BEWARE frenzied art making in process! That’s a sign that should have been posted outside the shop. Maybe it was too much crock potting, or those bright, shiny, dented trumpets waiting to be used, or the variety of found objects I had gathered to work
with, but when I started to make my piece for the Music For the Masses show I was a woman possessed. So much so that several times I should have measured twice and cut once but I was so amped up to make this sculpture it took me a bit longer than usual because I needed to re-cut the steel several times and even double check my welds. At one point I would have kick myself in the butt if I could have reached it because I had welded one of the mixer blades UPSIDE DOWN –ARRRGGH! You know how hard it is to “un-weld” steel?! I had to take the grinder to it…
My idea for the sculpture was to create a mechanized look of making music with the beauty of the sound coming from the trumpet opening. I had some bicycle parts left over from my Bicycle Bloom sculpture that I used on the trumpet as well as the plasma cut flowers and leaves. Welding the various elements was tricky because brass is a non-ferrous metal that is soldered and my steel sculptures are TIG welded. I am a horrible, impatient solderer from my stained glass days, so I don’t even go there. To construct the sculpture the trumpet needed to be deconstructed, insert with some steel round stock to serve as a base skeleton to be able to attach the gears and flora embellishments to. Every part of that trumpet, as I was taking it apart, was beautiful. I felt a little weird drilling on it but knew that it wouldn’t be too sacrilegious because the instrument had been damaged beyond repair and was set aside for scrap parts before it was
gifted to me. Thank you again Horn Doctor!
There isn’t a musical bone in my body, just ask Daddy-O or any of my kids. Which is hard to believe considering how much I LOVE music, especially live music. Did you ever see Steve Martin in the “Jerk” dancing –insert Cindy. I’m convinced the gift of rhythm in my body was replaced by an acute sense of smell or more likely sight. Working to good music feels like a spa treatment for my mind. Fortunately, I leave the play lists up to Derek –he keeps all
my music fresh -everything from Duffy, Radiohead, Patty Griffin, Shawn Mullins, Lenny Kravitz, U2, Van Morrison to Classical. Just because I can’t keep a beat or know what one is doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the beauty of musical instruments. I feel that all musical instruments are works of art, finely tuned art -and what a treat it was to have a good reason to incorporate an instrument (even a beat up one) in a sculpture this week!
Feb. 4 First Friday Art Walk Downtown Anchorage on 4th Avenue
“Music for the Masses” Art Show
with the Glacier Brass Quintet playing from 6:30-8:30
907-258-2787
8 comments:
I absolutely love this piece! It is so interesting how your artistic mind works. Kinda looks like it could run like a bicycle with all of the gears and chain. And it is playing beautiful music. Fabulous!
yeh now you're cooking!! its a great piece blended with all manner of materials..I hope the show goes well
This one is great and I can see where your mind wanted to just take off!
I can't carry a tune in a bucket, but I still love good music!
Finally! I get to see the whole piece. Oh, Cindy! I can just see the notes going around and around the bicycle parts doing all the technical things they have to do in order ultimately to come out as things of absolute beauty! I LOVE this piece!! I hope it goes to a wonderful home full of music!
This is beautiful. I am so happy to see you doing your sculptures again. I was missing them...alot. Beautiful.
I love music and can sing (well used to be able to fairly well) and often fantasized at being a singer, but figured I didn't have much of a chance to make it big, but if American Idol had been around when I was young I would have been there for sure, I love this piece.
Your decription of how you went ahead of yourself on welding and all so describes how I am sometimes, needing to slow down a bit.
WOW! After being a trumpet player and a long time cyclists this piece is AWESOME! FREAKIN AWESOME!!!
You totally ROCK Cindy!
Coming over from Henhouse...and I totally see why she adores you so!
I am in love with the trumpet! The playfulness of it is simply delightful! Wow.
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