Kaikai KiKi


After Red Dot (an aside, at Red Dot they actually posted prices unlike other venues we visited which was educational as the top seemed around $25,000 to a little business card with a drawing on it for $45. with quite a few pieces ranging around $1500-$2000/, we went back to GlassLab and met up with Steve. Grabbing Steve, we went off to Kartel to look at the nice outdoor sofas and side chairs they had and on to see the Takashi Murakami showroom. Well, that crazy Murakami had enormous to small plush balls of the happy flowerface along with a selection of silver jewelry, a sofa set covered in his fabric. It was very simple but very tangible to concieve of his work in your house. The big plush floral balls were a hoot (and I will post some pictures for your viewing pleasure) and outside of the gallery environment (note post last December on the LA Temporary Contemporary show we saw) it works in a cute and warm way. I think this guy is brilliant. More later>>

More and

Then it was back to the design building to get a flashy silver bag Audi was giving away for Kitty. We saw an installation of tapestries including one from Grayson Perry which, if anything, are huge -- and some were beautiful too. We went to Red Dot which was a block away with an inconsistent collection of pieces and galleries with the main locations being San Francisco, Santa Fe, London and then odd places in Connecticut and Tennesee. Red Dot galleries seemed attainable for me when my desire would be to me represented by the blue chippers in the ArtBasel show like the Marleborough or Mary Boone, but to be honest , I think I am smoking something to even consider that--but, per the last three years, maybe a stretch goal is possible. Maybe?

More


We had a Cuban sandwich at a neighborhood Cuban restaurant with great graphics and the locals strolling off the beach in bathing suits, baseball caps and flipflops for takeaway lunch. Then off to the nicest Staples to buy packing materials for team GlassLab to pack the work they produced during their time at Design Miami. After delivering those things we spent time watching Michelle Oke Doner design a piece with team GlassLab which was a bowl with a wrap of glad that was pulled and applied to to represent coral. Michelle was the picture of cool and elegant with her hair pulled back in a tailored ponytail wearing a warm white, matte silk overdress mid calf-- she is a gem-- and the team is secretly in lve with her. Gotta go

Friday: Art Basel Miami

Yesterday was filled with art, head spinning art, design, cool stuff and books. It had friends--old and new, friends we bumped into and just being friends (Q&R). It was, as mostly, a perfect Miami day with sun, a bit of humidity and clouds, but few. We started at the Convention Center to be there when the doors opened by noon--and we could only do about 2 and a half hours before both of our heads were buzzing, and eyes ringing. I did a solid five hours last year by myself--where I was going deep, taking notes about everything and not having as social and pleasant as it was with R. It was more like work--looking, seeking, comparing for ideas, approaches and confirmation with the death stuff I was on. It was also my November school get away as I was neither at Hartford or Syracuse. This year, stimulation is not as craved as I have plenty from all corners...so I was there to scoop up bits, see some trends, exclaim over the funny, profane or amazing. That was my goal. So, what did we see that was great:

Sparkles. They are everywhere. Applied to 2D stuff. Sequinned and rhinestoned 3 D stuff (I think triggered by Damien Hirst's Diamond encrusted skull)--from antlers, to strings of glittery glimmer to, diamond studded teeth in mink encased in lucite...Everywhere. Somehow signalling the end of the fat times--or maybe just the exclamation point before the fog of recession settles in.

Antlers: Everywhere.

symbols of consumption: Chanel double Cs, golden guns, exotic animal prints, gold plate everything. Very Paris Hilton, or Phat in the styling. I find it repulsive and not funny, but I think some think its funny. I think it is sadly telling about our culture.

Artists I saw and Loved:

R. Crumb drawings of Aline. Funny but somehow poingnant out of the R. Crumb spinning tale graphic novel approached.

Alex Cerveny's watercolors and small paintings using beautiful gradients, a consistent thin warm red border around his works. Lots of floating heads, twisting people and imagery that reflected a real understanding of medieval manuscripts. He used type on his images, sometimes creating halos with words. Beautiful florals. He is represented by Casa Triangulo, Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Alice Neels's painting of James Hunter Black Draftee, 1965 was startling and beautiful. Neel masterfully, and simply sketched the whole seated figure on a light neutral field and then went about painting the face boldly. This piece was breathtaking.

