Myself as my Grandfather, made of crickets, grass and rain.

Myself as my Grandfather, made of crickets, grass and rain.
Originally uploaded by bertmac.

I didn't get any work at all done in the studio this week. We had a lot of work done on the house. I can't focus when there is pounding or when people are walking back and forth. Next week, which is Thanksgiving in the U. S., will probably be the same. Hopefully the following weekend will be very productive.

I did manage to add some things to my web site:

Seeing Fish
Fish Who Swims in the Sky
Myself as my Grandfather, made of crickets, grass and rain.
Spectacles for a Fish Goddess
Lorgnette for a Fish Goddess
When I see the stars

I also added detail shots to Fish Messages. Scroll down to see the details.

They are all "old" things. But still some of my favorites. I also reorganized my web site. Hopefully it will be a little easier to use. All the page images for each book are on one page now, instead of having to click forward to another page to see another pair of pages.

I receive you loud and clear!

Receiver/transmitter for dream focusing device, originally uploaded by bertmac.

Here is the next stage of the receiver transmitter for the dreaming focusing device. The cover is on the left, the body is on the right. You can see the vertical openings where the focused dream comes in. And the little holes in the center divider will allow the selected dream type into the transmitter side.

I have to clean these pieces up and dip them in hot beeswax. Next I will draw designs on the parts and etch them in ferric chloride. I am waiting for a clear day to do that. In the meantime I need to make the dial for the top, which will allow the user to chose the type of dream. I am thinking the selection should be: fish, bird, bear, star and moon. I would like to have any and all of those dreams.

What you can't see here is that I am having to learn to solder (high temperature brazing, using an acetylene torch), on a different scale. This 2.5 inch long box is much harder to solder than the little things I'm used to. In fact last week I described it as "4 inches long." It feels huge to me. I spent ages with the torch trying to get the body hot enough. Finally, when it was done, the seam looked pretty good. I thought the cover would be much easier. Unfortunately it took me three tries to get the whole cover seam soldered. But I am learning. I got the center divider right on the first try.

Imaresco South Mar

Flying Over There
Originally uploaded by bertmac.

I am in a large room. Lots of people. We are drawing. Then we pick up our stuff. We're going to meditate. There are holes in the tables for our faces. People move all around.

I see Joan. She asks if my name is on the back of her sweatshirt. It isn't. She says it should be. I put it on with press-on letters. She will remove them later. She tells me they didn't accept my books because they were the same ones as last year. I tell her I wish I had more new work, and that I want to be in the studio more.

When I go back to my table it has been moved. Everyone is getting mats with holes for their faces. I can't find one. Finally I find a stack of mats. I grab one. It is suede, a nice tan color, and very soft.

I wander into a big room on the lowest level looking for a spot. People are aligning their mats to North and beginning to lie down. I line my mat up with other people's because I don't know where North is. I lie face down first, but someone makes a noise. I look around. Everyone is on their backs, with their arms out. I turn over. I realize I am in the room with the advanced people. Some guy squeezes onto the end of my mat. When I look he has a skinny little kid tucked under his arm. There is a guy leading the chant. It starts "Imaresco South Mar." Everyone chants back.

I wake, worrying that I don't know the chant. But I also know that people will be kind, they like beginners.

Now where did I put that?

Dream focusing device
Originally uploaded by bertmac.

This is an old project I am resurrecting. It's a dream focusing device. (click on the image to see a larger version and a little more information.) It has been lying around unfinished since 1997. I found about 20 sketches for it, and the associated parts, in three different sketch books. Not that I am organized about these things. I usually have several "active" sketchbooks at any given time. I am missing an important part. I stayed up late one night to draw the path of the moon on a piece of paper so I could make the shadow accurately. Now that paper is gone. But I think I can proceed without it.

I'm not sure about the actual title yet. Hopefully it will come to me. I think I have figured out how to focus the dreams, but I'm not clear yet on how to get them transmitted to the sleeper's brain. The in-progress receiver/transmitter is here.

It has been a crazy week, but I am getting a few hours in the studio here and there. Not much time for anything. I am realizing that either things will be chaotic or I will get some art done. Tough choice, because I feel stressed. Maybe that will pass.