ROOMFUL OF VIEWS

This is going to be so cool! Doesn't look very promising here but you'll just have to trust me.

We're having another small works show at the gallery- Jim(my honey) came up with the title for the show

"ROOMFUL OF VIEWS"

I went through a number of ideas for the show but knew it had to include mirror in some way.

I thought about mirror mosaic - a reflective painting - sculpture covered in mirror 

I've had this little cardboard house sitting in my studio for years - AHA!

Found all my mirror, my glass cutting tools, glue, etc. and got to work.

This is what I've been up to its taken over my life.

Haven't painted in a week 

         

Yikes!!! I couldn't find anything in the studio what a mess

 

Here's the roof. I cut up the left over postcards from the 12 X 12 Small Works Show and made shingles.

More to come but I had to order some parts will post when it's finished.

Pretty exciting for me.

Thanks a bunch. MB

   

ARTISTS STUDIO

This is Nancy's studio - you can see how busy she's been and how the paintings are coming along. 

Nancy attended a few classes at my studio but what you see is how far she's come all on her own! 

Nancy's color wheels(which she created by herself)for reference - a painting of her neighbor on his horse - working on a special dog portrait for a friend. HEY DUKE(not sure if that's the correct

name or spelling) he's the English Bulldog in the upper right of her studio - his portrait

is unusual because he occupies the lower right portion of the painting. 

It was an interesting choice on Nancy's part and it's perfect in every way. 

Color - composition - light - joy and pure creativity! I wish I had painted it - it's perfection.

It is so much fun for me to see a working studio other than my own.

Nancy's dedication to painting and the curiosity to try something different is truly inspiring. 

What a treat for me. Thanks a bunch - Nancy! 

Look at all that color!!!

 Later and thanks for all the email correspondence - MB.

DISPLAY AT THE GALLERY

Here's my display at the gallery. 

The Moose is 30" X 30" to give you an idea of scale. 

Thanks a bunch - MB

BLUEBIRD

Less is More

3" X 3"

MOOSE - LAM

 

 

 

 

                                                MOOSE - LAM

MELISSA MCCARTHY AS SEAN SPICER - PRICELESS

 

MY DAD INVENTED SCOTCH TAPE!

MY WEIRD 24 HOURS 

This is a story not a blog post so please ignore if you're looking for ART!

The college emailed me asking if I would like to teach Art Appreciation in a months time.

You know me - I love to teach Art Appreciation it's my favorite class of all time.

I said "I think so!"

I went in on Thursday to figure out what I would have to do in order to teach. 

Some of you may not know but I was adjunct art faculty at CMC for 4 years - 2007 till 2011.

I taught Art Appreciation, Art history, Printmaking, Figure drawing, Fiber design, and photography. 

I was all over the place and then I got the boss from hell. So I left.

 

TODAYS TRANSCRIPT REQUEST 

In 1988 when I graduated from CSULB I ordered 10 official transcripts so I could apply for

teaching jobs. As you can see above in the lower right hand corner it says OFFICIAL 

TRANSCRIPTS VOID IF ENVELOPE SEAL IS BROKEN. Pretty simple - yes? 

You can see the seal is not broken and the stamps occur over the tape and the envelope.

The response from the transcript person - THE STUDENT HAS HAD THIS IN HER POSSESSION 

THE ENTIRE TIME??? AND THAT'S JUST SCOTCH TAPE!!! 

Evidently I manufactured my MIGHTY FINE ARTIST DEGREE in the comfort of my home. 

 

Well you know me - my response was - I'm not a thirty year old who

received their degree over the internet I actually attended school - without a computer. My next line

was "my dad invented Scotch Tape." Which is fairly accurate. My dad was a mechanical engineer who

Graduated from Cooper Union with a bunch of his engineering buddies. They all headed to Wright Field with their

families to work on plane technology in Dayton, Ohio for the War effort after graduation. 

 

WRIGHT FIELD HISTORY

    After the war they picked up their families and all moved to St. Paul, Minnesota.

This talented group of engineers worked at 3M in the tape and ribbon division. That's where my retort comes

from - my dad invented Scotch Tape! Anyway these engineers created bow making machines - tape making machines for 3M. 