Steven Conroy's work shown through the Marleborough Gallery stopped me dead. His painting of JKIII, 2008 was a strong, simple portrait that was commanding in the confidence Conroy shows in the way he handles his paint--socking in the big stuff and then boldly using a dark line to delineate areas. Felt very Leindecker in its huge scale, simple blocking and tackling, memorable. I need to see more of Conroy's painting as it is masterful and was a teaching image for me.

Big year for Botero in numerous galleries. There was a lovely sculpture of a man astride a horse in a stone that sparked making the sculpture look as if the equestrian and horse were carved crisply out of a block of sugar. Since his work he did on Guantanemo that we saw a few falls back at the Marleborough Gallery, I found I loved him for his work and his thinking. Prior to that, I loved him for his approach, style and sweetness. He is back to sweetness with many new images being chubby acrobats, women riding horses in the circus, clowns (Comedia Del'Arte inspired versus "bring in the clowns" clowns). Very inspired by the work of Picasso. What was intriguing beyond the paintings which are looser...are his simple line drawings he tinted lightly with watercolor. I took notes. I can do this. And it looked good...snapped up some relatively ordinary drawings.

Russian artist, Stas Volyazlovsky's Magic Mirror was drawn on tea stained fabric> some of them looking like old runners with lace on the end, drawn with black and blue ballpoints. The style was very informed by russian tattoos or even street art. Volyazlovsky parodied religious and political theme weaving crowns, and symbols for the devil in with portraits of George Bush and Hitler, linking the Oscars with the Oskars--marrying western and eastern language and type forms....amazing.

Kehinde Wiley's portrait of Luis Carlos Neves Reis Study II,2008--oil wash on paper was outstanding. His portrait was bold, big (head must have easily been 18" tall) with flat fabric patterns behind and in front. Chad G. would have loved.

Greyson Perry's Map to Nowhere at the Paragon Press is a showstopper. It is a big engraving (pieced together), an edition of 15 with all sorts of religious, anatomical, political, geographic symbology with wonderful hand lettering saying the funniest and sobering things all together chock full of meanings and messages that only viewing it can accomplish.

Book Notes:
Taschen was there. These are keepers by Taschen:
Illustration Now (people to research later>>Ben Goss, Olaf Hajek, Christoph Nieman, Jordin Isip, Jody Hewgill, Melinda Beck, Craig Frazier)
Graphic Design Now
Wiener Werstatte
Guidelines for Online Success
Circus

Visionaire was there. Visionnaire does art projects with artists. To see more>>

Art Metro was there with books on Matt Leines (of Juxtapoz fame) for one. Also hade a series of books written by Hans Ulricch Obrist on artists (R Crumb interview for one.)

Art Book.com: a tremendous resource.

Then we went back to Design Miami and walked the Design Miami Pavillion. I need to take a moment and talk about the real hit of the show, the lighting. There is this very intense highly focused lighting that is the rage. I went into a gallery with a bunch of Hans Arp drawings and small paintings and the talk in the room after the gasps was not about the art, but the framing projectors used and the intensity of the light used. Same in the Design Miami Pavillion that featured an opulent Audi with these impressive lights focused on it. Made 3 D seem dull.

There was a ton to see at Design Miami--actually surprisingly refreshing from the din and sheer volume of art from the Convention Center. Standouts were books, a splashy single chandelier that changed color from Swarovski--very Las Vegas, very Celebrity Cruises--and in the context of a big white space, kind of funny and sweet in the showgirl brazeness it has.



designer: Studio Job
2008
manufacturer: Studio Job, The Netherlands
materials: marquetry in natural Indian Rosewood with iconography in dyed African Koto, Pama, Tulipwood, Ash, Bird's Eye Maple, Aningeria, Madrona Burl, Birch and Red Gum
exclusive to Moss produced in a limited edition of 6 pieces

However, I almost passed out from the "Bavaria" collection of work Murray Moss had on show from Studio Job. It was the battlecry for all of us decorative illustrators waiting for new things to do! Marquetry on simple benches, tables, cabinets, mirrors using imagery near and dear to the members of Studio Job, the dutch life of farming. Symmetry, color, flat tones, a sweet story that any grown up or child would embrace. Among all the sophistry and chic, these whimsical illustrations were in your face, demanding (as with the Sheik of Chic) you pay attention, and while you are at it, be charmed. This collection of furniture came out of bigger farm based project called, "Farm". Now, could I live with this stuff? probably not. But, its a wonderful world that we can know that this sort of work is commissioned and sold to those who are as charmed as I am.

