Theft: It's not just for comedians anymore

It's amazing at what people will say & do at art & craft shows.

I did a show this weekend in Lynchburgh , Tn. it was a very poor setup and not well attended, those that did attend were mainly just lookers. What amazes me is the inconsideration & brazen theft of my artistic ideas. People taking pictures of my artwork, some under the guise of "I want my sister to see this" & even one who wanted a pattern to work from so she could build her own. The over abundance of camera phones & smart phones makes this rude act even easier to do and harder to control. You can't go to a comedy club and record someones set so you can use it for yourself. You would be thrown out on your ears or by your ears.

This practice is not limited to that show it is a problem at almost all shows I have attended. I'm not sure if it is just ignorance or plain rudeness or a combination of both. As for me from now on I will not allow anyone to take pictures of anything  unless they have credentials that show they are from a publication or for the shows promotional uses.

Another rude and ignorant statement I hear is "I can make that for nothing with all the scrap from my parents farm" sure you can, if you have a $1,200.00 welder, a $200.00 tank of argon, a $15.00 roll of welding wire, a $75.00 grinder, A $1,500.00 plasma cutter, plus the thousands of dollars worth of misc. hand tools and the skills to use them. Anybody can copy an original but it takes real talent to "Create an original" or be original. So spend the $35.00 on the piece of artwork you like and save yourself thousands of dollars and the embarrassment of showing your lack of class. This how I make my living, I promise I won't come to your job and try to copy the recipe for a Big Mac or take pictures of the lawns you mow.

Firsts

Remember your first? Not that, or could be but I'm talking about deeper things. This past year has had many firsts for me. My first grandchild, watching him take his first step, hearing him say his first word,  filling out my first job application in over 20 years, my first realization about diabetes, and I'm the first employee of RC fabrications the maker of Truecut CNC plasma tables and the first time I'm truly worried about my future.

I lived a very slap happy, carefree  life for 15 years with not a lot of responsibilities or concerns. I always had that "it'll workout" attitude about life, now with a new grandson in my life and another grandchild on the way I look at things differently and with more concern. Worried I can't give them all they want or need, can't protect them from the dangers that lurk out there. Can I balance my time properly giving the right amount to my business, my new job and my grandchildren so they all flourish?

I painted myself into a corner so to speak by not planning for this time in my life. I tell my friends that I lived my life like a reverse mortgage but a reverse retirement, I played, traveled, had fun and squandered my money so now that I'm close to retirement age I'll have to work the rest of my life.

But if I wake up in the morning I will realize another first, the first day of the rest of my life.

America is being sold for .12 cents a pound

The high price of scrap along with a faltering economy has lead to a heart breaking realization for me. Americana & the only true great American steel is being sent to the crusher & exported to China only to come back to America as a sausage blend of cheap steel & inferior products. It amazes me to what people will take to the scrap yard either out of desperation or just pure laziness. On a daily basis I find perfectly good, usable & valuable items in our local scrap yard. Just today I brought home a 4 drawer small parts cabinet that would still bring $40 at a garage sale. I found his big brother there a few months back, a 30 drawer parts cabinet. I'm talking all steel industrial grade cabinets.

One of my cool & treasured finds is an old Snap-on tool tray, it caught my eye peeking out from under a warn out washing machine. It was somewhat mangled from the weight of the washer but salvageable. Like an animal lover saving a puppy from a kill shelter I just had to give this old box a second chance at life. I plan to re purpose it into a battery box for my old 64 Dodge D100 shop truck.

But the heart breaker and the reason behind this story is an old 40's GMC pickup truck. One day while treasure hunting in the scrap yard I saw this old truck, complete & running sitting to the side hopefully to find a new home with a loving owner that would put her back on the road. But much to my dismay she was crushed even after several offers of over twice what they paid for her. This is non replaceable history  from the glory days of the auto industry. Vehicles that our children or my grandson may never get to see.

I cannot save it all but try to do the best I can in keeping this great American steel where it belongs, here in America by re purposing it into artwork or another functional use. So before you send that old wagon wheel, reel mower or rusty old truck that's been in a field for years to a scrap yard find an artist, collector or me to give or sell it to. If it's just scrap money you need I'll give you an old refrigerator or washing machine that weighs the same to preserve that old patina d  truck cab that Mother nature has so beautifully painted

Introduction "Who is Charley Davidson?"

Hi, My name is Charley Davidson welcome to my blog. This is my first attempt at blogging so hopefully my content will get better as I go.

I spent 15 years traveling as an entertainer/comedian living in a tour bus, the last year or so of it was wearing on me and I was looking for a reason and a place to toss out an anchor. On Jan.26th 2010 I found that reason & place, His name is Jayce Carter Hankins my first grandson, the place Murfreesboro, Tn.

I finished all my contractual obligations as a comedian and moved to Murfreesboro the night of the great Nashville flood. I found a location for a small shop/studio and started building artwork out of reclaimed metal objects. I have struggled for this first year trying to find my voice in art and now I think I have found and focused on what I need to do. The premise behind my business and artwork is to take things that have outlived their intended purpose and and re-purpose them into static and functional art pieces.

Stick with me for a mentally & physically visual  ride through my Mind and art.

You can see some of my artwork on my new FaceBook page I'm currently working on
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Artistic-Welding-Fabrication/115149178568355

Please follow my blog and tell others I assure you it will be very interesting
Thanks, Charley Davidson