Tuesday, December 28, 2010

old self portraits reMix



this old thing..not me! the pictures.
the story goes . .a most beautiful, inexplicable and mysterious woman gifted me a polaroid camera for my birthday so on the hungover morning after.... the first shot my eyes like slits. damn.
so for this second one i decided to open my eyes As WIDE AS POSSIBLE. sheesh. that's as far as they would go.
OK i got sprocketholes to spraypaint.

P.S. Happy Birthday Phil.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Plaster Your Face

Yowza! It's been awhile.
I found a very interesting website yesterday.
It's so damn easy to do this I feel like I'm cheating.










Thursday, November 4, 2010

Sunday, October 10, 2010

NYC, etc.

Been a long time here with no bloglines. Was busy working on big kinetic sculpture, getting ready for my screening in NY and trying to figure out why my computer just up and said "fuckit".
and fuckit it did.
since then . .
I'm on a new laptop, have made my largest sculpture to date (bigger is better, size matters, etc etc.) and got my name in the NY Times.
the screening in Brooklyn was a gas, got to see a bunch of old friends, meet some new future old friends, played pool and skeeball at the local haunt afterwards and generally kicked it in Williamsburg. You shoulda been there.



relaxing on Rick Monaco's roof the night before the screening. (Rick makes a kickass grilled rooftop newport steak..i think it has alot to do with sauce and searing the shit out of the fat early and often. Rick ain't no passive griller - he's tossing and turning the steak from start to finish. )

Mark Street, I and some other off camera folks hang out before the screening at Union Docs in Brooklyn. (Notice the great patio they have out back of the theater and a perfect night to be out in it)


(L to R. Steve Holmgren, Katherin McInnis, Mark Street, Miller)
I always find that post screening discussion works better in black and white.


Two ex Monaco Lab employees telling stories of sprocketholes past.

I think Mark's heard this one before.

Did I answer the question?

the staff at Union Docs were/are amazing. Very laid back and professional at the same time. A wonderful night all the way around. Thanks Steve for this very cool opportunity.
And if anyone who was at the screening is reading this - i STILL think The Bony Orbit is funny. Even with all that awkward silence. So there.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

stuff coming up

Hey my computer has been down for about a month now so there's my excuse. OK? OK. I'm blogging from the public library ferchrisakes.
I have some shows coming up and here's the link for one of em. if you're in New York come by for a fun night of Coleman Miller shorts. I'll be there answering all your film and non film related questions. There will be prizes as well. And surprises.
More locally here in Elgin we're having a big ass art show this weekend. (sept. 10, 11).
check it out.
my largest sculpture to date will be there too.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

miscellaneous images

Dinner with good friends is always a nice thing

(left to right -Yuri, Rick, me, Andrea. PHOTO BY NICK NICHOLS)


Exploring at the rock quarry ain't bad either. Especially after dropping the camera that took this shot out of my many pocketed shorts and driving back to the place an hour and a half later to see it sitting at the base of a pile I had earlier climbed up on looking for the best rocks. Still in working condition. Amazing it hadn't been run over by one of the many trucks pulling in and out of there.




going to a Cubs/Sox game with folks half my age. (fyi : Cubs win)

(Left to right - Matt, Rob, Tim, Jocelyn)


Young Neil Armstrong




old simple sculpture


some guy


Saturday, June 19, 2010

Storms over the Fox Valley


Yesterday it came down in sheets for awhile. My boss and I had dropped some stuff off at Goodwill when the clouds started coming in. I took a few shots from the parking lot out back. 2 minutes later the pouring rain was hitting the truck in buckets so we sat in there and shared a cigarette. We weren't going anywhere with the wind and our trailer so we spent a half hour in the Goodwill. A dozen children's book, a lamp, and a big ass movie screen later we were on our way.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

is this photo out of or soft? focuswise.

OK my boss is certainly no Ansel Adams. And for those who know me . . .This Is Not my living space. Taken at the recycling spot in St. Charles. 1140 pounds of mixed paper we dropped there. Thought we might have a ton. I think we did. just not literally.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

random backyard balancings

my digital still camera also takes video.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

25 Reasons Why Or Why Not Or Just Because of


Nightcrawlers ate my homework.

God stopped me at the corner of Slade and Augusta and asked me directions to the nearest napkin.

That dang noun verbed all over my adjectives again!

Salamanders with heads the size of refrigerators cannonballed into Carl Sagan’s meatball flotilla, I swear.

Was over at Holster’s occasionally getting a word in edgewise.

