Well, my last week in New York was a blast. Mauro came for the weekend and we walked through the city with all its Christmas decorations. I love the lighted trees with every branch wound with little white lights. So pretty. The windows were neat, some were a little creepy. Oh and I danced in the Nutcracker and Mauro got to watch the dress rehearsal, pre-show run through and two performances...what a trooper. That was so fun, and a surprisingly large crowd. Then my sister came and we drove out to East Hampton and then all the way to the lighthouse in Montauk. It was a little rainy, but it's worth the trip, especially if the weather is good. I kind of love the beach in bad weather, cold or rainy. It's very contemplative and meditative. The drive was really nice and only maybe an hour and a half. Then, my parents came to help me drive home. We saw The Lion Kind and it was amazing. We went to the Guggenheim, one last time. It was Kandinsky and it was really neat to see all the colors on every floor, like the white rows with splotches of color. It was a great and vast exhibit. I like the way the Guggenheim curates exhibits, they had a lot about his life which I think has a lot of significance for his paintings and drawings. I wish I could have gone to all the museums one last time, but, alas, there is never enough time.
Anyway, I'm home now, that drive is never fun, but well worth it. My thanks to Bill and everyone at ULAE, Marie, Jill, Bruce, Brian, Jason, and of course Frank. It was a blast and I wish I could start over! Thank you!

New York in November is beautiful

There are two bradford pear trees in front of our building, both with firey bodies that seem to both invite and warn outsiders. What a funny place this is. I have a month left in my visit, next week is Thanksgiving and although I'm so glad to be going home, I feel like there is still so much to do! There are exhibits I want to see and museums to revisit, there's just not enough time! So, Next Intern, be warned, even if you're tired of sight-seeing, or you have to paint, or you have other work to do, or feel antisocial, get ye to the museums! To the galleries! Spend every weekend! Even after work! Because pretty soon, you'll only have a month left, and you will come to the sudden and disheartening realization, there is just not enough time.

ULAE took part in the IFPDA print fair and we all went to the opening on Wednesday, Nov 4. http://www.ifpda.org/content/ It was really spectacular. All the other print dealers were there, like PACE and Gemini, and the amount of work was quite overwhelming. I felt like my lowly Intern title was lifted as free wine was served; of course, I couldn't participate in the food (who doesn't have a veggy tray?). Still, it was really neat to be a part of it. And I was, of course, bouncing with giddiness when I showed Mauro our booth on Sunday, pointing out the Terry Winters I helped with (that stone NEVER got dry), the brilliant orange arch by Richard Tuttle, the Lee Bontecou that I wish I had enough money for, and the Jasper Johns we finally got the right paper for. I was proud. :)

I also went with Brian to Hoboken to watch Joe Purdy and that was a blast! It was a really tiny venue, which always makes me happy. And Mr. Joe got trashed on stage, a little frustrating, but mostly funny. The crowd had to help him through a few songs, and we didn't stay for the encore. That's a first for me, I usually stay until they kick me out.

I went to visit galleries yesterday. I went over to Chelsea, up and down 24th and 25th street between 10th and 11th Ave. Go there, Interns. It's where Larissa's gallery is and many, many more. Those first three pictures are Hope Gangloff at the Susan Ingleff Gallery inglettgallery.com

The next guy, I love, not for his skill but for his sarcasm and wit. Olaf Breuning at the Metro Pictures Gallery. The whole show was a mild Vonnegut, life and people are absurd, etc. I enjoyed it. Next is Jane LaFarge Hamill. I'd never heard of her but I really enjoyed the way she handled the figure. Some of the other works were much more sketchy. Then I ran into a Philip Pearlstein exhibit; I was ecstatic! Always been a fan. Then I finally got to the show that was the reason for going out. Eric Fischl at the Mary Boone Gallery. I had never seen any of his paintings in person before. I was very impressed, those paintings have so much life in them, it's hard to breathe, you feel like you might startle them and they'll run away. He makes me depressed and determined at the same time. Maybe one day.

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving! I can't wait to see my puppy...

