May 28th 10:11

Well, I crashed and burned last weekend. Then, felt better when one of the kids decided to splatter paint. Splatter paint always cheers me up,of course,his mom wasn't happy about the shoes.

I'm working on a play with my students and going crazy making the props. Almost done. Shows?

good grief! Thank god for grandpa wiener. I'm working on 6 paintings at the same time. I have chosen 4 of Grandpa's greatest works to interpret. also,Dog Boy. He is one of the visible boy collages. He's 72" tall. I always start paintings with a wash of different color but just drew him with black paint. Want that paint totally dry so I'll be back to him tomorrow, Prairie Dog is off the stretchers. I'm thinking of gluing it on heavy cardboard. Also have a big trash sculpture to work on,other that that nothing new.

May 24 7:34

At random I chose the Tarot card of the day and it turned out to be

"Queen of Wands"

Today is about a woman who is the mistress of self. She is an individual. Knows exactly who she is and acts as her own authority. she is a survivor of many past hurts and and has been tempered like steel through loss and grief. She knows what she wants and goes and gets it. Today is about independence personal liberty,self reliance,self esteem,self knowledge and self confidence. Take the off mask of old roles and expectations and show your true self. Be the ruler of your own life.

I'm back to trying to focus. I need to think,how do I do all the work. Study the "Queen of Wands" Don't fall in the well. No black hole.

Trying to come up with the work for my dog days show I found this photo of Madeline and Okie.

May 13th 7:00am

I have been so busy. I've also been spending time staring into space. All these show creeping up fast. any way have stopped working on the June show. I have to concentrate on July. I work on this large notebook every day at school. the little kids love to share the supplies I bring. Anyway I found a book in NYC about dog portraits. I took each one and and glued a small part on each page. I am using only the book for the collage pieces and water color and oil pastel I want to loose the image completely. I bought a bunch of canvases with the idea of using them for the visible boys planes but that will have to wait. This is "Grandpa Wiener, a painter for our times. so this is how the process works at it's best. Get it?

I like the ones that clearly show the frame. I have a bunch of frame pieces I could add if I can figure out how to attach. forgot the cover.

I'll explain the process. I found the title first,in an old art magazine. then I found the book in NYC. Then I made the notebook, next I'll do the paintings,

May 5th 6:58

Went to visit the gallery space for the show I'm having in June. Good Grief! It's huge. And not only that what kind of a nut sends a press release for a show in July with no work. actually I do have the plan in my head,great,now to get it out of my head. The plan. 5 large paintings. the first one I have the drawing "Self portrait with bullet the Wonder Dog" The second Self portrait with Taos Dog Understudies" The challenge? Can I let go of the abstract. Wait and see. Large notebook

"Sit Stay" These are abstract portraits of dogs and a series of small photos from Westminster.

April 28th 6:35 am

Everyday I work in some way on the notebooks. None are finished and what do I do ,go and start another. I couldn't figure where to put the poems.I had this book on Picasso portraits so I cut all the faces in half,the way I started the "Self Portraits from the Black Hole" so I cut all the faces and glue them in the book . Worked on one ." Homage Picasso, poems from the Black Hole"

So they are dark,what's the crime in that.

A bed

is too small for two

even if

when I think

it's a magic bed

I have dreams in it

dreams like

a true King

under his canopy

with his queen beside

in a magic room

arrested in space

like a bird on a rainbow

It is dark

I cannot see the walls

Keeping my balance

by holding Satan's tail

dragging me downwards

my thoughts are grave.

April 26th 6:28am

Been working on trying to finish all the notebooks in the little tangerine boxes. Have about 10 more of the visible boys airplane adventures but he will just have to wait. I want to finish his notebook "Wonders Never Cease" and "The Book of Secrets ",the story of the cheerleader. Having trouble with this one so took out a few pages,cut them down and re glued. I am working from the original model and I have to take some more pictures,kind of like flat stanley. This will be flat cheerleader HA! This one is 2 together with a paper doll costume in the middle. It's 8"x 10" the painting will be 2 canvases 60" x 72". I can see it that big.

I'm adding poetry to my notebook about stairways

I trudge on and on

I drag myself upward

Under my feet

My pace is slow

I can hear

Above my head

The hovering seagull

it's cry falls on my ear

To the right

Black - desolate

road threads upward

All entangled.

I have to get out my typewriter I have to get out my typewriter is not part of the poem. Just so you know.

April 25 9:05 am

I finally figured out where my ideas come from. They are found,just like found objects. I was looking through this old book I picked up at a flea market and one of the pages had airplanes glued down. They were old and from a newspaper. Carefully I lifted them out and saved them in a box. Working on my website I thought, the visible boy,he has a plane! So now he can have adventures. That's how the process works. I had a watercolor notebook so one page at a time I painted a wash with my new crayola deluxe paint set, added marker and sharpie pen. I then glued a plane. Have about 8 finished. I'm going to paint each one 36"x 48". found more in the same book so I will have about 15 paintings of "The Adventures of the Visible Boy"

All of the disgusting stretchers are gone. Yesterday I cut up "The Sound of Many Birds".I glued the birdies on 6" x 12" canvases. Not sure what will happen.