YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK

Artists are outnumbered by art critics by a factor of 488/1.
In reality there are only two kinds of people involved in art, artists and critics. If you have seen my work you can understand that I have my share of detractors. Of course you can’t please everyone but when you are eyeball to eyeball with a critic telling you “this is terrible, you should be ashamed” you sort of have to say something. My usual response is “I’m sorry (miss or sir etc) but it is too late….I already made it and you already saw it. “ However in 2011 I am going to encourage my critics to use a more official avenue to voice their complains. Directly to the Government.

The truth is that my art efforts are fully funded by the United States of America. Taxpayer cash by way of Social Security pays me what I call an artist’s stipend, and as a “retired” person Medicare keeps me healthy enough to keep making art. I even have insurance to pay for my pills, thanks to George W Bush.

In truth, and actual fact, I am your tax dollars at work. Thank you America, and have a happy new year. And remember folks, if you have complaints call your Congressional representative and tell them all about it.

Merry Christmas

Seasons greetings to all. Hope you are having a happy time getting ready for Christmas. As you can see by the photo I am doing fine, thank you very much. Today I will finish baking Christmas cookies. Spicy oatmeal cookies are the project, loaded with ginger, cinnamon and molasses these are not the usual oatmeal sinkers. Low fat and sweetened with Splenda they are half healthy. And they make the house smell so good.

Posting a few items on etsy will have to wait till after Christmas. There is just to much happening right now. My studio also serves as the meeting hall for the very exclusive Mohnton Football Club.
While the members do not play soccer, or field a team, we talk soccer a lot and watch it on TV. Big doings on Boxing day......a loud and unruly gathering is expected. If you are in the neighborhood stop by and BYO. And in the holiday spirit Republicans will be admitted on Boxing Day as long as they refrain from any discussion of politics.

I'll post a picture of "Can't Hurt Me" in a few days.

Merry Christmas everyone, Hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

Fashion Slaves

I guess this piece falls under the category of "social comment" This is not a unique subject or view to be sure. Through history artists and writers have taken their turn poking fun and ridicule at our obsession with fashion. "Fashion Slaves" is my turn at the subject.

Visitors who would like to have a piece of my work can see what is currently available in my shop on Etsy. A search for W.B. Nally should take you to my page. Thanks for visiting.

Comments and complaints are welcome.

Bonjour from Mohnton

Five years have passed since I fell over in Daytona Beach…and did not die. Thanks to the folks that helped me during my recovery and also to the friends that have helped me establish my independence. This morning as I enjoyed my espresso and was awed by the view from my studio I could not help but reflect on my good fortune. Thank you everyone.

It's only a broken heart

Greetings from Mohnton

Happy to report all computer and technical issues have been resolved. I will post new work every few days ….. I have not been posting but I have been making stuff. I have ten new pieces and as I get to taking the pictures I’ll post the new stuff.

Assembly of Machine #22 is underway……next week the lights will be installed.

“Good as New”

Here is a heart that has had a lot of scrapes….but in spite of the repeated blows repairs have been made, fresh paint applied and it is as good as new ! Just like in real life. As bad as it is, it could be worse, and thankfully it is hardly ever as bad as we think it is.

Moving Day

With all the painting, scrubbing and cleaning done it is Moving day. Yesterday was a busy day and by evening I had a drawing table, bed, sofa and TV set up and today my cat and I will be moving to our new place. Well. maybe......Pippy has a long memory and when I walked in with the carrier to transport her to the new digs she scooted under the bed and it may be a while till she comes out. Her last trip in the carrier was 3 days and over 1.000 miles and try as I might was not able to convince her that this was a short 10 mile trip and she would love her new place etc. So it may be another day till my Kitty joins me in our new home. But sooner or later she will come around and she will be on her way.

Meanwhile...........met my new Doctor last week and while I will never again get a "clean bill of health" the Doc said that I was handling my situation well and said I should keep doing what I am doing and see you again in August.

Next week it is back to work.......machine 22 and the other dozen projects I am working on will get my full energy now the the "Martha Stewart" (painting and decorating) portion of my move has been taken care of.

I will post updates and pictures of progress each week on Tuesday and Saturday. Thanks for visiting and a huge thank you to all the folks who have helped me to get where I am ...... thank you all.

New Sign and new studio

Machine 22 will be resting this week as I move into my new studio apartment. Some basic wall and ceiling painting to do before I move in but within the next week I should be at the new residence with my cat Pippy. It is a perfect art space with 22' of east facing windows on the front wall. And just a few yards down a lovely dirt lane is my shop.