We had a nice sit and a drink in the HSBC lounge (for those with the right badges)--in an environment created by the Campana brothers, sort of a tiki chic thing with winding benches with rattan knit pillows and the Campanas loopy red chairs. There was a video extolling the Campanas and there as we were sipping or cool ones, strode the men themselves, the Campanas, celebs there to meet friends and have their pictures taken. We later saw the Campanas at Al-Sabah 's posing with the al Sabah himself. Al Sabah had moved some furniture as many of the pieces we saw on Friday were replaced with new ones...and he had lovely women in arab garb, more men in the same with plates of falafel, and inlaid boxes open with pieces of baklavah and other treats being offered about. More gigantic pyramids of dates, and dishes of pistachios.

It was fun seeing Tim Dubitsky work on with the GlassLab team to create 2 tattoos three dimensionally (one a flaming heart with a dagger, the other a sword with a rose) that were truly tour de forces to create on site (from blowing to at bench flameworking) to putting a significant number of truly developed forms onto one piece without thermal shock. Impressive. And, the pieces were remarkable too. This all ended around 9:30.

We strolled down the street (amazingly developed since last year this time) walking by Genius Jones (a great kids store) and no end to kitchen supply, tile supply, furniture and gallery shops to Pacific Time, a restaurant you need to pencil in for dinner the next time you come to Miami. Chef and owner, Jonathan Eismann is married to an old friend of the Cassettis so we needed to go and support the team and see this wonderous place. Pacific Time was a buzz--every table filled, all ages, sizes and shapes...turning tables and taking another seating even at ten. We had fish and wonderful sides of eggplant and another of swiss chard which made me consider being a vegan might not be the hardest thing to do. The real deal is to do as our knowlegable neighbors did which was to have the "whole shebang"-- one of every "small plate" offering that have to share for the table. Watching this go down was like really getting a visual and smell based review of the menu. From what I saw and sniffed...everything was beautiful, imaginative and distinct not to mention amazing.

Must go, the day is getting away from me.

Thursday: Miami touchdown


Got into Miami and met R.at the airport in a very nice white rental Kia. We zipped into town famished, and decided to have lunch in the Design District and check in on the team. And So we did. They were all in fine form and after a great deal of hi-ing and helloing we had a lunch of yellowtail grilled and this wonderful escarole. Off to the new celeb's shop, "the Sheik of Chic", Majed J Al-Sabah's shop who was debuting two collections of furniture art which was enough for me just to say that I had seen the best and I could go home.



Al-Sabah in his brochure in his tribute says about his collections:

To deliver my Middle Eastern design message to the world. Being faced with a lot of ignorance til this date, I wanted again to show the world how beautiful our region is.

Highlighted were selected works by Huda Baroudi and Maria Hibri and Pieke Bergmans. Baroudi and Hibri started Bokja taking artisanal ttraditions and sensibilites of the east in crating contemporatry furniture and fusing them with a medley/patchwork of iconic middle eastern fabrics. Fabulous. Bergmans collected middle eastern furniture, decorated with a riot of mother of pearl and inlay and laid hot glass forms on the surface of these pieces, scorching the furniture and fusing the organic glass shapes with the rigid decorative pieces to wonderful results. To top it off, if the work wasnt great enough, they perfumed the air with spicy incense and had trays of enormous dates and nuts offering generous hospitality and warmth to all of us who visited. I highly recommend visiting.

Back to the glasslab, a little time to relax and do emmail and then dinner with the team at Garcias. Early night. I hope the convention center this morning.

Live from the iPhone : PHL

The plane took off at six. My feet hit the floor at 3:45 am. Thee was
prep and driving with not much waiting. The security in Ithaca was
much more scrutenizing and focused than what we have seen I'm recent
past. Now I am in Philly with the damned chutes and ladders stuff with
the remote terminal, the bus with great lunging and jerking that is
extra fun with bags and computer backpack. High point for me was
mummermania on the tv when I was getting water. Man, I love those
banjo playing, sparkly, oddballs doing their strut with symphonies of
banjos making a waca waca din. Miami will be the next stop.


