Tom Lucas painting to benefit Wyoming PBS June 6th

Online Bids Now Being Accepted for Tom Lucas Painting

[May 25, 2010 - RIVERTON, WY] – On Sunday, June 6th, Wyoming PBS will be auctioning off an exquisite painting by acclaimed Western artist Tom Lucas. Early bids are now being accepted for the piece online at http://www.wyomingpbs.org/

The 18 by 24 inch still-life features a wooden horse carved by Lucas himself, symbolizing power in the Native American tradition. A parflesh bag used to carry personal items is included in the composition, demonstrating Lucas’s commitment to commemorating the traditions of the past.

Lucas has been recognized for his work in publications such as Southwest Art and Western Art Collector, and spends most of his time in his studio or at the Silver Sage Gallery in Dubois, Wyoming.

Proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Wyoming PBS Foundation’s production endowment challenge.

Live call-in bidding begins on Sunday, June 6th at 6 p.m. and will continue until 9:45p.m.

Wyoming PBS is a non-commercial, educational institution and cultural resource dedicated to enriching the lives of Wyoming people through telecommunications and other related services. Wyoming PBS can be found on various channels across Wyoming; for more information, check local listings, or go to http://www.wyomingpbs.org/  for a complete schedule of channel numbers.

http://www.tomlucas.us/

The beauty of Ft Bragg-Sculpting on the Road

Diving is a passion that Ken Newman began as a child, a true Aquarian-Ken feels at home in the water. When arriving back in California on his annual trek to visit family in his childhood hometown of Ft Bragg, the first thing he does is head out to get his out-of-state fishing license and abalone card.


This year was no different. When the ocean calms down, he is out in the water every day the weather cooperates. Ken “free dives” off McKerricher State Park or at Glass Beach, which is the old Ft Bragg dumps, well-known by Sunset Magazine readers for the wonderful smooth pieces of glass shards that litter the cove.

Along with free diving for his favorite - abalone, he loves to spearfish. This past week, his catch included greenlings, 26” ling cod and capizone, each wonderful white fish. He spends anywhere from 1-1/2 to 2 ½ hours in his 7mil wetsuit moving through the rocks and ocean bottom off the coast. Temps in the water were about 47 degrees this past week.

Abalone – Note all 10 inchers

I typically head out to the rocks with him, binoculars in one hand and Emma’s leash in the other. While he is exploring the bottom of the ocean, I watch the harbor seals on the rocks and in the water. Amusing times as the juveniles love to tease and annoy the pups. Diving is not for me, I not only don’t like the cold water, and I have hard time breathing through my mouth. I also have good hearing and don’t want to lose my eardrums. I know I am missing an unbelievable experience under the water; sometimes Ken shares his quiet journey under the water. One time I was sharing a story about the juvenile harbor seals on the rocks and he shared the experience of a seal pup coming up to his mask, and touching him with the umbilical cord still attached. Ken is an observer of nature, wildlife and a harvester. He loves the land and all it has to offer, he respects what it gives and his sculptures are his gifts-sharing his intimate experience with nature.

Sculpture-Ghost in the Kelp Beds (Redwood on Steel)

Salmon season is open this year after a two year closure. Ken hopes the water warms up a little to bring in the fish, the neighbor has a boat and we love Fresh wild salmon. It took Ken many years to eat salmon after having it as a main staple while living on the coast as a child. I used to order it in restaurants, but now I cherish the salmon that lands on my plate within 5 hours of being caught. If the catch is good, we flash freeze some and can as much as possible for the year, we are not starving artists.

The coast is beautiful this time of year, we so enjoy the people on the coast. If you travel to the North coast of California in June, don’t miss Ken Newman’s sculptures on exhibit at the Ft Bragg Community Credit Union, Monday – Friday from 8:30am-5:30pm. The Credit Union is located on Franklin Street in Ft Bragg, CA. We also will be heading to the Marin Art Festival in San Rafael CA, a weekend of art, artisans and music over Father’s Day weekend June 19-20. Check out the details at www.marinartfestival.com.

Sculpting on the Road

Posted by Debbie

Irish Garden Shed Progress

The neighbor's Irish Garden Shed is continuing. The walls are completed, cleaned and scrubbed with an acid wash and the wood windows are being built. They are considering a stained glass window for the door. A pretty time consuming process...and a labor of love. More photos when the windows are in and the plants are hanging!

On the Road Again

Always good to come back to reality... We roam the US in an RV doing art shows, the longest we ever stay is a little over three months. We have been on this path for 10 years and our world is a little skewed because of it. When we do land in Idaho, it is very calming and tranquil. In the Spring the hay is growing, the trees are blooming, the raspberries sprouting and the chicken's squawking. Such a great place to just sit back and watch the birds, sparrows, curlews, geese, mallards, robins, eagles, hawks, etc. working in the sky and land.

