String Theory, Demo Video, and Cosmic Atlas

Well, it’s been a busy and productive weekend for Martha and I and our various art projects.

On Thursday, I sat done to write a blog for Arts in the Valley and Beyond for the Wenatchee World.com.  I did something a little different with that blog than I have done before. Instead of simply writing about the various art events that were happening around the area, I digressed into some artful musings on certain questions of art. It was a new twist for the blog and of course I hoped that folks would like it (they did).

Friday I had a much anticipated business meeting the execs from the Pybus Market regarding my Pybus photo and video project. This was a good meeting with the execs getting a first view of the video I produced of the first week of demo work being done at the building. The proposal was reviewed and the idea of narration vs. captions was floated and really intriguing questions about a much bigger video project… more on that later. After the meeting I, of course, gathered more photos and video at the Pybus site before heading out for a 45 mile bike ride... whew! Was it hot.

Having returned from my long hot bike ride, it was time to  get ready to head out to Leavenworth where we had a meeting scheduled at the Peak View Haus Bed and Breakfast before going to the ‘String Theory’ art opening reception at Icicle Arts Gallery. The meeting at Peak View Haus included the owners Lori and Mike and  Sherrie, a good friend and fellow member of the Icicle Arts Gallery. This was a very productive meeting in which Martha the B&B owners and Sherrie made plans for a really exciting art class idea. Let me just say the adults only class should be a real fun and creative endeavor for all the participants. Look for more on this later as the whole things comes to pass sometime in October.

The B&B owners really loved Martha’s art and of course asked her to do a mural for them in their home. They had a good idea of what they were looking for and Martha is going to be able to really run with their idea and they will have a great new addition to their very creatively designed and decorated space.

After the meeting at the B&B it was time to visit the gallery and meet the artist Jim Huber. I was really interested to see the art and to talk with Jim as we have something in common. His show is aptly titled ‘String Theory’ as is one of my abstract photos. Some readers may recall that my ‘String Theory’ is currently on exhibit at the Confluence Technology Center in Wenatchee.

Jim was a fun and interesting guy and he, Bryan Miller and I had fun discussing String Theory and Chaos Theory and art. It was also good to get feedback from Anna  Miller and others on how much they liked the new tack I had taken with my blog on ‘String Theory and Questions of Art’ in the Wenatchee World Online.

 Saturday morning before getting more photos and video yet of Pybus, I went riding with my morning bike buddies. My bike buddies are all fascinated with the whole Pybus Market and my photo and video project of same and continue to ask questions about it and what it will turn out like when it’s done. It seems that wherever I go people are interested to learn more about what the whole thing is going to be at Pybus and are truly excited about everything I tell them about the project and the cool place it’s going to be.

The photos and video I took at Pybus on Saturday involved getting up on the roof of the adjacent building to get angles and views not possible from the ground.  While there I got literally a bird’s eye view of a pair of ospreys in their nest with their juvenile chick. From their too I could see my bike buddies who were doing another lap of the Apple Capital Loop trail and gathered some video of them while they were riding on the other side of the river. Unfortunately when they passed by right below me I was in the middle of videoing the ospreys and missed my two second opportunity to get video of them riding right below me. Oh well, maybe another time.

After my Saturday ride, I set to work reworking my recent Pybus video and replace ther captions with narration and made some really good adjustments to the audio of the video and music to make a really great new version of the video. At the same time I was addressing important web page development issues with my son Austin of ‘Cosmic Atlas’ who is working with me to develop two new web pages... one for Martha’s art and one for mine. That is really coming along. Meanwhile, the new Rod Daut Art Facebook Page is now up and running and people are ‘liking’ it and like the art and video posted there so far.

Well, enough for now as I need to get more photos and video at the Pybus and work on other art projects. Have a very artful day.

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Zion, Pybus, New Oils And a Long and Winding Road

Well, it’s been a busy couple of weeks for Martha and me with our art and art projects.

As I have been taking photos of the ongoing work at the Pybus building and even riding by on my bike to take video of the project nearly every day for my long term Pybus project Martha has been busy with her art and getting ready to see grand kids in Texas.

In the Pybus project I am chronicling the transformation of the old steel plant into a Public Market with lots of cool shops inside. My idea with taking video from my bike is to create a movie that shows the transformation one swipe at a time as I go by left to right and right to left on my bike until the project is done and open to the public at which point I will ride my bike right into the entrance video running and show the vibrant active market place it is going to be by then.

