Welcome to my web log...

One semester's worth of scratchings, musings and mayhem.

Let me know what you think in the comments section.

Thankstaking

Thanksgiving day. Usually my family celebrates the legacy of the holiday by volunteering at a homeless shelter to hand out smallpox blankets. But this year we decided to gorge ourselves on foul and fat. I thought a grocery store would be an appropriate site for a piece of work.

I felt really exposed doing this. I tried something new, washable chalkpaint markers. These were difficult to work with on a metal surface during a cold, windy day. And I got a few more wayward glances than normal from folks thinking I was permanently defacing property. As I was working a car pulled up behind me and honked a good long honk. Oh, no. Who was here to harass me? Turns out it was my sister, on her way back from a last minute jaunt to the grocery store to get some essential element for our smorgasbord. She was quite surprised to see me here,

working bright and early on this Thursday.

This piece actually washed away much quicker than any of my plain chalk drawings...

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays, like Columbus day, that has been white-washed and glossed-over so much, and it has turned into just another day of American gluttony. As a teacher, this is one of those things I intend to teach a bit more balanced than I received it as a youngster. There is a play between what is perceived, what really happened, what is appropriate to for children at various age levels, and what their parent want them to believe. However, Santa Clause will not be in my lesson. Parents, that's a warning. Have that talk before you send them to school.

I mean, who should we really be thanking for this great country of ours...?

Catch 22

I grew up around the corner from Butler University. They have a beautiful campus, some of the prettiest topography in the city. Whenever I'd go for a walk or bike ride, I'd inevitably head towards the campus, whether to wander around the schools grounds, or hit the trails behind the canal. Often I'd go to hidden lake, which has since been found and turned into a sculpture park. Here is a smaller pond by the observatory. The fish that they put in here have nothing trying to eat them, so they are about 2 1/2 feet long! 

This was on my mind as a climbed the stairs to the bell tower late one night.

And did a piece right underneath.

The sound of the bell tower, it's songs on weekends

and marking of the hours are part of the soundtrack

to my childhood.

It was a bit transcendental a place to be working.

I did get lost in the work for a while. When I took out my camera 

I saw that its batteries had died before I got to snap any pics. 

So I walked over to my parents and borrowed on a my dad's. which had 

just enough juice to take these before it went kaput as well.

I've really enjoyed this project...

Sunday Morning Broad Ripple Wreckage

Broad Ripple is burning (© Richard Edwards).

No real venues for live local music. No real arts scene at all.

Just more and more bars, barf, and barbies.

Sunday mornings the place is trashed. But the neighborhood association does a good job. They clean it like mom and dad are coming back into town that day.

underpass

It was a rainy day, but I had set time aside to draw. Hmmm.

I decided to just go hit an underpass I like in the Broad Ripple area.

At first I wanted all these drawings to be out in high traffic, public areas. However, lately I've been thinking about making a few personal pieces as well. Having developed this blog idea gives the work a public forum anyway, regardless of whether anyone ever even sees the actual work in person.

The underpass has quite an extensive history of graffiti which is in constant evolution. None of it is really that amazing though. So I like the fact that someone was likely to stumble across this detailed work, and then discover it was made merely in chalk.

You can see as the piece developed, it began interacting more and more with its surroundings, especially the graffiti that was already present.

Think I'll do more in this style...

Occupy Indy

The Occupy movement is a lot of things. Strong. Well-intentioned. And a bit unorganized. But at it's heart it is meant to draw attention to the economic inequality that is growing is the United States and globally. 

Here in Indy, it has dwindled to a few hardcore people, most well-seasoned in activist activities. The flash mob mentality that made it the cool thing to do for a couple of weekends have faded. But that doesn't mean it was a failure. 

I did this piece on the steps of the statehouse. In the yard behind is the remnants of the occupiers, the few hardcore. I walked around, but nobody really engaged me. 

I've been trying to make work that is interpretable. I want to speak on issues without preaching my perspective. I believe it is the artist's job to ask questions, the viewers job is to answer them...

Once I started drawing I had people coming up to watch and ask about the work. There were occupiers (all but one were smoking big-tobacco--a whole 'nother issue), but also a good number of suits who had positive commentary as well. It's all about dialogue...

'

It's actually rather jarring, when you break it down, how much the occupy movement and the tea party movement have in common. Neither is really any kind of answer, and both are being swallowed up by our smothering two party system.

One Day at a Time

In my previous post I wrote that no one had reacted negatively to one of my posts. Well, you can scratch that from the record. I did this piece in front of Memere, my grandma's, house. I based it on a song that she sings constantly. Listen to her sing it.

I've made Memere plenty of art in the past that she's loved, and I knew she would just adore this pic of a baby and her favorite colloquialism. Some of her neighbors gathered around, thoroughly enjoying watching the work progress. But not Memere. She couldn't quite wrap her head around why I was drawing on her sidewalk, and did not like the thought of inconveniencing passersby having to walk around the work. "Get rid of it! I hate it", she proclaimed.

I spent the next morning repeatedly dumping buckets of water and sweeping until all evidence of baby had been aborted from the sidewalk.

Maybe I'll frame her a photo of the drawing? She might like that better.

Hikers in Iran

I did this piece the day the American Hikers, just released from Iranian custody, touched down in the United States. They held a press conference that day, and the whole news media turned in, surprised by what they saw and heard.
The hikers, 2 men and a woman, said they crossed the unmarked border into Iran by accidents, but were arrested on espionage charges. They became pawns in the political power struggle between not only the United States and Iran, but between Iranian president Ahmadinejad and the conservative establishment of government. The woman was released in September 2010, but the men were not for another year. Both times, Ahmadinejad claimed the releases, and contradicting statements came from other governing bodies. 

