We stopped at the Easthampton City Arts first and there were constructed boxes by Rosemary Barrett. They were kind of like those Joseph Cornell boxes. They were interesting to look at, depending what was in them you would get transported to some space in your past, some hidden reflected memory. One of them had a bunch of small folded linens. I had to resist the excruciating temptation to take them out and unfold them and refold them back in place.
Up on Cottage Street we stopped into the White Square books and there were some nice small works by Hannah Richards. I didn’t get a chance to talk to her, mainly because I had something in my eye, and it was watering. I couldn’t get it out. I kept blinking and it was all watery and I couldn’t focus on anything.
Then I got distracted by a really interesting book that had actual prints bound into it of Marilyn Monroe, and I got real hopeful that the owner didn’t know its value and I could buy it for $5 or something. But then I opened it up and saw it priced at $75 so I got disappointed. Then I heard someone say “Gouda Cheese” so I went over, but there was just cheddar. They were making a joke saying, “This cheese is good-a.”
We walked down to Nashawannuck Gallery and there was some really cool art there with the theme of matchbooks by Maggie Nowinski, David Poppie, and Dean Nimmer. They weren’t collaborative, they each had their own work. They were mostly constructions made with old matchbooks. They were cut up and arranged. So they were kind of abstract, but with old objects (the old matchbooks, many of which in and of themselves were objects of art). It was a cool show.
From there we went over to the Paragon Building. We’ve never been in there before. There used to be a guy who lived in Easthampton and he had a blog about his art life while living in the Paragon Building. He was from Albany and moved to the Valley because he had read how great an art community it was. Well, he kept a blog about his life here. Things went so badly for him that within a month or two he ended up moving back to Albany.
I was sad to see that he had left because I would have liked to have met him. Everything went wrong for him. His studio was next to a guitar player who played his guitar at all odd hours of the night so he couldn’t get any sleep. He didn’t sell any art. His car registration was messed up and his truck kept breaking down. Then he had to eventually get a job at some crappy place. It was really quite tragic. Anyway, he had a studio at Paragon building, so I always thing of him when I think of the Paragon.
So once he moved back to Albany he did an art project where he was living in a storefront window for a couple of months. The whole thing was really tragic. I can’t remember his name so I’m not sure if his blogs are still up. I wish I could remember his name. It was an unusual name. I hope he is ok.
Anyway, tonight there was a nice group showing going on at the Paragon. There was some nice work there. Our friend Amanda Hill had a great painting of an old rusty engine block. It was really nice. Heather really liked it too. From across the room at a distance it had a nice realism going on, and from up close it was really nice and abstract. She is doing a series of them so I can’t wait to see more of them.
Then we went in Joe Sziranko‘s studio which was right next to the exhibit. His studio was really cool. He had a lot of big abstract works on found materials. They had a lot of ‘material’ in the works along with drips and form. It was really a peaceful place to be in. Everything was very tidy and all his supplies were neatly laid out.
I wish I had a big space like that. My studio space is so small and there are so many stacks and piles of things that if I want to look at something I have to plan three days ahead of time to think of how I’ll have to move everything to get to it.
I want to get the photos from when Heather and I did the 25 Mona Lisa paintings from 1993, but I’m not exactly sure where they are. I want to scan them in and add them to this blog, partly because at Todd Sinclair‘s opening last month he mentioned how our friend Andrew Dickinson still had his painting. I want to scan the photos in and put them online because the 20 year anniversary is coming up of that series and we are thinking of returning to Providence to do 25 more. I still have the original acetate!
Yeah, so anyway, it’ll take me three days to move everything until I can find those photos. I literally have stacks of boxes and papers and all sorts of junk that it is a major effort to look for anything. The other day I was moving stuff around and I found this pile of four or five prints I forgot I had bought. One of them is from FOE of this little kid and an octopus. Another is the Chris Millette buffalo print. I have to get those things framed.
So next we went over to Eastworks to Luke Cavagnac‘s opening. We hadn’t been over there in a couple years for some reason. I asked him if I could make a video for my blog.
Then he asked me what my blog was called and I said, “My Art Journal.”
So he started laughing and says, “I love that.”
Then I thought maybe he thought I said “My Art Journey”, because what is cool about “My Art Journal”.
But it turns out he thought I said “My Art Urinal”, and he thought it was some Duchampian thing. So now I am really seriously considering changing the name of this to My Art Urinal. I really am considering it.
Luke has a giant painting that he is working on that is incredible. It is little squares and in each square he is painting a musician he likes. It is really cool already, and it will be incredible when it is done. There will be over 1000 small paintings on it. He might get prints made if he can figure out the logistics once it is done.
So I found a little painting I really liked of some cars. I think it is one of his best pieces. It is called Traffic Jam Blues. Then Heather was flipping through one of his photo albums with pictures of people with the paintings they bought, and she found the photo of us from two years ago. I had a really really short hair cut back then. I took a picture ’cause it was so funny.
So then I got the idea from seeing his musicians painting to see if he would do a Johnny Rotten painting for me to go alone with the Johnny Rotten Garamon thing from FOE and he said he would do it. That is going to be cool.
Traffic Jam Blues
Heather and Chris from 2009 or so.
