Saturday Is For Art

This paper mache' sculpture is a fish. When I lived in Columbus, Ohio, I had a pet gold fish that was an Oranda. These gold fish are fancy and have these bumps, known as a wen, on their head. Some time before or after my friend Mr. Oranda died, I started on a paper mache' fish. You see, I had all these old Wall Street Journals laying around my apartment in Columbus, so I decided to make something with them. I started out with using wire coat hangers and scraps of metal screening and then I covered this armature with newspaper. As there was no rush to complete this project, Mr. Oranda was a project in the making for several years. Whenever I felt like doing some paper mache', Mr. Oranda grew in size. After I got him to where I thought I wanted him, I covered him with several coats of gesso. Then I decided to "bronze" him with burnt umber. The three photos of Mr. Oranda is my piece of art for this Saturday.

Mr. Oranda kept me company for many years while I lived and worked in Columbus during the week. He provided me with an outlet to work with my hands during the week as my work shop was back at my home in Cincinnati. Those were some interesting years that I lived in Columbus and worked for the State of Ohio. Mr. Oranda and I have been working on a book about my life in the investment business and those years in Columbus. The working title of the book is: Investments, Politics & Race: A View From The Inside. If I am lucky enough to find a publisher, I will certainly let everyone know.