That's where your tape comes from and the bows for all your presents. Sasheen Ribbon - nothing like the real McCoy.

 

As I said I had worked at CMC previously and thought the hiring process would pretty much be a slam dunk. 

My transcript debacle was the first glitch. That damn scotch tape.

 

The transcript reviewer didn't know that in 1988 a real person licked and taped your envelope and a real 

person stamped your OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT 4 or 5 times. You'd think the transcript reviewer 

would've been kind of excited to open my time capsule of a transcript but alas that was not the case. 

If I wanted to continue with the hiring process I would have to order new transcripts. 

Well if you know me you know what my response was - but I can't publish my thoughts. It wouldn't be nice.

 

Part 2

       THE APPLICATION! All 67 pages!!!!!!!!!!! 

THEN  We went to the art room to take a look at where I would be teaching. The year I left they tore down the Art building to build a multi million dollar new state of the art campus. GOOD IDEA IN THEORY - TURNS OUT

The Office people got all the views of the valley the art room got a view of nothing other than the hill which acts like a wall. 

No natural light - nada - no - the desks are lined up like grade school and there's no utility sink???!!!! 

Then the last assault on my intelligence meter - I was told by my interviewer after my lectures

I am to ask the students to open the drawers on their desk - take out their Mr. Clean white erasers

and clean the top of their desk???!!!!!!!??????? This is after a lecture not a project. 

I wondered if I had stumbled into the elementary school by mistake. Do you see my dilemma? I thought long and hard(about 15 seconds) and said I changed my mind.    Part 3  

Working on my Ph.D. in Phys - Ed with Scotch Tape in hand. Applying for a job near you

That's my story and I'm sticking to it! 

Be careful what you wish for

Thanks a bunch - serial transcript artist on the loose!

 

LIGHT MY FIRE

3" X 3" 

"Less is More"

Now showing at Center for Visual Arts

837 Lincoln Ave.

Steamboat Springs, CO 

Thanks for taking a look have a great day. MB

The End

 A few additions below may not be for everyone - beware!

Only $79.99 get it while it's HOT!

THREE AMIGOS

Here's what the 3" X 3" Less is More paintings look like in a frame.

I'll add a photo of them hanging in the gallery soon.

Thanks a bunch. MB

KISSES

3" X 3"

Less is More + fun!

I'm amazed at what I can fit on a 3" X 3" panel. It's kind of liberating.

Go figure??!!!

Thanks for all the great comments and thoughts. It really helps.

Later MB

 

BE MINE

3" X 3"

 If you know me you know how much I love to paint all of my Pez characters.

Hello Kitty is so much fun to paint Here's a little Hello Kitty history

 

Hello Kitty is portrayed with a large family with the surname White. Her twin sister Mimmy is described as "shy and very girly," interested in sewing and dreaming of marriage. While Hello Kitty wears a red bow on her left ear, Mimmy wears a yellow one on her right. Their father George is described as dependable, humorous but also absent-minded. Their mother Mary is portrayed as a good cook who loves doing housework. Grandpa Anthony likes to tell stories and Grandma Margaret likes sewing. Dear Daniel is Hello Kitty's childhood friend. His character profile describes him as born in London on May 3 with the name Daniel Starr. He traveled with his parents and was away from Hello Kitty for a long time. He is portrayed as fashionable and sensitive, good at dancing and playing the piano, with an interest in photography, and dreams of being a celebrity. Charmmy Kitty is Hello Kitty's pet, a white Persian. She is described as docile, obedient and fond of shiny things. Her necklace holds the key to Hello Kitty's jewelry box. Hello Kitty also has a pet hamster named Sugar, who was a gift from Dear Daniel.

Thanks for taking a look! MB

MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS

3" X 3"

Schlitz beer made Milwaukee famous!

I bought these Schlitz beer salt and pepper shakers but I'm not sure when I purchased

them which is a bit disconcerting. I've had them in my collection of stuff for quite some time.

Perfect for my new miniature collection titled "Less is More".

