Dec 09 2007
Bayshore Xmas Lights
A special request from an LBC Ex-Patriot:
Archive for the 'Art' Category
Nov 29 2007
Nature’s Beauty: More Flowers
Here are some more photographs of flowers, all taken today.
Nov 17 2007
A whole bunch of flower pictures
My ongoing obsession with taking pictures of flowers seems to have persisted.
To view the images, click on the ‘more’ link:
Oct 23 2007
Creating a bass – Step one: buy wood
Ever since, or perhaps even before, I completed the guitar project I’d dreamed of creating a custom bass. Encouraged by the results of the Sandblaster, I decided to undertake a 2nd instrument-building project: A bass.
I originally hoped to create an instrument using similar African Mahogany but, much to my dismay, large pieces of highly figured African Mahogany are becoming harder and harder to find. Old growth trees are now almost entirely gone, sadly.
Anyway, I began to expand my search to include other woods, and even several woods in combination. ( I just had this idea that one solid piece is somehow better… I don’t know if that’s true, though.) Anyway, I have a Taylor acoustic guitar with Sapele sides and back. Sapele is similar to African Mahogany, but it is heavier, darker, and more expensive. Also, like most popular woods, large highly figured pieces are hard to find. So, after many weeks of patience, John of West Penn Hardwoods selected some pieces that, ultimately, will end up as the body of my next bass.
There are three ‘sections’: The top, which is made of book-matched sapele, the middle, which is made of flame maple (soft), and
The book-matched top:
Oct 11 2007
Pinhole Photos
Today I was in an experimental mood so I went out and purchased a generic body cap for my Pentax K100-D DSLR, took it home, drilled a hole into it, taped a piece of foil over the hole, added a very small pinhole, and took a few pinhole photos. I don’t know if you’ve ever experimented with pinhole photography, but I love it. I ran out of natural light today, but managed to get one:
Oct 03 2007
Hofner Galaxie Guitar
This instrument was given to me by a friend who got it from another friend who found it collecting dust in her house. According to trusted sources, it is a Hofner Galaxie. There are a number of different models in that line, however, so more specific info would be most welcome.
Oct 01 2007
Sandblaster Logo Ideas
This first one is my favorite, so far:
This one is a bit of an homage to the Fender Telecaster logo:
Personally, I don’t think the 2nd one will fit nicely on the headstock. The first one would, though…
Sep 26 2007
An Early Drawing
What follows are two pieces of recently discovered art that were created back 1971. The first is an illustration, and the other text. Enjoy!
Sep 23 2007
SoundWalk2007 Recap
I have to say that SoundWalk2007 was amazing. There was a HUGE turnout, and a very diverse mix of young hipsters, folks about our age with their kids, and older folks too. There were about 50 works and/or performances spread out over 4 square blocks. Some were in cars, or in the backs of rented U-Haul trucks, some on roof-tops, in store-fronts, alley ways, on the sidewalks, and in galleries.
Some works were astoundingly simple. For example, an artist took 100 music box innards and mounted them all in one large wooden box. Somehow, there was a main mechanism that would hold them in check. You could wind up any number of them then release the master mechanism and they would play. The effect was actually quite pleasing. There was also a performance of “Napping Music,” in which 6-12 people lay, with blankets and pillows, on the stage. At one point several children wandered by and decided to lay on the floor next to the stage. This same group also did a performance where the musicians would only play if you touched them. Sweet.
On the other extreme, there was one piece that looked like a beautiful delicate sculpture of wire and lights but, upon closer examination, one realized that it was actually a very complex electrical circuit that responded to changes in light and sound. People were interacting with it, and it was quite delightful to see the looks of wonder on their faces.
As for me, I’ll give you a brief description of what I was doing. I was talking on my Cel Phone. There were two parts to this. The first part was, as I strolled around, me saying complementary things about folks as they walked by, as though I were sharing this with the person I was speaking to on my phone. “There’s a woman in front of me who has the most beautiful hair.” or “I’m looking at an older man who has the nicest face.” I was intentionally trying to communicate positive, and specific, statements about people in the area. The 2nd part was using my cel phone in places that might be seen as inappropriate, for example during the napping music performance. Some people responded by ignoring me, obviously so, to the point where I called it “Cel-Phone Shunning.” Even friends of mine would act this way. Others would glare at me and, once, someone pointed toward the door, suggesting that I leave.
Overall, I’d say that what I did was a success, but I felt myself being somewhat timid and not really pushing things as far as I could. For example, there’s a very nice restaurant in the area, and a friend suggested I go in, stand at the bar, and talk on my phone. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it, though.
My friend Dennis brought his video camera, and I rented a wireless microphone system that allowed him to stand fairly far from me and, hopefully, capture some of the interactions. I’ve not reviewed the tape, but look forward to doing so. If we captured anything good, I’ll post it.
My sincere thanks to all the folks at Flood, who invisioned, produced, and sustained this amazing event, and invited me to participate. Thanks to Marco, Shea, Kamran, Frauke, Shelley, and all the amazing artists who participated this year.
Well, that’s about it for now.
xoxo
srw