Didn't ride the slides


The slides were at varied heights--the highest from the tippy-toppiness of the fifth floor. The Tate Modern was surprising as it was a mishmash of MOMA and MOCA--with some great Francis Bacons, Legers, Duchamps, etc. Nice show on covers of a russian magazine called Russian Construction with compositions and photography by the great El Lissistsky and Alexander Rodchenko. Saw some nice collages a la the good ones we saw at the Johnson Museum. Fell in love again with Francis Picabia...need to do some research on him. There was a Diego Rivera pastel that was truly 12 feet tall. The Duchamps was great--in the Philadelphia Museum of Art hand...not as extensive a group...but beautiful in real life.

There was a show of the indian (as in India) artist, Amrita Sher-Gil --an indian version of Freda Kahlo. John Thompson knew all about her from his recent adventures in India where Sher-Gil is lauded as one of the "big" ones. She was turn of the century, and recognized as early as age 19 as a big talent. She was the product of a Sihk (sp) father and a hungarian mother--essentially raised in India but trained in Europe. She was inspired (and its pretty evident in her work) by Gaugain--even mimicing his work, composition and imagery in one of her pictures though her palette is very dour and dark. The image above is during a transition time in her work--and I find it interesting per the Burka images.

My favorite installation was a new piece the Tate has acquired called "Sliding Doors" which would be perfect for CMoG. One approaches the piece which is a wall covered in mirrors with a mirrored sliding door. The door automatically opens and you face another mirrored wall with a sliding door --about 3 strides takes you from one door to the next...and this happens about 7 or 8 times. It is stunning and startling and dizzying. Glass. Mirrors. Motion. Passage. Totally excellent. And, a real crowd pleaser.

Traci rode the slide and bumped her head. She said the slide was not too fun.

Great stuff at the store..but expensive. I was tempted but did not give way on an industrial weight felt bag....but I have enough bags for my life and twenty others...so I resisted. But I did buy some postcards.

The Tate Modern as a building is very cool. Terrific spaces. Tons of escalators. Lots of peeks through to other spaces. Wonderful plantings of very skinny birch trees you have to walk and look through prior to getting to the building. The Tate Modern and Tate Britain run a boat (can you imagine? it is called the Tate Boat) between both locations. It takes twenty minutes...and I love the idea.

Back at the Faraday House after a lunch at Pret as both Traci and I hoped. We will see an illustrator/graphic designer at 2:30 and then have time. I am going to see the Beatrix Potter illustrations at the British Museum.

More later>>

Amrita Sher-Gil
Three Girls, 1935oil on canvas
National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi

Tate Modern


So, its the british version of MassMoca today. Am looking forward to it--and right as Rob said, the guy that did the amusement park work has an installation there. Yesterday we trekked out to Clapton to meet with the artist, Francisco Centofani--a young painter trained in Florence (where John Thompson met him). He was busy painting a handrail when we got there so we could see how he paints houses too. He showed us a collection of works--my favorites being essentially portraits of trees. He has worked on some interesting, stripped down paintings in limited palettes of things happening in the night-time. He will paint the paintings and then just paint out some of the picture to a solid--giving it a very graphic and illustratory feel. Not overly inspiring but with everything, there was something to take away.

We got back to London and spend the remander of the day at The National Gallery. Did I say PHENOMENAL? It was like having the dessert cart of the Jansen History of Art brought out and being told to eat the entire thing. One amazing painting after the other. I am fearful Kitty and Alex would HATE it because it is totally all about painting...but if you have to be tortured, this is the place. Arnofini Wedding, tons of Botticellis, Zubarin, Titans, and Holbeins galore.Angels and Marys to beat the band. The tiny Van Eyck portait of himself wearing a rosy, ruby turban.
And the Gainsboros, Reynolds and british portraits in abundance...one better than the next.

It was funny spending time in my world of the early Rennaissance and the Sienese School...To be surrounded by the vast riches the National Gallery offers, I was struck by the brilliant, out of the tube color that radiate from these pictures. I mean the compositions, symbols, stories and artistry is amazing, but the extrodinary color that just bounces off the canvas was amazing. The mannerists were fond of orange and blue bouncing off each other in a very active way. Amazing.

