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We had a great turnout for the dual openings of the "Fragmented" and "Resilient" Exhibitions at ARTSPACE 8 in Chicago. The highlights of the night were Fidel Rodriguez's stunning new "Flag" piece (first image shot by Fidel R., courtesy of Artspace 8) and seeing some old artist friends. If you could not attend the openings, please stop by the gallery during your next downtown/magnificent mile outing and see the shows and all the other amazing artwork the gallery exhibits. I shot the last image of the old church being framed by the modern high-rise on the way to the opening. I'm always looking... ARTSPACE 8 900 N. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60611 312.241.160 A recent beautiful install for the University of Kansas Hospital Collection compliments of the amazing Blue Gallery, Kansas City, MO.
Installation images: "Meaningful Adjacencies" 60" x 60" 2017, "Inward Journey" 48" x 36" 2017 and "Transcend" 48" x 36" 2017.  Please join me for the opening of "Fragmented" at ARTSPACE 8 gallery in Chicago. Highlighting ten gallery artists, the opening reception will be next Tuesday, April 24. If you can not attend the opening, please stop by the gallery during your next downtown/magnificent mile outing and see all the amazing artwork they exhibit.
ARTSPACE 8 Tuesday, April 24, 6:00-8:00PM 900 N. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60611 312.241.160  I am pleased to be included in a beautiful April exhibition at Blue Gallery in Kansas City, MO. Please contact the gallery for images of available artwork and more information. Blue Gallery 118 Southwest Blvd. Kansas City, MO 64108 816.527.0823 Above image: selections from my "Meaningful Adjacencies" series and "Copernicus" with sculptures by Marv Graff in the center front at Blue Gallery, Kansas City, MO   "Stillness" used U.S. postage stamps and resin on canvas 30" x 60" 2017
at Blue Gallery, Kansas City, MO I was honored to be one of three judges last Saturday for the 63rd annual Deer Path Art League Art Fair for 2017. I met Pam Payton, Chairperson, and Michael Brown, Art Fair Organizer, and two other judges at the Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest at 9:00 AM to go through hundreds of submissions. I was pleasantly surprised to experience the use of the ZAPPlication jury system that worked seamlessly and made the process super-organized and efficient. We finished by noon and all had a great lunch together, getting to know each another and each of our work better. I reserved most of the day for the jury process and since we finished earlier than planned, I decided to make use of the time and location and explore the surrounding area with my Canon camera. Below is a quick cell phone shot of the ZAPPlication jury system as it was set-up and some additional photograph while exploring in and around Lake Forest and Waukegan, IL.   This week and next, I am working on several pieces at once, with easels set up in various places in the studio and a table for small works, as well. Shown here in progress is “De La Sol 2,” based on a piece by Sol LeWitt entitled “Brush Strokes in Four Directions” from 1994. My original "De La Sol," sold by Simon Breitbard Gallery in San Fransisco, is shown below.  "De La Sol" used U.S. postage stamps and resin on cradled wood panel 44" x 44" 2015
I had a great visit delivering new work to Water Street Gallery in Douglas, Michigan. I spent an amazing afternoon with Maryjo Lemanski (Owner/Director) and Steve Mottram (Assistant Director), and then later hiked around the Saugatuck Harbor Nature Area and Oval Beach with my camera. In all my years of visiting this town, I never knew this beautiful and secluded beach existed.  Maryjo and Steve organizing the new artwork. New work from my 8" x 8" (Vortex Series) at Water Street Gallery. Two of my 24" x 6" pieces on wood panels hanging next to an amazing paper piece by Krista Reuter. Two pyramids resting in front of "Radial Flux" hanging behind them.      Selection from my "Shaped" series at Water Street Gallery. Moments in light and time from the secluded and empty Oval Beach, Saugatuck, MI
Please join me this Sunday, February 12, at Firecat Projects gallery in Chicago. For those of you who missed the official opening of "Synchronicity," or have been meaning to see the exhibition or want to come back again, I will be at the gallery hosting this special Sunday open gallery time. I look forward to seeing you there. Special Open Gallery Event at Firecat Projects Sunday, February 12, 2017 from 11:00am-3:00pm 2124 N Damen Ave. Chicago, IL 60647 My cell phone: 773-206-2824 My email: jordandscott@sbcglobal.net  A great turnout for Opening Night at Firecat Projects in Chicago for the "Synchronicity" exhibition. Photos: with fellow artist Darren Jones and Michele Jahelka, Curator, and Stan Klein, Gallery Director. Exhibition dates: January 27-February 18, 2017  Gallerist and Artist Extraordinaire Stan Klein in motion and putting the finishing touches on the "Synchronicity" exhibition at Firecat Projects in Chicago. Synchronicity - The Art of Paper |
| In philately, this is considered a Cinderella stamp or any paper document resembling a stamp but not issued for official postal purposes. I discovered it in an otherwise unexciting box of miscellaneous worldwide stamps. The stunning imagery, including the predominant swastika and the subtle details of the barbed wire fence and imprisoned man, initially got my attention. The wonderful coloring also adds to the powerful effect of the stamp. From the minor amount of research I did, I learned that the writing is Portuguese and states: “if Hitler won, there would be no freedom” |  |
Last week, I came across these rather disturbing stamps in a recently acquired international collection. They range from 1923 to 1944, spanning the years before and through WWII. Hitler profiles, the German Eagle and swastika are all represented in this small collection, each in duplicates of ten and stored in clear plastic boxes. The profile stamps are part of a series issued from 1941-1944; the German Eagle, the oldest issue, from 1923; and the swastika emblem is from 1939.
