Parking lots and Gardens

Happy New Year to you all! I've now had 2 Christmas' without my "x". And they have been the best that I've had in a long time. We didn't get to have a snowball fight this year but we all had fun. I had a very busy season selling lots of clocks, so that was very good. Now I need to replenish my stock, that's going to take some time though, but I get to go to the junkyards and that's totally worth it. Now onto getting a studio space so that I can get some welding done and maybe things will pick up with the art work. I am hopeful for next year!

So, onto parking lots. I did some holiday shopping for my daughter, Mom and Dad, family, and a few special friends. I look at the parking lots wherever I go. Even during the busy holiday shopping season the lots are usually not that full, half full at best. Why? Zoning laws. So many parking spots per square foot of retail, restaurant, and other shop space. Basically developers are forced if you will to provide enough parking for the maddest Black Friday crowds and all of their cars. But realistically most of the spaces are never used and what was once a farm is now acres and acres of blacktop or concrete. This causes lots of other unintended things, heat islands, run off from rain, and waste of fertile or potentially fertile land. Yes, we all need to shop for things, I do too! I rarely see anyone park far from the store, usually you will see people circle around and around the lot looking for a close space, can't walk that far. Yes, there are exceptions but I will park and walk because I can but many people are just lazy. Ever see people circle around the parking lot looking for a close spot to their gym? Hilarious and Ironic.


Now onto the gardens. I would love to see communities embrace taking unused parking lot spaces and turning them into community gardens. First, plenty of parking! Second, lots of sunlight, if a parking lot has trees they are usually small and spaced far from each other and unfortunately look sad. Third, empty retail space that can be used for storing tools, seed, soil, fertilizer, and staff. Fourth, with the large number of homeowners associations people are unable to garden in their own yards. Fifth, old neighborhoods with tree cover could benefit also, I once lived in Lakewood and we had lots of tree coverage, so veggie gardening was challenging to say the least.  Oh, hey, I just created jobs. Don't tell anyone though, it makes too much sense.

Just because a sleepy Lab!

Happy New Year!

Story Time

Once upon a time (because all good stories start that way, right?) there was a store that sold stories, not a book store per se. No this store sold unique stories, you went into the store and told them what you wanted a story about and they made a book with the story and illustrations just for you. Say maybe a story about a cucumber that became a pickle and drove a steamroller and lived on Mars, yup this store would make that into a story for you with illustrations and everything, while you waited. A story about a giraffe that raised llamas on a chicken farm, sure no problem! Even a story about a girl that was a sweet Georgia peach from the city of steel and Vulcan who lived in the country and drew pictures of dogs, houses, and churches, of course the store would make the story for you! There really is a Sweet Georgia Peach and she is an amazing person!

I'm Pluto and I approve this blog.. Now, where's my treat?

So don't you fret and don't you fear for soon you too can have your very own story from the Store of Stories. But maybe in the mean time we can talk about art and such.  I've been busy combing the auto salvage yards this month as I was not completely prepared for a busy Christmas shopping season, which it has been for me. I am very happy and grateful for all of the sales of clocks this year but could some of you guys buy some artwork too? Thanks it's been fun but I've got to motor and write more stories about elephants that dream of being Architects who design underwater homes for walruses and vacation in the Garden of the Gods. And the illustrator has to get drawing too!

A Caddy and some Volvos

Cadillac center cap

So things aren't always grey. Sometimes you meet a sweet Georgia peach and suddenly life seems brighter and possibilities that you'd forgotten about are brought back, even if the peach is from Alabama! It has been an adjustment living in Carrollton. I am meeting new people and lots of artists. I got second place in a chair competition, was asked to be on the board of a local non profit, got to be in the local Christmas parade,and met a lovely, smart, happy, amazing, and very creative lady. Things are definitely looking up but there is a long way to go. Now if I could write that story about the garden and the bats. Or maybe I'll make a book out of one of the other stories. Until next time.

144 Volvo center cap

240 Volvo center cap

740 Volvo hubcap

Volvo 740 hubcap clock 

cadillac-center-cap-wall-clock

Grey

Grey, that is how I feel. I do not like the fall, I do not like the winter. I do not like them. Spring is nice. Summer to me is the best, long sunny days. Hot sticky days! I do not like to layer my clothes, I do not like it! I like to take my clothes off.

