At Home On Piety Hill

So, we had this assignment… a perspective drawing using Conte’ crayon and charcoal, combining one-point and two-point perspective. Other requirements were some sort of grid or pattern, vanishing into mountains in the distance, at least one building and an amorphous shape. My first attempt was way too ambitious with tons of figures, shapes and a building with windows and doors. No way. Then, I thought I’d put a rocket on the moon, greeted by blobbish locals, with multiple moons orbiting. Again, too busy. So, I arrived at this abstraction of the axis of evil and their quest for the bomb.

Sam’s show in Belgium opened today at Galerie Rodolphe Janssen and a few of the works are posted on the gallery site. A number of his paintings pre-sold and he said he felt pretty good about this show.

This was the weekend of the arts at our home and my drawing class is going well. Sure, it’s nothing but endless still-lifes and I feel pretty crappy about the results most of the time, but I am really learning a lot. And, it seems to be true… the key is practice… drawing and learning to observe and see what’s there. I think the most surprising thing I have found is that, in the class, after we get going on our final drawing I’ll “get lost” in the whole thing and find myself standing, holding my chalk or pencils differently than I ever have, using them freely and uninhibited, moving around the subject and whenever I have to blend anything, I’ve immediately got my hands or fingers in it. I just sort of dive in and I think what’s surprising is that I’m doing what comes intuitively and I’m way more “tactile” or involved than I would have thought. It’s kinda exciting.

Denise was feeling creative, too, after finding a vintage Mosette crushed stone kit at the thrift store. The composition came titled already, so that part was easy. She grabbed some Wilbur’s glue, sat down at the dining room table and voila! Bedtime Boy is now proudly hanging in our stylish boudoir!

It’s been 30 years since I laid down my pencils, pens and brushes. I’m taking a drawing class at Sierra College this year and have already learned so much. When I was a kid, all I ever wanted to do was draw or paint people… portraits… hated still lifes. That’s all changed and I look forward to drawing things I’ve never wanted to and dabble in the different mediums. The first drawing is graphite, the second charcoal and the third is created using a kneaded eraser to bring out highlights against a charcoal background.

Levi and Suzanne had us over for lunch today. She and Rosalyn made Denise and I the most wonderful po’boy, er, I mean, disenfranchised person sandwich I’ve had in a long time. Lily and Jack joined us for this splendid repast, garnished with potato chips, Fritos© and the food of the gods (small ‘g” deities), Crunchy Cheetos©.

Levi and I kept the code chatter to a minimum, choosing instead to engage in the topics of interest entertained by the other luncheon guests. We discussed the elements of the “poorboy” or “po’boy” sandwich, which is nearly identical to the “hoagie” or “fresh italian” sandwich, until we realized that those descriptions may seem insensitive to our less fortunate brethren. So, we came up with a more inclusive, less judgmental or demeaning label for the meat, cheese and vegetable sandwich, served on a freshly baked roll or baguette. Yes, this is a sandwich which knows no class or racial or philosophical distinctions. It is truly the sandwich of everyman… drat! I mean, of every person!

As our refection continued throughout the early afternoon, topics of conversation ranged from the resurrection of the dead, to the dangers of dehydration accompanying the stomach flu. Film, music, books, education, art, napping… we covered it all. What a blessed afternoon!

It’s always a pleasure to share Sam’s art, updating everyone on his latest adventures. But, there are other contemporary artists I really like and they happen to be friends of Sam. It brings me great pleasure to introduce you to a few of them and link to their work.

Chris Vasell
Chris was Sam’s roommate and confident in Chicago, whose career really took off a few years ago. When I visited them in 2003, Chris’ fortunes improved to the point that he was able to move into his own apartment a couple doors down. They were thrilled to have their own studio space! Nevertheless, the two are virtually inseparable, so Sam will be accompanying Chris to his upcoming Paris show.

Chris has received critical acclaim on art blogs and publications for his unique use of watercolor, developed over a “…two-year experimentation period during which Vasell acquired his idiosyncratic technique of layering multiple painterly surfaces onto his canvases.”

