There's a New Design in Town. And It Has Utensils.

First, it seems only appropriate to acknowledge Memorial Day. I'm not walking through a cemetery or playing taps with my bugle. I love the country I was born to and live in; and certainly hope that my life somehow improves other people's lives. But I have never experienced a call to serve my country in such a deep way that I would find myself in a war torn landscape, knowing I could be maimed or killed. I don't know what that is. I am grateful to those who have felt this call, and have sacrificed themselves in this way.

One of my favorite metaphors about loss that I have ever encountered is from Laurie Anderson's "World Without End" -- it begins in an obvious fashion, but ends profoundly:

"When my father died we put him in the ground. 
When my father died it was like a whole library Had burned down."

All those past gems of knowledge and future experiences, nullified. So. I guess that's what I tend to think of, on a day like this. The families and loved ones, who have/and are experiencing this. The servicemen and women who have been lost.

***
The Design that Wasn't

Really no good segue way here, so I'll just get on with it. Remember that Grimm's Call to Artists? That I was so excited about?...I know, it's been awhile. It's not that I haven't done anything, but I have yet to find my new groove in the evenings, with the new job. Soooo many things have gone by the wayside (hopefully only temporarily). Recent text from dear friend:

Hey you alive? Or just not talking to me :p

That kind of says it all. Yes, alive. Yes, talking to you, just wiped out.

So. I have made slow progress on the White Snake design (What? You don't have this obscure tale memorized? Read a version here).

I got a little over-ambitious. But RAWTHER focused on it. Apparently, part of me was focusing on a more classic approach to it, even as another part wanted to do more of a sideways take. No matter to the latter: I was soon caught up in making repetitive leaf patterns and snake scales.

Behold, some snaps:

So, as you can see, there was a fair amount for me to obsess over. Not edgy, too classic, too large! But noooo, it will be so cool, once it is carved and hanging, with a bit of hand-coloring! A good testament to a weird classic! Scales all over too busy, not enough apples, too many apples. Overly busy, said Ginger, lacking a central focus. And snakes have scales all over, not just in patches. What's the deal with his super long arm, anyway? Hmm, hmmm, hmm. I stalked back and forth past my dining room table, drawing and erasing repeatedly. I periodically worried over the amount of carving (design size 30"x 16"), then set that aside. Finally ordered the woodblock Sunday before last.

And then, this past Friday, reality belatedly hit. Riding along from dinner at One-Eyed Betty's (burger *great*, maple-bacon doughnuts a sad, yeasty undercooked disappointment: stick with Washtenaw Dairy maple glazed, and serve up your own side of bacon.) and a showing of "Dark Shadows" (also lackluster, though as with any Burton flick, visually fun). Compatriot drove, I stared out the window and suddenly realized that if I didn't get the woodblock for another week (as predicted), I'd have 2 1/2 weeks tops to carve and print a design that I'd normally allow myself a couple months for. Seriously, after all the work so far, would I REALLY not have something to submit? Did. Not. Compute. But! But! But! No...truly not realistic.

"But would this be a design you'd carve even if it wouldn't be for this exhibit?"

A fair question from Comp, though one I didn't want to touch. Yes! No! Definitely Yes! ...Arrrrrgh. So, this Memorial weekend brought lots of agonized creative hustling on my part. Lots of gear shifting and examining from new angles, etc. etc. But! After two solid days of wearing my pencils down to nubbins, it seems I (potentially) have a different solution. Three of them, to be exact. ooOOo, a *triptych*, how fancy! Still lots of work, but I have the blocks already. So we shall see. I'll (hopefully) keep you updated.

Off to fumigate myself with lacquer thinner and transfer the first design...

Best to Everyone, on this Memorial Day!

Ersatz Parking Lots and Marker Sniffing

A couple days have passed after a short(ish) trip home to see my family and a few days left before I start my new job. The seeming wealth of free days, with accompanying idealistic notions of hours and hours on art projects (taming old ones into fruitfulness, bringing forth blueprints for new ones), throwing together impromptu dinner parties and finally, finally getting into shape, have lollygagged about and frittered away into a week's end, plus a day, which how much can really get done *then*? And yet, sometimes the sparks occur at the odd moments, when, say one is watching the weepy Grey's Anatomy, contemplating more sea-salted chocolate and fetching a load of laundry from the dryer.

