A SHI T

0305091906.jpg, originally uploaded by sprouseart.

I was enjoying a glass of wine at a friend's house last night when I saw this scene appear on his big screen television in the other room. Vanna was posing awkwardly in front of this uncompleted puzzle and I just had to snap a quick pic with my phone. Juvenile humor yes, but did it make me giggle a bit? Absolutely.

Requires No Manure!

fun & profit, originally uploaded by miss mouffette.

Why that certainly does look like a satisfied mushroom farmer to me!

At the Houses of Healing in World War I (c.1915)

At the Houses of Healing in World War I (c.1915), originally uploaded by postaletrice.

Wow. What a phenomenal find this is! The imagery in this card screams for a narrative. Perhaps a short story or play!
Hmmm....

Scraggles plays fetch

0620080631.3g2
Originally uploaded by sprouseart

This is an exercise both fun and and sweet that my little black kitty , Scraggles, likes to partake in on occasion when she isn't hiding in the shadows waiting for the sun to set...

Sleep

Sleep, originally uploaded by Ariel (wingsinthewater).

I have come to the conclusion that I don't have trouble sleeping, I just have trouble staying asleep. What a strange, twilight, world one's kitchen becomes when the moon and the sun quietly creep pass one another.

Better than digging a ditch...

Monday - February 16, 2009.

Clearly, it's been one month since my last addition to the Sprouseart.blog. I've been so terribly busy that I mentally placed it one some shelve with the words "and I'll get back to you in just a bit" and then proceeded to forget it completely as I weaved in and out of the many "projects" (as I like to refer to them).

At the theatre, where I am the Associate Director, there is a never ending list of "to do" items that each demand certain amounts of attention and expertise. There are always press releases to be formulated and then submitted, online portals for posting of events to be completed, contracts to review and document, emails and phone calls to be made or returned, and much more. It keeps one on one's toes so to speak.

On Valentine's day, we had a soft "opening" of the Celebration Studios. Overall, for an unofficial event, I think it went well. Most of the artists were in attendance, and they were well received by the public who dropped by in general. There are a few loose ends that need tightening up, all of which should evolve on their own however.

As a group, with I as ringmaster so to speak, decided to go forward with the soft opening in order to coincide with the "Love Letters" performance at the theatre. Hugo, during his pre show introduction, spoke about the studios with the suggestion that the crowd drop in during intermission. It worked well. Well enough that I have a better idea of what went well, what didn't, and what more needs to be done.




Also since my last visit, was my acceptance as the Secretary and Marketing and Advertising Director of the Delaware Charitable Music, Inc. We' re a non-profit working to "honor and promote jazz and blues, the two original American music forms, and to educate and support young area musicians and allow them to interact with some of the world's finest performers in a professional concert atmosphere."

Pretty cool, huh? There is the logo that I designed for our big event in March at Dover Downs - The First State BluesFest featuring Dana Fuchs and Sonny Rhodes. Much more can be read about the BluesFest on our web site ( which I designed as well) at www.demusic.org.

Overall, I'm pleased that the reason that I've not been able to drop by here for the last month is due to my being busy with creative projects and not because of some other occurrence much less inspiring. All of the projects that I am involved with currently involve tremendous amounts of work and dedication, most of which I am either under compensated for or not compensated at all. But, I am working in the arts, and as an artist, I appreciate that. Besides, the networking is great and with each new thread I form in the web, the stronger it becomes.

Besides, as my dear departed mother was oft to say, "It's better than digging a ditch".

Dare I?

I have the opportunity to attend a phenomenal late night Inaugural After Party at a very exclusive nightclub in Washington, DC from 11:00 PM - 4:00 AM which will truly be packed with Hollywood celebs....
Hmmm...

Your followers...

Just when you thought I may never appear here again, it is I, after a 3 week hiatus. To be fair, there has been much on my plate as of late keeping me busier than usual. I found this online this morning and felt the need to share it - make of it what you will.




I think it would be fun to have seen the original. The bucolic scene surrounding Jesus and his companion present lush rolling hills of some rural area, dare I say, possibly, somewhere south of the Mason Dixon line. Of course, they could also simply be strolling about the countryside of some Midwestern locale deep in the heartland. In the background to the left is the hint of either an old farmhouse or church. More likely than not however, it is a church - at least in my opinion. I mean, really, Jesus is there strolling about with his much shorter friend.

While the chap on the right is smartly dressed, he's certainly no style match for Jesus. There is a very popular and chic salon here in town where a man's haircut costs $32. Last week, I was almost certain that I caught a glimpse of Jesus ducking in the spot trying not to be noticed, now I'm certain it was him. His stylist does a fine job in any case. In fact, he looks like a strapping combination of Charlton Heston, Mel Gibson, and Al Pacino.

I must admit that I am a great fan of this type of humor, though I'm not sure what it's called. It's Monty Pythonesque in the sense that an image is manipulated and then used to convey an entirely new meaning, usually humorous and ironic, as is the case above. In fact, this reminds me of my very first post in this blog a few years back which documented a very odd encounter I had at a local tire repair shop:

http://sprouseart.blogspot.com/2005/04/let-he-who-have-no-tread.html

I'll have to research a bit and see if I can discover the name of this mode of humor.