The worst part of fall and winter for me is the cloudiness, endless days of clouds. Rain, I like the rain. But clouds with no rain, well that just makes me feel grey. And I do not like it. I like colors, reds, greens, blues, yellows, purples, and every other color of spring and summer. The short days play havoc on my psyche. I feel like I can get nothing done. I know that this time shall pass and once again the trees will turn green, the sun will warm me up, and I will walk once again in the heat but for now I do miss it so.
 
These days are harder for me as I feel such a disconnect with my life, I miss my daughter, my dogs, my cat, and I miss having a regular well paying job that I love. What I do now is great, I do love being an artist but there are many struggles with this life, mostly financial, it wasn't supposed to be this way at my age, was it?


When you meet someone and find out that you like them it is a difficult thing for me to hold back and be patient. I am lonely, I crave friendship, compassion, and love. I want to move so fast and yet I know that I can not. I will be patient, as I know the trees will turn green again, so too will I love again.

I'd like to show you some pics of artsy stuff but I haven't worked on much lately. Hopefully soon, I will have some semblance of a studio. It has been a huge adjustment for me this last year, a lot has changed, a lot more is left to change, and that is actually a very good thing. Thanks.

Robots and Art

This robot is the latest and largest robot that I have welded. It stands about 4 feet tall, I worked on this at a local middle school with the art teacher. I have to say that this was a very fun sculpture to build as I had students coming out all day to watch, ask questions, and make comments. I haven't done any kind of art in front of a "crowd" in some time, last time was just after college at Cafe Tu Tu Tango. It was very enjoyable to do this in the courtyard behind the art classroom. The art teacher is amazing and she helped me with the robot providing pieces and parts and offering me suggestions that were very helpful. She even did some welding! So to any artists out there that have time and know an art teacher I highly recommend visiting with a class or two and talking with the students. 

Thanks!

Something good, something new, and something sparkly!

So, we spend so much of our time thinking about, dreaming about, and romanticizing relationships. It has been a very strange year full of changes both good and bad. But I think that I've handled things well, ending a long relationship with someone is difficult, then you throw in children, lawyers, a house, money, and things get ugly....Time has passed and I feel so much better now than even a few months ago. And now that old things are done, the urge to start up again with a new relationship comes around from something that in my past would have been labelled as a "diversion" or "a waste of time". I've had the time to volunteer with a few organizations and it's been very helpful as someone that has been out of work for some time. It feels like a job, the people that volunteer with you are really interesting and they actually want to be there and make a difference, even though none of us get paid, it has been very uplifting to my spirits. I still continue to look for a permanent job but I now have several part time endeavors, as well as working on my art full time, because no matter what I do, I am a full time artist.
I was asked the other day if I liked what I did? Yes, I said. But that wasn't the truth. The truth is that I actually love what I do. It is an incredible experience to take pieces of steel and create something with my hands and then it gets better when other people like what I do and want it. One of my neighbors from Decatur contacted me and didn't know that I had moved, she was disappointed that the sculptures that I put in the yard where gone. That was one of the things about her walks that she really liked. To hear that was astonishing, because sometimes, I live in a vacuum and don't think that anybody likes what I do, but the reminders come in just when I need them.

So, now I'm off onto other adventures with art, humanity, music, love, food, and the completely unexpected turn that my life has made. And now I'm headed down that path again. Or is it up that path again?

Welcome back to the hinterlands, of my lost ramblings from the wilds of west GA. So, I've been wandering the junkyard, contemplating the beauty of the rolling landscape and spectacular view from the top of the hill. I was told that you could see all of the way the the Atlanta airport, along way. The junked cars that populate the landscape to be used another day in some other car/truck or maybe something else and the vast surrounding vistas is an interesting juxtaposition from where I am living. Any way some new clocks, 76 Dodge Aspen Hubcap Clock.

76 Dodge Aspen

Pumpkins

Pumpkin made from recycled rods

 

1.  

