This is my first eyeglass leash I have ever made and I like it! It was a request from a friend for her mom's birthday but I can't tell you who in the very improbable chance that she reads this. It was really nice to have something to do with my hands yesterday because I had to wait until 3:00 to start driving to Burlington for the opening.
The sculpture didn't collapse! Yay! I'm having a bit of a post opening slump. Mikel reminded me that this always happens. It's a bit anti-climactic to put so much thought, work and worry into a piece and then for it to all be over. Anyway, the opening was really fun. It was great to see some local friends who came out for the show and I got to meet two painters who I am totally excited to know:
Jean-Pierre Roy (www.jean-pierreroy.com)
And Christopher Mir (www.christophermir.com)
They're both art ballers, represented by Rare Gallery in NYC and are both totally in love with painting. I was so happy to be talking to them about their work that I spent two hours in their room of the gallery until I decided I should probably go down to my own piece in case people had questions. They followed me down and gave great feedback on my piece which was some of the better dialogue I've had about it. I keep forgetting how much I light up when I am in my element, able to talk and think about art, especially painting, with people who really love the process and the philosophy behind what they do. It's what I live for, I think. The longer I go without having this experience, the quicker my energy is drained. It's a sign that I am truly doing what I'm meant to do.
It is a very abstract piece so therefore some people don't know how to approach it at first. It is better seen at a more mellow gallery time, not during an opening, and with time to sit with the piece for a bit and to listen to the audio statement that comes with it. I'm not sure what to think of it quite yet beyond what I already thought (that is is what I wanted it to be). In other words, I haven't thought about how it exists outside myself and my process. Once art is shown to the world, meaning is made, usually, independently of the artist. Our art is evidence of our process as creative people but technically has a life of its own once it's out there. I'm curious now to know what that life is like.
Speaking of having a life of their own, I'm reading a great book that I recommend to anyone who like food. It's called Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life Of A Critic In Disguise by Ruth Reichl. She was the New York Times Food Critic for six years and dressed in outrageous disguises so she could dine without being recognized. She would naturally take on a different personality each time she put on a different constume and the way she writes about food is amazing-- I don't eat meat but I love to read how she describes preparing and eating it. Here's the cover:
Some final random news:
My work from 2009 is on my website now thanks to my amazing husband. Check out the more recognizable imagery and let me know what you think! I'm just getting started but I'm digging the fresh rawness of work that isn't fully abstract.
I also wanted to officially tell you what Mikel's job is because the company is SWEET. It's called Flavor Paper (www.flavorleague.com) and he will be designing and hand printing the amazing, delicious wall papers that they sell. I can't wait to see what they're working on once they get their Brooklyn building finished!!
Also, I was accepted at Kripalu Yoga Center to train to be a Kripalu yoga teacher. It is a month long course that I am taking in two two week parts starting in November. I can hardly believe I am doing it but it really seems to fit in my life right now as I have the time and energy to focus on things like yoga, art and teaching.
A year ago this week I was flying back to Japan to start a new semester teaching middle school English. It was an amazing experience but I am now basking in the glow of being here, able to do everything art and yoga related that I've been dreaming of. Mikel found an apartment for us so two weeks from this weekend I will be officially moving to Brooklyn. Yay! I have to think of all of these fun things to pull my brain out of my post-opening slump.
Have a great Saturday!!
3 comments:
Hey there,
I checked out the new work and I love the fresh look of it. I especially love the way you are representing landscapes and it seems like you are using color in a really different way when you paint more realistically. It is like you old color voice is mixing with a new color voice. Golden Anan surprised me the most. I also keep thinking of impressionism when I look at your work. Perhaps in one of your upcoming blogs you can talk about titles. (If you don't want to you don't have to) I still have trouble with titles and I can't figure out what is missing from my process. Perhaps you have a secret magical title making genie. Anyway, I like reading your titles because I feel like they do give important information sometimes. Keep up the good work. Bye for now.
Ash
Ash!
Thanks for the amazing comments and inspiration for my next blog-- I'm totally down for writing about titles. I like having requests for blog subjects! Sometimes I don't think that the really obvious things that I deal with regularly are actually good topics because every artist deals with it too.
I agree that my color use is different now. I feel like my newer work is in an awkward teenage stage. I like it, though. It keeps it fresh for me because I don't know what the heck I'm doing... well I know a little, but not enough to spoil the mystery for me.
Ok, here i go in a magical mystery tour of title babble :-)
thanks!!
xoxoxo
m
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