I realize the following observation may be superfluous to the arts crowd, but Chris is also a delightful, smart young man and it was a pleasure to get to know him for the short time I was in Chicago (our trip to the Pakistani restaurant was particularly memorable). The next artist is just as charming, likeable and incredibly energetic, creating a tremendous body of work.

Brook Caballero
Brook and Sam have been friends since childhood and both were happy to be reunited after our three-year sojourn in Maine. During holiday breaks from art school, it seemed as if the two would immediately home-in on one another upon returning to Nevada City.

I never really knew what Brook did, artistically, until I accepted an invitation to his personal studio space a couple of years ago. I went with some apprehension, wondering if Brook was simply being polite to “Sam’s dad.” I didn’t know him that well and he is fairly reserved – we never really spoke much before that. Brook gave me a warm welcome and I was completely overwhelmed by the sheer volume and quality of his work. I remember speaking to Sam afterwards on the phone, gushing over Brook’s stuff.

I like Brook’s wide-ranging ability to work in different mediums. This very large painting remains my all-time favorite and it is unsold. Perhaps I can convince Denise that it would fit in our living room.

Silas Dilworth
Silas befriended Sam at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute in Utica NY. Our son was out on his own for the first time, so Denise and I were happy and relieved that Silas and his brothers were there to take him in. When Sam moved to the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Silas was not far behind and he found his real niche there.

Silas’ strong suit is graphic design, particularly fonts. He even has his own digital foundry! He also does a bit of fine art and web design.

Did I Forget Anyone?
I hope not. Space only allows me to highlight these three, but I wanted to mention a number of other creative individuals, who Sam grew up with in or around Nevada County. I often wonder if there is something in the water or some kind of creative symbiosis that produced so many talented contemporaries. How else could you explain such a relatively small rural county producing the likes of Adam Kline, Levi Nunnink, Jason Powers, Joanna Newsom, Jonah Wells, Aaron Ross, Corey Creasey and more? I’m going to add some links in the left column and, if I’ve left anyone out, please remind me in your comments.

What an exhausting week. I actually stuck around work for a couple hours to catch up and now I’m listening to the Cowboy Junkies at a respectable volume. I’m one of those oddballs who, after a stressful day, will relax by hammering myself with some really loud music… it feels like getting tenderized.

The week started out well enough with barbecued ribs and beef brisket. Our trip to North Carolina inspired us and we had a hankerin’ for our kind of barbecue. I suppose I would classify it as Kansas City Barbecue or something along those lines. I’m not an expert… I just know I like it all. These ribs were smoked with maple from the tree behind me in the next photo.

Michele found me a wonderful apron for making smoke and searing animal flesh — I wear it with pride. Ryan, Natalie and Andrew brought Sadie and Dan over for a down home suppah’. Sadie brought punkin’ pie… she’s a country girl at heart

The table was set with plenty of sides. We had corn bread, brown bread, slaw (white), green beans, homemade applesauce and the blue crock holds Maine baked beans… yellow eye beans. Denise likes to use Jacob’s cattle beans, but hasn’t found them outside of Maine.

Later this week, I had to go to training down in Sacramento. They served lunch and it was, you guessed it, barbecue!!!!! I have to tell you, it was delicious and Chef Jake from Moveable Feast was there, so we exchanged strategies. He prefers cherry and apple wood over mesquite and hickory. I told him about my maple and occasional walnut. His tri-tip was perfect and had a great herb crust on it. I didn’t try the chicken, because… well, I get enough chicken.

It’s fall and Denise has created a holiday tree like the one my grandma Louise had at her house in El Monte (Emma Louise’s namesake). Denise started decorating with pumpkins and added fall leaves later. Grandma Louise had firecrackers on the tree for 4th of July and my dad would light them off under tin cans. That was sure a big deal back then.

I’ve been trying to spend a little more time alone with the Lord lately, walking or getting off by myself. Last Saturday I went searching around town for a taste of fall and I found it. I like the light and contrasts of fall; particularly the radiant, warm colors of the leaves against the cold, darkness of the bark on the maples and liquidamber.

