tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131417022024-03-13T21:49:02.636-04:00venangago-goUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger729125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-16471548860669298532012-01-02T15:35:00.001-05:002012-01-02T15:35:53.527-05:00So long....Well, it's been fun, but venagago-go.com is closing up shop. Thanks for all the fun. Make sure to bookmark http://dittman.wordpress.com - debuting in two weeks!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-86278709564158270032011-06-26T15:46:00.002-04:002011-07-12T08:57:44.455-04:00Bruce Squared Band (photos/video)About what seems to be a million years ago, Bruce and Gwe Kahler ran Brother Bean. It was the best (and only) all ages venue to see touring singer-songwriters and small bands of all stripes and it’s never been replaced. Not a weekend goes by that I don’t miss it. <br />
In town for a family reunion, Bruce stopped by to play along with nephew as Bruce Squared at Oil City’s Arts on Elm. (Thanks to Paige Kleinfelder for photos and video) <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:17329ed5-4581-4b3d-bb9d-26545b0d93d9" style="display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div id="3bfba15d-7dbf-4134-8b3b-1c917eecc285" style="display: inline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-awDSXKObc" target="_new"><img alt="" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('3bfba15d-7dbf-4134-8b3b-1c917eecc285'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/v-awDSXKObc?hl=en&hd=1\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/v-awDSXKObc?hl=en&hd=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-7tunlXYwbx0/TgeMeK5M9aI/AAAAAAAADPY/hQToWsgpOmQ/videob7adf34a3e8f%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none;" /></a></div></div></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<img alt="P6251082" border="0" height="277" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-F3cez1FPli0/TgeMegPl9FI/AAAAAAAADPc/a__9QaupmeA/P625108218.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="P6251082" width="337" /> <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:7957c378-143a-49ab-9e83-808b70be039c" style="display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div id="9060751b-4286-4f66-8bf2-b7e8913c8674" style="display: inline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI4jqmX_-K4" target="_new"><img alt="" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('9060751b-4286-4f66-8bf2-b7e8913c8674'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/eI4jqmX_-K4?hl=en&hd=1\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/eI4jqmX_-K4?hl=en&hd=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-KbLA8fzV48I/TgeMe4F6CUI/AAAAAAAADPg/sitzxjj8Yn8/video9f4c0b6e99bc%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none;" /></a></div></div></div><br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/00759621744813019807" rel="author">My short bio</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-84559838137241522802011-06-24T14:50:00.001-04:002011-06-24T15:00:35.755-04:00PROJECT: Building Father/Daughter Longboards<p>Before my daughter came home for Spring Break, we made plans to build longboard skateboards together, inspired by <a href="http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/05/make-volume-26-diy-simple-longboard.html">an article in <em>MAKE</em> magazine.</a> In the early Spring, I helped my father put a roof (sunshade?)on his tractor and claimed the plywood container in which it shipped. Before Paige came home, I cut out blanks (in my case about 9 inches by 43 inches -- hers was shorter), and used <em>MAKE</em>'s "glue and weight" technique to camber the decks. <br /> <br /> <br /></p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SANY1308" border="0" alt="SANY1308" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-sTdNXsgkQYo/TgTcW4ZiKGI/AAAAAAAADNg/lGFiKq4-OcE/SANY13085.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="273" /> <br /> <br /> <br />After 48 hours, we started cutting and shaping. <br /><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SANY1312" border="0" alt="SANY1312" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-vNm9Aa30ATc/TgTcXNkuM7I/AAAAAAAADNk/dh5L2F9oDP8/SANY13126.jpg?imgmax=800" width="273" height="364" />  <br /> <br /> <br /></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:6d5422e2-dc61-4975-8119-0a7f30f66729" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="6e7c3b22-4b4b-4183-954e-7af83c15cacb" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qanaQbK8ec" target="_new"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rSZa-TCPoBg/TgTeluit5RI/AAAAAAAADO8/-q6roC9SFDE/video7c8830daf8b3%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('6e7c3b22-4b4b-4183-954e-7af83c15cacb'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/7qanaQbK8ec?hl=en&hd=1\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/7qanaQbK8ec?hl=en&hd=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <br /> <br /> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:d2802d4a-c2b7-4238-92b9-d80d50a14ab7" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="68ac2953-d1f2-4ceb-8652-3fc292d504a8" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkRgOoaeRFw" target="_new"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-vH_elp5eKfw/TgTcYGzSYII/AAAAAAAADPA/Skekrm-82XE/videoe6b0d3e3bbb1%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('68ac2953-d1f2-4ceb-8652-3fc292d504a8'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/KkRgOoaeRFw?hl=en&hd=1\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/KkRgOoaeRFw?hl=en&hd=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <br /> <br /><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SANY1316" border="0" alt="SANY1316" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8WpNUDj8kDA/TgTcYs2zCbI/AAAAAAAADNw/ZTs4iUKd-F4/SANY13166.jpg?imgmax=800" width="273" height="364" /> (You can see the amount of camber in the above photo.  Her board’s was less than mine.  What with me being fat and all…) <p> <br />By this point (cut, shaped, and sanded), break was over, so we continued working solo, sharing what we had found via Skype and email: <br /> <br /><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SANY1311" border="0" alt="SANY1311" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-m38bhvhIIcM/TgTcY_4B3hI/AAAAAAAADN0/oGEVeEB-Tlw/SANY13116.jpg?imgmax=800" width="273" height="364" /> I decided to go with a striped look with a platypus stencil in the center.  No real reason, I just think platypus are kind of cool.  <br /> <br /><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SANY1329" border="0" alt="SANY1329" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-vLsBqSGeAMQ/TgTcZS5ZxII/AAAAAAAADN4/R5mAb4oUqCs/SANY13295.jpg?imgmax=800" width="273" height="364" />    <br />   Ready to be polyutheraned.  I probably should have used spar on these boards, but I didn’t want to sink a lot of cash into this project, since they’re upcycled anyhow, so I just used the semi-gloss I had in the carriage house. <br /><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_0214" border="0" alt="IMG_0214" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-OjtPj7KIUaM/TgTcaJeBBrI/AAAAAAAADN8/9MSd5MQkBg4/IMG_02145.jpg?imgmax=800" width="270" height="360" />  <br /> <br />  Meanwhile, Paige was back at school, in her studio, painting her board with some thinned out acrylics to preserve the grain look : </p> <p> </p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:9b7c33af-4efa-4aa6-98c1-4c17e0284344" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="81f5c578-fe7b-460c-a965-71f6a81ddad6" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8AVgbVYRcY" target="_new"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-MLdJUwyWjRo/TgTcaw9hFtI/AAAAAAAADPE/NvjItCi5hLE/video45e6011c9d23%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('81f5c578-fe7b-460c-a965-71f6a81ddad6'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/I8AVgbVYRcY?hl=en&hd=1\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/I8AVgbVYRcY?hl=en&hd=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_8058_stitch" border="0" alt="IMG_8058_stitch" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-KuyZTtWi31A/TgTcbIs2K7I/AAAAAAAADOE/RmKTo7AqtV4/IMG_8058_stitch5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="186" height="705" /> <br />Drilling the boards caused some anxiety for me.  I knew it was vital that the holes be straight, and not having a drill press, I had to improvise.  I measured and squared where I wanted the trucks mounted and then taped the risers down with painters’ tape and drilled away.  They’re straight, but could be more exact.  <br /> <br /> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:f93b40da-9a83-4668-88b1-9c2d8e69e872" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="56da638c-79e9-4808-b3cf-1fab858808f0" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGblkK06Gmk" target="_new"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-yyJ3P84S5PI/TgTcbpXRPoI/AAAAAAAADPI/VVY6D7AF0Do/video2c10a7794c57%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('56da638c-79e9-4808-b3cf-1fab858808f0'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/GGblkK06Gmk?hl=en&hd=1\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/GGblkK06Gmk?hl=en&hd=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <br /> <br /> <br />The last task left was installing the trucks and grip tape.  For the tape, I went a little crazy with the ol’ Xacto knife for mine: <br />  <br /><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="5843417989_a0c0a38600_z" border="0" alt="5843417989_a0c0a38600_z" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Gw52pYtWQ8M/TgTccJZah0I/AAAAAAAADOM/DGOgvSS_gNs/5843417989_a0c0a38600_z4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="306" height="306" />Paige took a similar route, cutting the tape to fill in the plain poly’d wood left between the “stained” sections.  Finally, on a rainy morning, we headed down to the park to try them out: <br /> <br /> <br /> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:d6519c5f-0146-4c80-b6f0-2091f68c3532" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="42f2853e-6e58-4661-aecc-596855136e9a" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OP1jFwrMAY" target="_new"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-96Z-R20dZw4/TgTccZspCQI/AAAAAAAADPM/CEcG0PeSXgo/videoaf9cac511a94%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('42f2853e-6e58-4661-aecc-596855136e9a'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/1OP1jFwrMAY?hl=en&hd=1\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/1OP1jFwrMAY?hl=en&hd=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p>They ride really nicely.  Paige had never been on a board, so her learning curve has been a little steep, but I am having a blast so far bombing down smaller hills.  </p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-70487029755041253582011-06-20T07:54:00.001-04:002011-06-20T07:54:32.595-04:00PHOTOS: French & Indian War Reenactment - Custaloga Town Scout Reservation, Carlton, PA<p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P6190934" border="0" alt="P6190934" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-3W4cP6FLxnI/Tf806jf7jvI/AAAAAAAADME/QzUIJw3aJ8A/P6190934%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="436" height="657" /></p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="1b0f1478807949a2bf1c0a047564b464_7" border="0" alt="1b0f1478807949a2bf1c0a047564b464_7" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-B9oZrZgdaN4/Tf807CjsPOI/AAAAAAAADMI/tagSn1UUXUo/1b0f1478807949a2bf1c0a047564b464_7%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="306" height="306" /> <br /><img style="margin: 10px 0px; display: inline" title="2e22733bf7a64c6e8d7765df65167dc3_7" alt="2e22733bf7a64c6e8d7765df65167dc3_7" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xBhPHSraStM/Tf807Up0RNI/AAAAAAAADMM/lIVKJOur9mc/2e22733bf7a64c6e8d7765df65167dc3_7%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="306" height="306" /><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="b3dd16df39da4cc19487540014abbcc1_7" border="0" alt="b3dd16df39da4cc19487540014abbcc1_7" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-j_HCcT8GY50/Tf807xdHFGI/AAAAAAAADMQ/Lec54lKX46M/b3dd16df39da4cc19487540014abbcc1_7%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="306" height="306" /> <br /><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="265186_509972242669_328800304_233823_3059273_n" border="0" alt="265186_509972242669_328800304_233823_3059273_n" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-IKzmNXPe5_Q/Tf808XrbnGI/AAAAAAAADMU/xfPe7pI-a0A/265186_509972242669_328800304_233823_3059273_n%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="360" height="360" /></p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P6190952" border="0" alt="P6190952" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-PVhsF4qyjwQ/Tf808t2lZUI/AAAAAAAADMY/QWiuaWrIfuQ/P6190952%25255B12%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="302" height="403" /></p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P6190948" border="0" alt="P6190948" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-PBszS90EvkE/Tf809-zLKqI/AAAAAAAADMc/QfGXbRR43mQ/P6190948%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="355" height="537" /></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-34138248258217568352011-06-15T16:17:00.001-04:002011-06-15T16:17:36.472-04:00PREVIEW: Oil Region Indie Fest<p>This Friday, June 17 is the Oil Region Indie Fest.  