First Friday and throughout August @ House in Missoula

The materials I used on the deck are designed to evoke an urban feel. I grew up in an industrial town and am drawn to found and reclaimed objects. I also wanted to evoke the DIY ethic so prevalent in skate culture, which is why everything has a cobbled together feel. The letters are originals written to me by my wife. I used coffee grounds to distress them before attaching them to the board using wheatpaste. The copper was given to me by Kevin over @ Depuy Building who reclaimed it from a construction job he finished (Thanks!). The glass is scrap glass from The Art Hang Up (Thanks, Patty!)

Online bidding has begun! Head over to the On Deck V site [link] to place your bid. Come on down to the Badlander this First Friday for the live auction!

Mirror/lamp for The Light Show - "Emotional Patina

Living Art of Montana is a Montana-based non-profit 501(c) (3) corporation founded in 1993. The mission of Living Art is to use the arts and nature to support healing.  They accomplish this mission via a variety of workshops. The “Cancer, Courage and Creativity” workshop has been the sentinel program offering since 1993. Other workshops include a photographic workshop, “Another Look- Through Imagery and Writing“, among others.

Living Art of Montana serve the brain injured, the bereaved and professional care-givers, cancer survivors, heart-attack survivors and people suffering with fibromyalgia, migraine headaches and depression. The Living Art “way of working” can be helpful for individuals facing a multiplicity of illnesses and challenges, and that such a “mixed” group can experience a cohesive group process.

Their annual fundraiser, The Light Show, is on May 15th. Come check out the sneak preview this First Friday at The Warehouse Mall.

Living Arts of Montana [link]

“Physical Patina – Reflections” by Marc Moss
As we age, we piece ourselves together over time from various pieces. A character quirk we pick up from an old friend. A philosophic outlook on life from a series of adventures or events. Throughout it all, our essence remains the same. We are, at our core, ourselves.

Yet we are continually changing. Like metal exposed to the elements, we take on unexpected scars, patinas and decay. We must continually look at ourselves in mirrors to see if we still recognize ourselves.

Even our emotional and spiritual beings change. Hopefully, we’re growing in these changes. Throughout this growth, however, we remember our core. We are solid in who we are. Or at least we hope we are.

It is in a dim light that we are able to look inside ourselves, ignore the ravages of age and disease and see who we truly are.

Physical Patina – Reflections explores this idea, using disparate, re – purposed and found objects. Some are aged and rusted naturally, while others are treated to force patina. They are bound together with new materials to create a cohesive whole.

The process of creating a piece like this is one of acceptance of, and adapting to, the unexpected. Allowing asymmetry. Allowing the original blueprint to fall away. And finally allowing the piece to reveal itself to the artist and to the viewer.

This piece looks much different in its final state than it did in its initial sketches. Creating it was a lesson in patience, acceptance and adventure.

Physical Patina - Reflections (detail)

Physical Patina - Reflections (detail) - lamp/mirror by Marc Moss

The site’s in need of an overhaul. Waiting until I have it “just right” before it goes live isn’t working.

Stay tuned.

The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula is working with Macy’s to save many of the artifacts of “The Merc”, some dating to the 19th century.  The Museum is asking the community for its memories, its photographs, its memorabilia, and its stories of “The Merc.” Anyone who has been a longtime resident of Missoula either worked at The Merc, The Bon, The Bon-Macy’s, or Macy’s, or had a family member or friend work there – it was virtually a right-of-passage for many Missoulians.  If you’d like to share your memories, the Historical Museum will preserve them for generations of Missoulians to come.  Please contact Curator of Collections Jason Bain at 728-3476, extension 2., or e-mail ftmslamuseum@montana.com

The Man, Burning Man 2009

Originally uploaded by mr. nightshade

When I wrote about Burning Man a while back, I meant to include a link to the amazing gigapan photo of the Man burning.

Check it out.

The Man Burns [link]

Walking Towards The Man Near Adapt & 830

All day we had driven in the heat. The driver’s side window will not roll down.

We crawled through the darkness in line, passing the frybread taco stands in Gerlach, NV. inching along. We started in line around 12:50AM and arrived finally at the gates around 5AM. I was exhausted. I got out of the car, joyfully hugged the greeter who welcomed me home, and deliriously rang the bell for Burn virgins. We snaked through the brightly almost-full-moon-lit playa to the camp @ Cock-N-Waffle @ 7:45 and Adapt. We parked and were greeted by Rooster. I was glad to be out of the car. The Ooonst music was going full force over at Tetris, and all I wanted to do was pee and sleep.