In progress...

The men were released ahead of a speech at the United Nations by Ahmadinejad. When they held their press conference, they took turns reading lengthy statement. They thanked the people in various countries and family for their unyielding efforts to free them through over two years of uncertainty. They told of their conditions while in prison, including staying mostly in solitary confinement.

But what surprised most, especially the fox hounds, was their criticism of the political game that both the Iran and the U.S. engage in. They were outright in their criticisms of American policy they believe created the conditions that cost them two years of their life, but more so injustice to the citizens of both countries. It was, at its essence, a call for peace for all of shared humanity, a plea to treat your fellow woman and man with dignity. It was beautiful, if completely unrealistic. But it needed to be said.

The newshounds were predictably offended. How could these scruffy kids be anything but completely grateful to the United States' efforts to free them from their cruel enemy, who locks up other country's citizens without due process, charges, a trial, or evidence?

Maybe my next drawing should be in

Guantanamo Bay.

I did this in Bryant Park in New York City. Once again, I felt like I was just part of the city.

I haven't gotten a negative reaction to a drawing yet. But I have still braced myself for something going down. Some kind of confrontation by someone who either doesn't like the message in one of my pieces, or doesn't like where I am drawing! That's partly why I wait til I have finished the drawing to put the words to it. It also creates a bit more tension saving it for the end. After all, doing these drawings in public is partly performance art.

While I was doing this piece, right after I wrote the phrase in the photo below, an NYPD officer strolled over and inspected the work. "Looks great. Nice Job."

"Thanks, officer."

We have to hold our governments responsible. It is our duty. It is how we gain and maintain our rights.

Freedom of speech is definitely one of my personal favs.

Central Park

This was the first piece I did on my extended weekend in New York City. My sister, Teresa, has a standing gig in Central Park singing back-up (and occasional lead) with guitarist singer David Ipolito. David has been playing in the same spot in Central Park for 20 years (this year is his Platinum anniversary), and as such, has developed a huge following where up to 300 people come on an average Saturday afternoon to listen.

David is a pretty cool fellow. After letting alcoholism run his life for too long, he sobered up and started this gig in the park. The gig has seemingly served to fill the void that drinking used to, as it is also his 20th year sober. Each month he has to apply to the city to get permits to perform. He does a series of covers and originals, and I didn’t see him turn down a single request -- this guys has quite a repertoire!

Teresa has been joining his for almost two year. Before this, she had a good-paying bar-tending gig every Saturday night. David asked her how much she makes on her best days, and then offered to match that for her to take the gig. David is an inspiring sort of fellow; living his life on his own terms, making a good living in a tough city doing what he loves to do.

After watching the performance for a few hours (he plays 5 hours with few breaks!) I went to the top of the hill where they were playing and drew this. It was sort of in the middle of a jogging path, but people didn’t seem to mind. Drawing in NYC is interesting. You don’t really stick out like you do in Indy. In fact, I felt like I was more a part of that city than I ever had. Tourists and residents look at you a part of their New York experience.

While drawing, this little girl came up and grabbed my chalk and started drawing right next to my birds head! I asked her to move down a little bit but she refused, and her mother just stared at me in her fur coat. I thought ‘Oh well, it is public property.’ Turns out she went down the hill and did the same thing David and my sister. After the interruption, David made a comment about errant parents that good a good laugh.

I probably had a rotating audience of about 20 for the duration of this drawing. Sometimes it feels this project is as much performance art as it is drawing. This is probably why it’s stayed so interesting to me. I enjoy the process more than the product. I like drawing, not having drawn. Maybe one day I can figure a way to make money from in like David.

An Unenforced Rule

In the back of Herron, really outside of all the doors, there are usually people smoking right outside that you must walk through. This is all next to copious signs that inform us that IUPUI is a smoke-free campus.

"An Unenforced Rule is an Invitation".

I sat and drew a sketch in my notebook of someone as they were standing here smoking. Then transferred to the brick, and got creative from there.

This is just cheap crayola washable sidewalk chalk, but it's been months since I drew this and it is still there, a bold as ever. I wonder when they/it will wash away?

Probably when they pass an actual smoking ban with teeth. Time to catch up to the rest of the country, Indianapolis!

The Religion of Science

Michelangelo is one of my favorite artists of all time,

and this piece obviously references the Sistine Chapel.

Here is a work in progress shot...

I did this piece on the support of a pedestrian bridge going into the School of Science at IUPUI. It was fun to work on this in the midst of so much hustle and bustle. I was surprised how many people stopped to take pics and ask questions.

The phrase:

"The Big Bang is just Genesis minus the lead characters", is taken from a poem of mine from about ten years ago. I like it because it can be interpreted as being for or against both science and religion. But there is really not too much difference in trying to explain things beyond our scope of understanding.

Lucas Spoiles Stadium

Well, here is is.

Lucas Oil Stadium.

Paid for using my tax dollars, the same source that keeps Indianapolis Public School on the brink, continually firing good teachers, increasing class sizes, and cutting programs. This is the real house of worship for many a citizen, except only the few elite or connected can afford to attend. Where the Irsays like hold the city hostage with the threat that the team might leave unless we fork over whatever amount they decide. Where the genius' that budgeted forgot to include actual operation costs.

Well guess what? Year two of the stadium and the Colts suck again. People have abandoned their god Peyton Manning, eager to "Suck for Luck". After game one I did this illustration on the front walk/steps of the stadium.

It's hard to read with these pictures, but it says...

"Now that the Colts suck again can we please reinvest in public education?