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sitting here

Sunday, 11. May 2008, 22:02:00

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finally, i uploaded a little video i made about our meeting at the grand casino cafe'



sitting here having a wonderful salad and scanning my friend mitch's pictures into my 'puter i thought i might take a break and post on a nice day i had last monday. first i went to the food bank and gathered piles of food for the month (frozen stuff is already in the freezer}. but isn't this great. one thing i'll say for the catholic church (st. anthony's in culver city), they know how to help the poor. the organization is called SAVES. they've been keeping me in good food for five years or so.


and flowers to paint.


then i went to my favorite sidewalk cafe called the grand casino. it's a bakery restaurant run by a russian lady i know, lydia, but the cuisine is argentinian because she lived in argentina for 18 years.
i always get two chicken empanadas and a bowl of the soup of the day (always made with fresh ingredients. monday is lentil day)

i was on time, they were both late.



anyway, it's a great place to gather friends for a meal and conversation.

this is halldor enard, artist, actor, musician


i've known halldor since he was nine when he was in the party of kids who shared a godfathering ceremony i organized (since it was a boy who was fifteen who suddenly decided he wanted a 'godfather').

his parents, long time friends of mine, asked him who he wanted and he said, "scott." so anyway, nine kids, friends of darien's, sat in serious silence for ten minutes on a giant rock in the woods. then i asked them to each carefully consider what they would give him as a wish for his future. it was an excellent experience. i remember, i wished for him that 'he would always have friends who were true and loyal'.

the other guy is mike vann, who i've mentioned a few times. i first met michael at the venice beach hostel almost eight years ago. he's a filmaker and currently organizing the "other venice film festival" OVFF.
http://www.othervenicefilmfest.com/



if you're in new york try to see halldor's father's recent work at the phoenix gallery.
andre yves enard will be showing at:

http://www.phoenix-gallery.com/

phoenix gallery
210 eleventh ave. @ 25th street
ste. 902 . new york . 10001
212-226-8711

he's a french artist i worked with when i was a manhattanite. before i was exiled to paradise.

mother's daypreview and new portrait

Comments

PainterWoman 11. May 2008, 22:20

So glad you're having a wonderful day. I am too but just lounging around. Will mow the front lawn at 4:00 when the Arizona Ash tree completely shades the yard. Spoke to my daughter in Fargo a few minutes ago so now I'm content having seen or spoken to my three children in the last two days.

Don't be surprised if I paint a picture of you.

Nicolas Borgsmidt 11. May 2008, 22:21

Sounds like a great day Scott. Those guys must be good references :up: Wish I had more artist friends...maybe i´m too earthbound and craftsman like :lol: Those flowers are going to look beautiful, in one of your paintings.
Finally I passed the dead point in my painting. Have been struggeling for some time, to be able to move on :smile:
your surroundings looks great Scott !

scott cumming 11. May 2008, 22:51

painterwoman, that's good to have talked to all children but you shouldn't be mowing lawns on mother's day. on father's day i don't do a drop of work... just resting on my laurels.

nic,
no it's more like i am a good reference for them... they're just kids.
but i love them. they are both really good people.

"the worker is 'hidden' in the workshop"

sounds like you could use a day at the cafe my friend... go immediately. always carry a sketchpad and a notebook though so you can look busy.

people people people.... that's what we all need. vibrations, new impressions, some excitement. then, back to the drawing board with new ideas, new energy. in and out and back in again.

and when the 'surf's up', ride the wave in the curl and shout out as loud as you can, "i am alive!!!"

wow, i really got carried away didn't i?

PainterWoman 11. May 2008, 23:25

:lol: I already rested on my laurels! I took a half hour nap at 1pm then had leftover Japanese food for lunch when I got up. It only takes me 15 min. to do the front and I'm on the 'time saver' schedule with my electric company so whatever I do on the weekends, or before 9am or after 9pm during the week is cheaper.

