STUDIO VISIT & SPACE FOR RENT

Here are some views of my studio at the Tri-Main Center at 2495 Main Street in Buffalo, NY. It's a great location with plenty of space, light and heat. The fifth floor is a creative neighborhood and the Tri-Main has many great features including The Lunch Box and terrific security. I have a good chunk of space available in my studio. $150 per month covers everything including insurance. E-mail me at ealeader@verizon.net if you are interested.

'TROUBLE WATERS' Show at PCCS

A few images from my show at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies. Besides the paintings, it included a used fishing net with all sorts of plastic debris picked up on the beaches. The net draped over the doorway and proven to be a good conversation piece. The show coincided with the International Coastal Sweep.

BEYOND THE MULTITIDE

It's time again for the International Coastal Cleanup and coinciding with it is the 'BEYOND THE MULTITUDE' exhibit, curated by Jordan Dalton, at 464 Amherst Street, Buffalo. My assemblage piece features the doll that was dredged out of Scajaquada Creek during last Spring's cleanup. This baby's been cleaned up and dissected and given a new life.

HURRICANE EARL

Hurricane Earl was scheduled to hit Cape Cod on Friday, September 3rd, the same night my TROUBLED WATERS exhibit was to open at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies. Earl caused a media event and forced many cancellations before brushing by Nantucket and slamming into Nova Scotia. It was a Storm Watching Weekend.

My TROUBLED WATERS exhibit at Provincetown

I am joining up with the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies to raise awareness about marine debris and its effect on oceans and the animals that inhabit them. The art exhibit coincides with the PCCS's annual Coastsweep on September 25th. This exhibit will open on September 3rd and run through October 1st. It's at the Center's Marine Lab at 5 Holway Avenue, Provincetown, Mass. If you are in the area this month, please stop in. PCCS is an amazing environmental agency. They base their research on real science as well as rescuing whales and turtles. They have a kiosk on the town's main dock where you can stop by to learn more about their programs.

ANOTHER TRIP TO SCAJAQUADA CREEK

We park in the Tops Supermarket lot at Amherst and Grant Streets. Walking along the Bike Path, we are soon in another world. At first the Creek is wide open and visible but then we wander down under a decrepit railroad bridge and see aged wooden pillars as well as the foundations of Route 198. The creek is a polluted mess - it's gone through so many uses and abuses but now the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeepers and other groups have hopes to improve its future.

THROUGH A HOLE IN THE CHAIN LINK FENCE

Right off the bike path is a rusted world of abandoned factories. Huge chunks of obsolete equipment sit in the sun, more amazing than any sculpture. An old 18-wheeler is half hidden in the weeds. It appears scrappers may be organizing some of the remains. It could take a man's lifetime to empty the buildings and sell all the scrap metal. Graffiti artists have marked the territory again and again while someone has tried unsuccessfully to blot them out. This world is both invisible and wide open.

EMPTYING INTO BLACK ROCK CHANNEL

Where the creek empties out into Black Rock Channel, we see the underside of Route 190 and beside it is a line of ancient piers. No idea what could have been here but obviously lots of history. I'll have to search for old photos that might show what once was.

VISIT TO THE GULF COAST - BAYPORT, FLORIDA

At the end of May, I went to Florida to pick up Mom and Dad and bring them back up to Cape Cod. We drive over to Bayport to view the Gulf Coast. Today it is clean and beautiful but the newspapers are filled with stories of unsuccessful attempts to stop the leak.

Alive with little fish

The edges along the marsh are swirling with schools of little fish. Birds are everywhere.
I wonder how long it will be before the oil moves in to destroy them.

Quiet Culture

Dad tells me that Jack Dempsey and Babe Ruth were fishing buddies and hung out in the area. Today there are lots of fishermen enjoying the beautiful water. All the "small" people who have no chance against BP.

FREE THE SCAJAQUADA CREEK

It's the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper's Spring Shoreline Sweep going on at many local sites, all connected to world wide efforts. I've signed up for the Scajaquada Creek site. The creek runs through the city, at times buried underground, and then dumps out into Lake Erie. Lots of controversy over this creek including some political action to improve it. It's known as one of the more intense areas for trash because of all the traffic around it.

Getting Organized

Here's Adrienne Kina, from Americorps ABLE, the volunteer coordinator for Buffalo Niagara Riverkeepers. She gets us to fill out our paperwork, gather our tools and get ready.

Getting Down to Work

We're going to work for a few hours, then meet back up at the Veterans Hall for lunch and a party. Captain Max leads us out. We bring our bags and tools and get started. Down at the Creek there's the usual plastics, tires and styrofoam.

Kids and Their Finds

With such a large group of volunteers it's amazing how much can be cleaned up in a short amount time. There's a contest to haul "unusual" items back to the hall. Shopping carts, road signs, a ceiling fan, a rusty gun...these were a few entries in the contest. Every kid got a very nice donated prize.

FROM OUT OF THE WATER

So much stuff! I took this baby doll home and disinfected her. She'll be added to my 'Trashing the Waters' installation at NCCC next year.

CROSSING THE COUNTRY ON ROUTE 66!

The plan is made - to take the month of February and drive on Route 66 to LA. To add to the fun, we take Billy Blazes & Zog along (toys from Emmett and Rowan, our grandchildren). We'll photograph them and email back stories and pictures for a little geography lesson. We pick up Route 66 in beautiful St. Louis. Then a little stop in Fanning MO to get our bearings. 66 isn't always easy to find. It's now disguised by other route numbers but we track it down.

THROUGH MISSOURI TO OKLAHOMA

We get stuck in a storm in Springfield MO and have to wait it out. The only entertainment is the Bass Pro Shop near the motel. We have fun posing the toys with the stuffed animal displays. Then after the storm stops we head into Oklahoma City to the National Memorial. A very moving experience.