It’s a departure from Fests past (full disclosure, I’m a sort of ex officio member of the Fest planning group).  This year, the music is inside and starts at 5 p.m. </p> <p>You can check out the full schedule below, but here’s a cheat sheet of the can’t miss sets:</p> <p>5 p.m. — Justin Parson, Double Play (<small><a style="text-align: left; color: #0000ff" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&q=double+play+Oil+City&fb=1&gl=us&hq=double+play&hnear=0x88332050f730ff55:0x3ae3e3ca37f9ca04,Oil+City,+PA&view=map&cid=14690301835866735622&ll=41.433477,-79.708064&spn=0.004826,0.006437&z=16&iwloc=A&source=embed">View Map</a></small>) </p> <p>Parsons produces consistently fantastic lyrics.  A singer-songwriter whose dry wit and strong guitar skills are leavened with more than a small dose of lyrical melancholy.  He recently posted pics of his new cigar box guitar and I’m hoping it makes an appearance.</p> <iframe style="position: relative; width: 400px; display: block; height: 100px" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=2953794914/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" allowtransparency="allowtransparency"><a href="http://justinparson.bandcamp.com/album/songs-from-the-spare-room-vol-1">Songs from the Spare Room, Vol. 1 by Justin Parson</a></iframe> <p> <br />6 p.m. — Rand Hubiak, Mosiac Café (237 Seneca St <br />Oil City, PA 16301)</p> <p>Hubiak’s coming in from New Jersey with his piano driven songwriting which he describes as a mélange of “Billy Joel, Elton John, Ben Folds, Bruce Hornsby, and Tori Amos.”  </p> <p>  <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="262" height="200"><param name="movie" value="http://cache.reverbnation.com/widgets/swf/40/pro_widget.swf?id=artist_820463&skin_id=PWAS1002&border_color=000000&auto_play=false&shuffle=false"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"></param><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></param><param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param><param name="quality" value="best"></param><embed src="http://cache.reverbnation.com/widgets/swf/40/pro_widget.swf?id=artist_820463&skin_id=PWAS1002&border_color=000000&auto_play=false&shuffle=false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowNetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="opaque" quality="best" width="262" height="200"></embed></object> <br />  <br />7 p.m. — Jeremy Jack, Double Play (<small><a style="text-align: left; color: #0000ff" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&q=double+play+Oil+City&fb=1&gl=us&hq=double+play&hnear=0x88332050f730ff55:0x3ae3e3ca37f9ca04,Oil+City,+PA&view=map&cid=14690301835866735622&ll=41.433477,-79.708064&spn=0.004826,0.006437&z=16&iwloc=A&source=embed">View Map</a></small>) </p> <p>Jack’s <em>Judgement</em> album has been on my heavy play list for several months now.  He blends the old school evangelical hymns from my youth with a dizzying array of instrumentation and a gift for the truly funny. </p> <iframe style="position: relative; width: 400px; display: block; height: 100px" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=1459414766/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" allowtransparency="allowtransparency"><a href="http://jeremyjack.bandcamp.com/album/judgement">Judgement by Jeremy Jack</a></iframe> <p>8 p.m. — Jerome Wincek, Double Play (<small><a style="text-align: left; color: #0000ff" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&q=double+play+Oil+City&fb=1&gl=us&hq=double+play&hnear=0x88332050f730ff55:0x3ae3e3ca37f9ca04,Oil+City,+PA&view=map&cid=14690301835866735622&ll=41.433477,-79.708064&spn=0.004826,0.006437&z=16&iwloc=A&source=embed">View Map</a></small>)  </p> <p>The Indie Fest is Wincek’s baby.  He’s the most prolific musician in Northwestern Pennsylvania and continues to reinvent himself.  The three part <em>Revelator </em>cycle is like <em>Paradise Lost</em> with deeper cuts. <iframe style="position: relative; width: 400px; display: block; height: 100px" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=1344791956/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" allowtransparency="allowtransparency"><a href="http://jeromewincek.bandcamp.com/album/the-revelator-part-1">The Revelator Part 1 by jerome wincek & the old hats</a></iframe> <br />9 p.m. — Remora Deign, Billy's (<small><a style="text-align: left; color: #0000ff" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Billy's+Oil+City&aq=&gl=us&g=45+Seneca+Street,+Oil+City,+PA+16301-1358&ie=UTF8&hq=Billy's&hnear=Oil+City,+Venango,+Pennsylvania&cid=639844558428272994&ll=41.435713,-79.7089&spn=0.019304,0.025749&z=14&iwloc=A">View Larger Map</a></small>)</p> <p>Remora Deign has been representing the rock side of the region for years now in an area that skews to singer-songwriter on one axis and truly horrible bar cover bands on the other.  It takes guts to play original rock here and RD does it well.</p> <p> <iframe height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zzWTLUORQHE" frameborder="0" width="425" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <br /></p> <p>Additionally, the Northside Business Association will host a street fair from 5 to 9 p.m. along the 200 block of Seneca Street, which will be closed for the evening. Among the activities will be rock painting, disc golf demonstrations, games, cornhole tournament, face painting and a drum circle.  <br /></p> <p>Full schedule:</p> <ul> <li>5 p.m. — Justin Parson, Double Play; Colin Halyk, Stuffed Tortilla; Latrobe Barnitz, Mosiac Cafe; Josiah Micklos, National Transit. <br /></li> <li>5:30 p.m. — Nate Micklos, National Transit. <br /></li> <li>6 p.m. — Nate Custer, Double Play; Luke Grasha, Stuffed Tortilla; Rand Hubiak, Mosiac Cafe; Garret Heath, National Transit. <br /></li> <li>7 p.m. — Jeremy Jack, Double Play; Byson Band, Stuffed Tortilla; Morgan Hartman, Mosiac Cafe; Lauren Joyce, National Transit; Drewzilla, McNerney's. <br /></li> <li>7:30 p.m. — Chris Clouser, Billy's; Washington Crossing, Mosiac Cafe; Seth Brewster, National Transit; Chad Stone, McNerney's. <br /></li> <li>8 p.m. — Kick Old Man, Billy's; Jerome Wincek, Double Play; Me and You, Mosiac Cafe; Jake Bitch Dude, McNerney's. <br /></li> <li>8:30 p.m. — Amerikan Lite, Mosiac Cafe; Byson Band, National Transit; Nate Hall, McNerney's. <br /></li> <li>9 p.m. — Remora Deign, Billy's; Lie Detector, Double Play. <br /></li> <li>9:30 p.m. — Panic Attack, Double Play; Brohemians, Mosiac Cafe; Mark Trimpey, National Transit; Colin Halyk, McNerney's. <br /></li> <li>10 p.m. — The Old Hats, Billy's; D.J. Ryanspin, Double Play; Ground from Sky, Mosiac. <br /></li> <li>10:30 p.m. — Remora Deign, National Transit. <br /></li> <li>11 p.m. — The Hype, Billy's. <br /></li> <li>Midnight — Crash City, Billy's. <br /></li> <li>1 a.m. — Nervous Existence, Billy's.  </li> </ul> <p>All events are free and open to the public, but some venues are 21+.  Call ahead to make sure.</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-86491323419897541332011-05-30T15:29:00.001-04:002011-05-30T15:29:31.649-04:00REVIEW: Anne Drew Potter at the Society for Contemporary Craft<p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_7933" border="0" alt="IMG_7933" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-6AVJLgiaPYQ/TePwGJaWXII/AAAAAAAADKQ/-NObskdOLl0/IMG_79334.jpg?imgmax=800" width="194" height="373" />I'll be honest, even though I'm a consistent visitor to the galleries, 9 times out of 10, the Society for Cotemporary Craft exhibitions leave me feeling a bit uninspired(although the gift shop never disappoints). </p> <p>But,when I ducked into the building earlier this month, I was blown away by Anne Drew Potter's work as part of the SCC’s current Bridge 11 exhibition. Potter's installation consists of toddler-sized clay figures that are at once androgynous and feminine, horrifying and charming. </p> <p>Potter’s work reveals a deep understanding and dedication to craft – not in the pejorative sense that is sometimes used to delineate the difference between “art” and “craft”, but in dedication to practice.  The figures are startlingly realistic yet rough too.  Homuniculear forms face each other as if observed in a conversation of their own. </p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_7932" border="0" alt="IMG_7932" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-d9XE1m5QVZY/TePwGd4liPI/AAAAAAAADKU/OTykBF9zqOQ/IMG_79328.jpg?imgmax=800" width="230" height="460" /></p> <p> </p> <p>Alchemists attempted to create artificial humans - homunculus.  Yet the actual wring of the alchemists might have been metaphorical. The homunculi may not have been meant as real creations but as metaphors embodying their quest to turn base metal into precious ones. Likewise, Potters little creatures seem to be metaphorical.  These creatures tell us something.  The are uncomfortable in their own created skin, raging to break free of the confines in which they have been placed.  It is not surprising that Potter has commented extensively of her belief that women embody all aspects of human nature. </p> <p>Here, Potter uses her hominculear shapes to make us look back at ourselves.  Unlike a popular view of visual art in which its purpose is to express the unexpressable – to explain to use what it feels like to be in love, or to win a battle, Potters work as Barthes wrote Phillipe Sollers’ writing, unespresses the expressable.  She forces viewers to reconsider representational art and what it means for something to be human or human-like.  Because her figures, their gender, and their postures are puzzling, they are stripped of easy meaning, and unsettle rather than reassure the viewer.  </p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_7934" border="0" alt="IMG_7934" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-juQhdefNv-U/TePwGlYTf7I/AAAAAAAADKY/_rU4HTqbLok/IMG_79348.jpg?imgmax=800" width="318" height="279" /></p> <p> </p> <p>The Bridge 11 exhibition includes the work of Lia Cook, Mariko Kusumoto , along with Anne Drew Potter and runs through October 22, 2011 at the <a href="http://www.contemporarycraft.org/The_Store/Current_Exhibitions.html">Society for Contemporary Craft</a>, 2100 Smallman St, Pittsburgh PA 15222. </p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-75076506040491636342011-04-02T21:39:00.002-04:002011-04-03T10:36:13.759-04:00April 2, 2011–Brad Yoder Live at Michelle’s Café (VIDEO)<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9BosWQ0oUhA?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9BosWQ0oUhA?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hT6VmVJ5QpE?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hT6VmVJ5QpE?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ilkOE8mzw8s?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ilkOE8mzw8s?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-21506161390800499752011-03-21T14:29:00.001-04:002011-03-21T14:33:06.303-04:00March 21, 2011–Tasting the Maple Syrups of Northwestern Pennsylvania<p> </p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_7414" border="0" alt="IMG_7414" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TYeZCL1CdrI/AAAAAAAAC94/81zXK3cxVVM/IMG_7414%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="200" height="297" /></p> <p>Last weekend, Amy I set off through Venango, Crawford, and Erie counties in Western Pennsylvania for the <a href="http://www.pamaple.org/tour.html">Northwest Pennsylvania's 7th Annual taste 7 Tour Weekend</a>.  