The Nuts and Bolts of Brother Mel

                               Brother Mel








I was on lunch break when I took a "quick" detour into The Arts Company in downtown Nashville.  I felt nurtured as I viewed the beautiful paintings, sculptures and mixed media.   I took the elevator to the second floor and entered a room containing six "bowls" of various sizes made of welded metal items like nuts, bolts, wrenches, hammer heads, meat hooks, spoons, forks, knives and tractor chains.   I stopped in my tracks and my pulse quickened when I saw "my" Brother Mel bowl.   I had to touch it.  I had to walk around it and watch the way the eastern light spilling in bounced off it's irregular surfaces.  I visualized how it would look with a round piece of glass on top of it sitting in front of my fireplace and saffron color sofa.   Now, I'm not a girl who spends lots of money on stuff.  But I knew this piece belonged with me.   And then when I found out that the artist was a Marianist monk and that all of his portion of the sale went to supporting his community,  I was further inspired.

I have since met Brother Mel numerous times, and am as inspired by his story and his spirit as much as I am by his work.  You can see more of his work at  www.theartscompany.com/brothermel

(c) copyright 2009 Pam Mark Hall

The Hot Pink Tire

Photo by Jerry Chamberlain

And then I saw it! A sculpture of about 50 bikes wired together and hanging in front an aluminum garage door next to the entrance of the Arcade. "Please, oh please go over there and take a picture of those bikes!" I pressed my boyfriend, Jerry, to follow my creative direction.  He crossed the street, stood in the bus lane, and risked life and limb to appease me by taking the shot with his cell phone.

His eye went straight to the hot pink tire!  Now that's an artist!

Copyright (c) 2009 Pam Mark Hall

I'll Have Nun of That!

I did a triple take! I spied a luminous vision while I waited for the light to change. Sitting there in front of Maggie Moo's enjoying ice cream on a gorgeous fall afternoon, were four elegant, laughing nuns with their white robes and white/black lined habits flapping in a gentle breeze. Pleasure, it was pure pleasure I tell you! That is what I saw vaporizing from this joyous party! They were taking pleasure in each other's company, pleasure in the glorious day, pleasure in their rich decadent ice cream cones, and pleasure in feeling the pleasure (ok I'm projecting) of their creator taking pleasure in them taking pleasure! Kinda like that rain - ocean - evaporation - rain - ocean continuum.

It looked like pure pleasure to me, and I'll have nun of that!

Copyright (c) 2009 Pam Mark Hall