A Rambling Spring Feverish Posting

Incredibly, this is the only thing blooming in our yard at present. With all the plants and crazy planting that Bob and I do, you'd think there would be something more than this lonely little white bloom cluster (on a stem of Abeliophyllum distichum, commonly called White Forsythia, or Korean Forsythia given to us by our good friend Bob Santin. Oh Bob! Giver of many plants! Grower of many plants! Giver of purloined peonies!) Have I mentioned that I neglected to purchase almost any bulbs (with the exception of left over, reduced tulips) last fall? All those visions of species crocus and giant aliums and frittilaria and chinodoxia... the anguish! But hey! I was busy and making art for several important shows.
I finished cleaning up the garden and have been spreading compost and starting seeds and assessing what made it through the winter and who croaked. So far, I am impressed with things like returning delphinium. Many other plants are taking their sweet time; probably because there was snow cover until only like a week ago. An ice! There was ice under some leaves that I was cleaning up last week. Gone now, but it has been chilly.

(Picture has nothing to do with text alert. Although, come to think of it, this is a picture of a place we looked at years ago. The barn got torn down but the silo remained. I guess we explored "alternative housing possibilities"... we do live in a chicken coop, so why not barns and silos?! But this does serve to remind me that I was planning a project where I rephotograph places we almost bought... like dismantled barns. And house now torn down (with good reasons.))
On an entirely different note, today was not a good day for faucets of all things. First, I went to turn on the outside faucet to water some transplants and there was no knob. I stood there, stumped for a moment and then looked on the ground and saw the vise grip that we had used to turn the faucet. Obviously, it had fallen off during the winter. I couldn't really get it to stay on as well as Bob but I managed and watered my little green friends. But later in the day, I went to Staples to pick up my laminating and I got glue all over my fingers as I collated the pages. (I get sticky fast). I didn't really think of it until I went to the grocery store and realized I was sticking to the basket, so I went to wash my hands. When I went to turn on the sink, the knob of the faucet came off in my hands. Is it me or maybe the stars are aligned in the constellation of Spigot?  And don't get me going about getting locked in the bathroom at work the other day. That was really funny!
Probably not my most salient posting but I'm a bit dopey do to over oxygenation. This happens every spring and I roll with it; it's actually very pleasant! But you can't expect brilliance.

And So It Begins...

It was a nice day in spring... what can I say? I bought the above specimen. I couldn't resist as was three times bigger than it's similarly priced and potted siblings. And I've been pondering low evergreen ground cover plants but I didn't want the typical junipers (and besides, they're scratchy). This little charmer (which will grow-hopefully- to about four to six feet across but only be 12 inches tall) is a Microbiota Decussata; sounds like something you'd take for a nasty bacterial infection. It's also known as a Siberian (or Russian) Cypress and is the only plant in it's genus. It looks sort of like a juniper but lacier and softer. First thing I bought! (Except for a six pack of white pansies...)

And here's our window sill. It's definitely full of seedlings and germination is a big event. We started Nicotiana sylvestris, teasel, milk thistle, and I think Bob's got a million types of leeks, onions and scallions started- all members of the alium tribe. I have delphinium seeds prechilling in the freezer and am waiting for the next full moon to start four different single colors of delphinium. We're busy with gardening (in addition to many art project) and April is half over. Playing catch up as usual!

Welcome to Slab Living! (For Sheldon and Louise!)

Congratulations to our beloved friends, Sheldon and Louise! They have purchased a new home and not just any kind of home but a home on a slab! Welcome to the Life Styles of the Slab and Famous!
As Bob and I know, the benefits of a slabilicious domicile are well documented. For one thing, you need never worry about a wet basement or pesky sump pumps as there is no basement to fill up with nasty water. Ditto no place for mildew or mold! No radon! And best of all, there is no basement to fill up with lots of unnecessary stuff like cans of half dried paint or piles of useless tools or broken furniture! Hoorah!