Jeez. You know what falling out of the sky. Clients with "must haves" in an hour stuff...high schoolers here needing to have me spellout projects for them. "and what do we do with the Christmas cards...?" Ey Yi YI. Where is this, where is that...no design guidelines but we need it immediately. Jeez. Cannot find my camera. Cannot talk to R. Think R might know where the camera is... Need to write the schedule with money assigned to it for K A and Mandy. Its seven and I am beginning to switch to eating and then packing. Frozen food bought, money acquired for kids. Need to check the weather. R needs wool (at least two days ago he did). Nuts. Have to go. Will try to update you when I get into Miami with A.'s camera and a backed up computer. Whoa. My head is spinning.

Breathe.

on fire



They shouldn't have let me get on the bus. Absolutely shouldn't. They should have kept me locked in the car with my black dog, with both our noses up against the window, waiting for the good people to come back and drive us around and then back to our house and the room where we work, the room we eat in and the room we sleep in. But they were not so smart.

So, I got on the bus to New York with team Hartford. And now, a week later, I cannot breathe. I am on fire. First off, I am loving my little doodles at breakfast in watercolor. The sheer loveliness of the paint, how it blends--how opaque I can get it, how thin I can get it. Right now, I am working on a dumb little picture of pretzels, swirls of mustard, hearts and mossy green dots (sounds like a wrapping paper for either Germans or beer drinkers or both) just to try out different colors in these new Maimeri Blu paints (which are as advertised, extrodinary...pigment in a pan format)--just need to get a tube of white gouache to complete the bill. I am loving them so much, they may just go to Miami for the fun of it. I could do these doodles all day long. Instead, I write and try to keep my head down and get the work done as these tempting diversions beckon. I am loving my ladies with butterflies. They need to be taken to the next level. I need to do at least eight more for the body of work. I need to print them out and color them/tint them per My Mentor's suggestion (which I try to try). Then, just out of the blue, I decided to work on K's portrait which I have been posting the progress. I am loving what is happening, the color, the look and feel, the graphic quality and simplicity. I am aiming for three (at least) by San francisco...and then there will be a mini body of work to look at. Really have a chance to flex my muscles.

Work awaits. The day has been short and everyone has been having fire drills with the emergency jobs. Urg.

beginning portrait


I shot pix of my daughter, K. She was very patient as she knows that this is something I have wanted to do...and humored me with being as still as can be, and moving her long limbs into lovely graceful poses. I got started with the portrait I am doing of her and liked this just as is...so here is just as is...I may pull a print and save a layer as I go. This is for my lighting project for Hartford. THere may be a few of these to review. A good opportunity to do something I have wanted to do! I think this will be fun and will give me a portrait to boot for the end of this process.

making a list


All ancillary, move aside. Its Christmas insanity today along with prep for my trip and then a healthy dose of redo work (rescaling the holiday card for a client for the Chairman's exclusive 250 piece order) and a RFQ (Request for Quotation) on a big, wiggly photography project that we need to get funds for, but no one has wrapped their head around it. We will need to get this RFQ out tomorrow so as to have numbers early (Mon) next week so as to be able to roll that into a big budget request by Wednesday. Didn't I say it was the end of the year? So, no House of Health as I need the time for laundry,dishes, writing schedules, getting money and working. No rest for the wicked.

Did I mention how much I love Facebook? I joined Facebook for the same reasons I joined MySpace (and promptly quit MySpace)--to see how it works, to see the tone and feel to better understand and monitor my kids, the world they are living in, the attitudes and talk amongst the friends etc. And, because of that, I love Facebook as much as they do, have a better appreciation of what and how they are communicating and catching up with people I had lost touch with. I am jealous of my kids as the friends they have now, will continue to be friends with the ability to always catch up, snippets of chat, the hi howyadoin' being something easy and fun with community sites like Facebook, cellphones and the computer, email and gmail and snail mail. And to be honest, there is a lot of stupid talk amongst that set, but hey...at least they are talking, writing and reading (which is all good). Now, why do I love Facebook?

Well, I can do all the same things my kids can do--meet new people (or people you kind of met, and now you have a friendly jokey relationship), look at people's pictures etc, and actually use the chat function to talk live with pals like I did with the illustrious, illustrator and all round nice guy, Don Kilpatrick, Syracuse MA Illustration alumni (a class ahead of me). Don, as usual, was full of bounce and wasn't going to get a chance to see his piece in the KNOW show that Mark Murphy was sponsoring at Art Basel Miami in one of the satellite shows. (Note: if we get there, take a snap for Don). He is working very hard with teaching in Michigan but says the climate of the Big Three (Car companies) not doing well really makes the environment quite tough, quite tough indeed that the tenor and tone is hard at this time.

