I’ve been meaning to sit down and write a post, but many things have taken place in the last few weeks that have gotten in my way. Like WordPress crashing and my half written blog post disappearing into the digital ether… But the bottom line is that I still don’t have a blog post ready for you, and unfortunately I don’t have the time to write a good one… So in the mean time I present to you a pictoral version of my last two weeks. Feel free to write your own captions or stories to go along. It might be funnier/more interesting this way!
I swear I’ll get a real post out about what’s going on in the studio pictures as well as my most recent performance… It just won’t happen til the beginning of next week. There is SO much going on right now!
Most of the images are mine, or are borrowed from the web. Paintings from Monica Cook, performance stills from Ellen Mueller (except the ones of me…those are mine, fair and square). Books from respective authors/publishing companies. Fountain logo property of Fountain Art Fair, Working Method Contemporary logo property of Working Method Contemporary Gallery. Did I miss anything? I hope not. If I did I’m sorry, and IT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME, IT BELONGS TO YOU.
Today was a good…no, great, day. Seriously. I got to risk life and limb for an internationally famous artist duo. Not really, but that’s what I’m going to tell people in the future when I show them my battle scars, because really, the true story isn’t that exciting…You’ll see.
Part of what I was going to post last night, was that this week, the artist duo, Guerra de la Paz are working with the MFA students at my university to create a collaborative installation piece at a local gallery. If you are not familiar with their work, then please check them out!
Now, to be perfectly honest, I was not so excited about going to help out today at the gallery. For many reasons, including the fact that I am currently in a funk over my own art (another aspect of last night’s disappearing post), and a previous visiting artist event that was somewhat disappointing, I just wasn’t in the mood. And sometimes when it’s supposed to be a collaborative thing, the visiting artist either takes it over and dictates everything, or gives an idea and the students do all the work. In any event, I wasn’t expecting too too much today. I thought to myself, “Oh, I’ll go for a few hours, make an appearance, then cut out. I need to go to class tonight, and then I have work to do myself…” And don’t get me wrong, I really dig their work, but you never know when it come to students working with famous artists…
Oh. I had no idea what the day had in store for me!
I got to the gallery with a friend of mine and we started working a little before the artists showed up. As they started interacting with other students, I was listening to what they were saying, and they were so totally focused on making this project happen. They were saying that they felt they were over booked, being taking to classes, and going to meet and greets…(All things that my friend and I had been thinking/talking about over the weekend…) and that they weren’t here for social hour, but to put on a show. AH-Mazing. They were so dedicated to making sure that this project took precedence over all the crazy unimportant stuff! They canceled a meet and greet that was supposed to happen tonight at a wine bar in town so that they could stay and work late at the gallery with the students, and were completely open to suggestions and involved in all the different aspects of the work. Guerra de la Paz want to make this a TRUE collaboration. So. FUCKING. AWESOME. They were totally approachable and down to earth, and super funny. I stayed about 5 hours longer than I had planned, I skipped class!… All because I was enjoying myself so much!
As the night started to wind down, we were working on some “trees” for the installation (The giant crazy looking wood structures in that first pic), and I was standing on a plastic lawn chair to help a fellow MFA-er screw in a “branch.” We had had a little pizza party earlier in the evening instead of going out to that meet and greet, and the pizza happened to be from a great local joint that Hubsley likes a lot. So when the gallery director asked if anyone wanted any before she put it away for the night, I went to turn around and ask her to pull a slice or two for me, when suddenly, I found my self about two feet lower than I had been a second before. I was so stunned, that it took me a good minute to realize that I had fallen directly through the chair, and landed completely flat on my feet. Of course everyone was freaking out and asking me if I was OK. It was another good 45 seconds before I could coherently assess the fact that, yes, I was in one piece and nothing seemed to be damaged. So I just kind of laughed and said I was fine. Then some one asked me if my leg was OK, and I looked down at it…and well…
My self sacrificing injury! I particularly enjoy the blood on my pant cuff. It makes it all look so much more dramatic!
Clearly I am fine. Shortly after that, we closed up shop for the night and all went home. I bandaged myself in the most logical way possible…
Wound Dressings. Clearly this is the best way to deal with the problem.
And now I am at home, avoiding doing my reading for class on Thursday, feeling fine. Until tomorrow morning when I wake up with my knees throbbing in pain. But that’s a problem I’ll deal with then. 😉 I had to laugh though…Alain Guerra asked me if I was OK after I came back from washing up the blood in the bathroom, and then he says “You know, its funny that with all of these dangerous power tools laying around (there were multiple drills and a nail gun being used), you injured yourself on plastic…” My response was, “Well, if some one were to do it, it would be me!” Because I am so accident prone. 🙂
Oh, and PS, they saved the broken chair and they want to use it in the piece!
Analysis paralysis, grass is greener syndrome, longing for the road not traveled: How the success of the women’s movement has left us stumped in the face of limitless options -- and how to get over it.
the anxiety and the artist 