Tag Archives: artist blog

Pick of the week, May 14

May 14, 2012 by Chris | 0 Comments

“Nay, be a Columbus to whole new continents and worlds within you, opening new channels, not of trade, but of thought.” Henry David Thoreau

 

MIle Marker 230, 23" x 35"

 

To add this or another piece to your collection please contact me.

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Show hangover

May 10, 2012 by Chris | 2 Comments

You can probably imagine what the days leading up to a show look like.

Something like this:

Preparing for shows

or this:

loads of artwork

And you can probably imagine what the days after a typical show look like.

lots of miles

But one of the glorious things about doing a hometown show is that the days immediately following (which we call the “show hangover”) look something like this:

Great meals

a clean desk

a good book and a comfy hammock

and the muses

 

But as of today I am back in the studio, the desk will be messy soon enough, and the muses will have to tough it out on their own. So if you need me you know where I will be.

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Pick of the Week, May 7

May 7, 2012 by Chris | 0 Comments

“To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee, And revery. The revery alone will do, If bees are few.” Emily Dickinson

Mile Marker 280, 35" x 51"

To check the availability of this or similar pieces please contact me.

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Pick of the Week, April 30

April 30, 2012 by Chris | 0 Comments

“The wideness of the horizon has to be inside us, cannot be anywhere but inside us, otherwise what we speak about is geographic distances.” Ella Maillart

 

MIle Marker 237, 23" x 35"

 

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Pick of the week, April 23

April 23, 2012 by Chris | 0 Comments

“Is the spring coming?” he said. “What is it like?”… “It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine…” ― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

MIle Marker 266, 11" x 14"

To add this or another piece to your collection please contact me.

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Signs you’re in Texas

April 19, 2012 by Chris | 0 Comments

It's a lie about the driving.

Kyle and I crossed the Red River into my home state Tuesday night on our way to the Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival. And though I haven’t lived here since I was a small child, and I often hear, “You don’t seem like a Texan” I was definitely raised as one – complete with the Texas flag flying in front of our house on holidays…in Missouri. So while I know instantly when I have crossed into the “Holy Land”, as my grandfather called Texas from the pulpit, for others it might not be so clear.

Some Signs:

  • You can hear a horse whinny from your hotel room…at the Hyatt.
  • There are images of barbed wire along with your room number outside your door.
  • The two pair of cowboy boots tucked away in your suitcase seem inadequate.
  • The glasses of iced tea are bigger than your head.
  • The state flag is everywhere you look.
  • You hear the words “boot” and “scootin'” used together in a sentence.
  • The stars at night are big and bright.

*signs may vary – there might be a few others

Some Visual Signs:

Babe's ChickenTractor seatsFancy tractor seatSouthern foodDessert? Who raised that cowboy?Lots of feet have walked those stockyard bricksHog and sheep buildingThey are everywhereLonghorns

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Pick of the week, April 16

April 16, 2012 by Chris | 0 Comments

“Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!” ~ Sitting Bull

MIle Marker 258, 16" x 22"

If you would like to add this piece or another to your collection please contact me.

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What’s in a name?

April 11, 2012 by Chris | 0 Comments

Mile Marker XXX

There are as many stories as there are Mile Markers.

Titles are meant to act as a nudge, a hint, the first line of a story. Especially titles that seemingly are about a distinct place. They hint at specificity, maybe calling to mind an exact location, or perhaps simply triggering the memory of counting the miles on the long family vacations.  The significance of the name isn’t found in the numbers.  Your stories are the Mile Markers – they are not duplicated but they are everywhere.

 

Mile Marker 268, 16x22

 

This powerful story is from fellow artist, Sharon Spillar after reading the post “Booth Lessons”:

“So mile marker 268. This can only be Kansas. I know that place. Checking with my Mom to double check the mile marker number. With my husband I still am inconclusive. I traveled that road many, many times. Many people travel it and make complaints. I find that I am at home. I find peace. I find day dreams that I have missed. I grew up in Kansas and I truly cannot find any complaints.

What mile marker 268 for me is about the time I regain my peace. My Dad was an oil man and worked that part of Kansas. He was killed in a traffic accident at mile marker 263.5 ( I thought ) or 262.5 ( Verne thinks) but what ever it is. I know the spot because of the positioning of the bridge. But what I can say is that by this mile marker I have recollected myself, I have been brought back together by that vast depth of space, and I am home again.

Chris we have only met once but I am telling you this. You captured that area.

Thank you, Sharon Spillar”

 

What is your story?

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Pick of the week, April 9

April 9, 2012 by Chris | 0 Comments

“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” ― Margaret Atwood

 

MIle Marker 265, 11" x 14"

 

To add this or another piece to your collection please contact me.

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Changing Hats

April 4, 2012 by Chris | 0 Comments

Being an artist requires a lot of hats and sometimes I have a hard time changing them quickly.

My creative process is less like a light switch and more like a fire that takes some time to get stoked. So a week like this is glorious – not a single meeting and big chunks of uninterrupted studio time. As last week was given over to writing, proposals, and taxes, this week is all about creating! I already have some exciting new pieces to show for it and the week isn’t even over yet.

 

progression of sizes

 

35x51

 

Now the waiting begins!

The largest pieces take 6 – 8 weeks to dry making these pieces ready to frame in mid-May. So if your name is on a sticky note on the bottom of my computer thank you for your patience. And, if you would like your name added to the list of people waiting for just the right large piece for them, please let me know.

 

Waiting for a piece? - I see your name everyday!

 

Don, I think this one might be the one for you!

 

Don’t want to wait?

Have an aversion to sticky notes? I have four great large pieces that are ready to go to their forever homes. You can see the pieces that are framed and ready for delivery here.

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