Wheres (Ralph) Waldo (Emerson)

You see there is something irksome about the current mindset of our populace (and do forgive me for constantly ranting about the current state of this fine world we live in, but, well, it's my blog), and that is the relative lack of a mindset. Or maybe more appropriately it is the zoned out narrow mindset which stops people from developing their own creative composite mindsets. I mean why don't we have any more Mozart's? Where are all the Einstein, the Tchaikovskys, the the Henry David Theraeus, the Emersons, the Shakespears. I mean where are the fuckin Beatles? What happened to individuals with powerful ideas making startling differences? What if Freud was born 30 years ago, and after finally making his way out of jail (likely for molesting a minor or cocaine possession) decided he would dedicate his life to something, but first he has to catch the first four seasons of Lost? Or what if modern day Michaelangelo was around, and could only fit stone carving in between episodes of Desperate Housewives? Granted we can rationalize that the resolve of these epic characters was such that they were able to ignore distraction and focus on their goals and aspirations... but they didn't have all that much else to do when you think about it. There was no glowing box which you could stare it inanimately for hours to suck up your personal productive time. Necessity is the mother of all invention, but what happened to necessity? All that time where people used to sit around with only the company of their thoughts and the potential of their hands is gone. We want for so very little and we're so very occupied that nothing actually happens anymore. (Harumph.)

And here we are again.

I know I said I was gonna blog with increased regularly... and I didn't at all. I've been busy. But I'll give a quick visual update. So as a quick week in review: Most of my time has been taken up by a sculpture for Buona Fortuna Pizzeria in Monticello, NY (Cafe Victor).

Also a lot of soccer games, tending to the garden, trying to get more commissions, potentially hiring a marketing assistant/PR agent, working on a bust of ODB, gathering photos for a different portrait, fixing up/finishing bernie, NBA Finals, World cup, building a fence around the garden. Hence : less-than-usual contact with the outside world. But big Bernie is getting plenty of attention. Here's a roll of shots taken (over the course of an hour) by my dad sitting outside of Benji and Jake's in Bethel, N.Y.

My favorite was the guy with guitar who was singing a nice drunken version of John Prine's - Fish and Whistle.

State of the union: Oy vey.

Bernie, my 10 foot sculpture, has somehow managed to continue to squeeze out my time. You see I thought I was pretty much finished on sunday when I installed him lakeside in Bethel, NY, but boy was I wrong. After an exhausting weekend I allowed myself one day of collapse and then a half day comprised of drilling holes in concrete and hammering metal rods down into said holes and then welding said rods to the base of aforementioned sculpture (thus firmly securing said sculpture [please forgive over indulgent past tense]). The following day was spent grinding, sanding, wire brushing and painting Bernie until my hands were discolored and had a strange painful itchy feeling (the results of excessive vibration). The next day (today) I spent making a sculpture to fit in his mouth (give him a little more pizazz), and lo and behold the sculpture is too big for his mouth and just looks silly! Not to mention there is still a full more day of painting! The gift that keeps on giving! But this weekend my motto is the following : Fuck Bernie, I'm going to the city.

A couple more of Bernie.

Still not completely finished he needs to be wire brushed, get his tie painted, get a first layer of protective coating, weather for a couple weeks and then get coated again. A sculptors work is never done.