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TIMBERTOP STUDIO<
"Life
is short, but art is long"
(old Roman saying).
KEWPIE NEWS NOTE. Your writer
just watched a great old movie on TCM...Ruggles of Red Gap by Harry Leon Wilson. Did you know that he was married to
one of America's greatest women artists...Rose O'Neill? At a very young age she was doing national commercial art in
New York. She was a true genius. She would later have a villa on the Isle of Capri and visit the factory in Germany that made
her wonderful bisque Kewpie Dolls. Her family home Bonnie Brook is located 8 miles north of Branson on Hwy 65.
The place has been restored, and there is a museum there. Her studio is up on the 4th floor. She did much art there and mailed
to New York at a little store P.O. up Bear Creek aways. It
is a beautiful stream today, and watercress still grows there. Also, the little stream "Bonnie Brook" flows
right by the house and into Bear Creek. If you are ever in the Branson area you must stop by. Rose was a friend of Missouri
artist Thomas Hart Benton. I have a picture of she and Benton sitting on the front steps of Bonnie Brook. Art students
and other appreciators of art must study these two. Benton is in most of the texts, but O'Neill should be featured
in all art history texts around the world also. The fact that she isn't featured and has fallen through the cracks of art
- and even deserving of her own chapter in art books- is a crime that should be reported to the United Nations! The picture
on the front steps was taken by Frank Lauder. He gave the picture and some others to Dad. What a career she had!
She did many ads, book illustrations, studio type paintings - the eerie "Sweet Monsters" (and even sculptures)and
more. She discovered the fabulous Kewpies dancing around in a dream at Bonnie Brook. She said that Kewpies do good
things in a friendly sort of way. She went on to have great Kewpie stories in Ladies Home Journal and elsewhere.
You won't believe all the Kewpie whot nots that appeared on the market in her day! (and even some today!). All of
this great art of hers is avidly collected by members of the International Rose O'Neill Society (started by a friend
of our family's Pearl Hodges...one of Dad's art students). And, each spring, collectors come to Branson from around
the world to celebrate Kewpiesta for a few days. Collectors make little stores out of their motel rooms out on Hwy 76
"the strip". If you want to buy a Kewpie collectable, this is one good place to visit!. And, of course, Rose
also created the little fun Ho Ho Doll - a laughing Buddha sitting there smiling at the world. The world needs the little
laughing Buddha greatly right now. She also created other dolls including a host of little Kewpie characters...the
Kewpiedoodle Dog (her little Boston Terrierish), Farmer Kewps, a Tourist Kewp and many other types. I wrote a story
about Kewps in one of my weekly columns in the Branson Daily News (now Tri-Lakes News). Some kids exploring Bear Creek
actually discovered that there are still Kewps back there in the woods. Isn't that amazing...these little fun characters bouncing
around and flying in the air and showing up here and there still helping people. That is very good news for us
today. Dad, the late Steve Miller was a good friend of author Ralph Allen McCanse an English
teacher at the University of Minn. He wrote one of the classic books on O'Neill "The One Rose."
Ralph liked Hollister, the little English Village in the Ozarks where we lived. Hollister is two miles south of Branson.