Our goal was simple – to buy 3.4 Fluid Ounces of Maple Syrup at a dozen or so of the syrup producers on the route and then bring them back home for a syrup tasting with friends.  </p> <p>Immediately we ran into two roadblocks – we weren’t 100% sure that we <em>had</em> friends who would agree to spend an hour or so on a Sunday afternoon sniffing, slurping and noting the differences in local syrups and we quickly found out that the majority of the producers were much more interested in selling us a $50 gallon of syrup than a $5 three ounce bottle.  </p> <p>Undaunted, we enjoyed the trip itself, especially since I’ve become so much of social hermit that a trip to the porch to get the mail qualifies as a Grand Tour.  The sugar shacks ranged from the ridiculous (Yatzor's Maple Products where we felt as if we had crashed a private party and my wife’s Obama button brought a hateful stare) to the sublime (Hurry Hill Farm where we were giddy with excitement after casually being asked, “Do you want to hold a Newbery medal?”  The Farm was the setting for the 1957 Newbery Award winning book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0152047182/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=venangagogo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0152047182"><em>Miracles on Maple Hill</em></a>).  Most of the stops were lovely, the people friendly, if a bit harried (this was a bumper year for both sap and tourists apparently).   We finished the day with a small stash of the sweet stuff for sampling.     </p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_7436" border="0" alt="IMG_7436" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TYeZCdyyciI/AAAAAAAAC98/hoR7fEWVjyE/IMG_7436%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="358" height="426" /></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>This year, my father isn’t sugaring because of other pressing concerns, but, the process, at its base is simple enough that I’ve done it:</p> <p>Maple Syrup is made from sap collected from maple trees during the sugaring season which starts around mid-February.  Early season maple syrup tend to be clear and light in taste. As the season advanced, it becomes darker and more caramelized. </p> <p>According to the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association, the maple sap is composed of water, minerals, various sugars as well as organic acids, nitrogen compounds and, similarly to red wine, phenolic compounds and flavonoids.  Hence, my belief that we might be able to taste some differences within the Northwestern Pennsylvania micro-climate.   The composition of the maple saps changes during the sugaring season, throughout the years and varies from tree to tree and region to region. This is the reason why some regions are considered the paradise of maple syrup and tend to produce maple syrup with a more rounded and elaborate bouquet (One sugarer told us with disdain, “Yeah, Quebec makes a lot of syrup, but a Canadian will put a tap into anything with leaves…). </p> <p>The sugars present in the maple sap play a crucial role in initiating the caramelization reaction and the Maillard reaction as the water is evaporating. The caramelization is the oxidation of sugar; a process used extensively in cooking which result in a nutty flavor and brown color. </p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:a27122cd-6e61-4db6-869d-c568e68a2f1f" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="0cdfa8df-2882-4fea-a60f-8c8bf974afbd" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIieR3RKbFE" target="_new"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TYeZC7gVaFI/AAAAAAAAC-Q/C3LA2S8sxog/videoe5f83a4c5389%5B61%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('0cdfa8df-2882-4fea-a60f-8c8bf974afbd'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/fIieR3RKbFE?hl=en&hd=1\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/fIieR3RKbFE?hl=en&hd=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div><div style="width:448px;clear:both;font-size:.8em">Boiling Sap at How Sweet It Is, Saegertown, PA</div></div> <p> </p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_7431" border="0" alt="IMG_7431" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TYeZDv-ttTI/AAAAAAAAC-M/xrVWY8Vi1ds/IMG_7431.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="253" /></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Our Tasting Notes: </p> <p>#1 Dark Amber from How Sweet It Is (Laura Dengler & Bob Kent 814-763-2777 19868 Greenleaf Drive, Saegertown, PA 16433 <a href="mailto:maplecandy@windstream.net">maplecandy@windstream.net</a>)  How Sweet It Is uses a  3' x 8' wood fired evaporator with reverse osmosis and tap around 1100 taps.</p> <p> <strong>Tasting Notes</strong>: Carmel and burnt marshmallow in the front with a creamy mouthfeel followed with a grassy, hazelnut after. This was Amy's favorite </p> <p>#2 Medium Amber from <a href="www.hurryhillfarm.org">Hurry Hill</a> Farm (Janet M. Woods & Lisa G. Nathanson, 11380 Fry Road Edinboro, PA 16412 <br />(814)734-1358 or (814)572-1358-sugarhouse E-mail: <a href="mailto:hurryhillfarm@verizon.net">hurryhillfarm@verizon.net</a>)</p> <p><strong>Tasting Notes</strong>: Really spicy with notes of cinnamon and clove. This one had a thinner mouthfeel than #1 and was almost scentless. We pegged this one as the one for pancakes. </p> <p>#3 Light Amber from How Sweet It Is</p> <p><strong>Tasting Notes</strong>:  Light consistency and super sweet. Amy notes a lemon component to the nose and an astringency on the tongue; whereas I noticed a herbal flavor. Both of us felt there wasn't much maple flavor to this syrup at all.</p> <p>#4 Medium Amber <a href="www.lilsugarhouse.com">Our Lil Sugar House</a> (Scott & Kendra Durfee & Children, 16234 S. Mosiertown Rd Saegertown, PA 16433, (814)333-6540, E-mail: <a href="mailto:scottdurfee@juno.com">scottdurfee@juno.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>Tasting Notes:</strong>  A bit of burnt smell on the nose, but an even balance of spice and sweet. A semi-creamy mouthfeel pegged this one as my favorite. </p> <p>#5 Ungraded Our Little Sugar House (2010) We threw one in from last year's tour to see if we could notice any difference. We could. </p> <p><strong>Tasting Notes:</strong> This was our least favorite with an oily mouthfeel and an overwhelming, almost fake maple taste and a flat mouthfeel. It's interesting to note that Our Little Sugar House is using completely new equipment this year (a 2x6 raised flue, wood fired evaporator. ) </p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-57683652705279335772011-03-16T18:40:00.001-04:002011-03-16T18:42:03.116-04:00Review Mark Panza–Graffiti Gallery, Oil City PA March 16, 2011<p>In 1926, native Pittsburgher and journalist with <em>The Nation</em> Haniel Long wrote <a href="http://winterweeds.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-pittsburgh-returned-to-jungle.html">“How Pittsburgh Returned to the Jungle”</a> a humorous short story about political corruption which leads to everyone in Pittsburgh being forced to keep window boxes: </p> <p> <em>The vines grew longer year by year, and hung in the air, or were shorn close about the windows. Flowers flared in many new varieties. Visitors were struck by the novelty of the sight, and reports of a new wonder filled the world. Pictures of Pittsburgh in wistaria time or in the season of gladiolus appeared in the movies everywhere, and were marvelled at by millions. The city hitherto notorious as being devoted to naked industry was now featured on all American tours for its beauty, and became the mecca of the recently married, of sightseers disappointed in Niagara, of ornithologists, botanists, and searchers for the exotic. . . .</em> </p> <p><em>Certain skyscrapers, now without tenants, were given over unreservedly to horticulture. Then in deadly earnest did the jungle set out to conquer the city of ravines and gulches. Little by little its tide ran up the river valleys and across the abandoned mills, softening angular roofs and turning cupolas into amazing sights. The bridges across the five rivers became fairer than the bridges of vision….</em></p> <p><em>The air grew clearer. No smoke was permitted; only electric locomotives penetrated the city. The roads and highways were banked with shrubs and blossoms. If the wind blew in the right direction, the citizens of Youngstown, or Morgantown, or Cleveland could smell the fragrance of Pittsburgh from afar. It seemed to them strange and fabulous as it overpowered the sulphur dioxide to which they were accustomed, and the would say to one another, "Oh to be in Pittsburgh, in beautiful Pittsburgh!"</em></p> <p>Today, of course, Long seems positively clairvoyant.  Formerly smoky Pittsburgh is lush with green and hosts more LEED certified buildings and projects than any other American city.  Mark Panza’s show at The National Transit’s Graffiti Gallery, “REFLECTIONS: Photographs of Nature and Architecture” typifies this new melding of classical architecture and greenspace with digital art that relies upon long vertical lines in photo montages sculpturally mounted and arranged. </p> <p>Panza is the owner of Panza Gallery & Frame Shop in Millvale, Pa and it’s clear that he has spent a lot of time considering how best to present his double exposure-centered work. The show consists of architectural work exposed over scenes of nature (or, I suppose, vice-versa).  Green dominates the work, all of which is large scale, then cut down and mounted on smaller panels. </p> <p>While I was in the gallery, one patron was explaining to the other where the buildings stand in Pittsburgh. But to be art, the photos must rise above the realm of postcard. They may be <em>about</em> Pittsburgh, but they <em>must be </em>simultaneously more univeral than Pittsburgh.  It’s regional art, but in the sense of being tied deeply to the landscape rather than landmarks.  Our earth itself is deeply scarred by logging roads, ATV trails and utility company right of ways visible n Spring and Fall.  Below is a shot taken from my car window on Route 8, between Oil City and Franklin – here you can see the lines bisecting a cross-crossing the hillside.:</p> <p> </p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_7374" border="0" alt="IMG_7374" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TYE8Xc9eUuI/AAAAAAAAC74/B0wA0QUiVow/IMG_73748.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="233" /></p> Panza's segmenting of his work into smaller panels reflects the actual geography of the landscape. In a venue like The Grafitti Gallery, where natural light is plentiful, the shadowy depth-filled lines created by the space between the reverse bevel cut segments move along with the sun during the day - in the forming tick and deep, by mid-day thin and barely perceptible, growing as the afternoon progresses adding dimensional space to the otherwise flat photos. <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TYE8Y9MC2dI/AAAAAAAAC78/9NszxlENr2w/image%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="443" height="344" /></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Within the beauty, there are some misteps which can be laid at the feet of too much, too easy technology.  Panza’s work is digital and highly manipulated.  "Split Renaissance" falls into gimmickry with images of a bridge duplicated and flipped to present a sense of moving out and away from the center of the art. And, overall, there's not a lot of whimsy in the work – at time, it feels rather cold for a nature based show. </p> <p>For decades, photography was barely seen as art.  Panza’s work belongs to the tradition of work that has changed that perception and stands as a highly recommended show.</p> <p>  The Graffitti Gallery is at 206 Seneca St, Oil City, PA in the lower floor of The National Transit Building. “REFLECTIONS: Photographs of Nature and Architecture” runs from March 1- April 8.  The Gallery is open Fridays and Saturdays from 11 – 7.  The show also includes photography from local standouts Linda Lineman, Holly Berlin, and others. </p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-15331883377321319262011-02-01T08:52:00.001-05:002011-02-01T08:52:12.250-05:00REVIEW: “The Facebook Marketing Book” by Dan and Amy Zarella<p>Too many artists feel forced  into the idea of social media, throw up a Facebook “presence” and then are underwhelmed that “it doesn’t seem to be working”.  