A Day in the Life of one Artist

Untitled Flower Drawing, 29″ x 23″ (74cm x 58cm), black pastel on Strathmore rag 2 ply Bristol

 Untitled Flower Drawing, 29″ x 23″ (74cm x 58cm), black pastel on Strathmore rag 2 ply Bristol

Edna and I got together to draw last Friday, June 15th.  Edna reported that she had several dreams about drawing the previous week.  The drawing took a different turn, as you can see.  The top drawing was done upside down from the way I’ve shown it.  We thought it was ho-hum, until we turned it upside down giving us a funny runaway cactus.  Then we did this “thicket.”  One of the important benefits of being an artist is that every day I walk into my studio, I’m not sure what is going to happen.  Every day offers a suprise.  We will get together tomorrow for some more surprises. 

Whirligig #37, 22″ x 18 1/2″ x 8 3/4″ (56cm x 47cm x 22cm), aircraft plywood, African mahogany, brass and assorted metal parts, sign paint

Whriligig #37

Three Independent Twirling Blades Sets

Shiny Brass Blades

Three Musical Tubes in C, E and G

Zypher Rated*

*blade rotation with 2 mph breeze 

Detail of Hub Assembly

I only finished this whirligig yesterday afternoon. There hasn’t been a wind significant enough to get it up to sound making speed. In fact, I don’t know if it will whistle at any speed. I only know that when I blow over the hollow brass tubes, I get a sound. The collars on the arms balance the blade sets.

Untitled Flower Drawing, 29″ x 23″ (74cm x 58cm), black pastel on Strathmore 2 ply rag Bristol

Untitled Flower Drawing, 29″ x 23″ (74cm x 58cm), black pastel on Strathmore 2 ply rag Bristol

Last Wednesday Edna and I got together for another day of drawing.  We only did two good drawings in the afternoon, because we had just two sheets left.  The local art supply stores were out.  Artisans had twelve sheets sent down from their Taos store, but they won’t have them until next Thursday.  Motion Industries only had two bearings when I needed six.  They won’t be in until next Wednesday.  When businesses have computers to keep track of their inventories, how can they be out of merchandise? 

Untitled Drawing, 29″ x 23″ (74cm x 58cm), black pastel on Strathmore rag 2ply Bristol

Untitled Drawing, 29″ x 23″ (74cm x 58cm), black pastel on Strathmore rag 2ply Bristol

Untitled Drawing, 29″ x 23″ (74cm x 58cm), black pastel on Strathmore rag 2ply Bristol

Last Friday, June 1st, Edna and I got together for another day of drawing.  This was our third session doing flowers.  For me the flower drawings have an added dimension over the earlier drawings. In our earlier drawings each of us only had to respond to each other’s marks. Now the marks, in some way, must evoke the idea of “flowerness.” We both noticed that if the idea of the flower is paramount, we do indeed get flower drawings, but none of the excitement we think we achieved in the first set of drawings. We have decided to work to keep the mark making the most important idea as we draw. The results are more interesting and engaging.

We are not working from actual flowers, but this time of year in Albuquerque, New Mexico, flowers, cultivated and wild, are everywhere, especially as there was a good snow pack this winter and some rain four or five weeks ago.

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Brass blades for Whirligig #36

Whirligig production has slowed from a spin to a crawl. Whirligig #36 did not work. I expected that V-shaped blades would rotate horizontally on a vertical axle; the force of the wind in pocket of the V would be greater than the force of the wind against the point of the V. It simply did not work, even a little bit. The blades were 4” (10 cm) high. Maybe I can use the blades in a different context.

Next was Whirligig #37. I attempted to use aluminum sheet for the vane, but it was too flexible. Since I had already made the mast and other parts, I made an aircraft plywood vane to replace the metal one. I will have to use heavier gage aluminum or make a design that includes bends and folds to stiffen the vane. For # 37 I am using a heavy walled ¼” brass tube (.29” wall thickness) to hold the blades. I have bought all the ¼” thick walled tubing in Albuquerque. I ordered some over the internet, but when the order arrived, the tubing was the wrong size. The reshipment has yet to arrive. When the correct size gets here, I’ll finish the blades for #37. There will be four arms, but only three will have blades. The fourth arm will carry a thin walled ¼” tube that I hope will whistle. Balancing the whistling arm against the opposite blade-carrying arm should not be difficult. I’ve already weighed out the pieces. The spinning asymmetrical blade arrangement should be appear interesting, as there will be three blade hubs as in #30 and #32 and three differently pitched hollow tubes.