The building is phenomenal..and for you R, it uses a ton of skylights in the galleries and limited lighting. This works far better than the British Museums natural light thing. Back to the National--Huge pots of cream and red amaryllis with greens flanking the doorway. Good free maps. Colored walls in the galleries. No shortage of gold, detail and plasterwork. Not shy. But the collection! and the curatation...Just an example, there are paintings that were done in the Rennaissance for the lids of chests. They are big paintings (the Botticelli above is an example) and they display an actual chest below the painting to make the point.
There were a zillion highschool groups (Kitty, the guys are totally kay ute--with the right haircuts a la MassMoca guy)--from all over Europe being taken through--and the students were focused, polite etc.

I bought postcards (50p each...that is a hair less than a buck a shot)--Their shop was less wonderful...and really limited book selection. They had the appropriate Taschen works...and a gallery guide but that was it.

Had a pub lunch called Speckled Hen...which comprised of sausages and vegetables with an onion gravy in a huge yorkshire pudding...It looked like lunch was in a little nest with the sausages peeking out like eggs. Alex--you would really have loved it. Lots of burgers offered (including Lamb). Lots of italian and middle eastern food in our neighborhood. The food is very good as is the coffee--Starbucks has brought coffee into the twenty first century. The Earl Grey is delicious too.

We had lunch the other day at a chain place called Pret Manger. Take out premade sandwiches that ranged from smoked salmon to bacon all cut into wedges and shown edge side out.Hot wraps. Soup. Gingerbeer, sparkling lemonade, still and sparkling water. It really worked with the folks I was with. I had a lemony salad with prawns and greens that was just enough--but better than anything I have had in a long time. It was about £3.50...

The chocolate makers are very excited about easter and Mothers day (this weekend here) with candies that say I heart MUM and stuff like that. Tons of big filled eggs, marzipan bunnies, chocolate chickens.

I have no patience for this group thing. The folks we are with are embarassing for me--and to be honest, no one knows or is trying to figure out how to do things (like ride the subway--or decide where to have lunch). I am the only one with a map--and a subway map. If I have a chance today, I would like to dump this group. Each of the folks behind us have brought a boyfriend, girlfriend or partner--and that class has not jelled. It is pathetic. They don't talk to each other...or help each other. There just doesnt seem to be any significant effort or understanding around moving their personal needle. I have written off groups in general.

It was good to look at painting with Richard and Chris Williams as they have been around and look at things differently than I do...however, when they started swooning over the Titans, I had to be in my world of the early Rennaissance...and Holbein, a world they cannot bear. Makes me itchy to do a portrait or two.

Had dinner with the Williams brothers. They are off to Paris today. We have the Tate Modern and an illustrator this afternoon. If the British is open, I am going over to see the Beatrix Potter sketches. Maybe the V and A tomorrow. After this week, I won't need to go to museums for at least a month. Overload.

More later>>

Today a painter and the National Gallery


Soane House was all that was promised. It is a fantasy of architecture, art, vision, combined with artfully placed skylights, mirrors and windows that convinces interior and exterior flow...that one really questions where one is. The painting room adorned with Hogarths with the walls that peel away to reveal Soan's personal architectural watercolors was a delight with the little white gloved man, mumbling little obtusenesses...It was a bluesky day with daffodils and flowers on Lincoln Inn Field...so it made the visit even more beautiful.

We then trooped over to a promised treat of an art supply store near the British Museum. Treat it was. Gilding, calligraphic (all the Mitchell pens, wire brushes, custom inks), great pharmacopia jars filled with every imaginable color of pigment, papers, pens, brushes in all shapes and sizes. The whole shot--crammed into this floor to ceiling place with tiny numbered drawers and shelves organizing the maylay into focused British clarity.

After a small purchase, we decided to finish with an hour and a half at the British. We heard massive drumming...insistent for about ten minutes and then saw a wonderful cluster of people surrounding this large, health and charisma bursting man with a robins egg blue tie..He was accompanied by ladies in costumes of kente cloth, numberous men in suits and red military uniforms and the British doing the same with military men and big british ladies a la Camilla--dressed in lilac coats and big brimmed hats with plumes. As they existed the building --the drumming continued...We asked the guard who and what the commotion was all about and he simply stated that that was the President of Guana. I have decided I need a coterie of drummers to accompany me. Maybe not kente cloth...but Rongovian attire.