This is the maple that borders the property with our neighbors. It can be spectacular in the fall, as long as it’s had enough water and doesn’t get too hot during October. It’s been a good year for fall in Nevada City. There was no color in North Carolina two weeks ago and our friends in Maine told us they just got their first frost today. This is very late for them.

We got our new iMac G5 about a month ago. We waited until the iLife suite had matured, particularly iPhoto. It is truly wonderful and it’s fun to have a computer that does anything you like, after struggling through the 80’s and 90’s — seeing the potential, but never realizing it. I have fond memories of Sam using Strata Studio, creating a 3D character and pushing the render button at about 10PM. We would wake up in the morning and it would just be finishing it up. Although we waited to get the iMac, we wanted to get it before our warranty ran out on the Powerbook. The optical drive in the iMac was DOA, so I called Applecare and a guy showed up in two days and swapped it out in about ten minutes. I was impressed. The drive is a dual layer DVD burner.

We have semi-retired the Powerbook. I will use it with Keynote for presentations and trips and such. Denise will use it around the house. Her computing habits were totally revolutionized by our wireless network. We had Camille’s old Presario notebook and installed a wireless card. Next thing you know, we had two laptops wireless with Emma networked via Ethernet and I even got my old Yosemite up. I toyed with the idea of turning it into a print server, but ran out of energy and time. Anyways, Denise enjoys the Powerbook very much, but it didn’t last too long…

I took the Powebook to work, sat down and got the screen open about .5 inch and the hinge popped and shot a piece of the monitor across the keyboard at me! Evidently, it was frozen and even cracked the case a bit. The hinges on the TiBooks are a known issue and I thought I’d escaped the scourge. I called Applecare, but got quite a different response than with the iMac. The agent told me a broken hinge is a cosmetic problem and not covered by the warranty. I became indignant, in a restrained way, and reminded him that it was a known issue and that the Apple discussions on their support site are full of accounts of people getting their hinges replaced. He checked with his boss and said they would repair it. Let’s hope this doesn’t turn into a saga… I don’t need another one.

Goodnight, friends.

Art Review | Reviews: Sam Salisbury at Alison Jacques Gallery, London
Reviewed by Eliza Williams

Salisbury combines imagery from a range of sources, from his own photographs and films as well as shots from mass media, to create works where characters pass one another unseen across a canvas and women loom, both menacingly and seductively, out of night skies. His works are deliberately stylised, encouraging viewers to ponder on the narratives and tensions within the paintings, and the relationship between the sexes…

Read more in the October issue of ArtReview and view works from the show here. Newer works may also be viewed on Marc Jancou’s site by navigating to EXHIBITIONS > CURRENT

The girls and I were returning from our drive in the country, flying down NC Hwy 421, loaded down with apples and keeping our eyes peeled for barbecue joints (down by the lake? T Bone Burnett, anyone?) A sign caught my eye: “Books 75% Off.” It was hoisted prominently over the 421 Flea Market.
This flea market (or “swap meet” in southern California vernacular) was deceptively ginormous. There were tables and pickup trucks laid out over a large field, selling used treasures from clothes to martial arts weapons and country home décor to GUNS! What appeared to be storage or industrial buildings at the rear of the property housed the actual flea market! There were hundreds of stalls displaying the tackiest junk I’ve ever seen. I didn’t know such junk existed.
Emma was understandably mortified and we could barely walk the rows, alternating between uproarious laughter and stunned disbelief. It was beyond any caricature of the south I have ever seen or heard. I think we were literally in shock for the first ten minutes before I regained my composure and began snapping these photos.
My favorite vendors were Appalachia’s answer to Restoration Hardware, Garris Gifts (did someone drop the H?) and the hillbilly chiropractor… very professional, indeed. The Hispanic community represented here was the largest I’ve seen since my youth in East Los Angeles… who would have known that I would have to go across the country to the hollows of North Carolina to find myself at home.
I’ll let the photos speak for themselves and will be happy to field any questions or comments concerning the objects d’arts on display.

Okay, so why does a hip, swingin’, fashion-conscious guy like me shop at Ross?

