Friday, October 03, 2008

the show stumbles on

There are some people who never act on skills that they have and then there are those who make way too much of skills that, even after much massaging and coaxing, never amount to much. I err toward the second, unfortunately. I pursue too much rather than too little.

Late this afternoon, I headed for the industrial penthouse space in my condo building to get ready for the studio art show that runs this Saturday and Sunday. How thrilled am I with this event? Truthfully, I’d rather be camping.

When I stayed in Pierrerue (a tiny village in southern France) some two years back, my dark cave of a room abutted the house of a painter. I loved her art. I make no comment on its worth, but I will admit that her paintings made me happy. (I brought a piece back home and it has made me less happy here, but I think that’s a statement about me and not about her talent; I’m not very adept at appreciating art out of context.) I asked her then why she did not display it, sell it, promote it. She shrugged her shoulders and said – I guess I don’t think I’m there yet. To me, she was holding back.

A person who blogs with photos doesn’t hold back. This blog, Ocean, pushes boundaries alright. Boundaries of sanity. Why would anyone, anyone post so much, so often? And then bring all those photos back again in the form of an art show?

Ed and I hung the photos and tomorrow and the next day I will sit by them and talk to people about book making and blogging and photo editing. And then I will go back to my own quarters, shut the door and look forward to my next project.


002 copy
setting up