Well, the tribe is here. David Burke and John Whiting are opening up the door from the old historic kitchen into the current (1940) kitchen which was formerly the servant's dining room. We are opening the area to make way for a new kitchen which right now has the lovely hot cricket, the tiny woodstove that packs a punch that will help both rooms stay warm/warmer. There are projects to do, stains to touch, suitcases to empty, letters to write. More later.

Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!


Who would have guessed! One of the Memento Mori studies got into the Society of Illustrators Annual Show, Illustration 51. Now, all we need to do is find out which one! Nice to know that neurotic pictures--my form of automatic writing actually have some merit beyond personal introspection and counseling. Wow, who would have thought. I am a bit winded in the selection as these images were thrown in as I like them...but they are definitely not ready for the grown up table...but after this, maybe they are!

Chilly, blue sky day.


R up at 4 a.m. to get a plane to Philadelphia to connect with one to get him to Miami as start of Art Basel Miami. He is back in NYC on Wednesday for a meeting and then back to Miami for the remainder of the week. The first half of the week has the Vernissage, an event practiced by the Europeans which wiki frames up this way:

A vernissage (varnishing, from French), also known as a preview, private view or simply opening, is the start of an art exhibition. Guests may be served canapés and wine as they discuss with artists and others the works in the exhibition. Critics and press may also be present, or invited to separate private viewings.

At official exhibitions, such as the Royal Academy summer exhibition, artists, in the past, would give a finishing touch to their works by varnishing them (J M W Turner was known for making significant changes to works on varnishing day while his fellow academicians were simply varnishing). The custom of patrons and the élite of visiting the academies during the varnishing day prior to the formal opening of the exhibition gave rise to the tradition of celebrating the completion of an art work or a series of art works with friends and sponsors. Nowadays, for commercial shows it is an opportunity to market the works on sale to buyers and critics.

There also is a comparable ceremonial ending of art exhibitions, called finissage. Larger art exhibitions also may have such an event at half time of the exhibition (midissage).

This vernissage is the culmination of some of the work the Hot Glass team at the GlassLab will be producing with the designers they have invited to work with them. Should be great. Vernissage is something that the Museum of Glass introduces as part of their programming with their hot glass outposts. Every time is wonderful, interesting and often pressworthy.

So, I am a bit tired getting up early. There are things to do here, reservations to be made, money to be gotten, appointments to be made. I shot images of K last night which I plan on using instead of a classmate for the NYC or work with a photo project from Hartford. I want a portrait of K and one of A and this is the opportunity to do it. I will check with mentor Murray to get clearance on that. I have a picture of my dog that has gotten published. Maybe this year its my kids? I have always felt that I couldnt do their portraits and have shied away from it. But I think with the black and white chops I have gotten with the vector work, this is something that is possible and quite possibly nice. If I could get one/both done for Christmas, what a present that would be.

No news from the Society of Illustrators on whether I got into the 51st show. Friends have heard if they havent gotten in...but I haven't heard if I have. I wonder if I should call or wait and let the busy people at the Society catch up? Nothing from Illustration West either. I just got certificates from last year's show last week...so they may be running a bit slow on this one. January and February are another rash of entries. I will post.

Getting the snows put on the Wonderbus. The rain/snow/ice/slush fun that we had yesterday makes me very nervous. Thus this shoe change for the car. Too scary without the right traction.

gotta go. work awaits. I have to plan out a few weeks of a photoshoot in order to communicate it to 3 photographers to quote by mid week/next. Lots of chutes and ladders and trap doors that need to get sync'ed.

No turkey today.

a selection from Laylah Ali






"I’m thinking about formal portraits, but the portraiture that I’m thinking of when I’m making these encompasses a much bigger range than I’m thinking about right now. I’m thinking of them as distinct individuals who exist or who have existed. The idea is for the distinctness of that individual to come through and to speak in some way about a narrative that is not readily apparent. So something about the way the person is dressed or their setting or the weathering of their face tells you a story. The look in their eyes speaks of something larger. Think of society portraiture in the late 1800s, like a [John Singer] Sargent painting. He commissioned portraits of very wealthy individuals and you’re looking at the individual as much as you are at their dress, what they’re holding, what the setting is—the whole picture. With really amazing portraits, the painting of them also plays a role. The quality of paint and something about the eyes, those sorts of artistic decisions become an active part of really good portraits.

