I retired!
Archive for September, 2022
And Just Like That…
Posted in my life, work on September 30, 2022| 11 Comments »
Just When the Fun Should Begin
Posted in friends on September 29, 2022| 7 Comments »
My guy friends in Santa Fe have retired. One last month while the other retired last Thursday. Today brings news that the one who retired last month has cancer. The diagnosis is fresh, so stages and treatments are unknown currently. I find it all rather sad. He worked for 35 years and now must deal with cancer just when the retirement fun was to begin.
Back to Normal
Posted in art, my life on September 25, 2022| 2 Comments »
Friday night was not as exciting as last Friday. While I did hit the galleries, I didn’t have a conversation with a stoned socialite/fashionista or get invited to any parties. It was simply a night about the art and conversations with artists. I ended the night with a slice of bacon and potato pizza at Pie Hole followed by donuts from Voodoo Donuts.
Here are a few favorites selections.
Reuniting With Friends
Posted in family, friends, my life on September 20, 2022| 2 Comments »
On Friday night, I found myself standing in one of the high-end, commercial galleries in the Gold Triangle admiring an $11,000 painting. I was tapped on the shoulder by Will, a photographer I had not seen since the pandemic started. We got caught up while taking in the new offerings hung in the cavernous gallery space. Will informed me our mutual friend, Brenda, was having an opening at a coffee shop on South Broadway. Plans were made to check out Brenda’s new work after we visited with other people we knew in the gallery. Soon I was in a conversation with Terry, who is a 78-year-old fashionista as well as a fixture on the gallery scene. She was wearing a vintage, black Comme des Garçons jumpsuit over a long-sleeve, printed, sheer Vivienne Tam top which gave her upper body the illusion of being fully tattooed. As usual, Terry was stoned. Our conversation was all over the board, from her first acid trip at age 30 to the five high schools her son attended. If anything, conversations with Terry are always entertaining. Her husband, who always rocks a casual blazer over a t-shirt is a man of few words but evokes a cool downtown vibe.
As Will and I were leaving the gallery, we ran into Phil, who is another friend I hadn’t seen since the pandemic started. After a brief chat, we agreed to stop back at the gallery to rendezvous with Phil before heading to a party Terry had invited us to at a cannabis marketing firm’s office in the Arts District on Santa Fe.
Having an art opening at a coffee house is problematic at best. The regular patrons were enjoying beverages and light fare while socializing with friends or working on laptops. The art patrons were trying to view the art. It was an awkward mix. Brenda had one piece in the group show. Will and I sat outside with Brenda while she filled us in on her life. In May, Brenda’s girlfriend broke up with her, she lost her job and moved out of her apartment all in the span of two weeks. She packed four suitcases and hit the road. Everything else was placed in storage. Brenda has been to India for an art residency, New York, Portland, Mexico and a few other places. She booked one-way flights as she never knew when she would return to Denver. Brenda couch surfs with a friend when she’s in town. She’s halfway through a year of nomadic art life allowing fate to take her where she needs to be.
Will and I left Brenda with other friends and headed back to the gallery. Phil was just leaving as we arrived. We caravanned over to the party which had an interesting mix of people of all ages. A local indie-type band finished their set shortly after we arrived. Ten minutes later, Terry and her husband headed to another party in RiNo leaving us at party where we knew no one. We hung out for a while. Will and Phil talked about dating younger women as it’s too hard to date older women. It seems women their ages (53 and 49) are not willing to do the things they want to do. It was an enlightening conversation. I was intrigued listening to the challenges of being a straight daddy. When the guys finished their second beer it was time to meet Brenda at the Art Bar back in the Golden Triangle. The guys wanted me to come for a quick drink, but I knew better. There’s no such thing as a quick drink with Brenda. She would most probably arrive with an entourage who would start ordering food and drinks. Brenda has a way of wanting you to stay at the party. I bid adieu to the guys and headed home.
Once home, I settled in with Netflix. I watched the first episode of Chef’s Table: Pizza. I learned Chris Bianco’s Phoenix pizzeria offers what critics deem to be the best pies in the world. Who knew the best pizza is in Phoenix? Next up was the first episode of my cousin’s new series, Phrogging: Hider in My House, which is a true crime drama airing on Lifetime. Not the best thing to watch before bed but certainly compelling if you favor crime thrillers.
What at night! I thought I would have a quick look at a gallery opening but the universe had other plans for me. Friday night turned out to be the highlight of my weekend.
A Multimedia Evening
Posted in art, friends, my life on September 5, 2022| 7 Comments »
Miss Y texted on Friday afternoon. I saw her briefly at the Pride Parade in June as her contingent marched by. She said she would be in touch. We hadn’t hung out in over a year. Life got in the way until Friday. Miss Y wanted to accompany me if I was venturing out to the galleries. I called her to firm up plans for meeting on her side of town. In the brief conversation, I learned her transgendered niece committed suicide a few weeks ago. Her family was devasted. Her niece was finishing her Ph.D. in a college town in Kansas and somehow lost the will to live. I warned Miss Y I was planning on stopping by a gallery to see her ex-husband’s latest work. She was up for seeing her ex. Time seems to have partially healed the wounds of divorce.
We met at the co-ops in Lakewood. Our first stop was Core New Art Space to see Julie Vaught’s new show, which is a multimedia presentation mostly consisting of pictures taken by an iPhone and manipulated in a software program. The piece is a commentary on abusive relationships and the journey to survive after one escapes. A few of the photos feature a topless woman. The artist is a single mother of 2 as well as a teacher in a local public school district. Someone complained to the district superintendent because, in their misguided opinion, the piece was about supporting a BDSM lifestyle. Clearly, the complainer does not understand what a BDSM lifestyle is because there was nothing in the presentation that represented BDSM. The school board deemed Julie was simply exercising her First Amendment rights. It’s a powerful display. One needs to read the included text as there is no artist statement.
We stopped in all the galleries in the building. Edge gallery also has a multimedia presentation. This one stopped us in our tracks. The gallery artists each contributed to the show which is a commentary on relentlessly escalating gun violence. Part of the installation is a mockup of a classroom amid a gun violence episode. Miss Y fled the gallery. I understood her action when I saw the classroom. Her niece shot herself with a handgun. This is very a powerful exhibit, but it will undoubtedly upset many people.
The final stop of the night was Pirate Contemporary Art for yet another multimedia installation. Catalyst 2,000,000 is based on a previous installation and performance by the artist, Charles Livingston, which comments on how a repeated action is intended to create a meditative state. The installation includes a series of stark mono-prints which are expertly done. A sole performance will take place next Friday night.
After Pirate, Miss Y and I chatted in the parking lot. Her relationship with T is going well. They went through several rocky patches but have gotten into a grove that suits them. Miss Y is happy. She’s been unemployed for a year but has a promising interview next week. We made the usual promises of staying in touch along with doing future gallery tours together. We’ll see if life gets in the way again.
As I drove back into the city on the 6th Avenue highway, I was treated to a spectacular lightning show from an approaching summer storm which would soon consume most of the city. The dark cloudy sky was continuously lit up by the lightning, which reminded me of an abstract fireworks display. One last multimedia presentation for the night. I managed to pull into my garage just as the first few raindrops began to fall. The cat magically appeared by the French doors in the family room. I let the cat in leaving the door open to enjoy a cool breeze from the downpour outside. I continued to binge Kleo on Netflix. The cat sooned joined me on the sofa after he refreshed himself with food and drink.
The Corporate Slave 