Obviously, there’s the value angle. Your clothing dollar will go much further at Ross than at some boardshop boutique or Harajuku mercantile where a sullen raggedy Ann or Andy, with black lipstick, scans your purchases while singing along with Green Day’s American Idiot. For me, it’s all about fashion. Where else could you hope to find a stylish RATT* t-shirt like the one I’m wearing in the photo? The moment I pulled it off the rack, my right arm involuntarily thrust it’s self heavenward and my butane lighter ignited. Awesome!!!

*Disclaimer: I do not now, nor have I ever enjoyed RATT or the music of RATT. I am an afficianado of late ’80s screen print t-shirts.

Today let’s look at some of the things Denise has done around the house. We will begin in the bathroom, which she painted a pale, seafoam green. Notice the playful undersea motif with authentic 50’s plaster cast, airbrushed starfish, seahorses and shells.

We kept the knick-knack shelf on the back wall of the bathroom.

This is one of my favorites off the shelf.

Next, we move into the bedroom, which is nearly complete. Denise found this attractive vanity chair in Canada. I think it really sets the room off.

A few weeks ago, Denise returned to the thrift store where we found the bedroom set. As she entered, she saw a thrift store employee walking out to put the mirror in the photograph out for sale. Denise immediately recognized the mirror as belonging to the set she had bought a couple of weeks previously! It had gotten separated in the back room, but we were happy to reunite it with it’s family.

Finally, we have this elegant whatchamakalit for Denny’s stylish perfume decanters.

I was in the guest room, formerly Emma’s bedroom, and spied one of Sam’s paintings from years ago. I don’t know if Sam would mind me showing this to the world — it doesn’t represent the kind of work he is doing now. If you look closely, you will see a very original, interesting landscape. Yes, those are transparent horizontal and vertical brush strokes. That was a technique he used a lot back then. I like the dreamy look it gives the piece.

It’s one of my all-time favorites (I have a few) and it brings back fond memories. When Sam graduated from the School of the Art Intitute back in 2001, this was projected before the ceremony at the Chicago Theatre. We sure had a lot of fun that week!

Denise has been busy again. Not only did she completely remodel our bathroom, but also she found these cool matching, gender-specific, lamps for our retro nightstands. She was originally bidding on some 60’s “atomic lamps,” but decided these actually coordinated with the rest of our “grandma” era porcelain knick-knicks. Her lamp looks like Marie Antoinette and, ironically, arrived with the head broken off at the neck. Well, she fixed her up and you can barely see the guillotine-width crack around her throat. My lamp is really cool, except that the Cavalier fellow is wearing a little too much eyeliner for my taste. The lipstick, however, is tastefully done.

As some of you know, Sam asked for prayer before he took off for London, which was the scene of a series of fatal bombings yesterday. I wanted to let you know that God answered those prayers:

Hello Everyone,

I’ve got a lot of calling and switching of plans to do… Just wanted to let everyone know that I’m safe and actually very fortunate. I don’t think I’ll be continuing my trip as it was planned. Anyhow, I’ve got loads to do……. I’ll keep you posted.

Love,
Sam

Thanks again for remembering him daily, when you go before the Lord. We’ll keep you posted.

Two more works by Sam have been posted to the Alison Jaques Gallery site and the latest word from the artist is that he’s in the studio, ordering out and working at a feverish pace to keep up with the demand. Thanks for your interest. Short post… no more to read.

Do I read? Sure, I do. Not much fiction, though. To purloin and retool a phrase from the pen of Don van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart), I generally read “opaque literary works, which would bug most people.” Case(s) in point: rarely in recent months have I experienced the joy and excitement of feasting on anything approaching Oscar Cullmann’s Early Christian Worship nor have I surfeited on any book which approaches the sumptuous banquet which is Abbas Amanat’s Resurrection and Renewal: The Making of the Babi Movement in Iran, 1844 – 1850! Oh, the memory of reading those masterpieces during the magical days of my youth makes me long for more, more, more!

