Today was a good one, with my employer pleased to have the paperwork arrive for the 2010 Maturango Museum solo.
Best friend Sheila was there. She hangs around AlbaStudios, mostly to give me some good play time, strokes, hugs and tasty treats. She also helps my Benny human. For example, today Sheila marked some paper and then stuck stamps on it... put the fresh covers on my dog bed... learned how to make a bead using a torch, how to prepare the mandrel with a special release gop before you wrap hot glass around it and took a good look at what the further steps and materials available are for making necklaces.
According to my employer, the best help that Sheila did today happened during their perusing a coupla thesaurus. There they were, noses buried in books, thinking of what the title should be for the Maturango Museum show. The theme of the show is roads... Most of their visitors are foreigners on their way into the great wonders of the Big Parks... One big hole is called the Grand Canyon. I haven't been there yet. Sheila said "View Points" and then later Benny added to the title, so it is "American View Points". That fits the show perfectly. Roads... references to Native American traditions and European traditions... mingling but not homogenous. Early and late travelers into the continent. That's what that series means! Bravo, Sheila!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Catching UP
Bandit here. It's hard for a feller to describe some of the more important facets of life when there's been a long hiatus of telling. You know, you see a pal after a long time and you think, "what's worth telling?" and "we're friends, so let's just move forward". So maybe I should but then again, a dog's gotta brag a little bit about his life. So here's the deal.
There's a group that meets at AlbaStudios. It's The Copper Plate Specials. These are artists who put ground glass onto copper then fire it in a horribly hot box until the glass melts, fusing onto the copper. Mostly the process is waiting for the glass covered metal to cool so the human can put yet more ground glass onto it. It's called "enameling". Not much to smell but what's great is that there's folk in the studio. And what's better is that one is a very young member. In fact, she's still in her baby carrier.
My part starts when my employer goes to answer the door. AlbaStudios safety is my job. I pay close attention to who is at that door. Benny does the opening, then I check out the possible. When the puppy comes in, my work expands to a more interesting level. I accompany the pup to the couch, where her carrier is placed on a coffee table. I'd like to groom her a bit but the human mother says no, thanks, for some strange reason. Usually the puppy sleeps though lately she's gotten a bit more rambunctous with wanting to look around. There's a lot to see in this place. For one thing, there's the sandblasted tall ceiling and beams, all smelling great. Right over the coffee table (it's generally used for a foot stool) a Calderish mobile flutters, looking like blue sky and white clouds. It's hanging from fishing filament from that tall ceiling so far above.
Like I said, the puppy has gotten restless. Fussing a bit. Enough that one session her mother forgot a baby blanket. My employer put it on the coffee table so it would be noticed the next visit. I left it there too, as lost and found needs the human to arrive for claiming ownership. So, the next visit she did.... after I pulled it over to her that is. I also brought the baby's equiptment bag to the mother, dragging it using only my smallest of front teeth attached to it's corner so as to be very careful. I think that she appreciated the help. So now I'm a lost and found items transporter, which suits me fine.
The mother fed the puppy, tried to get her to calm down but the kid was wide awake. We tried the bump the Calder mobile, with it's teardrop shaped parts bouncing and spinning. No luck with that puppy. And not happy if the mother was more than inches away. I attempted to sooth the kid but nothing would do. After a long time, my employer Benny Alba took a break (remember, the metal takes time to go from cherry red hot to cool enough to touch). Benny sat next to the baby, rocking the carrier, while I had my head on the coffee table to help. After a long time the puppy fell asleep! My employer, who is also an enamelist, went back to the main work station.
That left the puppy unattended! I was completely shocked as she'd indicated that she wanted company quite distinctly. What to do, I thought. What to do. Earlier, when the mother turned her head the opposite direction of the baby, I had bumped her with my nose but she ignored that.
Well, a solution came to mind. That mother needed to get right back and make sure that the baby got all it needed asleep or not. So I went over to her and, just like I did with the diaper bag, took hold of her sweater. I PULLED the sweater she was wearing about a foot towards the baby. THAT got her ATTENTION. This time I figured it was imperative that she get back to her mothering. So she squeaked, "Bandit, let go!" and my employer said "no". Since what I wanted was done... I am such an effective guy, I let up.