And, as I have been riding and photographing like mad, Martha has been painting some intriguing new oils up in the oil studio. She has to have a separate studio in the house for oil painting due to the fumes. We both can work with acrylics, water colors and clay in the studio off of the den, but the oils have got to be AWAY! In any case the work she is doing is new and as I don’t go up into the oil studio every day, it was a bit of a nice surprise to do so today and see what she has been working on up there.

Last week, we went together to pick up her giant tropical birds and my steel eagle from the Icicle Arts Gallery in Leavenworth. It was a fun project but it seemed a sad end to what has been a long and winding road with these birds. Now, they are in storage till Martha makes something new out of her birds and I take on the task of recreating my eagle by stripping off all the paper Mache cardboard and such to make way for an all metal exterior. Look for this in future blogs as that project starts… hmmm… sometime ahead. We also, delivered our completed two sided painting of an old school door to the Soap Lake Art Guild at the 3rd Wednesday event last week. That was fun.

With all the bike riding I have been doing and video recording from my bike, I couldn’t help but to make a fun little video which is on Youtube called ‘Bike Surfing the Swamp’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkiHW7oY0Aw&list=UUNvpiC1XcVKVH-EiXJCMCsA&index=1&feature=plcp  . It’s pretty fun and so far everybody that has seen it tells me they like it. One viewer was so pleased after watching it she asked that I video her daughter’s wedding. The wedding was a lot of fun by the way. Another video I posted on Vimeo about a week ago is called ‘Morning Tour at Two Rivers Gallery’ https://vimeo.com/45756067 . The Director of the gallery was very pleased with this video.

The other big project I completed this past week was submitting an app for an Artist-in-Residency program at Zion National Park for next year. That project would entail producing videos of the park taken from… you guessed it, a bicycle. Let’s hope that comes through. It should be a lot of fun and a great challenge all at the same time.

Well now it’s time to get back to helping Martha with her kiln firing of the clay work of her student from the local emergency housing program.

So; bye for now and have a very artful day.

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Firworks, Floods, Demolition and Exhibiting with Greatness

 

Well, it’s been an exciting and fun filled week of art and art adventures.

On Sunday in honor of the Tour De France I nursed my first injury of the season by only riding a few miles and taking the time to gather some more pre redevelopment photos of the Pybus Building from, of all the places, the roof of the building next to it. I was so lucky to have found someone there on a Sunday to let me in and on top of the building. Great views were to be had up there to be sure. Views of not only the outer structure of the Pybus Building as it will never look again, but also of the river and the park along the bike path.

Having taken some really good angular and scenic shots from up there, I went on over to Walla Walla point park as I had taken notice the day before of how high the water was there when I rode through with the ‘B’ team… readers who have followed this blog since last summer will recall that the ‘B’ Team is a great bunch of bike riders that includes Ed Farrar the father of world class bike sprinter and winner of a stage at the Tour De France last 4^th of July.

When, I got there I was not disappointed. In fact though the water seemed slightly lower than the day before, scenically it was much better for photography as the sky was a gorgeous blue and there was just a hint of clouds here and there. The water as it was formed a nice little water fall of sorts just below the foot bridge to the little island which normally forms the swimming area. All in all some nice photos were to be taken. I noticed there were quite a few others taking photos that day as well- including some Japanese tourists. I did my best to get up close and personal with the water to get the kind of shots that I really like to get.

Later in the week, I was called to come over and get some more photos of the work beginning at the Pybus Building. Little did I know that they had worked on it on the 4^th of July. Had I known that I would have been there… at least for bit mid-day before the party started. Oh yes, there was a party and it involved playing all the games we used to play in the yard when we were kids and of course a video of the same… with fireworks I might add. The video is now on Youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJD_4MuFjyI&feature=youtube_gdata . If you don’t like fun and the 4^th of July, don’t watch it.

Back to the Pybus project… I went on over on the 5^th and got to ride up in a lift with Rusty McDonnell the Vice President of Production with Blodgett Construction, to get some good shots of the demolition work that had been done to that point and some video as well, which will eventually go into a video documenting the transition of the Pybus from a rusted looking hulk that once was a steel plant to a hip and cool public market with all the bells and whistles that will make it quite the ‘happening’ place to be and to go to on a date I am sure.

I also got video from two of my favorite local vantage points of the guys working with their heavy equipment taking out the glass and other materials which will be replaced with all new artsy stuff. And, while I was in that neck of the woods, I stopped by Two Rivers Gallery to get a sneak peak at the art work for the new show before the First Friday Reception which will be tonight. I got some good shots that and it looks like it will be a nice show. We’ll have a guest - Deborah Ann who does Original Fabric Art from Yakima there with us tonight. We met Deborah at the Peggy Lewis Gallery in Yakima just a few weeks ago when we went there for the reception for the 45^th Annual Juried Arts Show put on by Allied Arts of Yakima.