By the way, Hollister's main street is one of the nation's great objects of art with it hand crafted buildings in the old
English Tudor style, with real hewn timbers. And as you may know, this area - the Ozarks Mountains (as big as the country
of France) was pioneered by old English stock (and a few other "stocks" as well). It's a "pocket
culture" as anthropologists say. When I was a kid, old timers still said "ye" and other ancient
Elizabethen espressions. Anyway, Hollister is definitely an art experience (the older section|). Don't miss. Back to Rose O'Neill. I remember seeing her when I was a kid in early 1940s; she was in Owen's Drug Store
wearing her famous, long, velvet, dress - floor length. Definitely out of place, although the hill culture is very
accepting of such things. "Who cares if someone is eccentric! That's their business." The iron rule of
politeness back in the hills is one of the codes of the hills. There are very few cultures like it in the world...and unmatched
for friendlyness. Tired of the world mess...come to the Branson Hollister area. The late Rose Eiserman a hill
girl grew up at Bonnie Brook and was a name sake. Dances were held at Bonnie Brook. One can hear the old fiddle
music today. Also cases were shoved back at the little store and dances held there too (thanks for memories
of Lucille Allen whose folks owned the store). So, much for stories of old Bear Creek. . Visit Bonniebrook
today, and Kewpiesta too, and you, too, might get caught up in Kewpie magic!! Give us a ringydingding
too. Entered Feb. 23, 2010...Ron Miller, ronwriterartist@aol.com. or 120 Lakewood Drive, Hollister (home of Timbertop Studio) ...or 417 334 2377. -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WELCOME to a very helpful area for us...and maybe you too...Timbertop Studio.
Archaeology/anthropology/all areas of history go together with art as ham and eggs.
We constantly need illustrations
and to research. Art is a major part of cultural studies. Franz Boas who some call "the father of anthropology"
even wrote a book "Anthropology & Art." We have it on level no 86.
God was thinking about us in this art
area. Dad, the late Steve Miller was a national illustrator, college teacher, writer about art - both commercial and academic.
When he was young he wrote for Signs Magazine. He and his brother "Uncle John" were pioneers in American silk
screen work. Dad set up the Design Dept. at Stephen's College, Columbia, Missouri. He was a friend of artists and writers
as Thomas Hart Benton. How fortunate I was, hanging out around and helping in commercial art studios, art departments, learning
and listening since a kid. It was an apprenticeship as the old days of Florence.
Dad had several really great studios...one
wonderland was the second floor near The Varsity Theatre, Columbia, MO. At that time he was Adv. Dir., of the Missouri Theatre
Chain in town. This was the great old days of vaudeville.
Again, yours truly hung out there as a little kid...and also
backstage getting in the hair of the Stage Mgr. He would give me little jobs, as looking out the sliding metal door down the
alley for late acts...and then letting him know if they were coming.
The alley was between the theatre and the building
housing Dad's long loft shop/studio.
These were great art/selling days. I look at theatres today and they are so dull;
it is all a lost art of decorating the fronts of marquees with big heads of stars, banners hanging beneath marguees, wonderful,
glittery, one-sheet displays in the lobby. Little show cards with wonderful hand lettering, design and color plus the message
(all great point-of-purchase sales). People rely almost totally on mechanical digitization today and have no idea what they
are missing. The results are unnatural, mechanical, lazy, gaudy sometimes. The layouts are "plumb and squared" often
stressing squares (as the Greeks knew, the square is the dullest design element there is; never paint a picture on a square
canvas..or build a square Parthenon). Commercial art today doesn't have the design and naturalness of human art, custom done.
The flowing, natrual design, CONNECTIVE TISSUE AND LIGAMENTS (with a human design layout touch to fit the occassion are usually
totally missing. Look to nature. Look at the grace of a tree limb. Look at the natural flow of design on the Sistine Chapel
ceiling and the wonderful Pieta sculpture nearby. Ah yes, design, the great art key ...with study of Toulouse Latrec posters,
design, design and more design, a must for catching, pleasing and holding eyes. Digitization can aid the artist, but you still
have to think about naturalness or else you get a plastic, machinelike, plumb and squared look. It's o.k. to use some digitization,
but don't lose the human design touch. Don't let digitization take over.
This is all a fascinating subject - the rise
of digitization in the art world. As I see it, art digitization is the biggest art development in the world of art since the
advent of the modern art movement. It has almost devoured traditional and other forms of art and many art productions/printers,
etc. rely totally on it. And, folks with little talent and thinking "lower cost" rely totally on it.
