Thursday toss up from Lottabusha

Ubudasa 2

Frankly folks, nothing much of significance is going on around Lottabusha County currently. As I said to my friend yesterday, my life these days consists of feeding dogs, picking up dog poop, and going to the store. I could easily have added putting R’s sock on his right foot every morning. I am not complaining–overall things have gone very well and things are almost back to normal around here–normal for this hillside anyway! I had the second cup of Ubudasa yesterday, and it was a much better brew than the first one. I used a little more coffee this time which gave it a more luscious taste.

Things are blooming all over the hill–spotted the first magnolia Tuesday, along with these little yellow pansies. They popped up by the front walk. On a couple of occasions in the past, this has happened. I also picked up a new rosemary plant and some lavender, along with a couple of new petunia plants. That is on my list for today to get those repotted, and hopefully, to clean off the front porch. If it dries out enough, I will get a walking workout as the front and back yards are long overdue for a mowing. I might even get the tire changed on the tractor so I can tackle the hillside behind the fence. Otherwise, I am going to need a bulldozer…and believe me, sometimes I wish I had one and could just push kudzu off into oblivion. Everyone tells me that eventually, that is what it takes to clear it out. Let me just say one more time, that was an idea gone horribly wrong!

In other news, whatever they are building next door that has necessitated clearing out a bunch of trees so now the west sun drenches us each evening, they were digging a trench yesterday to run underground lines from the power transformer right behind our house. The electric company came out a bit later and hooked them into it. Time marches on.

With that, it is time to stop lollygagging (or lallygagging as they say up north) and get some things accomplished…while my darling dear hubby is off having lunch with his friend and is not saying “I need some help with something.”

Try something different: UBUDASA–a CXFFEEBLACK production

Companies that do good things as well as sell good things

I choose to support companies that do good things in addition to selling good things. Regular or long time readers know about my favorite beverages: Rakkasan Tea and CxffeeBlack coffee.

Today’s post is brought to you by my latest coffee from CxffeeBlack: Burundi’s Ubudasa. I got my email not long ago about this new addition to their Barista Exchange Program and knew I had to try it. Ubudasa is a Kinyarwanda word meaning difference or different. According to Wikipedia, “it is a dialect of the Rwanda-Rundi language that is also spoken in Burundi and adjacent parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Tanzania.

Ubudasa arrived yesterday and I made a cup this morning, using the pour over method. It looks different, it smells different, and it tastes different! It is sourced from Higa Coffee Junt in the Businde region and is a lighter roast than I normally drink. It was a little sweet, fruity, bright, and…well, just different!

If I am later in the morning drinking my coffee, then I limit to one cup. I will try again tomorrow and see if I can be a little more precise in the description. It is definitely a tasty cup.

Phoenix: The sculpture, not the city or the bird

Phoenix, by Chris Plaisted, New Milford, CT

Phoenix is the final sculpture for the 2024 series in Pat Lamar Park. There are more in other locations for the Yokna Sculpture Trail, and I might get to them at some point. Between R, the house, the efforts to continue clearing out and making space, I don’t seem to have the level of ambition from earlier in the year. Like the Phoenix, I might need a rebirth to rise from the ashes of my lackadaisical take on life at the moment!

When I saw this sculpture was named Phoenix, I wondered if the artist had intended it as an abstract take on the mythological Phoenix bird. I had actually “seen” a praying mantis from my first angle.

My praying mantis

Plaisted does not really address that anywhere I could find. His sculptures are mostly abstract, but he does other art forms as well. He creates sculpture in metal, concrete, wood, and stone. Phoenix, which sells for $25,000.00 is steel, created in 2022, and according to his website, an original one of a kind. His works are in large scale, small scale, abstract, garden size and stainless steel. One I found particularly interesting is a garden size named Unfinished Mattress using steel, wood, and wire. But, back to Phoenix!

By Bertuch-fabelwesen.JPG: Friedrich Johann Justin Bertuch (1747–1822) derivative work: Tsaag Valren (talk) – Bertuch-fabelwesen.JPG, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7038417
 
Friedrich Justin Bertuch, picture book for children, 1790-1830, mythical creatures

There are many different versions of the Phoenix, and it or birds with different names but similar characteristics are found in a variety of cultures.

What’s your take on Phoenix?

