Thursday, November 1, 2007

"Art in the Park", Flagstaff Arizona

I've talked of my first "Hopi" Kachina dance in "Moenkopi" and the old "Hopi" man dressed as a soldier. Last evening after getting blog out, took my normal bike ride, except this was Halloween night. You rarely see trick or treat kids any more, because they now have a big party at the park now, so the kids are safe. It was dark, but I saw a father and his kid out going house to house, only ones I saw on ride. So I pull up to them to say, their the only ones I'd see all night, first noticed child was dressed as soldier and was Native American. Said to father you didn't look Indian, he replied he was mix, but no Indian in him, asked about child, father said, kids mother pure "Hopi". What were the odds of that happening? While all this was going on, a helicopter hoovered over us to the kids delight. Can't make these kind of thing up, or I'd be a famous writer, can only write about what I observe, no education in writing. Been carving wax models for jewelry about ten years now, had taken jewelery classes in high school and also at the Heard Museum. Still have first lost wax casting ring made thirty five years ago. Resolved to the fact that the phone was not going to ring for work, during learning periods.(That why I started blogging also) Needed a cheep way to kill "Time" before "Time" killed me and still be creative. You only need a few tool of exacto knifes, small files and carving wax from a jewelery finding store. Start up cost were minimal and you can always find someone to cast your waxes for about forty to fifty dollars a cast. This way you can create a one of a kind piece of jewelery art, an heirloom you could say. Carved two ring wax models, one for me and one for my daughter, then started looking for a caster. Got real lucky and found one near by, we agreed on cost and made appointment. Meet Ed P. my caster with over thirty years casting, he does work for a lot of finer "Scottsdale" jewelers. Ed P. looked at my work and said, don't know what you do for a living but you should stop and start doing this full "Time". Turns out wax carvers are a dieing breed in this day and age of go, go, and go faster. Never realized the "Kachina" carver connect until recently when I brought back some Cottonwood root. The wax and the wood are close in softness and texture. After ten years of carving and learning (not easy) to cast my own work part "Time", I was ready for my first show. A friend who is a food vendor told me he did the show in Flagstaff each year, had told me what a collection of old Hippies did the Flag show. This was good, I could fill comfortable with the people and if I failed, at least I'd be out of the valley. This way I could lick my wounds and sneak back down to the valley quitely. Ill prepared for adventure, but I could live with it, if nothing sold, at least I wouldn't be hand to mouth upon arrival back home. Besides I've have another agenda anyway, the things I say in my blog are the thing that I wanted to convey with my art. After getting use to rejection with in the first few hours, told the lady next to me selling Hippie dresses (my age) I could handle it, she just smiled. You get to see the soul of a city walk by, like sitting in a bar in a strange town. From my booth I could see the home of the "Kachinas" on San Francisco Peaks. People who come to these type shows are like the Rock hunters, all earth, no bull shit, class without money. I was only a few yards from the famous route 66 and the road to the "Grand Canyon", here I sat on my crossroad. bye It was all worth it when a lady came up to my booth and said, how simple, how beautiful, my response was if you want gaudiness go to the mall.

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