Presenting a collection of St. Louis bricks, sidewalk markers, and the Fleur-de-lis as architectural detail on and in city buildings, brick collecting, urban exploration, and my life by Christian Herman. Reporting from Tower Grove South in St. Louis, MO
2/6/25
Bando Web. My studio
Also? My antique florentine window glass.
2/3/25
1/20/25
1/18/25
1/14/25
Making Something out of Nothing
It was a dare of sorts, that challenge of change, the alchemy I could manifest.
I did.
Kept it all in a chest. Stored, I reveled in the rust dust that I added to paints. It was that precious to me.
I improved the alley by making it into jewelry.
The women who work for me as sales reps sold to galleries and museum gift shops. Within a year, I was everywhere.
The buyers didn't believe it was rusted pieces that I had upcycled. Not then. Not in the early 90s. Buyers complained to my sales reps. Don't lie, they cautioned, what is this?
Two reps called. Hey, these buyers are pissed, they think I'm lying.
OK, I said, OK, spin it as cast paper that I mixed with hand ground metals and mark it up by $15 a piece. Sales rocketed.
One day a check for 3,256.00 from the Chicago Art Institute. Gift shop. Business swelled.
And then I bought a building.
1/9/25
1/7/25
1/5/25
1/3/25
1/1/25
12/29/24
12/27/24
12/26/24
12/25/24
TinkerBelle's Christmas
12/23/24
Bad Art. Development off the rails. The Rail Apartments
This is all kinds of wrong.
In front of the new "Rail" apartment building which is feet away from a railroad spur (the toxic fumes of which will eff you up) and less than a quarter mile for I44 (the toxic fumes of which will eff you up).
I asked some well established regional and national artists, sculptors, and public works sculptors for their review which are below.
David O: We have many interesting sculptors around town that would create something much more engaging. Who commissioned this?
Me: I assume the architect who designed the building. It's so bad.
Horatio L: I agree with Christian. It’s usually from an architect of the firm. They’ll do it for a fraction of what the client would be willing to pay an artist!
Me: It's so awful. Ir recalls those static anti tank weapons that were embedded in the ground during WW2
Snail: Looks like checkpoint barricades.
Matthew: No tanks are driving past these.
Me: I now know where to tie up my horse. That's a hitching rail.
12/21/24
12/7/24
12/5/24
12/1/24
1986. Central West End. St. Louis City
A person lived in this garage. He replaced the rotten accordion doors with discarded doors that he had salvaged.