CHAPTER #26 Graduate School; The Critique Ironically, today’s chapter comes on the heels of last week’s gallery reception. I exhibited new sculpture and was humbled by the turn out and response. Many of us have been there. Either you are a creative; i.e. the artist who stands in the middle of the crowd, glass of wine in hand, thanking visitors for the compliments on your artwork. Or you are the guest, holding the cheese and cracker plate, showing support to an artist friend, family member or colleague. You pat the artist on the back and acknowledge their talents with a “great job…beautiful work….stunning exhibition” etc.

WRITING #25 Graduate School; Making AND Teaching There were 12 of us. Each had a cell-like stall. Some had windows, some didn’t. 18’ x 18’ give or take a few feet. Every grad student had a personal studio space apart from the large shared studio facilities of Sculpture, Printmaking, Ceramics etc. Most of us were in our late 20s / early 30’s; convinced an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) the terminal degree for studio artists, was the next logical step. And of course, an MFA was required to get a teaching job at the college level. So for next three years, Bozeman, Montana would be home.

WRITING #24 “Good night Father, Good morning Montana”… Master and Apprentice: PART VI The warm sun; those“dog days of summer”. The quiet porch-time conversations before the Fall school bell rings and farmers return to the fields. For me, August is always a reminder of the day Dad passed. Both Mom and Dad were born and raised, married and settled in Southern Minnesota, so it did not take long for the chapel to swell with our family and friends. And whenever I hear Samuel Barber’s “Andagio for Strings”, the opening piece of music at his memorial, the Vegus Nerve chill runs up and down my body.

WRITING #23 “If I could just talk to him once…” Master and Apprentice: PART V. Ships that pass in the night, and speak to each other in passing, only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness; So on the ocean of life, we pass and speak one another, only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence. …

WRITING #23 “How am I going to pay for this ?” Master and Apprentice: PART IV. “Under the Hood” is the story of my evolving artist, not a platform for healthcare reform. Yet, I can’t help but comment on this vexing social issue. We are a nation of extraordinary wealth and the very public officials we elect to represent us, privileged by fully covered health plans, debate among themselves if we, who support them are deserving of the same basic human right. WTF ? I am a creative entrepreneur contributing to this economy 60 hours a week, yet I scramble and stress if I so much as cough. “oh shit ? am I sick ? “…or “damn, a welding burn, well… slather on some cream, gut it out and hope for no infection…hospital ? can’t do it…” It’s ridiculous really.

WRITING #22 “Greg…you could have died” Master and Apprentice: PART III. I took a couple “dog days of summer” weeks off…so back to MEDIUM: From last Writing #21:…It was a late afternoon in April. We had just installed a 12’ foot bronze cross in a Twin Cities Church. On the drive home I started to feel really worn down, with increasing…

CHAPTER #21 Master and Apprentice: PART II Thank you MEDIUM Readers, “Under the Hood” is a weekly one-page, chronological, work in progress. Clicking the keys is sharing the who, what, and why journey of a childhood curiosity to adult quest in becoming an artist. Travel Journals are my self-imposed homework assignments, so I broke the rules for the past chapters to document my recent two-week journey from Minnesota to California to install art-work. Now back to the Story…

WRITING #20 “California Dreaming” Part III The road from Utah into Los Angeles, was a glimpse into two different worlds. Utah’s canvas is a stunning example of Momma Nature’s sculptural handi-work. The westward crawl on I-15 to L.A. revealed a landscape of contemplative vistas and an occasional sea of solar panels quietly harnessing the warm rays of sunlight. Fast forward a few hours to the I-405, and I am swimming in an eight lane school of fish; a rubber meets the road symphony of BMWs Teslas and Toyotas. California car culture is alive and well.

Writing #19 California Dreaming Part II With Vegas staying in Vegas, I crept westward to the Nevada — California border. But my ”tourist” to-do list included one more stop before landing in Los Angeles to install the sculpture work. I am a physics nerd when it comes to remarkable feats of monumental construction. I needed to see engineering’s interpretation of art, the Hoover Dam. They say water will soon be the “new gold.” Coming from the shores of Lake Superior, the largest body of freshwater in the world and Minnesota, the land of a lake in every village, town and city, I am intrigued by this harnessing concrete power-wall charged with the assignment to hold, deliver, and transfer water and electricity to the dry environs of the Southwest.