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First things being first...
Much to my disappointment, I was forced to cancel my exhibition
at the DeGrazia Gallery in Tucson (geez, it's still listed on the
website) which was scheduled for the end of last month. In the end
it may be a blessing in disguise as the reason behind the cancellation
is the pending sale of my house, which in the current market, I
did not anticipate to occur so quickly.
The bottom line is that the gallery requests that the artist (or
a representitive) be present daily for the duration of the exhibit
and given the escrow close date and all that accompanies a house
sale, it was just not possible for me to do so.
On the other hand, this disappointment is coupled by the excitment
I have for what I am about to undertake...It should have been a
lesson I learned by simply studying the life of Edward Curtis, but
several months after I began attending shows just 1 1/2 years ago
I realized that continuing to capture the vanishing west would be
exceedingly difficult given my need to stay anchored to my home
in Paulden, Az.
In fact to fully capture the many faces, places, and cultures that
grace this "Vanishing West", I firmly believe that I need
to emerse myself in it daily. That is about to happen, for some
time shortly after March 30th when (hopefully) escrow closes, I
will be investing in what I intend to turn into a gallery on wheels.
It is also intended to be home for me and three of my dogs; Chief,
Willow and Diesel. I will be leaving behind (in very good hands),
my oldest dog, Cassidy, and three cats including a renegade Bengal
Cat who is more trouble than all of the others combined.
One of the many tasks of this change which has caused so much upheaval
has also produced a wonderful benefit. As part of the liquidation
of a good many of my personal possessions, I gave my previous road-weary
vehicle (Ford Expedition with 207,000 miles) to my good friend and
legendary Tewa-Hopi potter, Mark
Tahbo.
I offered this with but one caveat, and that was with the promise
that he would create a pot for me highlighting his and my Desperado
qualities (which may have come to an end...but more later)...he
has agreed and images will follow...now go to work Mark.
Where To Next?
Initially my travels will lead me in the direction of the eastern-most
bounds ( I had originally intended to begin my travels in the
Northwest, but again details will follow) of Curtis' imagery,
(Missouri, where some of my family originated) which include the
territories surrounding the Mississippi...from there, chance and
circumstance shall be my guide.
Besides the obvious changes to my living environment it will also
present a marked change in several other areas, most importantly
being the volume of images I am able to offer. But the other area
that most intrigues me will be my ability to turn my favorite monthly
yarn into a favorite weekly or perhaps daily yarn.
You see, while I may have been slow in learning the hard won lessons
of Edward Curtis' travels, I intend to immediately take to heart
those examples set forth by Lewis & Clark...in short, if there
is anything I do well, it is to observe the little things that go
on around me, so from the moment that "The Last Frontier Gallery"
begins to roll, I will begin to document the West with both pen
and lens.
From the fantastic to the mundane it will all be there (please remember
there is always an ubsubscribe link at the bottom of the page) so
now is your opportunity to opt out from "Notes From The Last Frontier"...which
leads me to...
Upcoming Shows:
I have 3 upcoming shows scheduled in Arizona after which, all else
is only a question mark. They are the 4th Avenue Street Faire in
Tucson this coming weekend of March 23rd-25th.and The Litchfield
Park Culinary & Arts Festival beginning the weekend of March
31st. and then the Oro Valley Art Council Festival of the Arts in
Oro Valley, April 14th & 15th.
Please feel free to email me for any additional information.
The Last "Monthly" Tale
With so many shows altered due to weather this past month or three,
I was worried that I might have to resort to fiction to offer an
interesting story of the west this month... ah but in the end...you
see as it was getting close to the end of a show in Oro Valley several
weeks ago, an older woman and her son approached
and she immediately became intrigued with the photos I had on display.
She didn't say much at first but after a moment, much to her son’s uncomfortableness
she began to castigate him the rest of her family for their disinterest in both photography,
but more importantly for their lack of concern for the history it captures.
She went on to tell me that her Grandmother was a photographer and that she had some wonderful
images from the Patagonia area of Arizona.
While I am always interested in any photo or
photographer from that era, I am equally prepared to be disappointed as some things never
change....like a grandmother’s endless fascination with taking snaps of her grandchildren etc...
in this case I was not only pleasantly surprised, but embarrassed at my prejudgement for not only
does she have images of her grandfather in his work as a laborer on the construction of the Hoover
Dam, but she holds extensive imagery of the landscapes surrounding Patagonia including some which
document General Pershing leading the Color Guard (Buffalo Soliders) through her backyard in pursuit
of the last of the Apaches.
She stressed that she “wanted someone to do something with them"
and that none of her “no good kids cared” then threatened that she
might send them to me...by then, however, I think her son was getting
the point.
New Additions
While there are some new images this month, I am holding off on presenting
them as I have lined up a shoot that I have been working on for months and think is about to take place.
It promises to be rewarding and will definitely capture the "vanishing west".
 Picture of the Month
Many of you know that it is a rare moment when I take the time to
shoot at a rodeo as I am usually there as part of a show. Recently,
however at the Lost
Dutchman Days Rodeo in Apache Junction, AZ, I couldn't resist
when a calf roper had roped his calf in about 2.9 seconds, he was
unable to tie it for another thirteen!
He was consoled by his good friend
whom he really neded at the time.
The Great Color Experiment (Debacle)
It didn't take long, but my brief experiment with color imagery
is complete. The one and only framed image has been offered up at
a silent auction at the West
Valley art Museum .
In the end, it just wasn't what I wanted to do, and several of my
favorite customers made it very clear that it wasn't moved them either.
I guess my dad was right...you're never too big or too old for the
wood shed.
In the end, it just wasn't what I wanted to do, and several of my
favorite customers made it very clear that it wasn't what moved
them either. I guess my dad was right...you're never too big or
too old for the wood shed.
Diesel Update
As you recall, the last newsletter featured a new image of
Diesel, my genetically challenged coyote mix pup in front of
an outhouse on the White Mountain Apache reservation...well I'm
happy to say that he/it is now officially the fastest selling image
I have yet offered.
Therefore, I have now readjusted my projections and fully expect to pay off
all of his surgeries on December 29th 2012.
The End is Near
With so much going on in preparation for the sale of my house, I will close an abbreviated newsletter this month with what
some have called the best/worst country music song titles of all time.
I'll let you be the judge.
10) "I Hate Every Bone In Her Body But Mine"
9)"I Ain't Never Gone To Bed With an Ugly Woman But I Woke Up Witha Few
8)"If The Phone Don't Ring, You'll Know It's Me"
7)"I Miss You, But My Aim's Improvin'"
6)Wouldn't Take Her To A Dogfight, 'Cause I'm Afraid She'd Win"
5)"I'm So Misearable Without You, It's Like You're Still Here"
4)"My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend And I Miss Him"
3)"She Took My Ring and Gave Me the Finger"
2)"She's Looking Better With Every Beer"
And the #1 Country/Western Song is...
1)"It's Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night, That Chewed Your Ass Out All Day Long"
That is all for this newsletter and as always, Save a horse...ride
a mustang!
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