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Socks the Cat

Socks the Cat's Cancer Battle



Poor Kitty. Somewhere out there there is a photo of me holding Socks taken during a private tour of the White House that I was invited on during the Clinton administration. At that time, he was a big and friendly act that leaped into my arms and purred.

Party Machine

Shake Your Tail Feathers baby!

Another cool discovery...

Have any of you noted as of late all of the great archaeological finds that have been discovered recently? I, for one, find all of this very exciting...

4,300-year-old pyramid discovered in Egypt
2,000-year-old gold earring found in Jerusalem
New Bamiyan Buddha find amid destruction

Gotta love this!

For those of you who have been concerned that I may be abandoning my blog, fear not. I've just been busier than I have ever been in my life working with several new visual and performing arts projects connected to my work. I'll still be posting, but probabbly not on an every day occurance. Though - I'll do my best.

With that being said - I ran across this new item online which brought a smile to my face...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081110/ap_on_re_us/wwii_photo

It's the day after Halloween

It's the day after Halloween. I had a big night last night.
I now feel like 14 hells.
I just can't party the way I used to anymore.
Alas.

Happy Halloween Folks...

NRSC = Freaks

I am not from Minnesota nor have I ever been there (though I would love to visit one day and probably will as I do have friends there). I know that there has been a rather heated campaign between Minnesota senate race between Republican Norm Coleman and comedian Al Franken
raging throughout the state which I have been following somewhat from a distance.

I also want to state that I have been a fan of Al Franken for many years. I was first introduced to his unique comedy when he would appear on SNL in the late 70's as part of the Franken & Davis show. Years later I watched him as a celebrity contestant at a taping of Jeopardy and found him not only hilarious but articulate and very intelligent.

Then, several years after that, I became hooked on his radio talk show that aired for a couple of years on Air America Radio.

SO, you can imagine my disgust when I read about the recent low-down low-brow smear tactics that the National Republican Senatorial Committee has taken in a pathetic attempt to bring him down.

See for yourself here:

http://www.americablog.com/2008/10/norm-coleman-mails-rape-comic-book-to.html

And thus begins a new chapter...

It's an early Monday morning in late October.

In synchronistic fashion, yesterday afternoon was the very last day that I will ever set foot in my previous house in New Jersey while today is the day that I "officially" begin my new position as Executive Director of the Celebration Studios and Gallery here in Rehoboth Beach. I use the word officially in quotes only because I have been working more or less in the position for the last 2 weeks or so, but today is when it actually begins..."officially".

Of course, I'll still be responsible for many of the duties connected to my position as Associate Director of the Theatre for quite some time, the role has just been expanded into a wider scope of possibilities. I'm very pleased about taking on the new role, and the new work.

Make no mistake - there is much new work to be done. Much. But you see, this isn't so much a "job" as it is a life role that is played. It was the same way when I was the owner and curator of eklektikos gallery of art in Washington, DC for 10 years. The role becomes part of your psyche, thus, you are always "working", but it is more akin to always keeping the vision alive and prospering.

If you've ever been involved in similar projects, you know what I mean.

Perhaps that's an even better term, "project". Working on a "project" has always seemed more attractive to me than simply "working". "Working" seems mundane, rote, tedious, like an unpleasant necessity while working on a project seems creative, invigorating, collaborative, fruitful and pleasant.

So, with that in mind, let me reword my first paragraph—today is the day that I begin working on my new project—as Executive Director of the Celebration Studios and Gallery.

Here's to new chapters.



Zoom. Zoom.

Arrivederci New Jersey

Good morning. As I press down on my keyboard, it's a bit after 6:00 AM, E.S.T. I've been up since 4:51 AM, which, as of late, is quickly becoming the norm for me. But this morning has a rather odd aura about it for this is the last morning that I spend here in this particular house in New Jersey.

For a variety of reasons, each either too tedious or too personal to list, my partner and I listed our house here in New Jersey sometime around last May. To condense an extremely long story, we finalize the sale to the new owners on the 30th, exactly one week from today.

For those of you with absolutely much too much time on your hands, it may indeed be possible to research much earlier postings in this blog to discover that we purchased this home almost 3 years ago to the date. I remember moving in less than a week before Halloween and being concerned that I hadn't had time to pick up candy or carve a jack-o-lantern because of the chaos, a thought that, in hindsight, I now view as completely absurd.

Initially, I was very pleased with the decision. It was, and still is, a lovely old home a top a small hill looking over the quaint main street confines of a charming bedroom community of Philadelphia. However, as the months flew from the calendar like faded leaves from a branch, the events that I had envisioned occurring did not. I became disillusioned and ready for change.

Now, the change that I requested from the universe was delivered to be in abundance. Since moving back to the beach on a full time basis last May, my life has indeed taken on a new level of involvement that I find stimulating, challenging, rewarding—and most importantly—that allows me to enlarge my creative horizon on a daily basis.

So, it is not with sadness that I notice the fact that this will be the last 6:46 AM that I spend in the Butterscotch Castle. It seems that the older I become, the less wistful I become as well. The past is the past and I've learned that attempting to dwell in it, as well as regret it, is futile to say the least. Upward and onward with myself.

However, there is an oddness about knowing that one particular moment is the last moment. It's a tad bit haunting - the finality of it all, and as such, it seems that my morning is composed of a very long stream of final moments.

Halloween is just around the corner...

Gotta love it...