Problem solved! Mission accomplished. And I get more biscuits too.
There's a group that meets at AlbaStudios. It's The Copper Plate Specials. These are artists who put ground glass onto copper then fire it in a horribly hot box until the glass melts, fusing onto the copper. Mostly the process is waiting for the glass covered metal to cool so the human can put yet more ground glass onto it. It's called "enameling". Not much to smell but what's great is that there's folk in the studio. And what's better is that one is a very young member. In fact, she's still in her baby carrier.
My part starts when my employer goes to answer the door. AlbaStudios safety is my job. I pay close attention to who is at that door. Benny does the opening, then I check out the possible. When the puppy comes in, my work expands to a more interesting level. I accompany the pup to the couch, where her carrier is placed on a coffee table. I'd like to groom her a bit but the human mother says no, thanks, for some strange reason. Usually the puppy sleeps though lately she's gotten a bit more rambunctous with wanting to look around. There's a lot to see in this place. For one thing, there's the sandblasted tall ceiling and beams, all smelling great. Right over the coffee table (it's generally used for a foot stool) a Calderish mobile flutters, looking like blue sky and white clouds. It's hanging from fishing filament from that tall ceiling so far above.
Like I said, the puppy has gotten restless. Fussing a bit. Enough that one session her mother forgot a baby blanket. My employer put it on the coffee table so it would be noticed the next visit. I left it there too, as lost and found needs the human to arrive for claiming ownership. So, the next visit she did.... after I pulled it over to her that is. I also brought the baby's equiptment bag to the mother, dragging it using only my smallest of front teeth attached to it's corner so as to be very careful. I think that she appreciated the help. So now I'm a lost and found items transporter, which suits me fine.
The mother fed the puppy, tried to get her to calm down but the kid was wide awake. We tried the bump the Calder mobile, with it's teardrop shaped parts bouncing and spinning. No luck with that puppy. And not happy if the mother was more than inches away. I attempted to sooth the kid but nothing would do. After a long time, my employer Benny Alba took a break (remember, the metal takes time to go from cherry red hot to cool enough to touch). Benny sat next to the baby, rocking the carrier, while I had my head on the coffee table to help. After a long time the puppy fell asleep! My employer, who is also an enamelist, went back to the main work station.
That left the puppy unattended! I was completely shocked as she'd indicated that she wanted company quite distinctly. What to do, I thought. What to do. Earlier, when the mother turned her head the opposite direction of the baby, I had bumped her with my nose but she ignored that.
Well, a solution came to mind. That mother needed to get right back and make sure that the baby got all it needed asleep or not. So I went over to her and, just like I did with the diaper bag, took hold of her sweater. I PULLED the sweater she was wearing about a foot towards the baby. THAT got her ATTENTION. This time I figured it was imperative that she get back to her mothering. So she squeaked, "Bandit, let go!" and my employer said "no". Since what I wanted was done... I am such an effective guy, I let up.
Problem solved! Mission accomplished. And I get more biscuits too.
LTNS, Long Time, No See
Perhaps I'll get lucky. No posts forever as my other service kept freezing access at every attempt to access the blog. So it's not for lack of trying. Today I got up the courage... and voila, I'm in!
Will post AFTER finally getting to remove the extra images from past posts.
Will post AFTER finally getting to remove the extra images from past posts.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Blue Light Special
A few days ago an acquaintance stopped by, having forgotten a scarf during a previous visit. Sabrina is a poet and painter. She had shown me her paintings while interviewing for an empty studio a few months back. I liked them-- as well as those by her sister, a resident of another state. She mentioned that she's concentrating on her writings right now and then, later, said that her work table for art is currently used in the kitchen for an eating surface. What a pity, I thought! We strolled about the studio, with my pointing out a drop leaf table rescued from the roadside that needed a home. "First come, first given" I told her, hoping that she could use it. I'm one of those types who drives a large enough car to rescue recycleable items and do. The longest turnaround for this hobby was the wheel barrow (with only one final step in it's assembly, all parts there), which took a year of asking those who drop by the studio. I'm not so good at conversation so this gives me a topic.
