Stu Jenks' Fezziwig Press

"Al Foul (Alan Lewis Curtis), Desert Agave, Arizona" (c) 2022 Stu Jenks

 

"Al Foul, Desert Agave, Arizona" (c) 2022 Stu Jenks. Not for sale.  

Al and I didn't know each other well. (For a profoundly personal article regarding Al's death, from his widow Hannah Levin, click on this link.) Only met him and talked to him a few times, but I loved his spirit and his rockabilly music. 

Here's my favorite Al Foul story:

Al was performing for an art opening I was attending. It's wasn't my art opening, some other folks'. Al was the night's entertainment, playing guitar, stomping on his bass drum and singing his sad but rowdy songs. At the set break I went up to him and thanked him for the music. I introduced myself and shook his hand. "You're Stu Jenks?" he said. "I love your work. Great stuff man." "Really?" I said. "Well, thank you Al. That's very nice of you to say. I love your work too." We both smiled, spoke a little more, shook each other's hands again, and I went back to the art work and the patrons . That's it. My first time meeting Al. Genuine, kind, excited. That was Al. God, I miss him. 

In his honor, I made a wall piece from six pieces of desert agave, gently linked together by bright brass hooks. I think Al would have dug this new work of mine. At some point, I'll ship them to his widow Hannah, but I don't want to let go of it just yet. Soon, but not yet.  

I'm so sad and angry Al, that you suffer so much those last months with cancer. For a good soul like you, I just hate that Hannah and you had to go through all that. You should have lived to be a hundred. 

Miss you, Al. Heck, the whole town of Tucson misses you, and it's not because of just your music. It's because of the wonderful man you were. Love you, buckaroo. 

 

Matt Antone: Elder Brother (The Late Stage Capitalism Series by Stu Jenks)

“Matt Antone (Elder Brother), Desert Agave, The Road to Sonoita, Arizona” © 2022 Stu Jenks, $225 (Shipping included in the price.)

[See the vision statement in my March 28th, 2022 post. It's all things falling apart, but we still have each other.]

 

 

Tohono Chul 10 x 10 show 2022

From March 4th until May 29th, 2022, Tohono Chul Park in Tucson, Arizona is having their annual 10 x 10 fundraiser. A ton of art work created by a bunch of artists.

Everything is 10 inch by 10 inch, bagged and boarded, all for the low low price of $100. I have five pieces there. If you don't see the work of mine that you want on display, just ask James or any of the great museum staff and they will help you out. Great people.

10 x 10 helps Tohono Chul and it'll helps me. Good all around. (I get $50, they get $50 for each sale.)

And if you want something specific of mine, you may want to get up there early.

Love y'all.

Stu.

“Crane Day, Desert Agave, Arizona” © Stu Jenks 2021 [Extended Family Series]

“Crane Day, Desert Agave, Arizona” © Stu Jenks 2021, 52 inches tall.

Price: $150, shipping included. Simply contact me via my email address at [email protected] or Facebook message me, if you would like to purchase one of my pieces. Payments can be made with Paypal, Venmo or credit card with Square. All pieces are signed with its title, and can be hung from the wall. Love y'all, Stu.

 

Crane was my friend.

He died in the fall of 2018 at the age of 81.

Here is a lovely article/obituary from Arizona Daily Star and here is a sweet YouTube video done by the Tucson Weekly of the man in his studio.

Crane's studio was just down the hall from mine. When I came over in the early 2000's from the Toole Shed, Crane couldn't have been more welcoming. We would laugh often and cry sometimes. We would watch Survivor in his studio every week with a number of his closest friends. We would shake our heads at the crazy politics of the time. We would help each other out in little ways.

But what I really miss is his hugs. He was the best hugger. He would grab me and pull me in tight and squeeze me hard as I squeezed him back. He would make a little sound when he hugged me. It was great. Sometimes I would joke, "Jeez, Crane, you keep hugging me like that and I'll turn gay for you." He would laugh every time I said that silly joke.

Also, he had the altar at his home that probably had 50 to 100 prayer cards on it, each personally made by him, with fine calligraphy, for anyone who needed a little help from the Great Almighty. He made them for my sister, for my mother, and for my wife at different times. I still have one of those cards that he made for my sister before she died.

In an odd way, Crane might have saved my life. Instead of going to Gabby Giffords' Safeway Grocery Store outdoor meetup on Jan. 8th, 2011, I went to visit Crane in the hospital instead. When I arrived at his room at Northwest Hospital, she had been shoot just moments before. I was ambivalent about going to see Gabby truly, hadn't really made up my mind, but decided it was more important to go see my friend in the hospital that to shake Gabby's hand. In an profound way, I'm lucky Crane got sick.

