Please do not take the title of this post wrong. I would by no means belittle Mr. Calder by referring to him as a "Tinker".

However ... His artwork has been one of my biggest inspirations since one fateful day in 1978.

CALDERS CIRCUS ! 

So ... the year is 1978. 

The place ... Lobby of the Whitney Museum. 

Moms took me to see the Calder Circus.  

I was blown away ... Admittedly, being an 8 year old I was not recognizing the "artistic value". 

For me it was purely the brilliance of a WORKING circus made of household items. 

I had always been fascinated by dioramas/minatures ... This was the pièce de résistance!  A working diorama. A circus no less.

Of course this being in the eyes and mind of an 8 year old boy.

They were playing the film (below) on a TV mounted into the wall. I would watch the film, then run over to the exhibit to look at all the details, then back to the film. Over and over.

Somehow, I convinced my mom to buy the book from the exhibit. YES!

When we got home, I poured through the book, then through boxes and drawers of "junk" trying to find parts to tinker with.

I must have bent every frikkin' wire hanger in the house.

Now ... I just draw clothing, make action figures and tinker with household items. 

Check out CALDER.ORG

Was quite pleased to find this on YouTube. 

Been a minute since we'd had an office lunch outing so we piled into D-Dubs V-W and rolled on down to BONNIE JEANS in SE Diego.

Perhaps the best of 3-4 soul food spots, I've eaten at since I moved to SD back in 96.

Good old fashions down home cookin.

The fact that they make many of the dishes swine free was a huge plus for the kid!

Also reminded me of the first verse of Ice Cubes "Today was a Good Day".

So ... I was having a delightful conversation with my friend Anne Ishii  (Name dropping time POW! Giant Robot, BatManga, Imprint CultureLab )  the other day about our favorite childrens books.

I was telling her about the book I relate to the most ...  THE BEAR THAT WASN'T.

My mom bought me this book back in 74 ? When I was 4, as you might be able to tell by the fact that I tried to color the below gentleman's face in with a ballpoint pen. 

It's one of the few books that has traveled with me to almost everywhere I've lived.

Why ... Because I some how feel it is the story of my life. 

Not on some "BooHoo I'm such a missunderstood artist" bullshit. 

I just identify with the bear.

DON'T GET IT TWISTED FUCKTARD ! 

Anywhoo ... During our conversation, Anne hipped me to the animated version of the Bear That Wasn't. (Also by Chuck Jones)

I had no idea it even existed until yesterday. Thanks ANNE +N !