------- You have entered my thought of "artistic expression" a right guaranteed to us by documents our enlightened forefathers passed to us. Who by the way wrote a most astounding contract for the American people. Historically "artistic expression" has been in the front lines, or as some in this techno society would say, cutting edge, of every revolution or over-through in the world to date. Judge Robert Bork wrote in his latest book, Slouching Towards Gomorrah, "In one sense, decline is always with us. To hear each generation of Americans speak of the generation coming along behind it is to learn that our culture is not only deteriorating rapidly today but always has been. Regret for the golden days of the past is probably universal and as old as the human race. No doubt the elders of prehistoric tribes thought the younger generation's cave paintings were not up to the standard they had set. Given this straight-line degeneration for so many millennia, by now our culture should be not merely rubble but dust. Obviously it is not: until recently our artists did better than the cave painters." -----Well yes to that.
------- Now at the same token artists were ones that took some slings and arrows too, just for believing and exercising a marvelous human way of self expression. A way to communicate to peoples all over the world in a common language that could be understood and appreciated by anyone with the desire to understand. I prefer to call some of these techniques "functional art" in a round about way a concept sought after by many of my past colleges throughout the millennia. In today's times a concept almost lost, gone by the wayside, encouraged to do so by the present day nobility by public money transfers, grants for the absurd as I call it. Dollars for the grease that's applied to the artistic "path to Gomorrah".
------- So in a little way I feel that my toys-signs & carvings interact and merge into a living and constantly changing Art sculpture, enjoyed by children and adults together as one. What a beautiful concept. very difficult to find on this planet today. Do you agree? My Vermont forefathers, many of whom were veterans of the very political 7 year war, (1700s) shared and lived this concept in their daily lives 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, year after year. Their land, their farm, their animals, their home became their living art sculpture, lived and shared with their family as "one". This proud people who learned to be self sufficient in war saw something in the cities they returned to and came back to the very sparsely populated Vermont to become self sufficient in peace. Prided themselves in their freedom and their unity.
------- This bonding that took place came to my light many years ago in reading the book: Folk Medicine by D.C. Jarvis, M.D. This Vermont doctor made an interesting medical journey into Vermont folklore by treating and working with these very people, my ancestors, that supports my living art sculpture theory. This concept should and will come out of the cobwebs in the years to come. I believe people yearn for this. One of my favorite books. Now lets take a look at the bonding that took place in those days. This unique process must have been incredible. It set in place values, virtues, moralities, work and business ethics not only in their own families but all the other families and people around them because in tough times they all depended and helped one another as best they could. They had a keen understanding and appreciated the good times and believe me i'm told there were many. A mighty mighty force indeed.
------- Now lets try to understand the reverse of that. Living in a confined area with many little compartments for the masses. The social breeding that took and takes place today is astounding. "City Life" A life that travels fast and furious and almost out of control. Now guess who came a walk-in up the road the other day calling us hicks, uppity and backwards, hard to get to know and get along with, and be accepted by, "people". And guess what they said we needed? "THERE HELP" The Nobel missionaries of their cultural civilization came here to Vermont to help "US". Can you believe it. Now just look what they left behind in their own wake. And the real pity of it all is that "we" fell for it hook line and sinker. We swallowed it yesterday, swallow it today and will swallow it again tomorrow. "UNBELIEVABLE".
------- Strip away a mans sense of ancient purpose or spirit and all that remains in most is a shell. Just look at what the nobel did and said to the original inhabitants of this great and powerful land, the American Indian, and the pill they had to swallow for their own good. Vermont humor is precious. This old farmer and myself were sitting in the out shed (a shed to an old Vermonter is like a espresso - guacamole bar to the city folk). This particular shed was in a tourist complex which was once an active hillside dairy farm outside of Stowe. Made its own DC electricity for light before the company came into Vermont. In 40 years good pasture became forest right before his eyes. He was also a tech for IBM in Boston shortly after he came back from the Korean War. "Ya know if we did such a bad job around here for the last 200 years. Why do all these (*)(*)(*) people want to come here?!! His way of expressing his view on all the new environmental laws in Vermont.