Although aimed at a marketing/small-business audience, Dan and Amy Zarella’s<em> The Facebook Marketing Book</em> is an invaluable primer for those artists looking to make or make their online presence an integral part of their self-marketing program.</p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TUgQCjwGywI/AAAAAAAAC2k/dlrXEtJ_KkE/image%5B15%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="239" height="185" /></p> <p>It tends to be seen as a distasteful truth, but an artist <em>is </em>a small business.  To pretend otherwise is to invite failure from the start.  A Facebook profile is so easy to create that it can seem foolproof, but it’s a bit like running – lots of people can do it, but not many people do it so well that others sit up and take notice. The text starts with the basics – the things most neophytes get wrong when they start – should an artist have a page or group, how events can be created and marketed.  However, sadly, the nuts and bolts of actual hands-on app creation are left out.</p> <p>Many artists are coming to understand sites like Facebook as an integral part of the future as traditional exhibit and PR streams dry up.  O’Reilly’s <em>The Facebook Marketing Book</em> can be a guidebook for the new horizon.  Is the book vital?  No.  It covers a lot of ground that can be found elsewhere and doesn’t contain anything for the power user.  But for artists unfamiliar with Facebook who are looking to kickstart the process this could just what they need.</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-46059252426033430862011-01-11T10:23:00.001-05:002011-01-11T10:23:27.799-05:00Review: Best of Instructables Volume 1 by the editors of MAKE magazine and Instructables<p><em>O’Reilly Media has been kind enough to include venangago-go in their blogger program.  This is the first of an occasional series of reviews of their books.</em></p> <p>Over winter break, the Kid was home and I was raring to do some projects with her.  We make a good team – I’m a big picture idea person and she has great math and problem solving skills and a steady soldering hand.  We share a competitive streak which means we spend a lot of time good-naturedly trying to one-up each other with hacks and embellishments to existing projects.</p> <p>So, it was a happy day when the <em><a href="http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596519537/">Best of Instructables Vol 1</a></em> e-book showed up in my in-box.  The book, with its clear approach to a wide variety of projects, is an invaluable collection that will keep makers of all levels busy and intrigued for months.</p> <p>The 300+ page book is split into sections like Food, Robotics, Photography, Entertainment – 12 chapters in all from simple like preparing a bento lunch to fairly complex robotic projects.  </p> <p>In the end I decided to tackle on e of the simplest projects – the “Super Simple Light Tent” (pg 74).  Although I was salivating at some of the more intricate projects – the LED pens for light painting photography for instance, we we re coming off building an electric kalimba in a Altoids tin a project wherein the kid saw my hands shaking as I soldered and shook her head sadly.  “Poor old dog,” she said and kindly finished the rest of the connections.   And I needed a new simple light tent, my previous one having met an ignoble end while photographing my mother’s ferrets. (I’ll avoid the gruesome details – the tent had to be burned; we’ll leave it there).</p> <p>The tent went up quickly  - we were taking photographs an hour after we started.  As an English Prof who often teaches Technical Communication, I spend a good deal of time harping to my undergrads that “how to” writing is the greatest challenge.  The coolest project is useless if the audience can’t figure out how to re-create it.  And this is the overall strength of the book.   <em><a href="http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596519537/">Best of</a></em> nails it with clear tools and materials lists.  The graphics accompanying the directions are clarifying rather than simple illustrative and the book itself (although not in this project) often includes other makers’ riffs – showing off twists on the base project. </p> <p><em><a href="http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596519537/">Best of Instructables Vol 1</a></em> belongs to the long line of project books like the reprints gracing my library: books with titles like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1603220410?ie=UTF8&tag=venangagogo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1603220410"><em>Windmills and Wind Motors: How to Build and Use Them</em></a>.  But while the older books took for granted a fairly deep knowledge of wood and metal working that can sometimes frustrate modern amateur makers, <em><a href="http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596519537/">Best of</a></em> lays it all out in a fashion so that even a shaky, math challenged guy can feel accomplishment.    </p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-28577430759756996232010-12-27T09:27:00.001-05:002010-12-27T09:27:50.746-05:00December 27, 2010 Review: Belsapadore’s “Belsapadore”<p> <img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Belsapadore - Belsapadore - cover" border="0" alt="Belsapadore - Belsapadore - cover" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TRiiZim0GkI/AAAAAAAAC2M/NkPvzIsmazo/Belsapadore---Belsapadore---cover7.jpg?imgmax=800" width="194" height="196" /></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>There aren’t a whole lot of truly indie artists who do pop music well.  To do so, requires a student of musical history combined with the rarest of things – an adult who remembers what it was like to be 13  I speak here not of the Hollywood understanding of what it means to be 13 – that is, to be a preternaturally 13 who acts like a 25 year old.  No, what I mean here someone who remembers how confusing, terrifying, and exhilarating it feels to be on the cusp of something non-understandable.  It’s messy, exciting, and terrifying.  You say terrible and terribly silly things all the time that you obsess about later, double and triple questioning yourself.   </p> Belsapadore’s eponymous  album, is a really effective pop record because Justin Hoenke, the force behind the band, remembers what it feels like and embraces it while trying to explain those feelings to the rest of us who would rather for get it.  <p>There’s the swagger of “Love, Love, Love Me” with its disco beat that never sounds quite sincere, quite face value.  The feeling isn’t quite irony, but a knowing nod of the head.    The lyrics read like a command: “Love me.”, but when translated through Hoenke’s vocals, they become a plea for love.</p> <p>The piano vamp of “The Biggest Mistake” likewise melded with lyrics like “I’m so great/In every way” never really sound like cock-rock clichés.  As both writer and performer, Hoenke has a sense of how his lyrics read on the page and works to undermine them, to interpret and transform them as part of the performance. (the danger here is that the listener won’t understand the irony; witness the 90s and Nirvana’s legions of jock fans horrifying Cobain).</p> Belsapadore falls on the Cheap Trick end of pop rather than the Lady Gaga end (although tracks like “Cookie Cutter” and it’s fat bottom practically beg for a dance remix).  It’s a smart, funny, handcrafted album. <p><em>Belsapadore</em> is <a href="http://belsapadore.bandcamp.com/album/belsapadore">available for free download</a> and deserves a place in your New Year’s Eve mix </p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-31812230348254243082010-12-23T14:33:00.000-05:002010-12-23T14:33:01.659-05:00REVIEW: "Terminal" - Pistol Whip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfO2p4w1eOqpI3SPSyeAwqcoLBQ8oTgQ8jWdSeLiqJ13luh9GHuOgS7mAcoRfTecImoQHmOFM1-6aLG4eINz-MjB02eI_VhSP3_jLsXrln0eGDa6ch_6QcV6lC2sYqkHJtIuwPnw/s1600/PW-Promo-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfO2p4w1eOqpI3SPSyeAwqcoLBQ8oTgQ8jWdSeLiqJ13luh9GHuOgS7mAcoRfTecImoQHmOFM1-6aLG4eINz-MjB02eI_VhSP3_jLsXrln0eGDa6ch_6QcV6lC2sYqkHJtIuwPnw/s320/PW-Promo-05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Growing up, every summer concluded with a ritual – a trip north to Erie, PA –one day on the beach at Presque Isle and the next buying school clothes at the Millcreek Mall. This was fascinating stuff for a rural kid– and at some point, after the Levis and Nikes were purchased, I would be awarded time to hit the two places I most lusted after – Books Galore which had both comics and used paperbacks, enabling to me to stock up on what I thought at 13 smart people read (Camus, Plath, Sartre) and Record Den where I bought what I thought cool people listened to (Dead Milkmen, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Gang Green). But, by the time I got to the party, Pistol Whip had already self-destructed.<br />
<br />
Pistol Whip was the (self-claimed) first ever punk band from Erie, PA, and their lone 7-inch on Endangered Species, released in 1977, is a scorcher and a prized collectible. Now, however, Smog Veil has given the band their due in a gorgeous digital release. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Uw2hjH5Zx7w-fnDXIJ6BaGLCT2-O7oAAkkVLJgBUojLgOS1dQmuoI7LZGx1VKHE5rvr4JRYtzfsdamqLqx0wZfvFIWENdl5J8Dku8wa6cT6_bDrkl4XFgVXM3DGNcivchUWKLg/s1600/SV84.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Uw2hjH5Zx7w-fnDXIJ6BaGLCT2-O7oAAkkVLJgBUojLgOS1dQmuoI7LZGx1VKHE5rvr4JRYtzfsdamqLqx0wZfvFIWENdl5J8Dku8wa6cT6_bDrkl4XFgVXM3DGNcivchUWKLg/s1600/SV84.gif" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
The band moved to Chicago in 1978, and recorded a 10-song demo, also included in this release. The accompanying DVD contains wild 8mm footage from back in the day plus interviews, photos, and more.<br />
<br />
Pistol Whip built their sound and attitude around the most notable punk rockers from the late 1970's punk rock heyday. There’s some Ramones in their sound certainly – 12 sounds in 33 minutes -- and the sound of a sound slowly being developed as the band progresses from the the first two tracks which were the band’s only 7-inch (whose original two-track master tapes were miraculously unearthed in August of 2009). <br />
<br />
It’s hard not to imagine that Pistol Whip’s sound must have been like a bomb going off in Erie’s Bay, today though, it’s pretty much just rock. That’s not to discredit the band however. In fact, it’s much the opposite – without bands like Pistol Whip inspiring a generation of musicians, those big guitar hooks would still be as shocking. Sure, Pistol Whip embodies a lot of hair band metal cliches – casual misogyny, sophomoric humor, demonstrations of musical technical excellence for excellence’s sake, but this is in retrospect. <br />
<br />
Smog Veil Records deserves a lot of credit for resurrecting this band – whether you buy it for the history or for the music itself, the presentation and music make it a valuable addition to the collection of punks, music historicists, and rockers. <br />
<br />
To find out more about the band, go to the band’s website at <a href="http://www.pistolwhiperie.com/">www.pistolwhiperie.com</a>.<br />
<br />
Check out: <br />
<br />
