This week we have during the early morning and late evening --Aesthetics with David Tatham--which is wonderful and topical. This morning we reviewed Death as a topic. This evening, Faces. He shows images and talks about aspects of the topic--shining a light on good ideas and concept....he reads us poetry related to the topic and finishes the lecture with music and song equally related. Some very dense reading from "Esthetics Contemporary" edited by Richard Kostelanetz. Two Clement Greenberg articles that are solid....and hard to make headway. But two fun ones, one from Sol Lewitt (love!) and Walter de Maria (also Love).

The rest of the day is spent with Greg Manchess. We did figure drawing (hard work, but the model was lit wonderfully, so the work wasn't the normal torture it can be). We also reviewed our 20 thumbnails for a book jacket cover. I am doing something for the Garth Nix book, Sabriel. Tonight, we need to scale it up...and show 2 different approaches from the edit. More figure and then some oil painting together. I hope I can come to like this stuff. I am trying to stay open.

Team Cassetti left this a.m. after a really nice visit yesterday and Saturday night (complete with our shaggy girl too). it's true that home is where the heart is...and my little home came to me this weekend. What a lovely little group. And they loved meeting my comrades...and seeing what they were all about. We had a chance to see an effective IMAX movie on coral reefs to our delight and had a nice dinner at a pasta restaurant in the Armory district. It was like being on vacation in a new city! Exciting. Fresh.