The mowing is done, then a smoke, water and computer break for another 15 min., then I'll get out the weedeater for the edging. I really don't mind doing it at all. I figure as long as I am alive and CAN do it.....I will. I'd rather mow than do dishes.:lol: I don't think I'm as disciplined as you. My bad.

p.s. you can get carried away all you want

Matthew 11. May 2008, 23:46

Halldor... Icelandic?

How nice to share a partof your day with friends, talking and listening over good food.

scott cumming 12. May 2008, 00:49

matthew,
i welcome your comment as always.

yes halldor's mother, vala, is icelandic. she's a very accomplished artist also.

yes, matthew, it is a pleasure, you should have heard what a wonderful conversation we had. it filled me up. it's good to have some friends from all generations. no generation gap for me.

http://www.othervenicefilmfest.com/

mike's project. this will be the fifth annual other venice film festival. ovff

Matthew 12. May 2008, 01:05

Goodness! That's a big deal. Very impressive.

My father's best friend is 91. He's still sharp as a tack, and I've never been with the two of them when we didn't laugh for hours. I think the generation gap isn't something that exists in nature, it's something you permit to develop, and then let yourself fall into.

scott cumming 12. May 2008, 01:10

exactly matthew. excellent comment. you should stop here more often.

i think people in their nineties who are still sharp are lucky, of course, genetically, but i'll bet anything that many of them had to work on themselves to keep that tack sharp. the older i get the more i admire the ones who hold up over the long haul.

Matthew 12. May 2008, 01:16

I enjoy it here, Scott. Sometimes the thread of conversation gets away from me, though. :lol:

My father's friend was a cabinet maker. He "retired" in his mid-70s, and installed a black smith shop behind the cabinet shop. The shops are on his property, and her rents space to other cabiniet makers. He still goes out there every day to solve their problems for them. I've never seen anyone who could do complex compound miter calculations in his head as quickly. My point, of course, is the same as yours - keeping the little grey cells engaged is what keeps a body vital in the twilight of life.

scott cumming 12. May 2008, 01:25

good example. he must know the solid geometry equations and do it in his head. because the problem with compound mitres is the brain can't get around it without doing the math. so we wind up doing trial and error... much to the detriment of the result. thank god for putty. putty keeps the 'sclock' cabinet makers in business.

Matthew 12. May 2008, 01:44

I wish I had a picture of an eight foot on a side dodecahedron he did out of walnut. This is as close as I can find, but, of course, it doesn't begin to do it justice. It was fascinating the way shadows changed its appearance. It was even more fascinating how the joints fit together.

The most amazing thing of all was how he could divorce himself from his work. He built it for a company who was selling little replicas for executive desks. When they went bancrupt, it sat in the rain and weather for a couple of years. Not good for untreated wood. :frown: Didn't bother him at all, though. It was theirs, not his.

scott cumming 12. May 2008, 02:57

good story... that's a polyhedron with twelve faces, right? wow, i would like to see the equation for the angle to join the parts at.

Matthew 12. May 2008, 03:14

Dodecahedron is what they called it. It really wasn't, though. It was a three-sided pyramid, but it had no "faces". instead, each edge was a six-sided box. That makes 36 sides, if my math doesn't fail me - though some of the sides were "interior" sides. Light could shine all the way through the center, but because of all the angles, there was a lot of shadow.

On top of all that, it balanced on a single point, and spun slowly on a motorized peg. When the motor wasn't on, you could spin it with your little finger, even though it was over 600 pounds.

scott cumming 12. May 2008, 04:36

so cool.

Nicolas Borgsmidt 12. May 2008, 07:59

That´s just so great Scott :smile:

scott cumming 12. May 2008, 09:01

it is isn't it? hi nic. :smile:

Allan 12. May 2008, 09:06

What a nice post, Scott. Not only, but mainly, because I get the feeling that you're living a good life now.

I know a few artists personally, and as confusing as it is to spend time with these people, it's also and foremost a life-enhancing experience. I find it inspiring when my oh-so-well-organized life gets a kick in the butt.

Angeliki 12. May 2008, 10:52

I am delighted to know that with the cybertwin Scott substituting at home, the real Scott has more time to ponder.
It seems to me that Scott is in a good place.
That"taking a brake" we did analyze in the past works like a charm.