The picture is of the new sign I made for the front of the shop....they say it pays to advertise.

The "Big" Show

Just mention the "big" show and several come to mind......P.T. Barnum with railroad cars full of performers and wild animals, and then there was Ed Sullivan in the early days of TV with his "really big" show....in more modern times there is the giant pro wrestler who goes by the name "the big show". The "Big" show I'm talking about here will happen toward the end of August or early September. Exact dates and location will be announced when the event moves from the planning stage and the details are worked out.

This will be my first show since being sidelined by health issues in 2005. I'll be joined by my son David, well known outsider a/k/a "Big Dutch". Since some folks around here refer to me as "Big Daddy" I'm calling this event the "Big" show. In addition machine #22 featured in this blog the show will include many of my other new pieces and new constructions and drawings by "Big Dutch". Stay tuned for further details to be announced here.

Spring Cleaning

The above average temps of the past week are gone and it is time to stop what I am doing so I can do what I'm doing. While the flowers are blooming and folks with allergies are sneezing I have been preparing No 22 for the assembly process which is about to begin. But first a day of clean up is in order. The jumble of parts you see in the machine is the orderly part of the shop right now......everything else is a mess.
Even the "lounge" had suffered with coffee cups, tools, paints and parts everywhere.

Tomorrow I'll post a few pics of the shop in a happy and neater condition and fill you in on plans for my first show in more than five years. New works by David "Big Dutch" Nally will be part of the show in addition to No. 20, No. 21, No. 22 and what ever else I have ready by Summer's end.

Thanks for visiting and if you are in the neighborhood feel free to stop by the shop to say hello and get a first hand look at what is happening.

Make Hay while the sun shines !

The happy sunshine of spring has arrived and for the next several days I will be taking full advantage of the above average degrees so go out and play for a few days. I'll be posting news and pictures after Easter.

News of my first show since my heart failure in December of 2005 will be posted in a few days. Thanks for your interest and continued support. See you soon.

Parts, bits, remains and niblets

The past few (rather chilly) days were used
to sort through the "art supplies" inventory
and select the items I think will be used ....
... the selection is now neatly.....well, not quite
neatly but lined up on a rather large table.

Also with thanks to Mr Irwin and Mr Pennypacker
there is now an assortment of nine stereos, recorders,
players and other cool things to take apart......one of
the units is pictured on the table with allthe cool stuff
exposed. Taking these things apart is such fun....there
is something very liberating about taking something
apart knowing you don't have to put it back together.

Another "dress rehearsal" was staged for the top section
using some of the grommets donated by my friends at
Conestoga.......and the remains of another wood chair
with a first coat of red paint was added in back of the
tubes. Next tasks will be to paint the "sockets" for the
tubes and install the awning and then in the next couple
weeks installing the lights for the top section can be started.
The plan for lights in this section are far more complicated
than I had in mind when I started but that always happens..
...even so I still have hopes that the machine will be completed
in early June.

My "spare" time over the next weeks will also be consumed
learning the basic electric shop lessons I ignored, forgot and
didn't find interesting all those years ago in Mr Woodrow
Herbine's electric shop at Northwest Jr. High. Strange that
I can remember the teachers name but not one of the basic
lessons he tried to pass along. Sorry Mr. Herbine, I really
should have paid attention......never thought that
more than 50 years later I would need the information.

The local weather forecast calls for several warm sunny days
at the week's end so there will be lots of painting done by
the next posting.

Spring at Last

Spring is here.......after several very warm days the "normal" temps have returned but the shop is now warm enough most days to get serious painting done and No. 22 is now almost ready for the assembly process to begin.

There are parts of the machine all over the shop being cut, painted and prepared. The back of the machine turned out looking better than I thought (love when that happens) and many of the parts plucked from the junk pile are fitting in as if planned and custom made......not sure if that is the Zen of "art" or the luck of the Irish, either way it is making this project a lot of fun.

The tin parts installed to close in the top section are the rusty remains of old stove pipe that fit well with no cutting required. It has been several years since I used tin in any of my constructions and it has been fun, and good exercise beating and bashing the rust off.

The skeleton fish hanging on the back are the remains of a piece I did several years ago that was partially destroyed by one of the hurricanes that hit Daytona a few years back. Most all the elements in No.22 had a previous life and are now joining forces
as Monty Python's lads used to say " for something entirely different".

Thanks to Sister Jenny's coupon clipping and my frugal nature I now have to small dollies under the machine and can move it about the shop with ease......the photo of the machine basking in the sunlight was taken at 1:23 pm Saturday to celebrate the exact moment of Spring's start.......in my mind these small gestures all add to the "Mojo" being built into the machine.