We had a take out dinner with John Thompson and family over in the Earl's Court area and got home around 11. So. Sleep wasn't an issue.

Good coffee is everywhere. Pashminas are cheap (though I dont see a need...but may reconsider when looking at my packing). There is more similar here to the US than different outside of taste and view. The roses and daffodils that are being sold on the street are perfection and are everywhere. At the Soane house there were cheery bunches of daffodils in many of the living spaces. Did I tell you they had little fans with copy on them for the narrative on each space? That place was definitely the source for many of my new favorites like the Jurrasic and the wackiness of MacKenzie Childs.

More later>>

Back from Angela Barrett


Met with the children's book illustrator, Angela Barrett in her apartment on Old Grey Street. Angela Barrett lives in a kind of eccentric generous one bedroom apartment with violet velvet draperies trimmed in gold, butter yellow wall,needlepoint carpets on top of other carpets, raw wood woodwork in some places and all sorts of photographs of people, family and paintings. Very reminiscent of the old MacKenzie Childs look with more gravity. Lots of books. She is a wonderfully sweet and very English person. Graduate of the Royal College, 1980. Only does book work--detailed, very english palette. Her sketches are very miniscule and Edward Goreyesque. She was very generous and funny telling us tales of her phobias, likes and dislikes, her travels and education. The best was her telling us about this old boys club for artists she is part of called the Artwork Guild. Each member is referred to as bretheren--and they all come from different walks from violin making, gilding, bookbinding, illustration, architecture. They are led by the Master who wears gold chains "its all very old boy, very old fashioned". You get the gist. Angela loves history particularly british history and was filled with all sort of little details she weaves into her discussion. Loved it. Felt very much part of my old history of calligraphy and guilds and structure--and the right way and the wrong way to do things. I feel like I have moved on from that thinking.

Showed the work to John. Merge the birds with the burkas and talk about style. Need to think about it...he acknowledges that its my deal...so we might do both. He was very positive about getting the work "out there".

Off to the Sir John Sloane house this p.m. Dinner at John Thompson's apartment at Earles Court. Need to open the map to figure that one out.

Did I tell you about this pictures Hogarth did that parodied the Masonry? Wow.

More later, hopefully.>>

Detail of illustration by Angela Barrett

Blue Skies ahead


Yesterday was full of activity. We met Russell Cobb, an inspiring, sketch 'n notebook illustrator who is a prolific artist conscious of his image and promotion. He has done a wonderful series of self promotion pieces that have gotten me off my seat...and inspired me to get going. He often works in several notebooks at once--drawing and painting with india ink (again, get going!!) and then working with the art on the computer. He is the president of the AOI (Association of Illustrators) a group of international (mainly British) illustrators who have been around since 1976. They are much like the Illustration Partnership (CF Payne is part of that group)--essentially advocacy, legal aid, lobbying etc. The whole bundle of rights and ownership and pricing. They produce a book annually and a wonderful new magazine call Vroom--def. worth subscribing. His work has kicked me in the booty as is his global/european perspective. Illustration is primordial here--with a focus on childrens books, editorial. The basics. No character design. No graphic novels. No self pubishing. Same sucky pay scale. He told us that the art schools here produce around 3,00 illustration students a year...and only about 3 percent "make it".

We visited the AOI with Russell--a small shared studio space with a group of designers/illustrators/product designers called "Big Orange". Will need to investigate later.

We got tangled up in the underground but inevitably found the Tate Britain. Quickly saw a ton of art with my heart leaping from my chest over the British School work (this is a 16c. group of painters a la Nicholas Hilliard (one of Queen Elizabeth the firsts painters). Some heart stopping John Singer Sargents. But you can keep all the fusty landscapes and Turner. Torture. Saw a huge show on Hogarth. His paintings you can keep, but the engravings with the funny poetry, the morality stories and the comedy he rendered is really fresh and new. Plus, as I looked at the work, the black and while illustrations and books of Maurice Sendak came to mind...I don't know why, but they align nicely. They are theatrical (foreground/background, staged and posed people, humor and funny details, similar use of line and tone). Another interesting thing about the Tate. The curatorial is wierd...and the lighting is non existant. We are so spoiled to have the Met doing a spectacular lighting, curating and staging job with their blockbusters. Hogarth, the work was wonderful, the stories good but the overall WOW of the show was lost.

