Blog Archives
WINDSHIELD ART
Rain on car windows, train window, any windows at all always always results in fluidly mysterious works of art.
Art
ADAM SMITH
I support Hillary Clinton—absolutely. And at one time I was excited about finally electing a female president. However any excitement (the good kind) about Campaign 2016 is long gone. First of all there’s no longer the possibility of a presidential campaign inspiring interesting ideas and arguments because Shyster Trump doesn’t know/believe/think/talk actual policy so Hillary is left arguing with the air, saying the same smart but rote stuff over and over. That’s no fun. Then the first female president thing…well at this stage of the Shyster Trump revealment I would vote for a mongoose over the ‘orange one’ so that bit of pleasure is gone too. But—Go Hillary—all you have to do is keep the world safe for continuing to be the world.
I did go to Clinton headquarters a few times but the olden days of non-stop calls and drop-ins for paraphernalia are long gone so unless one is calling supporters (paid my dues in that activity a long time ago) there’s really not much to do. It’s all cell phones and data entry and I have a feeling they’re not letting just anyone off the street (that would be me) get near the computers. Republicans and Russians are not to be trusted (only a few Russians fit this ‘Untrustworthy’ category but it appears to apply to all Republicans). I don’t mind the idea of being mistaken for Russian (I am, after all, 3% Russian) but please please please do not ever mistake me for a Republican.
This is all just to say my extremely modest monthly contribution and my vote will have to be the extent of my Clinton campaign involvement because I’m going back to art where there’s reason and color and hope and joy.
I am extremely lucky to be working in a place where people make art all day. Here are some close-ups from around the Center…and a small piece by Adam Smith I just purchased. See, you feel better already, don’t you?
ORLANDO NAJAR
DIANA TWISS
Awards, Rewards and Gold Watches
Me closing a chapter, sneaking into the next.
Living Long is the best award (reward actually)…or is that the best revenge?
My friend has nominated me for an award…one that says I’ve accomplished worthy things in Albuquerque’s arts community. The truth is I have just been doing exactly what I wanted to do. No point in putting a gloss of magnanimity on my work; I did it for me!
It is kind of my friend however and, in a way, it puts a definite wrap on my career as an arts programmer/presenter/impresario. I will still direct the North Fourth Art Center for some time to come—but that role is a combination of social work, administration and art with social work assuming a lead role. And, if I work at it, I may be able to revive teaching skills so at least some of my education and work lives can match! Now that will be an achievement. Ending my working life with my degrees in education and social work actually matching a job! Nah…I’m going to focus on MY ART.
About the reward versus revenge concept…and living a long time. No ceremonies please. Just time to do all that writing and photography and painting and blogging and hip veggie cookery I so desperately [think I] want to do. That’s the reward part…I suppose the revenge enters when I force my family and best friends to read or view or eat all of that stuff that I call my art!
I suppose lifetime achievement/president’s awards are okay. They are like funerals really—for the survivors, in this case the ‘job’ survivors—with work still to do and careers still to manage and a desire to be acknowledged in the end for those long hours and low pay.
Listen to me. It is all about loving what you do because awards are/are not/might be/probably are meaningless. Not that I’ve received a bunch. And actually I could use a gold watch or a zillion dollar bonus.
The Walleye Artist
Dan and Nancy Root are among Robert and Marsha’s (bro/sister-in-law) best friends. Now after all these years of knowing them and admiring their creativity and lifestyle I hope they won’t mind being my friends too.
Dan is a fish sculptor. Well, he creates these beautiful wooden fish that are sculptures but also real lures and decoys. I guess. I mean they float and so forth but I’m not sure what you do with them otherwise. Obviously I’ve never fished in my life.
I think these fish are the perfect representation of art for beauty and fun. First because they are graceful and colorful and imaginative. Secondly they are just so Minnesota! In fact Dan’s fish embody the state perfectly—Minnesota supports the arts better than most other states because of a tax on the sports of hunting and fishing. Yup, serious about outdoor sports but love our arts. Voila…Dan’s Art Fish. We Minnesotans are sober serious people with a weird sense of humor and a cynical, slightly wacky sense of life. Comes from that Scandinavian adage to not think too highly of oneself and from Minnesota winters and from a lifetime of mosquito bites.
Dan gave me a pet this summer, a bright and charming walleye. I suppose I’ll call him Wally, not original, but he seems comfortable with it. Wally lives on the table next to but pointed away from the stove—forever fleeing the frying pan. He doesn’t understand that he is wooden and just wouldn’t taste like his free-range cousins anyway. Also Wally’s much less bother than a dog or a cat so I’m doubly appreciative. Dan’s website is www.LarryTheBear.com
So thanks Dan. Love from Marj and Wally.
WALLY
DAN, TERESA, MARJ
LOT OF CROSS-BREEDING IN MINNESOTA.
TODAY 