Today I hope to rearrange things in the shop a bit......with major construction now complete it is time to get set up for assembly tasks......and also to get the "artist's and patrons" lounge area set up for visitors. Don't be put off by the rough appearance of the lounge furniture I assure you it is all quite comfortable.

Playing Blocks

Today No. 22 went through a dress
rehearsal.....sort of like playing blocks.
The awning was installed and the wall
in back was nailed in place....and a large
group of tubes were set in place around
the central heart (in the picture it is a
paper cut out) was taped to the wall
more or less where the finished heart
will be. The finished heart will be cut
from a well weathered piece of wood,
painted bright red with a coating of
(flux) gold leaf applied.

The finished assembly will look much
different when painted and with the
lights installed.....the lower section and
all the tubes will be lit with small LED
lights and the heart will be lit with two
LED spotlights mounted in the awning.

And Large Thanks to my sister Jenny who
delivered and set up a large round table
before I arrived at the shop this morning.
The much needed addition was put in use
right away and by noon was crowded with
assorted electronic parts, springs, wires and
etc.

Daylight time is here !!

Happy days.....daylight saving time. A sure sign
of Winter's end.

It is a month since work on No 22 began and I am
happy to say the ill fitting doors have been adjusted
and are now a good fit. With the major construction
of the frame complete the real fun part of the project
can begin.

I skipped the monthly open house at the Goggle
Works yesterday ....... sometimes it is more fun
to make art than hang out and talk about art.

Visitors to the shop are encouraged to call ahead....
I am in and out quite often during the day and
hate to miss you.

The pics are of the machine with the doors open
and closed.......with my shop area all neat and tidy
(to my standards of neat and tidy) the next few days
will devoted to painting.

Close but no Cigar

I managed to get the doors on yesterday ....
... and they fit, sort of, almost, not quite.

So as expected the next couple days I'll clear
the decks ( every now and then I have to
stop what I am doing and tidy up so I can do
what I'm doing) and fuss with the doors
till they open and close a little better.

And then......happy days. With the
doors in place and law and order
restored to the shop I will get on with
building the workings of No. 22.

Spring is ever closer but the cool damp
days continue and rain is expected over
the next few days. Rain in place of the
snow is ok.......but as a grumpy old artist
the weather won't suit me till we get 70's
everyday. Once it warms up I promise this
blog will be expanded beyond the usual
weather report.

Yesterday the noted outsider artist David
"Big Dutch" Nally came by the shop for a
visit and today brother Richard is expected
for coffee and a short visit on his way to work.

Parts, Remains and Remnants

Today I started sorting through my inventory of "art supplies" to select the parts that will make up the workings of Love machine 22. In addition to
the items in the pictures there are
another half dozen boxes of electronic
niblets, transformers, circuit boards,
LED lights, switches and connectors.

This part of the project will take most
of the next few months. The next few
days will be devoted to taking things
apart and making the components that
will provide the power for the unit.

I am looking forward to a spell of "work
bench" tasks....the cold weather and
building the frame for the machine
have got me worn out.

Shemp came by the shop to visit yesterday,
I appreciate the company and it is good when
the young guys stop to see if the old man still
has a pulse.

Tomorrow I'll post a few pics of the machine
with the doors in place....still a few things to
do before hanging the doors but that is the
next big operation. Hanging the doors is about
the only thing that requires precision....no shims
hiding under the trim to make it work, getting these
big doors to open and close properly will be a test
of patience but once done the serious machine
building can begin.

Love Machine ? ? ?

Contrary to the notion a few of my biker buddies have, my love machines have little to do with their desire to "get lucky". True enough, Love in the romantic sense is a part of what I have in mind when I build these machines but to focus on that is to miss the point.

The "love" I have in mind is about loving the fact that the sun comes up in the morning, that somehow and some way rain falls out of the sky, that gravity keeps us all from floating off into space. It is about loving your life, your family, the things you eat and drink, the place you are and the places you are going, your neighbors and all the good people you have never or will ever meet. It's about the lady in front of you in the check out fumbling with her coupons, the folks you encounter each day that are struggling to get through a tough day. The truth is Love does make the world go round.......how or why that happens is beyond my understanding. How fortunate that our lack of understanding does not change anything but our perception of what is happening.