Well, quite a bit has happened since the last post but I've probably forgotten half of it. Mauro came so I got to show him the city. We went to see Burn the Floor, which is basically a fusion of ballroom dancing and Broadway. It was really exciting and reminded us both that we're not dancing enough. We went to the top of the Empire State Building a little before sunset and it was beautiful! I can't believe how many buildings they squeezed onto Manhattan. It's really incredible. And watching the city glow orange in the fading light, was romantic and memorable. If only fewer people were there. We went to the beach but it was too cold and windy to swim. Then it was time for him to go back so I took him to the airport and I was alone, again. I met my parents in Philadelphia the next weekend, though, and that was really neat. It's a pretty city but I don't think I'd want to be there at night, not alone anyway. The woman at the train station called me "child" when I asked her which way to go and I felt myself blush. I like how different the people are in different places, I get a kick out of the accents and body language. Maybe I'll make a new series.

Terry Winters came and painted on a stone. That was really fun to watch. We ate sushi at Skidmore and it was an odd feeling being an intern and a sort of hostess at the same time. Kind of conflicting because I sleep there, but I'm not a true host. I hope that makes sense. Bill Jensen also came, wow does he make a lot of work. There isn't a lot for me to do at work but it's still fun. I am still learning a lot from the printer boys and I'm excited for more artists to come.

I had a friend move to Manhattan and she took me to go see Jude Law in Hamlet. I didn't really have any expectations, probably because I had only ever read Hamlet and never seen it performed, and also because it seems like if you're a big name actor, then you play Hamlet, more of a career milestone than anything else. But Jude Law was really fantastic, I found myself hanging on every word. Really a good performance. It's not all modernized, either, it's straight Shakespeare and I like that. I would recommend it.

I went to some galleries on the Upper East Side last weekend and that was a good time. The galleries are sometimes strange, you have to go up to a certain floor and then find your way through office space or buzz for a door that you hope is right. It's very reassuring when you see other people though. Some exhibits were definitely more interesting than others, but overall I enjoyed the experience. There are many more galleries that I hope to see, but as I am currently stuck in bed for the weekend with a sinus infection, we'll shoot for next weekend when my sister will be visiting! While I was gallery hopping, I found this really great bookstore called Rizzoli. It has wood floors, the kind that creak when you shift toward the next book and wooden railed stair cases leading to its three floors. The second floor is filled with beautiful art books, including many featuring ULAE artists, I was please to find, and the third floor has load of Italian books! Which only means I spent too much money. Listening to Italians come in and ask for certain books really made me feel the diversity of the city, when I had only encountered this circumstance in Italy. There were French books as well, and just like that, three languages were being spoken at once, inside this lovely bookstore. It made me feel not so lonely, somehow.

Winter is coming, the leaves are starting to change and it's getting colder. And wetter. I am painting more, but never enough. I am also taking ballet and have been for a month or so. The school is called Lumiere Ballet and everyone there is very friendly and encouraging to the ballroom dancer who tries very hard... I get to dance in the Nutcracker with them and I am very excited. It's nice to have some friends outside of work, as well as having something to do besides work and painting. Well, as I said, my sister is coming next week and I'm so excited to have her. If only she could bring that puppy that I miss so much.

Well, like I said, I know more has happened, but I'll just have to blog more often so I don't forget. TTFN. Ta-ta for now.

Hali Linn's turn

We arrived at Skidmore the 17th of August and it's taken me nearly a month to get to the blog. For this delay, I apologize to the reader. I feel an introduction would be prudent.
My name is Hali Linn; I'm from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, that's about an hour and a half away from OSU; I'm a painter and a sculptor. That's enough. Now you will know who will be writing the blogs this fall.

Helpful hints for the next intern.
Read the blogs. Read all the blogs. (It won't take you that long). Do this and you will be prepared for everything- car options, how to get into the city, quirks about the house, restaurants, ideas about what an intern does at ULAE, etc, etc. So I will spare the next intern the repetition. Although I will say it is helpful to bring a car and a laptop; without these I would never leave the house, except to go into the city. Also, bring a compass. I know it sounds really boyscoutish, but it is really helpful when you're traveling by foot, and in the car, for that matter (my car has a digital compass, aren't I lucky). Also, lunch with the last intern is about as helpful as you can get, thanks Emily!

So far, my experience has been really great here. I like New York and out here on Long Island, I feel like you get the best of both worlds; the big city is close, and you get the small town feel. I love how the towns are so close together. You can start driving and hit town after town, one after the other. There's no space in between. You can't do that in Oklahoma. This makes for interesting bike routes, a great way to find different stores and restaurants, FYI. Oh, and the beaches are just a short drive away, again, not exactly like Oklahoma. