Saving Dalila

They say the camera adds ten pounds... Well, in my case it's more like fifty! Gah! Glad I've lost so much weight since this was shot back in July.

Anyway, vanity aside, here's a TV spot that started airing recently:

http://lynchburg.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=6571b227-8718-1031-9706-22318e376968

Press

A recent article in the News and Advance detailing some of the on-going work on one of my current projects, the Waterbearer:

http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/article_ba9e308c-e5e3-11e2-805e-001a4bcf6878.html

Hem

I can still remember hearing Hem for the first time on NPR's All Songs Considered back when their first album, Rabbit Songs, debuted in 2002. The music was beautiful but the female vocalist just blew my mind, her voice both haunting and uplifting at the same time. Over the years Hem has become one of my all-time favorite bands.

Needless to say that when they announced their tour in support of their excellent new album, Departure and Farewell, I jumped on a set of tickets immediately.

Liz Longley: an incredible talent out of Nashville

Hem's opening act, Liz Longley, was terrific. I've never been much of a country music fan but Liz was so charming that I picked up her new CD and now I'm hooked. I'm even heading back up to see her again in September.

Hem

I'm happy to report that Hem were just as amazing live as they are in studio. The crowd at the Birchmere (in Alexandria, VA) was gracious and even a bit reverential, clearly there to enjoy a great night of beautiful music.

After the show I got to cross another name off of my "bucket list" of people I've wanted to meet:

The amazing Sally Ellyson and I

 Sally Ellyson and I talked for a few minutes and even had a little "moment". I found her spirit to be just as lovely as her voice and I walked out of the Birchmere wearing the biggest smile ever.

What an incredible evening.

See the turtle of enormous girth!

Funny, I was just telling a friend last week that since I'd just had a dream about turtles that I would be seeing them everywhere (that's usually how it works for me). On my way to the farmer's market in Nelson County this morning I had to stop twice, about a mile apart, and carry two of these little guys (both Eastern Box Turtles) across the busy road. With all the recent rain that we've had I have a feeling that they are seeking higher ground so please keep an eye out for them and drive safely.

Lastly, I can't mention turtles and not include a quote from King's Dark Tower series:


"See the TURTLE of enormous girth!
On his shell he holds the earth.
His thought is slow but always kind;
He holds us all within his mind.
On his back all vows are made;
He sees the truth but mayn't aid.
He loves the land and loves the sea,
And even loves a child like me."
(As told by Roland)

"I'm walkin' here!"

A Transcript of Joss Whedon’s 2013 Wesleyan Commencement Speech

Love me some Whedon:

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/05/joss-whedon-commencement-speech-transcript-2013-wesleyan

Encore! Encore!

After a 17 year nap, Brood II have returned. 

 

"What do you mean the stock market crashed while I was gone? I'm ruined!"

I just caught this little dude chilling in the hostas next to my house.They are so loud right now that it sounds like several car alarms going off at once.

Between the cicadas and the gray tree frogs outside my bedroom window I sometimes feel like I'm living in some remote tropical jungle. It's kinda cool.

People have always said that I have a face for radio

This coming Friday morning at 8:37 I will be an in-studio guest on The Morning Line at WLNI in Lynchburg. I've been asked to come talk about the upcoming Water Bearer project by Morning Line host Mari White and hope to speak a bit about the Save Outdoor Sculpture committee as well as the fund-raising effort that will be launched in June.

Here's the link to the station in case you want to stream it live and listen in:

http://wlni.com/the-morning-line/

Busy busy!

After months of research and meetings, it looks like I can finally talk about my next big project:

http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/darrell_laurant/article_5fcbf696-c0e3-11e2-84bc-001a4bcf6878.html

Thanks to Darrell Laurant for the kind words and nice write-up.

The Waterbearer

 If you happen to be in Lynchburg tomorrow:

http://www.jamesriverarts.org/the-water-bearer-statue-what-happened-a-lecture-by-local-sculptor-ken-faraoni/

This choked me up, but in a good way:

 http://nedhardy.com/2013/04/23/thought-you-couldnt-hold-mr-rogers-in-any-higher-of-an-esteem-check-out-these-6-wonderful-facts/


I always loved this man. 

Grateful

As those close to me know, I have suffered from "severe acute rheumatoid arthritis" for most of my life. Generally it's just a nuisance. Occasionally it's horrible. This week has been in the "horrible" category. Living alone out in the country has many advantages to be sure: I love the solitude, the quiet, the lack of cellular service for my phone  (I have always hated the sound of a ringing phone). So far the only disadvantage that has surfaced has been my distance to the closest pharmacy. Every other year or so I have what can be called a "severe attack", like I'm having now. Inability to walk, shower, stand at the stove, etc. The pain is simply too great.

This week I have been reminded of how many true and amazing people that I can call my friends. I put out a tiny distress call on Monday, about twenty four hours after the "attack" came on. I reached out to two people and they both responded, so far above the call of duty that I am humbled. John Haverkamp and Janet Ripley, both friends I have known for most of my life, stepped up and saved my sorry ass. John stayed with me for a few days, driving me around and generally humoring me, and buoyed my spirits with his energy and good nature. Janet just left a few minutes ago after driving over an hour out of her way to pick up an emergency prescription for me and having worked seven double shifts at the hospital in a row. Such amazing people. I am so grateful to my friends who have stuck by my side through thick and thin and look after me with such loving affection. I am truly blessed and grateful.

