Open Studios - May 17 & 18

Open Studios
Sat. & Sun. May 17 & 18
Noon - 5 PM

578 Nepperhan Ave.
Yonkers, NY

Come visit my new studio and see my new work in person (as well as some other selected work and the work of lots of other artists).

More information about the event and the artists participating can be found at www.yohoartists.com.

Getting there by train: Metro North Hudson Line to Yonkers, 5-minute taxi ride to YoHo Studios.

Getting there by car: Saw Mill River Parkway to Exit 5A-Palmer Rd. Left onto Palmer Rd., Left onto Saw Mill River Rd., Right onto Lake Ave. YoHo signs on left. Parking at the rear of the building accessible from Lake Ave, or parking lot on Nepperhan Ave.

Getting there by subway/bus: Take 1 train to 242nd St. (last stop). At 242nd St. & Broadway take Beeline Bus Service 1,2,3 (confirm with driver) to Getty Square, then transfer to #5 bus to 578 Nepperhan.

Click here to download printable directions with map and information.

Two Less Cars

Two fewer cars will be driving around Manhattan, however, they are still on the street.

On my way home from work last night, I came across not one, but two burned out car wrecks on Staff St. in Inwood. Funny thing is last year I saw a burned junker within a few blocks of where I found these two. That one was on the street for about two weeks but I never managed to get a picture before it disappeared. I wonder if this is indicative of a new trend of people totaling their cars and then ditching them on the streets of Upper Manhattan. Sort of like Bronx landlords burning down their buildings in the 70s.

And here's the other one...a minivan:

I would think the owners of these cars are responsible for disposing of them, and I don't see how that includes putting them on a public street alongside other (not wrecked) parked vehicles. Despite the fact that these things are environmental hazards and obviously need to be dealt with somehow, something about them makes me feel kind of good. Maybe it's because seeing two of these on one block fuels my fantasy of a return to an edgier New York City. If this happens often enough, maybe I'll be able to afford to buy an apartment around here. Or maybe I just like seeing destroyed automobiles.

UPDATE: Apparently there was a car explosion on April 22 around 1 AM. Here's some additional information with pictures and video.

Back to the lab

I started making drawings with the idea that it would help me think about the sculptures I plan on making soon. However, it turns out that I am only effectively thinking about the drawings as things in and of themselves -- not the act making sculpture. And since I haven't been currently making sculpture, I'm not actively thinking about it in the way I had anticipated I would. It's extraordinarily difficult to do without actually making things, so here's the new plan:

Since I'm still interested in the drawings, I will continue with that, but since I (A) need to make sculpture and (B) haven't been thinking in sculptural terms, I have decided to make "thoughtless sculptures" -- sculpture without pre-meditation.

Of course, this is impossible -- the very act of making is thinking. But the idea is that I'm not really starting with an idea, or question, or thesis. I'm just going to use whatever I have on hand or stuff that I find and put things together so that it's form is negotiated in its making. Every thing that I make this way will exist on its own terms, whether those terms are conceptual, structural, etc.

This isn't intended to be a new body of work, but rather an exercise -- a homework assignment to myself. If it turns out to be worthwhile, I'll continue with it as background activity while working on whatever I happen to be working on. I plan on making these quickly or slowly, trying to let each piece decide for itself what is required. If I expect anything from this, it's probably just a pretty high rate of failure, but if anything good or useful does develop, I'll post the findings.

And with that, I'm off to the studio for the day.

It's dead.

Well, they finally killed it.

It seems the NY State Assembly prefers that we continue to have everyone foot the bill of our congestion "tax" in the form of heavy traffic, pollution, and mass transit deficiency instead of having the minority of road users pay the price directly in real money. The privilege of the few has been put above the needs of the many. Congestion pricing was a plan that would have had a negative impact on very few New Yorkers and would have had positive results for nearly everyone (improved train service, new Metro-North stations, bus rapid transit, better cycling infrastructure, cleaner air, and faster commutes for those who actually need to drive, etc.).

The state assembly basically decided we don't need to discourage unnecessary driving into the city. Hell, if you subtract the sunk cost of a monthly garage and have just one passenger to split the price of gas, (or maybe you park for free with one of those [often illegal] placards), it might even be cheaper to drive to work than to take the subway. I can only conclude that they want us to drive into the central business district.

Next month is Bike Month NYC and May 16 is "Bike to Work Day." That's stupid. I bike to work everyday, why not give me and all the other cyclists (and transit riders) a break? Let's make May 16 "Take a Car to Work Day." I propose that the vast majority of non-driving New Yorkers either drive, carpool, or take a cab to work that day. Driving is the best option. The more single occupant personal automobiles the better (extra credit for luxury SUVs), but taking a cab is good too. I'm sure there's more than enough cabs to take millions of people into the city at rush hour. This is what NYC needs to transport our citizens, revitalize our health, and jumpstart our economy, right? Every man for himself.

Duck and Cover, pt. II

Survivalism is the new black.

Duck and Cover

I'm right handed. For the past three days I've been brushing my teeth with my left hand. It's fucking ridiculous how much harder that is.

Jack of all trades, Master of none

Since I've been making drawings in my studio, I've been thinking very generally about the sculptures that I want to make. Or more accurately, how to make these sculptures that I haven't even fully conceived yet. Being a sculptor is all about figuring out how to do whatever needs to be done in order to actually realize the project, but I think being an artist is about making sure the "how" question doesn't kill the dream.

When I'm working on an idea for a new project, I usually have very little concept of what exactly will be required to make it happen. Some of that is resolved in the planning stages and some is resolved by knuckling down and working through the problems as they come. I find that getting too bogged down with logistics early on carries the danger of a false start or stalling out. It's better to just get to it--then you've got to figure it out once you're already committed.

I have rudimentary to good-enough-to-get-it-done knowledge in various skills such as woodworking, mold making & casting, computer programming, welding, and machining, etc., though I am far from a master in any of these skills. I tend to think I can figure out how to do things given the right tools and some information, but I realize that I often end up doing things the "wrong" way regardless. It's usually not a problem, as long as it works. That is the luxury of being an artist as opposed to an architect or engineer.

On her blog yesterday, Deborah Fisher wrote about a certain balance of humility and arrogance in being an artist. Here's what I took away after reading it:

First recognize that "true wisdom is to know nothing," then set out to learn everything. I think this is good advice.

Thank You!

City Council approves congestion pricing!
Now it's up to the State Assembly to do the right thing.

Props to the Bronx for every representative voting yes except for one abstention. To all drivers of single occupant vehicles who choose to drive instead of making use of the excellent mass transit infrastructure available: I'm tired of subsidizing your selfish use of public space with my tax dollars. Once this passes in Albany, I'd like to thank you for either paying the fee to improve mass transit or leaving your car at home. My commute will be a lot better without you jackasses on the road.