“Set in Stone”: Jeremy Colbert

Set in Stone by Jeremy Colbert

I admit to this being one of those sculptures where I cock my head and think “hmmmmm….” Still, I photographed it from different angles, considering it in light of knowing the title and artist. This was one of the sculptures where a nameplate is provided with the artist’s name and location. If you are like me, “set in stone” means something permanent and enduring, or at least meant to be lasting. I like things that are symbolic in meaning, and no doubt, prompted by the title, I began to look for what was set in stone. Obviously, the pieces of marble are stone. I could see the circular aspects of the steel pipes (rings) and the mounting pieces holding the stone in place on the sturdy and circular base. Certainly somewhat literally, the piece was set in stone. As is often the case with me, the more I pursue, the more I see what I did not know, or see or imagine. Like a gigantic engagement ring, asking me to commit?

Jeremy Colbert is Chickasaw, born and raised in Oklahoma. The Chickasaw Nation are indigenous people originally from northern Mississippi, northwestern Alabama, southwestern Kentucky, and western Tennessee. The Chickasaw Nation comprises all or portions of 13 counties in south central Oklahoma north of the Texas border divided by Red River, and south of Oklahoma City. Colbert is a talented artist having a BA in Studio Art from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and MFA in Sculptures and Ceramics from Florida State University. He has taught sculpture at Florida State, University of South Alabama, and is has been at the University of Kentucky since 2008. His many skills include “patinas, powder coating, molding and casting, metal casting, blacksmithing, drawing, and three-dimensional design” (Jeremy Colbert Sculpture).

Artist Statement

Through the years I have challenged myself to explore many ways of producing my art and to discover more about the psychology in the work itself.  My art develops from concepts, improvisation, and events, that use subjects such as, memories, stories, and Native American culture that have all become more prominent in the work.
 
My art works are reflective of a rediscovery through evaluation of one's self.  In order to redefine your existence, peel back one's childhood, identity, and personal experiences, the truth that lies just beneath the surface will emerge.  Andy Goldsworthy said “Something just under the surface directly affects the outside surface.” In my quest for personal answers in my art this is exactly what I found. All of life’s experiences, remembered and repressed, have begun to resurface and it is all just under that delicate surface, the surface of truth and ownership.

Jeremy Colbert Sculpture. Gallery: Art Statement. Retrieved from  https://jeremycolbert.wixsite.com/mysite/gallery  

In scrolling through the gallery, and exploring his public art, one gets a feel for his range of expression, his passion for creation. It is fascinating to see the variety of art works he creates, using a range of materials, often repurposed. I strongly recommend that you visit the gallery and his public art works at the link. I was deeply moved by many of his works, but particularly so with “Stuck in a Rut” and “Rocking on a High Horse” and “Where the Spirit Meets the Bone,” but the one that literally took my breath away was “I Can’t Breathe”–his 2021 Cast Iron, Cast Bronze, Brass, Forge Steel, Rope. “Relocation” was powerful also–sort of like a symbolic re-imagining of where I had just traveled.

Suzassippi’s Shadow is not Set in Stone, but it rests there for a time as part of the conversation.

Colbert's work focuses on personal expression with basic levels of communication. "For me, the right material and image says the right thing. It is all about connecting to the viewer in a visual conversation."
"Teaching is full on problem-solving," Colbert says.

Steve Shaffer and Whitney Hale. (February 10, 2021). How Jeremy Colbert Sculpted His Future as an Educator. UKNow: University of Kentucky.

Traditional grain elevators as outdoor art?

Even seeing this for the first time from the back of the sculpture, I thought “grain elevator”. Have you ever seen one built like this, albeit on the ground and of wood? Growing up in northwest Texas, they were a common site. Every summer/fall during harvest season, we would see the long line of trucks at the local elevator waiting to weigh and unload wheat into the storage bins. This sculpture was unmarked, but I was able to track down the artist and the name of the sculpture, which I found very appealing and wished I had one for my yard! These were the early style of grain elevator, and common on the prairie and in the northwest part of Texas which is part of the plains. Apparently, there are still quite a few of these in the Canadian plains that have been preserved. There are a few in the US also, and some have been repurposed into lofts or condos or offices.

By Kevlar. – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1545467

The sculptor is James Wade of Hammermark Studio. He works from his family farm in Lexington, Kentucky. This piece is called Grain Stack II, and I could buy it for my yard for $12,000. His first, Prairie Stack I, was completed in 2006, and was the same shape for the elevator but the frame it sat on was much shorter than the newest one. He also completed a 1998 sculpture titled Suburban Cyclone, which featured the grain elevator upside down, hanging below a traditional square bin, also on a tall tower. According to his website at James Wade Sculpture – Hammermark Studio, he is

…influenced by industrial, agrarian and vernacular landscape.

