Thanksgiving is next week. I'll be out of town for a few days then. As soon as I return it will be time for the madness and frenzy of Art Basel Mia Bch. I personally can't get excited about it in one sense and that's my lack of exhibiting in Miami/ Ft. Lauderdale/ Palm Beach. There are several very good reasons for that including my desire to have the type of exhibition space I feel would best allow my work to be placed in context. Yeah, we've all heard that crap before. So what. This stuff is a business, even if some think it isn't. Work costs money to produce and being out of work for two consecutive has rendered my finances to only one thing, paying the bills. Art has never paid any bills for me. It has only been a source for spending money. At least when I was racing bicycles, and on hiatus from art, I got paid flights to the Caribbean several times a year. That, of course, is not to say art has little value to my life. It does have value, high value.

As a result, I'll be showing some new work on Miamiartexchange.com.
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The weather this past weekend was good but a bit windy. No rain. I arrived at my desination. Drove to where I thought I could rent a canoe but, didn't find a store. I parked and called the phone number. Some guy who apparently works for the county spoke via his voice mail that he and his wife were not home. "If you need me, call my celphone." Puhleeeze! What a waste of time and an even greater disappointment, with a touch of frustration for good measure.

I drove over to Chuck's place. We talked about the situation. There was a place up the road from him that sold canoes. Maybe I should just go buy one. I don't have a roof rack but went to check prices anyway. They were good. However, the store is closing at the end of November. Thinking....

I didn't know what to do. I called Roger. He and I worked together briefly in 1976-77. He's still a county employee, and a great friend and wonderful person. He didn't know anyone with a canoe for sale but, "Come on over for a visit," he urged. No urging necessary. I went on over. After dinner, he and his wife invited me to spend the night. They are some of the most wonderful people I know. Friends after all these years is a treasure since we didn't work together that long. I've always liked Roger for his kindness, fairness, honesty, and sexy good looks (even now).

Roger suggested I try renting a canoe at the county park, The Savannas. I did find some canoes to rent and had a good two hour paddle along the outer edge of the wetlands. I had planned a different trip, however. One that went out into the Indian River Lagoon.

The Indian River Lagoon stretches for 156 miles spanning Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, and Martin counties. The St. Lucie River and Estuary is an essential component of the environmental and economic well-being of Martin and St. Lucie counties. There is an intersection of waterways in Martin County, commonly known as the "crossroads." This is the place where the Indian River Lagoon, the mouth of the St. Lucie River and the St. Lucie Inlet meet.



This picture was taken at dusk before I went to my friend Roger's for the evening. In the background are some of the islands I'd like to visit. They are mainly bird rookeries. I also took my new thumbnail icon on the same pier where I took the boat pic.

Even though this image below has not been manipulated, it is an idealized image of Ft. Pierce, FL. This city has an economy largely based on agriculture. That is a seasonal occupation for many migrant workers that provides work for them mostly during the winter months. That's when citrus is harvested.



The city has an interesting history albeit, one of many in Florida. I have some friends there that I don't see often. I found myself more involved with being more active in the community when I was living there too: co-founder of the regional bicycle racing club, organizer of a regional cultural arts conference, rewriting the by-laws of the local cultural affairs council, board member of several arts and cultural orgs. The city sits on a manmade inlet that serves agri-business and shipping to and from the Bahamas. Fishing is still pretty good although some fish stocks are gone (flounder). I used to do a lot of fishing. Beaches are good too. I'm not a beach goer. I lived in the area 9 yrs in total. My relatives (mostly all deceased) moved to the area some 80 yrs ago. Anyway, enjoy the image... :-)



This is the place of my short canoe adventure of this past Sunday. Not all of it had so much grass. But, that's what the Everglades look like. A big river of grass.

I found the most interesting art online yesterday from the U.S. Navy Collection of all places. One artist really captured my imagination, Kerr Eby (1889-1946). Aside from the fact he was a really good draughtsman, his depictions lead me to have other ideas than about his ability to reproduce reality. The picture that did it was one the Navy does not provide a link for. It's a soldier with jungle rot, bent over having his ass inspected by a fellow soldier.

When the United States declared war in 1941, Eby tried to enlist, but was turned down because of his age. He instead received his opportunity to participate when Abbott Laboratories developed its combat artist program. Between October 1943 and January 1944, he traveled with Marines in the South Pacific and witnessed some of the fiercest fighting of the war, landing with the invasion force at Tarawa and living three weeks in a foxhole on Bougainville. While on Bougainville he became ill with a tropical disease, one which weakened his health. He returned to the United States unable to regain his full strength. He completed his final drawings for Abbott and two unrelated etchings, but could not complete the etchings that he intended to make from his war pictures. He died in Norwalk, Connecticut in 1946.



Kerr Eby #13
Charcoal, 1944

Miamiartexchange.com features LiveJournal's Vladimir Kelaskin as the cover artist. He's a young awesome talent. Paintings by Paul Aho of W. Palm Beach are showing. Of course, all the usual features are here. Check it out now!

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