“<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?lao88rbwv6xcpf6">Tellin’ You” – Pistol Whip.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-9505461738516588992010-10-27T21:07:00.001-04:002010-10-29T09:02:45.715-04:00October 29, 2010: The Zippo Museum<p><em>Last week, I guest blogged at the Savvy Grouse, </em><a href="http://www.savvygrouse.com/2010/10/25/zippocasethehottestticketinbradford/"><em>about visiting the Bradford PA Zippo Museum.</em></a><em>  At the Savvy Grouse, my posts are kept to 250 words, but the rough drafts I write are usually much, much longer.  I thought it might be interesting to publish the director’s cut, if you will:</em></p> <p>In 1932, at the Bradford Country Club, Pennsylvania businessman George G Blasidell watched a friend trying to light a smoke in the wind. </p> <p><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" src="http://www.google.com/patents?id=fjJOAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&img=1&zoom=4&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U2q0l9xl_myWfDyfJz6osh8zOUwNA&ci=5%2C11%2C984%2C1438&edge=0" width="265" height="395" /></p> <p align="center"><font size="1">Original Zippo patent</font></p> <p>A year later, he created the first Zippo – based on an Austrian design her had seen.  77 years later, The Zippo/Case Factory Museum in Bradford PA had been on my to-do list for some time. With The Kid now going to school in upstate NY, and our drive going right past the museum, last weekend, we decided the time was ripe. </p> <p>Fourteen custom-made Zippo street lighters line the drive leading up to the building. Over the entrance towers a 40-foot Zippo lighter with pulsating neon flame. <b> <br /></b></p> <p>The Museum also features Case Knives including an “astronaut knife” from 1964 the size of a machete. (“What would an astronaut need with a knife like that?” I wondered aloud. “Duh,” The Kid responded, “How else will they kill aliens? Everyone knows out Earth bullets are powerless against them.”) </p> <p>The Museum traces how Zippo became part of American culture. Especially moving were the letters from veterans – in one case an officer writing to a damaged Zippo – the only recoverable personal effect after a plane crash – could be repaired to be sent to the Airman’s wife. In fact, Zippo and the Armed Forces have such a close relationship that the entire production of their lighters was sent to the troops from 1943 until the end of the Second World War. </p> <p>It’s not all melancholy. Zippo has also embedded itself into art and music too. Cesar Baldaccini, the Nouveau Réalisme artist, sculpted a piece made entirely of crushed Zippos in July 1997 (although at first glance, one might think that his would be anti-ethical. The second question that comes to mind is, could the repair factory fix <i>all</i> of these and return them to working capacity?)   Their website ZippoEncore allows bands to create custom silkscreened Zippos for merch tables and also provides Mp3 downloads (the lighter being a pre cell phone concert staple in order to  for the audience to light and hold high during power ballads and the like).</p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="SANYO DIGITAL CAMERA" border="0" alt="SANYO DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TMjM5I6SHsI/AAAAAAAACyw/8vtCZ3kLmD8/cesar6.jpg?imgmax=800" width="218" height="328" /></p> <p align="center"><font size="1">“Zippo” by Cesar</font></p> <p>The lighters (and Case knives) are made in Pennsylvania – part of our manufacturing base that didn’t disappear. And they’re not just crafted, but repaired here in a glass walled “Clinic”. Zippo is famous for their lifetime repair policy.<strong></strong> There’s a long list and showcases of damaged Zippos in from of the glass walled repair factory (empty, sadly when we were there) including my favorite – a Zippo found inside a bear’s digestive system. No word of the hunter who owned it.</p> <p align="center"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="SANYO DIGITAL CAMERA" border="0" alt="SANYO DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TMjM5u7ZRGI/AAAAAAAACy0/9gx3F9Zbwh8/clinic6.jpg?imgmax=800" width="289" height="353" /><font size="1">view inside the Zippo clinic</font></p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="SANYO DIGITAL CAMERA" border="0" alt="SANYO DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TMjM5xrfcFI/AAAAAAAACy4/mPVZQ3q7w3k/crushed-zippos7.jpg?imgmax=800" width="268" height="333" /></p> <p align="center"><font size="1">Damaged Zippos sent into the clinic</font></p> <p>The museum is 15,000 square feet, and the store is packed full, but understaffed. We waited for 10 minutes before abandoning our purchases and heading home to buy our “souvenir” lighters locally – that’s the impressive thing about Zippos, they’re so woven into the fabric of Americana – you can find them just about anywhere. </p> <p>But that leads to the obvious question – why?  Who the heck <em>uses</em> a Zippo anymore – I mean sure, living in an economically devastated area, there are still lots of smokers and my hometown is slowly moving to a bar/tattoo shop/discount tobacco-centric downtown area.  But the patrons of these establishments use the two for a buck bic–style disposables made in China.  The smooth guy in the suit using a Zippo only exists on <em>Mad Men</em>.   For a long time, I carried a bronze slimline Zippo that my father presented me with on a birthday.  But I didn’t smoke and eventually came to the conclusion that he whiff of butane I carried around me wasn’t as enticing to the ladies as I originally thought.  I did, however, play with it a lot.  Flicking it open with the satisfying metalling click, using the fabric of my pants to spin the wheel against the flint, and then snapping it shut without touching it.  It was ‘50s butch and satisfyingly annoying to those around me. </p> <p>The Museum, and the Zippo itself is a fetish - a man-made object that has magical power over others. The concept and values of 1950s masculinity is transferred to the lighters and it’s worshipped here in this Bradford shrine.   </p> <p>Here masculinity exists as it no longer does (or perhaps never has) – pin ups decorate the wall, men like Arnold Schwarzenegger<strong> </strong>use Zippos while dressed in camo.  Here, the lighter itself represent the ultimate man – indestructible, smooth, and dangerous.  The Museum represents the masculinity of the maker – the lighters so well made that they are endless repairable.  Unlike the common lighters of today, they don’t exist as disposable items, but as objects of reverence to be passed down, to be decorated with badges of military experience or fraternal organization, or pin ups.  When they're lost, it’s because you were eaten by a bear when hunting, or the lighter was destroyed by the heavy machinery that is rare in America today.</p> <p>To visit the museum is to understand what we think we’ve lost and how worried we are about what we have.</p> <p>The Zippo/ Case Museum (1932 Zippo Drive, Bradford, PA 16701 (For GPS use Chestnut St. Extension) (814)-368-1932) is free and open to the public every day except for New Years, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas </p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:84E294D0-71C9-4bd0-A0FE-95764E0368D9:3934068c-4a5d-49d4-a732-f2cf03ec5c2a" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><a href="http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&cp=41.94645~-78.64885&lvl=16&style=r&sp=aN.41.94813_-78.64838_Zippo%2520Museum_&mkt=en-us&FORM=LLWR" id="map-186d4440-4cc7-42af-a25b-6d12e22bac37" alt="View map" title="View map"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TMrF9EFxlWI/AAAAAAAACy8/HnixfCJiDVI/map-3b3d48c6a79e.jpg?imgmax=800" width="320" height="240" alt="Map picture"></a></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-61750955562524154632010-10-27T18:44:00.001-04:002010-10-27T20:25:00.746-04:00Weekend preview: The Transit Building<p>It's no great surprise that I spend a lot of time both pushing to help to create and define the art scene here and complaining when things slow down.  So, yeah the fact that so much is going on this weekend in Oil City is really, really pleasing to me.  </p> <p>Friday and Saturday from 11-7 pm is the Silent Auction in the Transit Studios.  Some of the work up for bidding includes:</p> <p> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="400"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="400"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_6419" border="0" alt="IMG_6419" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TMirOb8mOoI/AAAAAAAACyc/8gbOyTc-QUE/IMG_64194.jpg?imgmax=800" width="250" height="297" />“Z is for Zombie” by <a href="http://www.johnmanders.com/">John Manders</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="400"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_6429" border="0" alt="IMG_6429" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TMirPUmXgbI/AAAAAAAACyg/d6hQ7qoFRlU/IMG_64294.jpg?imgmax=800" width="250" height="405" />“Day of the Dead” by Joann Wheeler</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="400"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_6414" border="0" alt="IMG_6414" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TMirQFt28NI/AAAAAAAACyk/1W_KQfz75OM/IMG_6414%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="250" height="608" />“Untitled” by Carol McDonald</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="400"> <br /> <br /><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_6413" border="0" alt="IMG_6413" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TMirQc_Cs-I/AAAAAAAACyo/bXUCuEPv1gQ/IMG_6413%5B7%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="250" height="305" /> "Copper" by George Cooley </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="400"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_6417" border="0" alt="IMG_6417" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TMirQwhXGUI/AAAAAAAACys/f9oMiBqiPCE/IMG_6417%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="250" height="308" />“I Need to Connect” by Heather McFadden and “Untitled” by <a href="www.m.brostrom.com">Margaret Brostrom</a></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </p> <p>On Friday at 5 pm in the Transit, Artisan Raven McClain will demonstrate plaster life casts, the process of molding a leather mask, and seasonal mask decoration while explaining cultural and ritual uses of masks through the centuries.  Children must be accompanied by an adult.  Donations accepted.   </p> <p>At 7pm on Friday across town at Clarion University-Venango Campus, singer-songwriter <a href="http://www.namolibrennet.com/fr_home.cfm">Namoli Brennet</a> plays a free show.</p> <p>From 11 –7pm Saturday, Heather McFadden will be showing her Homage to the Surrealists installation involving free food in the dark.  </p> <p>In this installation, McFadden aims to explore the differences between the perception of the senses and how that affects how an audience interacts with a piece. The experience for the viewer begins outside the door of the exhibit at night time. There is a sign beside the outside of the door that says “Pick a flashlight.”</p> <p>Each flashlight has a different colored filter on it. On the door there is a sign that states “Enter. Free Food.” The viewer opens the door and realizes they are stepping into a pitch dark environment. They only have their flashlight and others which is still dimmed a bit by the filter.  The soft colored light of the flash lights and aromas of the food lead them through each station. They exit through the same door when they are ready and write down or are audio recorded on their thoughts about the exhibit. </p> <p>The “Art” of this installation is the experience. It is also the renewed visual appreciation of the food they ate through a different way of perceiving the food. Also, the recorded experience, and the recorded aftermath for online viewing becomes a part of this.</p> <p>At 5 pm on Saturday, there’s an all ages show at the Transit Great Room featuring Remora Deign, Amerikan Lite, Last Time I Checked, Justin Toxicated, Made Not Born, William James $5 at the door $4 if you’re in costume.</p> <p>As always, you can find specifics and directions at the <a href="https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=cvrm92cfno9js0rhq39ccbojo4@group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/New_York&gsessionid=OK">venangago-go events calendar.</a></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-19821099446658447292010-10-22T16:10:00.001-04:002010-10-22T16:10:32.381-04:00REVIEW: Van Richter’s “Halloween” Compilation<p><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TMHvtmOBJ8I/AAAAAAAACyY/uOuTegzbpjk/image%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="280" height="280" /></p> <p> </p> <p>The last couple of years, I’ve been throwing together Halloween mixes for friends.  Lots, of course, has been written about Halloween music as the holiday becomes more important (in terms of dollars) in the US.  But, the question that I ran into when putting together these mixes, and the question that remains is – what does Halloween sound like?  Christmas – sure chimes, bells, maybe a ukulele.  Thanksgiving – <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fkfJTtUzSE">Dead Milkmen</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLSveRGmpIE">William S Burroughs</a> wash the sweet potato pie right out of the mouth.  </p> <p>Halloween is, at its core, a ritual holiday.  And ritual takes music.  Hundreds of years ago (and today as well, I imagine), there were bonfires and slaughtered animals tossed to the flames.  Costumes and mask were worn and identity became fluid, at least for an evening or two.  