Rules For Ridicules, Indifferential Equations & Kicks

Plus Art To Alaska And More...

Jun 06, 2024

The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference

—Elie Wiesel

Hello Dear Readers, it is so nice to see you again! Today I present three new updates in this post;

As usual, I get things going with a little fun, a bit of levity is always a good antidote for those of you who still persist on venturing out into that global asylum called The Internet. This is sort of a rant, but more like that old Mad Magazine feature, “Things We’d Like To See.”

I don’t know about you, but I shudder at the phrase, “Well, to be honest…”. ARGH! That’s like a steel leaf rake on a concrete sidewalk.

When someone issues that irksome phrase, I want to reply with a snarky, “Really now? Does that mean you’ve been lying the rest of the time?”

>BLANK (⊙_⊙) STARE<

I would then continue with an aposiopesis, “And, to be perfectly frank…”

And then just quit talking. Let it hang there. Silent. After a suitable pause, they will have to say, “And…? Frank about what?!”

At that point I add, “Frankly, I’m collecting signatures to start a moratorium on the phrase “To be honest” and while I’m at it, I’m also am advocating the stockade for those who can’t form a sentence without the equally cringe “I’m like” and “He’s all” plus the ubiquitous ‘You know’, if you know what I mean…” ARGH!

Heheh… You may have noticed that I’ve become somewhat of a curmudgeon, but I’m officially “old” and waited a lifetime to be afforded the permission to act in a crotchety manner.

Harrumph! ( ˘︹˘ )

Efficient And Beauty Free

As goes our language, so too, I lament, goes our architecture. Have you noticed how the past couple decades nearly all modern enterprises have become a bland, uninspired, tedious landscape of consumerist glop? Drive through any town in the US and you will see cookie-cutter corporate chains punctuated with their vulgar attempts at “style” by nailing a giant corporate logo onto an immense featureless box. But I digress, Happy Shopping!

So, just when I was starting to feel that the world is losing its panache, a funny thing happened. I’ve often told my strikingly lovely bride that sometimes I need a swift kick in the arse to get me going when I’m in a funk, a kick that she is devilishly more than happy to administer.

However, that kick in my derrière came in the form of this fine piece of art created by Judy Popky and Kory Dollar.

Judy Popky & Kory Dollar untitled slider.

It’s called a “slider” and is created by a placing small pieces of stained glass onto a sheet of stained glass which is then placed upon another sheet of clear glass. They then stick a rock or something under one side, throw it is a kiln and then as the glass melts, it ‘slides’ down the sheet of clear. Got it? I’m sure I’m missing some steps, but you get the idea.

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

The term “slider” originally comes from the North American tribe of the Barflydians and refers to one of their common staples, the 'Slider'. The literal translation is; “nasty inedible bar food”, but whatever).

What was I writing about? Oh, yeah, this piece of multi-layered glass is 3-D when seen in person. It has a deep and mysterious luster and depth that one could get lost in. See if you can spot the waterfalls and the bees.

You really ought to view this post on a computer, not a phone as this image is rich in detail!

When I first laid eyes upon this lovely piece, I knew it needed a frame to match. Judy said she wanted something simple and not too costly. BAH! This needed a frame equal to the art, so I pulled out the black walnut and made an alteration in the usual cable-tension style frame.

Instead of the standard cables, I used mahogany struts because ‘sliders’ are so uneven, there is no way to apply equal pressure and have the ends align. I topped it off with some extra heavy eye-bolts to give it more gravitas.

(Click on any image to enlarge)

Well done Judy and Kory!

[NOTE: If you are reading this in an email, it may get clipped off about here. To see the rest of this wonderful post, click on the title at the top of the page and it will take you to davwise.substack.com where you can read it properly.]

A Parcel Makes It Home

In my 05/22/2024 post “Mosaics, AI = As If”, I wrote about having crated up one of Kathie’s mosaics that was going to the Alaskan wilderness via Idaho.

Well, after trying not to worry about it like the father of a teenage girl on prom night during an Adderall shortage, I received this VERY nice email from the new owner after they unpacked it:

Kathie’s “Autumn Leaves” mosaic at its new location, inside a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness!

"This picture traveled over about 150 miles of frost heaves and pot holes so bad you could only drive 25 to 40 miles per hour. As you can see it made its destination unscathed and still beautiful. Thank you so much for packing it so well. Best wishes, Mary"

So, that was cool! Plus, Mary became a paid subscriber!

Some Cable Frames With Style

Here is a variation on a design I’ve made before but with thicker material and a more substantial relief.

Sorry for the poor images, folks. My photography skills are beyond lame, more like “Who let you have a camera?” lame. I made every attempt to get better quality shots this time, but I’m afraid that with my bad eyesight, poor color perception and my shaking like a belly dancer (I have the belly but I can’t dance) things never come out as well as someone with better understanding of the art in picture-taking. Even with a tripod, I’m still a total novice.

»Paging Ken Barber« HELP!

Speaking of Ken Barber, The Old Mountain Man, did you know you can get his fine photography as a jigsaw puzzle? Check this out!