Bob Boze Bell Art Blog

June 30, 2009
I received a new book on the Apache Kid yesterday from Bob Pugh’s Trails To Yesterday Books in Tucson (if you want to order your own, call Bob at (520) 293-1260). Read a bit last night. The name of the book is Renegade of Renegades: Court-martial of Apache Kid. by Clare V. McKanna, Jr. who teaches history at San Diego State University.

McKanna uses Apache Kid exclusively, as opposed to THE Apache Kid, as in, “Though his trials would not end in justice, each played its part in transforming Apache Kid into Arizona’s legendary renegade of renegades.”

A couple insights: Major Bullis was at San Carlos after the Kid, excuse me, Kid came in from the fight in the Rincons. And, the Apache Kid was with Seiber at the Battle of Big Dry Wash, which I didn’t know, although McKanna doesn’t add anything significant, other than Kid was there. More later.

Yesterday, as I left the office, I took a couple photos of dramatic storm clouds over Black Mountain:

As I drove up Cahava Ranch Road I caught this Cecile B. DeMille beauty:

Got a couple sprinkles, but that’s it. Peaches was hiding in the garage, so there must have been some thunder, although I never heard any. Deena and her friend Patricia came out for dinner last night at our house. We’re starting the Engine 2 heart healthy diet so we ate a ton of greens. Laughed quite a bit though.

“One should respect public opinion insofar as is necessary to avoid starvation and keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny.”
—Bertrand Russell

June 30, 2009
It’s no secret: I can be scattered. Kathy mentioned to me the other day, like most women, she is a “gatherer,” to which I responded, “Yes, and I’m a scatterer.”

She has been ribbing me about this ever since.

Anyway, the Mickey Free project has been starting, stalling, starting, peedering out and proceeding, then stopping for bug bite medical issues (both mine and the Top Secret Writer, who was almost fatally bitten, last Fourth of July, in Tombstone of all places), and then starting again, mostly in stumbles and lurches for quite a while now. The project went into a lull after we published the Mickey Free excerpt last December in True West. And, although we were honored with a second place finish in the Best Western Short Fiction Story presented at last week’s Western Writers of America Awards Competition, for our efforts, we have much bigger plans for the Mickster.

So, when our production manager, Robert Ray, went to a seminar last week, the guy who was running it handed out these mini-graphic novels about his presentation. Robert asked him how he produced it and when Robert came back to work, he started in to create an 8-Page-Mickey. He printed out a gaggle of them and I have been mailing them out. This, in turn has re-energized me and, today, as it pertains to Mickey Free, I am honking for the passing lane, Baby!

Last night I laid in seven washes:

Today, when I went home for lunch, I started developing these frames, looking for clues and mini-highlights to enchance:

This is what came out of those efforts: Mickey rode across a desolate, burning landscape with his Sharps rifle across the pommel, every second anticipating the worst. Mick’s big mule, Tu, cocked his long ears in the wind, nervous and jumpy as well. Weird, distorted images materialized in the dust, as grotesque faces rushed by in the howl of the wind. . .

Had a very good fire set piece going but killed the cloud of smoke with too many layers:

Gee, I wonder: is there any quote that might sum up these efforts and, that of Custer’s as well?

“If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.”
—John Kenneth Galbraith

June 29, 2009
As promised, here is a sampling of the patina based washes I worked on this weekend, starting with a steep trail in the Sierra Madres (literally “mother mountains”). Need to add a single file of riders, probably Rurales, or bandidos (led by one Doroteo Villa):

This is a set piece for the General Crook foray into Mexico: a thousand men and hundreds of pack mules climbing up the narrow trails:

It needs a bunch of mules, climbing the switchbacks and troopers prodding them on. Here’s a nice start of a painting I call “Three Ominous Clouds.”

So, why so ominous? Well, if we add a dust storm and a mule rider, pondering that very idea. . .

Or, these clouds, or, flying fish clouds, if you prefer:

Or, this nice start of post-fire sky:

Or, this steep ridge, that the Kid is going to traverse:

There’s plenty more, but enough for one day.

Just got a message from “Allen” saying the Wall Street Journal published my letter praising Allen Barra’s John Dillinger piece (see link from two days ago). Although he didn’t leave a last name (he talked to Lynda and I was in a meeting) I assume it’s either Allen Barra or Allen Fossenkemper.

