Cowboy Artistry

Last Tuesday was a great day for an excursion into the Nebraska Sandhills, where one companion said she loved to watch the changing seasons.  We joked that the fall color is so evident on all the trees.... (Actually, there are almost no trees in the Sandhills, but the grasses definitely change with the seasons.)  Ten of us from The Art Society of Ogallala took a field trip to Arthur, a small cowboy town in ranch country, north of Ogallala.  Arthur County claims one person per square mile from the 2000 Census, and Arthur is the only town in the county!  The place is famous for the world's smallest courthouse, and the world's only church made from baled straw.  A brochure lists 18 current businesses.  We visited three.

We learned lots about leather working from Dennis Rose at Rose Saddlery, on the main street, "downtown".  He has some amazing industrial sewing machines and demonstrated for us on a beaded horse breast collar, commissioned for a young cowboy's birthday.  Dennis grew up in the Sandhills. He does beautiful leather tooling and has created 267 saddles,  as well as lots of horse equipment, purses, and biker clothing during the last 33 years.  He's designed a special saddle for handicapped riders with a high back support that folds to allow the rider to get into position.  Lots of his equipment was creatively fabricated to fit his needs, like a saddle frame mounted on a barber stool to pump it higher for ease in construction.

On the north edge of town, past the log cabin built by Buffalo Bill and some partners, we were treated to a demonstration of the hatter's craft by Jim Marshall of  Marshall Custom Hats.   I didn't realize the best felt cowboy hats are made from 100% beaver hair.  Varying amounts of rabbit hair are added at different price ranges.  We saw an antique conformeter--a rare contraption used to measure the idiosyncrasies of old British heads.  Custom hats really are made to fit different shapes and sizes of heads.  Jim steams the felt, shaping it on wooden forms, and flange boards,  presses with an ingenious Rhodes ironing machine, then actually sands the felt with sandpaper.   The inside sweatbands are sewn in by hand, and more shaping is done with steam and skilled hands.  In the last 10 years, Jim has created 1,059 special hats for rodeo queens, ranchers, cowboys, and even a birthday presentation hat for Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida, who has the biggest head Jim has ever fit.

Fried onion chips, and a drink at The Bunkhouse Bar & Grill rounded out our field trip.  This place also serves as the area's senior meal site!  The food and atmosphere were great:  a table of women playing cards, men coming in for a late afternoon beer...all eye-ing us "tourists."  Hunting trophies and antiques adorn the walls.  Pithy quotations and snapshots of the locals are everywhere.  But, I'll have to go back for more than the food...my one bar photo came out too blurry to include here.  Many apologies. 

Thoughts on Procrastinating

"Even with the best of intentions, inspiration still sometimes strikes at the most inopportune moments.  It's impossible to always drop everything and act on it.  I picture a great warehouse out in the cosmos full of great work that was never realized because the spark was not acted upon.  It makes me a little sad to think that those "lost" great works are denied from this world forever."

This quote is from Clint Watson of Canvoo.com, in a blog post titled "Why Great Artists Should Procrastinate".  I am in awe of his articulation of the feeling of the muse, the creating, and the expectations of  the world.  I should be getting some sleep, but this comment inspired me!  I found it while reading art blogs instead of doing art!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Michelangelo%27s_Pieta_5450_cropncleaned_edit.jpg

I am reminded of things I've read about Michelangelo describing his art: "Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it...I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."  Think of this great artist working 500 years ago...and all the other artists--and writers over the centuries, who have struggled with following the inspiration or doing the stuff that needs to be done for living... hauling water from the well, finding and growing food, washing out cloth diapers, which had to be spun and woven to start with....  (Maybe those chores of living before modern conveniences explains some of why there are so few women artists known before the last century!)  Anyway...that is a lot of "lost great works" out there in what must be a huge warehouse...an explanation for the Milky Way?

Clint's entry mentions an essay by Paul Graham on procrastination, where he says, "impressive people I know are all procrastinators...they put off working on small stuff to work on big stuff...small stuff is work that has zero chance of being mentioned in your obituary." 

My bills aren't paid, the class I'm teaching is not prepared, the county fair takes off in full force in the morning, the laundry is piling up, I forgot to think about supper tonight while I researched ways to save on communication expenses, and all I want to do is paint! For now, I am satisfied with procrastinating on sleep for the creativity of just writing this blog.  I can't procrastinate the fair in order to paint...we have two really big sheep, and an even bigger boy to prepare for tomorrow's show! So sometimes the difference in small stuff and big stuff has to be the timing of things beyond one's control. 

