Category: Latest Words

Latest Word from Dave

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Thanks Baltimore

Someone needs to take their finger off of the “fast forward” button! The past few weeks have been a blur. Ah, hell, every week is a blur anymore! We survived the storm of 2013 pretty much intact. A couple of snow days are good for the soul. I did have to shovel a path to the truck, though, to load up the girls and Dorothy and head up to Baltimore for the 2014 American Craft Council Show.
Talk about overwhelming and humbling in one breath – ACC Baltimore was that and more. I am so awed by the amazing things that people are willing to think about, and then go out and make! I saw work that is beyond description. Lots of oohs and ahhs for the girls! They had a fine time in the big city and got a chance to kick up their heels a bit.  Saw some old friends and was grateful to make some new ones, too. Ms. Money Maker shook her fine little butt and looked ’em straight in the eye – this one is a winner! If you haven’t seen her yet, check this out: https://ametalsoul.com/portfolio/ms-money-maker/gallery/the-expansive-horses/
Also, check out some of the coolest artists and their websites:
Rob Caperell     http://robcaperell.com/index.html
Doug Meyer      http://www.rustbeltrebirth.com/
Myra Burg         http://www.myraburg.com/
Alright, back in the studio now and thinking FISH. Time to complete the Center In the Square installation. A few fish down, a few to go. I’m having a fine time with the new Art Primo paint. Lots of trial and error; still, I really love having this huge color palette available and the paint is very cool to work with.  Lots of bright and shiny colors on these tropical fish! Metal jellyfish? Really? Good fun!
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Horsefeathers Lenoir, NC

From June 6th through 27th, the Caldwell County Arts Council in Lenoir, NC, is hosting “Horsefeathers.” This show will feature work by Christine Kosiba, Ann DerGara, and me. We would be hard pressed to find a prettier spot to show art! Many thanks to Christine for inspiring another sweet reason for good friends to hang out together and share some art!

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Roanoke Open Studio Tour 2014

The Roanoke Open Studio Tour 2014 is scheduled for the first weekend of May this year, in order to coincide with the Roanoke Garden Tour. I love to show my work right here in Roanoke, Virginia. And, I managed to talk Diane Patton into showing with me this year at the cottage on Walnut! Get that one on your calendar, as well, and plan on coming by and hanging out with us and seeing some cool art.

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Boca, Baby and More…

There is an old saying, “They broke the mold when they made that one.”
Boca, Baby broke the mold before I even made her. From her amazing color to the
sweet curve of her butt, it seemed that Boca, Baby had made up her mind
to appear in this world as one flamboyant filly. She was totally out of control
before I got started.
As materials continue to be harder and harder to find, I am making more with
less. Less found material, that is, which has always been supplemented with my own
fabricated components along the way. I am watching as I am learning to use
the post consumer material and build the abstract parts in much the same way
as I would if I was using new material. Boca, Baby’s butt was made from a gas
tank, instead of the usual body panels, which gave me the opportunity I have been
looking for — to see if I can create a painted finish that replicates the
wonderful patinas that drew me to car parts to begin with. I think I have found
a good starting point here. Check out Boca, Baby at hhtp://ametalsoul.com
and you decide for yourself.
Now let me tell you about the paint. I love it when I get a story with an experience.
My good friend, Tom Dorathy, commissioned Toobz Muir to paint a mural on the
side of Tom’s shop. Well, it turns out that Scott is, plain and simple,
a great guy and a super artist. I met Scott one day when he was working on the
commission and started picking his brain about his paint and technique.
He told me about this place called Art Primo http://artprimo.com/
All I can say is, if you paint, go check these guys out. They have more colors and
kinds of spray paint than I knew existed. I had a bunch of questions about the
paints and tips and all of this cool new stuff. The staff were completely knowledgeable,
and really understand what customer service means. There was a little misunderstanding at one point,
and they were stand-up about it and backed up everything and more. Here is the really cool
thing: I have tons of new paint in the most amazing colors you have ever seen.
The paint works great for lots of over-coats and for getting that nice broken-in and
worn look that I am always chasing. Finding Art Primo and their product has changed
 the look and altered the direction of this body of work. Since I am just along for the ride,
 that is just fine with me. So check out Art Primo, and Tom Dorathy http://ghenthill.com/ and Scott instagram/toobzmuir, too!
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Thank You

I want to send out a big “thank you” to the galleries that are representing my work. Doug and John at Roan & Black, in Michigan, continue to place a wide range of work and the horses are leading on the inside. The TEW Galleries in Atlanta have been on a roll with placing my art as well. Much thanks to Corky and Jules, who are both consistently amazing. And, Timothy has graciously offered me a show with America Martin at the beautiful TEW Gallery this fall. You can check out America’s striking art at http://americamartin.com. For now, mark your calendars for October 24th, 2014, and I will keep you updated as that unfolds.