Before long, we are back on the road..heading out to Ft Bragg to enjoy the beauty of the coast. It is a quiet town, especially where we are... properties with acreage... another place to just unwind and for Ken to create. He works daily into the evening taking time to dive in the ocean, where he is most comfortable. He seeks solitude after the show in Scottsdale, a time to replenish the soul.  The beauty of this area is incredible, too remote for most, but a wonderful enclave to come to yearly.  We are never without food, family and friends.

Although similar, I headed off to So California for a family visit, where the old home is a very quiet place amongst the hoards of people constantly moving. A suburb of sorts, but away from the home it becomes a maddening crowd. Not like the crowds of a city, walking and moving about. More like a mass of metal moving around with mostly one in a vehicle. Family and friends still are the focus, as we celebrate Mother's Day, birthdays and visit catching up on our daily lives. Spent some time weeding, bird watching, reading, visiting, writing and preparing for upcoming shows in the Bay area.

Off to visit another friend and looking forward to Tuesday when I arrive back in Ft Bragg.  Looking forward to seeing Ken's progress on his new works and checking on the neighbor's Irish Garden Shed.

Lori McNee's Fine Art Tips Features Ken Newman's Process

Always fun to share the process with others on the Internet and to the world. Lori asked Ken Newman to share his thoughts on how his artistic process works.  Click the link and enjoy the results of sharing, please share with others!

http://www.finearttips.com/2010/05/sculpting-in-clay-for-bronze-the-process/

Irish Garden Shed Progress

Progress continues on the neighbor's Irish Garden Shed in Ft Bragg CA.

By the time I (Debbie) returns to Ft Bragg on the 18th, it should be completed.

Very time consuming work, but it is going to be a work of art. Watch for updates later this month.

Bellevue Museum 2010 Artful Evening - July 17

Ken has donated a sculpture to the Bellevue Museum's Artful Evening event taking place on July 17, 2010. This auction benefits the Museum and is associated with the Bellevue Arts and Crafts Fair which takes place the following weekend, July 23-25 where Ken will be in booth Q26. or is it Q13..anyway it is in the Q's.

100 of the artists in the Museum's Fair are asked to contribute a work of art. The evening begins with a silent auction of these items in a reception area of the museum, and larger items (art, trips, etc) are auction at at Dinner at the Westin Hotel.

Ken has donated "Rocking Out-Sparrow, edition #8/11. The sculpture is of a bronze sparrow doing his spring dance, while balancing on four stacked rocks. Although it is an edition of 11, it is the last one available. Each sparrow is mounted on different mediums, but all reflect the attitude of the male sparrow in the spring.

For information on attending and supporting the Bellevue Art Museum visit:
http://www.bellevuearts.org/artful_evening/index.htm This year's event will honor Michael Monroe, Director Emeritus.

Composed -Curlew Accepted to Birds in Art

Just received notification that Composed - Ken's new bronze curlew was accepted to the 2010 Birds in Art Exhibition at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau WI.  This will be Ken's third sculpture chosen for this competitive international "bird only" exhibition.  There were 922 entries this year by 547 artists in all mediums. It is an especially difficult for a sculptor to be chosen since only about 20 of the 100 works accepted are sculpture. Usually we are notified by mail and this year we received notification by email, which is great because snail mail always takes so long to catch up with us. We look forward to the weekend trip to Wausau WI this September for the Birds in Art opening at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. www.lywam.org

Ken wrote about the sculpture several months ago below, hope you enjoy the images (taken by Tim Wampler) www.timothywampler.com

Composed - Curlew


The value of any completed sculpture for me lies in what door they open for future works. Most of my sculptures are inspired by observation and experiences. One of the major driving forces in my process is a push to express myself by different influences. “Composed” is an example of these elements coming together.

Through observation and research of the curlew for another sculpture, I came to better understand the sculptural qualities of the bird’s long bill, legs and wing span, which is elegantly postured in Observing Grace, but needed to be expressed further.

An intimate view of a curlew became the vision. To use an abstract form of a triangle and planes to balance and move the eye. The posture is possible, but not one I observed in the field. This design allowed me to push and pull the anatomy and plumage into wonderfully accentuated planes combined with the posture, all work in unison to pull the eye in so the mind can better understand the intimacy of the curlew. For all these elements of composition and vision to come together, it allowed for the creative eye to artistically “Composed” the curlew.

Irish Garden Shed in Ft Bragg

Adrienne with Irish Garden Shed Book!

Each Spring, it is always an adventure to come to Ken's hometown of Ft Bragg CA.ch Sp The neighbors started an Irish Garden Shed last year. Ken roofed the shed with old wood shingles...as a trade for help limbing redwoods. Now, back in Ft Bragg the wood cut last year has dried and ready for installation. So in the next several weeks you too will get to see the process. Enjoy! 

The Irish Garden Shed before the (sand, sawdust, cement and lime) mix is used to set the logs.

It is a time consuming job, mixing the mortar by hand/hoe
and placing and tapping each log into place. The first day our very nice
neighbors considered killing each other... It is coming along, this is day
two and today it is moving along nicely! More pictures tomorrow!