Watch the Sky Burn

Every fall it's the same thing. I know it's coming. I know it'll be short lived and yet I always seem to miss it. The leaves change from green to a dazzling display of brilliant reds and oranges. Like a fireworks grand finale on the 4th of July, then, it's just...over. The beautiful colors of fall, replaced by a lifeless gray.

The Stories Are Important

In 1995 I stumbled into a small hair salon on a back street in an industrial developement in Fort Wayne Indiana, it was the last place you'd expect to find fine art. I Don't remember the name of the business, not really important I guess, but what I do remember is that this was the day I was exposed to the writings and artwork of Brian Andreas. Being an artist at heart I was immediately drawn to the hanging sculptures on the walls. They hung like jewels between the smiling images of men and women wildly flaunting their perfect hair.

The artwork glowed with bright contrasted colors and were connected together with rusted wire and other pieces of scrap metal. The pale gray aged wood that made up the bulk of the sculpture was rich with natural lines and veins that gave it beautiful texture. What struck me as most memorable about the piece was the story that was painted into the image. It was short and witty, the very clever tale of 2 friends that told you so much about them but so little at the same time. The entire story was no longer than 3 lines. Hanging my head in disgust I said quietly to myself, "why didn't I think of that?" bitter envy aside, I was an instant fan.

I didn't begin painting again until several years after that experience, but I always came back to that artist for inspiration and encouragement. In the coming years I would spend hours mimicking the style of those wonderful works of art. I created shameless replicas of Brian's work at first then slowly I noticed that while you could see his influence in my art it was truly becoming my own work. What I wrestled with were the stories.

I had never considered myself a writer, and tempted as I was to just spin off Brian's stories I resisted and as a result my paintings went without stories of their own for quite some time. I would occasionally scribble a few lines onto a page sensing that I might be getting closer to the mark but none were as compelling as the ones that others had written. It was not a natural transition for me to make, this move from painter to writer. But I kept at it until now when I write, I at least feel like I have communicated something personal.

When it's all out in the open for people to see and critique I believe my creations have a quality that draws a person in. Of course the colors and the shapes are very important, in fact they would just not be the same without it, but in the end it's the stories that stick with me. It's the reason this creature was created, not merely to be a lifeless decoration but to instead provoke an emotion from those who are in the story with him.

Dendall and Larry are two of my creations that sat without a story for several weeks. The first one was the most difficult then as I got to know him it got a little easier. I hope you enjoy these beginning sketches. My plan is to have them brought to life onto panels before years end.

Simon's New Pet

"Fearing the worst, Simon's friends were content to admire his new pet from a distance"

In September I received a very interesting phone call inviting me to be a part of an experiment to raise money for a local charity. I was curious and immediately said yes. The goal was to take an ordinary privy (outhouse) and design it for the public to view.

Now, I have seen outhouses, I have smelled outhouses, I have even used my fair share of outhouses, but design one? Never. This was a project I was excited to tackle. We were given no boundaries, call us when you are done with it was the only instruction.

Immediately I knew what I would do. Simply painting it was not an option. I had to take this thing to the next level. The hardest part would not be what to do but rather when to find the time to do it. My project would be called Simon's New Pet.

The structure is made of pine and is simple in design, 4 sides and a shingled roof with a seat inside. I cut up some old barn wood that was laying around at a friends house and secured it to the door and wrapped it around it.

I scribbled my thoughts into the my sketchbook, added a bit of color, a well places gourd and some other ideas that would not make the final piece and off I went.

The final privy took approximately 2-3 weeks to finish and it will be on display at the Cherry Valley Greenhouse until the end of October. For those who live nearby, the privy's can be viewed and voted on for another few weeks. It will cost you $1 per vote and all proceeds go to benefit "Living Laura's Hope"