Emile Norman Slide Show
http://www.emilenorman.com/
Dear Mr. Norman,I've watched "By His Own Design" three times now.
I lived in Pacific Grove & Santa Cruz for several years. I miss it, deeply.
I'm moving to -- of all places -- Ft. Sumner, New Mexico in a couple
of months. I'm taking my art supplies with me.
I've always been so low income that creative arts always got
sacrificed to keep a roof over my head. I plan to change that when I
move. I want creative arts to be my first priority. I've never truly
been successful unless I do what I love to do. I'm not "connected,"
and may never sell anythig I create, but I need to create it, no
matter what.
I plan to pay attention to the landscapes, the skies, the animals, the
fauna, the geology, the light, the astronomy and the weather.
I'll be working, part time, as a personal assistant to Amanda, who is
severely developmentally and physically disabled from a car crash 10
years ago. You can hear a radio documentary I produced about her
family at http://kunm.org Just look for "podcasts" and subscribe to
"Sunday Specials." Look for "What's a Disability to Brenda's Girls;"
that's it.
I became close friends with the family during production. They live in
an abandoned hotel, on 13 acres of land. I'll be living in a trailer
and using an hotel room -- and an outdoor structure I'll make of
corrugated metal -- as studio space.
That, and my Social Security Disability Insurance, will be my primary
income -- along with some independent radio documentaries.
I truly appreciate your epoxy techniques. I've always done that sort
of work, with inferior materials, and loved it.
I wonder if you would be so kind as to give me a few hints.
What sort of wax do you use? I noticed it's grey; it's not parafin, is
it? Once you've melted it out, can it be reused? How do you melt it,
without too much heat on the work?
Do you MAKE your own epoxy? I know you blend it with sawdust -- which
is brilliant, by the way. If you make your epoxy, would you give me
some hints?
At first, I thought your sculpting was conventional inlay, requiring
much careful sanding I see you DO inlay, but the mosaic on wax
technique with sawdust epoxy makes a LOT of sense. I was also
thinking of ground glass, sands, pebbles, seeds, beads, etc as mortar,
too.
I plan to use a lot of trash -- I'm a recycler -- to create my stuff.
Especially, for large pieces, I was thinking of papr mache over frames
made of old milk & soda bottles, cans, newspapers, etc. Ft. Sumner is
FULL of trash!
But, for smaller pieces, the wax makes a lot of sense to me.
I'm bisexual; I used to identify myself as Lesbian, but I'm not a
purist at anything, really. I'm not closeted, fortunately. I want you
to know that the story of the partnership between you & Brooks truly
touched me. I admire your courage, your insistance on authenticity,
your very "butch" hard work.
Enjoy that magnificent environment you and Brooks created!
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