Art and Other Business

 

Yesterday I had learned from my mother that the receptionist/secretary at my speech therapy office would be leaving, her last day today.  I hadn't heard anything about this, so it was a bit of surprise.  Maybe not an art person, but she was in possession on one of my puzzles, and since that image (actual print) is appearing in my current show in Ocean Grove, I did give her an announcement about the show the week before last.

So when my parents returned from morning errands, I set out, and my first stop was that office.  No other patients at that time, and I knew that my speech therapist was out doing something else, so it was just the person I knew, and another woman (both in masks as this is a rule for all medical offices) who would be the replacement.  Tricia confirmed that she is leaving after today, so we had a chat about that.  And I had a chance to meet Monica, the person who will eventually replace her. (but not for a few weeks, so no one will be at the desk for my visit next week)  Turns out the new person has some experience as a model, having sat for sculpture portraits years ago, so we had a discussion about portraits and how they can vary so much from what we expect, mirrors being far from the truth at times.  (as an artist I have often used mirrors as an aid in creating art, both for painting when they sometimes revealed flaws that weren't seen when looking at the piece itself, and for woodcut, where the image would be completely reversed in printmaking, and it was a way to see what would come before cutting and printing)  

But with all that taken care of, I continued up route 35 toward Neptune, and my Studio.  I was hoping to talk to Nichole about the postcards, but I didn't see her car in the lot, so I assumed she wasn't there.  I went in through the first floor main door and found the hallway dark.  The lights were all on last Saturday, so I guess they just turn them on when they are expecting visitors.  My back up reason for going was to try out my new saw.  Last time I tried to use my old saber saw it didn't work, but it was old and used when I got it, and that was decades ago, so I guess it was just time for it to be expired.  I have no immediate need for a saw, having used previously cut blocks for the last few woodcut prints I have made, and no woodcut classes on the schedule right now, but eventually I will, so I may as well see how this new one works.  I didn't bring any of my books of discs with me, so I had to be satisfied with one of the few I keep there, Toshi Reagon's The Righteous Ones, which is always enjoyable to listen to. (you can read about it on this blog back in August, 2021)  The reason I was playing a disc was that I planned to go through the instruction book carefully, my nature when preparing to use a new power tool.  Just opening the box took a while, but I had tools there to help me with that.  The saw comes with two blades, one each for wood and metal, and T-shank as promised.   One thing mentioned in customer comments on the website, was that this particular saw could be used with U or T blades (if you don't know what that means, go blade shopping and you will), but that the no-tool blade gripping thing would stop functioning with U shank blades eventually, so I guess I should buy some of the proper blades soon.  Meanwhile, it seems to work just fine, so after a quick test of the wood blade on a piece of scrap wood, I carefully put it away in the box it came from.

Tom had asked me to wait for further discussion before beginning the new block for his Robert Johnson project, so no point in cutting a block to size today.  What I have done is some research into the songs.  It would be much easier if I had my discs and records, and especially the booklet that came with the boxed disc set, since it has all the lyrics from all the songs, and this project is a lyric illustration, but all that is in storage.  Luckily most of the songs are on YouTube, and my ears can hear the words most of the time.  (these were all recorded in the 30's on primitive equipment, and the singer was right out of the fields of Mississippi, so it's not always easy) I have chosen a few possibilities so far, words that I can come up with a visual for, as long as I can find a proper model to pose.  As I said before, we have time on this one. 

On my way out of the building, I decided to stop by the office and see what I could find out.  Just Bobby Duncan in there, but we did have a nice discussion of his new mural, which he is working on sketches of during his time in the office.  No one else in the office today.  He's making progress on his proposal sketch for the mural, which will show an old assembly line for Cadillacs, the favorite subject of the person who owns the next space and is paying for the new mural.  He says the patron is a stickler for details, especially with cars, so he will have to be very exact and go along with the guy's demands for the colors he wants for each car, but that's what comes with working for someone else.  We talked about the joys of drawing/painting old cars (I often use late 60's and 70's cars in my prints as this is what I grew up seeing on roads and in parking lots, and I feel this is when cars looked most like cars), the advantages and disadvantages of different kinds of wood for cutting and carving, and eventually the current show upstairs.  He said from what he's seen, my prints have gotten a good response so far.  I always put a lot of things to look at in my pieces, and the boardwalk print is particularly liked by viewers.  One told him he could smell the boardwalk looking at my piece.  As I like to say, it is absolutely authentic, yet completely made up- it doesn't exist except in my head. I guess I just know what boardwalks are like.