Inspiration

There's inspiration all around us everyday when we open our minds to what's around us. It can be nature, buildings, a rusted sign, a song, or a movie. For me, I like to have the tv on in the shop. This month, I'm watching old black and white mystery movies. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in the Maltese Falcon is  one of my all time favorites.

Black and white offers such a romantic feel to these treasures that's easy for one to get caught up in. There's the crisp clean lines of the buildings for the back drop in the photo above. Next, the rounded style 1950's automobile that appears to hover over the large white walled tires. Infinite shadows bring everything together.

Above is a heart that I created for this Texas home that was inspired from these shows. The bold red shape re-imagined from that simpler time. A crisp candy apple red outlined in black featuring three white racing strips. It looks fabulous in it's new adopted home.

Take a look around you and see what can inspire you.

First Shop Day of March

It's the beginning of another cold month in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm crack-a-lackin' in the shop. It's all over the board how I get my ideas. Sometimes I doodle on whatever piece of scratch paper is lying around, or I scratch on some steel with some chalk, or I just start welding some steel together.



This is one project I started, or rather continued today. The photo below started out as four squares that I had something in mind that didn't work out...about a year ago. They started out as four squares and i just didn't feel it.So, there they set under one of the work benches until the spirit hits me.

Then I came up with the idea today to cut the square corners and add the rounded corners to each piece. My next plan is to paint each square a different color and then add a letter to each one; I'll figure that part out one of these days. Actually, I'm planning on having these finished by next weekend and having them for the Best of the Northwest show in Seattle on March 29-30.

New Work This Year

It's been a great winter with a lot of great new work that I've been creating. I've been spending a lot of hours in the shop, and I'm just getting started. There's going to be some new shows that we're going to do and new work is making up 60-70% of everything that I'm working on.

The peace sign is just one example of what I've been creating. This and a lot of new work is inspired by the things I grew up with. The 1960's and 1970's especially had a lot of great things that still inspire me.Think the space race in the early 1960's; the hippie movement during the 1970's, and the googie architecture all around California.

I've just started working on a new video project that I'll be posting three-to-five minute YouTube videos on over the coming weeks. Here's the link to my YouTube channel; there's three videos of some old school work and watch for new creations in the coming weeks.

On the Road Again

It's been a busy last four months with creating new work for the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. It's great to see everyone excited about our new work. I've been working on adding vintage pieces inspired by the 1950's and 1960's googie architecture and science fiction. The rocket ship below was pretty standard for many "B" rated science fiction movies like the "Man in Space".

It's about four feet tall and 18 inches across at the base. There's 14 lights including an amber one between the flames, and a red light is in the nose. The remaining white lights outline the rockets sides.

Every good 1950's astronaut deserves to have a good martini after a long space flight. This glass is also created from steel and is approximately 36 inches tall and 16 inches at it's widest point, and is about 2 1/2 inches deep. Note the distressing effect where I take new steel and give it that vintage look.

This peace sign took an incredible amount of time to create. It's made from over 50 pieces of recycled steel strips and is about 2 1/2 inches deep and 24 inches in diameter. It's also available with lights installed.

The year is just getting started and we'll be at a number of shows throughout the northwest this year. Our next show is on the Oregon State University Mom's weekend art show on May 4th. It will be a few months until everything shakes out, but visit our Clifton Metal Works Facebook page for the latest updates.

Oregon Society of Artists

The Oregon Society of Artists is a wonderful non-profit organization that promotes arts through their gallery, and a number of different classes in a wide variety of mediums. This group has over 600 active members and has their own beautiful building in downtown Portland, Oregon.

I become a member through my friendship with the group's president William Woods. Bill and I have known each other for over 20 years while we worked together in the utility industry. It was about eight years ago through a conversation that we realized that we both loved and created art. My wife, Mackie, and I had already been creating and selling art for a number of years at this time, but we really kept it to ourselves to friends at work.

Bill had asked me to come up with a presentation about the experiences Mackie and I had and offer tips to encourage others in their desire to promote their art work. Bill has traveled with me twice across country, helped me with art shows in California, and we've exhibited together in the Portland area. He'd seen first hand the enjoyment we get from the stories and smiles that we get from the folks who've invested in our artwork over the years.

About 30 people showed up and we had a great discussion about the journey Mackie and I have been on, and how there are many paths for one to travel on their own successful journey. The hour flew by and hopefully I was able to encourage them to experience the joys they can create for themselves on their own journey.

Winter is Coming

The life of an artist is never complete and we're always searching for that next creation of perfection. It may be a new shape that's appealing, or a new color that looks good with that particular shape. I like the adventure and journey that each piece takes me on.

The top picture is a series of three tables that I completed from recycled material.Each is a free flowing organic shape that takes on the life of the metal as it decides on how it wants to bend around to form its natural shape. It's all about the journey that each piece takes me through. Fortunately, so many people constantly run great ideas by me for new creative pieces of work to add to their collection. All this combined leads me down a path to new ideas and paths each year.

I'm starting to work on new work for the upcoming Northwest Flower and Garden Show that takes place in Seattle next February. I've got lots of new shapes, sizes and colors that I'm excited to get out. It's going to be a great year.

6th Street Art Fair in Bellevue, Washington

There's only good things that I can say about the July art shows in Bellevue, Washington. It's actually three shows sponsored by the Art Museum (in the Bellevue Square parking garage); the Festival of the Arts (in the Cost Plus parking lot); and the 6th Street Show that we've been doing for about 10 years. Each show is unique and packed with unbelievable creations that are waiting to be shared and adopted by over 100,000 patrons.

This is normally the last weekend in July and usually the weather is fairly warm in the Puget Sound area; however, this year is the exception. Mackie went and bought me some big boy pants because I was freezing Friday. It may have got to around 65, but the wind was howling and that's where the coldness lied. But cold or rain never stops people from coming out in this area of the country; in a few months I'll be writing about Salmon Days in Issaquah, and it never matters how much it's raining for a crowd to appear. I've see nearly 100,000 people show up there in rain gear and galoshes many a time.

By Sunday the weather was wonderful and crowds of people were about. The show can be a challenge with the three shows and all the walking. However, the 6th street show is one of the most enjoyable to visit for several reasons including: wider aisles that doesn't make one feel so claustrophobic; shade - ah. the Cost Plus parking lot was miserable with heat even with the cooler temperature; and there's always some wonderful artists, like ourselves, that really enjoy the feel of the 6th Street show over the others. Sunday was a perfect example where two people that made adoptions came to our show area for the first time, and they were surprised by the freshness and quality of work available.

Thank you all for another great show - we're always humbled by the many people that adopt our loved creations. Each has a special place in our heart, and we're humbled that you've selected our work to enjoy in your life. We'll see you soon!

Joe and Mackie