Mike Wyzowski

Well, I made a pumpkin out of recycled rods that I got from the Scrap Bin in Carrollton, GA. This awesome place has all kind of donated goods for artists and crafters at very reasonable prices. It also has opportunities for artists to hold workshops on upcycled art/recyled art and such. And also gallery space for artists that use recycled materials. I'll be having a clock making work shop in January 2012. I carved a pumpkin this year with my Mom, first year in 5-6 years that I didn't do this with my daughter. Mom separated the seed and we roasted them. Next weekend I'll make pumpkin pie with the sugar pumpkin we got at Uncle Bob's pumpkin patch.

So, I've been getting ready for a big push for the holidays and hope to have a lot of hubcaps and artwork online and at the galleries. MetalArtDude's gallery new hubcap clocks and new artwork!

Thanks for reading! Happy Halloween!

Chair

Well what have you been up to lately? I've been making a chair for a charity auction for a non profit in Carrollton, GA, the Scrap Bin. It takes donated material and sells it to people like me at greatly reduced rates. But the best part is that they give teachers supplies, up to a certain amount for free, every day. I've taken a few things to them, clock hands, bottle caps, and some other odds and ends. They have a list of what they are looking for, blue glass bottles seem to be a big seller for some reason. The sale of the chairs will take place at their location in Carrollton, GA on November 19, 2011 from 10am - 2pm.

So, onto what's up with my etsy store?  63-ford-galaxie-clock and a 58-ford-fairlane-hubcap-clock, I do have lots more available at www.metalartdude.etsy.com or just contact me. I have a lot in my trunk that are still being identified and cleaned.

Also, I did a custom pumpkin.

A flower, a pumpkin, and a hubcap clock

Custom Order Pumpkin

Yellow Flower

Latest projects have that I have been working on include the pumpkin, the flower, and some hubcap clocks. See the flower at Yellow Flower. The pumpkin is still being painted and then is headed to Connecticut.

 

 

 

Chevy center cap clock

Chevy Clock, found this in a junkyard in Lowell, GA. It's over 90 acres of rolling hills with this great view of the country, the owner piled the hubcaps by an old school bus so that I don't have to go traipsing throughout the whole property. He's interested in selling to anyone that might be interested! So, there you have it, what I've been working on for the last few weeks.

The Cat is King

Once there was a cat that lived in a nice house with some very nice people. Now this cat thought he was the king of the household, when he Meowed, he got food. When he went to the door and meowed, he was let out, and when he was ready to come back in, he meowed and was let back into the house. He was fed, his litter box was cleaned, he had warm places to nap, and someone to scratch him on his back and between his ears, he was the king of the household. His people that he lived with knew it, he knew it, but the dogs in the neighborhood didn't know it.
The dogs in the neighborhood would chase him when they saw him and this would not do, this was no way to treat a king, especially when it interfered with nap time, sunning time, and resting time. What was a cat to do? The next day the cat woke up, meowed and was fed, meowed at the back door and was let out. He decided that he needed to figure out a way to keep the dogs away from his castle for he was the king, they just didn't know it. So, the cat laid in the sun and thought. He took a nap in the shade and thought. He cleaned his paws and he thought about what he could do to keep the dogs from chasing him. He was much too good to hiss at the dogs and clawing a dog on its nose never made things better, so he sat outside all day and thought and thought. Soon it was late so he went to the back door, meowed, and was let inside. He meowed and was fed dinner, Then it was time to lay on someone's lap and get a good head scratch, finally off to bed where he would wake up at 3 am and play with his people's feet, waking them up every night.
Maybe I'll finish the story later. Here's a cat that I made.

Ironic the Cat

Ironic the Cat

Robots

I've welded a few robots over the last year or so, the first was one that my daughter laid out on my welding table. They are fun to make and paint but sometimes I do get bogged down and cannot figure out a paint color, I mean they are supposed to be metallic right? The last one I wrote about was blue metallic, so I thought that red metallic would be good this time. Right. I went to 3 different places looking for red metallic, nope, they didn't have it, I had pictured this color based on car colors that I have seen, then it hit me, doooh!  The auto parts store. So to Advance I went and there I found the color. This red robot is monochrome, except for the spark plug.  Metalartdude's Metal Shop Robots

Take me to you Beaters

Red Robot

Mega Phone Robot designed by my daughter

Letters

T

Give me a F

Zzzzzzzzzzz

E, e, e  ear, egg, elephant

Letters, we've got letters! Lots and lots of..........well a few. So I started to make some letters the other day.
The Letter T and E and Z and F. So many more letters to go! I've also made another robot that is now a metallic red but it has been too cloudy and rainy to photograph it. So, I listed this wall sculpture instead, Funny face false face tied down dog  
The horns are discarded dog stakes, the curly q ones that I found in the scrap heap.