Later, after a morning of photo and video taking for the ongoing Pybus project and getting that sneak peak at TRG, it was time to load up the car with some of my large photos to go on exhibit over at the Confluence Technology Center. Laura Jaecks the Manager had met me at one of the Pybus Building meetings I attended and photographed the week before and asked that I come down and meet with her Administrative Assistant Tricia Degnan to scope out the facility to see how it looked and if I would like to show some of my work there. Having done that before the 4^th, I had decide to show there and so, yesterday I took some of my larger pieces over and installed them with a little help from Martha Flores.

Martha and I were really in awe of the art there by Jan Cook Mack. A few of the smaller pieces we had seen before or at least prints of them. But, the large pieces were new to us and just amazing. I hope my work shows well there in the presence of greatness. We also like the pieces there by photographer Frank Cone.

Back home at the studio Martha has put a few minor finishing touches on her Hotel Girls from the old Siloam Hotel based on a photo from the heyday of the mineral bath / sanitarium / hotel era of Soap Lake. And, I have made some further progress on my painting of one of the old mud bath buildings from that same era along with a model T pick-up traveling along one of the old dirt roads leading to the mud bath building. It’s coming along… a few smaller buildings in the mid-ground and some further work on the main building and it will be done. And, of course the painting of my pride and joy little Adriana is getting closer to completion. I can’t wait to take it to her on my next visit to California.

                                                                                                                 

We, enough for now as I have work to do, clients to see, and places to go. Have a good and very artful day.

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Blonds and Penguins, Soap Lake Doors, Quincy Library Art and Pybus Photo Projects

Well, it’s been a fine, fun and fulfilling couple of weeks for Martha and I and our various art projects, activities and endeavors.

As many readers may recall my last posting was of the installation of our Giant birds at the Icicle Arts Gallery in Leavenworth. Since then a lot has happened and we have continued on with creating more art and taking on new projects.

Those who have kept up with our blog in the Wenatchee Worlds online know that we attended and participated in a photo presentation in Soap Lake last week. What readers of that blog don’t know is that while we were there we were presented with another opportunity. As it turns out the art Guild of Soap Lake had this really great project going on that they invited us to participate in.

The project involves a number of artists from the region painting on heavy solid core doors that were rescued from a tear down or remodel of… I believe it was an old school building there. The artist involved are to choose from a number old and I mean old photographs from the heyday of the Soap Lake mineral waters sanitarium health spa era in the late 19^th and early to mid part of the 20^th century.

We got to see a number of the works in progress that many of the artists were working on right there on site at the Las Brisas Building in Soap Lake. We considered that, but ultimately decided that for us it was more practical to take the door home with us and work on it here at our home studio. Martha chose a photo of some of nurse like hotel workers in front of one of the old hotels.

The project involves painting on both sides of the doors, so I chose (or did Martha Choose for me…hmm…) an old photo taken from up above one of the mud bath facilities with some other outlying buildings and an old vehicle or two along a dirt road with the lake in the background for me to paint. Martha delved right in and finished her side rather quickly as is her way. I work a bit slower but have made some significant progress. All in all it’s a fun and worthwhile project that is meant to help keep the history of the Town of Soap Lake alive.

Just the very next day after our trip to Soap Lake we attended the Artists Reception at the Peggy Lewis Gallery in Yakima where one of Martha’s paintings had been accepted for the show. What we didn’t know until we got there was that her piece had garnered one of the prizes at the show. That was icing on the cake for what was another fun evening mingling with other artists and art patrons and local community leaders.

Then came the opening reception for the recycled art show in Leavenworth, Washington. There we did not garner any awards, but we had a great time and I really enjoyed talking to those who were interested in knowing about how I created my Giant Eagle which was prominently displayed on the upstairs balcony of the Upper Valley Museum and Icicle Arts Gallery building.

And, while Martha worked on and finished her hotel workers painting she being quite the multi-tasker worked on a number of new painting including a new Dancing Zebra painting and Blonds and Penguins painting. And, as if that were not enough, we received an invitation this week to place some of our art in the new Quincy Library.

So; on Tuesday we dropped everything and packed up the vehicle with several of my abstract photos and a couple of nature photos and a few of Martha’s newer paintings and went out to Quincy, Washington to meet with Roxa Kreeimeyer to install the work there. That was fun and meeting with Roxa who is a local mover and shaker in the Quincy area and just an overall lovely person to visit with was a treat in itself.

