Playful bow

I started this piece around Thanksgiving.  Finding a new material I became distracted and have worked on other pieces since. dist. I am just now getting back to it. 

One of my favorite things about having a dog is the pure joyful fun they bring into our lives. When they want to play they do what we call in my house the playful bow. When they go into the playful bow mode they  bounce around to try to tease you into chasing or playing with them. They also do this with each other. 

This is the first playful bow piece. My plan is to complete 3-5 abstract dogs playing together. The piece will have lots of energy going in lot's of directions but all in harmony.  

I want to push the abstraction of the figures.  

Rusting wire cloth

I am running out of this upcycled wire cloth. I bought a new role and hope I can recreate the amazing patina of the upcycled material.  It is coated in zinc so it will not rust. The salvaged material has a bit of plaster and rust coating it that I want on my new wire cloth. 

Trying to recreate this finish  

Coating roll of wire cloth in plaster.  

Torching it to break down the zinc.  

Breaking off the plaster.  

Leaving it in rain to rust.  

One week later and not a touch of rust. 

I did a google search and it recommends spraying  an intense toilet bowl cleaner on the wire cloth to breakdown the zinc.  

Screen shot from google search

I used a different brand but very strong.  

12/24- success it rusted.  

Performance art piece- On my Dad's 89th birthday he suggested a performance/installation art idea for me. - I think?

I went home to celebrate my dad's 89th birthday. While at lunch he suggested I make some beef jerky by placing it between two pieces of wire cloth and hang it from a tree just like the Lewis' used to do when I was about four years old. The Lewis' were ranchers in the Guadalupe Mountains outside of Dell City (where I lived on a cotton farm). I often would find a brown paper bag in the seat of my Dad's pickup truck full of the most amazing beef jerky given to him from the Lewis family. I loved it.  He went on to say he thought it would be good for my work. I politely agreed and said I would take his suggestion. Afterwards my sister and I had a good giggle wondering what kind of work does he thinks I do? That said maybe he is on to something - the Homemade beef or vinison jerky making process could be a cool performance/installation work of art. Ina moment of giddiness my sister and I fantasized about my Dad's suggestion:  I could build a faux bois tree in front of Lawndale to hang the wire contraption that protects the lightly seasoned meat. When it is ready the viewers can sit in a 1950's/60's pickup truck and eat the piece (the jerky) from a brown paper bag and listen to some 60's tunes or news reports. 

I just reread this post and we were a l i t tle exhausted from preparing for his birthday celebration. 

My Dad wearing his 89th birthday party  crown.  

My sister and I throw him a birthday celebration every year. This year he wanted everyone to come to his place since it is too tiring for him to go anywhere. We brought breakfast tacos and silly holiday headbands to make it seam festive. My sister Janet Fortune and I also wrote a 12 days of Bob-pa's 89th Christmas adapting each verse to something we remember in his life.  We made my non singing family sing it to him. I repeat we do not sing. Our singing is so bad that we have used kazoos at birthday celebrations to sing happy birthday. 

Below are the words to the verses we wrote.  

The verses to our 12 days of Christmas.  

Party headbands  

My dad Bob Travis and my sister Janet Fortune after the serenade. 

He liked the song/birthday party and I got a great tip for a performance/installation art piece and some quality sister time. 

Happy holidays to all.  

"comb here" charcoal 2015

My Dad and son Griffin about 20 years ago.  

Hats

My hat thing has deep roots. When my grandmother Pina Mae Earp passed away I inherited her hats. We had just purchased a new home with nice high ceilings. I purchased an artificial tree to fit the ceilings then needed an economical way to decorate it. The hats were the perfect ornaments - just add a few bows. A few years later I found vintage beaded ornaments at a shop in the heights just like used to be on my grandmothers tree.  

Merry Christmas  

Houston art scene.

Brooklyn show January 19 - February 19

I am so excited to have the opportunity to show my work in Brooklyn. 

“The Figure:  Interpreted Through Contemporary Mediums”

Juror - Co-Executive Editor of ARTNews Barbara A. MacAdam
Site: Brooklyn, Brooklyn New York
January 19- February 19,2017
“shake shake shake I and II lenticular was selected. 

The address is  

Site:Brooklyn 165 7th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11215

The Gallery Exhibition Dates: January 19 – February 19, 2017, Opening Reception: Wednesday January 18, 2017 from 6-9PM

A hand written note - a moment that matters.

When a piece comes back from a show I always open the box, examine it for damages, and write the name of the show on the back of the piece. When I opened "comb here" - to my surprise out fell a hand written note. What a nice touch  from Amy of Impasto Art Gallery in Colorado.

"Comb here" handwritten thank you note from Impasto art gallery in Colorado and artist statement for drawing.  

The show was "moments that matter: Finding the Extraordinary in the ordinary".  

Thank you notes are extraordinary. 

Wise words...

...from my brother's granddaughter Abby (I can't bring myself to say my grand niece). She posted this on instagram.  

words for an artist to live by.  

Peace pigeon project #16

Basic  

Sweet creatures

Taking a cozy morning nap in front of my dishwasher.  

Tobi, and goose  

peace pigeon project # 15

Peace pigeon project - Friend

One thing I like about art is the people. The Houston art community is very supportive.  We all help each other and cheer each other on. A few weeks ago leaving TXRX I saw a big wooden wire spool by the road. I thought it might be a great pedestal for one of Barbara's found object pieces. I saved it for her. She ended up cutting up the spool for another piece. Peace pigeon #15 is a scrap from that spool. Barbara saved it for me. It is a beauty just like Barbara. I was very touched that she would go to the trouble to capture this pigeon for me. 

Thank you Barbara.  

Haunted studio tour

About once a month I take a quick studio video- just for kicks.  

This time I applied the haunted filter- tooooo cooool. I love this filter.  

"heritage" - at Houston Intercontinental Airport.

 https://www.facebook.com/tommy.gregory.507/posts/10103508117751076

My piece is in the opening shot.  

The things that make me smile

Just took delivery on this 6 drawing lenticular. I started this piece this summer. I had to jump through hoops to figure out how to make it life full size. It is too big to haul in my Jeep so I had it shipped directly to Paul's framing. I am so happy to see it. 

Peace pigeon project #14

Twigs and wire, another yard bird. 

Acid rain patina - 3 little Muensters

These bronze pieces are bronze with a liver of sulfur patina under a gold leaf. The problem with gold leaf is it looks gaudy until it ages. When it rains I put them outside to speed the process.  

drifting

 Thoughts? Art is supposed to start conversations. What conversation would this start at your dinner table, or with your friends?

?

This maybe the first piece to a new body of work? I am studying the piece and how it affects viewers.  

peace pigeon project #12

Bean pods and wire.  

My boots take a beating and keep on creating

Messy day with plaster.  

Peace pigeon project- Migration #13

 From a sombrero- 

The step by step is below. 

Migration  - found object (sombrero) 

Sombreros  

Covering the sombrero in wax to give it body.  

Heating the wax until it completely soaks into the straw.  

The heat gun gets so hot the piece is smoking.  

Lastly I shape it into a pigeon while it is hot. 

I am creating a sculpture a week of a German beak trumpeter pigeon with leg muffs. Each week I use a different material.  This pigeon was Picasso' peace dove.