I have
seen a few good jobs and some disasters. Some agencies in New York have some top artists, and their works are the best, but
even at that, cold digitization often shows through. But most corporate art departments must be very careful if the artists
there have no creative design
ability and knowledge and try and depend totally on digitization. The state of Mo. ran
a two page spread ad on Mo. tourism in a big meeting mag. several years back, and it was a digitized tacky embarrassment.
The good news: Art and Photos are the best part of the new digitization movement. The images and colors are bold,
striking, vivid, and there is natural design within the photos or paintings. You don't have the little dots as in the older
method of off-set art, copy and photos. Today, digitization is solid color as the great, old, circus poster prints...or Moulin
Rouge prints of Toulouse Latrec. These oldies were pulled on a big "litho" stone. Those posters just jumped off
the wall. No tiny offset dots that fuzz out. They were, of course, great design too, but those bold blocks of colors - often
complimentaries - were really fantastic. Those old posters were lamented by many. But, now digitization has restored this
picture boldness at least. Great! I wonder how many really know what a fantastic milestone this is.
The bad news:
Human design in layouts has been almost totally lost! Civilization has suffered this loss and didn't even blink an eye. People
are truly sheep. And, now, hardly anyone knows,
except maybe a few old time design artists what has been lost! This is
downright scarey how zombieized the population and most corporations and other business departments have become. They've become
techno-dulled (a term I coined in my collection of articles: The Iraqi War Series re the 1st Gulf War). And techno-dulled
doesn't just apply to art. It's a big cultural phenomenon. Look at our military "Washington Philosophy" today; totally
dependent on technology. This is above strategy...a deep cultural element. They are just positive in their sub-conscious that
technology/digitization is the answer. The MBA gurus run the military as they run a department store. They can have fewer
employees; technology will compensate. Also, wear out the few there, and easily hire new ones from long lines. The Romans
suffered the same affliction. They had great military technology on the open ground, but in the rough Teutonberg Forrest reality
the Germans had the advantage. The Romans couldn't adjust and lost 2 Legions. Can rule of digitization and technology really
have a downside for society? Yes, we have become lost in the clouds of technology and need to at least keep one foot in nature
- with natural design mentioned earlier. And, this applies to other elements of society needing down-to-earth design. I would
be very careful and not leave out the individual, human, creative, non-plumb and squared element.
To replace the creative-down-to-earth
human mind with high tech is walking on thin ice in the long run.
The Roman military maneuvers on the open battlefield
were highly plumb and squared, but didn't work in the naturalness of the forest. And, I actually believe that natural art
will appeal more to customers and sell more to them, because down deep in their sub-conscious they have been programed seeing
natural tree limbs all their lives. If they grow up in the city without as much naturalness, maybe not, although naturalness
may be hidden in the genes?
As a student of Man and Society, the thing I really monitor closely is surrealism. The Romans
began getting surrealistic. Vitruvious the old Roman architect wrote in his laws of architecture that artists began putting
human heads in place of flower blossoms on climbing vine paintings on walls. This was the beginning of the end. Modern digitization
has to be watched for coldness more than anything...but in society there is a lot to be said for reality. Of course, there
is more to be said for creativity - the great societal glue besides religion. But, how creative is digitization? The R&D
Departments of companies that make programs are being creative. The R&D teams making the latest weapons are being creative.
People look at all the digitized ads and other layouts today, and don't even realize what they are missing! The only
natural design they are getting, is what is in the painting, drawing or photo itself. My advice then; have as many photos
and painting/drawings as possible in any ads. Again, companies think their savior has arrived with digitization and they can
save much $$$ -
-- but what an incredible loss of good art! And, they may be losing many custmers being turned off by
cold design connectivity. The pictures may be warm but the framework is cold.
And, still, again, just look at that great,
rythmic design on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel..or look out the window at natural trees.
Another great loss
in art. We use some digitization at the Timbertop Studio but try not and let it devour us! Digitized color prints can be gorgeous,
true, (the color and natural design within the photos that usually saves the whole layout).
