2011 Overview

2011 has come and gone and now it’s time to look forward to 2012

I’ve never been one to look to much at the past but instead look toward the future.  Part of this is my nature and part is the nature of being an artist.  Artist is an interesting title and one that I’m not always comfortable with, but for many, it’s an important acknowledgement for what we’ve been able to create with our minds and hands.  I’m humbled when someone refers to me as such and work hard to ensure that their complements are justified.

January through March

We'd been getting a number of photos from folks of sculptures that they've adopted from us over the years, and we decided to add an adopted page to our website at www.cliftonmetalworks.com/adopted.htm .  This latest submission is from William Woods of a planter he gave to his daughter.  We're humbled by the ongoing support and photos that everyone sends in.  Thank you.

Florida shows were in full swing during January through March.  I spent most weekends doing two-day weekend shows, and when I wasn’t there, I was at the St. Petersburg Saturday Market displaying my latest creations.  I was awarded the first place ribbon along with a check at the Orlando Art and Living Festival in Orlando, Florida.  This was  quite a surprise and honor and one that I will cherish my entire life.

The weather was great and we have many fans, but it’s tough to be a recycled artist when there isn’t very many sources for recycled metal; that was definitely the largest challenge about working that far south.  I had to travel as far north as Alabama and Tennessee to continue to find material, and that made it very difficult to have time to work and both due shows. 

Mackie and I love the weather during this time.  Sunny and 75 were pretty much the standard seven days a week with very little humidity.  The biggest challenge are insects nearly the size of the bugs from Starship Troopers! 

April Through June

I did four shows in Ohio and Michigan in May and June.  Two trips up and back each totaling about 3,000 miles round trip, but I did enjoy spending time with my brother and his family between and at these shows.  Weather has been one of our biggest challenges in doing eastern US shows versus the western states.  Every east coast show had some significant weather this year, and we were fortunate to not see the worst like in Pittsburgh, where an entire block of booths were ravaged in the wind.  This photos was our booth in Delaware, Ohio where my brother and two nephews came to help out.  Incredible driving rain but the crowds kept coming in between the cloud bursts.

My good friend, Bill Woods, caught up with me in Atlanta, Georgia, and we traveled across country for the second year in a row.  This has been a great time for both of us to spend talking about our lives and seeing our country from a different perspective.

We stopped in Nashville, Tennessee the next morning and went to the American Artisan Festival in Centennial Park. I love going to different art shows around the country and see the different work that’s available.  It’s always amazing to see things available in the south that one doesn’t see in the northwest, or the work that I saw in Ohio but have never seen in California.  This is Bill with his friend Superman in Metropolis, Illinois on our stop from Nashville to St. Louis.

The next morning we went through to Gates Barbeque in Kansas City.  The Food Network once did a special on barbeque around the country and this place got rave reviews.  It was ok and I think that says it all.  We headed west and spent the evening just east of Denver; it was an evening of great thunder and lightning storms.

I did the Vancouver Recycled Arts Show during the last week of June and started getting ready for the July art show crush.

July through September

July is our busiest month each year.  There’s usually several trips to California, a show in Oregon, and our annual Bellevue Art Show to keep us focused.  Everything was pretty routine and then I caught the shuttle back to Florida and my lovely wife.

Mackie and I spent August enjoying the Florida sunshine and deciding our next steps for the remainder of 2011.  We decided to head back to our Vancouver home and spend the winter west, and this was my second trip driving across the United States in 2011.  Below is a photo after the drive that I took of Mackie with our kids, Sophie and Sherman, and our dear friend Judy next to our truck and camper in Lafayette, California.

The Love Art Gallery contacted us and started selling our work.  Ruby and family are wonderful people and have done an incredible job in marketing our creations.  This has got me looking at galleries in a whole new light.  Several groups have contacted us and we'll be adding some new galleries this spring in the Portland-to-Seattle metro areas; I'll keep our website posted with the new locations.

