Sedona Artist: The Art of Doing Not Much

Sedona Artist: The Art of Doing Not Much: What a nice image. To do nothing. A white porcelain wall plaque,  with cobalt blue lettering, hanging right before you to amuse and inspir...

The Art of Doing Not Much

What a nice image. To do nothing. A white porcelain wall plaque,  with cobalt blue lettering, hanging right before you to amuse and inspire. 
The Spanish saying so makes me smile, that I put it into a  permanent, high fired ceramic art form. This style  of calligraphy is called " Brush lettering" , done with a rather small brush, held at an angle. Harder to write on clay than on paper, with its irregularities.
As of these past few weeks, I have been required to live this lifestyle. It is called " healing". I had a bit of surgery and the prescription is as follows: Do nothing; rest a lot; ice and elevate;  rest a lot.
 It makes me aware  that doing nothing is the most fun when the time and place is of your own choosing. Having to do not much of anything when it is necessity rather than choice, now there is the real test of this art form.
It is something to think about. Everything is a real joy when we choose it. Having to do something, even when it is nothing, well there is the challenge.

Teaching a New Book

Here I am with my sample book from the recent workshop I facilitated here in Sedona. I am sharing  a method of creating a book  composed of  single sheets of paper. The  sewing technique has an exposed Coptic stitch binding when completed. To those who have never made a book, this may  sound rather esoteric. Simply put, you sew each page to the one before it, then every two pages you loop together. This shows as a nice braided, Coptic, stitch on the spine. A thicker bookbinding or embroidery thread is used. Of course it is never Quite that simple. You  must be very careful not to rip your pages as you tighten them. I chose to make a paper cover, of a heavier stock than the pages. Covered mat board will also work, and can be more durable.
Since I had no words in this book, I wanted to add  embellishments, such as this pocket on the corner. I like books where you tuck in a little something. For paper, here is the same pattern that is on the cover, where I added a few gold metallic pipe cleaners  that came out of my wrapping box. You just never know what you need until you find it!
I think the most fun is to see how you give six individuals the same assignment, and the creations that arise are completely different and intriguing. It is always a  lesson  for me when I  teach.

Viewing the Eddie Basha Collection

Here I am in front of a sculpture by Sedona artist Susan Kliewar, at the Zelma Basha Salmeri Gallery in Chandler, AZ.
For those of us from Arizona, we recognize the name Basha from the grocery stores around the state, including the one in my home town of Sedona, AZ.
Eddie Basha began collecting art as a hobby during the 1970's under the guidance of his Aunt Zelma, hence the gallery name. He focused on western and American Indian Art.  Truly, I have never seen so many Joe Beeler bronze sculptures; paintings and cartoons  in one location.
Beeler was a founding  member of the "Cowboy Artists of America" , well represented in this collection.  This group started here in Sedona,while  in the Oak Creek Tavern. Now an upscale restaurant, it was the local bar with tacky red vinyl booths and a stuffed poler bear in the corner.  I remember it well. Ah those were the days. Living in Sedona  for thirty years, I am, and have been acquainted, with both Susan and Joe.
The Basha Collection is housed at the corporate headquarters, which has been there since the 1930's. Walls of covered adobe give the  collection an historical setting. Small rooms; hallways, and nooks, are painted vibrant colors to better show off the paintings; sculptures; baskets, and ceramics. The Gallery Director, who I had previously met, was kind enough to give us some more insight into the man who created this gallery, and the fun he had collecting. 
Admission is free, and it is open most days from 9 to 4 pm. 

Custom Calligraphy

Custom Calligraphy. What fun . What a process. Recently, a very  nice client  hired me to write out her own poem  in  calligraphy. She had seen  and purchased my calligraphy before, so she knew my capabilities.  I was only given final  dimensions for the finished work, which came to me  via the computer. There was quite a bit of writing.
 There is always that element of surprise in custom work. What is told about the job and what it actually entails are often somewhat different.  Once I saw the poetry,  my mind started imagining  about how best to go about this. Which alphabet would work the best?  Not a lot of room for flourishes. The Uncial style is a good alphabet for a lot of words in a small space, with all the letters in one line.  I had been given free reign on what to do, so that gives excitement, but also a sense of responsibility. Of course I want the client to be happy.
We had originally talked about black and white, but I was thinking  color. Black and white often looks like merely a copy, and I wanted to show off the originality of this work. Being  asked to do reproductions of this work, matted as above,  I liked the idea of color to add depth to the work. Dark blue or green was her request.
I chose a very dark blue watercolor to write out the letters. Due to the very nature of watercolor, there are hues within each stroke. When I first dip my pen, it comes out dark and opaque. As I write on, the color gets  lighter, then dark again as I dip my pen into my palette. I always like to leave plenty of space, so that the words stand out.
I would like to say I nailed it on the first try, but that would be a lie. I had  trial and errors; changes while visualizing and actually writing; and  lot of breaths before this calligrapher  could lay down her pen and say. " It is complete. I am satisfied."

The Activist Artist

Here I am in my latest artistic adventure. I am one of the authors in this recently published book entitled "Passing It On, Moving Stories of Activists -1960 to 2000,"  by Bev Jenai Myers. 
I like to write, hence my blog. It was nice being a part of a larger aesthetic  venue. 
You can find me on page 143, under the chapter entitled " Equal Rights". There are eight Sedona writers in this volume. Bev went far and wide for her stories, so authors are from all over.
I lived in Venice, CA. back in the seventies and early eighties. I got involved in politics, kind of by default.  The quote from my chapter reads": I know it made me angry that outsiders could come into my community with nary a thought of the humans they impacted. If my ocean view was going away, then I wanted it to mean something".
 We fought city hall for the developers to  include low cost housing. We lost.
I know it took a lot out of me. When I left the city in 1984, I was looking to take  a breather from politics. I found this small community called Sedona, in northern Arizona. Here I thought I would simply create my ceramics and seek new  new horizons with my calligraphy. Politics in the wilderness? Well, yes. 
The human condition is always with us, isn't it?