Photo Show at Cafe Iberico June and July 2010

I know you've all missed me terribly in the many months since I last posted (not so much?), but as usual I've been far too busy for someone who moved to Mexico so I would have more free time. Don't believe everything you hear about Mexico--the threat of narco-traffickers, the killer swine flu, or that it's a manana culture. I have to admit I've had more time for photography and painting, which has been wonderful, even though it now contributes substantially to my perpetual whirlwind state. Fortunately, I do spend an inordinate amount of time having fun, seeing friends, and being charmed by this great country I live in.

At the moment I have three photography shows in the works. One is up now, at a great new restaurant in San Miguel, Cafe Iberico, which serves authentic Spanish tapas, very good wines, and dazzling desserts in a beautiful setting. I'm showing more large images of scraped, repainted cars (there are always new battered beauties) that look like paintings; dashboard dolls; and a couple shots from a new series, "Smithereens," of things that explode in San Miguel: Judas figures, fireworks, pinatas. The show is up through the end of July.

In September, I'll have a show of new work at ArtPrint Gallery, which opens on September 10 in time for Mexico's bicentennial celebrations, and will run through October. Next year I'll be having a show at San Miguel's cultural center, Bellas Artes. Details in due course.

I hope you Sanmiguelenses will have a chance to stop in and see the show at Cafe Iberico at Mesones 101. And I hope to find a little more free time to post all the great quotes and funny videos I've been collecting for you.

Opening Night--Queretaro Museum: "CARumba!" and "LONAmiento"

The opening of my photography show at the Museum of the City of Queretaro on December 16 was a blast. Two busloads of friends came along for the ride. We had wine, popcorn, and chocolates en route. The buses got lost, and we ended up far from the museum. Then we got lost trying to find our way through the streets, so I was almost an hour late to my own opening.

But it was a thrill for me to see such a large show of my work in a museum (a beautiful colonial ex-convent) with so many friends in attendance. There were six openings at the museum that night, so there was a lively crowd. Walking back to bus, we passed through the stunningly decorated squares of the historic center--one with a towering tree, dozens of hand-crafted tin lanterns, and angels; and another that is famous for its devil theme--though the meaning of the flamingos interspersed among the crouching and menacing devils eluded me.

Here are some photos, taken by my pals Roger Brudno and Carol Jackson; and a video of the event shot by the talented alTirado, edited by the ever-patient and savvy Roger Brudno. For me, a night to remember!

Museo de la Ciudad Guerrero 27 Nte Centro Historico Queretaro Tues-Sun 10-6
Show continues through January 31, 2010

"CARumba!" and "LONAmiento" at Museum of the City of Queretaro

Two exhibitions of my photos will be on view at the The Museum of the City of Queretaro from December 16, 2009 (opening from 8-11 pm) through January 31, 2010.

The first show, "CARumba!," depicts the rusted, scraped, dented and much-repainted cars that ply the streets of San Miguel. Shot close-up, they first look abstract, until you notice the details of the car door handle, or a chrome strip. Shots of the car interiors document the mixed bag of sacred and profane items that typically hang from rear-view mirrors here: images of saints and Guadalupe, rosaries, pine-tree-shaped air fresheners, mininature stuffed animal mascots of every description, parking permits. Taken through closed windows, these shots also overlay multiple reflections from the street outside. I'm also showing four paintings based on the car exteriors as part of this exhibit.

"LONAmiento," in the second gallery, documents another of my ongoing photo obsessions: the colorful tarpaulins (lonas) that hang over the open markets, shape-shifting and overlapping and changing color as the wind moves through them. I photographed these photos the first day I visited San Miguel in 2003, and i'm still at it. These photos, too, seem abstract until you notice the ropes from which they are suspended, the rips and folds. "Sailing Through the Market," a video of the tarpaulins moving in the breeze, with music by Gil & Cartas, is a part of this exhibit. Here is a sampling of photos from the exhibition.

Preparing for the show has been intense, stressful and--finally--exciting. I feel like I've been going non-stop for months, with 70+ pieces to select, print and frame, label, pack and then hang at the wonderful Museo de la Cuidad that was once a convent, in the historic center of Queretaro. Then came the details of postcards and publicity and planning the opening (2 buses, popcorn and wine for 80). Friends, and the director and staff at the museum, have been helpful and supportive, in so many ways, every step of the way. As I write this, the opening is two days away. I can hardly wait...