Roos showed us around in the dark and got us situated. I needed to pee. I knew logically how the city is layed out, but realistically, never having been there, delirious from sleeplessness, needing to have one of my basic needs met, I couldn’t put it together. I needed to pee. Telling me how the city is layed out was not helpful, just get me to a Port-a-Pot. I crumbled. Black Rock City had already broken me and I wasn’t even in the gates for an hour. I collapsed into Joyce’s arms and sobbed like a baby from exhaustion & anxiety.

I slept.

I slept well.

I slept well considering the barrage of thumping bass coming from the camp behind us over @ Tetris.

And I awoke and we set up the shower. We worked all day in the hot sun and we set up the shower and the graywater evaporation system.  And I was a part of this community.  Me, an outsider, my first Burn, and I’m a part of it. This was Joyce’s 7th Burn. It’s the first full day & I’m trying to figure it out & I fell into the work that needed to be done to make our camp run smoothly.

The Cock-N-Waffle is a hospitality camp.  We serve waffles for breakfast to anyone who drops by.

We provide massages and fresh fruit and music and love to all who enter our camp. And we have a bus.  Oh, yes, we have a bus.  The Ghetto Gypsy.  The bus was lovingly worked on by many members of the Cock-N-Waffle over the course of the entire year, and featured original artwork on the ceiling in panels, done by many local Missoula artists.  The outside of the bus featured some beautiful graffiti done by a local graffiti hero, Echo.  But the centerpoint was the sound system and the lightboard.

Changing the Lightboard on the Ghetto Gypsy

The lightboard originally was conceived as a streaming LED system

that could be controlled by a computer.  Unfortunately, time and money did not allow for this to happen, so we were limited to eight characters that needed to be changed out by hand.  The most family-friendly thing we posted on the board was LOVELUST, and it could be seen for miles on the playa at night.  I’ll let you scour the interwebs for other, more colorful postings. ;-)

Over the course of the next 6 days, I would see and experience things of beauty that I cannot express and do them justice. The art cars! The Man! The Temple! (Oh, my God, the Temple.) The art, the creativity. And the city!

The things I saw and experienced were unbelievable.

Of course, there was The Man himself, whose burning was a wild party in great contrast to the reverent burning of the Temple the following night.  From the simplicity of the Cubitron to the contemplative and transformative time spent at Memortrees, I was glad that I opted to, for the most part, leave my camera tucked away from the dust and participate. I climbed a tree, I played putter golf. I ate great food.  I rode my bike. I learned how to adapt, how to dance again & how to let go of expectations. Experience. Be here now.

The playa was a huge art playground.

We tromped up the huge slide called The Wedge, laughing and giggling in our free-fall. We looked out over the lights of the city in a spinning frenzy on The Teeter Totter of Death, we had quiet moments at the top of a mobile Ferris wheel and watched dramatic sunrises in the deep playa. We mourned lost loved ones at the Temple and fire walked through the remaining embers and flames together after the Man burned.

And there was no commerce, save buying ice. If someone did not have enough food or water, someone else would provide for him without question. The atmosphere of love and altruism was ever-present, and I realized that one of my challenges is to bring that spirit back out into the “real” world.  I try to be cognizant of this, and often, I fail. But without failure, there is no growth, and no chance to learn. So I learn. Every day, I learn.

A huge part of the experience was, of course, The Cock-N-Wafflers.

They were amazing – all of them. Each in their own way, they all contributed to the camp and everyone made me feel welcome. They we all took care of each other, shared stories, laughs, food, and formed lifelong friendships. Sure, there were stresses, and we overcame them together. Aboo.

Joyce 

was the reason I was out on the playa in the first place. She helped me adapt to my new surroundings with understanding and tenderness.  We learned how to better communicate with each other, how to give each other space, and how to better trust one another. We stayed up all night exploring the playa together, watched the sunrise, slept till noon, fell in love again and again, and grew together as a couple and as individuals. We explored with wide-eyed curiosity and artistic hunger.  We worked hard to complete the graywater system*, with help from Noel, before arriving in BRC, and stood it up in what I felt was record time.

*(And it worked like a charm. There were about 30 of us in the camp. We had showers almost every day, washing dishes twice a day, and only 10 gallons of un-evaporated water on the final day, which we had sucked out by the port-a-potty guys.)

And the art! There was so much of it.