Although they have important historical significance, I really don't want to keep them in my collection and certainly would never use them in my art. They did, however, get me to thinking about a related blog post, one of my first, from years ago. Here it is again:
Huge German Panzer Under Eisenhower, Jim stormed Utah Beach in Normandy and then continued as an allied tank commander fighting against the German Blitzkrieg threat that stretched across devastated Western Europe. The small and comparatively light armored Sherman tanks of the allied forces were no match for the massive Panzers of the German army.
Jim explained that the shells fired from the Sherman tanks would bounce right off the sides of the German Panzers and leave little more than a big black dent in the reinforced steel. “Bang! And that didn’t slow them down a bit,” he said. “We had to try and corner one, confuse him, with at least three or four of our tanks to every one of those bastards. It was the only way we could stop them. We had to maneuver around as fast as we could without getting blown-up until we got one into the right position with its front end directly towards one of us. Their front-end was the weakest spot on the whole tank. A good direct hit to the very front of a Panzer was the only way to penetrate those bastards.”
He continued. "Not only were our tanks lighter and quicker, but the first thing I’d do was take the governor off the engine block. The army put a governor on the carburetors on all the Shermans. It’s was supposed to keep us from running the diesel too hot and burning it out, blowing the engine completely. But most of us knew how to remove it. That way, when we needed the speed, we could get one of them really moving”
Jim was my manager at the local hardware store I worked at all through high school. He took a liking to me and would often take me aside to share his war stories. I felt honored and privileged that he did this.
“I think I once had one of them up to at least fifty-five miles per hour.” He thought for a moment. “The only problem was you only had a few minutes pushing it at those speeds. You had to get the job done and your ass out of trouble quick, then throttle down the engine or it would blow. Then you were really in trouble. If you blew the engine you were in real trouble. That’s what the engine governor was for, to keep us from blowing them out.”
And that governor always came off first thing on Jim’s tanks. First thing.
Jim explained that the shells fired from the Sherman tanks would bounce right off the sides of the German Panzers and leave little more than a big black dent in the reinforced steel. “Bang! And that didn’t slow them down a bit,” he said. “We had to try and corner one, confuse him, with at least three or four of our tanks to every one of those bastards. It was the only way we could stop them. We had to maneuver around as fast as we could without getting blown-up until we got one into the right position with its front end directly towards one of us. Their front-end was the weakest spot on the whole tank. A good direct hit to the very front of a Panzer was the only way to penetrate those bastards.”
He continued. "Not only were our tanks lighter and quicker, but the first thing I’d do was take the governor off the engine block. The army put a governor on the carburetors on all the Shermans. It’s was supposed to keep us from running the diesel too hot and burning it out, blowing the engine completely. But most of us knew how to remove it. That way, when we needed the speed, we could get one of them really moving”
Jim was my manager at the local hardware store I worked at all through high school. He took a liking to me and would often take me aside to share his war stories. I felt honored and privileged that he did this.
“I think I once had one of them up to at least fifty-five miles per hour.” He thought for a moment. “The only problem was you only had a few minutes pushing it at those speeds. You had to get the job done and your ass out of trouble quick, then throttle down the engine or it would blow. Then you were really in trouble. If you blew the engine you were in real trouble. That’s what the engine governor was for, to keep us from blowing them out.”
And that governor always came off first thing on Jim’s tanks. First thing.
 Sherman tank engine compartment where Jim did his modifications |  Allied Sherman tank |
| Interesting article on a beautiful Northport, Michigan, rehabbed cottage that I had the pleasure of visiting recently, featuring one of my large map pieces in the main room. Northport’s Chetonka Cottage Rocks a Rustic Industrial Vibe By Diane Kolak on June 1, 2016  |  |