Within days she had a pal to help her transport the table. The pal, Mary Jean, had rented an electric car in San Francisco. Those cars are nifty! Mary Jean, dressed in capris with cool dangles, is a full on personality very different from the quiet type of Sabrina. Her eyes absorbed everything, her comments vivid and she seemed quick and intense in her understanding of the world. During the visit I described, for some reason that I can't recall, an airplane ride that I took as a maybe 7 yr old? We were in a Super Ventura, which was a converted bomber, replete with the bomb doors still in the cockpit. At the end of the flight, the pilot discovered that one of the retracted wheels would descend but not lock into place. With the copilot taking over, the pilot, a high level genius and do it all hands on kinda guy, not only conversed with Boeing (the manuf.) but also went down thru the bomb door to access the wheels. We circled the airport for four hours to no avail. I can still remember the pattern of the different lights for the runways, access roads and taxiways. All airport taxiways are lined with cobalt blue glass lights that glow softly. I've always been fond of them for their beauty. Since the emergency landing trip, I can still hear the morse code radio sound of the airport, which I suppose was part of the navigational system. As I recall, the door to the cockpit remained open during the final minutes of the flight.
As I finished my story (and I will here too, at the end of this but you already know that I lived), Mary Jean said that her father was the one who created/invented the blue glass for those lights. After she'd told me of his many accomplishments, including working with space stations (NASA), I was very impressed and wished that I had gotten to know him, an electrical engineer. I asked her if she had a sample of that taxiway blue glass lamp cover and was informed that no, she didn't. That triggered a studio search for a present.
Years ago, while at an artist refuge in Basin, Montana, a bunch of we artists would zip to a distant town for amusement. Basin itself had part of one road paved and about 50 homes, a pizza parlor, a pottery shop and a cafe that was also the bar and the laundromat. For further amusement we had to go further for more choices. Going to the dump to acquire materials for a play, or driving to the gas station (10 miles, Total: 1 library, 1 hardware store and a movie rental place, 2 grocery stores adjacent to each other) or to see the larger populations of Helena and Butte, both over an hour's drive away and more. The last two had many pawn/ junk stores and yes, drum roll, that's where I purchased an airport blue glass lamp cover. I passed up a fascinating pair of Inuit sealfur pants... I'd have to be shorter and very much more slim to use them! Slim sounds good, shorter no, thanks.
At long last I found the blue glass in the back area of the studio and passed it on to it's rightful owner. She seemed pleased to have it. And yes, we landed ok -- on one wheel, balanced for a while, then the wing tip touched down to scrape a groove in the grass covered dirt, not even the pavement, for a short distance. All hail and thanks to the incredible finesse of the pilot. He chose to rely on his skills rather than have the runway "foamed" to lessen the friction and reduce the fire hazards. A question of whether to be a bar of soap on a bubble bath wet bathroom floor or attempt a ballarina on pointe performance with a plane carrying two families and many children. We landed dry. Being the youngest, I was strapped onto the couch and immediatly started asking for release as I was sure we'd burst into flames.
This meeting of we two women can make one think of how small a world this is.... or was it a message from her father or mine to we who remain alive these days? A little fun twinkle in the eyes of the universe is what I think, serindippity too.
Oh, and in case you notice those long red straps hanging out of the underside of an airplane while it's on the ground? Those are tags to catch the eyes of the mechanic who might forget the rag that he shoved up into the gear to keep the oil from soiling the concrete underneath. A good pilot visually examines his plane... carefully.