And all of it free to be experienced and viewed by all. It really got m thinking about the directions I want to take my art – both in what I make, and in how it is consumed. Should I sell it? Should I donate it for sale to worthy causes? Should I give it away? Can I approach my art with a combination of these ideas?   These are questions that I am still asking myself, and still answering. I, and my art, is in an evolutionary process, one that will never end, and one that excites me like I’ve not been excited about my art for a long time.

Collected photos of Burning Man – 2009 – Evolution – 1 and 2

Play, Frolic, Laugh

Many artists I respect in Missoula encouraged me this year

to submit work for consideration to be included in The Yellowstone Art Museum’s art auction.  The YAM is in Billings, and I have visited it before.  It is a wonderful museum.

The submission process was a little more hands-on than the MAM’s, as I had to actually burn a CD of the works I intended to submit, put them in an envelope and mail them off.  This probably cost me about $2 in materials/postage and about an hour of my time, compared to the $5 and three hours of my time it took to submit  to the MAM’s art auction using their online process.

Not knowing anyone in Billings or at the YAM, I had low expectations for acceptance.  I elected to submit the very first piece I did in the newest incarnation of The Leaving and the Left series, as well as the very last piece I did in the series.

I was not surprised when I received my self-addressed stamped envelope with the Billings postmark in the mail last week.  I opened it with hopeful hands. Admittedly, I was disappointed to not have been chosen, but the way in which the news was delivered softened the blow, made me feel appreciated and made me want to apply again next year.

As you’ll see, their letter comes across as heartfelt, genuine and honest. (Even signed with real ink!) They included complimentary passes for admission to the museum, good for a year. Letter after the jump.

Granted, the MAM does not charge admission to the museum, which is amazing and very much appreciated by the Missoula community. How could they have compensated rejected artists for their time and effort? A ticket for a free glass of wine at one of their events? (No, wine/beer/liquor are not free at the MAM, unless you are a member, and even then, only the first one is free.) An invitation/pass to be included in a “special event” that may be scheduled some time in the future? Something else? I don’t know.

What I do know is that the Yellowstone Art Museum gets it right.  Thank you, YAM.

My Heaven Sent Lover

Be With You

Every Year, Home Resource Celebrates Art and Community at their Spontaneous Construction Event

…and this year was no different.  The pieces created on the day of SponCon 2009 were as diverse as those who created them.  Beautiful coffeetables, chicken coops, a couple of kaleidoscopes, a working Dobro and a waterfall powered composter just to name a few.  As in years past, many local artists (including me!) donated works to Home Resource for inclusion in a silent auction.

This year, the auctions run a little differently.  The silent auction is running online through the 15th, and will culminate at the live auction Friday, October 15 at The Elks Lodge here in Missoula. All of the silent auction items will be up for bid, as well as the best of the best in the live auction featuring the pieces created the day of Spon Con.

Spon Con is a celebration of art and community that benefits the non-profit Home Resource, a building reuse and recycling center in Missoula, Montana. I volunteer there every year and every year there are lots of surprises.  This year one of the surprises happened after the event itself, and that is the live auction.

Head over to the Home Resource site to view all of the items in the silent auction and begin bidding.

BIDDING INSTRUCTIONS
Please bid by emailing abe@homeresource.org. Please submit your bid in the following format:
a) Title of Piece
b) Your bid amount
c) Bidder number

FINAL BIDDING WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE SPONCON AUCTION AND AWARDS GALA, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16TH, AT THE ELKS LODGE. Mayor John Engen is gonna auctioneer/MC, and we’ll have live music by Cash for Junkers! Not only is it gonna be a super fun party, but it’s the only way to guarantee that you’ll get the final bid! Tickets to the auction are free to all contest participants and volunteers, and for sale to the general public for $10 in advance (available at Home Resource), and $15 at the door. Hope to see you there!

This year I donated three pieces to the silent auction.  All three pieces are from my recent series The Leaving and the Left.  The photos on the site are not very detailed.  You can see which pieces I donated to the auction below, (and above) and if you’re interested, clicking them will take you to the Flickr site where you can view more from The Leaving and the Left series.

The pieces I have sold from The Leaving and the Left series have been going for upwards of $300.  The opening bid on two of the pieces in the Spon Con auction is $100, and one is $200.  The entire proceeds of the sale of the art go to Home Resource, so get clicking!

Magic Love

Let Yourself be Fooled by Love

Looking forward to seeing you at the auction on Friday @ the Elk’s Lodge.  Happy bidding!