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I got to go see the Brent Kington exhibition at the Metal Museum down on the Mississippi River bluff.  Their grounds are amazing with lovely views or the river and lots of sinuous sculptures, railings, gates and gazebos.  It wasn’t too hot, just warm and breezy.  I saw a few monarch butterflies and other flying creatures as I wandered the grounds with a good friend.

Brent Kington’s work was amazing.  He had a very playful side and made little toys and charms, including a necklace with removable parts for his wife to keep the kids occupied when they were supposed to be quiet.

“L. Brent Kington is best known for his whimsical toys and tabletop and large scale kinetic sculptures. Less well known is the collection of jewelry he created over the course of his life. These jewelry pieces were gifts for his wife, mother, daughter and sister-in-law and often referenced his sculpture.”

I can’t find any good images of his work to share, but if you google his name, you’ll get a good idea of his vision and whimsy.  He likes long noses and birds and beaks and organic shapes.

The exhibit included some of his handmade cards that he made for loved ones.  He did such delightful caricatures that they printed one on the show program.

Today, I decided to do a copycat caricature of myself in his style.  I’d worn my favorite Hawaiian shirt, so I had to do mine in color.  It’s so good for my soul when I see art that makes me smile and not take myself too seriously.

The exhibition of Kington’s work is up until October 15.  I hope you get a chance to see it.

 

 

The remnants of Hurricane Harvey fell as cooling rain in my neighborhood.  I watched it pelt my bougainvillea, the flowers fluttering under the weight of fat raindrops.  It was hard to enjoy it while knowing how much destruction this weather had caused, ruining great swathes of cities and drowning our neighbors to the south.  But I did.  I ate a bowl of hot soup, the window open, the breeze shooing out the stale air, filling the apartment with its sweetness.

I would gladly suffer more heat and humidity if it meant that the devastation hadn’t happened.  I expect August to be unbearable.  I expect in September for the summer to linger and sweat us — to live in air-conditioning and complain.  But this weather arrived.  Unbidden.

I scrape a small donation from my small budget for the hurricane victims.

Then I go out and enjoy this undeserved gift of rain.

 

 

 

I started this sketch to see if I could capture an older face.  I sketched in pencil, then ink, then used acrylic paint.  I’m beginning to really appreciate the flexibility and quick drying time of acrylics — I tend to want to paint quickly, chase after a bright idea and see where it leads.  I was pleased with the result of this.

The title came to me as I was finishing it up.  I love it when that happens.  I thought this piece would be about the frailty of the aging body, but instead it became about something more like strength.  It comes in many shapes, doesn’t it?

 

I went to the Open Crit at Crosstown last Tuesday.  It was an impressive meeting and I enjoyed seeing the artists in a personal venue.  I can’t just sit still, though, so I started to doodle.  One of the things I’ve enjoyed about being back in Memphis is seeing all the elaborate and beautiful hair styles that Memphians create.  As I was doodling hair and plants, one of the artists talked about his head injury.  He didn’t say that they caused any problems with his brain, but I know several people who have had head injuries with resulting brain damage.  These thoughts combined in this doodle:

The idea stuck with me afterwards.  I’ve been playing around with acrylic paint on paper and I did several variations of the doodle, and finally made one I’m happy with.

Injuries are a challenge, no matter their source or their resulting limitations.  And yet, we find a way to cope, to sublimate, to bloom in unexpected ways.

What do you think?