Gamesmanship

(Above) Rare, Hand Painted Ring-toss Game, c. 1930s. Click image for larger view.

(Above) Pennsylvania Game Wheel With Striking Graphics, c. 1890-1900. Click image for larger view.


(Above) Parcheesi Marble Game, c. 1940s. Click image for larger view.


(Above) Oversized Primitive Checker Board With Numbers. Click image for larger view.

(Above) St. Louis Carnival Company Marble Game. Click image for larger view.

(Above) 19th Century Painted Chinese Checkers Game Board.
(Above) Carnival Penny-Pitch Board, 1930s. Click image for larger view.

(Above) Three Extraordinary Carnival Knockdown Heads. Click image for larger view.

(Above) New England Parcheesi Game Board Table (1840-1860). Click image for larger view.


EVERYONE LOVES GAMES. We played with them as children and hopefully still do as adults.

These hand made games from yesteryear were found on the Web site 1st Dibs. Enjoy.

Vintage Ephemera

HERE’S SOME BEAUTIFUL IMAGES of ephemera found here.

Start to Finish, Beginning to End

(Above) March 31, 1979: First photo of Hugh Crawford’s photo project. Click on photo for larger view.


(Above) 4-21-80; Click on photo for larger view.


(Above) 3-30-81; Click on photo for larger view.

(Above) 4-1-84; Click on photo for larger view.

(Above) 1-20-86; Click on photo for larger view.

(Above) 8-4-87; Click on photo for larger view.

(Above) 2-1-88; Click on photo for larger view.

(Above) 1-20-90; Click on photo for larger view.

(Above) 12-17-92; Click on photo for larger view.


(Above) 3-10-94; Click on photo for larger view.

(Above) 6-26-96; Click on photo for larger view.

(Above) 4-26-97; Click on photo for larger view.

(Above) 6-2-97; Click on photo for larger view.

(Above) 7-28-97; Click on photo for larger view.

(Above) 7-30-97; Click on photo for larger view.

(Above) 8-20-97; Click on photo for larger view.

(Above) 7-30-97; Click on photo for larger view.

(Above) 7-30-97; Click on photo for larger view.

(Above) 10-25-97; Last day on earth. Click on photo for larger view.


I DO NOT KNOW JAMIE LIVINGSTON. I WISH I HAD KNOWN HIM. When I discovered his site I was super excited. On the last day of March 1979 he began a project he called “Photo of the Day.” Then, I noticed that the project ended in 1997. I thought that perhaps the project ended, things happen. But as I dug into his luscious and wonderful images, I noticed that the last photograph was dated October 21, 1997. With a little more research, backing up from that date, I noticed that Jamie had contracted cancer. His last day on earth was his last photograph.

Check out his web site yourself, and follow the project here. And think about each day we have on this earth. Jamie Livingston, thanks for your visual diary. Farewell.

In Situ: American Folk Art in Place

Click on image for larger view.


Click on image for larger view.


A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE, HIMSELF A NOTED AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER, with over a dozen books and monographs to his name, his work held in the most famous museums in the world, told me just a short time ago: “I rarely collect actual images anymore by other photographers. I collect their books. Books are the new collectible.”

That statement took me by surprise. Not to say that actual images are not collectible—but a lot of what he said is true. Which is why you should run, not walk—to your computer and consider buying this book “In Situ: American Folk Art in Place.” It is written by noted folk art collector and scholar Jim Linderman and it will someday be considered a rare book.

This book shows Jim’s longtime private collection of the most unusual, curious and beautiful American folk art in location—as it was made long ago. Many pieces have long since vanished, in fact most were never meant to last but a short time. Sometimes the best in situ folk art environments were made spontaneously and with great inspiration. Others took years to make, the product of careful planning and hard work.

Jim is a Grammy-nominated artist and photos from his collection were used to produce the well-known Take Me to the Water: Immersion Baptism in Vintage Music and Photography 1890-1950 release. This is the third book of photographs in the Dull Tool Dim Bulb series.

More information on the author is available at his incredible Web site www.dulltooldimbulb.com and on his many other art, culture and photography sites. “In Situ: American Folk Art in Place” is a 112-page book available both in hardcover, with jacket, and softcover. In fact, by going to his site you can see the book and click on the image to buy it. Your book will be delivered in a couple of weeks if not sooner.

