Remembrance of Summer

Summer is here . . . with a vengeance some might say, especially if you live in the midwest. But Fall will be here at some stage and I am anticipating looking back, as winter approaches, on summery scenes and flowers. Maybe some of these scenes will even grace an Art Walk. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.
So, enjoy some scenes, even if a bit weird, from summer.

Abstracts

Looking towards a new Art Walk, that most unappreciated art form, sponsored, sort of, by the Cabarrus Arts Council--sort of, because, well they mostly ignore the artists who actually bring art to the Art Walk. But that's another story. I'm thinking of a set of somewhat abstract critter scenes, plus a set I will call "Incongruities".  More fun than art, but what I do isn't actually recognized as real art anyway.
 Here are the "abstracts".

Ok, then there are the "Incongruities."

Lastly, a piece combining two of our favorite things.

Some are obvious. Some you will have to guess. Hopefully, they're fun.

Art Whimsy II

Here's another for the whimsical art mix. I call it Star Gazing . . .

Art Whimsy

I began yesterday with one floral picture, and then couldn't stop working on color and compositions that seemed nice, if a bit whimsical. I printed finally ten new pictures. Who knows for what reason. Maybe they will get into an Art Walk later this summer, or maybe they will just decorate our basement.  They seemed nice, so here they are.

May (or June) Art

Another Art Walk is coming sometime in May (actually June 15th) . The real question is, will I be participating??  The Art Walks have become problematic for many of the participating artists.One issue is the venue. In earlier days, the Art Walks used to be held within the Old Courthouse in downtown Concord, a lovely old building that once was an actual courthouse, but now is a lovely venue for art and theatre. But when I say "art", I mean  . . . well what do I mean? The main part of the Old Courthouse, is a series of rooms, connected by a hallway, all of which used to be used for the Art Walks. Now, that space is reserved for . . . art shows--artists are invited to display and sell their art--paintings, sculpture, pottery, ornamental glassware. There is even a small gift shop. Apparently, the "Art Walk" is not considered "artsy" enough for that space.  I guess, we're all just too amateur. Some real "artists" don't even consider what I do--digital art--as "art." No paint brushes, I guess.
So, the "Art Walks" have been settled into an old bank building next door. Now, the old bank building is also lovely space, except that it's too small for the number of participating artists, and so it's all kind of a jumble.  Partly as a result, and partly also because the folks who visit the "Art Walks" seem disinclined to spend any money, the number of participating artists has been shrinking. I suppose it may all be a self-fulfilling prophesy kind of thing. As the number of artists shrink, the Art Walk itself become less exciting, so fewer people decide to visit, and so on.
It is also the case that the Council--the sponsoring group--has been unwilling to provide any credit card sales capability at the Art walk. And, since nobody carries cash any longer, that puts a bit of a crimp in the whole event. A few artists have begun using "Square", that device one can plug into a smart phone. But mainly, the artists rely on cash sales.
So, there may be a time in the not too distant future, when the Art Walks simply disappear.  As a result, I am beginning to question why I participate. It's all becoming too expensive.
On the other hand, should I decide to continue with this profitless venture, along with most of the remaining artists, I may select some scenes from below.

Artist at Work:

C&O Canal: The Lock

Summer Critters:

Fountains: DC Style

Another Summer Critter:

Pond life in a Zen Garden:

Pierglow

Nag's Head: The Pot of Gold

Some day April will appear on the calendar, and we will forget all about this weird pseudo-winter. And April will bring another Art Walk and maybe even another Art show in downtown Concord. In preparation, I am readying my next collection, this one featuring Critters. Maybe we'll title it, "Critters, Critters, Everywhere and Not a One to Eat". Or maybe just, "Critters I have known."
The series will include pictures from several classes of critters.
First, the little guys, dragons, and butterflies:

Then there are our always hungry, always clever friends, the squirrels, shown here waiting at a squirrel cafeteria devised by our son-in-law Dennis Long.

 Our pond provides many opportunities to observe our watery friends, the koi's in our very own koi pond. Shown here, two views of Sally, our 24-inch girl, who dominates the pond life.

Finally, what critter show would be complete without some of our fine feathered friends, We begin with Tom, a portrait of a very handsome dude, followed by a watchful critter from Nova Scotia, and last but not least, our favorite feathered critter, the blue heron in flight.

Happy 2012 world . . .
For some reason, 2012 keeps bringing me back in time to when I was younger and, therefore, more hopeful. Perhaps 2012 really is a brand new, fresh-faced world. Perhaps we will all awaken in this new year and new world to see the sun rising and bringing with it not only warm colors, but a bright new promise, where people could be nice to one another . . . you know, instead of shooting one another . . .
It could happen.
So, in that spirit, I give you 2012 as the sun arises over Mt. Kinchinjunga. It takes me back and brings me forward, sort of back to the future.

Happy New Year all.