Within days she had a pal to help her transport the table. The pal, Mary Jean, had rented an electric car in San Francisco. Those cars are nifty! Mary Jean, dressed in capris with cool dangles, is a full on personality very different from the quiet type of Sabrina. Her eyes absorbed everything, her comments vivid and she seemed quick and intense in her understanding of the world. During the visit I described, for some reason that I can't recall, an airplane ride that I took as a maybe 7 yr old? We were in a Super Ventura, which was a converted bomber, replete with the bomb doors still in the cockpit. At the end of the flight, the pilot discovered that one of the retracted wheels would descend but not lock into place. With the copilot taking over, the pilot, a high level genius and do it all hands on kinda guy, not only conversed with Boeing (the manuf.) but also went down thru the bomb door to access the wheels. We circled the airport for four hours to no avail. I can still remember the pattern of the different lights for the runways, access roads and taxiways. All airport taxiways are lined with cobalt blue glass lights that glow softly. I've always been fond of them for their beauty. Since the emergency landing trip, I can still hear the morse code radio sound of the airport, which I suppose was part of the navigational system. As I recall, the door to the cockpit remained open during the final minutes of the flight.
As I finished my story (and I will here too, at the end of this but you already know that I lived), Mary Jean said that her father was the one who created/invented the blue glass for those lights. After she'd told me of his many accomplishments, including working with space stations (NASA), I was very impressed and wished that I had gotten to know him, an electrical engineer. I asked her if she had a sample of that taxiway blue glass lamp cover and was informed that no, she didn't. That triggered a studio search for a present.
Years ago, while at an artist refuge in Basin, Montana, a bunch of we artists would zip to a distant town for amusement. Basin itself had part of one road paved and about 50 homes, a pizza parlor, a pottery shop and a cafe that was also the bar and the laundromat. For further amusement we had to go further for more choices. Going to the dump to acquire materials for a play, or driving to the gas station (10 miles, Total: 1 library, 1 hardware store and a movie rental place, 2 grocery stores adjacent to each other) or to see the larger populations of Helena and Butte, both over an hour's drive away and more. The last two had many pawn/ junk stores and yes, drum roll, that's where I purchased an airport blue glass lamp cover. I passed up a fascinating pair of Inuit sealfur pants... I'd have to be shorter and very much more slim to use them! Slim sounds good, shorter no, thanks.
At long last I found the blue glass in the back area of the studio and passed it on to it's rightful owner. She seemed pleased to have it. And yes, we landed ok -- on one wheel, balanced for a while, then the wing tip touched down to scrape a groove in the grass covered dirt, not even the pavement, for a short distance. All hail and thanks to the incredible finesse of the pilot. He chose to rely on his skills rather than have the runway "foamed" to lessen the friction and reduce the fire hazards. A question of whether to be a bar of soap on a bubble bath wet bathroom floor or attempt a ballarina on pointe performance with a plane carrying two families and many children. We landed dry. Being the youngest, I was strapped onto the couch and immediatly started asking for release as I was sure we'd burst into flames.
This meeting of we two women can make one think of how small a world this is.... or was it a message from her father or mine to we who remain alive these days? A little fun twinkle in the eyes of the universe is what I think, serindippity too.
Oh, and in case you notice those long red straps hanging out of the underside of an airplane while it's on the ground? Those are tags to catch the eyes of the mechanic who might forget the rag that he shoved up into the gear to keep the oil from soiling the concrete underneath. A good pilot visually examines his plane... carefully.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Beethoven & Flying in Pink
Time to do some catchup on the first days of moving to California. I had taken the human out for a walk around midnight. Everything smelled so good. We were new together.... life was looking good.
Humans, you may recall, can forget to plan ahead. It's not really their fault, just their kit, "clothing" they call it, is always changing. Although I'd done some earlier patrolling that evening, we needed to go out really late so the human grabbed a long pink velour bathrobe and a long pink raincoat, putting her back paws in some bright orange beach shoes. It was raining. I'd done my job (see earlier post about leadership). And we'd practiced formation, with my staying close to those shoes so she'd feel protected. We were on the way back to the den/house when my human started to lose focus.
The street is great. No traffic most hours... full of blind curves and not a shortcut to anywhere. Narrow too. My kinda street. My human stopped paying attention at that last blind curve near our den. Totally beautiful since she never even carries a flashlight. Some of us enjoy night and curse the streetlights, not the dark.
