I do end up taking the occasional art class; sometimes it’s to learn a new skill, sometimes it’s to improve a skill, sometimes it’s just to be sociable, and sometimes it’s to meet the instructor (after all, that’s how I got started in blogging). So I had signed up for this class with an artist whose work I admire, it was called “Making Armor”. What exactly this meant, I had no idea, but I forked over my money and showed up on the appointed day.

What we were doing that day was making masks and possibly helmets. The instructor was quite shy, the instructions were to use the basic patterns and make whatever we wanted with them. We were using foam sheets and had a heat gun to shape the masks. He said, you can shape them over your leg after they’re heated up, of course I was the only person wearing shorts. And as usual in a class, I thought of all the stuff I had at home that I needed or wanted. So I worked along as best I could, without any idea of how it might turn out.

I didn’t want to just make a random thing, I wanted it to be part of the series that I had previously done, so here’s the start of it.

The crows have featured in a number of pieces that I have made. And the background reflects images from southwestern chief’s blankets.

This was a piece that I made inspired by Custer’s guidon. He lost, so I made this piece for the winner, incorporating the personal symbols of the winner, lightning bolts, hailstones and a hawk. I put the stars in because the enemy did not stay defeated for long.

So here’s my finished piece and I must say that I’m rather pleased with it.

And the second piece, which has hailstones, lightning and feathers in the back to represent the bird spirit.

This piece is by the artist, and reflects a bit of his personal obsessions. I would say that everyone in the workshop made interesting pieces, but I’m glad that I pushed through doubt and uncertainty to make the sort of art that means something to me.

I finally decided to become a member of the local art museum, so I don’t have to only go on free days. But, I could get a free cupcake on this day, so off I went. They were celebrating having an art school for 100 years, and thus were having a special exhibit of some of the former students of this art academy. And the pictures were of varying interest to me.

This was this large landscape of a local area, it’s a fairly realistic depiction done up in the bright colors of a sunny day. What was most interesting to me was how the artist used large gobs of paint on this canvas. I could never be so bold (or so extravagant, but I might try).

Styles come and go, and if one wishes to sell one’s work, one must follow the fashion. From the 1930’s or 40’s, here are dated views of the local landscape, and it seems a rather bleak place.

A clearly stylised view of a mining town, it’s not really what they look like, and I can’t imagine wanting to hang it in my living room (which is how I determine the worth of art 😉 , rather than the dollar value).

Then I came across this bit of art. A famous (sort of, he at least made a living at it) artist from the village. Why they were only on the 5th annual celebration the year he was born, he could have attended until the 84th, but I don’t know that he did. It’s clearly done in a grim and dated style, and does not fill my soul with envy, but I was amazed to find that the artist was from a familiar place. I suppose that this is one of the pleasures of art, finding a bit that somehow speaks to one, even if it is a limited language.

Every so often I simply must take an art day to get some creative inspiration or just to take time to bunk off from doing nothing. And as there was an artist talk at the local museum, I decided that this was just the thing.

So there she was, going on to her fans about how she uses her inspiration to make work. I had been listening, but the chairs were uncomfortable after a while, so I decided that I was as inspired as I was going to get from this.

This artwork is by another Native American (Red Indian to you Brits) artist. I like it both as a piece of art, and as something that casts a lovely shadow. You know how obsessed I am with shadows and the play of light.

Today I was captivated by this shadow, from a well-known piece of Pop Art. I have previously featured another part of the shadow, the horse he rode in on.

But it wasn’t this horse! This horse is part of a fashion exhibit and definitely an inspiration. After all who doesn’t want to go about looking like a horse? So with all this new inspiration floating about in my brain, I galloped off (actually, I got in my car and went home. Perhaps I shall create some art another day).

The horse is a powerful symbol of the West. Easterners rode around in carriages, but Cowboys and (red) Indians preferred the freedom of a horse (also there was a certain lack of paved roads like existed in the East). And when something is such an ubiquitous important symbol, it often finds it’s way into art.

These horses are part of a grouping that celebrates a local developer. Someone added a whimsical touch by decorating each horse with a seasonal ribbon tie. It’s very festive and I hope that they do this for all of the major holidays.

This horse head looks to be old, and also looks as though it was formerly attached to something (a body perhaps?). Today it rests in the yard of M’s uncle, acquiring a new layer of weathering.

While this mysterious horse head awaits it’s place as a piece of art in someone’s home. It’s probably still for sale in this swanky antique store.

This riding horse was also in the antique shop, and I fell in love with it (although not with it’s price). Hey, wait a minute, I once had a tennis racquet like the ones under this horse, surely these can’t be an antique! I guess that tourists will buy anything (they hope).

Of all the horses, this is my favorite, and is the sort that I always wanted to have. Pegasus the flying horse is out there somewhere, just waiting to be tamed by a worthy human (or demi-god). Pegasus is not limited by a little thing like roads, and that is the ultimate in freedom.

On my recent trip, I ferreted out the location of an interesting destination.   I had seen an advert for the place on a friend’s website, so I decided that it was a must see.

And what might Novelty Automation be?   Well it’s got coin-operated machines inside, but they are not like regular commercially produced arcade machines.    They are all artist created, satirical machines (the only similarity to arcade machines is that it takes one’s coin).

Right inside the front door was this machine.   You put in the coin, crank the handle, and the spinner above the figures whirls around while the lamb on top shakes it’s head.  And then the decision.

The diorama spins up or down to show the final disposition of the lamb.  I got ‘pet’ which is how I would treat a lamb.   The other diorama has the lamb as the main course for dinner.  (Noooooo).

This artist has made a variety of machines, I hope that this one was not based on personal experience.

Of all the machines, this one was my favorite.   It is the art critic who will give a yea or nay as to whether something is art (note the plastic cow encased in lucite on the side, obviously it must be art).  I could not resist the challenge and so I put Pteri into the little box on the side of this machine.  Pteri rose up to be judged by this critic, how could he not be impressed?   Well it just goes to show the fickle nature of art criticism, Pteri was declared to be not art.  The judgement was obviously flawed, I assert that any picture (or art) can be improved with the addition of a pterodactyl.