Years ago I was taught the things that get your attention grow stronger in your life. So when I build one of my "Love Machines" I focus on the positive aspects of life, the lessons learned from my mistakes, and the love I have for the absolute correctness of it all. If viewing one of my pieces causes one to have a thought in that direction it is "mission accomplished".

So, as my good friend Timmy often says......."if you want to feel good......do good."

Conestoga USA, Inc.

Went to visit Mike and Justin at Conestoga USA in Pottstown yesterday. As an old time machine tool inspector it was a real treat to see the big changes made in the 25 years I have been away from machine shop work. The kind of things we used to dream about doing are now routine procedures ....... The new digital age, like science fiction but it is all real.

Thanks to Mike and Justin for the tour of their great shop and also for the several cartons of parts and machine bits they donated to my expanding inventory of "art supplies". The first time Mike saw one of my "love machines" (he saw No.21 titled
"Big Sister") he smiled and remarked....."You don't see many of these anymore". The wonderful goodies I hauled away insure that No.22 will have that same mix of old and new that make my machines do what they do.

And thanks in advance to Justin who has taken on the task of locating the wheels that will allow the oversize No. 22 to be moved about without the help of a half dozen big strong guys. I moved the piece and set it up on horses yesterday and it was more like moving a piano than shuffling art work around the studio.

Looking ahead the weather for the next several days is predicted to be almost Spring like and I hope that by Monday the frame of No 22 will be finished and building the "works" of the machine can begin.

Once again.........thanks to the great guys at Conestoga.

March ... Winter's end is near.

The several feet of snow February provided
is slowly melting. The "normal average high
temperature" is up to 50 degrees ........ and it
is still cold!

Today the doors got some of their finish color ....Painting
while wearing gloves is a new experience ...
but working with big brushes it is no problem. And
after a couple hours of painting my hands are not
quite frozen and clean ! Another three or four coats and
they will be ready for hardware and the clear top coat.

What great fun it is working on such a large piece.......
the smallest brush I am using is a 1 1/2" sash brush I
bought at Harbor Freight for $1.79. There is a real
difference when you can buy your tools and supplies at
the hardware store and avoid the "art supply" ..... about
the only thing I buy at the art/craft stores is acrylic paints.
Most of the artist's I know around here use the weekly
40% off coupon from the Sunday paper to buy pricey oils
and acrylics.

Old Doors for 22

Time and years in the weather have done
what I could never do......the stunning finish
on the doors took more than 130 years to produce.
Removed from a Berks County home built in
1877 a pair of the window shutters were rescued
by Shemp....a long time friend of "Big Dutch" and
then passed on to me for No.22. I'm an old guy
and these shutters had seen more than 60 years of
service when I was born. The antique radio tubes in
the machine had yet to be invented when the doors
were new..........the Mojo built into Machine No.22
spans a half dozen generations......I have no doubt
the power of the machine will be enhanced by the century
of use already built into it.

The pictures show the doors with the first two coats of
blue applied. I expect it will get another six to eight coats
pf color till the project is finished.

Construction begins

Here is the center structure of No 22......as it sits it is
76" tall and 38" wide. It is already tough to move around
so wheels will be installed.

a trip to the Art Supply

Most of what I call "art supplies" won't be found at Michaels or A.C.Moore but along the side of the road on trash day or at actual junk/scrap dealers. When I arrived in Penna recently I noticed a huge pile of lovely "remnants and remainders" at Brother Dave's place on what he called the "burn" pile. Lucky for me the nearly endless snow this winter delayed the burning of the pile........as I looked over the pile I saw machine No 22. It's a little hard to make out but if you look closely you can see the main parts of the frame.

With a little help from my friends.

Actually, a lot of help….. from a lot of people. My sincere thanks to the kind folks that have made it possible for me to continue to create my “art” in my new location. The list is by no means complete and will be added to as this project goes forward.

The two Davids……..David Irwin and David “Big Dutch” Nally,
Jenny…….the Mother Theresa of our clan, Mollie Morningstar.
Miss Tallulah…..for pushing and inspiring me as no one else could,
Meg and Liz…..my other two baby sisters, and Monsignor Timmy,
Pat Weaver, Mike Gent, Richard, Shemp and Donna.

Number 22 is in process

It took a while but now situated in my expansive new work space the construction of Love Machine No 22 began on Valentine's day. Record snows and the coldest temps I have seen since my days in Alaska have slowed progress but I still manage at least an hour every day. Above is a view of my work shop......on the left you can see the frame of No.22. With the promise of warmer days on the way I expect to finish this piece early in June.

Check back for regular updates as the piece progresses. More pictures and some thoughts about what this piece is all about will be posted this evening.