Finally a few picture peeks of the finished sculptures at the Devil Woman Saloon for you to see.  I will be frank.  Once we stuffed these buggers into their allotted corners, they simply “died” in the dark.  The post-placement moment was seriously and painfully anti-climatic and a far cry from the expected “TA DA!!!”

Yes my client was there.  Brenda seemed happy and excited but then she is a super nice person (that’s an understatement) and could very well have been just being kind.  I grabbed her teeny tiny long haired teacup chiwawa Cami and bolted to the ranch warehouse in search of some lights.  With Cami tucked in the crook of my arm, I loaded up with clamp lights and extension cords, crossed the ranch to the Saloon and attempted to “show” the sculptures with a bit of hard harsh light illumination.

Better.  At least Brenda could get a bit of an idea but the sculptures were far from “finished” and not worth applauding.  The delivery day was a confusing gamut of emotions.  Honestly I felt as if I had crossed valleys, climbed peaks, thrashed my way through thick jungles, inhaled buckets of sawdust and sat my tuckered scratched and famished body down eagerly to a deliciously prepared full five course dinner at a table set with white linen and one of those silver shiny cover thingees over my plate lifted with a polished flair by a decked-out butler and there…. Before my ravenous eyes and centered on my fine china plate….lay… (drum roll please) …a little smelly dog poo.

Ok.  The sculptures are a far cry from dog poo.  They might even be GRAND without upstaging their surroundings as planned but first they must be lit properly.  The excessive emotions could simply be chalked up to: a) being a passionate artist b) being an emotional girl c) hormones d) the culmination of expectation after a rather challenging journey.  I am guessing all of the above played into an unsettled feeling that left me cranky (poor Paul) and far from satisfied.  We sat down in the saloon and shared a few shots in “celebration” but that was a bit like planting a flag before reaching the summit: anti-climatic.  The next day Paul and I scampered to the nearest city in search of lights.  We scoured lighting shops, landscape warehouses, Lowe’s and Home Depot in the hopes we would not have to return to the Devil Woman Saloon empty-handed but the specialized lighting we need is not something places keep in stock.  We had to order the lights.  I spent another day putting the final parts and pieces together (whip, crystals, trident, etc.)  We screwed a few little $8.00 desk lights on top of the sculptures so I wouldn’t have to leave Texas with them totally in the dark.  I felt better and we snapped a few photos. 

The “Devil Woman Saloon” sculptures have been tangled up in a long road of unexpected twists and turns.  We launched the project nearly 18 months ago believing I could whip these buggers out in a few months time but I blew the deadline by one year(a first for me)  But then last year was full of challenging “firsts” and unexpected painful endings.   I have taken more-than-one deep breath, calmed down, accepted the lighting delay and returned to Montana.  The “Devil Woman Sculptures” are in place.  The proper lighting and professional photos will happen next month.  Thank goodness Brenda has such a big heart and faith in me. 

Visit my YouTube channel for project videos

COCK A DOODLE DOO!!!  The roosters clucked a cheery loud hello this morning in the moonlight when I walked to the ranch office with a cup of tea and my computer.  Yesterday they just clucked a bit and helped guide my way through the pre-dawn fog in the wet heavy darkness.  I guess the chickens appreciate moonlight and moon shadows too since they up earlier and cheerier today.  I love the moderate temperature, the dank earthy smells, and the clucking and carrying on.  Right now a covey of ducks are swimming in a big puddle right outside the office door and from the sounds of it – they are having quite the gossip session!

Ranch sounds and smells put a grin on my face and a bit of a song in my heart – a different song than home, where everything around my cabin is wild.  Nothing is cultivated (another song and reason to grin).  I didn’t grow up on a ranch or a farm but as a young child I always felt a bit of romantic longing for the lifestyle.

I like being up before anyone else.  Quiet time.  Meditation time.  Yoga and a cup of tea time.  But I must admit having barnyard feathered friends clucking and quacking away hypes up the expectation of sunrise like musicians tuning their instruments builds the pre-performance energy.  The silly little critters seem to be hell-bent on waking up a sleepy headed, blurry-eyed sun – just their clattery insistence oddly enough elicits a rather domesticated feeling of family.