Well, guess what. There was another dog with his human surprising us! He was glad to see me. I was glad to see him. Unfortunately, my human wasn't sure, if she noticed at all, so when I went to meet him she didn't let go of the leash. It's about 8 ft. long. I picked up speed by the time the end was reached, with my employer horizontal to the ground. It sure was funny! Wish I could show you a picture.
Beethoven said that the first best thing of life was love, the second, surprises! Taking the gal waterskiing was fun.
Humans, you may recall, can forget to plan ahead. It's not really their fault, just their kit, "clothing" they call it, is always changing. Although I'd done some earlier patrolling that evening, we needed to go out really late so the human grabbed a long pink velour bathrobe and a long pink raincoat, putting her back paws in some bright orange beach shoes. It was raining. I'd done my job (see earlier post about leadership). And we'd practiced formation, with my staying close to those shoes so she'd feel protected. We were on the way back to the den/house when my human started to lose focus.
The street is great. No traffic most hours... full of blind curves and not a shortcut to anywhere. Narrow too. My kinda street. My human stopped paying attention at that last blind curve near our den. Totally beautiful since she never even carries a flashlight. Some of us enjoy night and curse the streetlights, not the dark.
Well, guess what. There was another dog with his human surprising us! He was glad to see me. I was glad to see him. Unfortunately, my human wasn't sure, if she noticed at all, so when I went to meet him she didn't let go of the leash. It's about 8 ft. long. I picked up speed by the time the end was reached, with my employer horizontal to the ground. It sure was funny! Wish I could show you a picture.
Beethoven said that the first best thing of life was love, the second, surprises! Taking the gal waterskiing was fun.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Installing a Show in Orinda's Library
Installing a Show in Orinda's Library
Today's a big day. A dog is always ready to help and I'm no exception. I can tell that something's up as the human is up hours before usual so I'm keeping close at paw. Sometimes a dog riding shotgun can make a big difference.
Yesterday the artist spray painted more tabletop easels with evil dusty black paint. I tell you, it's a dirty job around here doing security. Spray glue too, to mount wall text onto foam core. You have to be sure to know where the wind is blowing and stay clear of it. We've been spending more time than usual going from one work station to another in the studio all day. There's the gallery front room and all the way back to the 5 x 15' table. 7000 sq ft can mean a lot of trotting travel.
Today's job includes front door security. It's going to be tough as the crew will be lugging art to the big red horse, Lumbar Jack. In and out, in and out... it'll be one continuous question of who comes thru that door. Then there's the idiot check, which means looking around to figure out just what might be accidently left behind. Hope that's not me tho a long nap would be ideal after the work. A guy's gotta take a rest now and then with a big job like mine.
I'll post some photos of the show later.
Today's a big day. A dog is always ready to help and I'm no exception. I can tell that something's up as the human is up hours before usual so I'm keeping close at paw. Sometimes a dog riding shotgun can make a big difference.
Yesterday the artist spray painted more tabletop easels with evil dusty black paint. I tell you, it's a dirty job around here doing security. Spray glue too, to mount wall text onto foam core. You have to be sure to know where the wind is blowing and stay clear of it. We've been spending more time than usual going from one work station to another in the studio all day. There's the gallery front room and all the way back to the 5 x 15' table. 7000 sq ft can mean a lot of trotting travel.
Today's job includes front door security. It's going to be tough as the crew will be lugging art to the big red horse, Lumbar Jack. In and out, in and out... it'll be one continuous question of who comes thru that door. Then there's the idiot check, which means looking around to figure out just what might be accidently left behind. Hope that's not me tho a long nap would be ideal after the work. A guy's gotta take a rest now and then with a big job like mine.
I'll post some photos of the show later.
