“Countryside,” Organic Materials, 250′ x 250′, NY, NY.  Stan Herd.

No time to do this justice this evening, as I’ve got a rollerblade date.  But I had breakfast this morning in Lawrence with Scott Richardson, who sort of represents Stan Herd.  There’s a movie being considered about a piece of crop art that Stan  did in NY 10 years ago (image above, note car for scale), with some homeless folks.  Upper West Side, along the Hudson.  Scott and a screenwriter wanted to discuss the project.  So we did, over cappuccino and crumpets.

Stan kills me.  While some people might think I’m a character, he’s a real character, no bones about it.  He’s from southwest Kansas, lives in Lawrence, and is the best damned crop artist in the world.  He would have joined us this morning, but ABC just hired him to do a logo for a fall show in some big freaking wheat field.  So he was out on his tractor.  Too bad.  Always dig his stories.

It’s 95 degrees here.  I’m going blading.   

It was a year ago, as the spring leg of my book tour was winding up, that I spoke in Paducah, KY.  This was my last gig after Cincinnati, Columbus and Indianapolis.

Why, after LA, Yale and Chicago, did I speak in this relatively small city?  Well, as many of you may know, Paducah undertook an ambitious program several years ago to help artists migrate there.  Basically you could buy an old building or house very cheaply, provided you renovated the thing and moved in.  As a consequence, scores of artists did.  I toured at least a dozen studios and galleries.  Very cool how this thing has come together.  It took guts, risk, and years of hard work.

My signing was in the Maiden Alley Theatre, a stone’s throw from the Ohio, which Jim and Huck had once planned to sneak up, had they not taken a wrong turn at Cairo.  I love the big rivers, and river towns.  Paducach is one of the few to have pulled off such a cultural coup.  Well worth a visit.

Here’s an image of a logo we interpreted as sculpture for one of my clients.  The backing is made of aluminum slats finished with three different textures.  The lettering and logo are made of cast glass, 2″ thick.  I like the way it turned out, but the lighting isn’t dramatic enough yet.  Those changes will be made later.

Logo design and sculpting by Erik Beier and 3-Axis. Glass casting by Dierk Van Keppel and his studio, Rock Cottage Glass.

Began hanging works for one of my corporate clients the other day.  These are two out of dozens we’ll be installing.  Julie Hansen’s abstracted landscape is in the background, photography by Jon Bidwell in the foreground.  Very nice pieces, but they don’t reflect the tendency of the collection, which will vary from highly contemporary pieces in all media, to figure, to landscape.  Variety is a good thing.

I’d identify the client, but most of mine don’t like to be discussed via internet.  Even so, I’ll have plenty to show on this project as it matures over the next year.

Oh yeah, the photo.  Hey, I know it sucks.  I’m no great shooter.  Besides, the client prefers to keep things vague for now.

Stephen Protheroe working on one piece, out of 225, for a corporate client.  This particular piece is being blown at the Pittsburgh Glass Center in PA.  Man, looks hot.

“Digital Rift,” by Susan White

Helped an artist named Susan White gain acceptance into a significant corporate collection.  But now I’m being absurd.  “Helped.”  She did the work, and exceptional it is too: a patterned burning technique on archival paper that is exquisite but must be tedious to execute.  Me?  All I did was arrange the matchmaking.

“Bridgesphere,” Cedar, by William Lobdell

Found this rather amazing dude, William Lobdell, in St. Louis.  He’s executing a monumental wall piece for one of my corporate clients.  The work above is a slight indicator of how it will look.  Cedar and metal.  Believe it will be extraordinary.  He’s been a pleasure to work with, and I don’t expect that to change.  Not looking forward to hanging the blasted thing though: 300 lbs.  Great.

Our last night in Colorado was spent in Denver, where an old friend and I took my teenage sons on a walking tour of downtown.  Place was hopping. 

There was a gay “cowboy” in leather shorts and hat who followed us around Union Station, rather forlornly I thought.  That made me a little sad for him.  A drunk British chick, maybe 32, stumbled out of a bar and began hitting on my 18-year-old son.  I stood nearby and listened, amused.  Embarrassed, he wasn’t interested in any “old lady.”  That was even more amusing.  We rode the trams, wandered through some very edgy galleries–unlike most of those in CO–and ate at a gourmet pizza joint.  Good pizza.  God I do love Denver.

Finished screenplay upon arriving home.  Off it goes to the critics on Wednesday, final draft later this month, then to an agent in NY.  We’ll see how it shakes out.

Now for the 4th: picnic tomorrow, ball game to play, homemade ice cream to eat, a few fireworks to blow off, and a family to love.  Also ample time for mischief.