Many of the photographs are real photo postcards which are over 100 years old and have never been seen before. This is a major collection being shown and shared together for the first time.

Carved From Wood

(Above) Life-size “leather” jacket, carved from wood, stained and painted.


(Above) Life-size “T-Shirt,” carved from wood, stained and painted.

(Above) Life-size “quilt,” carved from wood, stained and painted.

(Above) Detail of quilt.

(Above and below) Carved from wood and painted, these “hats” are a popular Fraser Smith series of carvings.



FRASER SMITH IS a wood sculptor who makes tromp l’oeil sculptures from carved wood of soft, malleable things—things like coats and shirts and quilts. His is an art of fooling our eye. “That is NOT made of wood!” you can hear a viewer say.

Highly skilled and proficient in his craft—Fraser’s art can please any level of artistic savvy, especially those who do not “think” too deeply about art. What I mean by this is that I contend that you could put five Mark Rothko masterpieces in a room with five Fraser Smith sculptures, open it to the general public and guess who would win the popularity contest? Yep—Fraser Smith.

I say this not as a slam to Fraser’s work, as I like to say “wow” as well when I see things. I enjoy art that makes me wonder. It is just that the general public has always been drawn to art when it shows what they believe to be artistic difficulty. Isn’t that what the general public thinks art should be? Art should make one say “wow,” and that is why Fraser Smith probably sells every piece he makes. His is definitely a populist art.

So, is there a difference, dear readers, between Fraser Smith’s work and that of Oleg Dou or Ron Mueck, two artists I have recently written about on this blog who deal in a world of hyped-up super realism? You tell me.

Does the ability to make something fool our eye and question with our perceptions of reality— is that enough to constitute high art? After all, untold numbers of sign painters of yesterday painted super real paintings on billboards all the time. Why weren’t they recognized as artists?

As for Fraser Smith and his work, I say “Go Fraser!” and keep making people say “WOW!” See more of his marvelous work here.

Come Fly With Me

Above - Step 1: Take a wooden matchstick and slice a thin sliver from one side. Then cut the remaining stick in two, lengthwise. Make sure you leave a little of the red tip intact for effect. Discard one half.


Above - Step 2: Make the aircraft by gluing the sliver of wood - the wing - across the remaining part of the matchstick - the fuselage. If you want, you can use little scraps to make a tail section. Or you can make a biplane. Or you can use a couple of thin slices of balsa to make a huge wing, one that will carry maybe twenty engines. Indulge your aeronautical whims. Think of lift, think of thrust, think of innovation without the benefit of an industrial policy.


Above - Step 3: Catch a bunch of flies. Put them in a jar and put the jar in the freezer. In a few seconds the flies will be chilled out completely. This is called cryogenics, and it has its drawbacks. For example, the flies will be dead flies if you freeze them too long. Dead flies are no good. So if you're a tinkerer, refrigerate your flies. It takes longer to make them comatose, but they have a higher recovery rate than the ones you leave in the freezer next to the burritos.


Above - Step 4: Meanwhile, put a tiny drop of rubber cement at each place along the wing where you want an engine.

Above - Step 5: Take the flies out of the freezer. Attach the abdomen of one frigid fly to each drop of glue. Make sure all the flies are facing the same direction.

Above - Step 6: Take a wooden matchstick and slice a thin sliver from one side. Then cut the remaining stick in two, lengthwise.

Above - Step 7: Launch the aircraft. It should fly like a charm, and, far from being cruel to the flies, you'll be teaching them a new and valuable thing, one that brings us to the virtue of this exercise. For we see that while flies think a lot alike, have a great deal in common, share many of the same hopes and dreams, they never act in concert, as a team, with regard for the worth of other, neighboring flies until forced to by grim circumstance - as, for example, when they are harnessed to fly and either first experience the exhilaration of high-altitude cooperation or die. Redeemed by such a critical choice, they'll soar like a glider, race like a Stealth, and, when overflying a barnyard or kennel, turn into a wicked-awesome dive bomber.

Via here.