October through December

We did a number of events through year’s end, and we picked up two additional art galleries.  It’s been busy and I’ve been able to create a number of new works.  I’m looking forward to 2012 and the new opportunities that await us.  We have two shows already booked in February in Seattle and Portland, and we'll be working like crazy over the next six weeks.  We have a lot of new creations that we've been working on this winter, and January is going to be here and gone before we know it. 

Our show schedule is updated on our website at www.cliftonmetalworks.com , and we’ll keep it updated and we hear from shows as we’re accepted into them.

Whew! Christmas Shows are Done

I know. I know.  My wife always tells me that cakes are done and I complete everything else.  But, it's been a long year that started in Florida, went through Georgia to Ohio and Michigan.  Then to the west coast for shows in California, Oregon, and Washington.  Just when I think that I get a little bit of rest, I've got at least three applications for next year that are due to turn in in the next five weeks.  Oh, an artist's work is never done.

For the past three weeks, I've been in Purdy and Gig Harbor, Washington, and we just finished at the Salem Holiday Market in Salem, Oregon.  Here's a little about each of the shows.

Winterfest in Purdy, Washington
Purdy is about 15-20 minutes north of Tacoma, Washington across the Narrows bridge.  For the history buffs, this was the third longest suspension bridge until November 7, 1940 when a gale wind came along and started a chain reaction that started the bridge bucking like a bronk and ended up falling into Puget Sound.  Here's a great video of the event on Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-zczJXSxnw

The show is held at Peninsula High School and the stuff does a great job putting this charity event on. Great organization, mostly high-quality work and a loyal following.


Tidefest in Gig Harbor, Washington
Gig Harbor is the first city across the narrows bridge coming from Tacoma.  It's a beautiful setting and man what a great show!  This one is organized better than any show that I've ever been to.  And, that's just the start.  They treat artists like kings and queens.  It starts with coffee, cookies, vegies, and such about every 20-30 minutes during the show.  And the Sunday morning breakfast was incredible.  Never have I felt so wanted at a show.  Yes it was a great show too.  Well attended by the community and they really support the arts!  Both  this and Winterfest have the added bonus that I get to stay at my sun's home in Tacoma and we get to enjoy some great times together.

Salem Saturday Market Holiday Show
Salem, Oregon is the state capital and the Saturday Market holds their annual holiday show at the Ameriplex building at the Oregon state fairgrounds.  The show is well organized and attended with brisk sales on Saturday.  Sunday was more for a day for Mackie and I to get out and find gifts for our crowd.  Salem is also great because it's only an hour south from our home which allows us to spend time at home.

Well now I'm off to start seriously thinking about 2012.

Hearts Galore

Many of you have seen a number of different hearts over the past years.  Twisted steel, glass, bike gears, and other recycled steel parts were welded into wonderful sculptures.  I was fortunate to discover a haul of various colors of recycled metal shelving.  Green, red, blue, and orange all in about 10 foot lengths.  What a find!

There's going to be a number of significant changes with my work that you'll see at some of this year's shows.  Many shows will feature the same work that I love to do that many of you have been enjoying for what is now decades, and the fine art shows will feature work similar to the hearts below and other new work that I'll be featuring here over the next few months getting ready for 2012.

This first heart features a three inch side with alternating horizontal green and red slats.  It's approximately 16 inches tall by about 12 inches wide.

The second heart is similar to the one featured above with the metal running vertical.  I like this one a lot.

Number three is my version of what's hanging around inside our hearts.  It's also about three inches thick, and I've created a variety of plumbing interconnected with bicycle gears.  Now that is some pacemaker!  Note the stitching across the front, and it's also all around the outside where the heart front meets the heart's sidewalls.

This is the fourth and last one for tonight! It has some serious plumbing work, and I've added the metal at different levels throughout the heart. Imagine as if the heart's skin is pealed back to reveal its inner workings. 

A lot of things are changing this year with my work.  You can keep up to date by subscribing to my blog for the latest additions.  See you soon!

The Way Back Home

I get tired of driving towards the end of each year after the shows and it's so especially this year.  Two trips back and forth from Florida to Michigan; two trips driving from Florida to Washington; and numerous trips from Washington to California.  Part of the exciting life of being an artist.  Along with all the driving comes the fuel bills, vehicle maintenance, and the unexpected things that can happen on the road.  And, so it went with last Monday.

