Ted Houser  Chevy S10  rubber spun by a V6 4.3 litre Chevy engine, spray paint, poplar wood, wall paneling  Futon Headboard Number Seven    painted wood and cast concret    statement

My mother, on the other hand, is an artist.

Through my mother's example I have learned that art is more than a career.  Art is a lifestyle.  In fact, art is as much the dynamic energy of creation as it is the finished product that hangs on the wall.  Art is a carefully garnished dinner plate or the manner in which you hold a conversation on a Sunday afternoon.  Art is building a house with local materials.  Art is whether or not you make your bed.  Art is grinning from ear to ear when you hear the sound of a motorcycle.  Art is buying a car for looks even though Consumer Reports tells you that it has a horrible maintenance record.  Art is more than donating to charities; art is volunteering your time.  Art is a pair of pants that fit you just right.  Art is homemade bread.  Art is taking the long way home just to drive around your favorite bend in the road.  Art is the energy and enthusiasm with which one may rev the engine of a 1992 Chevy V6 4.3 Liter pickup until the precise moment at which the release of the clutch will result in a magnificent layering of rubber upon asphalt.  That is art.   And if you can frame such experiences and hang them on the wall, all the better.              TED HOUSER, April, 1999

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