Studio Work Is Finally Starting to Come Into Focus

I have been working on two large pieces for a show that Jocelyn Howard and I will be installing the last week in March. One is of Sacagawea (bird-woman) wearing a baby board and holding a pink flamingo lawn ornament. The other is the largest of the two and will be about 7 feet long installed. It is a sort of Pieta with Grizzly Adams holding a dead Smokey the Bear.

Shanna Fleigel

I just stumbled across this great ceramic artist Shanna Fleigel. She is a potter as well as a sculptor that utilizes environmentalist imagery, and she uses FISH and other aquatic life! Check her out. Her surfaces are lovely and her content is funny yet serious.

Charismatic Megafauna

2012

earthenware

19x24x28

Shackled to the Momentum Forward

2008

earthenware, hardware, rubber

Anticipating a Surplus: Going Nowhere

2009

earthenware, found objects

21" x 12" x 6"

Procreation Termination

2012

earthenware

10 x 10 x 3

Ben Ahlvers

I really enjoy the finishes on Ben Ahlvers work. Its all really fun and kinda dark.

Blowin' in the Wind

I'm still plodding away on my John Muir portrait, but progress is abound. One area of him that I have altered is his hair. It will be a stylized windswept look, hopefully without looking too carved out.

I have been trying to figure out why I am putting this crazy hair on him besides just finding it interesting, and in the process was reminded of Andrea Kowch. Shes a contemporary painter that uses a ton of symbolism and her images allude to encroaching low-pressure weather systems. I don't recognize all of the symbols the she uses, or how she is using them (and I believe that that's precisely what she wants), but I do enjoy her homesteading imagery and the feeling of shifting -or something imposing- that her style communicates.

Lake Erie Steelhead

Sunday November 17th, Jodi and I visited Trout Run in PA where Rt. 98 ends at Lake Erie. There is a large parking lot there beside a small creek. The parking lot was filled with vehicles of fisherman and  curious sightseers like the two of us. Everyone was there to witness the migration of stocked rainbow trout or Steelhead (the migrating variant found wild in the Pacific ocean). There were about 20 men wading hip-deep in the cold November lake water, trying to catch these large fish before they made it into the stream. It is Illegal to fish in this particular stream because the steelhead are packed in so tight that it would be like shooting monkeys in a barrel. They are packed in so tight because there is a dam maybe 400 ft. up stream. The dam was put there intentionally to block the fish from mingling with native species inland, and possibly infecting them.

Steelhead in the pool below the dam

Jodi meets the steelhead

Fisherman in front of the stream outlet waiting to catch trophy fish

Catch and Release in action. Notice the size of the fish tail

The Progress of John

 Well, after days and days of fussing, pushing and pulling, and after getting anatomy tips from Linda, I have gotten closer to the likeness of John. He still needs some more work, but here's what I got!

After cutting his head off, lengthening his neck and pivoting his gaze

Twinters and John meet

Rolled up sleeve...."we can do it"

Visit to Short North. Columbus, Ohio

CheTrooper at the Rivet Gallery

Doll at the Rivet Gallery

Ceramic seated-boy at a great antique shop

Ceramic elk at antique shop

Stuffed elephants at Gallery 38

Painting at Gallery 38

I found the Sherrie Gallery, But unfortunately its closed on Sundays

Sherrie Gallery through the front Window