Photos

Here are some photos of recent life, including:

Beth throwing a HUGE pot (using 25 pounds of clay), hanging out with my brother PJ during his recent (very quick) visit to town (as the merch guy for musician Butch Walker), me at the studio,and some recent work of mine (the big head and the smaller head--a candle holder--next to it)....

Enjoy!

Gardening Again

Spring is returning triumphantly. The temperatures are rising, flowers are blooming, trees are budding, and I'm back in the garden once again. This year, Beth and I are starting a small community garden at our house, along with friends Joey and Cara. We'll be planting a huge plot this year, as our landlords have been kind enough to offer the use of the plot next door (which they own as well).

So far, we've only begun to prepare the land, and we've planted a bunch of seeds inside, which we will later transplant to the garden. Here's a basic idea of the sorts of things that we'll be growing this year:

Onion, Cucumbers (two types), Swiss Chard, Siberian Kale, Cantelope, Watermelon, Chile Peppers, Bell Peppers, Cilantro, Artichokes, Broccoli, Green Zebra Tomato, Yellow Pear Cherry Tomato, Turkish Eggplant...

There are a few other kinds of veggies we'll be doing, including corn, beans, and squash (the so called "three sisters", which together offer a more nutritious and better-growing combination than any of them alone could do). We'll also be planting some Mexican sunflowers, wildflowers, and a large herb garden.

Some pictures below of our work thus far:

Cuttlefishes, Again

new blog?

Check out the new Sirius.B blog at siriusbnews.blogspot.com. We'll have it set up with a link from the Sirius.B website just as soon as there is more to read on the blog.

'Tis a start. I will continue to post at this blog, though all tour updates, show reviews, etc, will be posted over there.

Have a great day, and thanks for visiting!

Jenn's Pondering

Over at Sirius.B's website, there's a new reason to visit -- Jenn's Weekly Ponder. (Jenn is my housemate [for the next few days at least, until I move out]). Here's the first installment. Keep checking the Sirius.B website for regular updates:

~ Jenn's Weekly Ponder ~

Deciding what to do with your life is hard. It only is hard because we have the ability to decide. Geese only ever do the same things with their lives because that's all their geese brains will let them do. Maybe actually it is complicated to be a goose. It may be that I just don't understand them. Just how they look at us looking at them and they only ever see us doing that, they must think, 'what simple lives these humans have, nothing to do but watch me do my thing. They must have it so easy.'

Maybe they're right.

Opening

Xavi and Pancho, two members of the band "Trophoblasting Cuttlefish," Asheville's first Sirius.B cover band.

Busy Busy

It has been a busy few days and things don't show any sign of slowing down.

On Friday I had the opening for my solo exhibition of paintings at the Pisgah Brewery in Black Mountain. It went swimmingly, and we had a great time. Even Beth was able to make it out, despite having been sick for a few days.

On Saturday, I awoke to find a world that had turned itself upside down. The temperature was nearing 80, the sun was shining...all was glorious. All memories of Monday's snow day (what?!) were erased, and, as one friend said, "with a taste of spring, we jumped into summer."

So, as any normal person does on such a day, Beth and I, along with our friend Cara, jumped into the car with a couple of dogs, various tents and foodstuffs, and lovely thoughts of the beach, and drove to Charleston.

It was wonderful, and sunny, and beautiful. It was also slightly marred by the fact that my thoughts of "Why don't I always act this spontaneous" were tempered by the too-late realization that, "Oh yes, I'm supposed to work this Sunday and practice with Sirius.B."

Next time my spontanaeity will have to be tempered by a quick look at Google Calendar (which, if you haven't discovered it yet, is amazing) before I jump in the car. Still, though "mistakes were made," the trip was wonderful, and we all had a great time eating seafood and enjoying the sun...

Now, it's back to real life -- lots of work, lots of time with other creative endeavors, lots of time running around....But if the weather stays like this, all is looking rosy.

I'll put up some lovely pictures of the adventure soon.

Pisgah Brewery

Pisgah Brewery got me up on the website...and it looks nice....

Check it out: www.pisgahbrewing.com.

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Also, I've got a new sculpture project underway (though I continue to move forward with new, exciting, and always bigger heads) -- CUTTLEFISH!

Check out this video below (I may have posted it some time ago) for some understanding of my recent obsession with cephalapods (which, I'm happy to report, Beth shares).

Also, before checking out the video -- I need to make a webpage for B.F. Pottery (previously Beth Flanagan, now Bond-Flanagan Pottery) -- I'm ready to do it on my own, as I've made websites before and know that I can do it. I'm thinking, however, that it might be a bit of a waste of my time to do so if there are other people out there that can do it better and faster. So, if anyone out there would like to trade some pottery (both of the Beth and Pancho persuasions) for some web design, please contact me and we'll work something out. Now, enjoy the video:

Mustachioed!

Here's a photo from my recent trip to Atlanta with Sirius.B. You may or may not be able to see that my mustache is all curled up and nice.

Press for the Show

I've got some local press for my show, "Portraits of Ukrainian Monkey Trainers," which is currently at the Pisgah Brewery in Black Mountain, NC (Pisgah Brewing).

Check out the local buzz here and here.

(Thanks to Gordon Smith for the mention)

Portraits of Ukrainian Monkey Trainers

NOTE: I forgot to mention that this Friday night will be the opening at the Brewery -- Calling all locals -- 7 PM ish. If you need directions, check out their website -- www.pisgahbrewing.com

Beth and I hung the exhibit of my paintings yesterday at the Pisgah Brewery. They look really great -- I'm ecstatic. Here are some pictures as well as the text from my Artist Statement / Bio for the show.

Pancho Romero Bond

Artist Statement

The current show, “Portraits of Ukrainian Monkey Trainers” attempts to capture, primarily through the medium of water color painting, the lives of Ukrainian circus workers. On a personal level, the paintings (and some of my sculptural work) allow me to reconcile my personal feelings about the simultaneous tragedy and dignity of the lives of these individuals. The work is also meant to serve as an investigation into the circular pattern of family lives and experiences, as I mimic the travel and research of my (late) great-Uncle, Milos Stemlovich. The work of Milos Stemlovich (much of it now lost or destroyed) also focused on the Ukrainian circus community and the nature and essence of truth in the oral storytelling traditions of the community. By continuing his work at the same time that I self-reflexively examine his own research, I hope to create a palimpsest in which layers of truth both mirror and mask layers of myth and apocrypha.

Bio

Pancho Romero Bond was born in Livingston, New Jersey with a slightly different name than the one that he now carries. Romero Bond was educated at Penn State University and Cambridge University as a linguist and literary theorist. Before moving to Asheville, Romero Bond lived in Brooklyn, until the noise, pollution, and pervasive sense of irony finally got the best of him. He has lived in Western North Carolina for approximately three years, and works as a musician (singer/guitarist for Sirius.B and A Gypsy & A Jew), sculptor, painter, educator, and translator. Romero Bond is a studio assistant at the Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts. He is engaged to be married to Beth Flanagan, a local potter, ceramic artist, resident artist at Odyssey, and professional sign painter.