Short Review: George E. Ohr: The Greatest Art Potter on Earth
It’s hard to call Ohr’s pottery anything other than magnificent, and this book has a ton of beautiful images. The strength of his work is such that it is not overpowered by his story, which is saying a lot. Ohr cultivated eccentricity. His biography is uniquely entertaining, and the story of his work and its reception — in his own time and its rediscovery long after his death — is endlessly fascinating. The writing occasionally comes off as a bit too jolly, but I understand the temptation presented by Ohr’s own ebullience. Overall the text is engaging and authoritative.
Continue readingShort Review: Through the Eye of a Needle
Peter Brown takes on the end of the Western Roman Empire through the lens of wealth and religion, shining a brilliant light on the transition from Antiquity to the beginning of the Middle Ages. He writes extremely well for non-specialists, but with authority, and as he has elsewhere, makes a strong case that the Dark Ages as commonly understood did not exist. While there certainly was plenty of discontinuity, the Roman Empire did not abruptly disappear followed by blank centuries. Instead, as Brown traces, there were interrelated military, political, economic, social and religious evolutions as the Empire dissolved into a
Continue readingAs seen on TV
I am so ready for dinner. I’ll take my veggetti in a bacon bowl please, with stuffed eggwich on the side, just like I seen on TV.
Continue readingB.F. Perkins and Jimmy Lee Sudduth
Two fine artists: B.F. Perkins and Jimmy Lee Sudduth at Perkins’ environment in Bankston, Alabama. Sudduth gave me this Polaroid in 1990 or thereabouts, along with directions to Perkins’ place. Sudduth was a genius with mud. Perkins’ environment was continuous with his art. He repeated himself, but his best themes, like the “Cherokee Lovebirds,” were quite nice.
Continue readingScenes From A Bottle Cap Inn
Enjoy this group of press photos (and two snapshots) of Miami’s fabulous Bottle Cap Inn. The press photos are circa 1940. I’ve also got a collection of Bottle Cap Inn vintage postcards.
Continue readingBest Spam In A While
Financial Support Donation From Terrace Philanthropist To You Hello, I’m Bob xxxxxx, a philanthropist. Your email have been selected by a Google-powered newsletter software operated by legally registered Canadian freelance tech experts upon my supervision to receive financial support check from me in my ongoing Email Donation Project. For claims, send Name, Address, Phone. Find more info on my youtube page: https://nnnnnnn
Continue readingR.I.P. Car Talk’s Tom Magliozzi
Tom Magliozzi, of NPR’s Car Talk, was one of the most honest, funniest, kindest, smartest people I’ve ever had the pleasure to know. My favorite Tommy moment: A Cars.com team was meeting with the brothers at Car Talk Plaza early in our partnership and the person from our PR agency was going on about how we could get Tom and Ray on the TV morning shows. They could do it from Boston and would just have to wake up at 4:30 a.m. or so to get on the satellite. Tom stared at him and said “f— that s—“, and that was it for
Continue readingOutsider Art for Sale — Intuit’s Collect-o-rama
See a sample of art I will be selling at Intuit’s Collect-o-rama event, Saturday, October 25, 2014, 10 to 4 at Stanton Park in Chicago, 618 W. Scott St. There is a preview the night before, 6-9. I’ll have more outsider, folk and vernacular art material, as will other sellers. Typically, there is a ton of interesting work at very affordable prices.
Continue readingVivian Maier: A Framing Narrative
With Maier, like Henry Darger, it’s hard to separate the work from the story What does it take to be a successful artist? More often than not: 1. Exceptional talent 2. Obsessive production 3. Savvy promotion 4. Great luck Vivian Maier, the “nanny photographer,” eventually checked all these boxes, even if
Continue reading