Clarksdale, Mississippi

Earlier this evening we were watching "60 Minutes" (which started a little late because of the football game, as expected) and they had a segment about things going on in Clarksdale, Mississippi.  When I was asked if I was familiar with the town, and I had to say yes.

No, I have never been there, but anyone who knows anything about blues music is familiar with the town, one of the central points of blues music as we know it.  Clarksdale is one of the bigger towns that was part of the Mississippi delta region, origin of a lot of blues music. It is listed as the birthplace of many blues legends, and it seemed like most of the famous and influential bluesmen hailed from the town, either born there (or the vicinity), or grew up there, or spent time there.  People like John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, BB King, etc.  Robert Johnson, who I have mentioned quite a bit on this blog, had been a resident.  In fact, the story tonight mentioned that the famous crossroads he visited is in the area, now marked with all kinds of markers, a tourist attraction.  A few weeks ago I mentioned on this blog something about that, a legend that Johnson did nothing to discourage, that said he travelled to a near by crossroads one night and sold his soul to the devil in exchange for learning how to play the guitar and write great songs.  At the opening reception for my current show in Ocean Grove I was asked about that and told people that what I knew was that there was a legend about it, and since he had no known talent before then, and suddenly became great at both those things, people of his era were inclined to believe it.  His influence on many later musicians in indisputable.  

Another thing I know about Clarksdale is that it was a stop on the Illinois Central and Gulf train line, which once traveled from New Orleans to Chicago.  It was also the train line that passed by the Good Luck Glove Factory in Carbondale, Illinois, where I had my studio space in my SIU years.  The famous City of New Orleans was part of that line, and was still passing through Carbondale when I was there, but at that point was being run by Amtrak.  (my understanding is that the whole rail line was sold to a Canadian company since then)  When Johnson was singing his song Love in Vain, he was probably singing about a train on the Illinois Central line. (my source for the passenger car in the above woodcut about that song was an internet photo of a vintage Illinois Central train car)

These days Clarksdale looks pretty run down, like so many towns in the south and midwest. A large number of the residents live below the poverty line, businesses are mostly closed, and the downtown looks largely abandoned.  However, it is a music capital of sorts, and there are a lot of blues clubs and a lot of tourists who come through to see the places where legends once stood.  The story tonight showed a few people who had come from there and had enough reputation to make it out, but also showed even more people who had come from far away places and stayed, attracted by the music made so well long ago.  The music that gave birth to rock and roll, r&b, country, metal, punk, hip-hop, and everything else that followed.  

Blood Draw part 12

Another day of working on the new block.  The next time I would normally go up to the Studio, I have a medical appointment that day, so today is the day to go.  Also as part of today's ride is stopping by the new location of my speech therapy.  It has long been my policy to do a dry run of any new location I need to go to, so I can find it easier on the day I have to go there, and get there on time.  But that would be after the Studio.  

The other thing I wanted to do today was sharpen a tool.  So I started by filling my aluminum tray with water, as sharpening stones need to soak before being used.  I had brought my good tools with me, but the narrow v-gouge needed work.  I noticed this last time, and planned to deal with it today.

So I found some suitable shapes on the stone and got one of those going.  And it did make a difference, because I knew I had to use that tool a bunch today. 

I didn't cut as much as I did the other day, but I got done all that I planned to do.  

I finished everything to the left of the IV line, except the area under the arm, but that was because I'm not sure if I want to cut all that or leave it black.  For now I will leave it alone and take a rubbing, see how the values balance out. For music I had brought my jazz/blues book, and from that selected a few home burned Miles Davis albums- Birth of the Cool, and Kind of Blue.  Two classics.  The second one appears on this blog back in June of 2023 and the first one I'm September of 2022.  I was there for about 90 minutes, then cleaned up and started by journey home.

Blood Draw part 11

 We are expecting some wet weather in the coming days, but not today, so it seemed like a good day to head up to the Studio.  This time I made sure to have my good tools, and I brought along some sharpening stones in case I needed them. It's been a long time since I used these tools and had no idea in what shape they were in.  

Took care of a first errand, then got up to the building in Ocean Grove. My works were still hanging on the wall and looking good.  There were a bunch of tables and things set up in the main hallway on the first floor, which did not surprise me- they are having their big fundraiser of the year this Saturday- a big run thing.  (not for me, and the wet weather expected wasn't sweetening the deal) I continued downstairs and set up for work.