I have long been drawn to industrial imagery, and after the stint with Preservation in Mississippi, I learned to appreciate vernacular architecture. Related to architecture, it is something more functional and domestic, as opposed to public or monumental buildings. It reflects the geographic and cultural context unique to the area and using local materials. Vernacular architecture could be seen in many of the New Deal Administration works, as they used native forests (rustic style) and local rocks to construct many of the buildings. Examples include the buildings for state and national parks, and the many rock school houses, fire stations, and other public works that were completed. Common vernacular architecture in the south included the dogtrot house, shotgun house, and houses featuring porches that extended around the house and high ceilings. These were all related to the need for cross ventilation in places that were hot and humid.

Similar types of designs could be found in the cotton gins, grain bins and grain silos, and later, concrete grain elevators. I have a love affair with those designs, too.

I went to see…again…how’s my backside?

How’s my backside?

While walking back to the bench where R waited for me, I glanced over at “I went to see” and saw I had missed walking to the backside of the sculpture. While working with Preservation in Mississippi, one of the things I learned from Malvaney was to check out the backside of a building for additional clues. I had not thought to see what was the backside of this sculpture, and should not have been surprised to see the detail of the musculature.

I went to see so you can see me!

The detail present in the steel ropes is just fascinating to me, and I can see this man skin-on as the sweat glistens on his muscles as he rows. Now that to me represents the artist truly inviting you into the creation!

Another detail was the verdigris emphasis on the hands.

Hand-made copper elements accent most works, usually highlighting the expressiveness of the hands. Once this process is finalized and oxidation has begun the sculpture is then completed in the presence of the viewer.

J. Aaron Alderman. Artist Statement.

It is an important reminder that we do not always see everything in the first look. If I went back yet again, what might I see that I had missed, or not understood the first time? We may seldom look at the back of a building, but from Malvaney, I learned how important it is. The condition of the building’s back, the type of bricks or other material, can give you important clues about what you are seeing.

How incredible to think each person who views this work is helping to complete it!

Do you see what he sees?

I’ve got my eye on you and your basketball!

Yesterday at the park, R had some difficult moments requiring quite a few rest stops. All in all, we had 30 minutes of active walking and covered a mile. It was really warm, and though most of the trail was in shade, there was no breeze. While I had seen the big blue eye the first day we walked, I had not photographed it. While he was resting in the shade on a bench, I walked a little further up and investigated.

The sculptor is Earl Dismuke, from Mississippi. He was born in Winona, a small rural town south of Oxford, but now lives in Oxford where he has his studio. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture. His first exposure to public art was during a trip to Chicago. He co-founded the Yokna Sculpture Trail.

Growing up in rural Mississippi, I had never been exposed to public art on that scale. I returned home inspired to transform my home state of Mississippi into an art destination. …my work tells my story, but I like to leave enough ambiguity in the work that the audience can make their own interpretations. By inviting the viewer to interpret what the work means or what the artist was thinking, the viewer is forced to bring something of themselves into the work.

Earl Dismuke: Outdoor Public Sculpture Exhibition. March 19, 2022. Mississippi State University College of Architecture, Art and Design.

Dismuke uses found objects and recycled fabrication in his works of welded steel and paint. Of this piece, which he named “Big Dreamer” he alluded to the repeated circular patterns as the continuity of life. He said the eyes are often referred to as “gateway to the soul” and thus can represent knowledge seeking and focus.

Am I making myself clear?

Even before he “invited me as the viewer” to interpret my own meaning, I had done so of course. When I first saw this, I thought of a basketball goal on a court. Not because it particularly looked like one, but because that was what the image evoked from me. I did interpret the eye as an eye, but it had no bearing on my focus or seeking meaning, at least not consciously. In fact, the eye almost reminded me of an outdoor hoop that has lost its netting and circular shape, a football with loose laces. The circles resembled netting, the white circle a backboard minus its center and I fantasized trying to toss a ball through the square and the smaller circle. Perhaps even, I surmised an alien basketball player, a male/female looking for the rest of the team, or even inviting me to play. How’s that for “binding the viewer and the artist together”?

Jen Torres: “I build what I imagine, there’s a lot going on in there, so I will be busy for a while.”

I’m all shook up!

When I spied this new sculpture in the distance, my thought was hurricane? Tornado? The woman I was talking with later about it suggested earthquake. Jen Torres, originally from Queens, NY and for the last 24 years, Hattiesburg, MS called it “When Home No Longer Makes Any Sense.” I can see that from a different perspective when I saw her artist statement, which also included the comment:

…I believe a primary function of art is to be obstruent, to trip one up, to force the viewer and artist alike to have to respond, think, to be moved. The direction is of no consequence. The movement is everything.

Jen Torres Sculpture

I am theorizing that this sculpture then was intended to trip me up, to force me to think, respond, be moved, no matter which way I chose, since “the movement is everything.” If I had not reacted (i.e. been moved) then it would not have served as an obstruent. Here lies my ‘tripping up’. A simple explanation could have been hurricane, tornado, or even earthquake. I was curious: why did the artist concoct a series of boxes that look like a jumble of barns, sheds, and houses on stilts? How does obstruent fit in?

