Rome, Bits and Pieces of History: Survey #3

It didn't take me long to realize that beneath every step I made in Rome, I was walking on top of history. The Roman Forum is one of the more famous historic holes dug around the city, a city that is passionately linked to the history buried under its feet...

or incorporated into its buildings (Theater of Marcellus)...

or simply given right of way because it was there first. This respect for the past is because modern Rome knows that the dirt and stones they walk on are the embodiment of tradition and family.

This respect leads to the preservation of ancient fragments no mater where it might be found. Midway up a wall in the sub-basement of the Capitoline Museum or...

as a subterranean window boxes in a Metropolitana station.

Shortlisted for the Artpace Artist in Residence Program

I received this letter from Artpace just before we left for Rome, and then it got berried in the accumulated pile of vacation mail so I am a bit late opening it up.  It says I have been Shortlisted for the Artpace Artist in Residence Program in San Antonio. And that there is a possibility that the Guest Curators will request a studio visit in the near future. So, I should clean the studio, or keep it the rat nest that it has become.

                                                          Studio with Mammoth Tusk


On another note, the Texas Biennial turned down my application with a We Regret to Inform You e-mail.  It would have been really cool to be a part of that event... I'll just add it to my stack of rejection notices from other organizations such as TEDxSMU, The Lawndale Art Center, The Drawing Center, The Idea Fund, Henderson Art Project, and don't forget the Texas Biennial 2007 and 2009, and Artpace 2007 and 2008.

Of coarse I have been accepted into several great art programs and art shows. I ramble on and on about each of them here on my blog. And don't think I am belly aching about getting rejection notices. It's all part of expanding beyond the studio walls. To be turned down by some of these organizations is something I sometimes wish I could put on my resume.

Wow, Mr. Smith, the quality of your rejections indicates that you would be an excellent candidate for our multi million dollar artist grant!

Rome Art, Sculpture and Food: Survey #2

I get the feeling that every trip to Rome could result in the creation of a travel book on art, history, and food. I know I filled up a moleskin with drawings and notes. Brought home a few pounds of post cards and magazines. And I still haven't finished sorting out the hundreds of photos.

So to help me get a handle on some of this information I'll be posting some thoughts and photos over the next few days on things that stand out for no obvious reason.

These photos are from the Capitoline Museum. The first 2 are marble fragments from the colossal sculpture of Emperor Constantine the 2nd. I've wanted to see these detached body parts since I was a little kid. Next is a giant bronze hand, also of Mr. Constantine. 

These are just some of the large sculpture fragments I saw scattered across Rome. It just goes to show, if you make it really big and flashy, future generations may only remember you by the sized of your toenails.

A New Class to Teach

I recieved the CAC catalogue in the mail today, and there, in black and white is the listing for the sculpture class that I will this teaching in January.

It's a figurative sculpture class that works from a live model. It's just like a figure drawing class, but I think that working in clay from a model is much easier than drawing. For one thing you aren't started off with that old tired mind set "I can't even draw a straight line". You also don't have to learn how to translate a 3 dimensional world into 2 dimensional pencil marks. All you do is make this round piece of clay look like that round piece of person. That is of course an over simplification for demonstration prepossess.

Anyway, as you can guess, if the class makes, I'll be blogging about sculpture a lot in the next few months. The name of the class is The Expressive Figure in Clay, and you can click HERE for more info on the class.

Rome: A Quivering Woman and Monk Bones: Survey #1

We arrived in Rome with only the normal inconvenience of having the live on air plan food for 7 hours. We have a small apartment not far from the Spanish Steps, and not far from a small moldy church that happens to be where Bernini's Ecstasy of St. Taresa is located.

And around the corner is the Cappuchin Crypt. I got a big snort full of moldy bone dust but no photos. A lot of the churches don't allow photos, but they have post cards for sell, which are better quality than anything I can snap with my dime store digital.

Tomorrow,  good food and the Roman Forum.

A Damn Good Interview By Aja Martin

Half A Cord Stacked Up High

Anybody who has been following my blog knows I have done a lot of artwork and volunteer work with La Reunion TX. I find it a great way to get out of the studio and out of my studio frame of mind.