8-Page-Mickey
Robert Ray printed out a handful of mini-Mickey-graphic-novels. Send me a self-addressed-stamped-envelope (bigger than a number 10) and if you’re one of the first dozen, you’ll get one of these nifty, little boogers, totally free.

Here’s a taste (page 4 and 5):

“It is a lesson which all history teaches wise men, to put trust in ideas, and not in circumstances.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

June 29, 2009
Last week, in Vegas, Charlie Waters, alias Bugs, went undercover wearing a True West ball cap and a Doc Holliday “I’m your huckleberry” T-shirt.

Here’s the full report:

The World Series of Poker

Worked all weekend on sketches, starting with a prickly pear study:

Which led to this:

Followed by studies of Mickey’s Mama, and hole in the sky:

Also spent some time with Dead Sea Scroll type patinas:

On a break, got into a Rembrandt art book and came under his spell:

Bozebrandt Poaching:

And more patina noodling:

This led to a rash of bigger patina studies (art to follow: filed under “Wasting Away In Patinaville”).

“The man of reflection discovers Truth; but the one who enjoys it and makes use of its heavenly gifts is the man of action.”
—Benito Perez Galdos

June 27, 2009
Evap cooler is not working. May have to switch to AC. Actually, we made it past most of June so that is a big deal. Going into The Beast in about a half hour to see a movie and then get healthy groceries at Sprouts. Kind of inspired to clean up my act even more (too many heart attack stories).

Wrote up a query letter for the 10,000 Bad Drawings of BBB book. I’m thinking of sending it out when I hit 9,500 sketches. Then really hit it hard for the last 500 sketches and the goal line is reached (projected for August 31 if my math is correct).

Working on a prickly pear sequence for Mickey Free. Feels good. Also developing a dead sea scrolls patina. Images later.

Allen Barra wrote an excellent piece in the Wall Street Journal on the historic John Dillinger and his portrayal in the movies. Johnny Depp stars in the new Public Enemies. I’ve seen lots of TV ads but have heard absolutely zero buzz. What gives?

Anyway, in the piece Allen mentions that in the Clyde Barrow death car, officers found The Saga of Billy the Kid by Walter Noble Burns (no doubt with a few bullet holes). Jeff Guinn is being credited with finding this info and he published it in his best-selling book Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie And Clyde. Guinn is now turning his attention to the street fight in Tombstone. If his book on Bonnie and Clyde is any indication, it will be good.

Here’s the paragraph from the book (page 343): “In their car on the morning of May 23 the lawmen found three BARs, two sawed-off shotguns, almost a dozen handguns, thousands of rounds of ammunition, fifteen sets of stolen license plates, several suitcases full of clothes, a makeup case, a box of fishing tackle, several true crime magazines, road maps, and Clyde’s saxophone. There was also a book, The Saga of Billy the Kid by Walter Noble burns.”

“Advise person never to engage in killing.”
—Billy the Kid

June 26, 2009
Working on a series of nocturne studies in my sketchbook:

Check out the small boy on horseback in the second panel. He’s riding through the desert on a tall horse. The Apache Kid is running in the other panels towards. . .Beauty, of course (last panel). These are sketches 9,216-9,220.

Several people have asked me how long Charlie Waters and I have been friends and are there any photos of the two of us. Although I haven’t been able to locate any of us in grade school (we met in the third grade), fellow classmate, Michele (Gilpin) Bonham sent me a photo last week of Mrs. Klotch’s fifth grade class, taken in 1958, at Grandview Elementary in Kingman, and lo and behold there we are:

Troublemakers? Oh, yes, In fact, Charlie (note the pachuko-waterfall-hair twirl in the front) and I got in the usual classroom trouble most boys get into. The next fall, Charlie’s parents went to the school board and demanded that he be put in another classroom away from me. He was, and although it bothered my mother at the time, looking back from this perspective, it’s kind of cool that I was the Eddie Haskall in the deal.

