This wonderful vintage drawing is available at Swann Auction Galleries, Illustration department. The wingsitters and pilot are boyhood pals of mine. It’s a bit vertiginous for those of us affected by height, but that’s part of its unsettling magic.
Above the fray? Not really. It would be strange not to mention the dark turns our world has taken but so much has been said about the criminal war, the horrors of Buffalo and Uvalde, the resurgent pandemic, runaway inflation and all the other revulsions that I won’t add to it here. But I’m certainly not above the fray; I, like you, am affected and saddened. I, like you, do what I can.
That’s “Mr. XL’s Excellent Test Pattern” on an old Sylvania that may actually work…
The ”Hell Yeah” Wise Work show opened June 3rd at The Hilliard Gallery, and the new work was well-received. Much of it is a departure for me; hopefully it’s progress and even maturation. Some of the work addresses current events and it’s raw. Some digs up matter from the 60’s. Some of it told me exactly what to do with materials that spoke to me and has nothing to do with anything but the piece itself. It’ll be at the gallery for a month, then pieces of it will be on display in the upper and back rooms for a time. So far, the most important art critics (you) have been kind, even enthusiastic.
Hot Cold Heavy Light, and Crews’s memoir—talk about diverse…
I’d like to recommend a book on the subject of art criticism; it’s thoroughly enjoyable reading and nicely educational along the way. It’s by Peter Schjeldahl, the delightful and authoritative art critic of The New Yorker for the past couple of decades, and I call it “learning without pain.” The title, Hot, Cold, Heavy, Light, 100 Art Writings 1988-2018 refers to its divisions, ie: Andy Warhol, Pollack, Basquiat, De Kooning and a bunch of others are in the “Hot” section, while “Cold” includes such variants as Shepard Fairey and Francisco Goya. I’m glad I bought this fine book. Here’s a link.
Books. Harry Crews, A Childhood. If you’re a Crews fan, I’d say it’s a must. If you don’t know HC, well, it’s…gritty. There are a couple of mind-pictures in there I’d rather not have, but probably no more so than an overly graphic crime story. And Crews can write, so that’s the draw here. (Link)
And here’s a mug with my mug on it. Soon some will go out to those who have won them. Be patient; I have to box, schlep to the post office and mail ‘em. They’re at the gallery, too. First person to leave a comment below wins one. Just think, you can look at my mug on this substantial coffee vessel—that’ll wake you up in the a.m. It does me. Sing it with me: The best part of wakin’ up, is Gman on your cup.
Last, and least: The oil barons are getting rich(er) but this check (below) I got from the dregs of an inheritance that was pillaged and sacked by some (sort of) relatives will emphasize what’s left for…the rest of us, when all is said and fracked. The frackers. One fracking cent. Talk about trickle down. Anyway that’s all for now. Just remember, it ain’t me making money on your high gas bills. Cheers to all of you—may the second half of 2022 be much much better! G
A penny for my thoughts? Nah, you really don’t want to know…