One Final and Very Last Chance

#37 – Tuesday November 29th

Today and tomorrow, Tuesday November 29th, and Wednesday, November 30th, are the two final day of the SRAM pART Project auction, in support of World Bicycle Relief. A quick review of the project, SRAM (a bicycle component manufacturer) sent a box of 100 bicycle parts to a select group of artists, who then utilized these parts to create sculptures. Its these sculptures that are now being auctioned off, with 100% of the funds going to support World Bicycle Relief (WBR) and the Power of Bicycles. In the words of WBR, “Compared to walking, bicycles improve access to education, healthcare and economic opportunity by increasing carrying capacity and accessible travel distance while decreasing the time it takes to commute to and from schools, clinics and markets.” The sculptures can be viewed here. On-line bids can be placed on specific sculptures here, or on my SRAM pART sculpture here. Donations of any amount can be made here ( a donation of $134 = one bike ) and all donations made by December 31st will be matched dollar for dollar by SRAM.

In keeping with this Tuesday’s bicycle theme, last week we stumbled upon this sculpture of a bike, articulated in granite, while hiking the Black Canyon Trail (BCT). The BCT is a multi-use trail system (hike, bike and equestrian) wandering through the Bradshaw Mountains, just north of Phoenix. The Bradshaw’s are both rugged and beautiful. Encompassing  just under one thousand square miles, the Bradshaw Mountains rise from about nineteen hundred feet of elevation, where the Agua Fria River courses through its eastern flanks, to over seventy-nine hundred feet, at the summit of Mount Union, the Bradshaw’s tallest peak. (The Bradshaw Mountain range has eight named peaks, each being in excess of seventy-five hundred feet in elevation). This ecosystem supports an incredible diversity of plant and animal life, making it a pleasure to explore.

Thanks for reading.

Charles

And So It Goes

#31 – Tuesday October 18th

Done. As of today, the paintings are at Perimeter. Prior to the exhibition, the paintings are photographed, framed, then returned to the gallery for installation. The exhibition opens on November 18th and will run through the end of the year.  The past couple of days have been hectic, putting the finishing touches on these two paintings, and prepping the canvasses for shipping, and now that the paintings are out of the studio, it’s a quiet feeling. Though a little odd, because these paintings have been a part of my daily life for well over a year, with a couple of canvasses having been in progress for the better part of three. But it’s not the end. I’ve a painting still in the studio that will or won’t make it to Chicago depending on how it develops, and the materials to stretch up another few canvasses. And so it goes on.

Speaking of going on, the details of the SRAM’s pART PROJECT auction and event have been announced. The on line auction begins November 20th and culminates with gala event, in Chicago, on November 30th, where the final moments of the auction will take place. All the auction proceeds will go to support World Bicycle Relief. For additional details, including auction updates, event info, viewing the artists pART sculptures and bios visit the SRAM pART PROJECT website. SRAM provided each artist a CD containing four images of their sculptures, originally taken for the project website.  To see the “official” four views of my SRAM pART sculpture, click on the image to the right.

This week, in celebration of my tenth exhibition at Perimeter, a painting from the 1997 show. This exhibition was reviewed by Arts and Antiques magazine.

Thanks for reading.

Charles

This Cornucopia Tuesday

#26 – Tuesday September 13th

In conjunction with the premier exhibition of the SRAM pART Project sculptures at InterBike (the main trade show for the bicycle industry), the project website has posted photos of all the sculptures. The SRAM pART Project website homepage, features the project overview, and a link to the artists. Clicking on the individual artist’s image, brings up a brief biography and a photo of their pART sculpture. In many of the bio’s there are links that allow for additional exploration of that specific artists work. After InterBike, the sculptures go to Chicago, home base of  SRAM, where in late October, SRAM will host an additional pART Project exhibition and after, all the works will be put up for  auction (including on-line auction participation). All the auction proceeds will go to support World Bicycle Relief. I’ll post the particulars as they become available.

I’m still working on the words to accompany the new paintings. It seems to take me almost as long to assemble these linguistic partners, as it does to bring a canvas to fruition. At one point I’d just scribble on the back of the paintings, but now my favorite landing strip for capturing my observations are three by five cards, they are easy to tote around, and easier to sort through, but transforming them into form, is a process as challenging and entertaining as the painting.

Speaking of new paintings, here are two of them . . . At this moment, I can’t verbally illuminate just where these canvasses are headed but I’m excited about the journey

Trundling around the radio dial, I caught a delightful interview with Marianne Faithfull. I’ve her CD “Strange Weather”, recorded some 25 years ago, and her languid, husky vocals, seemingly tinged with a world-weary sadness, always resonate when I’m in a certain mood. Her interview was so entertaining, I couldn’t resist checking out her new CD “Horses and High Heels” . Yes, still languid and husky, more late night than early morning and well worth a listen.

Thanks for reading.

Charles