So I settled in to sip tea and write when my phone rang.  Paul had just woken up, turned on the TV (something we don’t have at my home) when he noticed a show called, “Woodsculpting.”  He thought it might be of interest to me so while he waited for his coffee he settled in to watch the show and there I was!   The show was about me - a whole show – at 6 a.m. in Texas.  So I crossed the ranch yard again, roosters crowing, ducks quacking, Hobo the German Sheppard barking and a cup of tea in my hand to watch the show.  Filmed years ago for DIY – I have never actually watched the episode on TV – let alone a gigantic BIG plasma screen TV in a saloon where I had just installed a few big sculptures.

Oh yeah!  THAT!!!  The sculpture installation…!!  Yesterday was a big day.  Heavy mesquite logs-turned-into-sculptures were unloaded outside and set up inside the Devil Woman Saloon.  We used a John Deer tractor and broke a Genie Lift but luckily no injuries to people or the art occurred.  You’ll have to wait for the final pictures since today I will be putting the finishing touches on the sculptures (trident, Swarovski crystals, whip and lights):

 

"Jubilee"

Three days of working in an air conditioned studio on a BIG beautiful ranch in Texas sandwiched between two days of travel last week. Travel days would be fun if it weren’t for the fact that I am easily prone to motion sickness. “Easily prone” means that I can get sick on a swing set. No exaggeration. But the recent commission is complete. I returned to my Montana studio yesterday and took a nap since I was too tuckered from my flight home to take after the big mesquite scultpures with power tools. 

Before the Texas trip, Patron Members got to see a preview of seven NEW artworks. “Jubilee” found a home right away and two other artworks were snatched up by my collectors. Thus, four new artworks have been posted on my site today. If you can identify just one of them as brand new then post a comment with your guess and if you are right, I will let you pick a limited edition print for free.

Take a look. Venture a guess…

Back in the studio making a mess with power tools and chisels has me feeling more like myself than I have felt in a good long while. I can hardly stand to take a day off since “work” entices. My paws are sore (out of shape) but it is SUCH a good feeling!!!

I guess the sawdust will get to settle a bit since early in the morning I have a plane to catch. Texas is my destination.  My "studio" for the next few days will be in the warehouse next to the chicken yard at Chaco Ranch.  I have a commission to complete. 

Listening to the roosters’ crow, the hens cackle and the ducks quack - all that "carrying on" is my favorite part of working at the “studio” on the Texas ranch (well…that AND the air conditioning!)

Misty morning in Texas on the Charco Ranch - I’ve a bit of a headache (the margaritas last night or simply dehydration from the intense humidity?) Hobo spent the night with me in the cushy air conditioned guest room which is part of the “Devil Woman Saloon.” He has flees, scars, and a limp but is the sweetest German Shepard I’ve ever met. Roosters are crowing and chickens are cackling while the ducks swim in kiddie pools outside the office here. I haven’t much time to write since the special paint I ordered is due to arrive from San Antonio on the bus in a few minutes and I’ve work to do on an old buggy bought from the Amish a few days ago. Texas is HOT. Humid. I’m melting but inspired by the early morning mist, the late night frogs, the heartfelt hospitality and a new project.

Phew!  After months (and months) of delay, Paul and I wrestled with the mesquite logs last week.  He worked out a few kinks in the custom wench/hoist we built at the studio so that I can lift each thousand-pound half-log.  I admit they still make me nervous when trying to jostle the heavy buggers around.  My work consisted mostly of looking.  Yes.  Just looking.  Thinking.  Feeling. 

I drew lines.  Paul made cuts with a rented beam saw.

The logs are beautiful;  they command the space with their presence.  I have more looking, sketching, and feeling to do.  BUT soon plenty of mesquite sawdust will be flying… 

Three weeks were scheduled to complete the large chocolate creation for Nestle.  Paul and the kids were going to fly to Wisconsin at the tail end of the project so that we could indulge in the festival then scoot to a cabin on a lake with friends for Memorial weekend.  Alas, life reared up and interfered with those plans when my father was diagnosed with fourth stage pancreatic cancer.  Thank goodness Paul agreed to assist me so that together (without much sleep) we accomplished the project in seven days.  PHEW! 

We used over 5000 miniature CRUNCH bars in the creation.  Unfortunately the bars were individually wrapped since they were out-of-date product.  I could venture to guess how many Nestle-work-force-people-hours were used to unwrap miniature CRUNCH bars but suffice to say simply ...ZILLIONS!