Here's a shot of the house straight down from front to back. It's modern! It's a slab! We can't wait to see what they do with their modern slab! I think I'm vicariously excited for them as they'll be renovatin' and restoratin' with the best of them. And learning the benefits of Open Slab Living!
We were delighted to be invited over on the day of their closing to witness the inaugural day of slabtastic living. As a thoughtful housewarming offering, Bob and I regifted a couple of lovely decorated cupcakes and a twenty six year old bottle of Thunderbird wine. (A friend gave us the Thunderbird when we first moved into Bridgewater. When we moved to the BauHaus Chicken Coop, we brought the bottle along with the inch or so of dust that had accumulated. They can possibly auction the wine as I'm certain it's a good vintage and god knows, it's old enough.) I'm sure Sheldon and Louise had a wild celebration!

Spring and Normal (What ever that is...)

Here's Maggie curled up in the sun and enjoying the first warm weather like a cat. She even tried grazing today, although I think she's betraying a healthy dose of wishful thinking as the grass hasn't begun to really emerge just yet. And every hair on that horse's body is falling out- an avalanche of shedding! I considered saddling up the splendid palfrey and trying to ride, but the wind was so fierce I decided against it. (Wind makes horses very high!)
We heard peepers, tentative, but peepers sounding off last night after I got home from work. I could hardly believe my ears. I think the only one sorry to see the snow recede is Jules who prefers snowballs to almost anything- even tennis balls. There's one small patch of snow by the horse barn that is my reservoir for snowball activity, and Jules is making sure that none of it goes to waste. He and I took a super long walk today; we just kind of kept going. I'm sure the suddenly nicer weather has put me in a better mood about being outside.
And I had my first "normal" day of working in my studio in a while. I bought paper the other day as I feel a collage series coming on. Today I just got into my studio and it felt like home. I began to make a mess and sort of fool around. That's what it takes! I think the extreme weather this winter (remember all that cold and snow?) and my showing in NYC and the hectic schedule of work... all of it contributed to my feeling a bit out of alignment. But now that the weather has changed, I feel like creativity is reawakening.
And Bob and I are starting some seeds tonight! That's a sure sign of a Spring full moon!

Jules was getting jealous that I hadn't featured a picture of him, so here he is. The funny thing about this photo is that Jules looks so small... like a little tiny puppy. Maybe it was the angle.

Feet First

I refuse to discuss weather (more snow anyone?) or art (make that the "art world") so I guess that reduces the range of discourse to socks. But really? On the subject of socks, I think I made out like a bandit when I scored the above socks for only $2 (on total markdown) in the boys section of a department store. Forget women's socks! Made of nasty thin acrylic that offers no warmth or cushioning and they wear out very fast. Even so-called boot socks tend towards the skimpy... if you can even find them.
And look at THESE:

Who designs these things? Ankle shark attack socks... how cool is that? Jules is, of course, getting his big hoof into the shot as if to say, "I don't need to worry about socks!" At least my toes are happy.
I think I'm coming down with a cold so I'm sort of stupid and have a mildly sore throat. That's what I get for having to work at the auction and deal with rude, whiny people instead of playing in my studio! I'm run down and taking pictures of my sock collection! How pathetic is that?
Well, having woke up and realizing that there is three inches of new snow has not done much to improve my state of mind. I want to start gardening, damn it. Stuck inside and sick of it!

