Miro's latest work garners Smithsonian attention

Above is a photo of one of Miró’s (Airecraft Carries Me Home) recent works. It's not surprising that art this innovative, yet classic should gain attention in a national forum. Reading the analysis below, you will be struck by how well the critic understands dog art when he writes of taking "color by the throat."

In the December issue of Smithsonian magazine, critic and painter Peter Plagens writes that the artist "took color by the throat, but his chroma is not French or perfumey, like that associated with Monet or Matisse. It's stark, harsh... but not unpleasant." He notes that the orange and blue colors found in the work  "register not only as beautiful, but as awesome in the literal, looking-out-at-the-Grand-Canyon sense of the word." He compares the work to a three-act play: "There's an introduction, with that orange 'character' getting your attention; a white-on-gray transition to the black, meat-of-the-matter second act; then a white climax [the bone of the matter, so to speak] followed by a black [and blue] denouement."

Plagens concludes, "The effect is a stunning first notice, a rhythmic horizontal read and then a deep plunge into the [installation's] inner structure."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

The artist at work.

(Go to the embedded Smithsonian link for more--not to mention real--information.)

First installation of 2011

Miro's first installation of 2011 hints at a cubist influence, perhaps due to the Picasso exhibit at Seattle Art Museum.

Or he is practicing shark bites.

Pumpkin eater

Artist Roberta (Bobbi) Sparr--that's her signature on the left side of the pumpkin-- gave permission for me to post her rendition of an Airedale getting ready for Halloween. You'll find more of her Airedale paintings and other artwork at her website.

I particularly liked the expression of this dog and his glowing eyes.

About those embroidered shirts

The red sweatshirt below (see the crime story) sports a design by noted Airedale artist Annie Curran in the UK. If you'd like to find Airedale art closer to home in the USA, check out Montana artist Bobbi Sparr.

An artistic controversy

The critics cannot agree: is it an artistic piece, symbolic of the brutality of life, or is it just brutality? The artist refuses to comment but he stands--or sits--by his work.

The Airedale Quilt

 

A friend let me put up some photos of this year's Airedale quilt. You don't even have to be an Airedale-person to buy raffle tickets for--and to win--this amazing artwork. This year's theme is Fairey Tails. This group effort has been a yearly event for ten years and raises funds for Airedale Rescue. It's not just a fund raiser, though. This project has inspired people to become artists. Miro approves!

Click on the link to see close-ups of all the blocks and stories about each quilter.
 

Miro's art collection

In addition to creating museum-quality installations in the deconstructionist style, Miro has begun putting together his own art collection. Recognizing the worth of this found art, the Curator has put all the pieces up out of Miro's reach.

The Discovery of Toilet Paper

An art installation by Airecraft Carries Me Home, aka Miro, available for viewing by appointment.

Transformation of the Chicken Slum

The chicken slum is now an art installation after Monday night’s work. Think Watts Towers built by a disorganized poet. It is constructed of a variety of found materials. All I need now are some colorful tiles to spiff it up.

After getting Edsel home Monday morning, I shut her and Muffin back in the hutch and wasn’t even late for work, thanks to a fast sprint across the Park ‘N Ride lot just in time to catch the bus. I spent most of Monday afternoon until past dark shoring up the pen, cutting and nailing up scraps of fencing, using a beaded ribbon belt to weave together the two ceiling pieces where she had flown through a gap. To close the gap above the door, I put up the piece of nylon netting that was used in the back of my car to hold grocery bags. On another side, I nailed up a large sheet of plastic that had covered a new mattress. And so on to block every opening that had existed above flight height for the Poles but not for a banty Modern.

You never know what will come in handy. As a friend in college used to say and the late spouse used to do: never throw anything away. Sadly, I’ve had to throw away too much when moving during the past few years. Other things, such as my reciprocating saw and a 6-ft stepladder, mysteriously disappeared. I try, with limited success, not to think about it.

Thinking all problems temporarily solved, I discovered that Keeper had crawled under the part of the house beneath the mud room and was making desperate clattering and scraping sounds. (to be continued)