ARTISTS in ACTION

Alison's sculpture of a woman transformed many times as she worked. Alison sees an image in her mind and begins from the base to build and change the piece as it forms.

Jerry's "man & beast" began as a dog sort of animal -- then morphed into an ant eater type of thing -- then grew giraffe knobules -- then turned into THAT. The man riding the beast also took many different shapes before it came to rest on the animal's back.

Terence had his TV vision and stuck with it from the start. The creepy hand bursting from the screen is profound as to how TV grabs and holds us (my own interpretation -- Terence didn't actually say that).

Sarah's "Spike-Headed Creature" began as a snowman version of Abe Lincoln -- grew legs and a tail and transformed into the armless creature you see. Why no arms?............ "Arms are for squares!" (Sarah quote)

There were other pieces being worked on that we didn't get shots of. Joseph created a "Kingdom of Spikes". Becky formed a mannequin leg and a women in an evening gown. And Caleb worked on a pair of legs.

It was so cool to watch everyone squeeze, mold, change and transform their clay from shape to shape until it became something they were pleased with.

Bitter SWEET

Of course, now that we've decided to take a break from our bi-monthly schedule, we end up having a terrific turnout and a BLAST with our first hands-on project. Bitter sweet for sure! We're already looking forward to setting up dates for starting the group back up in a few months.

Several of us got our hands dirty with clay and came up with some awesome sculptures (pix to come later) -- while others watched and talked -- and others still, played their instruments and kept us entertained with their musical talents.

Thanks SO much to Jerry for supplying the clay and tools!

David brought in a metal & concrete sculpture that he's planning to donate to an AIDS awareness auction coming up in Sept. We'll post specific information about the auction in a few days.

Sarah brought a sculpture of a hand made from plaster, nails, glass and linoleum shavings.

Again.................. pictures to come soon!

We had 5 brand new visitors to the group last night. A lot of interaction. A lot of exchanging contact information. A lot of great discussion.

What a great meeting! B I T T E R S W E E T

WIRED

Jerry's creation is a Spider made from wire. The body bulb is the core of a golf ball (how long did it take to unwrap all that rubber-band stuff????). The casing for the body is made of copper wire and the legs and head are plastic coated hanger type wire that-- once bent into shape -- stays rigid.

The idea for the Spider is actually someone's else's design. Jerry liked the concept and came up with his own version using different materials for the construction.

DRAGON SLAYER

It's been a few months since Jerry brought in his "junk art" made from unusual items (check April 5 archives) -- but now, he's been experimenting with clay!

The "serpent" that's coming up out of the wood is actually formed around a tin can. Jerry doesn't work from an idea to create a piece......... he begins creating the piece, then gets the idea as the clay takes shape.

The Knight is climbing the chest of the dragon -- sword raised -- to slay it. The clay itself will lighten in color as it dries completely. Detail work will be enhances as the colors change.

Another cool note about this piece is the offset location of the Dragon Slayer on the wood. Unusual placement -- but very dramatic because of it's obscurity!

Right now, the piece is a table-top sculpture. Jerry is also considering putting a type of hanger on the back to make it a wall-mounted piece.

Join us at the next Creative Arts Group meeting on the 25th to try your hand at clay work!

No pressure to join in on the physical part of the art -- ANYONE is welcome to attend, discuss and enjoy the company of other artists.

COOL NIGHT

Now that they've turned off the heat and cranked up the fans, we're having much more comfortable meetings at the Dondero mezzanine. Those of you that attended our first few meetings will remember how HOT and humid the pool lobby gets -- but with the huge fans pumping up a breeze, we're enjoying our gatherings in cool comfort.

Speaking of cool -- Jerry brought three new pieces of his artwork to tonight's group (pix to come soon). A man made of wood, a spider made of wire and a dragon being slain by a knight -- both made from clay. More details when we have the pix ready.

For our meeting on August 25, we're going to attempt our first Hands-On Project. Jerry has volunteered to bring the clay and we're going to test our creativity! If you've ever wondered if you can sculpt.......... come give it a try.

Mark the 25th on your calendar -- you don't want to miss this one.

THANX...............

to all that showed up last night to support Rob & Chris at Java Mountain in Royal Oak. The two hours flew by. Java Mountain is set up in an old house, with a staircase up to the second floor. Ken (the owner) had the guys play on the second floor with speakers casting the music down to the first floor and out the huge front windows onto Washington St.

It was a great night. Beautiful weather, icy drinks and terrific music!