Yeah, But Is It Art?

For years I’ve been joking, “Not only can’t I jury in to any art festival sponsored by an art museum, I can’t jury in to any show within five MILES of an art museum”. It’s kind of true, though–jurors at museum sponsored shows tend to be thoughtful academics, selecting art that they may like but which has the average person scratching their head and going “What the hell is it?” And did I tell you we just won the first annual People’s Choice Award at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival in Denver? What people like and what critics like are two entirely different animals. And that’s totally OK with me.

Which is why I think it’s hysterical that five Fobots are currently on display at the Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala FL. Yup, the guys pictured above (from left, Rocco Rolls, Prima, Buzzbee Berkeley, Tom Foolery, and Speed Bump) are at this very moment making people laugh at the “Art of the Robot” exhibit until September 22, 2013. And they’re surrounded by some really cool robot paintings and sculpture from artists across the country. If you want to know more, visit www.appletonmuseum.org/exhibits/current/ or see the show catalog at www.appletonmuseum.org/pdf/ArtRobot%20Brochure%20final.pdf . Or go visit, if you’re in the area. ‘Cause I’m pretty sure this is not the kind of exhibit where you’ll be kicked out for laughing or having a too good a time.

I Like Big Bus

It’s official–I have (a) become world famous in Raleigh, and (b) bored all my friends to death on the Fobot Facebook page talking about this.  So now I’m going to bore YOU for a while.

Several months ago, by purest coincidence, I saw an article in the paper calling for artists to submit designs to be wrapped around Raleigh city buses. I thought “What the heck–could be fun seeing five foot tall Fobots rolling around the city”, so I entered the competition. I didn’t tell ANYONE–not even Phil–because I didn’t want anyone but myself to be disappointed if I didn’t get picked.  But as you can see from the snapshot above (photo credit Kim Curry-Evans) the powers that be had a sense of humor, and my design was one of twelve selected for the project. My plan was to take Phil and some friends to the big unveiling next weekend at Artsplosure and just casually say “Will you look at that bus!  Giant Fobots on both sides–how did that happen?”, but they started rolling them out last week and I didn’t think the surprise would keep. Or maybe it would have–I still haven’t seen it yet. But when I do, I’ll post more pictures. I’m so proud of my little guys. Little did I know that when I sent them out to conquer the world, they’d be taking the bus.

Update–finally got to see the “Fobus” in person this weekend, so here are the pictures I promised:

Imitation is the Sincerest Blah Blah Blah

An open letter to the anonymous “XYZ”, who sent me a link to the website of another person making robots from found objects:
Yes, I am very familiar with the artist in question. We met a couple of times in St. Louis, have corresponded on several occasions, and she has purchased two Fobots from me. I have no problem with her making found object robots. She is not copying my designs, and she seems like a lovely person. I did have an issue in the past with someone who was attempting to copy my designs EXACTLY–I think we can all agree that that is wrong. But there are a number of people making work similar to mine now–I guess that’s just the price of success. Good luck to them. In the meantime, I will continue to try and create the most innovative designs I can, using the coolest materials I can find, putting them together as sturdily as possible, and letting the public decide which ones they want.

Results of the Second Annual Shame-A-Thon

…and here we are, 24 hours later, with a studio that, if not exactly clinical in its cleanliness and order, at least won’t get me on an episode of “Hoarders”. And to all the people yesterday who said it didn’t look THAT bad, and I should just revel in the chaos, let me say that  disorder can be a good thing, but when it gets in the way of productivity and moves into the realm of health hazard, it’s time to clean.

Now–time to mess it up…

The Second Annual Shame-A-Thon

Hey kids!  iIt’s time for the second annual Studio Shame-A-Thon! Here’s how it works: I’m posting pictures of the current state of disaster in the Fobotorium, and in 24 hours, I will have to post pictures of it all cleaned up and organized or be FOREVER SHAMED.

