The Shed/Playhouse

While not 100% complete, an impressive structure which we like to call

"The Shed/Playhouse" stands in our backyard and this is not a picture of it.

This a picture of our back yard before I began construction. Nice view of our neighbors' backyards and the sinking old shed blocking the view of a meadow that will probably be developed in the next couple of years. When we moved into our new home in the summer of 2005, I told my wife that I was going to level the eye-sore of a shed and build a new one. That Christmas she bought me a book named "Building Green" by Clarke Snell & Tim Callahan which really inspired me to think about the space and what I wanted to get out of it. The book was a wealth of knowledge not only about alternative building methods, but also about site planning and basic building principles(anyone thinking about building a home or smaller structure should check this book out). Check out: http://www.thinkgreenbuilding.com/index.htm for more information about this book and its ideas.

I got my graph paper out and sharpened my pencils and, by spring 2006, had come up with these plans for what was no longer just a shed.


This is how I invisioned my backyard with the completed structure:

When I took my plans to city planning, I was surprised to learn that I didn't need any permits because it wasn't connected to our house and it was too small in size to be considered a garage.

After getting a "post and pole" permit, summer 2006 found me in a old burn (forest fire) area felling charred timbers which would make the skeleton for my structure.

On Using Burnt Trees

Pros: No need to cut down living trees, ready to use immediately (no cure time) and very easy to peel.

Con: As a fire moves through a forest the heat makes the wood split along one side, I had to take this split into consideration when placing the logs so that I wouldn't end up trying to screw something into the gap.

Digging the Footers

By the end of the summer 2006, this was what my structure looked like:

I pulled this all back down, stained the logs and covered them with tarp for the winter.
When spring came, work began in earnest and generally consumed my whole summer. Check it!

I'm sorry there is no old shed demolition video. Ask my wife, it was pretty entertaining!

I recycled the floor, roof, two by four and plywood of the old shed.

Old Shed Floor in New Shed

Roof and Plywood from Old Shed on New Shed

When working on this kind of project it's very handy to have a wood pimp. A wood pimp is a friend who happens to have a small scale wood mill in his yard. Old barn wood, lumber for trusses, sheet metal roof, tongue and groove decking plus lots more wood all came from my buddy Jer's place. If you think this little structure is neat, you should see the awesome timber frame home he's built for his family. Besides lots and lots of wood at discount prices he was also there to answer any structural questions I had. Very handy indeed!

Trusses

So this it pretty much how it looks now. Next summer, I'll to build the living roof and build windows to go inside the trusses and it'll be 100% complete.

TITLES!

tHANKS TO MY bROTHER, dAVE
AND HIS WIFE, aMY - i'M FINALLY

GETTING SOME TITLES oN-lINE!

TWO WEEKS LEFT!

There's no such thing as too many titles for theses paintings!

Help a brother out, thanks.

I had a great turn out for my art opening,

sold a few pieces, emptied a keg of beer and

all of my paintings now have titles (the egg painting

has over sixty)! Not only that but I also had a

great visit from my sister, Christine and boyfriend,

Jason - who was a big hit in Whitefish, check out the pics.

DJ CB

Karaoke at the VFW after the opening!

BIG thanks to all the folks that helped me to have
a rad opening!

Untitled Titled

Glenn's Art Show On-Line!

Title my paintings! Each comment for each painting will be duly noted as one of the titles for the painting. These paintings will go from untitled to multi-titled. Limited to comments made the month of October. Get creative, be imaginative and relax, it's not a test - it should be fun!

For pricing please contact

the Walking Man Gallery and Frame Shop

at 406-863-2787

or e-mail: thewalkingman@cyberport.net



thanks y'all!



glenn

Ink, water colors, acrylics and google eyes on paper; mounted on stretched muslin panels.

Acrylics and oils on stretched linen.

Acrylics, enamels, glitter and oils on brown Carhartt denim.

Acrylics, enamels, oils and glitter on coffee bean sack.

Acrylics, enamels, oils and glitter on black Carhartt denim.

Acrylics, enamels and oils on black Carhartt denim.

Acrylics, glitter, oils and plastic Superman on blue jeans.

Acrylics and oils on duck Carhartt denim.

Acrylics on stretched muslin.

Paper, foils, acrylics, and oils on muslin.

Paper, acrylics, glitter and oils on duck Carhartt denim.

Acrylics on canvas.

Oils on wood.

Newspaper and acrylics on canvas panel.

Acrylics, enamels and oils on black Carhartt denim.

Salivating Twenty-Three Faced Fountain

the Virgin of Guadalupe

Lucas Cranach's Adam and Eve deconstructed

Juichimen-kannon series

I’ve tried to kick this art addiction before but I always find myself looking for my next score. I’m sorry, I just can’t help myself. Something clicks in my head which causes a long chain of events to happen - the cumulative result being something that one has a hard time labeling anything other than "art".

Being a bartender, folks might have their suspicions about me calling myself an artist but I do have a BFA with a concentration in Printmaking. However, these sorts of degrees make it tough for an artist to pay back student loans and earn a living without selling out. So, I learned to bartend in New Orleans. The beauty of this being that I could pay bills and still be free, creatively, to do as I wished. In my ten plus years bartending, I’ve accumulated far more art than I have walls. Wanting to spend more time with my kids, while they are still kids - now seems to be good time to see if anybody wants to hang my art on their walls. If I could sell some of my art, I’d be able to bartend less and have more time to spend with my girls and create more art. Hmmmm.....

So, what is a bartending printmaker doing showing a bunch of odd paintings without titles? Well, I’m not quite sure myself except that this must be what happens when I don’t have access to a printing press - crazy, colorful paintings on Carhartts and coffee bean sacks! Nothing at all like any of my conservative monochromatic prints, wow! When I was going to college in North Carolina, folks always said to me, "You ain’t right", and I think most of my art is a reflection of this. That being said, most folks do seem to like my art, or a least some it (myself included). With a little encouragement from friends and family, I’m having my first show.
Titles seemed redundant for these dreamy paintings but untitled art is so boring, so I’ve opted for a little audience participation. At the show, the gallery guests will have the opportunity to name my painting themselves. I’ll also include distant friends and family by posting my show on my blog site -kneelingbullmagic.blogspot.com -and letting folks name my paintings via the internet. My paintings will go from being untitled to multi titled and I expect I’ll have some interesting results.

The oddest part , for me, is telling people that I’m having an art show. I mean, I’ve been bartending here in Whitefish for over seven years and I’ve managed to keep this skeleton in my closet for quite awhile. So, I am a little anxious but also very excited. I’ve been getting an enthusiastic response as I spread the news. The opening (which is 6-10pm, Thurs. Oct. 4th) should be a hoot! I’ve got a DJ, a keg of beer (bring your I.D.), snacks and stickers! You won’t be able to miss us at
the Walking Man frame shop and gallery
305 Baker Ave
863-2787
thanks for checkin’ it out
-glenn