The idea of portraiture is a kind of storytelling—a distilled storytelling. I am interested in distilled narratives so the idea of trying to tell a story or hint at something larger than the individual—through the individual—became interesting to me. It’s new for me to do this and I’m not sure where it’s going to go from here. I think this is the first step at looking at these individual characters and blowing them up large. I’ve had individual figures before in my work, but they have been more distant, more distant, more deep into the picture." Laylah Ali from Art 21, PBS

a patchwork of disconnected pieces


Giant Planet, 2007 Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (PIA08358) Photograph courtesy of NASA/JPL/SSI/Cornell


From the Johnson Museum website:
Spectacular Saturn: Images from the Cassini-Huygens MissionSeptember 20–January 4

This exhibit displays over fifty images of the planet Saturn, its rings, and its satellites. This selection, by Cornell members of the Cassini project, was made from almost two hundred thousand images that have been transmitted to Earth since the Cassini spacecraft arrived at Saturn in 2004. It also includes a few images taken by Huygens, a companion lander that parachuted through the dense atmosphere to the surface of Saturn’s intriguing moon, Titan. The stunningly beautiful images were chosen to emphasize the dynamic nature of the system and the interactions of moons and rings, as well as to explore Titan and Enceladus, two satellites with environments that might be hospitable to life. A spacecraft model will also be on view as well as historical books about Saturn from the Kroch Rare and Manuscript Collection.

A façade projection of images from Saturn will be seen on the east side of the Museum from sunset until 11:00 p.m. between October 2 to 26.

We saw this show along with a lovely collection of Surimono images collected by the Becker family at the Johnson Museum at Cornell prior to our going to see a movie, changed from proclaimed to "happy go lucky". These Saturn images were remarkable...so much so that it really raises the bar for our friends the science fiction illustrators as now so much that had to be imagined, reconstructed or modelled is now reality in these images. It was a small collection of photographs produced by a collaboration of people and groups from NASA, to the leadership of Steve Squires (Mars Rover Project) and his team, to University Photography to sit at Cornell to raise our sights and imaginations. The images were very fine, not a lot of pixelation which portrayed Saturn's rings in some with detail and measurements in the captions that really made me take a step back. Additionally there were images of some of Saturn's moons, images of methane and the methane cycle (which K clearly detailled for me>> methane moving in a cycle much the way we have water>> gas> liquid> solid and then gas again...). If you are near the Johnson, it is worth the trip.

Totoya Hokkei
Japanese, 1780–1850
Kintoki Exorcising a Demon at the New Year, ca. 1820s
Woodblock print
Collection of Gloria and Horace Becker
Colored in the Year’s New Light:
Japanese Surimono from the Becker Collection
November 8–January 4

This collection of prints from a NYS family was prompted by a show in recent past of different Surinomo prints. I have the book of the the former show and was very excited and pleased that the Johnson Museum considered another show furthering our understanding and interest in this very specific area of Japanese prints.

These Surinomo woodcuts were amazing in their sheer size and technical prowess. These Surinomo images were produced and collected in the mid 1700s-- with many of them being about 8" x 8" in size. With the affordability and size, you can imagine the popularity they had with topics ranging from food, to religion, to everyday scenes, landscapes--the range. These small images twinkle with strong design (of course, silly, they are Japanese prints!), the somber but lively palette, the fine-ness of the line and gradients pulled with a woodcut, and the use of blind embossing as another color/texture to take these prints beyond the expected. I had seen images from this show as photographs before, but this change in the architecture of the paper, this quiet detail to put emphasis in an image, to add hair to a seemingly white dog, to enrich the pattern and drawing of water is the reason to see the show. This caught me off guard to my delight. According to their registrar (who had late Thanksgiving with us), in a few weeks, those images on display will be changed out of their frames and a new set of around 100 images will also be shown. Another reason to go back.