Vague and peculiar skywriting left the entire county in a perplexed frame of bodymind.

The ice cream monsters kidnapped Phil’s seven iron.

The whore gods made me do things.

After watching a special on magic the night before, I spent the entire day in line at city hall to change my name to The Magnificent Splendido.

My cable went on.

A naked (but not without his charms) straggler needed directions to the furthest train station.

Wisconsin blabbermouths vandalized Herbie’s Erhlacher Jersey.

LifeGrenades went off in my head area.

Was up all night writing sentences with little or no correlation to the subject at hand.

Three words: World Menstruation Day.

Freshly graduated High School students cared little for my explanation regarding light waves and shade.

The bigger they are the harder they can hit you.

Had to mop the projection booth after Weird Stanley’s thought balloons exploded all over my 16mm print of Thermometers: How They Help Us.

Fermilab’s discovery of the Good Riddance molecule took up all my bandwidth.

Sarah’s postcard told me things I didn’t need to know, although she apparently still wishes I was there.

Was busy wandering the attics of my neighbor’s mind.

Before they let me go with a warning, I had to explain to the cops why there was a dead White Sox fan in my trunk.

Never mix hemoglobin and riboflavin!

Had to explain to me 84 year old father that taking down the storm windows and putting up the screens does not take as much planning or anxiety as the invasion at Normandy.

Was up all night with a sick davenport.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

itchy panorama graduation

so i'm waiting just west of Elgin for the boss to show up at the farm decide to try some shots with the digital camera. there's the panorama function let's you take three separate shots and the camera melds them together for ya on the spot. not bad. you can sort of see the seam but oh well I'm not shooting for Vanity Fair.
on the downside some poison ivy found me before I found it this week not bad but enough to get me to Walgreens where I found a product called Itch-X (just down the aisle from another product called Boil-Eaze.)
Today I am off to another high school graduation party (the second in as many weeks) to celebrate 12 years of knowledge gaining with yet another kid I have known since they were shortly out of the womb.
Time Marches On.



Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Sentences In The News!

So the New York Times has a front page article about a rash of suicides at a Chinese electronics firm. The owner, one of the richest people in Asia had this to say
“We are reviewing everything,”
But here's my favorite line from the article.
. . . The company, he said, is reviewing labor practices, hiring psychiatrists and putting up safety nets on the buildings.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

How do people live like that?

I found this clip online from the 2002 documentary "Comedian". Not a bad film. Not great. But this one scene floored me. In it, Jerry Seinfeld is talking with a younger comedian backstage about show business. The guy is complaining about his lack of any kind of "normalcy" in his life and how he thinks he wants a wife, a kid, a house, etc. Seinfeld relates a Hollywood story that summed up how I feel but could never quite put into words.
This story could not have expressed it any better.
The sad part for me is, the younger comedian just doesn't seem to get it. Maybe he does, I don't know. It certainly doesn't take away from the impact it had on me. I LOVE This Story.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Some days are just way better

sitting here listening to the original release of Exile on Main St. it holds up good today being the re release date and all but today with or without the stones was beautiful hauling plants and dirt around in the Ford with the big ass trailer and actually backing the thing up and turning around a couple times don't sound like a big deal but try it once or twice it's an acquired taste ya gotta think all backwards or sideways or something and digging the sun on my face and even the scratches all over my dirty hands shovels, wheelbarrows, dirt, back roads full of farms and other trucks all hauling their shit for the masses midday finding myself at my friends house for more dirt hauling his young daughter making lunch for us and talking with the painter there about Elgin politics and art and fire departments and rich patrons he may or may not know whereas Dylan the tiny tiny dog of said daughter sure wags his tail a lot! an early day so stopped off in Geneva that most she-she-ist of towns where i sold a sculpture this weekend thanks to my boss and her garden show (Thanks D) and left some work there for the owner of a shop you know the type all precious and cute and adorable stuff for the mommies this owner was short shrift wanting to give my stuff away thanks but no thanks and i had a coffee and a smoke on the street running into that adorable couple with the wine sharing laughs the three of us in the sun on the corner there.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

SoundUnseen Duluth

I did a quick trailer for my friend Rick who is the Fest director for SoundUnseen Duluth.
check it out below. (or see a much better quality version here.)



and here's the fest site.
June 2-6 in Duluth.


Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day Mom wherever you are!
The wonderful thing about Mom's (and Dad's) is you can tell them "Thanks for Everything!" And mean it LITERALLY. How Cool is THAT?!
My mom used to love it when I'd tell her that.

I love you Mom.






