September Art Work

So, this is what I've been doing lately...
Welding, cutting, painting, bleeding, burning, and getting ready for the fall festivals.

Red Bird

Shrunken Head

Got Tools Robot!

Skull

Mr FlufferNutter

Blowing bubbles, biking backwards, babbling blasphemy, I scratch his head, playfully he bats at my hand, beep, beep, beep goes the timer. Bop, bop, bop, says the singer, slyly, slowly the sun sets across the lake, water flows, flows, down the spillway, spilling fast, spilling slow, spilling foamily, the crane waits patiently for a fish.
The beans sprout, the peonies pop out in an explosion of color and force!
While the fig, oh, the poor fig tree slowly comes back to life after a hard, hard winter's night, so cold it was. Warm and sunny now!

What? What!

Still, though, I dream of Alabama, the beautiful. Thank you, thank you.

Smashed and Fun

Bruised, bleeding, burned, smelling like electricity, metal, sweat, paint, grease, and dirt. Welcome to my world, my work. Hazards of the job? Yep. It's my life, and I'm happy. My job is dirty, hot, I melt metal, swirling it together into little circles joining two pieces of steel. I don't go to some nice office or studio, just a  garage, but it is a great space for what I do. I'm noisy, messy, dirty, and sometimes foul mouthed. Hey, smash your finger and tell me how you react?  I make things, cute things, robot things, whimsical things, whatever I want to make things. Mostly though, I have fun. Do you get to be messy at work? Stomp through an old junkyard looking for parts? Pick through oily, greasy scrap metal? Cover your hands in paint for days? Meet interesting people and hear their stories? I do.

 The robot legs and head are from the Atlanta Mini-Makers Faire at Georgia Tech. I had a good day, sold a few pieces. Funny thing I don't think most of those students had a clue that I was one of them, would they've looked at me differently? Treated me better?

Yes, a bunny, a rabbit. A drawing on the chalkboard by my daughter inspired me to make the rabbit. 

A little about Today

Today has been another frustrating day. My car is still in the shop, undiagnosed. I do have access to another car but hate to ask to use it. I am a burden on my parents. I have been unable to find any steady employment. Why? I'm not really sure. College degree? Check, Georgia Tech. Experience? Check, lots of different experience. Willingness to do almost anything? Check.

I was hoping to get a job with an organization that I have been volunteering with for over a year now. There is a position that is open, I'm qualified, have done the work while volunteering, and want and need the job. I have been recommended by current employees of said organization. What have I done for this organization as a volunteer? Good question. I've repaired several pieces of metal furniture welding things back together. I've also fixed many other pieces of furniture, re-upholstered a lot of dining chairs so that they have sold, found out many of the items that are donated were/are worth a lot more than they knew, hello antique and design knowledge, assisted countless numbers of customers, researched many items to find prices, and probably some other things. I will hit the ground running and won't need training for the job, I've had it.Today I find out I still have to apply through a temp agency, did, go to the temp agency so that they can meet me before sending me to the organization that I have been with for over 1 year volunteering. Does this make sense to anyone? It's confusing the everliving, complete, and utter crap out of me. So, I have to go to a temp agency to be approved for a job with people that I've know for almost 1 and a half years? Yes, I am super frustrated. I'm sorry temp agency, I knew about the job before you all did, I know the manager, but yet I'll probably have to accept a lower pay for the first few months so that you all get paid?(If I do get the job) What exactly are you guys doing for me? A background check and a drug test. Do I have to study for that? I have a really boring background, except for that time in Alabama in the El Dorado convertible on the way to spring break in Destin, oh wait nothing happened.

I'm a smart individual, the smartest? Nope, I definitely know that, I screw up, I make mistakes, and I don't know everything, a lot, yes. But not everything, far from it. So, what do I know?
Gardening
Welding
Art
Information Technology
Design
Architecture
Energy Efficiency
Automotive repair basic
woodworking skills
carpentry
painting
baking
cooking
laundry

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/wat/cto/2959597836.html

massage
cleaning
childcare
household repairs
animal care
Probably a lot more things that I do know that I don't even think about(not that I think that highly of myself, I unfortunately don't). I don't know how to fix a lot of things as evidenced by my car being in the shop. I do keep my old 64 Ford truck running on my own, except for the clutch, no thanks I wasn't going to do that job. I do what needs to be done and yet still I am broke, in debt, have no prospects, and I am at this time depressed about all of it. I've been lucky to have a very loving family that has helped and supported me through this time.

I work part time gardening for a neighbor, do handyman work for several people part time, take classes to be a master gardener, run my art business on etsy, metalartdude.etsy.com, have several galleries with my art work, work at 1 of the galleries part time, volunteer at 2 different places, contribute artwork to charities, sometimes help out my friend at her school(doing artsy things), help out my sister with her kids as much as possible, help around the house, and maintain and plant 2 gardens for family. I know a lot of people that do more. I'm not saying I work more than anyone at all.

Am I a lazy slacker? I don't want to be rich and famous, I would however like to pay my bills, have a place to live, food to eat, and some beer to drink. I can't even do that right now however and I feel like a loser in spite of it all.

And then I think do I want to work for an organization that can't just say "Hey, Joel, go to this temp agency and fill out the application, it's a formality, we want you for the position but we have to do this because of the rules of our organization." At one time I did, now, I'm not so sure.

Things I've made

This shelf was made from old pallets. It took some time to build, those things are difficult to take apart. It's about 3 feet tall, 2 feet wide and 16 inches deep. And I probably won't be making another one. This was made for a friend's office. I have been busy working on other projects but I'm still painting another robot, got a sawblade face to paint, and a fish to clean up. Painting sculpture takes a lot of time for me, I have trouble picking the colors out. I have finished repainting the flamingos and hope to take them to a local garden shop this week. I'll have a dark blue one, a small red one, a green one, and an orange one. Yes, I do plan on making another pink one, I just don't have the materials for it right now. So, soon.

 

This is the bowler, a small and simple robot like sculpture made out of a spark plug, screws, and a big nut. 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/97611114/the-bowler-original-metal-sculpture

Yo!

Today, the day after leap day, March 1, has been a beautiful day in Georgia, warm and sunny. I however have not enjoyed it as I have a nasty cold. Dang where did that come from? So, last Sunday I went to a fundraiser and got a bowl and some soup, it was good! I had donated a clock to the silent auction.

I've been working on some new things at my new studio, hubcap clocks, faces, clocks, and some new robots. It is nice having a studio space, I do miss having a space at home but I haven't had that in over a year. Things change, people change, I certainly have changed a lot over the last year and a half. I've been lucky at my new studio that the owner of the property lets me get access to lots of automotive parts and such. Another local artist was cleaning up his house and I got a lot from him too.

When I moved from Decatur to Carrollton I had to get rid of over a ton of scrap metal. I just couldn't move it an hour away. It sucked but I've met a lot of nice and caring people out here that have helped me tremendously.  Thank you to everyone that has helped!

Now if I could figure out what to do with the 55 Oldsmobile hubcap I'll be doing great. Apparently it is called a fiesta spinner hubcap and is sort of rare, at least from my research. I probably won't be making it into a clock however.

Saw Blade Clock

Hubcap Clocks

61 Oldsmobile

I've busy lately getting a lot of hubcaps ready for different galleries. I'm up to 3 now and hopefully 4 in the very near future. Inside Out Accessories in Vinings Jubilee, HomeGrown Decatur, and At the Collective in Inman park. The next gallery is in downtown Newnan, GA, it's called Bells Handcrafts, hopefully next week I'll head down there and give them some inventory. Now the garage that I'm going to rent starting in February will let me have a place to do my welding and work on the hubcaps and other clocks. I've got a lot to do. I have requests for some garden art flying pigs, a metal bank, and some more lamps. Time to get busy! 

So what else has been going on? Well, I haven't had a disaster yet but that's a good thing? Life is normalizing and I'm finding my way in Carrollton, GA, wow, it's been a long strange and fun year living in a new/old place. I've changed a lot over this last year, I think and hope for the best though. I don't have a permanent job yet and sometimes don't know if I will again, not that I don't want one, I do, I think that the path and way I'm heading is working for me! It's just different than what I did for the last 15 plus years. Soon I start a program to be a master gardener! I am looking forward to this immensely. 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/90932184/61-pontiac-hubcap-wall-clock

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!

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?

Junkyards and Clocks

Walked around a junkyard.  It's a cool, sad, exciting, and an educational experience all at the same time. I went looking for hubcaps but I don't want to take the ones that I see as a complete set on a car. I feel bad using them for a clock when they could be used to finish another car restored to it's former glory and back on the road but then I wonder how long these cars from the 50's and 60's have been in this junkyard and wonder if anyone will take the hubcaps for their restoration project.

The cars of years past were really big, and to think they usually had drum brakes, no power steering, no power anything, and yet they were driven. We are spoiled by the modern conveniences and safeties of our current daily drivers. It truly is a different experience to drive a vehicle that is 40-50 years old, and I drive a 64 Ford F100, not as a daily driver but I do drive it as often as possible and use it to its fullest capabilities as a truck. It ain't pretty, it's a truck, it was designed to haul things and tow things. At least the previous owner told me he had towed his fishing boat with it.  Well time to go to the basement and get something done. Later.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/71139254/hubcap-wall-clock-1975-mustang-ii

And some newer art work for today. "Headed Askew"