The darkness grows, the light disappears and many of us begin to feel a bit of madness creep along our backs.</p> <p>In other words, Halloween music is Industrial Music.</p> <p>And no one currently carries the torch of industrial music as high or bright as Van Richter Records.  Van Richter has stepped up to the plate this year just in time for Halloween with a compilation of industrial music.  Van Richter keeps their roster of artists small exclusive with a roster of seven of the leading Industrial bands - Testify, The Fair Sex, Plastic Noise Experience, Sielwolf, Death and Horror Inc., Girls Under Glass and Underwater Pilots </p> <p>One of the big drawbacks to compilation albums are the inevitable filler tracks, but they just don’t show up here.  The tracks are throbbing synth-pop like the cover of Ministry’s “Every Day is Halloween” by Underwater Pilots.  Testify’s “Future Love” is pure industrial with hammering rhythm and sampled movie clip dialogue.  Trauma’s “The Last Rose” sounds lush and orchestral; Industrial Music driven to its inevitable high romantic end.  None of the tracks slide into the pure noise end of the genre – it’s all pretty accessible stuff,  leading to an album that can also be thrown on at a Halloween party. </p> <p>Some of these tracks are hard to find, rare stuff, even in the Internet age, making this album a must have for your holiday.  It’s music as theatre – much as Halloween is holiday as theatre.  However you celebrate it.</p> <p><a href="<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001I2V0DU?ie=UTF8&tag=venangagogo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001I2V0DU">Hellfire</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=venangagogo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001I2V0DU" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />">Hellfire'>Buy Van Richter’s <em>Hellfire</em></a></p> <p>Free <a href="http://vanrichter.net/audio/everydayishalloween.mp3">Download: “Every Day is Halloween” – Underwater Pilots (Ministry cover)</a></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-63627594551683970392010-10-18T09:47:00.001-04:002010-10-18T09:49:18.990-04:00October 18, 2010–Oil City ZombieWalk<p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TLxQANjZRSI/AAAAAAAACx8/6N4sPeQ_g7k/image9.png?imgmax=800" width="320" height="417" /></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Halloween, at least locally, falls into two categories: kids storming porches for candy (a tradition that seems to be falling by the wayside if my house is an indication – for the past five years, the number of children ringing the bell has fallen dramatically.  Last year, we were lucky to get 10) and drunken adults – women wearing slutty costumes and the dudes throwing something together, usually pop-culture-y and purchased at stores like The Spirit of Halloween at the last second in hopes that the combination of trashy costumes and drinking will lead to sex.</p> <p>I can’t help but think that adults have ruined Halloween by insisting that they too should be involved.   Not in creating their own adult traditions, but by acting like horny toddlers.  Boomers and your lust for commercialization, I lay this at your feet.</p> <p>In <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/nyregion/17critic.html?hp">a recent <em>NYTimes</em> article</a>, “Nicholas Rogers, the author of <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195168968?ie=UTF8&tag=venangagogo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0195168968">Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night</a></em>, says that even as far back as the 1920s, Halloween included an element of “courtship and sexual play.” It was all relatively tame, however, until the 1980s, when gay men started taking the occasion to let their freak flag fly. Huge street celebrations like the parade in Greenwich Village were appropriated by the mainstream, and by retailers.”   </p> <p>So. it’s nice to see a new-ish non commercial tradition finding hold locally – one that is the anti-thesis of dressing up like a hooker/nurse and drinking Miller Light at a bar .  That’s right – On October 22 this year – Oil City is having a Zombie Walk. </p> <p>When Organizer Tabby Shaw heard that Oil City’s popular Pumpkin Bumpkin Fest had been canceled for 2010, she did what most people don’t; she stepped up to the plate and provided an alternative.  “I thought to myself how unfair that was to the teens and young at heart adults in the area…I sat down and thought how neat it would be to bring a zombie walk to OC!”</p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="image[17]" border="0" alt="image[17]" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TLxQBAqzbaI/AAAAAAAACyA/9SpMr5XW_pQ/image172.png?imgmax=800" width="150" height="200" /></p> <p align="center"><font size="1">Tabby Shaw, 2010 Oil City Zombie Walk Organizer</font></p> <p>The first "Zombie Walk" was held in October 2003, in Toronto, Ontario.  From there, the tradition spread pretty rapidly in tandem with the overall societal interest in zombies, spurred by movies like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005JMA8?ie=UTF8&tag=venangagogo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00005JMA8"><em>28 Days Later</em></a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006A9FKA?ie=UTF8&tag=venangagogo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0006A9FKA"><em>Shaun of the Dead</em></a>, and of course, George Romero’s oeuvre.  It’s only (super) natural then, that Pittsburgh, where <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005B1YC?ie=UTF8&tag=venangagogo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00005B1YC"><em>Night of the Living Dead</em></a> was filmed would be an epicenter for Zombie Walks.  </p> <p>The Pittsburgh walk is now part of <i>The It's Alive Show</i>'s World Zombie Day, a world hunger charity event.  Shaw, too, has added a charity aspect to the walk, with each zombie been asked to bring one non-perishable food item to Justus Park before the walk. </p> <p>But nothing is easy, especially in Venango County.  Oil City has had a difficult time relating to Halloween in the past decade or so.  After the brutal rape and murder of a local girl abducted on her way home from a Halloween Party, the city banned trick or treating for 15 years, until 2008.  Additionally, the area is heavily skewed toward religious conservatism, many who see Halloween as intrinsically evil.  And, not unexpectedly, Shaw has run into opposition from these groups, but continues to reiterate, that the Walk is all in good fun, “We are getting frowned upon by several churches, and elders who believe that same thing.” Shaw said, adding, “Honestly...what harm is a few globs of makeup and a spurt of fake blood?” <br /></p> <p><em>The 2010 Oil City Zombie Walk is free and Open to the Public.  The Walk </em>starts in <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1+Seneca+St,+Oil+City,+PA+16301&sll=41.431796,-79.70676&sspn=0.002003,0.004823&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1+Seneca+St,+Oil+City,+Venango,+Pennsylvania+16301&ll=41.431868,-79.707184&spn=0.008012,0.01929&z=16">Justus Park</a>, <em>at 6pm sharp to take a group photo.   The walk is drug, alcohol, and violence free.</em></p> <p><em>The walk will begin in the park, crossing onto veterans bridge walking across the the bridge, crossing the road to go to the other side of the bridge and back down to Seneca street. <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Elm+St&daddr=State+Street+and+E+Front+St,+Oil+City+PA+to:301+Duncomb+Street,+Oil+City,+PA&geocode=FZA2eAIdpME_-w%3BFSopeAId2Lk_-ymVJVyaRSAziDHyXE6XzCxE2Q%3BFYFGeAIdmsQ_-ynriW_IQiAziDE5Lo1mKtBWVg&hl=en&mra=ls&dirflg=w&sll=41.42964,-79.708343&sspn=0.002003,0.004823&ie=UTF8&ll=41.431595,-79.708579&spn=0.008012,0.01929&z=16">Up to Duncomb street...and finally ending in the Austin Ink parking lot</a>. <br /></em></p> <p><em>Contact Tabby Shaw at </em><a href="http://us.mc656.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=venangozombiefest%40yahoo.com"><em>venangozombiefest@yahoo.com</em></a><em> and friend the ZombieWalk: </em><a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100001593188937&v=info"><em>venangozombiefest</em></a></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-8021753738303653142010-10-13T21:15:00.003-04:002010-12-23T14:09:54.269-05:00Review: Pistol Whip “Terminal”<p> </p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="PW-Promo-05" border="0" alt="PW-Promo-05" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TLZZy05rgNI/AAAAAAAACxA/zTI1WMXe9Ik/PWPromo057.png?imgmax=800" width="400" height="314" /> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Growing up, every summer concluded with a ritual – a trip north to Erie, PA –one day on the beach at Presque Isle and the next buying school clothes at the Millcreek Mall.  This was fascinating stuff for a rural kid– and at some point, after the Levis and Nikes were purchased, I would be awarded time to hit the two places I most lusted after – Books Galore which had both comics and used paperbacks, enabling to me to stock up on what I thought at 13 smart people read (Camus, Plath, Sartre) and Record Den where I bought what I thought cool people listened to (Dead Milkmen, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Gang Green).   But, by the time I got to the party, Pistol Whip had already self-destructed.</p> <p>Pistol Whip was the (self-claimed) first ever punk band from Erie, PA, and their lone 7-inch on Endangered Species, released in 1977, is a scorcher and a prized collectible.  Now, however, Smog Veil has given the band their due in a gorgeous digital release. </p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SV84" border="0" alt="SV84" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TLZZzsQqRAI/AAAAAAAACxE/8Ly7F3fUo6k/SV844.png?imgmax=800" width="300" height="286" /></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>The band moved to Chicago in 1978, and recorded a 10-song demo, also included in this release.  The accompanying DVD contains wild 8mm footage from back in the day plus interviews, photos, and more.</p> <p>Pistol Whip built their sound and attitude around the most notable punk rockers from the late 1970's punk rock heyday.  There’s some Ramones in their sound certainly – 12 sounds in 33 minutes -- and the sound of a sound slowly being developed as the band progresses from the the first two tracks  which were the band’s only 7-inch  (whose original two-track master tapes were miraculously unearthed in August of 2009). </p> <p>It’s hard not to imagine that Pistol Whip’s sound must have been like a bomb going off in Erie’s Bay, today though, it’s pretty much just rock.  That’s not to discredit the band however. In fact, it’s much the opposite – without bands like Pistol Whip inspiring a generation of musicians, those big guitar hooks would still be as shocking.  Sure, Pistol Whip embodies a lot of hair band metal cliches – casual misogyny, sophomoric humor, demonstrations of musical technical excellence for excellence’s sake, but this is in retrospect.   </p> <p>Smog Veil Records deserves a lot of credit for resurrecting this band – whether you buy it for the history or for the music itself, the presentation and music make it a valuable addition to the collection of punks, music historicists, and rockers. </p> <p>To find out more about the band, go to the band’s website at <a href="http://www.pistolwhiperie.com">www.pistolwhiperie.com</a>.</p> <p>Check out: </p> <p>“<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?lao88rbwv6xcpf6">Tellin’ You” – Pistol Whip.</a></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-49834456309727396672010-09-10T13:15:00.001-04:002010-09-11T11:45:26.207-04:00September 10, 2010–“Outsider Art in Oil City”<p>I’ve had my brushes (pun intended) with outsider art.  My aunt created fantastic murals in her home of nature scenes (although her work was more properly naïve art) and a friend painted pictures with the dye from skittles during a stretch in jail.  Still, I wouldn’t call myself an expert.  To me, overwhelmingly, when I hear the term “folk art”, I see faux naïf lettering on a slate shingle reading “A Spoiled Weiner Dog Lives Here.”  Luckily, you’re not going to find anything like that when the new Graffiti Gallery in Oil City opens its first show, “Outsider Art in Oil City”.  </p> <div><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_6050" border="0" alt="IMG_6050" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TIpnsumdIzI/AAAAAAAACss/48P9tDQgNnM/IMG_6050%5B14%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="250" height="293" /> <div><font size="1"><strong>“Star Dancers” by Butch Quinn</strong></font></div> </div> <p>Butch Quinn’s work is the lynchpin of the show.  Quinn was a native of Oil City who achieved national recognition.  “His paternal ancestors owned a large farm on both sides of East Bissell Avenue on Oil City's north side where Mr. Quinn was raised and which figured in his artwork. The First Presbyterian Church later purchased part of the farm for its new church building and Presbyterian Home.</p> <p>He spent several years as a delivery truck driver and laborer, but worked independently in recent decades as an "outsider" artist. Self-taught, except for a high school course in mechanical drawing, he made extensive use of found materials such as house paint, old wooden ironing boards and plastic and metal objects, like fan blades. The subject matter, often humorous and fanciful in content, included animals and wildlife, Biblical and daily life themes and the folklore of small town American holidays. <br /></p> <p>Quinn is represented in the permanent collection of the Museum of American Folk Art in New York City, the Smithsonian Institution Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C., the Clarion University of Pennsylvania Museum and other institutions and private collections. <br /></p> <p>The Clarion collection includes a signature work-a large refrigerator that he painted and repainted with scenes of rural Pennsylvania life. A collection of his letters describing his life and art were deposited in the Smithsonian art archives.” <br /></p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_6051" border="0" alt="IMG_6051" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TIpntDP5uNI/AAAAAAAACsw/r3J8xxYYNiA/IMG_6051%5B5%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="250" height="175" /> </p> <div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div><font size="1"><strong>“The Cat Is Quick!” by Butch Quinn</strong></font></div> </div> <p> </p> <p>But, for me, The Bill Brady Jr works are the most intriguing and  reminiscent of Calder’s work.  Brady’s metal sculptures are plain and coldly polished where Calder was whimsical and colorful.  Brady’s work has an industrial ethos, especially in the kinetics of the some of the work.  It’s also irresistible that the man lives in a school bus and is building a glider to fly.</p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_6059[6]" border="0" alt="IMG_6059[6]" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TIpntz3K6cI/AAAAAAAACs0/ag9oKGWuK0s/IMG_6059%5B6%5D%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="250" height="375" /></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><font size="1"><strong>"Pivot” by Bill Brady Jr.</strong></font></p> <p>The gallery also includes a number of artist whose work is featured in an exhibit running concurrently in the same space, “Works in the Outsider Spirit”.  Which brings up an interesting question.  Is it possible for a professional artist to create something “like” an outsider?  Although the work itself is compelling at time – I was fond of Margaret Brostrom and especially Heidi Heck’s work – I wasn’t clear how they were “outsider”.  Their creators are firmly planted in the contemporary artistic culture.  In the end, I decided to view their work as an homage, a sort of visual Festschrift, and a home for work that might not fit into these polished artists overall oeuvre.  Like Outsider Art itself, it’s probably better to judge these works on their own merits rather than comparing them to Quinn or Brady’s work.  </p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_6053" border="0" alt="IMG_6053" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TIpnueOsGUI/AAAAAAAACs4/wUvgszniuSI/IMG_6053%5B5%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="250" height="167" /> </p> <div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div><font size="1"><strong>“Cow” by Margaret Brostrom</strong></font></div> </div> <p> </p> <div><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_6055" border="0" alt="IMG_6055" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TIpnvG_HTEI/AAAAAAAACs8/avOQUGpMWIc/IMG_6055%5B5%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="250" height="362" /> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div><font size="1"><strong>“Baby With Flowers” by Margaret Brostrom</strong></font></div> <div> </div> </div> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_6057" border="0" alt="IMG_6057" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TIpnvhx_V-I/AAAAAAAACtA/qXI-iJvAsBw/IMG_6057%5B5%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="250" height="167" /> </p> <div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div><strong><font size="1">“Puppens” by Jennifer Howison</font></strong></div> <div><font style="font-size: 7.6pt" size="1"><strong></strong></font></div> <div>Work aside, this exhibit is also important because, while we have plenty of artist in the area, too often “galleries” in the area are actually primarily frame shop.  To support an artistic population there needs to be an infrastructure.  The opening of this gallery is an important step in the right direction.</div> </div> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_6058" border="0" alt="IMG_6058" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TIpnwIvQXSI/AAAAAAAACtE/Fl_tJNQ4rmI/IMG_6058%5B5%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="250" height="354" /> </p> <div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div><font size="1"><strong>“Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk” – Heidi Heck</strong></font></div> </div> <p>When watching <em>American Pickers</em> last week, I could help but notice the “outsider” artist the host visited seemed a little too slick and media ready.  Turns out that he was Butch Anthony.  Anthony’s not an outsider artist to me, he’s really post-outsider – no fool he – college educated with a carefully constructed persona.  He’s been <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/garden/08doonanny.html">featured in the<em> New York Times</em></a><em> </em>and his art fair is well known.  </p> <div> <div> <p>That slickness is a far cry from what the Graffiti Gallery is presenting with its first show, and I think that’s for the best.</p> </div> </div> <p><em>“Outsider Art in Oil City” open tonight, September 10, 2010.  The reception runs from 6-9pm at 209 Seneca Street in Oil City.  The Gallery itself will be open on Fridays from 2-7pm and Saturday from 11am-7pm.  The show runs until October 21st. </em> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:84E294D0-71C9-4bd0-A0FE-95764E0368D9:4570954d-b2e2-4c41-84c6-a73212fc12ca" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><a href="http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&cp=41.4344~-79.70874&lvl=18&style=r&sp=aN.41.43435_-79.70865_Graffiti%2520Gallery_&mkt=en-us&FORM=LLWR" id="map-53196eb1-8969-4bbf-a17b-a2e6d9e8a6ab" alt="View map" title="View map"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TIpnwjB6NrI/AAAAAAAACtI/M7pjqHvGtMc/map-4ba152c6d426.jpg?imgmax=800" width="320" height="240" alt="Map picture"></a></div></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-83442586773339615592010-08-17T15:45:00.001-04:002010-08-17T15:45:35.881-04:00Old Hats Live at Pipeline Alley (Oil City, PA) on August 11, 2010<img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" class="wlDisabledImage" title="IMG_5931" border="0" alt="IMG_5931" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TGrm2LIJ0VI/AAAAAAAACpI/PxNoVDfGtAY/IMG_5931%5B8%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="320" height="640" /> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" class="wlDisabledImage" title="IMG_5930" border="0" alt="IMG_5930" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TGrm2xXdV7I/AAAAAAAACpM/u9eHH_BPLSM/IMG_5930%5B10%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="640" height="569" /></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" class="wlDisabledImage" title="IMG_5933" border="0" alt="IMG_5933" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TGrm34uH4eI/AAAAAAAACpQ/F12r5PdVbEY/IMG_5933%5B8%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="386" height="640" /></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-62164033411624166032010-07-02T15:36:00.001-04:002010-07-02T15:37:15.691-04:00July 2, 2010–Summer Reading ListA quick bit of self-indulgence here as paying jobs have been sealing me away from blogging.  Here’s mine – I’d love to hear what’s on yours or comments on mine.   <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FILL1Y?ie=UTF8&tag=venangagogo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000FILL1Y"><em>  <img style="margin: 0px; display: inline" class="wlDisabledImage" title="image" alt="image" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TC4_p68232I/AAAAAAAACmM/zFG8ILG8zVY/image%5B8%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="106" height="160" />                                                   </em></a></p> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FILL1Y?ie=UTF8&tag=venangagogo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000FILL1Y"><em>The Printer's Devil</em></a><em><img style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px; border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=venangagogo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000FILL1Y" width="1" height="1" /></em> <p><em></em></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><img style="margin: 0px; display: inline" class="wlDisabledImage" title="51bd-liy9GL._SL160_" alt="51bd-liy9GL._SL160_" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TC4_qX2NK_I/AAAAAAAACmQ/qToiMdFaI0Q/51bd-liy9GL._SL160_%5B7%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="106" height="160" /> </p> <p> </p> <p>  <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1608190862?ie=UTF8&tag=venangagogo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1608190862"><em>Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell</em></a><img style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px; border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=venangagogo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1608190862" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><img style="margin: 0px; display: inline" class="wlDisabledImage" title="image" alt="image" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TC4_qqsb8bI/AAAAAAAACmU/YCE8wb1aDT0/image%5B14%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="106" height="160" /> <br /> <br /></p> <p> </p>         <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060930861?ie=UTF8&tag=venangagogo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0060930861"><em>Cloudsplitter: A Novel</em></a><img style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px; border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=venangagogo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0060930861" width="1" height="1" /> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><img style="display: inline" class="wlDisabledImage" title="image" alt="image" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TC4_rCibyrI/AAAAAAAACmY/CZIoUM0z_rM/image%5B20%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="107" height="160" /></p> <p> <br />  <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140442103?ie=UTF8&tag=venangagogo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0140442103"><em>Letters from a Stoic </em></a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><img style="display: inline" class="wlDisabledImage" title="image" alt="image" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TC4_rj-UwMI/AAAAAAAACmg/F3zeWHg1KWc/image%5B26%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="104" height="160" /></p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679776443?ie=UTF8&tag=venangagogo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0679776443"><em>Dead Souls: A Novel</em></a><img style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px; border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=venangagogo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0679776443" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><img style="display: