Still thinking.
Unreported happenings (below) for December, and now into this first month of “the recession.” Bad news for those of us who depend on mutual funds and art income. Amazing how quickly a monster tax refund can be summoned to “stem this economic contraction.” Ahh politics. Huckabee (shudder) made a good observation when he wondered how much of this stimulus could end up in China. Better to spend your IRS checks on local artists, donchathink?
Finished up my consulting assignment (technology planning) with the good people at , especially their hard working IT manager, Meheret. They are a great example of the constructive role of NGO’s (non-goverment organizations.)
Birthday dinner at B. Smith’s at Union Station with old chums Adlai and Elsa. Great grub with a Southern flavor. Even better can be found in Asheville at the and . Mmmmmm. Also, catch-up meals with old friends Pinchos and Barbara at Columbia Md’s center of gravity, Clyde’s; and, with Jim and Ann at the new Irish Inn at Glen Echo near the Potomac River. Lots of talk about adjusting to post day job life.
Great shows at the Phillips Collection and National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. The age of the Impressionists and the Post and Abstract Impressionists is fascinating to me. I was so fortunate to see some wonderful exhibits this winter. Also shows of a more classic painter (Turner) and more modern (Hopper) were truly marvelous. I don’t use terms like “truly” or “marvelous,” but they all were.
Traveling always with SAM, we enjoyed a Christmas celebration with her sister and family in and took a trip to the for more Impressionists and classic European and American paintings. Then, we stopped in Philadelphia for a couple of days. Wonderful! Just to reassure those who might suspect I’m acquiring “culture,” when I climbed those famous steps in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I turned and took in the great view of City Hall and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, I couldn’t help raising both arms arms and doing a little dance. From the early morning mist below I heard “, is dat you?” I answered, “Yes, it is.” Don’t miss the great works of Eakins at the Philadelphia Academy of Art and the Rodin Museum nearby. Just think.
I hope most of you remember fondly Monty Python’s TV and movie classics. I have one pal that can recite the entire script of Holy Grail. As you also should know many of the memorable scenes from that movie have been adapted into a whacky musical “Spamalot.” An eight minute song and dance number based on “Bring out your dead” and “I’m not dead yet” is a masterpiece according to this cultured yahoo. Thanks, SAM.
Good movies this pre-Oscar season included Mr. Smiths War – a neat little movie that shows a lot about how Washington actually works; Kite Runner is faithful to the beautiful, moving book; and, No Country for Old Men – the graphic violence was disturbing, but more importantly, distracting from the message of what’s becoming of our “society.” A second viewing was necessary for me to see that. If we do have Oscars this year, Brad Bird’s Ratatouille deserves best animated, period.
I loved reading/hearing Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, Nora Ephron’s I Feel Bad about My Neck, and best of all Asheville’s Charles Fraizer’s Thirteen Moons. Aline Kominsky Crumb’s Need More Love is a delicious cake for underground comic fans, others will run away.
Back in the Blue Ridge, pal invited me to draw with him at a local company dinner/reception event for the . It was a great evening, nice folks celebrating almost 30 years of success.
I’ve started my first art course here (Abstracting the Figure) at local community college . Stay tuned.