Those Sexy Dog's photos
I've been told that I can post photos of my pinup girl, Spot. There she is, lookin' good. She's my dream gal. She was giving me her best when the photo was taken. Not that she knew me but I figure she'll know when I get to travel the milky way star path later. I hear she'll be waiting for the human, Benny. If she'll take me, I'm ready.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Working the Job, supervisor for a day
I'm settled down for the evening, dictating once again to the assistant, Benny, to talk about my day. It was another big one.
I had supervisory tasks today but that's not how it all started. First I did some car security, while Benny visited an 83 yr old human. Now if you start thinking about that in dog years, it would be 581 but who's counting anyways? I prefer visiting the 104 yr old closer to the studio. Do the math on that one! The 104 yr old keeps special treats in her frig and has given me a special name of "Bandy". Sounds good. While I was guarding the car there was some strange guy nearby ripping up grass but not eating it. I considered joining him but didn't want to horn in. He might be earning some chow money. Took a prequel nap instead.
Next we went to the hardware store. There's a project afoot. Wrapping blocks of plywood in black cloth, then screwing on a bit of wood to act as the transition between the enamel and the wood. Course, there's glue involved. Sounds complicated, doesn't it? Something about a show in Orinda coming up soon. I went into the store. It's a cool place, Ace Ellis Hardware on Martin Luther King Jr Way. Most of it behind a counter so you just ask for what you want or describe the problem and out comes the good stuff. I was considering requesting biscuits. There's a bulging saddlebag load waiting for me at the studio thanks to the new pack member, Sheila, so I didn't. Anyways, the staff there gave me some attention, noting that I'm the new bodyguard. It felt good to pick up a connection or two.
We rode on, tying the reins of the red horse, "Lumbar Jack", on the hitching rail outside the studio. There's a mountain of paperwork to do, piling up like the snow drifts in Flagstaff. The assistant has been dodging it for weeks. Pretty soon we can just cut it into blocks and make an igloo or maybe put it into the Bay and call it an iceburg.
My assistant phoned an art pal to yap and have a good howl together. There's an English Bulldog, doing security in San Francisco for that artist, Lars Johnson. I hear that the painter/printmaker has a unique style of shapes and colors. All probably beyond me but I do know that he was a great help for my human when a feller brought a full-on looney tunes to help move his kit out of the studio loft storage. A former EMT, Lars just make it easy for the wacko to go do his arm waving and yelling outside. They talked about open studios, sales and style, managing guest artists and curators. Benny enjoyed having this artist park his newly acquired press at AlbaStudios for a year or so because it meant having another printmaker around.
Not long after that there was an attempt to decrease that mountainous iceburg of paperwork on the desk. Fortunately the new pack member, Sheila, rolled in. What luck, she had this incredible rawhide chew just for me! Didn't want it for herself, must have hunted well not long before. They say that the way to a feller's heart is thru his stomach and I'm no different than the rest. Of course, I could have had a fresh apricot but I left that to my assistant. She ate some late in the day and liked 'em.
Those two females have been working on remodeling my bank, where I make my deposits. LOADS of blackberry vine, redoing the trellis and wacking the rose bushes into better shape sure made it sunnier there. It makes a great riff raff barrier on the other side of the fence but who needs the stuff when you're visiting the bank? There's a comfy area of montbredia and iris that made for a good couch while I kept them company. That new pack member sure is a great help. They snuck out for ice cream while I took a break from supervising.
Then there was the start of wood panel preparation, from sneezy sawdust sanding and then fast gesso application. Gesso is this white liquid that goes underneath the paint. It keeps the canvas from rotting. It also make for a very absorbant surface for the colors. Made out of plaster of paris and other ingredients, the liquid dries fast. The apprentice is learning the special ways to move the brush, to keep a wet edge and to work really fast when it's not "watered down". She left with a ready to paint on canvas. More panel prep in the near future. There's a lot to learn and some really focused physical work to make the surfaces/substrates of paingings. Most folks have no idea what it takes to do it right as far as time, supplies and effort go.
I hear that I am going to have my portrait done. Sheila does spot on portraits of mostly mammals. Maybe some others too. I checked out her blog and saw some cats that she's done. The distillation/capture of their personalities was the best part... as well as interesting color choices for background color. I tried to sniff the computer screen, they looked so good. She does it as a job and also as a fundraiser for worthwhile causes.