That's about what's been up lately in GA. Robot pics to come sometime.

A story and some new art work

Once upon a time there was a cat who lived in a very nice neighborhood, with nice people and lots of dogs. Now other than being a cat, this cat thought he was the king of the neighborhood.  A lot of the nice people liked to walk there dogs every day past the cat, and the cat would run after the dogs telling them to go away, this was his kingdom, dogs weren't allowed, and the dogs would leave with there owners, because they were on a walk. The next day the same thing would happen and the cat would chase all of the dogs down the street and yell at them to leave and the dogs did, mostly because they were on a walk and headed back home for some water and a treat!  
The dogs in the neighborhood were getting a little tired of the cat and being chased so one night they all got together to discuss what they would do about this problematic cat. All the dogs agreed that something had to be done but none of the dogs wanted to talk to the cat, besides they only spoke dog and didn't understand what the cat was yelling at them, they were just tired of him. Now, none of the dogs wanted to confront the cat.
"I don't want to get my nose popped by that cat", said a big Rotty.
"Cats are mean and they hiss and have claws that hurt", said a droolly Boxer.
"I'll do it", said a meek voice. "I'll do it", the meek voice said once again. And finally as loudly as he could a small Chihuahua said "I'll do it" and all of the dogs looked at the little one.
The next day on his walk the little Chihuahua walked by the cat and charged the little dog. The Chihuahua stopped and spoke to the cat, "please stop chasing all of the dogs, we are just out on a walk and don't mean to disturb you Mr. Cat, we just wish to be left alone." Now fortunately the Chihuahua spoke cat because he had be raised by a Siamese cat. The cat was shocked that the littlest dog had the courage to stand up to him the King of the neighborhood.
The cat said, "I will stop chasing you, I thought you dogs were trying to take over my neighborhood."
"No, no, no," said the Chihuahua, "we just want to walk in peace, smell the bushes, and pee on things."
After that day the cat watched the dogs walk by him and left them alone. The dogs were happy and the cat was still the King of the Neighborhood and now he was able to take more naps.
What does this have to do with my art? Not much. I've been working on a few letter from scrap metal, a new robot, and some new metal faces. Now if I could find a metallic red spray paint I could get that robot looking sweet!!!!! In other news I have a new gallery in Vining Jubilee, Inside Out Accessories, the owner sold one of my clocks as her first sale!  http://www.insideoutaccessories.com   
facebook page for Inside-Out-Accessories
The gallery in Decatur, HomeGrown is celebrating a year in business, this Friday, September 2, 2011.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80809671/the-letter-o-original-wall-hangingThe letter O

The Big O

S

Of course it's A

Coincidences

Coincidences, yesterday for some unknown reason was filled with them, mostly small coincidences and synchronicities which could be explained by the small town downtown area of Decatur, GA. I was at HomeGrown Decatur and just notice many things that were interconnected. It was a day of students starting college soon wandering around downtown and the small shops, so I saw Emory students, Scotties, St. Thomas More school, and probably some other colleges I didn't ask all of the kids where they went. I asked the STM kids if they knew Mary Jane, who shares my daughters birthday, and the young girl was a student in her math class. The Agnes Scott women thought it was funny that I knew about the inside of the dorms there, hey, it's a right of passage to be a Tech student and date a Agnes Scott woman or two. Anyway, one of the owner's birthdays was yesterday also and towards the end of the evening a family came in and it was their twins birthday also. Best part, one of the twins bought an altoids tin clock that I had made at the gallery. Coincidentally their Mom was the one who contacted me about doing an  Earth Day show at the Federal Reserve with my art, their Dad lived in Carrollton briefly  at the same time I lived there and lived in the neighborhood that my good friend T's friend Monica said she lived currently(she told me on Saturday previous). Then I saw a woman who told us she was meeting a guy for a first date, she had popped into the gallery to give us some info about an art show in Hapeville. There she was standing in the parking lot at about 10pm with her date and I said "Hello". Went to my car and watched her drive her date home, weird. I hope I don't have to get a ride home with any future first dates.  Blue robot

