More Of The Same, With Some Differences

Happy Labor Day one and all!

This morning, in an effort to branch out from my normal wi-fi spot, I ventured out to a pasty shop on the other side of Alexandria, only to discover they were closed for the holiday. Same with the barber shop I had planned to go to trim the hedges I currently have on my head. So, I ended up back in my normal haunts, but with a s'mores cupcake. Definitely the best one I've had here - damn tasty I much say.

Blogging tunes today are courtesy of a new band out of Australia called The Temper Trap. I just discovered them a couple of days ago, and I'm really digging them. Best band to come out of the land-down-under in a long time I think.

Not a ton to report at the moment regarding the art scene. The main piece of news is a tad annoying - but it underscores a problem that exists everywhere in the contemporary art world: spacey gallery directors. Now, I'm not saying they are all that way, but many of them are. The reason? Well, I believe it is because many of them are or were artists themselves, and as a result, they are good at the creative side of things, but not so swell at things like running a business, paying their artists or providing appropriate service - either to their artists or their clients. They like selecting work and putting together shows - but don't enjoy or excel at the rest of the equation.

I've seen this problem again and again during my career - and it surfaced again this past week. Several months back, I approached a gallery that reps a photographer I hired once for a commercial project. She's supremely talented and I figured that any gallery smart enough to rep her is someplace I should check into (even though our work is VERY different). The response I got was very positive, and even though the director wasn't currently looking for new artists, she wanted a price sheet and some other stuff for her files. We even chatted about the fact that we graduated from the same art school.

So, I obliged...and heard nothing for months. I followed-up to make sure she received the materials. She said she was too busy to discuss it and asked me to recontact her again in July. So, I waited a couple of extra months for good measure...and then re-contacted her again this past week. Her response? She wasn't expanding her artists at this time...and thanked me for my interest. I even included the entire chain of communication for her reference - and she was STILL too spacey and disorganized to realize that she had actually asked ME for the aforementioned materials and that I was simply following-up with her. At that point, I gave up. I've spent much of my career working with people like that, and honestly, I don't have the patience or time to work with another one.

I'm still waiting to get more info on the SOHO show. My work is still at Foley Cox & Home in Hudson, NY and I think (though I'm not sure because I left town before I could get word) that I'm in what will likely be my final show at Connexions in Easton, PA. Maybe not, but their curating practice involves an open drop-off, which I obviously can't do from DC. We'll see.

Enjoy the rest of your holiday everyone...you deserve the break!


-Marc

Need The Stuff

Hi all:

I write to you from a Vicodin-induced haze, resulting from a whirlwind trip to Portland, OR for my brother's wedding this past weekend.  Probably 32 hours worth of traveling when you total up both flying and driving time - which did wonders for both my back, as well as my knee. Hence, the narcotics.   Hopefully I'll be back to normal in a couple of days - but regardless, it was a great event and I'm thrilled to have another sister in the family.  We love you Gianna!

Not a ton new on the art thing right now folks - I need get my ass back into the studio and make some new work.  Scanning guru Tom and I had to part ways - a function of my relocation and his schedule - so the latest batch of scans needs to be done by someone else who is equally capable and preferably not too expensive.  I don't know the labs out here yet, so after some exploring, I'll get those done.  It may take a while, but I envision the new work happening in a flurry of creativity - I'm clamouring for juicy image-making, and it kills me that those images are just sitting in PA right now.  But, I haven't been around enough to work on anything anyway - so hopefully I can get in a groove soon.

I've been trying to make a point of traveling with my camera at all times now.  I figure that I'm at a crossroads, in a new place, and out here on my own for now - which should provide ample opportunity for new work.  I haven't shot much yet, but with any luck, I'll grab a window here and there and I can keep a steady flow going.  I know - lots of optimism, but no results as of yet. That's all I have time for right now unfortunately, but it's gonna happen.

The other thing I'm craving right now is my art collection.  Obviously it's all back in PA right now, and although my friend has some nice work, I'm missing my own chosen inspiration. My friend actually has a couple of my pieces in her possession, and although they're old, I actually still like them.  It is VERY rare for me to see old work of mine on someones walls and not cringe.  But in this case, I feel like maybe I did something right for once.

In closing, I haven't mentioned 20x200 in a while - so I thought I would post one of their more recent offerings.  I'm really into the whole combination of old and new lately (hmmmm, I wonder where that's coming from), and I find this photo by Mike Sinclair to have a very timeless quality to it.  Though a large 4 th of July celebration is being depicted, the image feels very intimate to me - a quiet power.  Maybe there's an added resonance because of how rough things are right now in this country - but this image gives off a dash of optimism that I think we could all use right now.

Enjoy the rest of your week, and your holiday weekend in case we don't chat before then.

-Marc