on top of everything , nothing done on carving

No Sleep , So Reading My Writing Should Do It!

unknown but i like it

     I didn't write yesterday as the day just slipped away from me. I had to grade the lane with the tractor and back blade, from the last storm and that took me a good four hours. I also promised myself I was going to weed eat at the end of the lane around the Tin Man  statue. After doing all that i had to get ready to go to the doctor, and after coming out of the doctor around 6 last night , I had to hurry to the drug store to get prescriptions filled. When I arrived back home, the sky was dark already and was offering me no fair chance to carve.

zinnias

     During my appointment, my doctor and I shared a moment where we exchanged pics of flowers, a rather strange moment, but it showed me how simple beauty transcends all society in its rarest form. The imagery of the bright colors contrasted against a dark green canvas of plant life. The Doc explained his passion for dahlias, but lost me at digging them up in the fall to preserve the bulbs. I am looking for less work not more, where as he can afford to have it done for him. I must admit his dahlias are pretty , but not nearly s pretty as my hibiscus or my zinnias, but then again i am partial. It"s not as if i had anything to do with the beauty displayed, besides plant the seeds and take the picture. Still one would have to work hard as an artist to try and capture the beauty of the pics i will provide to you.

hibiscus

     I also want to add a link i find relevant when discussing the whoring of art. A rather rude verb to describe an activity where the artist bends his talent to mass produce dollar bills. Because that certain style of art is popular, irregardless of whether it is related to the actual talent of the artist.  In folk art, in the style I do, you see a lot of that. Some guys only know how to carve bears and that is all they do. After awhile they all look alike. But bears sell. So does toilet paper, mainly because people have to have toilet paper. I grabbed at the toilet paper analogy, literally speaking,  because both are made out of wood, have a definite finished shape much unlike the original piece of wood they come from, one arises from need and other from want.Still does one think toilet paper as art. You can make money with toilet paper, especially if you are sitting in a stall without any. I imagine i would pay anything i have on me, at the time to get some if i needed it bad enough. A poorly carved bear i wouldn't spend so much on, but then again I carve them and if i wanted one bad enough and couldn't carve, then I too would probably buy a bear. But does that make that bear an art object.

zinnia

     I try to do my best at the time I am carving as it's hard to determine which way a carving will go after starting it. But before I start i try to make a plan besides make a cut here and another there. I know of videos you can buy where you can carve a bear in 17 cuts with a chainsaw, and that is what you get. a square boxy looking bear, sometimes cute or happy but still a mass produced bear. In contrast my bears would have around 500 to thousand cuts with the chainsaw before i finally finish.

zinnia

     When do i stop? After I am satisfied i have done the best I can with what I have. When making it all work, no longer enters my mind as I look for things to fix. Then i am done.

      In this paper that I subscribe to: Letters to a young artist -  it talks of an artists passion and how he should act when tasking himself with a project. They need to do what they believe in with passion,although it may not be popular. They need to develop their own style and nuances that makes him or her who they are, and not what society wants us to be. It is hard to be society's vision or eyes if the painter is always crooking his neck to listen to what society says.Some good words are said and quoted in the article , take time to read and hopefully understand what makes art great. 

    In summary, I must say lately my life has limited my ability to carve. I have taken on projects much like the totem for a challenge in the first place. I always love a good challenge. Secondly i have started doing more quality pieces. I am not saying that I won't do the occasional bear or that my previous work was inferior, but I realize I have only so many carvings left in my body and I need to make sure what I do will outlast me. It would be nice to use my talent and leave behind a legacy of something besides a cute lawn ornament. I also plan on doing more art pieces for myself, so folks will have something to view when coming to visit me. I know I could never carve fast enough to make huge amounts of money, or make it the primary source of my income due to my physical limitations, and really don't know why i would need all that money anyhow as it brings along more reasons to detract me from my primary goal and that is to carve. As long as i am comfortable with a roof over my head and have a clear mind, I know I have talent and imagination to make anything happen with almost nothing. A friend Chuck Mabrey, with whom I once worked with from  A.T.I.( Agricultural Technical Institute) , once told me : that if he had anything to work with at all he could perform miracles , as he was use to working with nothing and accomplished much. 

    He could make a wrench fit any nut with just a screwdriver, when we didnt have the right wrench. He was the master of common sense and a good mentor. He knew how to make it work , and when it comes to my art I intend to do the same. Please read the attachment. when I decided i couldn't sleep the words hit home to me and reassured my path. Hopefully if any would be carvers or artists are out there are reading my blog,  then they should consider what they are trying to say, if they are sincere about promoting their own art.