A few tips if you want to conduct your own Shame-A-Thon:

1. Do it on a dreary, rainy, cold day, so you won’t have all of Mother nature distracting you. CHECK.

2. Get a good recorded book to listen to to make the time past more quickly. “The Paris Wife” by Paula McLain, about Hemingway and his first wife during the Paris years. CHECK.

3. Have an even worse task in mind that you really should be doing, so that this will seem like fun in comparison. Deciphering all the mailing list names and email addresses from the last two shows and entering them into the database. CHECK.

If you don’t hear from me by noon tomorrow, send out a search party, ’cause I’m buried under an avalanche of junk. Oh, and don’t let the patches of bare wood floor fool you–the wide angle lens makes them seem bigger than they are.

Deck the Halls With Bots of Folly

The extent of my Christmas decorating this year. Peace and joy to you all—Amy

2013 Calendar–It’s almost Here!

It’s just about time for another hilarious glimpse into the secret lives of the Fobots!  The 2013 calendars have arrived from the printer, and will be available at my new shopping site, fobots.bigcartel.com (or through a link on the ifobot.com website) starting on Sunday, November 18, at 3pm EST. Here’s a sneak preview of Mr. January. They’re still $14.95 + shipping, and just in time for Christmas. What better way to own 12 Fobots?

Party Animals

Keeper

I’m sitting on the floor of the Las Vegas airport, one of many people squatting next to electrical outlets like bums on the sidewalk in need of a voltage fix. (Watts?  Got any spare watts?) I’ve been away in California taking care of my mom and her newly broken arm, which has put me way behind for our last show of the year in Westchester County, NY.  But my Auntie Anne’s pretzel is long gone, I’ve checked Facebook to see if anything happened in my absence (no), and I have run out of “I’m too busy” excuses to prevent me from updating this poor neglected blog. And I do have a little sweetie of a Fobot I want to share with you.

People often ask us at shows if we ever have bots we can’t bear to part with, and I always say no, I take their picture before I send them out into the world, and that’s enough. But then I started working on this little one, one of the smallest I’ve ever completed (8″ tall), and she just got to me. I try not to get too attached to “things”, but I could already feel the hurt of letting her go someday. And then something funny happened.  I took her downstairs and showed her to Phil for the first time.  And without any idea of what I’d been thinking to myself, Phil said “We have to keep this one. We can’t sell her”. So meet “Dolly Dimple”, one of very few Fobots we actually own. You’d think we’d have a house full of bots, but no, just the very first one, one I made for Phil one Christmas, one that hangs on the wall in the kitchen and has all of the house and car keys in it (he’s earning his keep) and now, her.  There are many collectors out there who own more Fobots than we do.  But we have the best one.  At least in my opinion. And Phil’s.

Happy

You wouldn’t believe how much time artists spend discussing the issue of what to call themselves. Try calling certain art fair artists a “vendor” and then sit back and watch their creative little heads explode. For others, the issue is more along the lines of artist vs. craftsman. Or, God forbid, crafter. Their point being that only a supremely talented few have earned the right to call themselves “artists”, and that merely being a skilled artisan or having a good idea does not allow you the privilege of assuming the lofty mantle of “artist”.

So the issue had been on my mind lately when, at a monthly luncheon of self-employed neighbors, someone inquired as to what I did for a living, and then asked what I called myself. I was prepared to give some flippant answer, but the word that leapt from my mouth surprised both of us.

“Happy”.

That’s it. I’m happy. I love what I do. I wake up in the morning excited to go to my workshop and create new things. I adore traveling the country with Phil and meeting all you lovely people at art fairs. I am thrilled beyond repair that people seem to like what I do and are willing to give me money for it. So call me an artist or a craftsperson or an artisan or a vendor, or “that damn trinket maker”. I really don’t give a rat’s ass. I’m happy. I am, quite possibly, the luckiest person in the world.

Of course, on my income tax forms, I’m putting down “artist”. No sense trying to explain “happy” to the IRS.