But the thing I think I
miss most of all is human lettering - one of the design connective tissues - the ligaments of art. I believe students of oriental
calligraphy will know what I mean. Steve Miller was a master letterer. Again, most folks today have no conception what they
are missing. Sure, the crisp digitized lettering looks sharp, but, again, there is that naturalness of the Sistine Chapel
missing. And, even tiny irregularities - a human look as in the Oriental characters hand lettered - add great quality. It's
fascinating to analyze. Study Oriental calligraphy to see what I mean...and, too, works of the old commercial/traditional
art masters. One look at a Lautrec poster or circus poster and you will know what I mean.
Also, human-on-the-spot creativity
applied to the layout situation is light years ahead of clip art. Masses of consumers today haven't even advanced to the days
of ancient cave art that is natural, beautiful and highly creative...and even displaying modernistic flourishes! Fantastic!
Digital art color is often very bright, gaudy but often tiring. Warm colors attract as in great old circus posters (with
reds, yellows and striking complimentaries) but quickly tire. You have to not only catch people's eyes but hold them too!
This means special use of cool colors also.
Archaeological/science art is a different kind of art in some ways,
although good art principles always apply.
Archaeologists love great line drawings (ink drawings) of artifacts. Often
these are better than photos. They reproduce very well. Archaeologists like to compare artifacts in various journals, and
see distribution, little details of basal-thinning (semi -"flutes") on flint projectile points (or maybe it is a
full flute as a Folsom Point?), etc.
But sometimes color art is the thing. Color, which quickly gets into physics,
is a fantastic world. Archaeologists are so concerned with color that some have even made their own color charts, comparing
with the artifact color, so that they can label and be standardized and understood by all in the journals. And, look at those
wonderful, delicate earth colors on Mississippi Culture pots! Magnificent, but you have to appreciate. And flint and chert
flake colors are so important. Is that projectile point one of the varieties from the Flint Ridge Quarry in Ohio? Hmmmnnn.
Then, illustrations are needed for all kinds of books. I did a black and white illustration "The Lost City of Atlantis"
for the archaeological book SUNK (about underwater archaeology for kids) for Lerner Publications in Milwaukee that illustrates
what can be done. They obviously couldn't find an illustration of Atlantis. Imagination is needed, as is research for aquatic
life and cultures of that old era.
Dad's last studio was Timbertop Studio at Hollister, Missouri. I'm keeping the name
going. We're at a different address now at Hollister, but we've just shifted location and adopted it for our present work
and to help others too. We can help in any field or business or with any project. An ink, "line" drawing may be
the answer. Contact Ron Miller, Timbertop Studio, 120 Lakewood Drive, Hollister, MO. 65672....or ronwriterartist@aol.com.
We'll work in some commercial/academic art discussions here from time to time.
We have just started a new site for
Timbertop Studio.
See: www.timbertopstudio.com
By the way, we are looking for some old-fashioned binding equipment.
This can help the WAS also. If you have anything lying around gathering dust let us know. Ron Miller
120 Lakewood Dr.
Hollister, MO 65672
ronwriterartist@aol.com
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FINALLY DISCOVERED WHO IS TRASHING NATION'S BEAUTIFUL HIGHWAYS.
I thought you might need a laugh what with all the global stuff, etc.
I finally discovered who is trashing our
nation's beautiful highways, and call them "Trash Babies." They are grown physicall but mentally remain babies. They are
as little babies in a play pen who just sling things and let their parents pick up.
This cartoon illustration was
run recently in my weekly column about Trash Babies on the Opinion Page of the Branson (MO) Daily News.
It was quite
an adventure identifying these culprits. It required much stelth investigation, infrared
camera work, sketching, etc.
I even discovered where they live - in strange colonies with big playpens for houses covered with a patchwork of tar-paper,
boards and junk.
Sincerely, Ron Miller
120 Lakewood Drive
Hollister, MO 65672
(near Branson)
ronwriterartist@aol.com
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