Thanks a bunch - MB

 

TWO HEARTS

3" X 3"

These connected trinkets have been in my collection of stuff for years. The large locket

belongs to my big sister - I'm not sure how I ended up with it but it has a photo of Elvis

inside. The small heart was a birthday present. 

Thanks a bunch - MB

THE CHUCKS CONNECTION

3" X 3" 

I've been working out some ideas in miniature while thinking about the color red 

and Valentines Day. So far I have a series of 8 miniature paintings - it's kind of fun and 

and quite a challenge. Not sure why I feel a need to explore small art but it may turn out

to be a great learning tool. I love the intimate size - these little spots of color.

 My frames will arrive Thursday I'll post a finished product photo for you.

 The frame choice will make or break the presentation for these miniature paintings.

Not sure if I made the right frame choice time will tell.

Thanks for waiting. MB

 

Women's March Steamboat Springs

There was a huge turnout in Steamboat Springs, CO for the Women's March.

The March lined both sides of Lincoln Ave. for approximately 12 blocks

a great show of support in our small town. 

 

It was pretty difficult to show the numbers but it felt like the entire town was out in force.

New paintings coming your way! 

Thanks for your understanding. MB

 

HOARFROST 101

No, this frost isn't on performance-enhancing drugs. What you see in the photos is called hoarfrost.  It's not snow. We've had 3 days of hoarfrost and it's been such a treat.

 

 

According to the National Weather Service office in Riverton, Wyoming, the Old English dictionary (c. 1290) defines hoarfrost as "expressing the resemblance of white feathers of frost to an old man's beard."

First, to produce any frost, you need water vapor (gaseous form of water) in the air over cold ground with a surface dew point at least as cold as 32 degrees.

When these water vapor molecules contact a subfreezing surface, such as a blade of grass, they jump directly from the gas state to solid state, a process known as "deposition", leading to a coating of tiny ice crystals.

So what provides the boost for frost to grow into hoarfrost like this?

Generally speaking, you want a much more moist air mass in place. In late fall, winter or early spring, one or more days in a row of freezing fog (fog with air temperatures of 32 degrees or colder) is a perfect scenario. 

With more moisture in the air, the interlocking crystal patterns of frost become more intricate and much larger, building up to a greater depth on tree branches, signs, fences, anything. This is hoarfrost.

If there is a light wind, the hoarfrost can accumulate on the downwind side of objects.

I'm at the top of the mountain after hiking on my skis for 45 minutes. 

The sun will warm the air and the hoarfrost will fall off the trees it will look

like it's snowing. Skiing hoarfrost is like skiing through a bowl of dry cornflakes

you can hear the crystals hitting your ski pants. Hoarfrost makes for some

fun runs. It adds another dimension to the skiing experience. 

You can see the snow sparkling those are hoarfrost crystals growing out of the surface

of the snow. Today the crystals were twice as big because the conditions were just right over night.

 Sorry for unexpected photo blog posts but I've been cleaning my shop - again and reassessing

some goals for 2017. 

Thanks for your understanding. MB

 

SPECIAL DELIVERY

Special delivery - just for you - Georgi style!

Sign please?

SAM COWBOY HAT

Here's finished STEAMBOAT ART MUSEUM COWBOY HAT project.

 Thanks a bunch!  

SAM COWBOY HAT

Monday's progress on my cowboy hat donation for the Steamboat Art Museum fundraiser. 

SAM provided the cowboy hard hats because their expansion project will begin this spring. 

I think they're going to auction the hats off at a fundraising dinner

to try and raise some dough for the construction project.

I requested some old postcards from past shows for this mosaic hat. I was lucky Chris found

a stack of postcards for me to cut up and paste. 

   

This is how far I got on Monday after a number of hours cutting and pasting. 

I have no idea how long this took - I should've kept track. 

Thanks a bunch - MB

 

FIRST TRACKS

"First Tracks"  

4" X 10" oil on panel

First tracks of the day - skiing powder in my back yard woohoo!

Thanks for taking a look. MB

 

SPUTNIK

This is how I started my New Year! 

A painting demo on December 30th at the Depot Arts Center.

How apropos to be painting the Space Station gas sign which was

erected in 1956 as a response to the Russian launching of Sputnik!

Thanks a bunch - MB