My assistant says that Sheila is a generous person, liking to give. Benny says that she's looking forward to a year together with this real winner. "Definitely a star apprentices already!" The shakeout tour is still happening... but it's a fact. Some fellow is going to find this one and partner up, lucky guy. I've got my job but I'd rest my paws on her rug anytime. (You two foodteds say "I'd put my shoes under her bed anytime.") She's so good to me!
I had supervisory tasks today but that's not how it all started. First I did some car security, while Benny visited an 83 yr old human. Now if you start thinking about that in dog years, it would be 581 but who's counting anyways? I prefer visiting the 104 yr old closer to the studio. Do the math on that one! The 104 yr old keeps special treats in her frig and has given me a special name of "Bandy". Sounds good. While I was guarding the car there was some strange guy nearby ripping up grass but not eating it. I considered joining him but didn't want to horn in. He might be earning some chow money. Took a prequel nap instead.
Next we went to the hardware store. There's a project afoot. Wrapping blocks of plywood in black cloth, then screwing on a bit of wood to act as the transition between the enamel and the wood. Course, there's glue involved. Sounds complicated, doesn't it? Something about a show in Orinda coming up soon. I went into the store. It's a cool place, Ace Ellis Hardware on Martin Luther King Jr Way. Most of it behind a counter so you just ask for what you want or describe the problem and out comes the good stuff. I was considering requesting biscuits. There's a bulging saddlebag load waiting for me at the studio thanks to the new pack member, Sheila, so I didn't. Anyways, the staff there gave me some attention, noting that I'm the new bodyguard. It felt good to pick up a connection or two.
We rode on, tying the reins of the red horse, "Lumbar Jack", on the hitching rail outside the studio. There's a mountain of paperwork to do, piling up like the snow drifts in Flagstaff. The assistant has been dodging it for weeks. Pretty soon we can just cut it into blocks and make an igloo or maybe put it into the Bay and call it an iceburg.
My assistant phoned an art pal to yap and have a good howl together. There's an English Bulldog, doing security in San Francisco for that artist, Lars Johnson. I hear that the painter/printmaker has a unique style of shapes and colors. All probably beyond me but I do know that he was a great help for my human when a feller brought a full-on looney tunes to help move his kit out of the studio loft storage. A former EMT, Lars just make it easy for the wacko to go do his arm waving and yelling outside. They talked about open studios, sales and style, managing guest artists and curators. Benny enjoyed having this artist park his newly acquired press at AlbaStudios for a year or so because it meant having another printmaker around.
Not long after that there was an attempt to decrease that mountainous iceburg of paperwork on the desk. Fortunately the new pack member, Sheila, rolled in. What luck, she had this incredible rawhide chew just for me! Didn't want it for herself, must have hunted well not long before. They say that the way to a feller's heart is thru his stomach and I'm no different than the rest. Of course, I could have had a fresh apricot but I left that to my assistant. She ate some late in the day and liked 'em.
Those two females have been working on remodeling my bank, where I make my deposits. LOADS of blackberry vine, redoing the trellis and wacking the rose bushes into better shape sure made it sunnier there. It makes a great riff raff barrier on the other side of the fence but who needs the stuff when you're visiting the bank? There's a comfy area of montbredia and iris that made for a good couch while I kept them company. That new pack member sure is a great help. They snuck out for ice cream while I took a break from supervising.
Then there was the start of wood panel preparation, from sneezy sawdust sanding and then fast gesso application. Gesso is this white liquid that goes underneath the paint. It keeps the canvas from rotting. It also make for a very absorbant surface for the colors. Made out of plaster of paris and other ingredients, the liquid dries fast. The apprentice is learning the special ways to move the brush, to keep a wet edge and to work really fast when it's not "watered down". She left with a ready to paint on canvas. More panel prep in the near future. There's a lot to learn and some really focused physical work to make the surfaces/substrates of paingings. Most folks have no idea what it takes to do it right as far as time, supplies and effort go.
