Jim Henson was born on this day (Sept. 24) in 1936. I’ve always enjoyed his work — especially Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas and Fraggle Rock. Takes me back.. or I should say, takes me somewhere else.. plus the music on these shows is almost always so good. Check the video above of Emmet Otter’s Jugband singing “Brothers”.
“The most sophisticated people I know–inside they’re all children. We never really lose a certain sense we had when we were kids.” – Jim Henson
I headed out dark and early Saturday morning for the Aaron Douglas Art Fair which went well. Thanks to you folks that came out! The weather was beautiful although I was pretty chilly at certain points of sun hiding behind the tree over me. Beats the summer heat. Autumn is the best. Speaking of which, yesterday was the first day of Autumn, so happy Autumn. The changing season is conjuring up some images in my head for new works. Looking forward to getting back to the cutting table.
After the art fair, I ate a late dinner (sadly, my first meal of the day yesterday) at the newly redesigned Esquina in Lawrence. The vegetable frittata and salad totally rocked. Go eat there, local yokals.
Today I headed to Kansas City to hit up the Plaza Art Fair and see a bunch of exhibiting friends that I’ve met over all my travels to different art shows. Before doing that, I delivered my large “Midnight Garden” paper cutting to it’s new owner in KC. This is my favorite paper cutting that I’ve been taking around with me lately, so I was glad to see it go to a good, appreciative home. Before I delivered that, I was killing some time wandering around the Westport area and accidently happened upon an antique store and picked up a few knick-knacks, including these groovy little Holt Howard salt & pepper shakers. Seriously love antique stores… I’ve been known to spend entire days perusing them. Plotting some autumn antiquing adventures.
Thanks again to all you folks and friends that graced me with your presence this weekend. Ending it in a quiet room with a cup of mint & chamomile tea. Til next time..
Tonight’s sunset.
“Everything comes to us that belongs to us if we create the capacity to receive it.” -Rabindranath Tagore
I’ll be doing my thang this Saturday, Sept. 22, at the 7th Annual Aaron Douglas Art Fair at 12th & Lane in Topeka, KS. It runs from 10am- 5pm. I’ve got lots of new prints & cards plus seven originals that I haven’t displayed yet that were part of the Grimm Brothers 200th Anniversary Exhibit at the Buell Children’s Museum in Pueblo, CO, for the last six months.
It’s been a long day of non-stop print making.. still going at it with a very early morning full of matting and bagging and framing and packing and whatever else ahead. New prints available include (only offered at Art Westport so far): Moon Dweller, Good Things Billowing Into The Night, Big Moon, Owl At Dusk & Night Bird.
Hope to see you there. It should be beautiful weather wise.
Dust from gravel roads lingering in the sun. Atchison County State Lake, September 2012.
Waking in the Middle of the Night by Robert Bly
I want to be true to what I have heard.
It was so sweet to hear music last night.
There is so much joy in being afraid
of the world together.
The snow in the branches,
the sadness in your hands,
The foot tracks in the mud,
the old Inca faces,
The trout who wait all year
for the acorns
to descend.
The sitar player is so much
like the crow, who rises
Each morning in the sky above
the black branches
And cries six cries with no memory
of the light.
Every musician wants his fingers
to play faster
So that he can go deeper into
the next kingdom of pain.
Each note on the string calls
for one note more.
The hand that has written
all these sounds down
Is like a bird who wakes in the middle
of the night
And starts out toward its old nest
on the mountain.
Robert, I don’t know why you
would have such Good luck today.
Those few lines about the crows
Crying are better than a whole night
of sleep.
An early morning on gravel roads. Crisp, clear star-filled sky. Car heat on low. Favorite boots. Hot coffee. Deer grazing on the side of the road. First light of day peeking over the rural horizon. Watching the world wake up. Heading into a full day of work. Starting it off right.
My last couple days have been filled with so much goodness.. No shortage of beauty and inspiration around me. Here’s a bunch of photos from a jaunt out into the country this evening — Atchison County, KS, 9/18/12.
Wichita bound through rolling hills. 9/17/12.
I just poked my head out into the dark night and listened to an owl sitting in a tree in my yard seemingly calling to the neighborhood dogs who eagerly responded.
I spent the better part of both Thursday and Saturday baking, which was my profession in a previous life. It was a nice change doing it for fun and for family and friends. And I actually ate what I made and enjoyed it. (Vanilla & cheesecake cupcakes, a gargantuan red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, and an on-the-fly concocted cheesecake: chocolate graham cracker crust with a layer of crushed whoppers, then the cheesecake and a layer of chocolate ganache on top of that, lined with more whoppers and colorful sprinkles. whoooooo).
I’ve been away from home and from the internet world a lot. It’s good to be disconnected from time to time. Or in other words, it’s good to be connected only where it matters most.
I got a bunch more supplies in — printing to commence in the next couple days for the Aaron Douglas Art Fair in Topeka next Saturday. This is a new show for me and I’m looking forward to it. I’m also awaiting my works in the mail from the Grimm Brother’s exhibit in Colorado that closed last week, so those will be available next weekend.
Today I walked through the Zona Rosa Art Fair in Kansas City, which I participated in during 2010.. it sadly has shrunken to what seemed like just a handful of artists. I think it was the first art fair I’ve walked through when I wasn’t participating since I’ve been doing these shows. Next Sunday I’ll be hitting up the Plaza Art Fair in Kansas City as an observer only as well (and maybe a purchaser too, if I can’t fight off my art buying urges).
Lots of other good things happening as well. Trying to catch up meanwhile. Til next time.