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| "S-curve" an early more primitive piece shown at 2011Texas Furniture Makers Show |
Time is ticking away. The year is already winding down. Is it just me? or is time moving faster? It seems as if there is not enough time in the day to get all of the many things that are required to function in this day and age, accomplished. Most of the things originally considered time savers have actually snuck their way into the time waster category. Cell phones make us slaves to their tones and vibrations. The internet that connects us to everything and everyone, tempts us with meaningless info, cute cat photos, bizarre happenings, and viral videos. Don't let me get started on social media.....
Lou is often overheard saying he does not have enough time left in this lifetime to complete the many projects he has bouncing around in his brain. I have seen some of his
sketches and I know he is right. Don't get me wrong, I know he will definitely be leaving behind an artistic trail of
mesquite furniture and objet all photographed, cataloged and assigned to their original buyers and locations. I suspect this feeling is true of most artists and probably one of the very catalysts that drive them to produce that thing that they each do so well - their own individualized "art."
We are currently under a serious time crunch as Lou tries to finish up a new piece for the
Texas Furniture Makers Show and a few commissioned pieces that are due to the clients in early November. This has been an incredibly busy year for us and we feel so very blessed to have such great clients, both old and new. Last year Lou did not even have time to attempt creating a new piece for the
Texas Furniture Makers Show and we ended up putting in an earlier more primitive piece. Lou Quallenberg's work has become much more sculptural and artistic.
This years entry piece will clearly show how much his work has evolved.
A Statewide Competition of the Finest Custom
Furniture
Makers in Texas
November 8 through December 8, 2012
Kerrville, Texas 78028
Reception November 17, 5:30 - 8 pm
Gallery Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm
Sunday, 1 - 4 pm
We recently had the opportunity to visit with our friends,
Utah Artist Les Powers and his wonderful wife Tauni. They stopped by
Llano on their way to a show in
Austin to visit, see the shop and pick up some
mesquite wood. Les makes such amazing sculptural pieces combining wood and stone that wrap, twist and weave around each other. Each one carefully named and thought out with a story full of meaning. His work can be viewed online at
NaturesForms.net. During our visit Les made the same comment Lou does about not having enough time to produce all the work floating around in his head. I think Lou feels the way about Les's brain that I feel about his.
"In awe" is a probably a simple way to describe it.
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| Sharing ideas and info. |
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| Les Powers, Lou Quallenberg & Simba |
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| Les Signing a piece for the show |
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| Tauni makes a beautiful background |
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| Les even stacks his wood artistically |
We met Les & Tauni at the
Western Design Conference in 2008 the first year it was held in
Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We connected immediately and chose to meet up and hang out again at the
Western Design Conference the following year, along with
Tim Carney and his beautiful artist wife
Maureen Shaughnessy - who by the way encouraged us to start this blog. Meeting and sharing with
incredible artists is one of our favorite social pastimes. We met
Tom Dean of
Milo Creek Carvings at the 2009 WDC and continue to joke and tease with him to this day. We always enjoy connecting, sharing and feeding the inspiration and energy that occurs as
artists gather, socialize and share.
This quote sums it all up:
"Artists
are some of the most driven, courageous people on the face of the
earth. They deal with more day-to-day rejection in one year than most
people do in a lifetime.... Every day, artists face the financial
challenge of living a freelance lifestyle, the disrespect of people who
think they should get real jobs, and their own fear that they’ll never
work again. Every day, they have to ignore the possibility that the
vision they have dedicated their lives to is a pipe dream. With every
role, they stretch themselves, emotionally and physically, risking
criticism and judgment. With every passing year, many of them watch as
the other people their age achieve the predictable milestones of normal
life - the car, the family, the house, the nest egg. Why? Because
artists are willing to give their entire lives to a moment - to that
line, that laugh, that gesture, or that interpretation that will stir
the audience’s soul. Artists are beings who have tasted life’s nectar in
that crystal moment when they poured out their creative spirit and
touched another's heart. In that instant, they were as close to magic,
God, and perfection as anyone could ever be. And in their own hearts,
they know that to dedicate oneself to that moment is worth a thousand
lifetimes.” - David Ackert
We would have never known about the show if we had not discovered the incredible work of
Al Hone in a copy of the
Sourcebook from the
Western Design Conference. His work and the opportunity to meet him was one of the reasons we decided to do that final 2006 Western Design Conference in
Cody, Wyoming. (That and the fact that
Sam Maloof was one of the judges!)
Al and
Mary Hone and their pup named
Roxie are the authentic faces of Western art and design. Al's award winning carved masterpieces and sculptures are so incredible in their detail and design.
Check out a few of his available pieces:
For more take a look at his website:
AlHone.com. Mary uses
antique trade beads and creates beautiful beaded jewelry, leather work and accessories inspired by native Indian patterns and design. Together they are traveling the country in an RV, creating their art and living their dream. I suspect that even living that lifestyle they still feel time leaking away here and there. Who knows maybe quelling that feeling of time shrinking away is why they chose to pack up and hit the road in the first place.