I know, I know… Those titles alone have you perched upon the edge of your seat, clutching your mouse or other pointing device in anticipation. “Yes, yes, Bo, but what are you reading now? What rapurous prose are you feeding your soul this week?” And, more importantly you ask, “where can I get my hands on these ‘page turners’?” Well, I’ll tell you…

Let’s begin with light reading: the books on my nightstand, which carry me far away from the cares and troubles of the day. These are the books I read for pleasure before passing off into dreamland. First, there is one I read more often than any other, except my trusty Bible. It is an old pocket anthology of Robert Frost’s Poetry. I’ve read it from cover to cover, but I usually play “poetry roulette,” opening to a random verse. I think my favorite is Evening In A Sugar Orchard… Wait! No, my favorite is Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening.

Another book I pick up over and over again is Design of the 20th Century. I’m sure you’ll agree that there’s nothing more relaxing before bedtime than reading brief biographies of designers and viewing their signature works.

Also on the nightstand is The Elements of Graphic Design, a Christmas gift from anonymous middle daughter. It is probably the most readable and engaging book I’ve read on the subject – I’m nearly finished with it. In queue are Interaction of Color by Josef Albers (a gift from Sam) and Design and Form: The Basic Course at the Bauhaus and Later by Johannes Itten (given to me by Emma). I have browsed them.

Now, let’s get down to the serious tomes. I’m preparing to teach through The Revelation or Apocalypse, so I’ve got a book open almost every spare minute. I have nearly completed Robert Mounce’s commentary in the NICNT series. It’s a modest 400+ pages and not overly technical. I read Joel Green’s How To Read Prophecy years ago, but just dashed through it again to brush up, along with some chapters from Bernard Ramm’s Protestant Biblical Interpretation. I also reacquainted myself with Millard Erickson’s classic undergrad textbook Contemporary Options In Eschatology. The list of “must reads” for the study of Revelation include:

• Gregory K. Beale’s monumental Commentary on Revelation — the main course. This is a critical commentary and at 1245 pages, it’s a monster!
• Alan Johnson’s fairly brief commentary on Revelation From the Expositor’s Bible Commentary
• What Christ Thinks of the Church: An Exposition of Revelation 1 –3 by John Stott
• The Temple and the Church’s Mission by G.K. Beale. This is 450 pages of pretty technical stuff.
• The Meaning of the Millennium, which I read a long time ago and have to do again.
• The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses by Vern Poythress will be a job, weighing is at more than 400 pages of very rigorous reading and, then, I’ll chase it with his diminutive Understanding Dispensationalists.
• I will also need to read George Eldon Ladd’s commentary, as well as his groundbreaking The Presence of the Future.

Finally, I have read or will need to read parts of Walvoord’s The Millennial Kingdom, Pentecost’s Things to Come, A.T. Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament, Donald Guthrie’s New Testament Introduction, J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy and more!

It looks like it will be a Summer full of fun reading!

Sam’s exhibit will be running from July 7 to August 6 2005 at the Alison Jaques Gallery in London. We’ll keep you posted when we have the date in Brussells.

Anonymous middle daughter* and younger sister of artist Sam Salisbury, traveled to London recently to visit the Alison Jacques Gallery, where Salisbury’s latest creations will reportedly be shown in the near future.

Anonymous middle daughter has a few of the artist’s works in her home, including this older drawing:

* Identity shielded from trolls and weirdos under the blogStalker Protection Act of 2005.

Denise got a little taste of retirement life today, when she took a floating holiday off and crisscrossed the town to browse at some estate sales. I think she’s found her second career. The highlights were these wonderful Christmas decorations and cards. My favorite? Why, the Silky Chenille Wreath With Santa Plaque, of course. It lights up!

Not to be outdone, Mike A., Pat B. and I took a trip down to the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store on Fulton Avenue in Sacramento. Denise and I have found some real treasures there. As providence would have it, they were celebrating the premier of Revenge of the Sith by featuring this authentic Princess Leia bedroom set:

And, yes, those are neon pink lights in the headboard, footboard and vanity mirror.

P.S. There isn’t more to read.

Native Nevada City artist, Sam Salisbury, is gearing up for his first gallery shows in Europe. It looks like he will be heading over to London in July and then, off to Belgium. For more information…

Sam has some new work up on the web at artnet. And, you can also find news about recent shows at marcjancou.com under emerging artists and exhibitions. I will also post any news here.