Swinging In The Rain

(Continuing the story from last post:)
After thinking of (and attempting) many options of how to keep "The Chef' sign standing against the wind and rain, I decided on the most clever idea yet:

buy a plastic swinger sign frame. 

Swinging freely in shop    ©robinrkent

I noticed a small one used at the Town Offices, and then saw them everywhere. But do they come in a size and strength big enough for my 5 foot tall Chef? After calling Florida and Minnesota, I found a shop nearby.

I bolted front and back signs together with a horizontal post between them for the pivot. After slipping the sign over the crossbar, I nudged it a bit. It swung smoothly, like a well oiled machine!

Problem solved. Strong and neat. Happy artist. I couldn't wait to bring him back on the street in front of the Cafe Provence...

One hitch: the sidewalk isn't level. It pitches sideways to the curb and runs backwards down the street. The Chef was banging into the support on the bottom, not happy with the tilt.
After some fine tuning, (a full dimension 2x4 wired to the frame on the curb side), he's swinging again.
I will check on him now and again to make sure he stays 'straightened up and fly right'.

Cafe Provence was selected for the 2013 Editor's Choice Award (Best Food and Dining) in Yankee Magazine.

Mean Streets for this Outsider Art

Sometimes I get into a subject or theme, either willingly or not, and can't let go. Now it's street art. After finishing the rain barrel for the 'Connecting the Drops' street project (see previous posts), I'm revisiting my Chef sign for Cafe Provence here in Brandon.

With new town ordinances, the old piece I made to set inside the top of their existing sandwich board put him over the size limit.

Original sign

Building a new sign - taped chalkboard paint drying

The object of the new sign is to keep visibility. Parked cars along the street were acting like a crowd blocking the view at a concert. (Or a woman in a large hat at a poetry reading.)
So some width had to go to gain height and keep within regulations.
Everything went perfectly until, out on the street, he met the enemy: The Wind. He was overwhelmed. So now he's back in the shop and we're putting our three heads together to find the solution making him weather friendly. Curb side 'outsider' art isn't always as spontaneous as it may seem.

Outsiders in a folk art world

I'm a folk artist based in New England. Not many in the large folk art world are located here. Southern (or way southern as in Mexican, or Oaxacan) and African folk artists make up most of its citizens, I think. At least on the internet.

'Siesta Box' folk art box ©robin r kent

Folk art flourishes further north as well. Alaskan and Nova Scotian contemporary folk artists sure do rock it.
Maybe we're outsiders in the folk art world? Outsider folk art. We could claim that as in location, but we might be sterotyped as more reserved in style. Yes, this region might be a tad more stoic. Working with leftovers from nature's prim pantry. But we do embody the every man motif. Few embossed or polished edges here.

Siesta Box , left, acrylic on wood assemblage (about 2/3 life size; 2 boxes: hat crown lifts for small box, arms are the lid for the large box)
He left sitting pretty in a spiffy 2-seater convertible many years ago. I could tell he was made to see more of the world. They looked like a nice couple as they headed for points south. He never looked back.

This 'Old' Folk In Contemporary Folk Art

This year being more than 'half course through its run,' I'm in a reminiscing mode. Or maybe this happens more as you age. A better file to rifle through?

'Old Woman on Bus' from my (early) sketchbook, 1975

I reflected on a comment shared by a show Director. He was told: 'they really liked my work' but were surprised to learn 'I wasn't a young artist.' They thought I was more 'hipper' than 'geezer.' Guess not.

Hints are offered when viewing artwork. And many opinions assumed by viewers. There are no wrong answers; make of it whatever your imagination wants. Until you float back into reality.

I love Matisse's cut outs. So bright, uncomplicated, childlike. He didn't start this technique until ill, 15 years before his death. Who'd know?

Maybe the soul comes through when creating art. It is a form of communication. Just depends on the receiver's interpretation -  and a timeless meeting of the minds?