------- Well here I am a common bourgeoisie able to feel and touch that part of my ancient past with only my tools, my mind, my health and my freedom of self expression (I think) unless the aristocracy has grand designs to take that away from me too. Out of their goodness and caring nature these aristocrats has given me O.S.I.A., V.O.S.I.A, labor & industry and the (unbelievable) environmental Dept. to name a few. By giving me their blessed legislative achievements they have actually taken away several rungs of my ladder to a successful wood working business here in Vermont. 3 to $400,000,00 to code my shop for my first apprentice. At this juncture a question looms out there in my mind. Will the Nobility, who presently rule and say they are the guarantors of my contract, actually protect the rights of an individual who leads the revolution against "them"? I wonder.
------- Just outside the door in the hallway, the shops on the 2nd floor, I placed a carved sign "Thanks, the craft survival depends on your support", I don't receive grants, gifts, endowments, etc. My work is not accepted in the top galleries, I tried, Not received by the aristocratic artistic establishment, not good enough, i'm not depicting their perceived agenda or look, which I call slouching towards the dump. Black marks on a piece of scrap wood $2,000 grant money because someone understands. I depend on the free market and pride myself in doing so. My good and faithful customers who come and visit from all over the world to this area lend me their support for which i'm great full, and do my best to replace what sells.
A descendant of an old Vermont farmer once told me : "Michael, there's a time to be creative and that's when you have nothing on the shelf, that's the first part of the equation. The second and most important part of this equation is to replace what sells. This is what makes it the hardest part. The third and final part is when your shelves are full with nothing to do, you better start being creative again." I call this equation "doing the chores".
------- Its tough on the business side of me to alienate part of my customer base by expressing my heart on line. But theirs a little voice inside "stand firm by your convictions". In front of my work bench in the other room I set a play area in the corner. There are wooden trucks, blocks, cars, etc. There things I built in the past that are colored with crayons. (Yes) when I used to do craft shows and markets, I wanted to show people how a toy could be like a blank coloring book of self expression, (never caught on). Along with the toys in the play area there are carvings on the wall and floor as back drops. Like little stage props, and some description signs on the wall and floor. When I first set this up I noticed when children enter this functional play scape they calm down, sit down, and play, quiet, peaceful, and together. When seeing this I reflect on the worlds Nobles, the ones who use the slings and arrows that affect us all.
------- Standing on the deck of an air-craft carrier, CVA-64, my office at the time, steaming the Gulf of Tonkin off of Vietnam (Yankee Station) north, in the mid 60s waiting for the choppers to arrive with the wounded, as they always did, was a time for me to pause and reflect about the world and how some people perceived it through their glasses. Today when this pause happens, and it still does, I wonder if they, the worlds nobles, would have the strength to calm down, sit and play, quite and peaceful together as one just like the children who engage my play corner. To me that strength, which is the greatest strength of all, should kind of be rewarded and encouraged. For an adult to do what comes naturally to a child can be very difficult but remember we were there once, so it shouldn't be to difficult right? Well lets try it. Pick a wooden toy with a few blocks, sit calm, play, reflect and feel the strength that rests in such a simple act. You just might find yourself on a road of discovering a form of meditation you had no fundamental concept of before. Just think, highly advanced learning devices designed by a common man for the people of the world. meditational learning tools for the adult. What a thought.
------- The parent, usually in a rush, begins to gather the child or children to go. that's when all heck breaks loose. Some children have a hard time leaving I can understand why, but some are better then others. Sad when this eruption takes place in the shop. Such is life. Well here it is: Toys Signs Carvings interacting in a safe peaceful and truthful way with the people who allow themselves to interact. But for now the only person that really appreciates this interesting and unusual phenomena is the one behind the work bench doing the chores, seeing, experiencing, living it all. Thanks
------- P.S. I think this comes from a little Northeast Native American blood on my mothers side. Because of my blood and medical background I was invited to the medicine man in the far north but didn't feel the calling. Look for the hawk in my work. My mothers bird is the white dove. This Vermont woman, my mom, saw her husband, my dad, in Europe, WW2, and her son in Vietnam. God Bless Her.
