Off to the Wilds of New York

It's hard to leave the beauty and innocence of nature and our country (well, suburban) abode to venture into Manhattan, but tomorrow we must do just that. Never mind that it's going to be over 90 degrees, and humid to boot... the "art world" beckons.
I am showing in a gallery on the Lower East Side. Get this: there are 110 other artists in the show besides me.  This is going to be some opening as even if only two-thirds of the artists showing come and bring one friend, the galley will be packed. Actually, anyone wandering by that considers coming into the gallery will probably think better, turn tail and run as that many people squeezed into even a moderately sized space on an overheated day is crazy.  Forget the air conditioning, Mercury is probably retrograde and the machinery will collapse under the strain and the space will be filled hundreds of red-faced, perspiring artists and their supporters. Pleasant!
But would I miss this experience? It's another line on the resume and a chance to make nice with whatever art world powers that be! Bring on the moist towelettes!

(Seems to be showing in Gallerie Kenmore, no?)
Where was I? Ah yes, musing on the vagaries of the art world. My small corner of the art world is an interesting place. Everyone is jockeying for perceived position and there is much feinting (probably fainting, too!) and circling and sizing things up. There are many, many, many artists. And have I mentioned? Not nearly so many galleries, or alternative spaces or prospects for all those many artists. This is (partially) what keeps artists circling each other, appraising each others relative standing. And the system of galleries and critics and curators and power brokers know this. Only a limited number of all the many artists will be anointed the next Big Thing and will have their work coveted and collected. The rest of us endlessly circle around, sniffing and snapping and hoping to be found out to be geniuses we know we all are. Sometimes this is mildly entertaining; sometimes it's mighty annoying. But this is the world we operate in an there's little hope of changing it.
So it's off to NYC for me and Bob... let's just hope they provide moist towelettes at the opening!

Little Trees and Happy Birthday to Me!

These days, I am so happy to be welcoming trees into my life. Trees! They're great! And this tree is really special as I looked everywhere and no one had one and boy have I craved one since that chance sighting last year. You will remember:

I became so obsessed with this roadside charmer... a Dr. Suess tree to be sure! (Ours will grow to be as tall and narrow and spectacular as this one.) But they're not easy to come by, especially if you don't have six or seven hundred dollars to spend on trees. Not to mention, how on earth do you get it home? So at every nursery and garden center I visited this year (and they are legion!) I inquired. No one had one and I was starting to think my birthday present was going to be delayed until next spring. (Next spring? Really? What?! What kind of patience do I have??!) But the other day at work, I emailed Bob and told him to call a nursery that I pass on my way to work. Lo and behold, they had one- and in our price (and size!) range. Happy birthday to me and a big wet sloppy thank you to Bob, who understands a woman who loves trees!
Here's another wonderful tree that our good friend Bob (a different Bob) found for me. We have been traveling to nurseries together (enablers) and I kept pointing out the pointy trees. So Bob calls me form a flea market and says, "They've got a nice tree like those ones you're always looking at- and reasonably priced!" So home that specimen came, a weeping Norway Spruce or Picea abies.

See? I'm smiling in this picture, too! Different variety, different contrapposto and totally cool. This one looks like the broom that Mickey Mouse used in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice".
And another good friend, John (who is- need I say?- another incredible gardener) gave us a white pine that he started from seed. Very fluffy and a different character all together but we have the space for an individual like this that will grow quite large.

(Gotta love the weeds growing up through our deck, huh?) So I prepared Bob for next year by telling him that next year I want an entire apple orchard. Hahahaha. At least everyone knows what to get me.

Three Tee Shirt Day and Plumbing Made Simple

It's the day before my birthday, we're expecting company for dinner and damn! the downstairs bathroom sink won't drain. (Even the red rubber fish seems to be avoiding the sink.) Two days ago, I noticed that when I washed my hands and left the bathroom, the sink was full of water. Ditto an hour later. I went promptly into avoidance as I felt badly telling Bob, who probably gets stuck with more of those odious household jobs than I do.
But no elves or even orcs came to snake out the drain and our guests were still on target to arrive later today, so I did a heroic thing (even for myself). I actually told Bob to show me how to clean the drain. Yes, the day before my birthday on a truly three tee shirt kind of day (humid and just a tad above 100 degrees on the thermometer) we rolled up our sleeves (metaphorically as I wasn't wearing any) and the adventure began.

