BLOGAHOMA

“Art is much less important than life, but what a poor life without it.”
Robert Motherwell

A side benefit of being an artist is knowing and being friends of other artists. It is a source of joy for me. Artists are brimming with ideas of the plausible, the possible and the impossible. They can be in the midst of fright/ delight, frustrated, frustrating but very rarely bored or boring. It is always show and tell with artist. What is inspiring them, their new direction and what they think you should tackle next. My artist friends need to be reassured that what they are doing is at least good and appreciated. That’s right, an artist may seem to have a healthy ego but under the top coat there is some level of self doubt. The art is the easy part for most of them, the marketing the most difficult. In return they never mock my ideas or ever let on that they think I’m whacky. In my circle of art friends I never have to explain myself.

Stapler Jam

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”
Scott Adams

I have all manner of artist for friends, sculptors, draftsmen, graphic artists, naturalists, photographers, assemblage artists, painters, craftsmen, ceramicists and performance artists. I try to applaud and encourage honestly as often as possible when I am not being held captive by my own art. The last show I attended was the reception for Debby Kaspari and her “Drawing the Motmot” exhibit at the Sam Noble Natural History Museum in Norman, OK. Not just a walk through once exhibit for each rainforest painting or drawing was accompanied with beautifully penned journal entry. The show “glowed” thats all I’ll say. “Drawing the Motmot” will be up into January 2010, so go. Then there is Marilyn Artus in Oklahoma City who heads up “Dr. Sketchy” a life drawing extravaganza night out and the “Girlie Show” a showcase for Oklahoma craftswomen as well as finding time creating her own brand of collage images. Her vitality screams “I am Artist hear me roar”.

I have held creative positions in three corporations and have picked up creative friends in every job. And then I have left but thanks to Facebook and Twitter I am still connected to them because of our shared artistic vision, drive, whims and qualms.

Some of my best artist friends are family. A husband Michael who finds the beauty of the surrounding Wichita formations in his oil paintings and gets lost in the clouds in others. Son, Colin Fahrion, whose witty art is visual, written, performing and organized as well. His wife Nifer felts her wooly way with uncommon critters.  Daughter Kim in Tulsa captures places and people through the camera lens, while sister Susan Trentel ambidextrously schemes and seams.

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
Thomas Merton

A lot of my artist friends are on Facebook so I can see what they’re doing on in their art life. I am there to peek at the amazing undercurrents of creativity some of which make it to create great waves of art.

“Love the art in yourself, not yourself in the art”
Konstantin Stanislavsky

Quotes from ThinkExist.com

The clock I chose to render in 3D is the Nelson Wall Clock designed by
George Nelson in 1948. George Nelson was a signature mid century designer. And this clock clock which produced in wood and metal both painted and unpainted symbolizes that post WWII era (the atomic age).

A full Nelson is a wrestling hold executed from the backside and so the the metaphor. Holding back time, grappling with time, wrestling with time. Interesting to note that it is not a “finishing” action and you cannot pin you opponent “time” down.

Not that either of these came to mind when executing this 3D. I liked the clock and thought “easy” to recreate in 3D.

So what’s next in my 3D brain buffer? Perhaps something by Heywood Wakefield. Mid-centure Moderne so much easier than Victorian.

Created in Cheetah 3D on a 13″ MacBook.

The Necessity of Appearing in Your Own Face 

There are days when that is the last place
in the world where you want to be but you
have to be there, like a movie, because it
features you. ~ Richard Brautigan

Back in the 1950’s a popular TV show, “This is Your Life” aired for a decade. The premise: a person, some celebrity of a kind, would be the receiver (target) , then people, teachers, best friends, former dates, relatives and the like would be dredged up from their recent and distant past. The mystery person (standing off stage) would proceed to give the person hints, sometimes embarrassing, sometimes heart-warming; the celebrity would then try to guess.

Facebook is very much like “This is Your Life” but on steroids. For me it has turned out to be one stupendous open house where people from you life come out of the woodwork and onto you facebook. Three years ago I attempted to join but alas my generation had not come aboard so I ended up talking to myself.  (A blog is much better place for that.) Then on Christmas my daughter got me up and running again.  Like most I felt a little frustrated when I first looked at the maze they call Facebook.  Having left timidity behind years ago I opened the door and walked in.

 My easiest path for regrouping on Facebook is family due to mine being vast. I began finding cousins and collating them onto my Facebook. My sister Lucy (being influential as the first born of the cousins) coaxed a batch of them on and gregarious Aunt Pauline wrangled in more.  Now there are 70 people I am related to. 70! More than half of all my friends are actually related. After that followed the Lourdes Academy class of 1964 (I scanned in all the Senior pics and tagged them) followed by neighbors, and people I worked with from three previous jobs. Friends brought other friends and cousins brought the kids and their kids, kids. And pretty soon it was big open house where you never know who might walk in and whether you will recognize them.  But unlike an open house they won’t see the stunned expression on your face as you see how they have aged and visa versa, and no one offers you a cocktail although that might be a nice addition.

 And like an open house people will arrive and after they get reacquainted they will bring out the pictures of the their kids, grandkids, dogs, cars, vacations and the like. And the comments will come “adorable”, “nice family” “beautiful” etc. etc. And you are free to wonder among your guest as you get introduced to friends of friends, sisters of friends and it goes on. But there comes a time, like any party, when people are seated or standing and involved in a deeper more meaningful conversation. And you’ll want to be there because it features you.

It’s a brave new Oklahoma. Inhofe is being challenge for US Senate seat by a smart young man, Andrew Rice. I first met him at a Comanche County Democratic Meeting. So young and yet so aware, so ready and honest. He doesn’t look past anyone. He looks at whomever is speaking and is sincerely listening to how he might help you. So I went to hear him again and ended up standing behind him as WOMEN WHO SUPPORT ANDREW RICE. I realized that I literally had his back. His wife Apple (don’t you just love that name) Dr. Apple Rice spoke to Andrew’s strengths and goals. Frankly I would have voted for a lesser person who would go up against Inhofe but luckily for us Andrew Rice is a man to watch, someone who in the business world you would keep your eye on as an up and comer. But his ambition is not just for him it is for the everyday folks of Oklahoma. As Apple related, he has a particular interest in helping small businesses. As a citizen and frankly a fan of Medicine Park I am a supporter of small businesses here. Medicine Park has some of the smallest businesses with the biggest dreams.

So I thought what can I do. I already voted by absentee ballot but if I could influence more people to vote for Andrew Rice I would. So this blog post is about Andrew Rice.

Andrew Rice knows there is global warming and will do what it is his power to save Oklahoma for our kids and grandkids. Andrew Rice knows there is a health crisis in Oklahoma. Andrew Rice doesn’t want to see Inhofe take our social security and put it in risky stocks like Inhofe would have us do.

I said to Apple Rice that being in this group was the most political thing I’ve ever done. She replied to me that it is the biggest political thing she had ever done as well.

So be a part of the solution stop by Andrew Rice’s website.

And make sure you vote.