Giant Jenga

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Bill Chance

Deep Ellum Arts Festival
Dallas, Texas

Deep Ellum, Dallas, Texas

George Bannerman Dealey

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Bill Chance

“The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery.”
― Anaïs Nin

Statue of George Bannerman Dealey
Dealey Plaza
Dallas, Texas

George Dealey
Dealey Plaza
Dallas, Texas

“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.”
― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles

Blacksmith

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Bill Chance

“ARMOR, n. The kind of clothing worn by a man whose tailor is a blacksmith.”
― Ambrose Bierce, The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary

I walked around the Dallas Heritage Village during the Jazz Age Sunday Social. I always like seeing the blacksmith shop. It was the same, with the same blacksmith as it was when I saw it almost two years ago.

I never have taken lessons there like I wanted to. Something I need to think about. Looks like fun.

Blacksmith forging a cross, Dallas Heritage Village
(click to enlarge)

In this world a man must either be anvil or hammer.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It is better to be the hammer than the anvil.
Emily Dickinson

If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.
Abraham Maslow

Water and Stone

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Bill Chance

The angry water rose until the earth was scrubbed down to bare stone. Still the flood mounted – but all they could do was stand around, watch, and engage in surprisingly upbeat, pleasant, and polite conversation.

(click to enlarge)

On the Dance Floor

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Bill Chance

Dallas Heritage Village
Dallas, Texas

Dancers
(click to enlarge)

Lumbo

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Bill Chance

Lumbo:

Lumbo, by David Pound, twentyheads.com

One reason I always head down to the Deep Ellum Arts Festival as soon as I can after it opens (after work on Friday) every years is so that I can get a look at David Pound’s work before too many are sold.

David Pound, TwentyHeads.com, is a sculptor that makes little monster heads in wooden boxes. I have loved his work ever since I saw it a few years ago and I save up to buy something each year. This would be the fourth.

The First one I bought was Persuasion:

Persuation

Then Burrow:

Burrow

and last year, I bought Fracture Zone:

Fracture Zone

Two years ago, I had David make a commission of a pair of earrings for Candy for Mother’s Day that were modeled on our dog, Rusty.

Earrings I had David Pound make for Candy for Mother’s Day.

They do look like Rusty

As always, he had a large collection of cool little monster heads in boxes. As always, it was tough for me to choose. I think I gravitate to the simpler works – I seem to look for little guys that have interesting expressions on their faces. At any rate, after two visits (I looked for a bit, walked around, and came back to make up my mind) and some input from Candy, I chose Lumbo – a little unhappy looking purple guy with three orange eyes and some delicate bones (mouse bones?) sticking up out of his head.

Now he takes his place with his three buddies on a little shelf over our television (they share their spot with a couple Zulu Coconuts).

If you like David’s work (and who doesn’t) take a look at his website – twentyheads.com. To see more of his stuff, like his facebook page, his DeviantArt Page, or at Nashville’s Smallest Art Gallery.

This year was a good one for growing Monster Heads in little wooden boxes.

Hard to pick only one.
(click to enlarge)

I like the heads, I like the titles, and I like the images on the inside of the boxes.
(click to enlarge)

TunnelVisions

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Bill Chance

Friday I packed my bike onto the DART train after work and headed downtown – riding over from the station through the heavy Friday/Rushhour/FinalFour/NASCAR/Concert traffic to Deep Ellum. It was the annual Deep Ellum Arts Festival – running all weekend, but I wanted to get in at the beginning.

One of the things (more to come) that I wanted to see was TunnelVisions Mural Tournament.

From the Facebook Page:

The Deep Ellum Community Association is proud to debut the inaugural TunnelVisions 2014 Mural Tournament at the Deep Ellum Village section of the Deep Ellum Arts Festival.

Throughout the weekend, 30 mural artists from across the city will paint 4×8 panels to be attached to a pop-up, walk-through tunnel structure, invoking memories of the TunnelVisions project on Good Latimer. Each artist has exactly 4 hours to paint. 6-8 artists will paint at a time. And it will be pressure-packed, high drama.

Confirmed artists include:
Sour Grapes, Joe Skilz, Hatziel Flores, Judith Lea Perkins, David Rodriguez, Jeff Thornton, Cathey Miller, Isaac Davies, Richard Ross, Tony Slomo, Ben Camillo, Brian Crawford, Michael Lagocki, Patricia Rodriguez, Jerod Davies, Jeff Sheely, Brad Albright, Roxanne Mather, Randy Guthmiller, Dan Colcer, Justin Clumpner, Clint Scism, Jashua Davies, Ixchel Aguilar, and more.

Finished boards are added to the tunnel and over the course of the weekend, the tunnel frame will be transformed into a huge, 12’ wide by 8 foot tall, 32’ deep Mural Tunnel. Artists paint every hour of the Festival until 3pm Sunday, when the last artists finish and judging begins.

Prizes include $1500 for 1st, $750 for second, $250 for third, and a People’s Choice Award. Winners will also receive a package including a night at the Omni Hotel, and Deep Ellum gift certificates.

I especially wanted to get there first thing on Friday because among the first wave of artists were three that I was familiar with. Justin Clumpner had taught the cool Art History class I attended at Kettle Art the other day – Sour Grapes painted a couple of murals we toured on the Dallas Contemporary Street Art Bike Tour – and Richard Ross has a number of Deep Ellum Murals that I’ve admired.