Tuesday 29 April 2008-  For the first time in thirty years, I find myself without an active dealer representing my work.  Fortunately, I've reached a point in life where earning money is not a primary concern, although I continue to accept commissions and sell from my studio, which allows me to support my habit, at least.
  It is not altogether bad to have the decks clear, with no obligations to exhibit, and with some time ahead to engage in projects that might satisfy my own curiosity and interests, without having to calculate whether or not the results will look profitable to some gallery owner.

  Thursday 1 May 2008-  Back in February, I bought a five-foot by thirty-yard roll of Lenox 100 in anticipation of doing some large drawings during Lent.  The drawings happened, but they turned out to be small ones, so I still have that big roll of paper.  I'm seeing some large figure drawings, close to life size-  prophets and seers, criers in the wilderness.  And drawings, for me, usually lead to sculpture.  So with that prospect in mind, I spent last evening out in the studio, rounding up my wood carving tools, which have been idle as I've worked on constructions and paintings and prints and all manner of lesser projects over the past year or so.  If I discover I still have the gumption for hard labor, it may even be time to tackle some stone, although handling stone creates some serious logistical problems- especially for an old man without assistants.  Still, I've always had a hankering to do some pieces for installation out of doors.  And stone would qualify for that as well as any material, considering acid rain, etc.  Nothing is permanent- especially the sculptor.

  Saturday 3 May 2008-  This has happened often enough that it should no longer be a surprise when it occurs-  a commissioned project will present a set of problems that I might not choose to address otherwise, and the resulting inquiry will give impetus to a new direction in my other work.  An artist doesn't discover his path as often as his path finds him.
  Case in point:  the little sketch at left was the first step in building a model of a proposed sculpture, "Story Wall."  The prospective clients seem to have their hearts set on something figurative, however, and they will probably get what they want in the end, from me or from somebody else.  But this sketch has caught my fancy, and has opened to view possibilities I could spend years exploring.  I will build a small model for the clients to disapprove, and then will likely give in and try to please them as best I can, as I was already planning to make some figures this summer- but I will have to come back sooner or later to this little stack of cubes.

  Sunday 4 May 2008-  A friend who is a great fan of figurative sculpture told me this morning of his surprise upon attending an arts festival, to be attracted to some non-representational pieces.  Out of habit he walked past them, and then turned back to look again, taken by the lively flow of shape and the vivid color of the forms.  He seemed genuinely astonished to have enjoyed something he had never appreciated until that moment. 
  I congratulated my friend on his aesthetic awakening, and on his "new birth" as an artist.  An artist is not someone who knows how to make things that give enjoyment or inspiration to other people.  An artist is someone who has learned how to see each thing in it's own context, and to weave that context into his own.  My friend has learned an important lesson that will increase his joy and insight: art that speaks to us most deeply requires more than beholding our own reflection.

ABOVE:
"PRODIGAL'S RETURN"- Leonard Baskin
bronze, life size
River View Sculpture Garden, Chattanooga, TN