I had brought a single disc with me, something featuring the Arctic Monkeys, a home burned thing with the first studio album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, which came out in 2006.  My disc also includes several of the early demos, done in the years leading up to this first album, courtesy of my friend Doug.  He's the one who first turned me onto this obscure English band.  The story is that before they signed to a label, the band used to record songs and distributed them on discs they used to give away at live shows- fans shared a lot of these among themselves via the internet, and it was how Doug got them.  They rerecorded (more professionally) many of the songs on the first album, so for my Studio disc, I put on the first real album, and several demos that they didn't record again for the new album, and one that they did, but was very different in lyrics and overall sound.  I bought a used cd of the second album, but didn't like it as much, and I don't think I ever acquired any subsequent ones.  (they are still active, and I occasionally hear new singles on the radio, but they don't have the hard edged rock and roll style of the early works, a common problem with bands)  I don't seem to have anything on this blog yet about them, so you get more now.

My plan for today was to start work inside the border, and start with the self portrait over on the far left. There's an IV line that hangs down from the top, a few inches to the right of my head, ending where it inserts into the arm.  That IV was always present as a port, and bags were plugged into it often, plus at various times of the day and night they would take blood samples out of both arms, up and down the length, so I had bandages on both arms when I finally got out of that hospital.  (this is reflected in my block drawing)  By comparison, cancer has required fewer IV's and blood draws than the brain surgeries did.  The results of today's cutting can be seen below:

I completed the face and head, some of the chest, and the background between the head and IV line, which was what I planned to do today.  In the end I decided that most of my tools were fine and so I didn't sharpen anything.  (sharpening essentially removes metal, so I try not to do it so often)  The one thing that might need it is my long narrow v-gouge, but it worked today.

Blood Draw part 10

With the exhibition (or at least my part of it) behind me, seems like time to get to cutting some new block. So today I did just that.  I did some ink wash drawing on a new block last month, but haven't been able to do anything more with it since, having been involved with getting ready for the current show, all that mat cutting and framing stuff, plus all the things related to the actual hanging.  I may give a tour or two if it is requested, but otherwise I have nothing to do for about a month.

I brought a bag of tools, but it turned out to be only the student tools I use for my woodcut classes, whenever they run.  They are not bad tools (I wouldn't have them for the students if they were), but they are not as good as the professional ones I tend to use.  It's all I had for today, and may have had some effect on what I did, but maybe not.

That many wood shavings on the table might be a sign that I had done a lot of cutting, but in this case it was all the margins around the border.  Normally that's what I do first with a woodcut, but I was tempted to go right to the first portrait piece.  However, without my better tools, I decided it was better to just carve that outer area.  In the end, it all has to get done, so doing it today meant not wasting time.

Molly appearances are quite rare, and her being there recently means I may not see her again for a while.  Either way I decided to bring some music along and was able to play it.  I put on a cd home burned copy of the first two albums by X, Los Angeles and Wild Gift, put out as a singe disc on Slash Records in the 80's, not unusual for short albums in that time.  For more about this disc, see June of 2020 on this blog.  The two albums together add up to about an hour, which was just enough to cut away all four sides from my image.

Below is what the block looked like at the end of today's session:

I'm still not sure if I'm satisfied with the block drawing, but the margins are the same no matter what.  I want to at least study it in a mirror before deciding about the rest of it.  

Tenants III Opening Reception

 A very busy day today.  After some debate I decided to get a loaf a specialty bread from down in Point Pleasant as my contribution to the refreshments at tonights reception.  Problem is that when I got there, they had none.  Not because they were sold out, but because they no longer make them on weekdays.  They used to, as I used to take them to the critique groups, always on weeknights. Luckily I had a backup plan- prepackaged pastries from the local Acme.  Then I went home.

Of bigger concern to me was what would happen with the door.  We got a mass email yesterday saying that the main door would be worked on, so the gates will be locked all day, and a key to the padlock necessary to get in.  No problem for me, as it is one of ring full of keys I have for that building, but could be a problem for anyone showing up for the reception tonight.  

To avoid traffic and to make sure I got parking in the main lot, I decided to get up there around 4:30, well before the opening reception.  Going from my home to the Studio, I have to cross the railroad tracks twice, and on the second time I had to take a detour to avoid having to wait at a rail crossing.  Got there in plenty of time, with lots of parking, and they were done working for the day on the doors, so they and the gates were wide open.  Nothing I needed to do, so I just went to my Studio and enjoyed the solitude and some nice jazz from my collection.  Went back upstairs about ten minutes before things were set to begin.  I was told that my artist statement was not in the book.  Saw Jeanne and asked her about it.  She said it was printed out and would go in the binder very soon.  In fact, she gave me the page and a plastic sheet holder and invited me to take care of it.  No problem.  Besides, the crowd was already starting to come in.  

