My Brother,

Listening to the music of the mainstream city youth can cause this country bumpkin to well…feel it man.  Maybe it is the auto tone, I think it is really the groove, the spit’in heart of the inner city soul.

The rap of today spits a beat that brings the testosterone filled male to his animal instincts.   Is it all bad to feel the beat, to walk down the street, thuggin it out.  I do not know, maybe a little animal instinct is good.  A little bad boy can be good?  Who are we to judge.  All I know is that I am listening to Kanye…and he is good…like it or not he is.

Maybe we should you just walk down the street, bring our stutter step and man up.  Yeah thats right MAN UP!  Now listen…

Have fun, have a tone of  fun son…bring to your life a great lyric of hope…bring a sense of passion to what you love…if it is spittin, then do just that, but pay your respects to the great men and women in the field.  Work hard at your art!  Who are we to judge, our faith teaches us to not judge my friend.  when was the last time you shook the hand of that conservative white brother?  When my white brother did you  walk downtown without looking the opposite way of your ethnic brother.  Why did you both share the same city, but live in such a different world.  It must be that you are walking to a different rhythm.  Maybe DMX is ya bounce…maybe Kanye speaks to you my brother.

Step outside of your world, into the world my brother…find those around you and work on your community.  Bring hope to your children, love to your fellow love and music to the streets.

God Bless those that Spit from the grind of the street.

Until the next moment,

WayneO

After almost four months away from the torch, i’m back!  And this time it was easy to get right into the groove… I think it did me good to not play with glass for a while.  My vision is clearer now and i feel like i’m heading into new, complex and more interesting directions.  Good thing too - I was getting bored with what i was making…

I’m still making my regular stuff of course… but trying some new (and wierd!) things as well.  If you’re curious, check back in a couple days – I’ll have big news then, too!

And of course i couldn’t do it without my assistant Bali (note the carefully positioned “eat me” pose he learned from my other cat).  He sits (or lies) under my chair in the studio and nods (or purrs) in agreement every time I ask him about colour combos.  Most supportive studio assistant EVER!

Ok, gotta get back to work…  the kiln is hot and I definitely do NOT have enough beads in there!