Mesozoic

Bought a block of buildings. Three commercial properties. A large one, a medium one, and a smaller one.

The big space was once a burger joint. Then it was a ceramics studio. Now that it is in my hands I would like to return it to food. Food with a creative edge. The other two spaces are kinda undecided. I'm thinking maybe some type of neo-country store? A hip beauty shop? A cabinet of curiosities? All of the above? There is much work to do anyway and it will take a good while.

In the mean time I shall have some fun with the windows. Started putting random drawings up. Masks the raw interior. Gets people excited. I'll add more as the months go by.

I want a parrot. I want two parrots.

I like this word. It invokes aged but solid things, ornate fossils, epic spans of time and massive plumed beasts. In a perfect world I am a prolific street artist and my name is MESOZOIC.

 

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There are few things more gratifying than focused children making art with serious intent.

I don't much get into the classrooms these days but I was happy to be invited back to Southern Choctaw Elementary to lead a small after school program. Just a few kids. Very relaxed.

I got to do a few projects I'd had in my head for awhile. Especially cave painting. We examined the nearly 20,000 year old works in the caves of Lascaux, France.

We created our own faux stone surfaces out of large butcher paper and paint. Then we applied the animals in pastel.

Some copied the original works. Some created their own. Either way was okay.

I was gonna recreate a whole cave in this hallway but we just didn't have enough pieces to fill it out. I do think this display is plenty dynamic though.

 

We also produced these very funky fish mobiles. You stuff and paint them and balance them on a wooden rod in pairs. The movement is great. Almost realistic. Put enough together and you have a virtual aquarium.

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RAPID FIRE is one of the coolest events in Birmingham. Occurring almost monthly, it's sort of an image sharing salon for all creative disciplines.

My good friend, the great painter, Amy Pleasant is the founder of Rapid Fire. She manages to fill each session with interesting and inspired presenters offering striking images.

A few months ago I had the honor of presenting a few things from my own cache.

I chose the theme of body art. Or, more accurately, the enhanced body as sculpture. Toting about thirty picts, I had many cultures, traditional and modern, represented. But this particular image has been haunting me for over twenty years. Leaf masks from the Bwa People. When you lose your mojo and art and the creative impulse seem lost, just gaze upon the Dwo masks. They will restore everything.

Speaking of body art. This nice young lady had carved a stamp in the bottom of her cowboy boot. She steps in ink and tags everything she puts her foot to. I asked her to step on my arm. She was proud of her work.





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