Just Kidding?

MEMORIAL DAY WEEK

We don’t forget our young men and women who died in wars they didn’t start.  Best tribute would be to find ways to end wars in the future.  We could actually do that.  True, quieting the aggressive male nature may take some time/generations.  Maybe distracting us with video games would work, but no drone and hacking attacks please.

I was a lucky guy.  My four Air Force years were easy and fruitful for me in DC.  I remember well my brothers and sisters in uniform during those Vietnam years.

THE 67TH RUBEN AWARDS.

I enjoyed being back in Pittsburgh after 60 (yikes) years.  Rege Cordic is gone. http://www.regecordic.com/index.html.  He’s my old KDKA morning favorite who later went to Hollywood, but his old Frothingslosh beer still exists. It’s a pretty city now with hilly suburbs and lots to see and do.

The William Penn Hotel was a good choice, elegant but fairly reasonable prices and great grand style facilities.  The Tom Richmond footprint is showing on the NCS: a good diversity of speakers and seminars (Mo Willems was especially good) and best of all,  a notably better show up for category winners. My personal preference, pal Brian Crane (Pickles) shared the top prize, a tie with Rick Kirkman (Baby Blues.)  Stephan Pastis, the third nominee, didn’t show – was he tipped?  Either way, IMO, he should have been there. Our new SEC president also unable to attend.

The Reuben Awards weekend is a very special event for me and especially at last,  I have a partner that “gets” the cartoonist in me.  We spent three days with colleagues that I greatly enjoy and real heroes whose work I so admire.  Over the years, the connections and insights have been invaluable to me.  Pictured:  SAM and Brian and the real deal.

Three nonagenarians were there: Roy Doty  (and Nancy) my old pal, still working, Larry Kazman (and Claudia) and Brad Anderson.  Roy and Larry were at my table along with Chuck and Mary Lou Smith from my old DC chapter, and Drew and Lisa Aquilina from AZ.

VISITING FRANK LlOYD WRIGHT’S BUILDINGS.

His personal story is almost as well known as the innovative buildings he designed.   SAM and I have always been anxious to see his work – which is both contemporary and classic – still.  It was a short drive down from Pittsburgh, SE to Ohiopyle, PA where we  visited Falling Water and Kentuck Knob, two FLlW designed homes. Also nearby was George Washington’s Fort Necessity.

Falling Water is an architectural landmark: one of the most beautifully designed and innovative homes I’ve ever seen. It certainly deserves it’s reputation and I loved the visit/tour, but I don’t think I’d like to live there.  Better to have been a frequent guest of the Kaufmanns.

Kentuck Knob was a more livable yet spectacular home.  I especially enjoyed the layout with the porch facing south with the eastern sunrise exposure for the bedrooms and the western sunsets for evenings on the deck.  My favorite so far.

HOW GEORGE WASHINGTON FITS INTO ALL THIS.

In his early twenties our first president, traveled from Virginia to southwestern Pennsylvania numerous times.  He played a large part in starting and fighting the French and Indian wars.  The stories are that he was a brave and effective leader (but failed to win any battles.) He did keep excellent journals.  The Potomac river runs north toward the Pa. border and the eastern continental divide before returning southwest into Virginia.  Just over the mountains the rivers run west and the tributaries of the Monongahela head NW to Pittsburgh, the same route we traveled.  Visiting Fort Necessity refreshed this bit of history for me, and now you (my faithful five readers.)

This spring at UNCA/OLLI, SAM and I attended some interesting courses: Plantations of South Carolina, Rise of the West, Frank Lloyd Wright, History of Southern Appalachia, Public Enemies, Transitioning into Wise Women, Camino de Santiago, and 75 and beyond.

I also taught another cartooning class – trying this time to reduce the lecture and increase the hands on. The class members had a variety of talents and seemed in a good humor.  Some examples of their work are posted below.

Best of all the OLLI community continues to grow and the administration, faculty and the program are superb.

Blood sugar peaking? OK,  here’s some vinegar: Iron Man 3 is awful! and wasn’t saved by the 6 cute lines.  I hope they will end this franchise.

On a more artsy side, Renoir is beautifully filmed and has an interesting but slow moving story about his son Jean and enough frontal nudity to keep me wide awake

3013 Cartoons and You – Class Examples:

We spent a week at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC way down at the western tip of the state, within hollering distance of Tennessee and Georgia…  in the beautiful Nantahala National Forest.  These remote rural mountains are where folks take care of themselves and used to make pretty much everything they needed.

