on the trail of some art fun. Best

job on the planet as long as we realize the responsibility.

Writing on the Wall

Bittersweet to return home after a nice vacation. I did  miss

my technology; as it turned out we were so far off the grid

I didn't even have cell phone coverage. So updating a blog

via iPhone wasn't going to happen, nor checking email. In 

fact I only got in two painting sessions. Karen loves this; get

Bill to hike, bike, canoe until he drops. I admit to being a 

weekend warrior in the exercise department, but my wife

always thinks I'm still 25, bless her heart. So every muscle 

is sore, but telling me she is right, as usual. So today was

like this: mow lawn, run out of gas, pick up gas, food shop,

do laundry, pick up the dog, return calls and emails, sort

mail, gasp at the bills, and finally sit down and do a quick

30 minute photoshop work to remind myself of myself. 

Glassman

Some Photoshop play. I just upgraded and am trying to learn the 

new features. Just some basic play using some old files and images.

Remaking and recombining and trying some filters. Probably more

angst showing than I'm feeling because we're about to leave for

vacation! Maybe the angst comes from the fact that I don't have

a laptop to take with me. But nine days in Canada with just a 

camera and my sumi-e brushes might be just what I need. I have 

been practicing updating the blog with my iphone but don't 

expect much. Karen thinks I need a break from technology; get

back to roots- draw, paint make sandcastles. She's usually right; 

we'll be celebrating our 32nd anniversary on this trip.

12-13-14-15 and Cover

Final post on the book. I suppose I have to move on to some 

new works. I realize I never showed the cover. It is a very

thick handmade paper that is heavily embossed with

symbols that at first resemble letters, but.. aren't.

Page 14 contains an ancient page element, a brief colophon and

The missing cut outs turned into dice from page 5. Page 15 

contains a final quote and an image I created from a dust

filter in Photoshop. There is a page 16, which contains the 

last of the embossed prime numbers 73,79,83. 

Page 12 comprises of a revisit to the Cage musical notation, river and 

two quotes. Page 13 reveals the rest of the picture that was hinted

at under the gutter at page 4. 

testing - testing

Trying to post from my iPhone. (Wow Dr. Watson, it really worked) Now I just have

to figure out the pix part. You see, K and I are going on vacation and I'm

afraid to go cold turkey on blogging for ten days. Yes, off to Ontario, Canada and 

Algonquin park at a quiet lodge for awhile to regenerate. Now if I can only figure 

out pictures on this mini marvel. Any suggestions?

pages8,9,10 and 11

Laura's recent post asked a question about how the progression

of the pages were thought out. My approach to this book was

one of accepting chance but also thinking about how the flow 

of the book would resolve. I think about how each page opens

and what the viewer will see. Will it mesh? Will it mesh with 

the overall feeling? Although this is a purely visual book, there

has to be a beginning, middle and end. Resolve.

Pages 8 and 9 form the center of the book. Very sparse, but intentional, 

to focus attention to the power of the randomly selected but powerful

phrases, the stream and transparent nature of the paper.

Pages 5,6 and 7

Page 7 is simply mirror/extended version of the John Cage notation.

Plus the little dots that compliment page 5. Yes, this complex in the 

explanation. Plus I realize that if you have to explain too much

you lose half your audience. Well this is not so much a book report

as a joy of creation explanation. 

Thanks to our instructor, Robin and Box Car Press. we had a 

series of images to work with, besides what was available

at Wesleyan. the images on this page are printed from

photopolymer plates that can be set type high using

a precision machined aluminum block. I like the river 

image-it transitions from the topo map nicely. The other

two images need a little explaining. In the gutter (fold area)

is a John Cage musical notation. So bizarre, that all I can do 

is appreciate its graphic nature. I've also got an upside shark

plate that was determined by blind toss.

Page 5 is actually printed onto a portion of a topographic map. An

etching from Wesleyans collection was set up type high and printed

I freehanded a swoop and cut through the paper and put dots on 

page 7 to reference the title, Chance in a Bowl.