Around midnight I stopped in Willows, California to catch a few z's before completing my return trip home.  After a few hours, I woke and headed north excited to make it home sometime around noon.  I stopped at the McDonald's just outside of Shasta, California (I actually like their coffee) for a brief rest-over and headed back north.  The weather was starting to turn nasty as I turned north onto Interstate 5.  Everything was going great until about 20 minutes north of Grants Pass, Oregon when a guy pulled up beside me and started waving at me.

It seemed that I lost a wheel about a mile back and never felt a thing.  The other tire blew as the guy was signaling me that I had a challenge.  This is the look beside the tow truck after the driver and I got the trailer loaded.  A few words of advice.  AAA RV Plus.  These guys are terrific and this membership will get your vehicle and trailer towed up to 100 miles for no cost to you other than your annual membership fee.  This has saved my back a few times over the last 20 years.

We headed back south down the freeway towards Les Schwab tires where I had already given them a head's up that we'd be coming in.  It was close to noon when I arrived and about five o'clock when they had me back on the road.  And, it was around 10 PM when I returned home.

The moral of this story is to be prepared and keep a positive attitude.  This is such a small event in the grand scheme of life.

Changes - Think of the David Bowie song while reading this

The last day of summer 2011 was a few days back and it only took one day for the weather to change to the "normal" northwest fall.  Blustery winds, grey skies, and rain.  Oh the normalcy of it all!  It's good to be back in our Vancouver house and see how our yard has changed over the past few years.  It's amazing how quickly things grow.

This red maple in our front yard started out around three feet tall nine years ago and here it is today.

It's also good to be around some old friends.  Last Saturday, our neighbors Dave and Floreen Clark, had a mystery welcome home dinner at their house.  This is a role playing who-done-it murder mystery that includes dinner, mayhem, and wine...of course.  Bill and Jackie Woods, and Shane and Duane Yokum rounded out the group.

Of course there are more changes occurring in our family.  Our oldest son, Nathan, graduated from nursing school last December and accepted a position at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma, Washington (about two hours north of our Vancouver house).  Here Nathan is driving a UHAUL truck with his family's belongings to their new home in Tacoma.

I'm reminded that Changes are always around us and is an important constant in our lives.  Just like the weather, growing things, and the good people around us.

One, Two, Three, and More Art Shows To Go

 It's been roughly a month since we've returned from Florida, and last Thursday night we headed south to California on one of our many art fair excursions.  We stopped just south of Medford, Oregon to spend the night before heading into the Lafayette area for our next show.  I woke up about five AM and rousted Mackie and the schnauzers from bed and off we headed down Interstate 5 in search of our next adventure.

We topped Siskiyou Summit and headed into California.  Yep, that's the thermometer inside our Dodge Pickup reading 39 degrees - I love the fall in the northwest.  Crisp mornings and warm afternoons.  It's tough to beat!  On we go to the California Inspection station.

"Do you have any fresh fruit or plants" asked the state attendant?

"No" I replied.

"What's in the trailer?" she asked.

"Artwork" I replied.

She looked back down to her book and said, "move along".

The California inspection station has always been a mystery to me for over 25 years.  They pay state employees to sit in booths at every entry point that I've ever been on to ask those same questions.  I've never seen them stop someone.

Mackie, my lovely wife next to the truck, our good friend Judy, along with Sophie and Sherman by our truck.  It's all about the parking at any art show, and us professionals are always trying to jockey our rigs around to the closest possible spot to our booth.  The shorter the distance the easier to set up and tear down.  A few days later we were able to move our truck up the street and turn it around during the evening. This probably saved us about 30 minutes during our tear down Sunday evening.

One of my new creations bogarted Mackie's coffee and wouldn't give it back.  The brand shall remain nameless, but the white cup with the green mermaid should give it away!

One more show down and a million more to go.