Paul Graham thinks, "the way to 'solve' the problem of procrastination is to let delight pull you instead of making a to-do list push you. Work on an ambitious project you really enjoy, and sail as close to the wind as you can, and you'll leave the right things undone."

Our youngest graduates from high school this year...soon we won't have as many activities, allowing me to open up some space in the cosmic warehouse!   Meanwhile, my current (and very long-term) ambitious project is being a great mother.  When I let the delight of that calling pull me, I can leave some painting undone and still end up with a decent obituary.  Thank you, Clint, for the thoughts.

A little escape from reality

Ha! I was enjoying a friend's blog where she posts free images for use in altered books and collages.   This image made me laugh and led me to wonder if the couple pictured here went through the same sorts of decisions, fun, frustrations, and stresses experienced in wedding planning of the 2010 variety.  Where did they go from this point in their life?  How many attended the wedding?  Was it a wonderful party?  Wouldn't a picnic in the woods seem appropriate?  Did they ever see those wedding guests again? Was he a military officer?  Did she have a career?  Were they successful...healthy...happy?  How many children did they have?  Did the parents in the background worry about them?  Did all those children gathered round them remember the event?  Whose shoe is the little boy in front hiding?  Did the dog act as ring bearer?  Isn't it interesting to notice the distinct age groups shown?

Three weeks out from my first daughter's wedding, number two just off to college, and number three gone to football practice...life is returning to its somewhat normal routine.  It gives me a chance to think again.  I'm cleaning house, finishing a painting, reading a book (The Fiery Cross by Gabaldon), and may do some filing and sorting...better hurry, because the county fair is next week!  That's always several days of intense distraction.  We'll do the sheep show again, and have a booth with the aerial photography.  The show choir sings and works concessions for the grandstand shows (Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Rodney Atkins).  And school starts in two weeks!   Isn't it fun to escape for a bit with this Victorian painting?

I've been a bit out of the blogger mode, while preparing and recovering for my oldest daughter's wedding.  My artistic (sewing) skills were in emergency demand when the dress returned from the alterations "expert", less than a week before the big day, in a lumpy mess:  twisted boning, crooked hem, puckered neckline, bent backward side seams and zipper, buttons that floated away from the zipper with no hooks... gathered skirt pulled with double fullness at the sides  I spent nearly all of 3+ days taking it all apart and putting it back together.  Then we drove 7 hours to the groom's graduation from USAF pilot training, and 7 hours back just in time for the rehearsal!  The photo shows the final fitting--at the church!  It worked...hallelujah!  She was fabulously beautiful and so happy.  I'm amazed at how much time it takes to de-compress from all that!  Check out her last 4 blog posts for a good laugh at the stressful situation:  www.seemaikablog.blogspot.com.

Governor's Residence Exhibit February-March

I just received word from The Nebraska Arts Council that my time slot for the Governor's Residence Exhibit will be February 9-March 11, 2011.  Yea!  This gives me time to complete a few more pieces and hopefully won't interfere with too many other family activities.  Be sure to get to Lincoln during those dates to see the show and enjoy the beautiful building where our Governor lives.  Regular tours are scheduled for Thursdays, but if that doesn't work for you, it's fairly easy to schedule a special visit.  Check out the Residence web site.  photo of residence:  http://www.governorsresidence.ne.gov/images/mansion_main.jpg

Governor's Mansion!!

I am honored and excited.  I've just been notified that I am accepted to the Governor's Mansion Exhibition Program!  This is an awesome program sponsored by the Nebraska Arts Council.  They chose 10 artists for the coming year, each of which will have a month long, one-artist exhibition in the beautiful gallery/meeting room in the basement of the Governor's Mansion in Lincoln.  The application process was interesting...totally online through a site called slideroom.com.

The painting shown on the left, Finding My Way, is only 6" x 4".  Originally done for a "postcard" contest with the National Collage Society, it was one of  five images included with my application to the Governor's show.

Quasquacentennial

What a word!  Our little town , Imperial, Nebraska, is celebrating 125 years of existence this year and the party is set for this weekend.  There will be singing, water games, turtle races, fireworks, history displays at the county museum and the city library, cake decorating and pie eating contests, a quilt show, Miss Nebraska, carriage rides AND...and art show!  We will have at least 15 local artists displaying work in the Catholic fellowship hall on Broadway, Saturday 9-5.  A vote will be taken for the people's favorite choice of artwork.  One of my works, shown at left, will be Brome Forest, which won an honorable mention award at the recent Association of Nebraska Art Clubs Convention Juried Competition.  Come and enjoy!