But, no sooner had we installed the art and had ice cream with Roxa it was time to head back to Wenatchee so I could take photos at the Gala Open House and Tour of the Pybus Building / Project which is an old industrial building near the Columbia River in Wenatchee that is being redeveloped into a hip artsy place that will be the year round home of the local Farmers Market, a winery or two, various food venders, arts and craft sellers and perhaps even a martini bar I am told.

As it was all or most of the local power elite of Wenatchee were there and it was my task as invited by one of the Board Members of the project to take photos of the event. That was cool in itself and I jumped at the opportunity. While there I met some other wonderful people some of whom are interested in Martha’s artwork and my photos… more on that later. The same too  for a photo project and possible a video production chronicling the transformation of the Pybus Building into the Pybus Market.

Wonderful events and opportunities all around and so back to work for me on that painting, some further photo and video editing from the other days work, and, now this just in, as they say, an invite to attend and photo another important meeting at the Pybus Building today.

The work goes on and art just keeps happening as it should.

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Check out my new photo. http://ping.fm/tBFfH


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Siniorita, and Patriotic Zebras, and We Stand up and Deliver Our Awsome Eagle and Tropical Birds

Well, it was a great week for Martha and I and our various art endeavors. The week started well with a lovely lady taking home one of Martha’s paintings for her dear mother.  And, then later in the week we received notice that Martha’s painting ‘Inflorescence’ had been accepted for the Allied Arts of Yakima Valley’s 45^th Annual Juried Art Show. We’ll be taking it out to the Peggy Lewis Gallery tomorrow.

During the week Martha worked on some new paintings – a beautiful seniorita and a couple of new and interesting plant paintings. I really like the one that looks almost sculpted, oh yes and lest I forget, she put the finishing touches on her ‘Patriotic Zebras’ a mixed media piece she did for 4^th of July.


And, while Martha worked on these I reworked the bases for her three tropical birds, so they will stand properly on a floor rather than needing to be screwed down to a deck as they were on our parade float. After having rebuilt the bases for these Martha worked her Magic and decorated the bases with moss and such.

For me the big project of the week was completing my Eagles Nest and the two giant eagle’s eggs for the nest that I made as accents for the giant eagle. That done I went to work over at Terry Johnson’s studio at Terry Signs where we have been storing the birds and set about putting the nest together with the eagle. Out back behind Terry’s I found a treasure trove of materials screaming to be put to use in this recycled materials art project.

Back there I found a perfect sort of wheel to serve as a base for the nest and an old, and I mean old, wooden box that could do as the stand for the base and even a tree limb to add yet more of a natural environmental feel to the work. As it turned out the wheel was actually the remains of an old kick powered potter’s wheel. How perfect is that for a recycled art project.

The wheel had a steel rod of sorts that stood up two feet or so which I found could replace the stand I had built previously for the eagle when it was in the parade. A little reworking and voila the nest and eagle with salmon in claws and two eggs in the nest was complete and ready for installation.

Then, came the big day, on Friday, to deliver all the birds to the Icicle Arts Gallery in Leavenworth for the Recycled Art Show.  I had been stressing for some time on how to get them there and finally it came to me to ask my good friend Van Ford – yes that’s Van Ford not Ford Van about using his dive trailer. Some readers may recall that Van ownes Orca Scuba Center which is home to two of my marine themed sculptures. Van was more than happy to let us use the trailer. So, early Friday morning we were off to Orca Scuba to get the trailer and over to Terry Signs to pick up the birds.

The trailer was perfect for the job and we got the birds to Icicle Arts without a hitch (well actually we did use a hitch to pull the tailor- sorry I couldn’t resist that). Once at Icicle Arts finding the right spot for the giant eagle was something else again as it was too big to go through the front door.

Anna Miller found the perfect spot and between Anna, Martha and I we got it installed and secured so it wouldn’t take off on a whim or from the wind whichever. Anna had a bit of a scare at one point as the eagle looked pretty awesome and frightening… 

Martha’s birds were quite a bit easier to carry and bring inside – there final resting place will be determined later by Bryan Miller. There were already some other interesting pieces that had come in for the show which looks like it’ll be as great if not better than last year’s show.

Since the Steel Eagle ordeal is over with I have been able to get back to my ongoing project of painting my sweet granddaughter’s portrait. It’s getting there, but getting that impish early childhood expression takes some real care. I’ll get it right yet.

Well, enough for now. Let’s all have a very artful day.

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