Saturday, September 18, 2010

the underbelly of purple things

Three artists get together over wine, salmon stew, and a little somethin' somethin' else. Combine our welding / design / engineering / plumbing / mosaic experience with another interested buddy with shipbuilding / woodworking skills, and here's what happens over dinner - ridiculous sketches for a 15' tall, way-too-phallic, stump sculpture that may go in the front yard sometime this winter.

These kinds of ideas come and go all the time. What makes the difference is actually getting down and dirty and starting the work. Then continuing to work. And getting it finished, even through the end phases when you hate it and think it sucks.

But the magic of art is that it never sucks if you actually work hard and finish it. It always works out. (You also have to listen to your instincts and follow your own style and process... I've seen projects not turn out because the artist is trying to do something that's not within them. I've done that fer sure.)

We'll see if this project goes. There's more sketches than this one, and some pretty neat ideas, but the concept and design needs significant fleshing-out and refinement.

Early fall is big-jellyfish-season, and let me tell ya, those jellyfish are BIG. No more evening swims, I need to be able to spot those sumbitches. Last night an 18" diameter purple bastard bumped against my chin while I was swimming. If my mouth was open, I would have been suckin' gelatinous guck.

I got a few jellyfish zaps on my arms and shoulders while swimming last night, so these ones sting - unlike the hand-sized jellyfish that I've been swimming through all summer. None of the stings were bad enough to leave a welt, but I bet it would suck if I stuck my hand right into the underbelly of one of those purple dudes.

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