We had a lot more than I expected for a weeknight crowd- didn't formally count them, but I'd say that at least 40-50 people wandered through.  Some may have been students who had a class, and some may have been theater people there for a rehearsal, but they were there. None of the people I had invited specifically showed up, but someone who did was Mary Lane, also known here as East Coast Mary,  collaborator for that show of prints a few years ago, probably the most devoted student I ever had, and quite a good woodcut printmaker.  A few years ago she made a deal with then director Nichole to donate some of her print equipment to the JSAC under the condition that it be used to teach art to kids, as she found out when doing the East/West show that many local schools were no longer teaching any art.  Elyse continued that process, taking delivery of Mary's bulkiest items (including a small roller press I used to print some proofs of West Coast Mary's work, and a wooden frame I built for a large plastic sink basin my Mary had acquired).  Mary has decided to sell her house, and is liquidating most of her print materials, and offered some to me.  I'll talk to her about that later. 

Meanwhile, she was there so invited her to check out my work.  She thought it looked different from my previous work.  I should probably find out more what she meant by that.  And because both Nicole and Elsye were now gone, I decided I should introduce her to Jeanne, our current director.  Jeanne said that they were still interested in printmaking and working with students, but were trying to get a grant to pay for it.  Mary was satisfied to hear that.

Several of the participating artists were present, and between what the building bought and what we brought in, one table was not enough, so a second was brought out and set up.  Those in attendance made a good dent on the refreshments before long.  

Once in a while I was asked by people in attendance to explain what I had done, whether it be the woodcut process or the Robert Johnson story.  One knew about the crossroads story, and I explained it as best as I know- it's a legend, but what is known for sure is that he went somewhere and came back with guitar playing and song writing skills he never had before. How he learned all that remains unknown, as does what really happened at the crossroads.  I hope that people decide to do some research of their own and listen to some of the music. 

About quarter to eight, I decided to take a load of stuff to my car.  Came back inside and they had started to pack up what remained on the food table.  At that point they decided to cut the cake, a giant 3rd Annual Tenants thing.  I hung out long enough to get a slice, then joined the crowd in getting out of there.  I had things to do at home, and a busy day planned for the Friday.

On the way home, I got stuck at a train crossing close to home, but lucky it was a southbound train, so the delay wasn't too long.  If I had to have a delay, better after the reception than on my way to it.

3rd Annual Jersey Shore Arts Center Resident Art Show

Yesterday I did a bit of looking online and I found something interesting- something labeled postcard graphic for the 3rd Annual Show at the Jersey Shore Arts Center.  Found it attached to an email from show organizer Joe, and in my spam folder.  Hadn't thought to look there.  The email was from a week ago.  Unfortunately, it was part of my inbox for my current site email.  The problem is that I can't open that mail on my old computer, and that's the one that allows me to post to this blog.   My solution is to email it to myself and then open it on the old computer, save it there, and then post it to my blog.   Next problem, being in my spam folder, although I could send the graphic to an email on my old computer, that email also deduced it was spam and wouldn't let me use any image from that piece of mail.  It was the same as the image from the main website, but I had thought to use it, as it would have been cropped to its proper size.  

Today I decided to go the Studio, not to work, but to get answers to a lot of questions I had about this show, about to open in two days.   I hadn't heard if my artist statement was there and openable, or heard more about the food, or gotten any other graphics or cards.   Since I enter through the first floor, I started there.  My art still looked good on the wall.  And on the table near the door I found a small stack of post cards for the upcoming show.  The card front was exactly what was shown on the site and essentially what Joe had sent me.  However, I discovered it had a back, too.  It had one bit of other information- the show would be open on Fridays, from noon to 3 pm, which I assume means the doors will be open at that time and day.  Good to know.

I grabbed several cards and headed to my space in the basement.  After dropping things off, I went to the office and got another question answered- my artist statement.  Jeanne confirmed that she had seen it and was able to open it.   She said she planned to write me an email acknowledging this, but kind of forgot.  In any case, I would not need the hard copy I had brought with me today.  I also asked about food, since last I had heard they were counting on artists to bring stuff, and Jeanne had said she might assign specific items to various participants.  Today she said she had bought some items and decided that artists could supplement it with whatever they brought.  She promised to send the list of what she was providing today.   But as of 3 pm, I had received no email from Jeanne. If I haven't got anything from her by tomorrow morning, I may just go to the store and buy something.

Back in my Studio, I took a photo of a front and back of the card, which I have edited and posted above.   It has all the information that exists now.  

More Show Stuff

 Okay, so we have no postcards or other promotional materials yet, so last night I wondered if I could just take a photo of the onscreen announcement on the building website.  I can post photos to this blog. So I did that, and then edited it.  The only problem is that what fits well on a computer screen does not necessarily do well for a photo.  The old Canon editing system would crop to exactly where you wanted it, but there is some dispute these days that made that cease functioning.  The best I could do is what you see below:

It has all the graphics of the onscreen version, but does not fit the standard photo size.   Perhaps when they get around to making some kind of promotional material I can get a good shot of it to post here.  Meanwhile, this has all the relevant information- dates (October 12th to November 16th) time of the reception (Thursday, Oct 12, 6 to 8 pm), names of artists.  No address given, but all that stuff is on the website this image came from.  I have no idea where that geometric graphics came from, not seeming to be related to any of the work in the show. 