Aja Martin has taken on the task of interviewing artists involved with LRTX, and then posting it on the LRTX web site. Well, She just posted my interview last week. Aja did a great job of keeping me on topic, and did an amazing job at researching before the interview. It was a strange experience to have someone I have never met before tell me about my own artwork, and also add insightful comments about my history. It was like having a little taste of being a famous artist.

In the past I have often been disheartened by interviews or exhibition reviews that have resulted in not quite right information or even just plan misleading. Take a look at some of the press around the TEDxSMU SculptCAD Rapid Artists exhibit. Having trouble finding it? That is because the name of the show appears written 10+ different ways. Grrr.

Now you may be asking why a man with dyslexia would be coming down on someone else's misspelling. It's because in some of those articles they have misspelled the name 3 different ways in the same article. That's just not... well I could go on and on...

Back to today and the happy results of the LRTX interview. Thanks LRTX for doing a GREAT job of getting it right, and to Aja for all the work she put into the interview. Her other interviews for LRTX are great too. Read them all.

On Board the CADD Bus Tour

I would never dream of comparing myself to Julie McCoy on Love Boat, but after my experience as the Cruise Director for the first CADD Bus Tour I now know why she smiles so much. It is really fun to guide people through an adventure.

When Brian Gibb from The Public Trust asked me to be part of the CADD Bus Tour (Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas), and was explaining that they needed someone on the bus to introduce each of the galleries and to help keep the bus on schedule, I was saying "Yes, This sounds like great fun" but I was thinking this sounds a lot like that TV show where they went on a tour, a 3 hour tour, and that turned out pretty badly.

Anyway, after saying yes, I hit the local websites and blogs to brush up on the galleries, artists and collectors that were on the tour. That was pretty easy because I always try to stay informed about local art and culture. What was difficult was the nights I spent dreaming about being on a bus filled with cannibals and a bus driver named Wrongway Feldman.

Eventually it was Saturday morning, I got up, channeled my inner Julie McCoy, drove over to Photos Do Not Bend Gallery, picked up my clipboard, and put on a smile.

The tour started at PDNB with coffee, donuts, and 3 photography exhibitions. I really enjoyed the iShow. But duty was calling, and it was time to get this crew of 25 art loving adventurers on the road. Our second gallery was in Oakcliff, at Mighty Fine Arts. The drawings on display by Erik Tosten turned out to be my favorite things on the tour, and I think some of the best work I have seen Erik produce.

Manet once said that art is best viewed on an empty stomach. That maybe true, but this bus was stopping by the studio/home of Brian Scott and Brian Jones for a little lunch.

The Library

A Cosy Fireplace

The interior of their small wood frame cottage was a feast for the eyes. Brian and Brian have been making and collecting art for a very long time, and they don't like keeping any of it in the closet. It was like walking into a 2 bed,1 bath art installation. It was full of color and humor. The culture clutter made for some insightful juxtapositions and great conversations.

After lunch, we drove back across the river to The Public Trust for a preview of the Blakely Dadson exhibit. There is an interview with Blakely in the October issue of Arts and Culture DFW. Brian Gibb gave out CADD gift bags and special edition t-shirts.

A few glasses of wine, and a quick drive through Hollywood Heights brought the CADD Bus to the home of Dee Mitchell. Dee is involved in multiple areas of culture. I know him best from his art reviews in the Dallas Morning News, Dallas Observer, and now at Arts and Culture DFW. If you Google his name, you will find several artists' websites that link to art reviews that Dee has written. He supports what he likes.

The Library

A Cosy Bedroom

Dee gave us a tour of the his home which Ron Wommack built to showcase Dee's art collection. The works on paper above the bed are by Thomas Nozkowski. I absolutely love them. On the bus ride back to PDNB, the contrast between Dee's collection and Brian and Brain's, generated lots of discussions about  collecting art, living with art, and personal styles.

As we pulled up to PDNB,  I asked for comments or recommendations about our first CADD Bus Tour. After a hardy applause, one person said they had a great time but wished the tour was longer. I pointed out that tour had lasted 4 hours and 15 minutes. Everyone was very surprised. When your having fun, time flies. Later, 2 couples said they were new to Dallas and that the tour was a great way for them to see galleries and meet other people interested in art.

After turning in my clipboard, I drove home with a big smile, opened a lovely bottle of Lexicon Malbec and raised a glass to the Dallas art scene, Rightway Charlie (our driver), and to a total absence of cannibals.