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New, old car hoods

The Slightly Contained Horses have been very popular with collectors!

I have found some new sources for old car hoods with beautiful worn finishes,

so the horses can just keep coming. I will have more images soon of these, too.

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More Fish

Wow, it has been a long time. Happy New Year! My year is off to a good start and I am having a fine time. After the installation at Center in the Square in Roanoke was completed, I was then commissioned to do a completely new permanent collection there! This permanent collection will replace the rotating installation that was the beginning of this adventure. So I have several new large fish sculptures to add to that ongoing body of work. New fish ideas, concepts, and execution have developed along the way. I will have those images on the site soon!

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New RiverArt Biennial 2013

We no sooner got home from Port Warwick than it was time to head up to Blacksburg. I entered “Well, Kiss My Sweet Ass,” the first of the Slightly Contained Horse series, in the New River Biennial 2013 at the Perspective Gallery on the Virginia Tech Campus.

This is a highly competitive show. “Well, Kiss My Sweet Ass” was one excited girl to be able to strut her stuff in the beautiful Perspective Gallery amongst some very impressive art that pretty much spanned all mediums.

As many of you know, this is a new series and I am interested to see how this scale will be received and show. When we walked up to the gallery and saw her standing there in the front window, I breathed a sigh of relief. She was simply hot and I could tell she knew it. It felt like this little 16-inch tall horse filled the room! There is something about this scale that is working on more levels than I understand.

I could not describe this show any better than Curator Robin Scully Boucher did:

“The artists chosen for this exhibit had to pass muster from three very competent jurors: Michael Haga, Associate Dean at the College of Charleston School of the Arts, Charleston, South Carolina; Jeffery Allison, Paul Mellon Collection Educator and Manager of Statewide Programs and Exhibitions, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; and Robin Boucher, Art Programs Director, Virginia Tech Student Centers and Activities.” [fancy_link link=”http://perspectivegallery.blogspot.com/2013/10/new-river-art-biennial-2013.html”%5DPerspective Gallery[/fancy_link]

This was the first time out of the gate for “Well, Kiss My Sweet Ass,” and she was awarded the First Award of Distinction – VT Arts Center! Let me tell you this is one happy little filly. Thanks to all of the judges, the support staff, and Ms. Leslye Bloom, who had a way too much fun with this little horse’s name.

[fancy_link link=”http://www.newriverart.org/shows/2013/2013facts.html”%5DNew River Art [/fancy_link]

AwardsArticle

[fancy_link link=”http://www.roanoke.com/living/arts/2320859-12/its-a-technology-take-over-in-two-trees.html”%5DThe Roanoke Times Newspaper Article [/fancy_link]

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Port Warwick Art & Sculpture Show

Port Warwick Art & Sculpture Show

Debi Ernst called a few months ago and invited me to bring some horses to the Ninth Annual Port Warwick Art & Sculpture Festival. All of the usual issues and concerns about an outside show jumped into my head. But, after a bit of checking around, I decided to just follow my heart and do this show.

Port Warwick is beautiful and everything Debi promised. All of the art and artists were top notch, and we were happy to be there, showing off the horses, meeting some old friends, and made some new ones.

This was one of the first chances to bring the Slightly Contained horses out and show them off. Like their bigger and smaller sisters, these horses were received by the folks of Port Warwick with lots of excitement and enthusiasm. I take this as another indication that this new scale nicely fills the void between the Expansive Horses and the Contained Horses.

The show was judged by Jeffrey Harrison, Chief Curator of the Chrysler Museum. This man loves art and was the most engaging judge I have ever met at a show. He not only wanted to see the art, he wanted to hear the back-story behind it. Jeff did not skimp on the time or energy it took to view each piece of art and learn about so many different artists. Hurricane did not shy away from Jeff’s scrutiny. She stood tall with that little cock of her head; she knows she is one hot-ass girl. It paid off yet again; she won the Walt Whitman Sculpture Award. Congratulations, Hurricane!

Thanks to Debi, Jeff, all of the staff, and the other artists who made our time in Port Warwick so sweet. These folks went above and beyond to support us, and all of those horses we showed up with.