I decided to take a ride up there around noon, to see if any help was needed in hanging the show, as well as making sure we had a hanging system.  The website promotion listed twelve artists, and the most recent email from Joe said that he had received artwork from two artists (including mine), had heard from a third, and hoped that the rest would be showing up on Wednesday to hang their work.  There was some art on the walls, including mine, but some empty walls as well, and nothing in the room where my work had been stored.   So nothing for me to do today.

When I first arrived I noticed a red tag on my room's hook, and I hadn't put it there.  Could it be?  After seeing things upstairs, I went down to my space and could hear sound through the closed door.  I let myself in and found Molly there, working on some of her product.  I think the last time I saw her was at the opening of the previous Tenants show, more than a year ago.  So we had a conversation about teaching, work in general, art, building stuff, swimming, music, and health.  As we talked she continued making the first color of images (screen printed) on some towels, which she sees as her entry back to art making, the easiest since the screens are already made, and she has a supply of blank pieces of cloth that will become towels. She won't be part of the current show upstairs, but planned to look at it today.

I went back to the first floor on my way out of the building, and saw my pieces again.  Got the camera from my car in the from lot and came back to take a photo of my hanging pieces.  

These are on the wall shown previously, on the right side of the wall.  They look good, and very readable from that height and distance.  There are no individual labels for each work, but I don't know if there ever will be.  At least mine have titles on them, as is standard in designating and signing prints.

As for the artist statement, still no request for one yet, so I haven't done it yet.  My plan was to send it attached to a reply to her request, but if it doesn't come soon, I may just write and send her something on my own.

Show Prep

 There's lots involved in putting on an exhibition, or being part of an exhibition.  I don't know who is in this show we have coming up next week in the Studio building, but there's a good possibility that no one else has as much exhibition experience as I do.  So I figured I'd ask a few questions up there today (I had other business anyway) about things that I don't think have been resolved yet.  

First one was handled just as I was getting in the door.  We all got an email a few days ago stating that we either should deliver the work to a storage room on Monday or Tuesday, or hang it ourselves on Wednesday to Friday.  I knew I could be available either Tuesday or Thursday, so I'd let the people in charge decide what they preferred.  When I got to the outside front door, I was soon joined by Joe Borzotta, who organized the show, and had his hands full with a giant box and other stuff, so I used my ID to open the door and hold it for him.   When given the choices, Joe said he'd prefer that I drop off work today, so I told him I'd meet his request, and find him in his studio.   On my way to my space I noticed that there was still no hanging system installed on the main floor, so obviously I couldn't hang anything today.  

I went directly to the basement office, waited for Jeanne to get off the phone, and had some questions for her, related to the show.  Did she want any kind of artist statement?  We had one in a binder for one show, attached to the wall near our pieces for another show.  She said she meant to send a request about that out to everyone in the show, but she'd be happy for me to send her a document for put in a binder.  The last email we got (from Joe) had mentioned that artists were asked to bring some food for the reception, a pot luck kind of thing I guess.  What I wanted to know from her was if we had any kind of rules about what we brought.  (at Belmar, in the later years it could only be prepackaged items still sealed in the manufacturer's packaging, nothing homemade, board of health orders)  Jeanne knew nothing about this, but figured she'd find out something.  (the reception is not for more than a week, so too soon for me to have bought anything yet)  She may assign items to different people, but had already decided no soda, and suggested nothing that required utensils.   My last question was regarding publicity- did we have any postcards or flyers yet?  No, and I don't think they made them yet.  No postcards, still haven't asked for statements- there does seem to be a lot of confusion with this show, and things to be worked out over the next week.

I decided to take the elevator the 2nd floor to meet Joe, keeping all my framed works in the bag.  Found Joe, and we took the elevator to the 1st floor, where the storage room is.  Even though collection began yesterday, I seem to be the only artist in the show so far.   (lots of confusion)  I dropped off my pieces and kept the bag.  It has my scraps of mat board, and I will likely need it when the show ends, whenever that is.  There on the first floor, Joe showed me the space that will be mine, part of one of the long walls.  Below is a file photo of that space:

I used this photo in a blog post about 4 years ago, but I have no idea how long ago I took it, so it may be a bit older.  However, it does the job.  That piano in now in a different part of the room.

I stopped by the office one more time to find out how they wanted the statement sent (we settled on a Microsoft Word Document, which I can export), then I had no reason to hang out, so I went home. Since they have my work, I don't need to go back, unless I decide to help hang the show.  They may need a lot of help.