Dinner and sleep after that.

Sunday, we had a big breakfast in the neighborhood--and we walked down Oxford Street to find the British Museum. What a place!! The siting of the building, the wonderful old pavers and narrow street, the park and seating enclosed within the gates are perfect and perfectly proportioned. Then, to go inside and experience the excellent entry space with the galleries, shops, cafes all nestled and tucked into this expansive, light area that just makes you happy to breathe. We saw the Egyptian stuff and the assyrians just to get our bearings and will come back Friday to see the rest. Their shops are wonderful and before I forget, Rob...the Portland vase is one of their treasures they merchandise. They have ceramic mugs and coasters (all very nicely done and proportioned), a swatch style watch with the figures on the strap, teeshirts (with graphics that bleed...very stylish), and a few books. They take areas of their collections and blow them out accordingly. As an example, they are opening a show on the perception of the British of the New World this week that I hope to see. Again, the tasteful mug, coasters, teeshirt, scarf thing along with these great neckaces and bracelets of drilled beans and corn tied with thin waxed cord. The necklaces are massive (some of just corn, just pinto beans etc) and they are asking 95£ (double it for New World money)--. The British Museum reminds me of the Getty Villa as they are hellbent to do it right...seems less commonplace there.
It is interesting that they open each gallery with their Icon or Blockbuster artifact. For instance, first thing in the Egyptian galleries is the surprisingly enormous Rosetta Stone. Upfront...no question...there it is. Centered above it in the background is a huge egyptian head...Bing Bam Boom.

We then wandered over to Russell Square, and these terrific playing fields nearby--taking in the neighborhood and trying to get situated for yesterday as we had to be prompt. Got our loadable Oyster cards at the Underground station--which was good as it takes some time to get that squared away. Found a store that sold the complete gear for barristers from the wig to the neckerchief to the gown for about £500. I am planning to ebay watch for that....Lots of fabulous hand lettering everywhere.

We see Angela Barrett, a children's book illustrator today. Maybe more museums as our afternoon speaker has bagged as he has had to go to the hospital.

So, I am alive and sleeping. We have had blueskies...and real spring weather. Def worth doing with the kids next spring...so much to do and all closeby.

More later>>

Here I am!

Well. USAirways didnt really tell anyone (no duh given the scrambling dear JetBlue had been suffering with with their snow/scheduling fiasco)--but they were rolling a brand spanking new computer system in place this week with many many mishaps. And they are so damned humorless and self important in all of this it is painful. To start at the beginning....I got into Philadelphia with good time though the flying cigar was packed to the gills and somehow I got stuck with a lunking Ithaca College student who had an enormous electonic thing that he kicked and shoved under the seat...So there was no room to budge. The good part was it was short. The stinky part was that we landed at the East Jesus gates (F and the furthest out) so I had to walk the length of the pavillion and take the suffering BUS to the international terminal (London flight not listed on their boards and it took forever to find a face that might know how to get the information). More mean spiritedness from the staff. Seems the customers are a gigantic pain in the butt.

We loaded for London on time after the hustle to get there (they were calling the flight as I got to the gate). I traded in frequent flier points and rode First Class. Def worth it. Adjustable seats with footrests. TVs built into the seat rests. Nice food (I had an elegant salad with cheese and grapes as I wanted to try for sleep versus the wine and roses, or as Rob called it--the dancing girls etc.)--comfy seats. Most of my fellow spoiled passengers were related to Tony Soprano or were somehow involved in professional sports. And their dollies were...memorable. Lotsa hair. Lotsa extentions. Lace shirts, skin tight pants. Lots of fussiness and fussing. One of the thugs made a big show of taking his wife's zippered high heeled boots off...a la the wedding reception ridiculousness of the garter thing. He and his buddy had lots of yucks over that. They drank a lot.

