Welcome

Ahoy Matey, and Welcome to REPTIRE, an intermittent ‘ship’s blog’, chronicling the slow rise in the South Easterly skies of Reptire Designs; a studio that designs and crafts always artful, and sometimes useful THINGAMABOBS from old Indian Cucachou, aka ReTired Rubber.

Down Below, Ye shall find a permanent 'flagship post' marking the Maiden Voyage of Reptire Designs.

And below that, in the ‘hull’, can be found more recent posts chronicling the daring new adventures of Reptire Designs, dashed with small bits of whimsy, spotted pickerel, local color, and lizard lore..

In fact, on the right, in pale purple, ye shall find the Captain's Log’s Table of Previous Posts, which ye can peruse by year, month, and title to ye hearts content.

If ye haven't gotchyer sea legs yet, My Pretty, Ye can take a gander at our website at www.reptiredesigns.com, to get a proper Landlubber's Introduction.

Thanks for stopping in, I do hope you enjoy your visit aboard this ship! HARHARHARHAR.......

Sincerely, Travius Von Cohnifus

Captain, Founder, Indentured Servant, Rubber Alligator Wrestlor Extraordinaire a' this here ship.

enter the treadknot

Welcome
On September 26th, 2006, I launched my tire art/design business, Reptire Designs, with a solo exhibition of my artwork in The Green Gallery at The Scrap Exchange Center for Creative Reuse, in Durham, NC. For many reasons, it was a night that I will always remember, and I am grateful to Laxmi (my girlfriend at the time) and Edie (my mother, still) for dutifully documenting while I shmoozed, so that I may now shmare a taste of the evening with anyone who was not able to attend...



On a cool but lively autumn night-before-Center Fest, a stream of friends and curious strangers trickled (like pebbles through a rain stick) through the forest of odds and ends (that roost at night in The Scrap Exchange), out into the warm light of the back savanna, a scene utterly glopped with bizarre rubbery hybrids. Tentative and curious, the visitors craned their necks, nibbled, pecked, stood back, moved in closer. From the walls, glassy mirror eyes gazed back through black unblinking eyelids, while beneath the visitor's feet, in a steamy drainage cistern, a mortal drama unfolded. Primordial forms, with no eyes at all, sat puckered on stoops. A cascade of glittering steal droplets formed a curtain, to which clung a colony of tiny tire knotlettes.

Vito D., a long-time collabator down from the Asheville area, caressed the warming air with his Strange Little Folk music. I bobbed and I flit, and at an increasing clip-someone must have opened the faucet a bit....for soon I was swooning, I just about lost it! As the evening progressed, to my delight and amazement, 'family' from Durham, Chapel Hill, Pittsboro, Hillsboro, Siler City, Asheville, and Fresno all made it! From the Cohn Clan to the Steudel Clan to the CFS Clan; from the WWC Clan to the Duke Ac Pub Clan to the SAF Clan; from the Bike Shop Clan to the Ninth St. Clan to the Scrap Clan... and every one in between, guys, they were all appearing before my stunned, blinking eyes. While I spun and I splayed, Vito now played-CHURNED- up a torrent of gritty ditties; while a staff volunteer (Brandon's a photographer, I swear) whipped up pitchers of Mango Lassies. And The 'Scrap Exchange girls' worked the door, the counter, and the floor, going "cha-CHING!", cha-CHING!","cha-CHING!".!.



By the end of the night, hundreds of friends, acquaintances and had-been-strangers had poured in, poured over the work, and partaken in, what was for me and my art, a monumental communal feast. And on top of it all, I got to place many of my preemies in hands that I love and trust, and in several instances, hands that fit them like gloves. What a privilage to be able to connect with people this way. Heading into the turbid seas of small business, I can confidently say that if I drown tomorrow, I am at least blessed today with the memory of (as Vito later put it) one authentically good Durham night.



Thanks to all of you who were there; in body and/or spirit.





Reclaimed-wood Builder and Reptire Collector Howard Staab enjoying magwi knot at the Scrap Exchange

Reclaimed-wood Builder and Reptire Collector Howard Staab enjoying magwi knot at the Scrap Exchange
I can't think of anything more rewarding for an artist than to see someone interacting with their artwork. Photo by Laxmi Haynes

Sammy and Dannette contemplate

Sammy and Dannette contemplate
Photograph by Laxmi Haynes

Cascade Colony of Knotlets

Cascade Colony of Knotlets
They would go with your jacket, would they not Claire?

Laxmi Resplendent

Laxmi Resplendent

Mavis In The Mist

Mavis In The Mist
Photograph by Laxmi Haynes

Tire Amazement

Tire Amazement
Photograph by Edie Cohn

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

EVEN MORE FROM DAY ENO 2014, STILL DAY 1, STILL!

MOYA AND GERALD
Got a visit from some other Chatham Friends, Moya and Gerald! I first met Moya I suppose through her work at Piedmont BioFuels, where she was at that time in charge of pick up and deliveries. Her partner Gerald is a great clogger with renowned Cane Creek Cloggers! They seemed to be having a grand old time exploring my Reptire River Hut.


It seems that Moya does not have a fobia of snakes.



DEUCES OF DIAMONDS- Jonathan Davis and Emily Wimbush
A received a great visit from a pair of exceptionaly stylish Chatham friends, Jon Davis and Emily Wimbush.

EMILY
You might see Emily at Shakori hills wearing pigtails, a canary yellow onesie, and not much else- (besides maybe a hula hoop) (“I towt I taw a putty tat!...”). Always a Style Maven, I also particularly enjoyed Emily’s lavish pirate ‘booty’ on Ninja and Pirate days downstairs at Succotashed
, where Emily worked (and regularly lent her pinache) and also contributed the large logo painting on the window. In Siler City, sometimes you’ve just got to “Let your freak flag fly”, and Emily does this with chutzpa and relish, which I have always admired and appreciated about her.

JON
            Accompanying Emily was none but The Duke of Style Himself, Jon Davis. A glass blower from Durham, Jonathan has taken the Chatham studio scene by storm, winning Best In Show with such gripping pieces as the insipiently erotic pitcher plant sculpture he made a few years ago, that I watched sell at an auction to one wise collector. Would that I had had the money to wager for that one. Louise Bougouise meets Dale Chahuli…!

            I also happen to know that Jon travels in his own style. I will see him at Shakori hills, trade mark sunglasses and back pack, jamming in his own groove. It takes a certain confidence to rock your style, and Jon has clearly got that.

JON DONS THE FLO TIE
For this very reason, I felt extremely gratified and honored that Jon honed right in on the Flo Tie.

Within in an instant, he had already placed it in a costume he said he was assembling for his next great balls-to-the-wall-hip-hop-till-the-sun-comes-up-throw-down at his home out tin in the Chatham wood.

Magnetic pull product placement, at its best.
That is one dude that I know will carry the flo tie like a champ. 

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