New mode

Hey people. It's totally become spring around here. This weekend it actually got up to 64! If it snows next week that will seem like a pretty dirty trick at this point, but anything's possible. People are talking about record flooding this year. Our river is a little high, but actually, so far, not as high as other years. (This is a deck down by the river's edge, not our house or anything.)

One time when there was a "100 year flood" a few years ago, the water got all the way through the fifteen or so acres of woods behind our house up to our back yard, but has never made it to our house. We're not really worried.

Last night after work me and Dan went down to the river and had a couple beers with the next door neighbors we share the woods with. Here's me with massive helmet head.

They are artists too, so are their two grown daughters-- an artist & a writer. We feel pretty lucky, to live here, and with such cool people.

I have a show in less than four weeks now. I have a commission waiting and my best gallery is calling for more work, and the others have told me they're waiting too. I'm also planning another open-studio this summer. I'm going into a heavy art making phase. This weekend though, all I wanted to work on was the lady I'm making for the trail-- whose name, turns out, is Tina.

Sometimes things just reveal themselves. This was painted on the race car chassis I'm using to cover her with. So Tina it is.

She also got a job.

And a sponsor! Hmm. I guess she's a racer. How did that happen?

Some of you may have noticed me referring to a girl racer named Sam in a few of the race posts. She's the pretty blond who's been starring in the "move it" Blue Cross/Blue Shield t.v. ads. Now they're sponsoring her and her hubs for the 2010 mtb race season. They'll probably be helicoptered in to races now and have "people" and stuff.

I have to admit this racing idea is getting to me. I'd like to try it some more, but there is the whole fear of failure thing to contend with. I'd have to work really hard to improve to become good enough. Def not there yet. We'll see.

I'm pretty into her. It took me three days to finish framing her out-- (she was just roughed in before), and cover most of her jersey, but I have to put her aside again now. I'd like to have her completely finished in time for the show and bring her to show off. You never know-- might get a commission off her.

After that she can go to her new home at the trail. She represents a new level in my work. I have a few other large human figures kicking around. Now when I look at them compared to her-- they don't really hold up.

I love the trail. It's more than a place to me. It's like a power cord-- a life line. It's opened up so many possibilities in the last couple of years-- given me a sport I'm getting pretty passionate about, that has really leveled me out, and introduced me to a bunch of new friends too. It makes me feel good that I can contribute something to the park that other people will be able to enjoy. Plus-- selfishly, I don't really want to give this one up. I'm really attached. This way I can kind of keep her too.

I'm going to really get cranking now, on "work work", and try to finish her on weekends and after the whistle blows. Time to weld. Have a good one people.