After pulling an all nighter in the BIG tent at the festival grounds, Paul and I finished 1.5 hours before the unveiling - just enough time to grab a shower before meeting the press. We “wowed ‘em.”  Felt good! Blurry-eyed, plumb tuckered, and in desperate need of a nature fix, we left the festival grounds for a short walk to the lake. Passing a nail salon on the way; we stumbled into the air conditioned space. Paul passed out in a chair while a cute little oriental girl worked at getting the chocolate, paint, and silicone from my battered hands. We wandered along the lake in a daze, plopped our weary bodies onto the grass, and looked up at blue sky through shimmering green leaves of a giant tree. White blooms danced and Eddie Brickel sang from the speakers which surrounded the lake in the town park. I admired my silver sparkle fingernails, felt deeply thankful for Paul’s help and support, and thought about the tears which glistened in the plant manager’s eyes at the unveiling as he thanked me for our passionate effort during a difficult time. I felt blessed. Relieved. Thankful. Paul and I returned to our hotel, pulled the shades, turned the air conditioning onto full blast and fell asleep at 6:30. Unaccustomed to sleeping more than a few hours at a time during the last few weeks; I woke three hours later and decided to attend the Chocolate and Wine Indulgence event at the festival. A full moon nudged its way through heavy low clouds determined to outshine the bright garish carnival lights of the festival. My father and mother fill my thoughts. Dad's nauseous body has rejected any attempts at eating for the last four days. Mom sounds a bit lost. I want to go home. 

(photos and video will be posted soon...)

Emerged in Willy Wonka Land...my eyelids and heart are heavy. We are racing the clock to the big unveiling on Friday. Punched with gaping grief, my chest hurts when I step back from the crazy world of chocolate, candy, and creation. Worry is wrapped around a difficult unexpected chapter in my parent’s life. Dad is hanging in there. He gets around with his walker - sleeps more and eats less each day.    Most hours in my Nestle-world are filled with scheming and problem-solving - fueled with nibbles of chocolate, sips of water, and deep breaths. My hands are tired and sore. Phone calls with family and Hospice nurses punctuate long hours of vivid thoughts, creative ideas, and lots of crazy yummy chocolate creating.     Wildberry nerds look like turquoise...a lovely accent for the Wizard of Oz-themed chocolate sculpture.

Phew! First day at Nestle working on the ChocolateFest creation = fourteen hours of head-scratching, sculpture building, chocolate eating, people meeting, and red hairnet wearing - along with a few good laughs. Thank goodness I’ve a GREAT partner to help me with this GIGANTIC chocolate sculpture!

Photo taken of Paul and I with the cell phone while watching the safety video in the security office before entering the chocolate factory.

The inevitability of loss looms over my soul and stabs my heart like the owl who pierces the still night by screeching under a thin slice of moon outside my window. I hope father is sleeping peacefully with mom. Eyelids impossibly heavy, he rests more each day. Sometimes Dad slurs his words and doesn’t finish his sentences. Yet he gets out of the chair and scoots around the yard with his walker filling the bird feeders. The whites of his eyes darken more yellow each day. His body shrinks. Dad misses the ability to read since jaundice weakens eye muscles but his spirit gets him out of the chair without assistance, up and down stairs, into his little black pickup to “drive the fence” and check the horses.  

Mom too is losing weight but holding up. A dear sweet little bird that frets and flutters, feels and fusses, loves and hurts. Aunt Liz and Uncle Rollie are arriving today to keep watch over the two of them. Tomorrow I must leave for Chocolate City, USA with chisels packed, my heart torn, deep breaths and plenty of faith. Juggling phone calls with Hospice nurses and Nestle, the bank and my accountant, a few museums and two pet sitters, life continues. Just shy of 3 weeks since Dad’s pancreatic cancer prognosis, I drink deep from the cool night air, listen to the owl, shuffle exhibit agreements and post-it notes.  Paul will accompany and assist me with the Chocolate Festival sculpture creation. His support and guidance are a godsend. We’ve squeezed a three week project into eight days – will need a bit of luck and more than a bit of strength.

Smells like rain on this spring morning. The birds are chirping outside eagerly – as if they want to “get their chirps in” before the storm.  Maya is purring right next to my laptop. I’m sipping tea and fighting the urge to crawl back under my cozy comforter for a nap.  I’ve zillions to do.  New artworks are being inventoried and uploaded to my website.  Patron Members just got their pre-view peek via e-mail of the new Works on Paper before they go live on the web.  I’ve a newsletter to write, drawings of a commission to do, travel plans for the ChocolateFest to make, some donated artwork to drop off, a bronze to ship, some DVDs to burn and send, a poster to design, a vlog to edit -  and that’s just my pre-noon list.  Phew! Things are ramping up in the studio!  The rest of the week will be mostly devoted to the BIG mesquite logs.  Have you seen the latest video?      

