When skiing is really bad…

So far, my ski days are still under 20 and I’ve skied so little in such awful conditions. So, people could be wondering what positive value I'm getting out of it. 

The snow is hard, irregular and seems to be intent on catching my skis for no good reason, so getting on the snow appears to have no redeeming value, but then again, as some caustic sportsmen say: “If skiing were easy, it would be called snowboarding!” 

So here I am, the guy who thrives on harsh conditions, on challenges of all kinds, on the most terrifying terrain, recycling Nietzsche’s comment that “If the snow conditions don’t kill me, they’ll make me a lot wiser!” 

So, as you see, the proposition is compelling and if I want to become the real man I aspire to be, I should have the courage to go out and measure myself against the uncooperative elements. Does it make sense? Probably not, but at least it seems to be the best fight I can deliver against some unexciting ski conditions...

Turning power transformer boxes into art!

These green metal boxes we often seen on the streets, are power transformers, specifically called "pad-mounted transformers", as they sit on a concrete pad and are typically used in areas with underground power lines; they take high voltage electricity and step it down to a usable voltage for homes and businesses, like in the rest of the world. 

In recent year, to beautify these rather drab, industrial-looking boxes, Park City has launched its “EmPOWERment” project meant to spruce up utility boxes throughout the city. Now in its third phase, the program invites artists to submit their works focusing on the natural environment, arts, culture, community and history of Park City. 

The program is run jointly with Rocky Mountain Power, including one of its representative and the Public Art Advisory Board members to select the artists. All utility box artists receive $400 for their designs. The art pieces are produced into “wraps” to cover the utility boxes and framed in the city office building. 

One of our favorite that we see everyday on our walk is the one featuring an iconic Park City moose!

Pig-Gitou’s unique story

In 1989, for my wife’s birthday, I decided to turn into reality a design-sculpture concept I had dancing in my head for a long time. I had called that business concept “Slice of Life”; it consisted in stringing together slices of wood into a shape. 

In that particular instance, I had decided to create a pet-pig, that would be named “Pig-Gitou”, which held a special meaning to my wife and I. It’s hard for me to remember if she took delivery of that unique animal on her birthday, but I tend to think that it was presented to her with some delay. 

At any rate, “Pig-Gitou” has followed us into the four residences that we’ve occupied after it was created. Over 35 years of age, clean, never hungry, smelling good old pine, not requiring vet visits or immunization shots and never uttering a nasty word, it instantly became the ideal pet. 

That was until it fell and split into two pieces, breaking Evelyne’s heart in the process. She had to reawaken the animal’s biological father who took it to the operating table and reassembled the two pieces into a stronger pig ready to survive both of us, take on inflation Trump’s second mandate, climate change and a life that I guarantee won’t be boring at all!

Painting the skiing experience

Recently, I picked up a coffee-table, picture book revealing over 30 years of painting work by James Niehues. 

He is a Colorado artist that created many maps that have been the companions of millions of skiers and snowboarders at resorts and mountains across the globe, but mostly here in North America. 

That heavy, 5 lbs book, titled “The Man Behind the Maps”, displays more than 200 individual trail maps Niehus has hand-drawn and painted. 

It has also became the number one Art-Illustration Kickstarter campaign of all time and is loved by skiers and snowboarders who have been familiar with his artsy as well as unique trail maps.

I personally agree than they’re much better than computer-generated map and compared favorably when put side by side with those (see Telluride vs. Morzine-Les Gets) and constitute a very effective blend of artistry and a complex creative license to fit complex mountain reliefs into a flat map and for rendering a pretty realistic experience of what’s in store for the user. 

Great job! I almost wish I had pick James Niehues’ job as a career...

Bear thieves do it again!

On October 1st 2018, a bear sculpture showing the animal sipping its morning coffee was stolen from a house in our neighborhood and was never recovered. 

After being replaced 18 month later, we learned three days ago that it had been, once more, stolen. 

This time, the Park City Police Department is asking for the public’s help in recovering that unique artwork. “We are asking for the public’s help in finding a missing bear,” said a statement from the PCPD. “The bear is 3 to 4 feet tall, weighs about 60 pounds, likes to drink coffee and is loved by family and neighbors alike.”

The owners paid a local artist $8,000 to create a new one and secured the statue to a boulder with bolts and adhesive, but it didn’t resist the robbers’ brute force. 

If you happen to see that bear around your friend or neighbor’s house, call our police department at 435-615-5500. I’m not certain, but I assume there will be a reward between $1 and $8,000!