Fall Shows Are Starting to Fall Into Place

The Florida shop is cleaned out, most of our house work is completed, and we just got word that we were accepted into three fall shows. 

The shop looks great, the power is off, and we've been finishing up work on the house.  Painting completed - check; lawn cut short - check; trees trimmed - check; round up sprayed - check; bug spray complete - check; and on and on and on.

So, we decided not to put our house here on the market.  The more we started fixing it up, the more we started thinking that we didn't need to be in such a hurry to get rid of it.  Our plan is to head west for fall and winter shows, and then we're going to be coming back to Florida after December and do art shows in Florida with Mackie's clay work.  I'm really excited about this.  She has an incredible technique with clay that no one has seen in the southeast.

Today we were accepted into the Mountain View Art and Wine Festival and the Los Altos Art and Wine Festival, and we're waiting to hear on three others.  Additionally, Mackie has scheduled the Holiday Food and Gift Festival in Tacoma to display her pottery.  We're both really excited about the future and looking forward to seeing you at our upcoming shows!

What to Do When One Doesn't Have a Pad of Paper.

I ran across this photo in my phone today while I was looking at some photos I'd taken earlier today.  Sure, it's not quite as interesting as the shots of the 70 - year old guy that had "Death Rider" sequined into his shirt tonight at Boomer's restaurant tonight but the picture has merit anyway.

This was my interpretation of a tiki commission sculpture that I'm doing for some folks in the California bay area.  Funny that I never thought of myself as much of a drawing artist but looking at the photo I don't think that it's too bad.  It will be a few months before I'll get this guy created and then I'll post some photos of it to my Website.

Shop Sale

Lots of Florida happenings!  Mackie's been working on the house with painting, and I've been working in the shop sorting metal for the scrap yard - I can't even begin to tell you how it pains me to get rid of metal!  We worked together on a successful shop sale today getting rid of some unwanted tools and lots of art that we didn't have room for.

Here's three free form tables that I built last year that went in this morning's sale.  We ran several ads on Craigslist yesterday, and we were swamped when we opened at 10:00AM.  That's the first time that we had used Craigslist to advertise anything and wow, what a response!  We had over 100 people in that first hour and that did it for the sale! 

Here's a Jet bandsaw that's been sitting in the shop for about three years; it's one of those tools that I thought was going to save time and it never panned out.  My chop saw really cuts time and is ultimately safer to use. 

Mackie and I started working on the guest bathroom tonight.  She's pulling off the top layer of wallpaper while I'm focusing on the glue layer underneath.  It's great being together and working on projects.  Looks like we'll be here for a few weeks working on getting the house ready for the market.

Moving the shop from Florida to Oregon

What a challenge to move artwork, metal, and tools 3,500 miles across country.  That's not a mis-print!  Florida has been interesting but the time for us to completely relocate back to the west coast is here.  Moving is the bad news, but the good news is that we'll be west in a few weeks.

Show news flash!  Looks like we'll have a number of California shows scheduled in September.  We'll be posting an update to our website at www.cliftonmetalworks.com as soon as we get confirmation.  But things are looking good for Mountain View, Lafayette, Los Altos, and Beverly Hills. Nice.

Tai Chi

 

Walking out of my shop last week, one of the other artists in my collective had lined up some of my work and was talking photos of my day's work.  I started laughing at my friends and it keeps me in line of why I do the things I do.  I'm the luckiest guy in the world.  I'm allowed to create art that people enjoy and makes them smile and laugh in the morning.  With so many choices in this world, I'm fortunate that so many people enjoy our work and want to be around us.

 

I'm in Bellevue this weekend and then taking the next month off to finish moving things from Florida back to our home in Vancouver, and then we'll be getting for our fall shows.  I'll have our website updated at http://www.cliftonmetalworks.com/ later in August, but right now, it appears that we'll be in the Mountain View, Lafayette, and Los Altos, California areas in September and towards the upper California Bay area in October. 

 

If you're going to be in the Portland, Oregon area, go visit the Love Art Gallery at 8036 SE 13th Avenue, Portland, Oregon.  Here's thier website http://www.loveartgallery.com/  We'll have new creations that we'll be featuring there begining August 3rd, 2011. 