This is what it looks like underneath. Innocent enough, until you start unscrewing the plastic fittings and discover what's inside.
This:

Yup, that dingle berry of astonishing proportions is slime-ing its way out of the pipe as soon as it's removed. Hands, wrists are soon coated in an evil pudding of brown glop, composed of us and our lovely remains. (Human and dog hair skin, plant material and just plain dirt.) Check out Bob's hand in the sink:

Oh boy! Sure makes you never want to eat again! But hell, we're made of sterner stuff and I took all the parts outside and hosed them down. Refitting was cleaner but tricky as you have to thread the underneath parts of the plunger/drain blocker into a little hole and it's all upside down and backwards. Upon clean up, the sink ran and drained beautifully and I gained a skill and Bob is exonerated from having to unblock the drain next time.
Of course, I had to go change my tee shirt again but we all repaired to the air conditioned bed room, to wait for dinner guests who can now wash their hands in a clean and functional bathroom.

Road Trip

Where else but in rural Connecticut would you see a roadside Buddha? I have been meaning to shoot a picture of this for some time now but keep forgetting to bring the camera. This is in the town of Morris where we almost bought a house. (I think you remember that particular fiasco...) But Friday on my way home from work, the gods were with me and I had my camera and the Buddha smiled on me.
We went to New Bedford for the weekend so that Bob could talk to a gallerist who will be showing his work come September. I have very high hopes for Bob's show; not only his work dynamite but the gallery is really nice and the dealer has plans.

Here's a Buddha assistant. There's two of these figures to the left and right of the big colorful Buddha. There's other interesting winged figures in the back, closer to the temple itself. The color of this place is absolutely spectacular in full sunlight!
We visited with our friends Don and Elizabeth who are charming hosts/hostesses and showed us a nice time. We went to three art openings on Saturday night and saw lots of people that we haven't seen in ages. It was a hectic day and a half in New Bedford. But it's good to be home even if it's crazy hot and I have hell day at work tomorrow when I have to hang seven hundred and fifty thousand pictures. Maybe the Buddha can send an assistant or two!

13, 14 and 14 (Pretty Cryptic, No?)

In honor of July the 4th, I have presented a numerically cryptic posting. And I have thoughtfully illustrated this blog with images from my beaded Credit Card series. What could possibly be more patriotic than images of credit cards? Money and flags, united in one iconic artwork.
The "13" in my title refers (of course) to the 13 original colonies that caused a revolution and broke away from England. This is why we celebrate the Fourth of July and why the more reckless among us celebrate by blowing off a digit or two after a few brewskis and the old chimpanzee and dynamite conundrum. Happy fireworks to you too!
The first "14" in the title references the 14 idiots that are currently running for the republican nomination for the next presidential cycle. What could be more worthy of the next revolution than to consider that Donald Trump actually thinks he'd make a "good" president.  Can you name all of them? Several are so damned peculiar that it's nearly impossible to forget them, no matter how hard we try. Bobby Jindal anyone? Governor of a state that he has done nothing to help and boy does it need help. Low wages, no health care, the attractively named "Cancer Alley" running through it, poverty just to name a few issues that might hurt his chances. Rick Perry? How about nominating a guy already under indictment? Or Chris Christie who has staked out a platform based (so far) on making pot totally illegal again. Ad his approval rating is in the single digits in his own state. (There are those pesky digits again. I guess you can count Christie supporters on one hand...) Or Rick Santorum? Please. Carly Fiorina? She seems to have announced and then disappeared. I suppose it does help the republican cause to have a woman hanging around. Again, the number of digits on one hand can be used to account for all the woman the republicans have welcomed into that big ol' tent. Not to mention that her record seems based on taking jobs away from people. do I really need to go on? Stop me!!! (Although I should mention that we're all waiting with the proverbial "bated breath" for number 15 and 16 to throw their hats in the ring.)

Okay the last number "14" is the number of acupuncture needles I had inserted into my head, ears, hands, feet and neck this morning. What a way to start the Fourth of July! But I have to say I feel really good and the sitting still for forty minutes this morning was probably the most inert and restful I've been in ages. I seem to have less discomfort and more energy so God Bless Chinese medicine!