a minimal amount

New Work

The lathe is up and running and new work is coming out the doors. I hope to make a few pieces every week or so. I will keep pictures coming. 

Also in the news, I just found out that I will be returning to Pilchuck this year as the Cold Shop Coordinator for session 4. 

Counting Our Blessings

Sorry guys for keeping radio silence for so long, but I have been out of town for three weeks working for Joe Hobbs in Mobile and New Orleans. It is always hard to leave home and get a new rhythm going. Joe is an old friend and he is an amazing guy to work for; we got right to work and started checking things off the list. 

I have not spent much time in Mobile before this month, to report in Downtown is booming and coming up. Lots of youthful art and culture, a great music scene (The Suzies). It was wonderful to be in the South in spring time, but it was very hard to be away from my family in New Mexico. Though, New Orleans did keep me warm and fuzzy while I was away. I haven't been there since before Katrina hit, it is still not 100% there but that place has a heart that will beat long past when the clock stops ticking. Don't get me wrong, we worked hard but man that city will shake you awake.  

 I arrived home a few days ago and my parents came along to visit. I have been showing them around my neck of New Mexico and it has been great to rediscover with them how beautiful and expansive it is.

 On one of our adventures we went to The Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Angel Fire. The memorial was built in 1968, long before our nation would leave Vietnam or Americans would begin to honor the sacrifice of the young men and women who were sent to serve the whims of men who sat behind desks. It is a beautiful piece of art that would survive the critique of even the most jaded. It is a beautifully somber and emotional place, I do not believe that anyone could walk the grounds there and not shed tears for those we have lost. It was an especially emotional experience for my father who is a Veteran of Vietnam; and though I may never be able to walk in his shoes with the weight he carries, I was lucky to have shared this experience with him. Never Forget.

 As a kind of footnote, I hope we all remember that war is evil but the poor and disenfranchised that we send to battle are never to blame for the idiocy of bureaucrats.

                                                  "What a waste of life."    Richard Ziemba

La Cienaguilla Photo Essay

Andrew asked to see some pictures of what things looked like around my new house. I thought you all might like a look. 

VID

Normally the mail, I don't know about you, is pretty much no fun. However, today is an exception. For those of you who don't know the circular objects above are diamond wheels for glass carving/cutting. They are as valuable to me as they are expensive to purchase. I am very excited to meet them, as I am sure we will be spending many hours together. I was actually pretending to carve with them earlier. 

I am as excited as I am nervous they were a huge investment=gamble. They are as necessary to me as the glass they carve away. Thanks to a great friend for the help in acquiring them.

It is a busy time. I have been running round working for others, getting the lathe ready, and moving to a new house. 

On the Lathe front: 

Everyday I make some progress, as you can see it is nearly complete. I have moved the lathe to it's new  home where I will assemble, paint, plumb, and wire it. I will have to think of a name for this machine, any ideas? It has been quite an adventure building it, and many thanks are due to friends all over who have given their advice and support. It is not over yet, I imagine there will be a few hick-ups but I am very proud of my accomplishment thus far. It is really great to have an ever expanding group of friends, family, and other artists just in it to help.  

We are moving a bit out of Santa Fe to La Cieneguilla. Above you can see me perched on Petroglyph Hill, in the background one of those blurry dots is our new house. Petroglyph Hill is a mesa that is on public land that Rousseau and I love to climb and explore; Christy and Shelby are coming around. We like the city but just love the outlying areas and can't wait for you to come explore with us. 

Time and Another Moment

Corey Black took this photo of a pear tree flowering somewhere in Louisiana. I thought it would be perfect for this post.
 My last information drop provoked some conversation on time and life. High and low.

I just thought I would send a hug to my friends everywhere. Below is a link to a download of a little album I made for you guys. The track order is included, I haven't quite figured that part out yet. So, basically there is a little work that needs to be done on your part. Enjoy....

time and another moment LP

P.S. I am not sure if link will come through on email service of this blog. You may need to go to the page to use. CB, you DO NOT need to sign up for an account just use the slow service. You Will See.

days change

Things have been a little stressful lately and it was boiling over a bit today. I was cold working for Richard Mole at his studio 15 minutes or so north of Santa Fe. I was looking out at the desert and it just hit me, enjoy the moment. I was in this beautiful place doing something I actually like doing. 

This is Richard's back yard and man when the weather is nice, it is the best office ever.

After driving back into Santa Fe, I decided to stop in and get a little more work done on my lathe. I was able to put the parts together and make sure everything will work as planned. Good news, everything appears to be going as planned. I will be putting on the sheet metal and enamel paint in the coming week. Then, it will be a matter of constructing the tables for the water pans, getting all the plastic together, water lines, and a few other finishing touches. Wish me luck.   

Just a little piece of the big blue for my friends. Come visit us soon. Christy, the dogs, and I will be set up in a new house in April. More on that later.