 

Joe

 

At the Show in Royal Oak, Michigan

It struck me Saturday morning as I was driving the final hour into Royal Oak, Michigan that it was only about 10 miles from downtown Detroit.  Unfortunately, I had a slight queasy moment in my stomach thinking what am I doing here.  Detroit is known for a mass exodus of people that has been going on for years, and the stark contrast of the city against the skyline wasn't doing my thoughts of this place any favors.

Signs of decay are littered around Interstate 75 as it winds through the central core, and the broken homes and dreams that line the interstate are harsh reminders of a city that was once a jewel of this mid-western city.  But, there is a strange beauty in this stark reminder of a city that once mass produced most of the automobiles used around the world and set the foundation of how we live in this country.

There are several magnificent churches standing tall amongst the broken homes and bombed-out looking building along my path.  Few lights can be seen from the freeway, and it appears that most of these structures are abandoned. 

As I round through the city and leave Wayne County and enter Oakland county the change is almost instantaneous.  The Interstate is missing the constant thumping sound that started when I hit the Detroit city limits and trash is missing from alongside the road (there's a terrible amount of paper trash all along through Detroit).  Instantly, I consciously think that I'm going to like this place.  I turn west onto Interstate 696 west and head to the first exit to turn into Royal Oak. Right at my turn is Cariobou Coffee on South Main street...Ah, life can now continue!

I stop for some Java and head the two blocks west to the art show and my booth space.  It's right on the corner of East Fourth and Washington streets.  The neighborhood has obviously been going through improvements over a number of years and most of the storefronts have operating businesses in them.  Even at 6:30AM there are other people other than us artists walking around.  Everyone is amazingly friendly and happy - I wonder what they put into the water around here? 

The policeman has me back right up to my booth to unload...Am I in Kansas I think to myself (somewhere I have to reference The Wizard of Oz in all this).  Then I head down to the show to check in.  They give me two special passes because I have a dual wheel truck and trailer which allows me to park about 10 feet from my booth instead of the three blocks they have reserved for the other artists - it pays to have one one ton dual wheel truck with a 16 foot long trailer!


10:00 AM rolls on and people start milling in to the show.  There's a glass blowing exhibit across the way, and my other neighbor is creates really cool sculptures from a high fire stoneware.  He creates these small dragons that are hatching from eggs, giraffes, and has one cool cowboy on a horse (www.ericevanssculpture.com), and he's a great neighbor.  The show had consistent sales until we closed at 7:00PM and then I headed out for some dinner.

BD's Mongolian grill was around the corner and I settled in for a few beers and some grub.  I like these type of restaurants.  I can get fresh chicken and vegetables cooked to order and relax for awhile.  It's a great way to wind down the day.  I'm heading off to the motel to crash, and the streets are packed with people.  Restaurants are full and I can barely walk across the street from all the traffic.  This is obviously the place to be on Friday night.  However, I needed sleep and not entertainment.

I of course headed to Caribou Coffee for my morning fix and get my thoughts written.  In about another hour there's an artist award's breakfast, and we'll see if I'm one of the lucky ones or just get fed.  I'll be happy either way.

This is my last mid-west show and then I'm back to Florida tonight.  Thursday, I'm heading to Vancouver, Washington, but I have an insane amount of work to get completed before I head west.  It's going to be a busy summer.

On the Road in Cleveland, Tennessee

This week I'm on the road back for shows in Ohio and Michigan, and I'm thinking about my exciting life as a traveling artist.

It's a few minutes after 7 AM and I've been driving for just over an hour this morning.  I pulled over and stopped in Cleveland, Tennessee for a few minutes of rest and breakfast at McDonald's - nothing but the finest for us!  Cleveland is a few minutes north of Chattanooga on Interstate 75 in a beautiful hilly wooded setting.  Unfortunately, that will be the extent of what I can share with you because I've got to get back on the road.  It's typical of what I know about so many cities that I visit as I criss-cross America. 

