Carl B Johnson – CBJ Art dot com
Nothing quiet on the Western Front
This past weekend, tired of being housebound in 100+° heat, I suggested to Liz that we take a day trip to Superior. Superior is 2,888 feet elevation. Apache Junction is 1,722 – and that 1,000 feet make a difference.
The cloud cover added to the cooling effect of the elevation, and it was pleasant all day as we walked the streets of Superior, and stopped into the Silver King Smokehouse and Saloon. Best pulled pork this side of the valley! Continue reading “Superior”
We were the winning bid to design and fabricate props for floats in the Fiesta Bowl parade.
One float, sponsored by, you guessed it, Cheez-It – wanted huge Cheez-It boxes.
Made of 3/4″ plywood, the boxes were then wrapped in printed vinyl. The boxes were to be the backs of two sets of bleachers on a float for the parade. Continue reading “Last in the series – Cheez-it”
Another church children’s program – it seems the churches in Arizona have to compete to get families.
The 3-dimensional pieces on the wall are all Styrofoam, coated wit Rhino coat and painted. They are all backed with 1/2″ plywood for stability.
The arrow is a wood base and Styrofoam coated with Rhino coat. The letters are pine cut to shape on a CNC router. The base has casters on the front, so that the prop can be easily moved.
The wall is printed vinyl applied like wallpaper. All of this was designed and fabricated in a now defunct print shop in Mesa Arizona.
Sometimes it pays off to be paid to have fun. A church in Tempe, AZ wanted a showpiece for their children’s ministry.
They wanted a huge tree in the foyer of their school building. More than 20 feet high, We needed to construct offsite the prop that was then to be installed in the building.
The skeleton of the tree was constructed of steel and wood framework. We sculpted the tree out of 4’x8′ sheets of Styrofoam. Continue reading “More fun with fabrication”
As an artist, I tend to love anything creative, and more so if it involves using my hands. Woodworking is a creative and therapeutic outlet for a restless mind.
My found object, re-purposed art is a fun outlet. I have been employed in the large format print/ fabrication industry for the past eight years. Some of the moist exciting projects involved carpentry.
The photos here show a child’s playhouse with a spiral staircase. I am certain the time spent on this project was way more than an experienced carpenter would have required.
The project was designed with EnCad, a program much beyond my scope of experience or ability. The wood was cut on a MultiCam CNC router, all part of my abilities. 3/4″ marine grade plywood and Luan were used in the construction.
The wood was primed and then coated with Rhino coat, which is a 2-part epoxy based coating used in pickup truck bedliners. The stairs were simply coated with poly-acrylic. The shell, after assembly, was then covered with Styrofoam that was shaped to resemble tree bark, and that was coated with Rhino coat.
The end result was a fun play tree house. I unfortunately never got to see the finished result, which included a rail around the perimeter and a treehouse on the top. It now resides in a church somewhere in Utah for their children’s ministry.
This was one of several pieces that they ordered to fit their theme.
Wood is one of the most versatile materials that can be used to create almost anything one can imagine.
Several years ago I acquired a stash of vintage postcards of the Superstition Mountains at an antiques sale in Superior, AZ. I donated the postcards to the Superstition Mountain Museum. The museum is part of the Superstition Mountain Historical Society.
The Superstition Mountain Museum is a must see if you are ever in Apache Junction, AZ. It has the only two surviving structures of the Apache Land Movie Studios, a working stamp mill, a scale railroad featuring the history of Arizona, mining artifacts and twelve acres of grounds with walking paths all in front of the wonderful backdrop of the Superstition Mountains. All of this is free to the public. The indoor museum is open for a nominal fee, and provides the visitor with in depth history of the wild and weird Superstitions.
Before I parted with the postcards, I made high definition scans and reproduced a limited quantity.
I am offering sets of 17 cards (5 are not shown here) for $50 while supplies last. Just contact me at carl at cbjart dot com if you are interested. When they are gone, there are no more. Continue reading “Postcards from the Edge (of the Superstitions)”
After nearly a year of disability I was able to put my shoulder to the test. For those of you that know me or have been following, I had major surgery on my right shoulder August last.
My arm is still not 100%. My physical therapist cleared me to kayak (not white water) as it is good exercise to help return full motion to my arm.
It is the very end of snowbird season here in the East Valley, so we ventured out to the lakes today. Weekends are usually tough as the locals come out to play. We decided to come out in the afternoon rather than try the early morning, hoping that the early risers would be leaving as we arrived. Our plan paid off, as there was plenty of parking available.
Boulder Creek and Canyon Lake were full of weekenders. On the drive in we passed snowbird after snowbird towing their boats out. Hasta la vista, baby.
I finally had the chance to try out my new camera – not the Nikon D70, that is too expensive to risk a drink in the lake. I bought an inexpensive Polaroid ISO48 compact waterproof point and shoot. At less than $40, it would not hurt so bad if it ended up at the bottom of Canyon Lake. And it takes surprisingly good photos.
I still have to figure out how to change the date stamp. And since it takes two Double-A batteries, you would do well to have a lot of spares if you are planning on more than a couple hours on the water.
The operating instructions are a bit convoluted but for $40 what do you expect? I am happy with the maiden voyage.
The water level on the lake and creek were much higher than I’ve seen in the past. Ducks swam past us, unafraid of people. My guess is that they get fed a lot. Fish jumped from the water around us.
The water was a bit choppy, and gusts of wind made for an interesting afternoon. All in all it was good to be back on the water after well over a year.
I have two pieces that were accepted into the “All Art Arizona 2022” juried exhibition at Art Intersection in Gilbert, AZ.
May 14: Opening reception
The show runs from April 30 to July 2.
This morning Liz, her daughter, and I hiked the misnamed Hieroglyphic Trail in the Superstitions in Arizona.
The trail is accessed off of Hing’s Ranch Road n Gold Canyon, a town that is actually part of Apache Junction but they don’t want to admit it.
Sawblade Clock
$50
It has been over a month since I have had time to revisit the site. Every weekend has been scheduled full with events. Winter, in Arizona, is everyone else’s summer. March is winding down, and the snowbirds are migrating back home. Continue reading “Superstition Sawblade Clocks”