It's Always the Fourth of July

I don't think it's possible for me to not notice the Fourth of July.  It's a national holiday, which gives countless businesses an excuse to close for a vacation.  The area I live in quickly becomes overwhelmed with tourists, all choosing the worst time of year to come for a visit.  This past week I saw a lot of people hiking up the hill into Ocean Grove, wearing backpacks and/or clutching suitcases, likely arriving from the nearby Asbury Park train station.  Driving or parking in the shore towns becomes a major challenge.  Many nights I can hear fireworks, since almost every town holds their own display in the week around Independence Day.  (if some conflict keeps you away from your local show, there's always a bunch more to pick from).  There's usually a Twilight Zone marathon on tv.  (lately the cable stations bring me at least one episode every day, so it's not my one chance to watch it, but the marathons always concentrate on the favorites, so there will be some worth watching)  An excuse for television stations to show movies with colonial themes- I'll catch at least part of 1776 tonight.

And then there's the matter of my Fourth Of July woodcut series.  Completed in 1994, but probably my signature art piece.  A simple concept- a woodcut for each day for a year, each based on the day of the year it is about.  The 366 print set covers July 4, 1993 to July 4, 1994.  Those who have never seen the original prints can see the whole set online (including the story behind each) on my Fourth of July blog.  The complete year has been shown 4 times (the blog includes a photo of the most recent  such display) and individual prints continue to appear in juried shows.  For instance, almost any theme one can imagine is covered in at least one of those 366 prints.  (the one problem is that half the blocks were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, so those days are not reprintable and out of circulation) It has become a teaching tool whenever I am teaching woodcut- I bring in my bound photocopy version to show the wide variety of mark making and design strategies that I employed in making 366 woodcut prints in a year.  I'll be using it in Belmar this month.

Because it is essentially a diary, I can use it as personal research into my own life.    For example, later this week I have plans to meet with an old college buddy from the 80's and see a museum show, and one option he gave me was a Frank Lloyd Wright show at the Modern.  That caused me to think about the one Wright building I have seen in person (architecture is best experienced in three dimensions in person- not in a book), going back to my grad school days.  But which one was it again?

Went to the blog and found the answer- the Dana Thomas house in Springfield.  Impressive enough to be the subject of my print that November day.  Had no photos to look at, and the internet was just getting started, so I just went with my memories and impressions.  Maybe I'll learn more in NYC.