Yesterday, against my better judgment, I decided to drive the moribund car to Royal Oak, to stock up on random art supplies at Utrecht. Craig's list has yet to yield a car prospect that I trust enough to actually follow up on (ohhhhh, good, good~~"Likes a lot of oil." Ohhh. CASH ONLY. Hmmm. Or: 6-CD changer!!...mileage not mentioned. Eh.), though I had pinpointed this week for follow-ups. So, with a certain amount of impatience/defiance, I settled on Utrecht yesterday. I recognize that it was mainly a cupboard trip: recently, I was shocked to learn that the last good local art supply store closed, so now there would be nowhere outside of a Michael's for any emergency replenishments! Yes, I have heard about the internet. But shipping costs! And wait times! Ugh. Just as I always keep backups of olive oil, soy milk, garlic, etc., it now behooves me to look forward re: turpenoid and sketching pencils...

So off I went, with just enough time to avoid rush hour traffic...and so it was that the highway became a parking lot, or worse, because we all shuffled along, resentfully lurching forward; some periodically jutting their cars out to the right, after deluding themselves that it was only the immediate truck in front of them assholing it up and keeping them from speeding along, unfettered. Noooooo, Deluded Ones: we are all stuck. foiled, thwarted, our days hijacked. But mostly stuck, and stewing, to various degrees. And also: not mashed and crimped between layers of seared sheet metal, totally finished, or at the beginning of one very long road, indeed. But still: Five Miles in a Hour. For me, I managed to not get pissed off, though it did frequently feel that my "5% brakes" were delivering their last bit of friction and that, under protest. It was a good time to revisit Beck's Guero CD, which still holds up as one of his strongest, for me; and to play "Emergency Exit"* at least ten times in a row.    

*I know, right? But I didn't even know the title until I was looking it up this morning. And apparently, I was like a football field off on a lot of the lyrics. Oh, "my sign" and not "my son"? A "roosevelt dime in a bucket of rain"? ...Yeah, no, I never would have come to that on my own. But these parts I got and love -- and their inclusion caused most of the replays:

"Now hold your hand onto the plow
Work your body till the sun goes down
What's left of death is more than fear
Let dust be dust and the good lord near
It's a little too much to ask of faith
It's a little late to wait for fate..." 

And

"Kindness will find you
When darkness has fallen
Round your bed
Kindness will follow
Children will wander
Till
The end"

Eventually got there, shortly before rush hour would begin to set in. Which actually wound up being a nice excuse to lure Ginger out for drinks/dinner**, as he works in that end of town (kinda). He even suggested a nice bookstore to while away more of my time before meeting up. Instead the cupboard filling impulse went into overdrive and I felt compelled to test out tons and tons of broad-tipped markers. "These are a bit fumey, but the ink flows really nicely," the staff guy said, referring to the Chartpak display. I waved away the fumey remark, as if I somehow had a tolerance, or didn't care about the brain-killing chemicals. I got a little light headed after awhile, but you know: pretty colors. It would clearly be good for me to have lots and lots of these. Though I didn't have a project in mind, or a color spectrum to focus on. Silly coveter.

But! Art hoarding justified! Circle of Art is fast approaching and I have yet to donate anything. I figured I'd color a "Not His Own Cake..." print, to differentiate it from the edition.

Before yesterday's trip, I was happy with this:

But during a commercial last night, this idea suddenly seemed much better!

What do you think? In today's light, the green background still holds more appeal for me. One version will go to Circle of Art, the other to a friend who was ultra helpful and supportive during the final leg of my job-hunting. If these also appeal to her. Woohoo!

Well, so much more to do and to blow off, before the day is through. Happy Friday, Everyone!

 **Also at his suggestion, we went to One-Eyed Betty's, in Ferndale. I totally recommend it! Good atmosphere, strong beer selection (daunting, if you go by the menu, though they were out of a number of brews listed -- howEVER,I was indecisive and our waitress suggested three beers, based on my leanings, ALL of which I liked.  Most surprising: Schneider Weiss Aventinus, surprisingly fruity, but not cloying), and solid bar food-with-a-twist. My burger was cooked to specification, the bun was actually flavorful and the aoili was lovely. I was too full to try their maple-bacon doughnuts, which are made in-house.