Badass ninja

As part of my ongoing quest to prepare and eat simple slow-cooked food, last week I discovered that I finally had acquired all the ingredients for homemade beef stock. Approximately seven pounds of meaty ribs, knuckles and shanks had accumulated in the freezer and it was time to get busy.

Four hours of oven-roasting bones, vegetables and fresh herbs (not to mention a whole head of garlic) later and the pot was ready to go stovetop. A gallon of water was added. After checking a half dozen sources, mostly French cookbooks, I decided to slow simmer (that’s about a bubble a minute, folks) the stock for sixteen hours for maximum effect. A plan in place, it was time for bed. Every few hours I would wake, check the stock and adjust the heat if necessary, then go back to sleep. At seven o’clock sharp, the stock would finally be done simmering.

I awoke promptly at seven (my internal alarm clock rarely fails) and walked naked into the kitchen to turn off the stove. I intentionally left my glasses by the bedside, not wanting to fully wake up that early, and had every intention of climbing immediately back into bed. Sadly, it was not to be.

The stove now off, I had started back towards the bedroom when I sensed something behind me. Something moving very slowly. Without my glasses I’m nearly blind so I never even bothered to turn my head. But that feeling was there; I was being watched. In one swift move, I picked up the wooden cutting board that lay before me and, turning it on its side, spun and brought its edge down on the counter with all the sleepy force I could muster. I heard a tiny crack and, surprised by the sound, turned and examined the kitchen counter. A grey and brown mouse lay sprawled before me, neck clearly broken and legs akimbo.

I ran back into the bedroom to retrieve my glasses and bathrobe. On the off chance that the mouse reanimated I decided to err on the side of caution and suited up, slipping on a pair of oven mitts: one black and white checkered, the other a bright blue penguin. I picked the mouse up by the tail and it swung slowly back and forth like a cute little pendulum. A bizarre feeling of accomplishment washed over me and I went to taunt my sleeping cat, Mucha. “Do you see?” I said, proudly waving it in front of her face. “Do you see what your Daddy did? You sleep all day and I’m the one catching mice!” Mucha was nonplussed.

Still feeling immensely impressed with myself (I should point out here for those of you that don’t know me very well, I am practically a Buddhist and usually take no pleasure in the killing of anything; I just carried a bee outside and set him free even though I am highly allergic to their stings), I strutted through the living room and out onto the front porch and flung the mouse down onto the lawn. His tiny lifeless body lying before me, I pumped my fists towards the heavens and sounded my barbaric yawp: “I AM A BADASS NINJA MOTHERFUCKER!!”

The sound of an approaching car brought me back to reality. Well, that and the cold morning breeze. It was at that exact moment that I realized that while I had remembered to grab my glasses I had completely forgotten my bathrobe. I was standing on the front porch and shaking my fists over the broken body of my tiny enemy wearing nothing but mismatched oven mitts.

Hello country living! I have arrived.

Rent this!

I have been waiting for this to be released for quite some time now and last night finally got around to watching it.

My review:

I freaking loved it.

Twisted, dark and laugh out loud hilarious.

I'm already looking forward to watching it again.

We had joy, we had fun...

We had a kitten in the sun.

They say you can tell a lot about a person by the books they keep next to their bedside. Well, beside my bed is a copy of Thoreau's Walden but on top is Campbell's The Power of Myth and Gurney's Color and Light.

I suppose it suggests that I am on a spiritual quest and trying to become a better painter while living out in the woods. Sounds about right.

Spring

Despite the recent snowfall I know in my heart that Spring is right around the corner. How did I come by this knowledge you may ask? Well, unlike that simple-minded, lying bastard known as "Phil", some critters truly do sense when Old Man Winter has finally relaxed his icy grip and is ready to call it a night.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the Spring Peeper, otherwise known 'round these parts as P. c. crucifer. 

They apparently wake up rather horny after spending all Winter buried in frozen ooze and immediately begin the search for a mate. Their calls are so loud they can often be heard from as far as two and a half miles away. Gathered by the gazillions, as they seem to be directly across from my house, you can imagine the magnificent Peeper Orchestra that I am treated to on a nightly basis. 

So as I prepare to throw another log in the wood stove and am eternally thankful that the power just came back on, I rest easy in my soul knowing that the Peepers are out there, soliciting Spring with their warbled symphony.

The Lumineers

I have been a bit obsessed with this song lately; it seems to sum things up perfectly.

What's new is old again. I hope to catch these guys this summer at Floyd Fest.

Moving to the country...

I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches.

Yep, I'm moving to the country for a while folks! Beautiful old farm house, inspirational surroundings and a lot of natural light. I plan to get serious about this painting thing.

Besides, my cat Mucha misses bird watching and I promised her a while ago that I would do my best to remedy that. Happy now, you tiny fuzzball? I suppose I'll have to buy her a bird feeder too. 

Phalaenopsis Orchid Relief

I finished this piece up a few months back and am currently working at filling pre-cast orders. I've been meaning to add it here for a while and am finally just getting around to it:

Beasts of the Southern Wild

I finally snagged this from Redbox last night and sat down and watched it with my friend John. Having successfully avoided all of the buzz about the movie I had no idea of what to expect.

I was completely blown away.

I openly wept throughout the last ten minutes, the imagery was that beautiful.

In fact, the whole film has left me a bit speechless.

Please do yourselves a favor and rent it as soon as you possibly can.

I hope it moves you too.

I'm pretty sure it will.