Basically, obstruent is terminology used in understanding the phonology of language sounds. Examples are k, d, or f, formed by the obstruction of airflow. The airflow obstruction can be complete closure or less closure. There is an entire science of study of language sounds in a variety of languages other than English. If one voiced the sound of k, d, or f, for example, you would be using the function of obstruent to make that sound. It’s complicated, right? So the more I sought to figure out how art is obstruent, the greater my curiosity about those houses. I majored in Speech and Theatre in undergraduate studies, and we spent a good deal of that time learning phonetics and using it to speak and understand language through transcription of the sound of words into phonetics. Certainly speech is an art form, and the actor or actress uses speech to convey meaning. My role as the mother in Rashomon was greatly benefited from use of phonetics to learn to convey meaning in the parts of the play that used Japanese words in order to create authenticity as the Japanese mother.

What does obstruent convey in this piece of art titled “When Home No Longer Makes Any Sense”? How does it ‘trip you up’? How do you think about it? Do you respond? Are you moved? If so, where and how? What did that movement teach you?

As I sought to photograph the sculpture from various angles and heights, quite accidentally and unintentionally I saw where I had photographed the two men on the path beyond. I had seen them here walking before, and surmised they were father and son, but that is only my interpretation. Perhaps, they are the obstruent sounds in the language attached to this piece.

Windy walk around Lake Patsy: Exploring on the open waters

R decided he wanted to walk around the lake today. It had been cold and raining this morning, but it had stopped and the sun came out. It was still cool and very breezy however. About halfway around, he needed to stop and rest. The Canadian Geese were quiet today, mostly feeding, and none were in the lake itself.

One actually walks around only 3 “sides” of the lake on the trail, so it was more akin to walking across the end of the park the last portion…uphill and then downhill and then up the steps to the car on the upper parking level. Today was a .84 mile walk and 28 minutes. There were folks picnicking, studying, lying in the sun in shorts and strapless tops (don’t know why–it was pretty chilly out there!), and walking their dogs.

I loved this sculpture! I imagine the deep waters of the ocean surrounding him, setting out in his tiny boat to see what is out there beyond his eyesight. This sculpture is titled “I Went to See” by J. Aaron Alderman of Brevard, NC.

As an artist and a sculptor, I use the repetition of simple lines, in the form of round stock steel, to capture a tender emotional expression of the human and animal form. Through this highly physical process I am driven to create sculptures that are ego-less, expressive in their form, emotive and connective. With simple tools I draw in space, repeating stylized lines, which in-turn creates the structure of my sculptures. As each line captures the contours and musculature of the body, these same lines begin to tell a subtle story. Each line builds on the next, flowing with rhythm and pattern, the form is revealed, and the story builds along with the rawness of emotion.

J. Aaron Alderman, Statement, Red Sheep Gallery

Walking with Rocket Man

Space Cowboy (also known as Boldly Go Rodeo) by John Wolrod

I called him Rocket Man, since he had no identification on site. I did note the Cowboy hat and he is astride the rocket. Click on the photos below and see what he is made from! I love the outdoor sculptures and keep thinking I need to take up welding and make my own.

We did well today! It was very cool (low 60s) with a chilling wind blowing and no sunshine. We made it to the second bench and R rested while I took some photos. Then, all the way around to the 4th bench before another rest! We cut across the grass again to get to the trail on the other side as it was a straighter, shorter path and the ground is even. Today was a .92 mi walk for 32:04! Total steps for the day were 4,134 for 1.78 miles. After the walk, we stopped at CVS and fought the traffic to get back home. Bad Boy Morgan Wallen is here to make up the concert he cancelled last spring. It was supposed to be in the stadium, but it started to rain so they moved it to the basketball pavilion. I am not sure how many it holds, but it is very big and we had graduation for School of Applied Sciences there since it was built, so I guess it’ll do. I don’t think electrical music instruments mix well with rain. Let’s just say the crowds were horrible all over town. I took the back way to the park and missed most of it, but since we needed to stop at CVS, there was no option for return except by the busy avenue.

Dragon Fire Chai from Sri Lanka and Rakkasan Tea

My order from Rakkasan came in today. It was cold and raining, so a perfect day to try the new Dragon Fire. It is a spiced chai made by blending strong black tea with locally grown hot chili peppers and adding cinnamon and nutmeg. It was amazing with a little raw sugar and warm milk.

Must go feed the doggies and then feed my humans. Also because it is a cold and rainy day, I am having Pzole for supper. Yum!