Over 10 years ago I stepped off a plane, rented a car and drove to Burlington, WI where I found myself immersed in Willy Wonka land at the Nestle Chocolate factory.  Using Swiss Made chisels, I carved over 1500 pounds of chocolate into a 14 foot totem pole for the city’s annual ChocolateFest.  Yum! Next month I will return to Nestle to create this year’s ChocolateFest creation.  I had several conference calls with chocolate engineers and watched The Wizard of Oz many times before I designed the creation. “There’s No Place Like Chocolate Land” is the theme for the festival this year .  I can’t tell you what the creation is going to be since it is traditionally kept a BIG secret until the unveiling Memorial weekend in May.  I will however…let you follow the process a bit via blog and vlog as the chips start flying.  Stay tuned…

Technorati Tags: Amber Jean,nestle,chocolatefest,chocolate creation,sculptor,burlington,montana artist

WOOD Magazine just put me in their Gallery of Woodworking Greats.

I wrote that sentence then stared at my computer wondering if it should follow with “Wow!” or “Shucks.”

I’m pleased and honored.

Their editor posted quite a few photos along with a link to the 2002 feature article “A Star Rises in the West.”

I can’t wait to share the next project with you.  Have you seen the latest little video clip about the logs I’m going to cut into this week? (Devil Woman Logs Arrive)

Stay tuned… 

“The logs lie and wait.  My fingers itch and my mind tumbles over the possibilities.  Last week I visited the Devil Woman Saloon in Texas to get a feel for the place where the mesquite sculptures will reside once I’ve carved and completed them.  I’m excited, inspired and challenged. 

I’m also swamped. 

Never has such a long stretch kept me from creating in woodchips and sawdust.  The demons have engaged in battle, pushed me into the trenches and gained ground.  I’m struggling.  Post surgery hormone craziness has fried my nerves, unsettled my stomach, messed with my mind and clenched my heart within an iron fist of anxiety.  The Blue Funk unpacked its bags, crowded the shelves, claimed the drawers, rolled up the rugs, and pulled the shades.  I hunker in a dark corner of my mind under the unrelenting glare of the Blue Funk’s unblinking stare.   Unclothed.  Shivering.  Vulnerable.  Scared and sad.”  

I actually wrote those words in February.   

I am happy to report that the Blue Funk is no longer a resident.  Unexpectedly the Blue Funk still plops down as an unwelcome guest now and then.  I feel the funk mostly in my chest - as if I swallowed a shoe.  The bugger makes me tired.  But between the naps and the long dream-filled nights, I am getting the studio ready.  Those logs sure smell good…I hear them calling… Here’s a little peak at the Mesquite:  Devil Woman Logs Video I’ll keep ya posted!  Stay tuned. 

Ya gotta love a client who shares her beautiful Texas home with a batch of exotic affectionate colorful and furry little characters.  My life-long affection for bunnies is proof of my inclination for big fuzzy ears.  Alas…big ears are abundant in the batch of  wee rug-rats who scamper about the walnut, granite and tile floors.

Ali is the least exotic but what a sweetheart.  A Yorkshire Terrier, she is quiet and well  behaved.  She trots like a wind up toy gone rusty in her hind quarters…a bit stocky like a miniature female German wrestler she’s well fed, sweet and unassuming.

 

 

 

Jack and Sassy are Cornish Rex Cats - long and sleek regal siblings.  Their prominent foreheads and giant ears look Egyptian.   Softer than my grandmother’s old fur coat, their short curly fur resembles grandma’s soft o’l coat  with tight little waves.  Jack has a Groucho Marx mustache and his sister is a patchwork of white, black and tan.  All eyes and ears, they look even more aloof than most cats but are surprisingly affectionate.  Sassy parked herself on my lap the whole time I sat at my computer.

Cami is the newest addition.  No bigger than a guinea pig, she makes up for her diminutive size with spunk.  A tri-colored long-haired Chi Wawa who instantly squirmed her cute little bug-eyed soul right into my arms (er…hand) and wrapped around my heart.   I am infatuated with her.  I could zip her up in my hoodie with her big ears and little tongue hanging out  and take her home with me.

