Art

Last night we went to my friend Amber's art opening. Saw some art, ran into some old friends, had way too much wine and Italian food (at the restaurant next door). At the gallery across the street was a bronze casting demonstration. We'd never seen that done before, and it was fascinating. The portable forge was made out of an old clothes-dryer drum, lined with ceramic and heated by a propane tank. The woman we talked to said the regular forge they use (at one of the local colleges, I believe) cost thousands of dollars, whereas the guy spent less than $100 to make this one, and it actually works better and is easier to use.

I wish I'd had my camera with me. I had only seen molten metal on TV, I think, not up close and in person. It's just indescribable how it glows (and sets afire almost everything it touches, like grass and steel washtubs).

The big news is that I'll have an art opening of my own, of a sort, next Friday at Tennyson Gallery. I'm responsible for 1/3 of one piece that'll be in their upcoming show, "The Delicate and the Strong". Amber and I and another friend, Kelly, collaborated on it. Yes, the gallery misspelled both my first and last names on their site. I'm wondering if I even care enough to correct them. The photo on the gallery's site (haha, no link, I'm gonna make you hunt for it) shows it only partially finished. Here's Amber loading the completed version into her car:

You might, as my husband did, be wondering what those things are attached to it. "Are those…crocheted vaginas?" he asked when I brought it home. "No," I said, "actually they're knitted." I have now taken to referring to Amber as the Vagina Knitter.*

Talking to Kelly last night I mentioned my trepidation about doing the last part of the piece - her beginning part seemed so happy and joyful, and Amber's contribution so tongue-in-cheek political, that I worried my ideas would bring it down into a big whiny complain-fest. But she said I interpreted her part completely differently from what she was thinking (not a bad thing, just different) and Amber seemed to think my addition was the perfect complement. All in all I'm pleased with it. We'll leave it up to the audience to decide, I guess.

In other news, I just got my first spam comment here. Considering it's the second comment I've gotten at all, ever, I suppose I should be glad at least someone's paying attention. Yay.

*And what an amazing trick that would be!

I Personify Objects, Part 2

Or "Only the Names Have Been Changed."

"Hi, I'm LT50."
"LT50 who?"
"Piaggio."
"I know that name. Hmmm, when I hear 'Piaggio', I think Vespa."
(sigh) "Yeah, that's my sister."
"Oh, I know Vespa! Vespa's really cool. Vespa Vespa Vespa. Huh, I didn't know Vespa had a sister."
"Um, yeah, that would be me. Remember, the scooter that is standing here and talking to you right now."
"… You don't look alike at all."

I love my bigger cheaper less-well-known nerdy underdog scooter.

Goodbye Molly

My parents' dog Molly died today. She was 11 years old and her health was failing, so it wasn't unexpected. I'm glad I got to see her last week. She was a good dog, and she loved my dad. I'll miss her. 

…and what is so great about the Barrier Reef?

My recent pondering on the subject of craft(s) has had me remembering a conversation I once had with my sister Ingrid. I was saying that of course craft is art, and some of it is even fine. She reminded me of the “official” definitions: If a chair is built to be sat in, no matter how beautiful it is, it is Craft. If a chair is built to be displayed in a gallery and looked at (presumably no matter how ugly), it is Fine Art. And yes, I had already known those definitions (I’m not totally unedumacated). But that doesn’t mean I have to like or accept them.

Anyway, surfing around through some seldom-visited links, I happened upon this. Via Larkfarm, which comments:

It’s this really old ratty armchair in a corner, see? But it’s not just any chair - an artist, Rodney McMillian, found it and put it in an art gallery, to make a statement. The piece sold for $2800, and the artspeak on this site is, well, priceless.

Indeed.

If you’re not outraged…

Teaser just before last night’s evening news (I don’t remember which channel; they’re all the same anyway): “Immigration protest rally tomorrow! From parking to going out to eat, we’ll tell you how it will affect YOU!”

I don’t have a firm party-line stance on the “issue” of immigration, because it’s not a single issue. It’s a whole bunch of different issues whose solutions are all as complicated as the problems. I agree with some people on some things, and other people on other things. But no matter what your opinion on the whole subject, there’s one thing I know for sure.

The fact that the topic deemed newsworthy is HOW THE RALLY WILL AFFECT PARKING AND GOING OUT TO EAT ought to have people rioting in the fucking streets.