The Crucible is hosting the Hot Couture fashion show this Jan 17th, 18th, 19th with a blazing showcase of wearable art from Bay Area designers, awe-inspiring fire performances, aerial artistry, fire arts demonstrations, and myself as the featured fire artist along with the Boiler Bar Theater performers.
I’ll have several of my Zen fire gardens to play with all 3 nights. In addition to keeping everyone warm, these interactive works are fun to play with. I’ll provide tools that you can draw designs in the sand and watch fire fill the voids. It’s mesmerizing to watch.
The Boiler Bar
Belly Dancing
We took inspiration from the 1920’s Oil rush to create the Boiler Bar and Boiler Bar Theater.
The bar is riveted top to bottom and topped with a fire show that for a tip will get you a 8 foot fire ball from the bar tender.
I have created 4 Zen Fire Gardens that will amaze a sober patron and wow the eyes.
While enjoying the warmth of our fire and the comfort of a drink you can take in the sights of exotic belly dancers, fire performers, and readings from the biggest little stage, at the “Boiler Bar Theater”.
Justian and I are working the new backdrop to the small stage we are going to add to the Boiler Bar
Justian chalks in the lettering using a over head projector and starts to fill in the shadows.
With the letters now filled in I start to put a base coat down for the boiler bar sign and corners of the pendant.
Justian puts the finishing touches on the shadow of the lettering and I grab a scotch to admire our progress.
Now the Boiler Bar medallion gets painted and I begin the curtain shadows.
The next few hours are spent adding the touches that give it depth.
3:30am and we are beat. Everything is really coming together and standing in front you feel like your looking at a real stage. Justian did a great job! I learned a lot working with him on this and look forward to more banner projects. It amazed me how simple and loose the details could be, but together the layers make it look so complicated when we were done.
Next I have to add the fringe back, clean up a few lines, and begin the aging process to make it look old. Again my thanks goes out to Justian for teaching me the tricks of the trade and all his hours of work.
My wife Kyrsten wanted a unique ride for our desert trip this year, so I built her a trike. The front end is from a mini Penny Farthing, the rear is custom made in my shop. I thought the basket was a nice color/material change and a great place to store our daughter Zolie and her gear. Kyrsten loved it and reported stares from everyone who got a chance to see her riding it. The oil lamp on the front works!
What a night! Here are some pictures I took right before we opened. I was so busy the rest of the night I never got a shot of the 700+ people that came to support Todd Blair.
Getting ready
Enjoying a quite drink, while Alan chums the tip jar
A good tip got a response from the bar tenders
Brian, Ellen, and Amy ready to go
Kent’s Mule artcar. Sorry Todd no one had a horse version.
The Yard space. This space was packed all night.
Steamed Hot Dog raised over $300!
Christopher was the ever present, but never seen fire safety officer.
Posted Under: Boiler Bar and Theater,Todd Blair
This post was written by Form & Reform on December 3, 2007 Comments Off on The Ball
