Got into LA on Sat.  Met all day Sunday with a TV producer about my concept for a reality program that revolves around artists.  Don’t worry, it’s dignified–but man it has the passion.  He and I spent several hours refining the concept at his place in the hills near the Hollywood Sign, then went to a neighbor’s barbecue and hoisted a few beers.  Yeah, we worked on a Sunday.  It was the only time we could both fit it in.  Went well.  Believe I’ll be back out in April to begin pitching to networks.

More meetings on Mon.

Good old William Lobdell delivered this yesterday.  Forgot the title, and now that I’m in LA don’t have those files with me, but it’s a beauty.  8′ wide.  Redwood, cedar, steel, oil paint and some stain.  Like all his work, this one literally brings people in off the sidewalk.

 

 

Yesterday we took two groups of high school artists on a trip to Picher, OK.  The kids are from Lincoln Prep Academy and Shawnee Mission East.  Teachers and parents helped coordinate and organize.  Group effort as always. 

Why Picher?  It’s an old mining town that is slowly dying, and one of the largest Superfund Sites in the country.  My grandpappy was a miner there, and my dad grew up there.  It was home to the largest lead deposit in the world.  At one time it was a violent mining camp with an insane homicide rate.  Now it’s polluted, the land ruined.

I wanted these kids to see this place: the tailing piles, the retired miners impoverished yet dignified, and how the mining companies abused them for decades.  Also the govt.  There’s a lot to learn from stories like that, and these kids missed none of it.  I made sure they met some of the old miners, living in shacks now.  I also made sure they took in the worn texture and shades of the town and the mines.

We’ll do a show for them in May.  All the work will be inspired by the field trip.  I expect it to be quite a show.

This is a 3rd generation maquette by Matt as a proposal for a monumental sculplture in stainless steel, plate steel (painted black), and cast glass.  If we move forward with the design, it will be about 15′ tall.  Can’t discuss yet where it’s going, but that will be revealed eventually.

I think this design shows Matt’s ability quite well.  Now we just have to figure out how to build the freaking thing.  It’s only going to weigh about 4 tons; helluva cantilever too.

Well it ain’t the Rhine, but the Kaw River will do.  Brown Eyes and I took Mutt & Jeff for a walk in the spring weather yesterday.  Crocus have begun to emerge.  Didn’t spot any eagles, as you often can along the river, but the dogs did chase a couple of squirrels.  Damned glad winter’s over.