This trip is about a 1,000 mile drive from our Florida home and time is a consideration for this time of year.  It's show time and many people depend on me to get there dreams created, and I love to see happy people.  There are times where I'd really love to be able to print something out and display it, but I don't believe that it would cut it with many of you.

Driving and working with the road are part of the challenges in getting to the next show.  Last night, a truck through a tire some ways in front of me, and as I saved the truck from catching the tire, the passenger side trailer fender was not so lucky.  The tire smacked the fender and dropped in front of the trailer tire which in turn whipped it upwards and under the fender.  Next, the fender ripped off save for two bolts and shorted out the trailer lights.  Hmm.  About 30 minutes before dark and what to do.  Hey, I'm an artist.

I dug out the tool chest, we keep it right by the trailer side door, and took off the fender.  The fuse was blown under the truck hood, and there wasn't any 20 amp mini fuses left.  Fortunately, I was about an hour south of Atlanta and there are plenty of truck stops looking forward to selling me what I needed.  All together I was only down about 30 minutes and back on the road heading north of Atlanta - I like to get north to miss the morning traffic through the city.

It was about 11:45 when I rolled into the first rest stop north of Atlanta for a few hours rest.  I set my clock for 6 AM just in case I dozed too long, but my body clock woke me about 5:30 and here I am.  A few more sips of coffee, drop off my tray, and hit the road. 

Crack-a-lackin

I have no idea when I started saying this, but it's the one word that describes my life and my work ethic.  No matter what I've done, I've given it my all and succeeded.  And, so it goes with art.  This is my life and I could imagine doing anything else.  It's an incredible feeling when someone walks into our booth and smiles.  Even better when they purchase a piece because, they'll be able to enjoy it every day for the rest of their lives.  And, they'll be able to pass it down to their children for them to enjoy.

North and south and then east and west, Mackie and I travel the country to bring our love for our work to share with art lovers across the country. Our upcoming show schedule for this summer is listed below.  Mackie and I look forward to visiting with you and sharing our work.  Stop by and say Hi.

May 14 and 15, 2011	Delaware Art and Craft Show	Delaware, Ohio
May 21 and 22, 2011	Michigan State University Spring Art and Craft Show	East Lansing, Michigan
June 4 and 5, 2011	Strawberry Festival	Troy, Ohio
June 11 and 12, 2011	Clay, Glass, and Metal Show	Royal Oak, Michigan
June 25 and 26, 2011	Vancouver Recycled Art Show	Vancouver, Washington
July 9 and 10, 2011	Los Altos Art and Wine Festival	Los Altos, California
July 16 and 17, 2011	Connoisseur's Marketplace	Menlo Park, California
July 29 through 31, 2011	6th Street Art Festival	Bellevue, Washington
August 6 through 10, 2011	Temtative - Amish Acres	Napanee, Indiana
September 2 through 5, 2011	Tentative - Arts, Beats, and Eats	Royal Oak, Michigan
September 9, 10, and 11, 2011	Tentative - Black Swamp Arts Festival	Thornton, Ohio

Show Schedule

Woo Hoo!  We're starting to look at a full summer!  So let's talk about it.

Good news today.  We got into both the Crocker Park Art Show in Westlake, Ohio, and the Clay, Glass, and Metal Show in Royal Oak, Michigan.  Both shows are on June 11 and 12, 2011.  Looks like Mackie will be in one place and I'll be in the other.  They are both great shows and we're fortunate to get into both of them.http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5287328090413027986

Crocker Park (a Cleveland, Ohio suburb) is managed by the Michigan Guild and their website is at www.theguild.org/artfairs.html .  These are the folks that put on one of the fine Ann Arbor Art Shows in July.  Some of the finest artists in America exhibit at their shows. 

The Royal Oak Clay, Glass, and Art Show (www.royaloakchamber.com/clay_glass.htm) is another great show that features artists focused on just those three mediums.  The show is in Royal Oak, Michigan near Detroit.  Again, competition is pretty high for this event and I'm looking forward to being their.  Here's some examples of the quality here.  www.royaloakchamber.com/PDFs/2010 CGM Atists.pdf