The school is very different than a college or special arts institute.  SAM says “modern old-fashioned fun.”  It was invigorating to me.  It reminded us that there is still a whole world of wonderful people, arts and things to learn out of cell phone range and off the Internet matrix, like when SAM and I were growing up. The accommodations, food (all fresh), quality of the classrooms, wonderful instructors, and the “atmosphere” were all so nourishing for us.  We’re goin’ back!

I took a wood carving course with Pete LeClair.  This man, and my fellow students, have added immensely to my life.  Carving wood figures and portraits balances my love of human faces and wood, the fascinating material we engaged in shaping.  Subtractive sculpting – where you remove the wood that is not going to be part of your portrait – is a huge challenge to this now largely digital artist.  It is analog, like the old days with paper ink pen and brushes, but it is also 3D, and there is very little you can do to “fix” a mistake.  So planning is key and care in the process is essential – a special challenge for my impatient nature.  Pete was one of the most methodical artists I have ever met.  He was very patient and let me make my mistakes.  Most artists are self-taught.  Fundamentals and theory can provide a useful framework, but in the end, it is practice, practice, and more practice.  While we practice it is essential that we enjoy the activity or we become discouraged and stop practicing.  I have a lot to learn.  I can hardly wait.

Like most creative arts there is also the necessity of tools.  Pete de-emphasized this aspect telling me you only really need a sharp knife, and maybe a few gouges and something to sharpen them with.  We’ll see how that goes…

Pete was always the first one there and stayed late each night for extra time and help.  His enthusiasm, his joy in his craft, was inspiring.  He is a happy man bringing smiles to our world. (3rd from left, back row with the hat.)

“Keep your thumb on the wood!”

See more of Pete LeClair on YouTube.

In case you missed this…

FRIDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) — “Small amounts of mood-altering drugs used to treat psychiatric disorders that are making their way into rivers and streams may be changing the behavior of some fish, a new study suggests.”  (and what about us – who eat the fish, or drink that water?  Oh well…)

“Exposure to Oxazepam also made the fish less social, making them easier prey for potential predators, the researchers noted. “Perch that were exposed to Oxazepam lost interest in hanging out with the group, and some even stayed as far away from the group as possible.”

You may see humor there, but we all live on the same planet and we need to take care of each other.  Yes. I’m making an empathic plea and using my wildwood buddy Peter, a chain pickerel to help you remember.  Properly dispose of those unused meds.

February is not a good month for me. For years I would try to schedule a nice getaway – something to look forward to during January, and when I got back it would be March and some eager crocuses would be poking up.  That would be enough enthusiasm to keep me going until April.

Nothing this year. Groundhog Day and the Super Bowl have not cheered me up.  National politics continues to depress. It’s cold and damp and I’m feeling my three-score-and-ten years, plus I got sick and had to behave.  Maybe it’s time I tried a shot of a five-hour energy elixir or some deer antler spray.  I tell everyone to appreciate every day and all the good that is around us. Guess it’s time to heed my own words.

I’m discovering? in my active robust life, that YouTube has become a kind of video university of small topics (for short attention spans.) Many of you already know this, but good people are bothering to produce decent free lectures and demonstrations about nearly any topic that seems to cross my mind. I know there’s some real duds, but hang in there.

Here are a few examples: (of my sort)

Wood carving.  Wear gloves or bring band aids.  Link

Making scones, Scottish sytle.  Link

ASAP  Science topics presented for a younger mobile audience. Link.

WRI, the great environmental think tank has finally produced a communication that can connect with the society they are trying to move. Link

Richard Feynman.  One of my heroes. Link

Using a tablet to produce art.  Link

Producing children books?  for tablets and smart phones.  Link

In a few years we’ll figure out how to monetize more of this microeducation/entertainment and that will launch a whole new era.  Sure, a few producers with good traffic are getting ad revenue and others use the platform to sell their products and services.  But right now, during this warm-up phase, I just want to say thanks to all the pioneers.

Now, here’s some pot shots at my Blue Ridge town and my maligned gender.

More about men at:  Link 

Meanwhile, keep your eyes peeled for crocuses.

I hope so. In one sense, it’s just 365 new days (if we’re fortunate.) Some of us do pause, think about the past and what we we would like to change. For most of us that starts with the choices we make.

Taking care of ourselves so we can take care of others. Words come easy. We’ll see.

I’ll bet you didn’t stop by for a lecture.