Cloud-gazing in Park City

In those fairly rare instance when we have clouds in our Park City skies, there is not just plenty to see, but in most cases a fascinating show that keeps on changing and entertaining those of us who are perceptive enough to look into the heavens.

Even though they’re so common and their recipe is simple - rising air and moisture - clouds are an ever evolving spectacle. Perched at 7,000 feet, Park City provides the perfect observatory for this display of elusive, modern art form. 

Often times, when my wife asks me “Take a shot of that beautiful cloud!”, whether it’s some unique cloud formation, a perfect reflection of the morning sun upon its crest or a stunning sunset, all has changed by the time I pull out my phone and frame the picture in. 

Evanescence is the name of the game with clouds, as well as an endless supply of second chances to snap a perfect photograph the next time all changes again for another, never-seen-before art form...

The stolen bear is back!

Less than 18 months ago, I was lamenting the theft of a charming, albeit very small, Park City outdoor sculpture, in our neighborhood.

It was an adorable representation of a bear sitting on rock, enjoying his morning coffee while staring at our ridge lines.

Last week, as we were walking by the same house, the bear had surprisingly returned to its observatory spot.

This time, the color of the coffee mug had been updated from black to red. I assumed that its owners reached out to their pocket book and re-ordered a perfect copy of their coffee-sipping bear.

Welcome back!

Anything can be “art” but at different levels...

There isn't a day that goes by, when I don't see some kind of “art” promoted in the media.

Some of it I like, some is good and most is bad. I guess art is in the eye, hears or other senses, of the beholder and its quality varies vastly from nothingness to perfection.

Nature in lots of ways is fabulous art. Some birds build gorgeous looking nests. Yet, human-made “art” varies an awful lot, ranging from mediocrity to divine beauty.

When art is promoted it gets more traction and, if it's done well, it can quickly become over-valued. This is the wonder of good salesmanship and savvy marketing.

So what can we take-away from this? Simply, that if we appreciate something, if it touches us and communicates well with who we are, it can become art to us.

The process is mostly personal and don't let art critics or pundits try to tell you otherwise.

A reluctant contestant

Sixty years ago, Monsieur Losserand, my schoolmaster in the one-room, eight-class, elementary boys-only school, at my hometown of Montriond, France, had enough faith in my talents to enroll me in a national contest sponsored by the national soap suppliers association.

I was good at drawing and he asked me to put together the illustrated story of a little boy, that used to be very dirty and, through a series of transformative events, discovered the benefits of personal hygiene.

From what I can remember, I wasn't motivated to do the assignment, got dragged into it, could never see the end of it, but was delighted when it finally was over and my entry sent out.

I never, for a minute, worried one bit about the outcome (to be continued...)

Old talents revisited...

After I threatened to return to my old passion for illustrations, I received many comments from old buddies of mine that managed to dust off some ancient artworks of mine that they had providentially kept.

Needless to say that I couldn't remember any of them as I was all but a collector in these days, and was quite shocked when I rediscovered them.

The one I most recently got were comic strips and I must say that, upon close examination, these art samples woefully failed to meet my current standards!

This said, if I were (as I said I will) to revive that old pastime of mine, I would have to accept stepping into a phase of initial and extended mediocrity before I get closer to what my “standards” of the present day could be.

Clearly, there's no free lunch, and if relearning and all the pain it entails is part of the price to pay, so be it!

The gift of snow

Yesterday, we magically woke up to more new snow. Sure it wasn't a few feet, but just a welcome few inches, and the Park City universe will definitely be much better for it as every little bit ends up counting.

What's even more precious than this pristine snow fall is a photo I received a couple days ago, from a Facebook friend and former schoolmate, that's a little work of art and was marrying this season's lack of early snow with two characters I had created to illustrate our Christmas and New Year video.

The work is artistic, delicate and make me want to wish all of you a Merry Everything!

Resurrecting an old talent of mine...

Starting when I was a toddler, I loved to draw and kept on doing it until I was about twenty years old. After that, I simply gave up. Sure, I was never encouraged by my family and was never too sure to pick a career in that field.

At age ten, I even won a contest at school that sent me on a trip across Europe and gave me my first opportunity to fly (a big deal in the fifties!).

As I get older, I'm very much tempted to revive this lost talent of mine. Sure, I'm a little apprehensive that I could be disappointed, but in the end we always feel the urge to revisit something we once loved, even if it's no longer up to par to the level at which we left it off, there's always time to nurture it back into fun...