We left an hour late (credited to the computer issues) but arrived on time due to the amazing winds we had. I took an ambien, thanks to my traveling brother--and really did sleep. It was wonderful. I felt as good as someone does with four hours of sleep...but significantly better than not. So much so--I was able to handle everything else from then on with humor and more happiness. Gatwick is small and nice. The wait for customs was well over an hour in a snaky line rivalling Disneyland (without the distractions Disney provides)but once I got there-- no problem. But no real lighting--greenish and still. Creepy. Waited in line and bought tickets for the Gatwick Express (train to Victoria Station). Note: you can buy the tickets on the train without a penalty.

Figured out the luggage thing and unfortunately, my bags were left in Philly (there were quite a few of us)--so I got the paperwork done with a very accomodating person. Found a banking machine. Got a brewed coffee from Starbucks and got on the train. Nice train. There was a little snack cart a la Harry Potter which the home team would have loved, down to the central casting of the proprietor except it was packaged goods, tea, coffee and plenty of alcoholic drinks. No chocolate frogs.

The countryside was beautiful...with all sorts of horses at the city limits with coats on. People were in these large communal gardens--doing spring stuff. Little patches chock a block--nested above apartment buildings. Very green and at the same time, very brown. Funny, but seeing all the brick and many, simple, nondiscript houses reminded me of Pittsburgh of all things. Everything is very clean, polite and ordinary. I was also shocked at the clear class structure from trains and planes to stores and behaviors.It all trends towards the middle...with no real low (as one sees in NYC, LA) and not a lot of swanky folks either.

Half an hour later, we were in Victoria Station. It was easy to get a cab--and he drove me to our hotel, 10 Manchester Street, which he praised me for such a find. Daffodils galore in the parks. And the clouds cleared. Is there a message here? Will I get my luggage? Checked in and they gave me the room early. Was waiting for my friend, but I think her 9:30 Saturday probably means p.m.... Hotel is nice, small and modest. Bathrooms are nice. Windows open.Very functional, but not unpleasant...and the proximity to everything is great. Quiet side street.

So, I figured I would walk around the neighborhood. Easy. Nice neighborhood. Lots of little restaurants, lots of studenty stuff. There is an accupuncture studio. The Wallace Collection is a block away as is the Courtauld. The Bond Street Station is a hop and a skip. I walked a large part of Oxford Street taking in some sites, getting some underwear and a paperback and getting my bearings. I got a big dose of air and havent yet eaten anything...though this is coming. I saw this internet cafe and bought some time to put this blog entry up to let you know I am still here...This cafe thing is very interesting. Its in the basement of a popular pizza by the slice counter. One buys time (read gittone) and go to the basement with orange signs filled with admonitions about "Watch out for Pickpockets" and "We can't help you". Orange and white signs? Is this Home Depot? Same flavor. Different place. So, you end up in the basement with long rows of computers mounted to a vertical surface and keyboards directly below. There are lots of people here placing phonecalls via Skype so it is the tower of babel with all the languages. There is a couple directly behind me accessing hotwire to find a room. Pretty functional place. Just talk and the clatter of keyboards.

Lots of hotpink and orange. Pashminas on the street are two for 5 pounds. They will put a damned Union Jack on anything and try to sell it...Bras, underwear, wallets, shirts etc. The bras were the best. The scene at H &M was nuts. That is the store where England shops. Tons of thuggy boyfriends standing by the wall chatting into cellphones as they watched their girlfriends pose and pivot in front of all the mirrors in the place. H&M is a pretty good deal too. The money thing is frightful. If I do the math and double it everytime, I won't eat or do anything. So, I am taking it as it comes--being modest but with the dollar's weakness, even a dumb sandwich is about $15/ Only thing that is right is the Starbucks...but hey....they don't count.Thank goodness the art galleries are free.

I am going to log off. Its looking at six and I need to eat. I may try to stay up until around 8 and then have a snooze cruise. Tomorrow I hope to do more walking...maybe up to the park...or even down to Russell Square (where the SU program is) to get the lay of the land. Galleries are open from 10 until around 5--so I will see something. It's just a question of what?!

Will try and give you a holler tomorrow.