Museo de la Cuidad Guerrero 27 Norte Centro Historico Queretaro
Open Monday through Sunday 10-6

"Rabbits, Riddles, and Scribbles" Opens October 31

Another opening, another show. The Day of the Dead festivities are warming up here in San Miguel, and the Fabrica Aurora, with it's many shops and galleries, is throwing a huge fiesta on Saturday night, the 31st, with live music and decorated altars honoring the dead, cocktails and dancing "Catrina" figures--the whole nine yards.

As part of the festivities, I'll be showing a mixed bag of paintings at Generator Gallery's opening. By which I mean a few fingerpaintings; a couple of paintings in which rabbits figure prominently (don't ask; I don't know the answer myself); and a couple of pieces inspired by the old Doo Wop songs I've been listening to while I work.

I've been so busy these last months that I've barely had time to spend in the studio, and I miss it. One more opening to go, in December at the Queretaro Museum, and book deadlines to meet before year's end, but I have high hopes of long, happy hours of painting in the new year.

A Stroll Down Memory Lane: The "Creative Journey"

On Tuesday, October 13th at 5 p.m., my friend Edward Swift and I will be giving back-to-back presentations about our lives as artists at the Santa Ana Theater here in San Miguel. Our presentations, part of the bi-annual "Creative Journey" series, will be followed by a discussion and question-and-answer session.

It's been quite an eye-opening experience preparing for this show. I've had a roller-coaster career as an artist, hopping from one thing to another, easily distracted by working for a living and general amusement, and had the sense that I really hadn't applied myself as an artist. But in prowling through piles of old material, I've been happily surprised to find that I've been quite productive, despite my lollygagging. Graphic design, painted furniture and floors, an animation film, a macrame jewelry business, lots o' books, intermittent series' of paintings and photographs. I can only show a fraction of this work in my presentation. View album or Play slideshow. The encouraging news for me is that, despite my sense of lost time as an artist, there has been a cumulative effect of doing this work over the years that is serving me well now. Who knew??

"Sailing Through the Market" show opens Sept 4

Yikes! One minute I'm resting on my tattered laurels, congratulating myself for having pulled together another exhibition. And then, before I get any serious loafing done, I'm running around again, choosing images, getting enlargements made, hauling them to the framer, laying out the show, making inventory sheets and labels, posting images to picasa web albums, preparing an email annoucement, writing this blog post, delivering the work to the gallery, etc etc.

So...the opening is Friday night, September 4th, from 5-8 pm, at Generator Gallery in Fabrica Aurora, the same night as the monthly ArtWalk. I'm so happy to be showing this work (images posted here). I've been obsessed with photographing these market tarpaulins since my first visit to San Miguel in 2003. For this show, I made a 5-minute video of these same images rippling in the wind, like sails, called "Veleando por el Mercado" (Sailing Through the Market"). The story of making this video, novice that I am, is another saga. Thank heaven for patient and helpful pals. Yikes!

Laughing Matters

It has been said about me that i am easily amused. I beg to disagree, since I cling to the illusion that I have high standards for my sense of humor. But I do like to laugh, and I think humor, in regular doses, is a great antidote to whatever ails you, and simply to getting through life on this mysterious and bedeviled planet. Troubles, sorrows, and sucker punches come along often enough that I can't imagine why we shouldn't be enjoying life to it's fullest when we can.

So in the interest of promoting world peace and joy, I give you Joe Cocker performing "With a Little Help from My Friends" at Woodstock, finally in translation so you can understand what the hell he said. This is the first of what will be an ongoing series of posts to brighten your day and your outlook.

Viva Mexico! Come Visit!

Mexico has been taking it on the chin lately. The tourist industry has been devastated by the swine flu scare, the reports of narcotrafficking violence, the return of so many workers who were forced to return from the U.S. by anti-immigration pressures. For those of us who live here and love this country, it's been upsetting to watch, because we know how distorted the news reports are, not to mention many people's image of Mexico. Every day, I am reminded of how fortunate I am to be here. I love the kind people, the rich culture. I have never felt unsafe; in fact, I feel protected. I walk home by myself late at night, eat the food and drink the water.

