Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Into Surrealism














After walking past this painting for several weeks, I could not resist adding just one more thing.  What was just a folk art painting...descended into surrealism when I brought Syd's tail off the canvas, into the bigger canvas.  I looked up Surrealism on Wikipedia and landed upon this phrase.  The aim was to "resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality".   I regret that I can not submit this painting into the upcoming VSA show.  It is far too large for the perimeters of acceptance.  This is just a modification of what I thought was finished.  I couldn't offer prints to interested parties until I made this modification.  I hope it is subtle...and I hope they talk about my paintings before, rather than after I die:)

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Masonic Jewelry














Once upon a time, I worked at the local air base.  I was a janitor by day, and an artist/jeweler by night.  In reality, I worked 2nd shift, so technically I was artist by day and janitor at night.  I had my nights and days mixed up.  This was before cell phones with cameras, and debit cards.  It was an awful way to live.  For instance, I would get my paycheck on Friday about 1 am, and could not cash it unless I used my sleep time to make the 9-5 world.  Occasionally, someone else who worked at the air base would want to show me their jewelry.  My favorite was a man who worked in a cubical and showed me a silver ball on a chain around his neck.  He took it off, snapped the clasps, and it unfolded into the palm of his hand in the form of a cross, with each segment pyramids.
For years, I have searched and asked about this particular piece of jewelry.  I have made drawings of it to aid in my description.  The other day, I found an almost exact version of the one I saw in 1987.  This time, it was made out of gold.  It makes sense to me, that after all this work on a piece, it should be made of the finest metal.  I was looking in all the wrong places.  It is a masonic piece.  This was for sale on eBay, and I found it while researching masonic jewelry.