Sketches of Queen Victoria




Prissy Queen Victoria with her squinty eyes, tiny crown and huge space between her nose and mouth is everywhere in London. I figured I should get into the swing of things by doing some sketches to warm up and look at her. In the pix, she has tons of jewels and ribbons,bows and lace. But really, she still looks like a bulldog, albeit a well dressed bulldog.

Off tonight with SU to see the sights. No other changes in the schedule. Four illustrators and one painter. I am trying to stay open, get the thesis work confirmed, see some art, go to the Tate Modern and see the slides by the amusement park guy from Mass MOCA, and eat some stilton and drink a ton of tea. I know there will be more, but I am working on the "don't anticipate" model which will always yield something good. Hopefully, I will have a chance to say hi via the blog. If not, I will see you all a week from Saturday.

more anticipating....


grrrrrr. Trying to keep up with the details prior to departing for the United Kingdom.
Am thinking about bulldogs, Queen Victoria and Virginia Woolfe. So, you will see sketches in the next few days. Sorry for my silence. I am multitasking and the blog falls out of the mix. More later.

The more is that the Tburg Pourhouse belated celebrated their first anniversary tonight to great singing and playing of all the local, terrific talent. We were treated to the air raid siren, ducet crooning of Jim Reidy with the pick up version of the Chicken Chokers with funny Chad Crum wearing a wild fur hat that looked like an Andy Warhol extension of what normally grows atop his skull...with great fiddling and howling along with the music. Bill Chaisson was the impressario of the evening, wearing a spangly top hat (a la New Years eve) stuffed with raffle tickets poking out of the bottom. His deep voice faded and boomed with his wonderful ability to put words (particularly big and important words) together in a very terse and descriptive way. It was fun with all the best hits of the locals coming in to wish Liz and her team the best of luck in the coming year.

Here's to the Pourhouse! One Year Old!!

Brrrrrrr.

I am crazy to get an auto rickshaw. I think they are way cool and perfect for tooling around this small town and for jaunts into the countryside. What do you think? Then, to take it further, the indians have auto rickshaw races>>. Dinesh Kini has written a nice synopsis of the wonders of the auto rickshaw. Maybe we could attach a snow plow to the front of it? Just kidding.

School excused today due to windchill. So "hail, hail, the gang's all here"! Am trying to get all the stuff on my desktop to a level I can leave it with Erich for a week--so, am a bit frantic. A surprise project was literally popped on me at 6 p.m. on Friday with the wrong direction from one person (to find out after 6 hours of work) and then the re-do that took until mid Sunday. I was not totally happy. That's done, so we can move on.

Am researching transporation modes, prices etc in London.Feel like I am getting a handle on all of this. The best site is Britain Express that plugs all sorts of deals, and travel opportunities that are not so evident. I have discovered this too late, but for the next time...However, the big "ah ha!" was that most museums do not charge admission. Yay!!

More later.

March


March comes in like a lion and out....

Maybe all of these stock market high jinx are the "coming in like a Lion" thing. But, we will need to wait and see with the weather!

28


Thirty day hath September,

April, June and November.

All the rest have 31....

Except for February,

which has 28!

Celebrating 28 Days!

Steam coming out of my ears


Work continues apace. Setting em up and knocking em down. Hopefully, I will have a stretch of time to start on a 16 pp. pub. I do for the Museum of Glass. Lots of copy, lots of pictures and the whole jigsaw puzzle of fitting them together without it looking like anyone did anything. Now, what is it that you do?

London trip announced--We, the students of Syracuse University ISDP Program (to close in 2008) are going to London 3/12--for our contact period. These contact periods expose us to a range of illustrators and illustration related folks--generally 4 folks a day for 5 days. We also get critiques from the assignments we do, and catch up on the status of our thesis. So, we get this note....4 illustrators and 1 painter. That is all there is lined up. Essentially a days worth of exposure for the cost of a big plane ticket, hotel and food and a weak dollar. Although my plans were to see some museums, I think that has expanded to seeing a lot of museums. Not my plan, and to be honest, not worth the time right now. How can SU think that pulling people out of jobs, billing and paying jobs, for a totally inadequately planned contact period is acceptable. Maybe there is no thinking. Just kind of doing--not real doing...I mean, the V & A have a spectacular collection of childrens books and illustrations--why isnt that planned in? Couldnt we get a meeting with the curator there etc? There isnt anything happening that one couldnt do on their own. The SU connection could open doors that might not open to individuals and it is not being leveraged. There is absolutely nothing special going on here. It reeks of someone wanting and delivering on a family vacation, forgetting the real purpose of the trip to fall by the way side. I could lead a tour of western Massachusetts starting with the Rockwell, the Clark, Mass Moca, the Carle Museum, the Yale Museum and cover more in a week than this is planned. Unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable. Can you gather, I am pissed?