My client also has a beautiful big German Sheppard named Hobo whom she rescued.  Scars and a limp are testament of his pre-adoption vagabond days.  He watches over the ranch but hangs out with the wee little gang at the home now and then.  Hobo is smart, mellow and loyal (he also has big ears) and is a handsome bugger.

We rescued a pale oriental looking mix-breed dog while I was visiting.  The lost or abandoned dog was bright and friendly.  I just can’t imagine the kind of person who could dump a dog but am glad to be working with a big-hearted client who shares my love for furry critters and big ears.  Stay tuned for updates on the art part of the Devil Woman Saloon project.

The logs for the Devil Woman Saloon commission arrived on Friday.  The weather was fine for unloading…a good thing since it took a few hours, three men and a Terex to wrestle the 1000 pound logs into my temporary studio space.  Sure is some pretty (and pretty heavy) wood!  Phew!

Josh from Mesquite Burl shipped the logs yesterday.  The project for the Devil Woman Saloon is back on track! 

The video above shows the beautiful logs which arrived from Mexico only to be sent back when I discovered they were not what I ordered for this commissioned project.  I actually found Mesquite Burl before I ordered the other logs and would you believe the folks at Mesquite Burl knew who I was before I called them?  I forgot how Josh came across my work but I am sure glad I discovered Mesquite Burl.  They didn’t have HUGE mesquite when I first inquired, thus the beginning of the fiasco with the logs from Mexico. 

Josh has been great to work with!!  He found a rather rare load of BIG mesquite logs and sent pictures.  I had a tough time deciding which beauties to buy.  Josh also sawed the logs in half for me and kiln dried them to kill the bugs.   Poor logs will have a bit of a shock weather-wise don’t you think?  Can’t wait to see the logs and get my paws on ‘em to let the sculpture creating begin! 

My current client has company. Since my commission is taking place just outside his front door, and since I make plenty of sawdust and lots of noise, I have been given a “recess” of a few days. Sweet. Honestly, I’ve grown weary of the task. The creativity part was accomplished during the first few hours while designing more than a month ago. Once I resolved the carving issues, figured my way toward color choices, and put the final glaze coat on the first two posts…the mystery was solved. Two embellished entry porch posts…perfect for the place and space…finished. I hadn’t messed up. My client was pleased. What finally became obvious to him (and what I knew all along) is that the other two posts would also have to be carved. So I am working on them. “Lesser” versions of the central posts (so as not to compete…I want the “climax” and action to build near the doorway while the outside posts quietly hold court like the wedding party to the bride and groom). The commission at this point is mostly pure physical labor. The challenges are boredom, physical fatigue (my poor hands), and Momma Nature. Wind is the most menacing element followed closely by sweltering heat. Rain is not a problem since I get to quit when it rains and certainly won’t argue with lightning. Wind can make me weary; especially since it blows every which way, dusting my eyes and filling my nose with sawdust. A few blood vessels broke in one eye two weeks ago and gave me a possessed look; devil-ish or prize-fighter-ish. I still have a big red spot in that eye. So I am suppose to return to carve on Wednesday but I see that the weather forecast for Wednesday is thunderstorms which actually makes me happy because I would rather be home writing than up Tom Miner carving. Each day I find many things to share. Thoughts flutter and flit with wings so appealing and magical that I want to stop whatever I am doing and explore with words the spark, iridescence, depth, and endless color intricately woven on their surface. I don’t want to just squeak out little accounts of big adventures. Actually, my weekend was rather tame since it lacked adventure of the outdoor kind. No huffing and puffing, no summits or rock or rivers. Yet…the weekend was rich and full. If each idea which popped up in my mind over the weekend to write about was a little lightning bug…then my head would be glowing like the moon…bright enough to cast shadows. I find myself looking back at the last few days as though I just opened a box of decadent chocolates. I want to take a bite from each treat…reveal the mysterious sweet center…and share them with you. I need to write more. Create more. Adventure more. Alas, I must make money. I need to make money now because I haven’t any excess. I haven’t even enough to pay the bills on my desk. The box of yummy chocolates must wait to be opened and shared. The beautiful butterfly thoughts tease, tempt, and tantalize. Worse…they urge me with earnestness born from an awareness of how delicate and fleeting their lives are. The lightening bugs flash, glitter and glow. I must quickly capture them but when do I find the time? The outdoor commission work makes me tired…the kind of wrung out tired that comes when work is uninspiring. Therein lay a key difference between survival work and inspired work. Inspired work is akin to climbing a mountain for an adventurer like me… while the activity may be physically exhausting, the passion infuses. A post-summit-high stirs the soul to Snoopy Dance even if the feet themselves are blistered and worn out. Creativity and passion put a skip in my step and a twist on the path that is living. I cherish the dream to create full time…to sculpt, paint, write, perform and adventure. Wednesday is a coin-flip decided by Momma Nature. Make money or paint with words?