Blue Metallic Robot with rotating head

El el, blue dog, long and low dog

So that was yesterday. I've been accused of blue being my favorite color based on a few recent Etsy pieces being blue, well that was just a coincidence, I painted a dog blue as a joke on Blue Dog and then asked T what color to paint a robot, she suggested blue, cool I thought I haven't painted a robot blue yet, so off to find Blue Metallic paint.
blue long low dog

Around where I am what I am

chimney

On the way to the junkyard, I pass this truck. The Opry house is just down the road, actually a few miles from my sister's house in Lowell we pass by when we go to see her and the family.

Black steer near Tumlin Creek, Roopville, GA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Probably was going to be another housing development/subdivision near Carrollton, GA but became an overgrown clearing and dumpsite after the housing bust. Now 2 abandoned bulldozers sit and rust away protecting the cleared site from more dumping, mostly bricks and concrete. Why? 

She came over to the fence as I was driving by and stopped. Didn't like it when I started walking over to the pasture and she ran back a few yards.

 

 

Blue Robots, Granite, and the Pool

Being alone is an adjustment. I've spent the last few years with a very active child and now I only see her every other weekend. It's been a big change, we use to do almost everything together, lots of time at the pool, hiking granite outcroppings in Dekalb county, and trips to the playground.

I asked online about what color to paint something the other day, sometimes it just doesn't hit me like it usually does, and got no responses. I asked my good friend T and she suggested blue, not a color I would have thought of for a robot, needless to say I do appreciate it much. Being an artist in isolation, sort of is difficult, ideas need to be bounced off of others, suggestions made, and right now I don't have that. It's been an interesting change. So to T, I thank you for the robot is shaping up and the blue metallic paint is looking great.

Car Ma Police

The Cat that came from the RR and the Stove

Welcome back your dreams are you ticket out. Just have a few new pieces of metal work. It's been hot here in GA and I haven't been welding as much as I would like, that's why I've done a lot of clocks lately. So, this is what's been welded up in the new studio in Newnan, GA. More info on these pieces at; Moosey-anti-loper-metal-wall-sculpture and Ironic-the-cat-metal-wall-sculpture

Dodo bird Antiloper Moose Ram

I've also made a few letters out of chain and tools, first a J and a S. Pictures soon. Also a new lowrider dog, a robot, a fish, and a snail to be painted, so those pictures will be a little longer coming to the internets. Thanks for reading.

Windmills, Hubcaps, and Geocaching

On my way to buy supplies today I pasted the windmill just like most days that I go somewhere, it's just down the road. It's been there for a long time since the early 80's when we moved to C'ton, I remember it was one of the first land marks on runs for cross country in high school, maybe 1/4 - 1/2 of a mile into the run and if we came back the same road that windmill meant we were almost done. Now I pass by and it sits alone in an empty field, once there were greenhouses and a thriving nursery, maybe they disappeared when the Wal-mart was built adjacent to the field. I'm not sure I left town for college and now have been back for seven months, soon to be eight. It's strange to see things that you took for granted or never noticed but now I think how cool is that? I also see many houses around town that are great examples of southern vernacular architecture also but I do remember all of the old barns around here, I've always been fascinated with them, photographing them, drawing them, and painting them.

Windmill

 So today I saw a couple by the old windmill pulled off the street and poking around the base. What were they doing, this was odd. I rarely see anyone out of their car and looking at that windmill and thought maybe they were geocaching, either setting up something or there was a cache there. I don't know. Maybe they just liked the rusted windmill that whines and creaks in the wind.

Now, for the hubcaps. I found a 64 Buick Wildcat convertible in the junkyard the other day and got 2 different hubcaps off of the same car. I guess they couldn't find 4 matching but 2 different pairs. I got the best 2 and turns out they were both used for that car, strange, coincidence or not?  And a 70's AMC hubcap. Also some altoids clocks. Thanks!
1964 Buick Wildcat hubcap clock

1964 Buick Wildcat

71-77 AMC Hubcap Clock