I just hope there is no trouble with the thesis. I do not want to continue with the burkas--and to be honest, I did them to be game, but not to make this my hook. I could take them further--but I am bored with them...and that isn't something that will get you up in the morning, and grab your entire weekend. Plus, marketing them???
The birds have my attention and interest. I can market them, and they can be leveraged into a bigger world. Carol told me about the Duck Stamp competition. And there are a bunch of wildlife, naturalism galleries that might be interested in this stuff. Plus, the individual reception I have gotten is positive. As Erich says, flowers and/ or birds are classics. Who doesn't love birds? My thoughts exactly.

Richard and I commiserated. He told me all about High Fructose, a new publication in the Juxtapoz mode that is less about graffitti and more about painting. I am good with another entry in that world and am going to seek it out and get back to you.

Am listening to a great audio book (Audible), The Hummingbird's Daughter--an inspired, layered story on a ranch in Mexico. It is very dense--and verbally has similar clues to Pan's Labyrinth and the third Harry Potter. I am only an hour into it--and it is around 15 hrs.--but its great so far.

More later>>

Politicians and actors playing politicians


another work in progress>>
Last night's Oscars featured actors playing queens and dictators and at the same time, a presidential candidate won for his salient movie on the state of the environment and world. It was good to see this venue focus the spotlight on things and people that are important. It almost seemed that the messaging transcended the glamourpusses in satin dresses, the movie folk in diamonds and rhinestones. Considering the absolute chaos the world is with the world leader, a "Gentleman's C+", the random shooter and perfect Condi is making. It was good to see the class geeks and freaks having their moment. Bravo!

I know I owe you a little more on the Chinese Xiamen Dadaist, but today is not the day. Am a little pressed for time. Have 2.5 hrs. doing volunteer stuff at the school--and some rush stuff on the desktop. Maybe later tonight?

IF: Communication


The burka is in essence a shield between the woman on the inside and the world that surrounds her. The burka communicates that she is a woman -- and no more. It communicates privacy, conservatism, and her distance from the broad community of people. Only when she is within the confines of her family, the burka is lifted, and she can communicate as the individual that she is.

Mass Moca Delivers as Promised!


Lincoln Number Three
Greta Pratt
Love. Mass Moca rocks! We got there when the doors opened (which was tremendous as they are closed on Tuesdays--but as it was school break week in Mass, they stayedopen this particular Tuesday). All the exhibitions we saw were unbelievable, inspiring and smart.

The work in the Ahistorical show included a ballet inpired piece from Yinka Shonibare, some interesting work from Allison Smith, and a great series of giclees from Greta Pratt.

Still from Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball) 2004
Commissioned for the Moderna Museet, Stockholm. Produced by Moderna Museet and Sveriges Television. Courtesy Stephen Friedman Gallery, London
Back to artist page

Shonibare's Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball) was a piece that was a blend of african and colonial styling and stereotyping--combining a dramatic ballet film telling a story combined with dance--taking the tight conventions of american dance of the 1700s and blending with those of tribal african dance. The actual costumes ala formal costume of american colonists were created out of kente cloth--with bright colors, strong patterns and bold presentation all the way down to the shoes covered in fabric. The lace was orange, and the tights were purple, orange, green and red. It was beautiful and thought provoking--causing us to question what would have happened if the people at the time had blended versus been so separated in class, money, position, education and place. You can see some films of his work here>>
The Tate page says this about the Masked Ball piece:

Un Ballo in Maschera (a Masked Ball) 2004 is Shonibare's first film. It presents the assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden in 1792 through the medium of dance. Costume highlights ambiguities of identity and gender, while the lack of dialogue and repetition of the action ask us to consider the conventions of narrative and the structure of film.