He was the greatest guy, an amazing artist, a wonderful human being. He proved that you can be a fantastic artist and be a fantastic person, all at the same time.

I miss him. A lot.

A scarf that he wove hangs in my bedroom above my bed. If Crane's spirit is out and about, I know he is looking down on me and on many others, with small prayer cards in one hand, a twinkle in his eye, and that sweet smile on his face.

I miss you, brother.

May God's love always shine on your spirit.

I don't think I even need to ask God for that. He's been doing that for you for years. For me too. For all of us I suppose. I sure hope so.

Give God a hug for me.

#craneday, #stujenks, #extendedfamilyseries.

 

"Maggie, Will & Gabby McIntyre" & "Alexa & Sarah Clegg" (c) 2020 Stu Jenks [Extended Family Series]

"Maggie, Will & Gabby McIntyre" & "Alexa & Sarah Clegg" Saguaro Ribs, Arizona, (c) 2020 Stu Jenks.

Price: Not For Sale. Gifts to J.P. and Palmer McIntyre, and Rob & Catherine Clegg.

Apologies for the low-rez iPhone shots here.

This past Christmas, I gave these two pieces to my brothers-and-sisters-in-laws. I also gave my four nieces, my one nephew who lives in the area, my father-and-mother-in-law and another sister-in-law, their own walking stick and/or wall piece. Due to me not selling those pieces, I didn't at the time see the need to photograph them. I regret that now. After having made over 100 pieces and having posted most of them on my site, I realized that I didn't have many of my true extended family members represented here. If I was on the outside looking in, I would wonder if I, Stu, had any true extended family at all, and if I did, why weren't they here. Does Stu not like them? Do they not like him?

No. I like my in-laws quite a lot. I actually love them. And I think they like me too. 

Again, last Christmas, I made and gave twelve pieces, most being Desert Agave walking sticks to these folk. It was fun and a lot of work, but more fun than work.

But I'm an idiot for not photographing them. Maybe some day, but those sticks have flown the coop.

Lastly, the two pieces here were photographed with my iPhone, in my old studio in Tucson, AZ, before I moved to Greensboro, NC in the summer of 2020.

Hug and kisses, everyone.

#stujenks, #extendedfamilyseries.

“Mark Murphy, Desert Agave, Arizona” (c) Stu Jenks 2019 [Extended Family Series]

“Mark Murphy, Desert Agave, Arizona” (c) Stu Jenks 2019. 59 inches tall.

Price: $150, shipping included in the price. Simply contact me via my email address at [email protected] or Facebook message me, if you would like to purchase one of my pieces. Payments can be made with Paypal, Venmo or credit card with Square. All pieces are signed with its title, and can be hung from the wall. Love y'all, Stu.

 

Mark and I have been close for over 35 years. We have been through marriages, divorces, sickness, health, richer, poorer. Sounds like we are married but we are not. But we are bonded in the belief that deep friendships are important and healing, and that they never should have allowed the designated hitter in baseball.

Go Diamondbacks. Go Tigers. Go Giants.

 

#markmurphy, #stujenks, #extendedfamilyseries, #desertagave

“Dennis The Homeless Man, Desert Agave Stalk, Arizona” © Stu Jenks 2019 [Extended Family Series]

“Dennis The Homeless Man, Desert Agave Stalk, Arizona” 59 inches © 2019

 

Price: $175, shipping included in the price. Simply contact me via my email address at [email protected] or Facebook message me, if you would like to purchase one of my pieces. Payments can be made with Paypal, Venmo or credit card with Square. All pieces are signed with its title, and can be hung from the wall. Love y'all, Stu.

 

Late at night, when I’m taking a break out front of my studio in Tucson, I can hear the homeless man across the way coughing. He comes in late on his bike, leaves early at dawn. He sleeps in front of an office that is vacant. When I’ve seen him on occasion ride up, he doesn’t have a bad vibe about him at all, not like some of the other homeless men who occasionally sleep in the neighborhood. ‘But for the grace of God go I,’ I often think when I hear him over there, hacking up a lung. I’m a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. If I had continued to drink and drug, my fate could have easily been homelessness. Easily.

From 1/14/2020: I found out that his name is Dennis. He is a little crazy but he is kind and seemingly sweet. He takes my cigarette butts from my ash tray when I’m not here. Rolls his own from them. The homeless call them ‘refries’.

From 3/3/2020: I haven’t seen Dennis in a few weeks now. Hope he’s OK. In Dennis' regular sleeping spot, another homeless man sits in his wheelchair. America. The richest country in the world. Shameful how we treat our poor. 

 

#dennisthehomelessman, #extendedfamilyseries, #stujenks, #desertagave.