“That’s a nice dress you have on, Mrs. Cleaver.”
—Eddie Haskall, Leave It To Beaver

June 25, 2009
Going to see the heart doctor this morning. Feel good about that, but I read a quote the other day that kind of pointed out one of my main weaknesses:

“In creating, the only hard thing’s to begin; a grass-blade’s no easier to make than an oak.”
—James Russell Lowell

I realized that I have trouble starting and I have trouble finishing, but I am a master of all things in between. Ha. Speaking of which here’s sketches 9,190 to 9,200 and beyond:

More to say on all of this, but I’m late for appointment down on Shea. Meanwhile here’s a positive quote for a negative vibe day:

“To say yes, you have to sweat and roll up your sleeves and plunge both hands into life up to the elbows. It is easy to say no, even if saying no means death.”
—Jean Anouilh

June 24, 2009
Went down to a healthcare place in Scottsdale at ten to get a yellow fever shot. This is in case we have to build a canal in Cave Creek. Actually, it’s for our trip in September to Buenos Aires and beyond.

A longtime Hollywood wrangler, Johnny Watkins, came by the offices today. He saw a True West magazine down at Bart’s Indian Village, took it home, read it, and realized our offices were just down the street. Johnny and I had a grand talk. He was the horse wrangler on Deadwood, Red River, Three Amigos, Stagecoach (the newer one), Junior Bonner, The Getaway (Kim Basinger) and Little House On The Prairie. Pretty impressive resume.

Went home for lunch and worked on another dream sequence. This time of a dust storm that morphes into a wicked, giant javelina (or, is it a bull?):

Worked up a sketch of how it would look as Mickey Free flees and the giant bovine moves in for the kill:

“What was hard to bear is sweet to remember.”
—Old Vaquero Saying

June 23, 2009
Got up this morning and whipped out a quick landscape:

Went to yoga class, then into the office to take care of several photo assignments. Called John Beckett to go shoot Kit Carson’s house and I also set up a photo shoot in Mogollon, New Mexico with a new photographer in Truth Or Consequences who we want to try out. In fact, I first spotted Bill Lindley’s photos on this website. He’s very good.

Left the office at about 10:15 and drove into the Beast. Stopped first at Bob and Mica Steinhilber’s home on north 21st avenue and dropped off a half dozen big canvases that need to be restretched, due to rotting corners. I’ve stored them in the garage for 20 years and water has eaten the corners. When I told Bob Steinhilber I was on my way to Ed Mell’s studio to have Kenny Richardson shoot my big Billy the Kid oil painting, Bob told me I was in for a surprise. He said to be sure and check out Ed’s new Triumph TR-4 which he supposedly has parked right next to where he paints. I didn’t believe him, but when I walked into Ed’s studio, there it was:

Ed told me sheepishly, he doesn’t have anywhere else to put it (he has a classic Packard nearby in the only other space available). Here’s another angle:

And another angle, showing off Ed’s paintings a bit better. Damn, he’s good!

Hauling in my big Billy oil painting (“Brothers In Arms” is the official title) I realized it hasn’t quite dried completely so Ed recommended giving it another couple days and then a sealing coat to bring all of the darks out. When in doubt, go with the master.

I treated Ed and Kenny to lunch at the Cafe At Heard Museum Main just off Central:

I had a cup of gazpacho soup and the vegetarian quesadillos, Ed had the posole soup and Kenny had a turkey and brie sandwich on cranberry bread with a salad. Excellent food, but a little pricey ($59, biz account, includes tip).

From the Heard Museum we drove down to Kenny’s gallery which is at 501 E. Roosevelt in downtown Phoenix. A fabulous mural on the west wall knocked me flat out:

Two things: the mural is by a couple guys who travel around the world doing these incredible images. Their names are Mac and Kofie (who’s from LA). That’s Ed and Kenny standing by the mural and in the background is a special lunch stand for the homeless (high school age).

The show that’s up right now at the Pravus Gallery is very strong. Here’s Kenny standing in front of several pieces in the show:

The featured artists are Alex Rubio and Vincent Valdez. The black and white boxer to the right of Kenny is seven feet high. Very retro Mexican boxer. The other two paintings are of the artists painting each other’s portrait. If you’d like to see more, go to:

Pravus Gallery

Very inspiring. when I go see artwork that’s good it always makes me want to elevate my game.

“Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable.”
—George Bernard Shaw

June 22, 2009
Went home for lunch and whipped out a scene of Apache crown dancers:

This is for a sequence in Mickey Free called “Apache Midnite.” Here is the opening scene:

Nice and moody. Inspired by a Remington painting called, I believe, “Apaches Listening.” Lots of green and indigo blues. Mysterious and murky, indeed. Need to sustain this mood for the entire sequence.

Gee, I wonder what ol’ Ed Abbey has to say about this?

“You cannot explore the darkness by flooding it with light.”
—Edward Abbey