From the Tate on Shonibare:
Yinka Shonibare was born in London in 1962 and moved to the Nigerian capital of Lagos when he was just three years old. He studied at the Byam Shaw School of Art, London in 1984-9 and completed a BA at Goldsmiths College, London in 1991. Shonibare considers himself ‘truly bi-cultural’ and strives to open up debate about the social, cultural and political issues that shape our histories and construct identity. His works challenge assumptions about representation by playfully blurring the boundaries between stereotypically Western ideas about ‘high’ art and traditional categorisations of ‘African art.’

Victory Hall
Allison Smith
10'x 18'
wood and metal, 2005

Allison Smith, using many different craft types from embroidery, sewing, woodworking, calligraphy, pottery and costuming created a diversity of piece speaking of america. Her calligraphic piece which resembled the Declaration of Independance spoke to gay rights,gay parades and the position of gay people within the society. She created this extrodinary wall of wooden guns, swords and knives--hanging them as they are in the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg--in a series of circles and patterns essentially showing the power of the state in a decorative manner. She created this wonderful mannikin--dressing it as a peddler woman with an enormous basket filled with embroidery, pottery, knit objects, woven straw objects to question aspects of american history (ie. a sampler of a teapot that said "Remember the Boston (teapot)" etc. Well done, well thought out. Simple and strong ideas.

Notion Nanny
Allison Smith
Notion Nanny Project 2005-2005
from the Muster:
ABOUT THE ARTIST.
ALLISON SMITH, a Brooklyn-based artist, is interested in the notion of “authentic reproductions” – a common if oxymoronic phrase describing contemporary objects or tableaux that conjure historical aesthetics and episodes. In her sculptures and mixed-media installations, Smith investigates the ways in which a simple prop, bridging past and present, can come to signify more than its appearance suggests. She creates colonial handcrafts, Civil War memorabilia, and 19th-century weapons, often arranged to transform the exhibition space into that of a historic home or period room.
For the past ten years, Smith has conducted an investigation of the cultural phenomenon of Civil War reenactment, or Living History, founded on the belief that historical events gain meaning and relevance when performed live in an open-air, interactive setting. Smith has appropriated the reenactor’s aesthetic palette to produce sculptural installations that examine the role craft plays in the construction of national identity. Over the summer of 2004, Smith organized a weekend encampment on the Catskills property of Mark Dion and J. Morgan Puett in which artists came together to create their own unique historical event. Emerging from that experience, the Muster on Governors Island is the most complex project she has undertaken thus far, broadening the Civil War metaphor to reflect on current events, and involving potentially hundreds of participants.
Smith was born in Manassas, Virginia in 1972. She received a BA in psychology from the New School for Social Research (1995), a BFA from Parsons School of Design (1995), and an MFA from Yale University School of Art (1999). She participated in the Whitney Museum of American Art Independent Study Program (1999-2000). She has had solo exhibitions at Bellwether gallery (2002) and the Eldridge Street Project (2001); her next show at Bellwether opens May 26, 2005.

Greta Pratt took photographs of men (19 to be exact) who looked like Lincoln and she dressed like Lincoln. There was a solid wall of framed giclees of these men that have likenesses--some closer than others, posed with the other worldly lighting...quite beautiful and believable. It poses the question of really, what did Lincoln look like given the Lincoln mythology and images that are out there. She also took a group shot of all the Lincolns together which was more amusing than serious which was a cherry on top for me.

We loved the Ahistorical show with the few examples I have cited as just a taste of the intelligence and ideas floating around in this presentation. However, the Retrospective show of Huang Yong Ping was heart stopping and the "Rice Show" were even more noteworthy than this group. It is always amazing to me that this sort of work is continually challenging the viewer to think, compare, and sometimes laugh at things we may not address in our day to day existence. This work holds our interest and always invites you back for more. Mass Moca provides such a wonderful place for work and thought--we all need to support them in their efforts which are done so honestly, earnestly and cleanly to bring work like this to all of us and to be a singular economic driver for North Adams, Massachusetts.
Huang Yong Ping for tomorrow.