So many possibilities!! I hadn’t known ‘til yesterday afternoon that I wouldn’t be working on the commission up Tom Miner Basin…an unexpected day off since my client has guests today. The morning has been crisp and cool. The hip-high thistles no longer have Dr Seuss-size blooms. Tall tiny white wildflowers along with some pink and purple blooms dot the yard but we are long past the Monet look of spring, tipping instead toward the dry arid colors of cliché western paintings. The tall grass scratches rather than caresses when hiking in shorts this time of year. The wild raspberries are ripe and scrumptious on the mountain. Usually I see more bear sign while picking and gorging on the juicy red berries. Breakfast was a home-made banana split with non-dairy ice cream, a banana, raisons, peanuts, almonds, wild rasberries and chocolate syrup. I’m on my 3rd cup of tea wearing sweats and a hoody and still I have Goosebumps ‘tho it is well past mid-morning and it is AUGUST. I live a thousand feet above the valley, which means the temps are usually double digits cooler than the folks below (it also means the snow is deeper and the stars are closer). A humming bird just came by for a late breakfast (or an early lunch). The chimes ring and ting-a-ling in the breeze, the grasshoppers chirp, the birds tweet…all is well on the mountain. I suppose I should go for a trail run, the weather is perfect for a mountain bike ride; a friend has phoned to climb. But I’ve some catching up to do in the desk part of business life, an appointment with an acupuncturist and a headache behind my right eye where two blood vessels recently burst. Then too, there is an application to fill out which involves writing about myself and my art...an exercise which feels like just that…an exercise. None too compelling and about as enticing as pull-ups or crunches but something which usually makes me feel good once I’ve finished. My goal is to finish soon enough to take Zaydee for a quick hike up the mountain before going to town.

Zaydee jumped in the Yellowstone for a swim after a post-sunrise climb on cliffs above the river. Three pelicans flew in formation downriver as I traveled up the valley at 9 a.m. to begin the staining stage of the carving commission up Tom Miner Basin. Love working with wood after touching rock. Mmmm...the fresh rainbow trout dinner was pretty good too!

Tail end of the nasty cold still has me feeling almost too tired to see this computer screen.

Today I launched into a new commission…on site…at a home up Tom Miner Basin. Lucky me to enjoy perfect weather for working outside on front entryway posts. Shade until early afternoon then a little tease of a breeze helped a bit with the hot afternoon sun. I must try to remember to take pictures…but honestly once I start working I can scarce remember such a thing as picking up my camera.

Sunday June 21

A cold-bone, sore-throat and headache-y bug has me and the sun just came out…! I’ve zillions to do before beginning a few commissioned carvings up Tom Miner Basin but just want to curl up and nap. Who gets a cold in the summer time? Chastised myself for overdoing it…am I getting too old for early mornings at my desk, followed by long physical days working, plus climbing and biking while averaging about five hours sleep?! Mmmmm…. But no! I just found out that everyone at the camp on the Grizzly Creek Ranch is sick. The camp was established to offer underprivileged youth a chance for an outdoor wilderness and leadership experience. http://myeconnect.org/ Pretty neat. The days spent up Tom Miner Basin have felt good...just simple outdoor physical labor for 10 hours a day rain or shine scours rusty spots from the soul. Hauling hay, catching horses, welding steel patches on cattle guards, and pruning trees in a Scotch Bright world complete with big-kneed animal babies and dramatic Montana skies. Good stuff. A new collector visited over the weekend to discuss a commission for her Texas saloon. Loved her idea inspired by the Reliquaries. She walked away with 10 original works on paper and a belly full of fried food. No…I didn’t actually fry food myself but took her to this yummy little fried food stand in town where they served us seafood, sweet potato fries, and okra. We licked powdered sugar from our fingers while we ate the yummy fried Oreos… sugar lips and grins.