inline" class="wlDisabledImage" title="image" alt="image" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TC4_sDdmasI/AAAAAAAACmk/6G8s_P0WWgY/image%5B32%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="108" height="160" /></p> <p> </p> <p> <br />  <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385527527?ie=UTF8&tag=venangagogo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0385527527"><em>American Rust: A Novel</em></a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><img style="display: inline" class="wlDisabledImage" title="image" alt="image" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TC4_s8hotcI/AAAAAAAACmo/1INjG0dUjEo/image%5B38%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="108" height="160" /></p>     <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674011171?ie=UTF8&tag=venangagogo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0674011171"><em>Facing East from Indian Country: A   Native History of Early America</em></a><em><img style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px; border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=venangagogo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0674011171" width="1" height="1" /></em> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><img style="display: inline" class="wlDisabledImage" title="image" alt="image" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TC4_tOOhgoI/AAAAAAAACms/V68o5V49JI8/image%5B44%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="128" height="160" /></p> <br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981889417?ie=UTF8&tag=venangagogo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0981889417"><em>The Point of Pittsburgh: Production and Struggle at the Forks of the Ohio</em></a><em><img style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px; border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=venangagogo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0981889417" width="1" height="1" /></em> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-56456760897522541252010-06-22T20:49:00.001-04:002010-06-22T20:49:33.970-04:00June 22, 2010 – Sights and Sounds of Indie Fest 2010<div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:85be462f-47d7-4299-88d6-244597e2fd79" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="9e27807c-8594-4edf-9feb-088e4033878b" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2gQ60EaIX8" target="_new"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TCFaDhzkoGI/AAAAAAAAClI/GCs2UKEWy5o/video0b42b63d8dbd.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('9e27807c-8594-4edf-9feb-088e4033878b'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/e2gQ60EaIX8&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/e2gQ60EaIX8&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p> </p> <p> </p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:23a43f44-de2f-4629-8331-7eba07d1cdc3" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="19fa3202-a77b-4500-a3b0-9e4a86f23418" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y76CAYJDhs" target="_new"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TCFaECXfeII/AAAAAAAAClM/CWAp1GFHlIE/video13df655c3ca1.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('19fa3202-a77b-4500-a3b0-9e4a86f23418'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/4Y76CAYJDhs&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/4Y76CAYJDhs&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p> </p> <p> </p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:96bee76f-5490-4c7f-b542-8dbc5bb1a3bf" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="dea18302-5e41-4b57-9c96-c42705042b2f" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FsXs1v8N9k" target="_new"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TCFaE1hnkEI/AAAAAAAAClQ/WkQ_YJL7MGA/video762bbe991d81.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('dea18302-5e41-4b57-9c96-c42705042b2f'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/_FsXs1v8N9k&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/_FsXs1v8N9k&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p></p> <p></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:fc60b1b4-a7a5-42ac-8ca1-7a9f0a039ead" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="92819e24-1813-4651-8d45-305ea0e6a04d" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NKvfUHDE4Y" target="_new"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TCFaF8rgXmI/AAAAAAAAClU/MJW2KmHFlXk/videoea75277abb69.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('92819e24-1813-4651-8d45-305ea0e6a04d'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/8NKvfUHDE4Y&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/8NKvfUHDE4Y&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p></p> <p></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:9a23f45e-c68a-4c93-ad95-0b972a3c52f6" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="d46ccd5d-cf42-4a77-a2e2-195288e84d55" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S-mai99H7E" target="_new"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/TCFaGvCIfMI/AAAAAAAAClY/NmRc1oxb7Sk/video9ffe89e44128.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('d46ccd5d-cf42-4a77-a2e2-195288e84d55'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/7S-mai99H7E&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/7S-mai99H7E&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p>Check out the Oil Region Indie Fest on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Oil-Region-Indie-Music-Festival/291879838104?ref=ts">Facebook</a> or <a href="http://www.myspace.com/oilregionindie">MySpace</a>.  See you next year.</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-68293056068839783892010-05-23T21:26:00.001-04:002010-05-23T21:26:20.965-04:00May 23, 2010 – Tromp l’oeil photo background project.<p>The kid and I had been searching for a good father/daughter project.  After a week of family ER and multiple hospital visits for a variety of reasons and after teaching online for four hours Sunday morning, we were ready to get our hands dirty. </p> <p>Originally, I had wanted to figure out a way to put together a photobooth for her upcoming graduation party - but price wise it was prohibitive. So when found <a href="http://ruffledblog.com/2010/04/diy-photobooth-vintage-wallpaper-frame-wall-backdrop/">this project</a>, a trompe l’oeil wall photobackground, we knew it was a place to start.</p> <p>But I felt that, for our purposes, their design could be improved - using plywood and 2X3s seemed overkill for our faux wall. We went with 1X3X8 furring strips and 1/2 inch foamboard. We also added legs and feet to the design and drilled them out to all staking because the original looked a little tippy.  We ended up cutting their price in half - around $40 for us, all told - and spent about 8 hours making it. The results: </p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="SANY0568" border="0" alt="SANY0568" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/S_nVs7vAk3I/AAAAAAAACho/RXEW4fe5QUQ/SANY0568%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="192" height="240" /> You can see the basic framework above - the furring strips were fantastically crooked, but it didn't matter because they were going to be hidden. </p> <p>Below you can see the 1/2 inch holes we drilled out to stake them in the rental place’s yard for the party: <img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="SANY0567" border="0" alt="SANY0567" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/S_nVtHf9xII/AAAAAAAAChs/iWeKcMtyCRg/SANY0567%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="197" /> Foam screwed on with drywall screws with a little gorilla glue added to frame for security: </p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="SANY0556" border="0" alt="SANY0556" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/S_nVtrmnpOI/AAAAAAAAChw/bsu0z7ub1nQ/SANY0556%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="191" height="240" /></p> <p>We added a skim of drywall mud to make the wall look more “wall”-y once the paint was applied:</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="SANY0559" border="0" alt="SANY0559" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/S_nVt1Sz8sI/AAAAAAAACh0/uoDPRMD6j40/SANY0559%5B5%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="193" /></p> <p>Like, I’m assuming, everyone else in the world, we had odd half used gallons of paint from various projects that we put to use here.  We ended up with a two tone and a scrap piece of molding used a chair rail.  </p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="SANY0560" border="0" alt="SANY0560" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/S_nVuWLwaPI/AAAAAAAACh4/6v2rE1Uc2GY/SANY0560%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="192" height="240" /></p> <p>We found the frame at Ollie’s for $15 with a hideous painting of a cappuccino and a leopard skin matt that we knocked out.   The frame itself was plastic and very lightweight, so we used gorilla glue and only two screws, on the vertical ends to attach it.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="SANY0564" border="0" alt="SANY0564" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/S_nVuk3VSdI/AAAAAAAACh8/YmMy3GoZoPY/SANY0564%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="192" height="240" />    </p> <p>The final project, ready for the party:</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="SANY0566" border="0" alt="SANY0566" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/S_nVu9-AH_I/AAAAAAAACiA/Ai7e-09hNGE/SANY0566%5B8%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="245" height="423" /></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-11180273794066622972010-04-17T13:02:00.001-04:002010-04-17T13:02:56.944-04:00April 7, 2010 – Transit Building camera obscura photo<img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="camera obscura" border="0" alt="camera obscura" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/S8npwGnoIgI/AAAAAAAACYk/2k-sqDNWLCw/IMG_5387_stitch%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="468" height="249" /> <p>Standing inside the break room of the Transit Building, inside our Camera Obscura demo, it took a moment to realize that you were essentially standing inside the body of a camera.</p> <p>We opened the door leading to the outside world, flooding the room with light and destroying the image.  Then, people would file in.  We shut the door and silence fell across everyone, every time.  It was as if we were in an earlier time waiting for God to speak to us.  And then, as our eyes adjusted and the light from the tiny hole streamed in, slowly the world revealed itself to us – upside down.  Power lines tracked across the walls, the river shivered across the ceiling, silver like the belly of a fish.  The cliffs jutting up from Route 8 painted themselves across the far wall.</p> <p>It was magic – simple magic, but sometimes that’s the best kind.    </p> <p> </p> <p><em>Interested in having a camera obscura set up for you?  <a href="mailto:simpub@hotmail.com">Drop me a line.</a></em></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141702.post-11724008227902030232010-03-20T08:47:00.001-04:002010-03-20T08:47:06.198-04:00Casino Bulldogs & American Complex at the Barrow Civic Little Theatre March 19, 2010<p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="SANY0497" border="0" alt="SANY0497" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/S6TDvZ4Rg0I/AAAAAAAACOs/gYPb5LDv844/SANY0497%5B6%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="240" /> </p> <p> </p> <p>  </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="SANY0507" border="0" alt="SANY0507" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/S6TDxXWkdDI/AAAAAAAACOw/LV3u8l7YKFY/SANY0507%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="232" height="320" /> </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="SANY0505" border="0" alt="SANY0505" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/S6TDyMyXDFI/AAAAAAAACO0/f2qn8lfr2Es/SANY0505%5B9%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="240" /> </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="SANY0514" border="0" alt="SANY0514" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_eNurnWawBPs/S6TDyRtQn1I/AAAAAAAACO4/cxiCNNvjzSY/SANY0514%5B7%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="180" height="320" /></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0