Catching up

The new house sucks up all my time, so I haven't made any new art since the last big installation in May. I have been researching bamboo - I would like to try my hand at huge weavings. I was inspired by the Martin Puryear show here at the Fort Worth Modern. I've always been excited by the possibilities of bamboo as it is a renewable, fast-growing resource for "lumber," and it is stronger than most wood. We need to get away from cutting down our trees and work with new materials (not petroleum sourced) for building homes and creating all sorts of items.

When I did the piece at the Botanic Gardens, I was next to a large grove of bamboo, and I know they cut down some on a regular basis. They also use some of the large pieces in the Japanese Garden for decorative elements. So I started thinking about how I could use it in an artwork. I will need to do a large work with the kids next year that doesn't involve big stones - they can't really handle it. A big installation of bamboo would be cool, and it would teach them several things about weaving, about using small things to make big things, how to scale up, etc. It's OK if it's temporary, too.

I am at work late today to "babysit" the Life Drawing session for the Texas Artists Coalition, so I brought my board and my charcoal and some paper. Maybe I'll start a new drawing. I guess it depends on whether I get the rest of my work done before that. I have one e-letter to finish and another to start before I head out on vacation tomorrow, as well as some contracts and call backs and now I'm starting to get worried. I'll get back to work now...