Mexico has an excellent public health care system and, when the aporkalypse struck, put into place the measures that all first-world countries are prepared to deploy in the face of a viral threat. To date there have been 87 swine flu deaths. Not a single case was reported in my home state of Guanajuato. Interesting article on Mexico's economy here.

“I think the whole world should be saying, ‘Gracias, amigos,’ to the Mexicans for the tremendous sacrifice they have made. That may have stopped what otherwise would have been a serious pandemic."
-- Laurie Garrett, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of “The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance ” (Penguin, 1995), NY Times, May 4, 2009

Narcotrafficking is a serious problem here, but like major crime everywhere, it lives underground, and is mostly concentrated in three border towns of Mexico--where the narcotraffickers have just-across-the-border access to the huge selection of guns they can't buy here, and where they can easily ship their contraband to their U.S. clientele. Murders in Mexico are 98% drug related. As in high-crime U.S. cities, most people go about their business barely aware of the shady world beneath the surface.

Meanwhile, the economy is booming. The Mexican stock market gained 130% over the last five years. Mexico has a cash surplus, newly discovered oil fields, an influx of foreign capital building major new manufacturing facilities, a reliable water supply, a burgeoning environmental/organic movement, and exceptional medical and dental care that is far less costly and more efficient than in the States. What's not to like? Mexico is the world's #1 retirement destination. There are over two million U.S and Canadian property owners here. Another six million are expected in the next fifteen years.

So come to Mexico! Relax, enjoy yourself. It's gorgeous, it's festive, it's safe and inexpensive.
Hmmmm....all those deported workers. I wonder who's going to pick the U.S. apple crop next year?

Gringo Haiku II: Meet the Authors

One day in November of 2004 I got an email from Leah Feldon, a friend I’d known in Manhattan twenty years earlier, just checking in to be sure I had her email address, because she was moving to Mexico. (I’m not filling in the details of husbands and ex-husbands and such). I wrote her back to say that I was planning to leave California in February to spend three months in San Miguel to decide whether I wanted to live there permanently. The phone rang seconds later; it was Leah saying the she had just bought a house in San Miguel. Now, anyone who lives here will not be surprised by this coincidence: it is a classic it-happens-all-the-time San Miguel vortex story. So here we are in this small town, four years later, after decades of occasional visits and email contact, savvy gringos who give you local advice and color in seventeen-syllable doses. See the first Gringo Haiku post here.

Old friends meet again
in San Miguel. No surprise:
Everyday magic….

Hopeful gringo hordes
cross the guarded border to
Seek a better life.

Goats hang from hooks. Piles
Of gizzards, tongue, shanks, hooves. Hey,
where’s the shrink-wrapped meat?

At Bellas Artes
I practice ancient art form.
Not flamenco. Yoga!

Through shafts of morning
light and birdsong I cross the park
to get a facelift.

Hola, amiga!
Great to run into you…for
the third time today.

Riposte III

I love stories about people who come up with the perfect comeback--or insult--at the very moment it's needed. The story about Frank Zappa in the earlier "Riposte" post is one of my favorites.

I had been trying to remember the famous exchange between Winston Churchill and George Bernard Shaw, between whom there was no love lost, when my friend Michael Sudheer sent me a whole passel o' retorts, including the one I was looking for. Made my day!

Here are a few of them. As my dad used to say (as he laid his winning cards down at the end of a poker hand), "Read 'em and weep..."

The Winston Churchill/Geroge Bernard Shaw exchange:
Shaw: I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of your play. Bring a friend...if you have one.
Churchill's reply: Cannot possible attend first night; will attend second...if there is one.

Groucho Marx struck a similar note: I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it.

An exchange between Churchill and Nancy, Lady Astor:
Astor: If you were my husband, I'd give you poison.
Churchill: If you were my wife, I'd drink it.

A barb from Oscar Wilde: He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.

Then there was the time, long ago, when Dick Cavett introduced the nauseatingly accessible Rod McKuen as America's most understood poet.

And when Ghandi repsonded to the question of what he thought of Western civilization: I think it's a good idea.