Fortunately, there’s the never-ending foolishness that crosses our consciousness thanks to our frenetic media. With so many serious issues on our collective plates, we are asked if Manti Te’o was “catfished?” Did Beyoncé lip sync? Why did Lance finally fess up?

Is it: [ ] I must know; [ ] I can wait; or [ ] Spare me?

Stay tuned. As soon as I find out…

“…Deep in December it’s nice to remember the fire of September that made us mellow.” A Fantastik thought.

Now, in the October of my life’s likely year, I think ahead about the snows of December and back to the warm memories of summertime, and it’s terrible thunderstorms.

My sons are in the early Springtime of their lives with so much ahead.  I am fortunate to see them growing and to have found a true partner to walk with me now through the sweetest time of my life.

Slowly a gentle wisdom soaks in. The kind few are interested in. So, I just smile.

PS: Our 2012 holiday card is posted (link above in header.)

San Antonio. Fast forward 46 years from my first visit, newly enlisted in the USAF, now here we are again, this time to draw funny pictures.

It was my 12th caricaturist convention, now fully international and IMO showcasing a more diverse range of styles of this portraiture speciality.

Four days and nights of drawing each other in any medium and increasingly digital, mostly young folks but enough old timers to keep it interesting. The ISCA organization has been guided well by Steve Hearn for the past two years with innovations and efficiencies beneficial to this somewhat conservative organization.

Our guest this year was John Kascht an articulate illustrator with insights and anecdotes about his life and craft that added immeasurably to our event. Thanks John. See his wonderful National Portrait Gallery FaceToFace video at: http://face2face.si.edu/my_weblog/2011/04/how-does-he-do-that-the-secrets-of-drawing-a-face.html

Our friends from Japan, again this year, won our hearts and a lions share of the awards with hard work and inspiring creativity. We all missed their godfather Kage Nakanishi. Jun Oomura was back and won an award. Way to go!

Good to see my old bud, witty calligrapher Jeff Redford, who prepares the award documents. He was appreciated with a lifelong membership. I’m happy about that.

Pals Johanna Veerenhuis and Gwenda Saunders, Mike Hasson, Leisbat Beckers, Brian Vasilik and Jerry Dowling and Master Jan Op de Beeck, Emi Sato and their growing family were all there.

And always happy to meet new folks: Joe Easkin and Ray Shipman from Texas, Tony Marriott from the UK and Ferg Gadzala from Quebec. Two seminar presenters (Nolan Harris and Jon Casey) that I had only known via videos were even better in person.

SAM and I also got out and about San Antonio during the week. Together we saw: Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, McNay museum, River Walk, and the King William neighborhood tour. She also visited the Alamo, San Juan and Conception missions, Villa Finale, the Japanese Tea Garden, and the San Antonio Art and Witte museums, while I was drawing and posing.

A wonderful week. All categories and awards will be available soon on our website: caricature.org.

My Western Inventions class instructor is fascinated and knowledgeable about a huge spectrum of historical and engineering realms.   He said today “Everything reminds me of something! ”  I know the feeling, but since I’m probably 15 years his junior, I am still learning and experiencing new things.  I like that.

I attended a briefing on the “Arab Spring” and the Middle East by James Larocco, a career diplomat. One of his messages was familiar: that to make any sense of the present you must appreciate the past.  He thinks this upheaval is on the scale of the French revolution and will take a long time to sort out. He reminded us that many Americans are more concerned about the future and are not particularly interested in history.  In the middle east they still remember what happened a thousand years ago.  That Santayana thing about “those who fail to read history are doomed to repeat it” is still scary and I hope our leaders spend some time studying history.

With October comes brisk mornings and balmy days. There is a mature beauty about autumn that is very appealing to me. SAM loves painting dry leaves and pumpkins, and I enjoy getting back into my jeans.

One of the art instructors at UNCA/OLLI was injured on her trip to Russia and I’m having a chance to fill in for her fall semester.  Loving that, and I changed my drill from blah blah blahs to more hands-on drawing.

The debate? was more live serial concurrent speeches by the two candidates.  Mitt seemed more comfortable as a moderate, and our President’s mind was elsewhere.  I’ll be voting early.

Loving my Clown class and two courses about the 60s.  Billy Joel said “we didn’t light the fire…”  but I think we did.  Civil rights, the Vietnam war, migrant workers, the women’s movement, gay rights, etc.  We were engaged, and committed and change was begun.  Still a long road ahead, I know.

Relax, I’m not going serious.  Laughter is still the best remedy for this world’s problems.