One of my favorite things at the Johnson is their works on paper section which often has current work of emerging artists. That's where the real jolt comes beside the wonderful video installations that they sometimes have. The is the stuff that you can just gulp down without rhyme or reason, without history or sociology,just imbibe and integrate. There were quite a few thoughtful images from big linoleum cuts (36"x 48") to digital output with added/glued detail. I am so happy that giclees were happily at home with these other print media as, for me, it justifies it as a fine media/ fine image making approach. My favorite image was a black and white ink drawing from Laylah Ali "...the exhibition will include a recent ink drawing by Buffalo native Laylah Ali, part of her ongoing Typology series, in which she examines the many ways identity is manifested while referencing issues of race, class, gender, and power." I first saw Ali's work at Art Basel Miami last year and flipped. Her imagery is strong, her messages extrodinary and her decorative approach speaks to this novice. Need to learn more about this fine artist. PBS did a documentary (and their usual great job of writing bios/ getting sidebar information) on her as part of their Art 21 series.

Its snow raining. Everyone is working on their own thing from eating and movie watching to planning for the week. I am predictably blogging by the stove (on minime) with hope to whale a bit more on my paper and get back to some drawings...We need to get back to Tburg from the grey lake to pack Rob, do laundry and unload the pile of leftovers we will chug through this week to K and A's disappointment. Turkey may not look so good after three days! I am roasting turkey carcasses with a chop of celery, carrots, onions and a few soft turnips which smells pretty great and then will boil with water to make a very nice rich stock. The roasting is key.

More later. Maybe a picture?

Slow Saturday


Thanksgiving is done. Piles of leftovers we have to chip through. It was a nice gathering and people stayed, sitting and talking, mixing the groups for a good while. Note to self: three turkey breasts were fine (2 cut, one for show); make refrigerator potatoes the day before...I forget that you need to be a minor Hindu deity in order to cut the turkey, make the gravy and mash the potatoes all at once. If I really had my stuff together, I would make a turkey the week before (and freeze the meat) holding out the drippings to make the gravy in advance and then zap. It all came together from an "everything on the table and hot at once" but that is the hat trick...not all the cooking that the world exclaims over. There were closet left overs brought to K, dog biscuits and a coat to Shady Grove and chocolates, wine, flowers, pies--a wealth brought as presents to us. Spoiled!

Speaking of spoiled, I got a brand new set of Maimeri Blu (italian), 24 color/ 1/2 pan set (cheaper at Dick Blick) which the above doodle manifests. It has been said the these paints are very fine...and I wanted to try something really good versus the set I bought of Pelikan colors inspired by Anita Kunz's demonstration at Syracuse (she uses Pelikan and as she says "a cheap brush"). So note, that it isn't the media but the muscle behind it. I like the way these colors move, the nice saturation. More doodling around before I commit to anything.

Gotta go. Plans afoot to see a movie (Synechdoche, NY --the new Philip Seymour Hoffman, art flick at Cinemopolis):

"To say that Charlie Kaufman’s SYNECHDOCHE, NY is one of the best films of the year or even one closest to my heart is such a pathetic response to its soaring ambition that I might as well pack it in right now. That at least would be an appropriate response to a film about failure, about the struggle to make your mark in a world filled with people who are more gifted, beautiful, glamorous and desirable than the rest of us — we who are crippled by narcissistic inadequacy, yes, of course, but also by real horror, by zits, flab and the cancer that we know (we know!) is eating away at us and leaving us no choice but to lie down and die.

"Yet since this is a review of a new Charlie Kaufman work, perhaps I should hit rewind: SYNECHDOCHE, NY is the first film directed by the writer of such unlikely Hollywood entertainments as 'Being John Malkovich,' 'Adaptation' and 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,' a romance of such delicate feeling that it’s still a shock that it carries a studio brand. Mr. Kaufman’s kinked, playful screenplays are usually accompanied by a flurry of 'e' adjectives: eclectic, eccentric, edgy, eggheady. (Also: quirky.) That’s true only if you consider the contemporary American screen, with its talking Chihuahuas and adult male babies with mother fixations. Come to think of it, the main character in SYNECHDOCHE has a thing about poop and bosomy women, though happily not at the same time.

Now that that is done, onward to Christmas and Monday! Maybe more piddling with paints and working with my whale..later today. Everyone tapping their foot waiting for mommy to get finished...shoes on, jacket on (do I have my right glasses? keys? cash?). Gotta go.