Jean Ferrat's lust for life

When we found ourselves in Ardèche, I wanted to visit the village that the French singer Jean Ferrat literally “adopted” leaving Paris and its glamour behind.

The village of Antraigue sur Volane fits my one of my favorite French singer like a glove and while I never was fond of Ferrat's political views (he openly espoused communism for quite a long time until discovering Stalin's true work) I loved all of his other songs.

Seeing the kind of place and lifestyle he picked for himself in Ardèche made sense to me and fell perfectly in line with the image I had of the man and the poet.

Another Art Festival!

If my memory serves me right, this weekend is our 32nd Park City Art Festival. We haven't attended them all, but at least, more than half of them.

At first, we were mesmerized by this overload of artistry, bought a lot of artwork and couldn't wait for the next festival.

Over the years, we've become more jaded and after “down-sizing” our home, our wall space, nooks and crannies hold no more room for new “stuff.” If something goes in, something else has to make way for it!

This said, even if nothing catches our eyes, it's always fun to fend the crowds and take a full immersion into the artsy atmosphere that impregnates Park City's first weekend of August...

Way to go Bob!

I've always loved Bob Dylan, ever since I was a teenager in France and couldn't quite understand what he was singing, but somehow recognizing that he had something important to say. saw him perform in Park West in the late 80s.

Interestingly, I didn't know that Dylan was performing in Park City that night, but a few days before that, I was sitting next to his mom, Mrs. Zimmerman, in a flight between Minneapolis and Denver; she told me that she on her way to see him play in Colorado Springs, and that the next night, he'd be in Utah!

I was nicely surprised and delighted when I heard this morning that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize. His songs have touched me greatly and, most importantly, they touched millions of folks like us, including the entire intellectual and poetic world. It's good to see that the Swedish Academy is not a stiff monolith that can't see literature beyond the printed word.

View of the World from Park City

Around 1986, just after we moved to Park City, Saul Steinberg created a replica of his famous work for the New Yorker magazine (View of the World from 9th Avenue) and applied it to our little town.

Steinberg was born in Romania, studied philosophy for a year at the University of Bucharest before enrolling at the Politecnico di Milano, studying architecture. During his years in Milan he was actively involved in the satirical magazine Bertoldo.

After graduating in 1940, Steinberg left Italy to flee Mussolini's Fascist government and sailed to America. There, he worked mostly with the New Yorker magazine and had a lifelong relationship with the publication.

Steinberg died in 1999 after creating created 87 covers, 33 cartoons for the magazine and leaving 71 portfolios containing 469 drawings and several hundred other works amounting to more than 1,200 drawings, including Park City's own view on the world!

At the Gallery...

Last Friday, we visited the Renwick Gallery, on Pennsylvania Avenue, near the White House, for its grand re-opening. Incidentally, this is the first space that was built as a public art museum in Washington, DC.

After being shuttered for two years, the Renwick, that is dedicated to craft and design and is part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, re-opened its doors to showcase the effects of a $30 million renovation.

Among the impressive pieces showcased, I fell in love with “Shindig”, by Patrick Dougherty, displaying an intricate weaving of willows...

Bonzai!

Our first day in the Washington, DC area went fast as we spent part of it visiting nearby Annapolis, Maryland's capital, which sits on the Chesapeake Bay, and then the afternoon, the U.S. National Arboratum in the Nation's capital.

Since visiting an arboretum in November isn't necessarily the best time of the year, we spent most of it exploring its incredible bonsai and penjing museum that are displaying some incredible living work of art, many of them that saw their beginnings long before my own birth.

The exhibit is rich, varied and includes the both the Japanese and Chinese interpretations of “training trees”. Something I could start learning when I can no longer ski, which, I'm afraid might be never!

Brain-storming with Einstein

There's an art gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming that displays famous people from Mark Twain, to Benjamin Franklin or even Abraham Lincoln sitting on public benches and welcoming some company.

We too wanted to join in this form of inspiration and picked Albert Einstein. He asked me, “what do you think of my theory?” I replied: “It's all relative”. He muttered “Get of here!”

Another Park City Arts Festival...

This weekend is a big deal in Park City, with its annual Park City Kimball Arts Festival on Main Street. We went on Friday night to check out the work of more than 200 artists, including 70 that were new to the event.

While we were looking for something to put on some available space, at home, we didn't know exactly what it was and, of course, didn't find it!

I liked some “see-through” animals that displayed their inside organs and bio-mechanics, but my wife wasn't so sure. I might have to create this elusive piece of art myself...