Yes But

Okay, I promise that this will be my last in a continuing exploration of gnarly art world conundrum rants (at least for a while). The "Small Pillow of Conditionality" (above) is not a new piece, but appropriately summarizes the ultimate paradox. Yes, we (as artists) don't want to be told what to do or how to make our work BUT we do want to sell things.
That presents a huge conflict because I firmly believe that most people (who ever they are) really want art to consist of unambiguously pretty pictures, not knotty contentious sociological diagrams of what atrocity was committed where. Honestly. Ask any one entering a major museum and they'll enthusiastically tell you they're headed straight to the Impressionists or the Renaissance masterpieces. And who can blame them? After a particularly awful week of killings and economic slumping and surgical procedures, art is viewed as a mini-vacation from reality.
But of course the reality is that many artists, myself included, don't always make pretty pictures. Witness the above pillow, sewn with used Band Aids. I suppose it's "pretty" in that the complimentary red fabrics echo the red blood in a charming and supportive way, not to mention the carefully applied piping around the perimeter. But is anyone going to buy my bloody Band Aid pillow... probably not, even though it does show case my winsome sense of humor nicely.
And it's damned hard, as we all know, to get people to part with their filthy lucre so as long as the artist in question isn't producing lovely watercolors of sailboats and iconic, weathered red barns, there's little danger that a sale is being made.
So we want it both ways. We want to sell, but we want to sell what we make, even if what we make isn't always traditional and representational or beautiful. Despite ourselves, we occasionally do sell something and that does confirm our inner suspicions that we are indeed geniuses.
Are you still with me? For the non-artist, this is all probably a bit tiresome, but to us "creative types" (I keep hearing that phrase) it's what keeps us up at night: How to sell, without selling out.

And Another Thing....

(That's a photograph I got from work that was going to be tossed! Wow! Ganesh in red long johns! I absolutely love it, and it's not some print, but a real photograph! Good visual for my continued ranting...)
And another thing: not only are artists not factories, but their work isn't "product".
As I have saliently pointed out to anyone who will listen, art isn't like baling wire or underpants- designed for some particular occasion or specific need. Art is a strange and peculiar occurrence. The stuff we artists make (called "art") is unique and falls into its own universe, It's governed by its own discrete set of internal laws and those laws may or may not make sense to anyone else. That's why no one can tell you that your art work is stupid or pointless or anything else, because those statements are irrelevant. Art is whatever you as an artist choose to make. Now whether anyone else wants that stuff you produce is another entire discussion...
But returning to my central argument: you can make whatever you want and call it art. That's as long as it stays in your studio or is given as a gift or simply decorates your family members wall. As soon as it enters that exotic realm known affectionately as "The Art World" it becomes something else again. This is where the expectations change and the concept of art as "product" appears.
Products are admired for being uniform, intentional and pretty easy to describe. For example, if you make seating accommodations in your atelier, your product should bear some resemblance to a chair, that is, it should have (at minimum) a seat and legs of some kind. People quite correctly request an item that answers to their needs to sit.
Art is not always like this. When galleries or collectors or random cranks request art that resembles product, all kinds of  trouble ensues. For one thing, many artists have no idea what the next thing they make is going to look like. Yes, it may all fall loosely under the heading "painting" or "print" or even (heaven forbid) "sculpture" but other than that, it can look like anything. Or nothing. I suppose fundamentally that is a central sticking point to the need for galleries (essentially stores where art is sold) to sell whatever it is they sell. Art.
But when gallerists start demanding that the next picture be the same as the last picture (or last thirty pictures), that's a problem. Art shouldn't have to look like itself, although possibly over time, the mature artist develops a style and therefore is somewhat recognizable. A Matisse looks pretty much like a Matisse most of the time. A Degas looks like a Degas and on. But contemporary art doesn't always play by those rules and it's not uncommon for an artist (in full blown post-studio mode) to make a video, do a painting and also exhibit something altogether different (that looks like yesterday's regurgitated lunch.) That's okay. It keeps things interesting. I think high end established artists feel this less than early career artists who are persistently admonished to produce the same piece many times over... especially if that piece sold.
The sold piece is therefore more desirable, and everyone wants the same piece. This is where the art fair model starts looking pretty awful. We had the pleasure of attending one recently in NYC. There was a whole lot of product on hand- and not much art. So many galleries were selling things that resembled other offerings on display at another booth. There was lots of product.
I confess: art is not easy to sell. It's gnarly and stubborn and quirky, all attributes that defy easy sales. But what's the alternative? A slew of mediocre products that a few collectors want. Is anyone happy with this model?