I hear that I am going to have my portrait done. Sheila does spot on portraits of mostly mammals. Maybe some others too. I checked out her blog and saw some cats that she's done. The distillation/capture of their personalities was the best part... as well as interesting color choices for background color. I tried to sniff the computer screen, they looked so good. She does it as a job and also as a fundraiser for worthwhile causes.
My assistant says that Sheila is a generous person, liking to give. Benny says that she's looking forward to a year together with this real winner. "Definitely a star apprentices already!" The shakeout tour is still happening... but it's a fact. Some fellow is going to find this one and partner up, lucky guy. I've got my job but I'd rest my paws on her rug anytime. (You two foodteds say "I'd put my shoes under her bed anytime.") She's so good to me!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Bandit here again. I'm told that my job doesn't include a trip this year to check out this path but that I can look forward to it another time. Just check out the photo... a path with PLENTY of trees. Lots of humans just don't understand about leadership marking. Some of you may not understand that a leader's frequent pee stops are from carrying an important job! It's not just sign for others to read to see who's been around, what gender and a health report. Nope. We're better than that. Why, a dog is marking a trail! Sometimes a pack member lags and needs to find where everyone else is. The leader is responsible and he'd better drink up.
So, partner, when your pal stops to make sign, think about it. Who's the leader here, doing his job?
So, partner, when your pal stops to make sign, think about it. Who's the leader here, doing his job?
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Wheee, a blog!
Hello.
Bandit the art studio dog here. I'm a wacky looking kinda feller. Still very new in these parts. I put out a call for a new human a few months ago while residing in jail in Flagstaff, Az. Since my outfit includes heavy Akita fur, well, maybe it was kinda strange to accept a ride from a stranger headed out California way. Hard to leave the deep snow around the jail. Besides, my camo outfit worked great there. One of my ancestors was an Australian Cattle Dog. My coat's white with black spots, combined to look grey but for a few parts. Makes me almost invisible when I want to keep quiet lookin'. Still, worth it as the folks who'd bunked me just before didn't have a handle on what type of guy I am. They called me "deaf", which I'm not. It's just that I'm not accustomed to being talked to much, having lived on my own in those parts.
My human, that's an artist who's hired me to keep a handle on an art studio outfit, and I have been bunking together since before Easter. That human is talkin' up a storm to me and well, seein' as how she's a woman and all that, I've tried to keep it to a mim. but she's kinda growing on me. Being a feller, you can understand why for a bunch of months and sometimes now, I just pick up and leave for another part of the den when she's not paying attention to me. Still, I kinda like this new life so I'm going to sit down now and then, rest my tail on the ground and talk story about my life. It's improved enough that it might be worth while jawin' about it.
Bandit the art studio dog here. I'm a wacky looking kinda feller. Still very new in these parts. I put out a call for a new human a few months ago while residing in jail in Flagstaff, Az. Since my outfit includes heavy Akita fur, well, maybe it was kinda strange to accept a ride from a stranger headed out California way. Hard to leave the deep snow around the jail. Besides, my camo outfit worked great there. One of my ancestors was an Australian Cattle Dog. My coat's white with black spots, combined to look grey but for a few parts. Makes me almost invisible when I want to keep quiet lookin'. Still, worth it as the folks who'd bunked me just before didn't have a handle on what type of guy I am. They called me "deaf", which I'm not. It's just that I'm not accustomed to being talked to much, having lived on my own in those parts.
My human, that's an artist who's hired me to keep a handle on an art studio outfit, and I have been bunking together since before Easter. That human is talkin' up a storm to me and well, seein' as how she's a woman and all that, I've tried to keep it to a mim. but she's kinda growing on me. Being a feller, you can understand why for a bunch of months and sometimes now, I just pick up and leave for another part of the den when she's not paying attention to me. Still, I kinda like this new life so I'm going to sit down now and then, rest my tail on the ground and talk story about my life. It's improved enough that it might be worth while jawin' about it.
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