Are they married yet? around 1949.


Mom and wallpaper.



Even Mom's were teenagers



Mom and my college sweetheart, Jami Sue. On our way to a wedding....(Steve L. and Kelly?)



me trying to look like a very serious college student.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Kentucky Derby 2010

If you can't have fun at the Kentucky Derby then there's something wrong with you and you should have that looked at. I'm just saying. Even with the rain (and probably because of it for some of these folks) that kept up at a steady drizzle until 20 minutes before post time for the Big Race. It's impossible to not be entertained by everything that's on display in front of you. Sure it helps to go there in the company of ten friends (many of whom you've known since the '60's). And yes a good mixture of Budwieser, Bloody Mary's and Mint Juleps is always called for. I mean really . . .why not?


Here's 7 out of 11 hangin out on the paddock just moments after arriving. First Juleps of the Day.
(left to right; Tom Hollis, Phil Johnson, Todd Farwell, Todd Daniels, Peter Daniels, Bob Nelson, Ross Daniels.)




Half an hour before post time of The Race and the sun comes out. Perfect timing.



Todd Phil and Joe all happy as pigs in mud
at our great spot we found a half hour before The Race.
(NOTE: if you look closely in the background you can see
rich people on the balcony looking down on us.
Literally & figuratively)



Here Todd D and Phil discuss the next race while
Jeff W (middle) contemplates ways to get under
Todd's skin.



Joe is not afraid to show you how
he feels without saying a word.




Here we see Joe, Phil & myself considering our next wager. After all our options were weighed I bet $7 on Budweiser and they both bet $10 on Mint Juleps.


Jeff proclaims wisdom about whatever is happening here in the moment
while Ross (far right) looks on, bemused. Todd checks to see
if he has a winning ticket while secretly hoping for no immigration discussions around the fire tonight.








Here we are hanging out on the first turn waiting for the big one. Phil hiked us all over to this spot and halfway there he stopped to tell us if we couldn't get into this section he didn't want to be responsible for any missed race and have to hear about it for ten years. I told him he was Golden and could do no wrong, but we would still blame him for ten years. Luckilly we all got in OK and watched the race from a great spot on the first turn. (see short clip of race from this location at bottom)





Bring out a camera and 9 times out of 10 Todd will try and pose like a tough guy. The key word there, of course, is "try".




Ladies and roses and garbage bags.


Cuties in big hats EVERYWHERE.







When asked Can I take your picture? 99 out of 100 folks at the Derby answer in the affirmative. Friendliest damn place on the planet . . .Is it southern hospitality? Mint Juleps? The sight of so many tiny men on horses? who cares!! it works.



Another smiling couple enjoy Churchill Downs on a Saturday in May.

Snapping away on the infield . . .






And my favorite section in Churchill Downs....the Paddock.
Here you see it all: Southern Belles. Infielders on their way to the tunnel. Horses. Jockeys. Searsucker. Movers. Shakers. Down & Outers. Young inebriates. Old school southern gentlemen with accents like Foghorn Leghorn. Gawkers. and Hats. Did I mention the hats?






Many girls enjoy jumping in front
of your lens when you least expect it.




A well dressed gent cops a feel of his
well dressed Belle between races.




Every once in awhile a group of six to twelve or so really short guys in loud outfits would walk by and people would yell mostly positive things at them.



Then there are the Mudders. Groups of young inebriates sliding around in the mud on the infield.
One of the guys in our group (Peter) was (and still is) a young 24 year old. After 10 minutes on the infield he said to a couple of us . . ."I'd like to apologize in advance for my entire generation". great line and big laugh inducer... - but really no apology needed. 99.9% were smiling big goofy happy smiles and having the time of their lives.









My $5 on Super Saver paid $45. of course my $5 on Awesome Act, American Lion and Deans Kitten didn't pay shit but hey that put me $25 ahead on my wagers.
And yes it is down to a Science this wagering on horses. What you do is this:
Look down the list of the names of the horses and whichever one speaks to a part of your life in any way is the horse that will win. I've done alot of my shopping at Savers and so this one was a no brainer. Like I said . . .Science.


Here's about 1/6th of the race right at the first and second turns. Not a bad view for paying general admission. Notice the young guys near the end of the shot who aren't even watching the race after the horses pass by in front of them. The F@#!ing Kentucky Derby is going on right in front of them but they're talking about some other shit. sheesh.




All in all a great day with great friends in Louisville, Kentucky.

And Sara in B-Town if you're reading this, your dream hasn't come true yet!
Nyah nyah!