Your display in the pictures looks beautiful.
The second picture is a painting on its own....It tickles my artistic secret side...

I hope you are done with your friends book. What a great friend you are. Thanks for the info about the phoenix gallery! :heart:

Kiran 12. May 2008, 13:58

:up:

Angeliki 12. May 2008, 17:31

Dodecahedron
compound word, dodeka+hedra
dodeka =12
hedras =faces


The dodecahedron has 12 pentagonal faces that meet in groups of three at each of 20 vertices.Growing up we were challenged at school for years using dodecahedron s..

Thanks for the memories.:up:
Your fathers' friend must be a very strong mathematical brain :up:

Leonard 13. May 2008, 03:17

I think I learn more on Scotts blog than I did in High School. :sherlock:

Angeliki 13. May 2008, 04:04

Scott I did it !
Your request was granted. I don't think he should be out on his own ! Too innocent still.
A little more time will help out!
Let me know how it went when you are back.
:smile:

Matthew 13. May 2008, 04:12

That's the regular dodecahedron, one of at least 14 kinds of dodecahedrons, none of which describes the structure I was talkign about. lol

Angeliki 13. May 2008, 04:16

thank you for the correction
I was just trying to give my side of the meaning
based in etymology :smile:
I am sure you are right.

Matthew 13. May 2008, 13:42

It wasn't a correction, it was an elaboration. Yours is the most common usage. All the others are some derivation or embelishment. And of course I am right p:

Although the guys who asked for this thing to be built called it a dodecahedron, it clearly was not one.

scott cumming 13. May 2008, 15:45

you're both wrong.

it's a doubledecker masculine automatized tour bus. :sherlock:

Matthew 13. May 2008, 15:58

Holy cow! So obvious, in rretrospect! :lol:

Angeliki 13. May 2008, 17:08

Homer: Doh!

lokutus_prime 13. May 2008, 23:45

I enjoyed reading all of this Scott :smile:

scott cumming 14. May 2008, 00:06

loku,
glad to hear that brother... just another 'slice' of life.
thanks for dropping in and reading. :cheers:

lokutus_prime 14. May 2008, 00:11

..always a pleasure, dear american bro' :up:

Léazz 15. May 2008, 15:51

:smile:

lokutus_prime 15. May 2008, 21:34

:smile:

scott cumming 15. May 2008, 23:40

:cool:

Leonard 16. May 2008, 02:15

:smile:

Léazz 16. May 2008, 02:43

:lol: Let me continue this with more smileysssss.. :smile:

Matthew 16. May 2008, 02:47



Heh.

Angeliki 16. May 2008, 03:25

scott cumming 16. May 2008, 03:36

Angeliki 16. May 2008, 03:43

Angeliki 16. May 2008, 03:48


Léazz 16. May 2008, 07:31

Errrr how do I get the gif emoticon? I'm jealous...

scott cumming 16. May 2008, 17:57

right click and copy image address. then use the code for img.
make sure there are no spaces in the whole line.

Leonard 16. May 2008, 18:31

The skull n bones I used to fly is a gif. Its supposed to spin, but I haven't been able to make it do squat. :frown: I don't know why it doesn't wrk.

Nicolas Borgsmidt 16. May 2008, 18:36

WATCH THIS an total steady smiley :eyes: : there you go !

Leonard 16. May 2008, 18:38

:lol:

scott cumming 16. May 2008, 19:48

it'll spin, or move, if it's an address. hosted somewhere.

you could probably archive gifs published in an album. then they might spin. i'll try it and let you know.

Leonard 16. May 2008, 20:11

its in a folder in my documents. what do I need to do w/it? to make it wrk correctly. it will post, but it just sits there.

scott cumming 16. May 2008, 20:18

try uploading it to any album you have that's online. the right click and copy address of the gif then enclose it in square brackets [
with img (in caps) = webaddress (paste it, no mistakes.) end it in ]then new left [ then
/img and close with right square brackets. i can't write it here because it's code and disappears when it's published.

Nicolas Borgsmidt 16. May 2008, 20:31

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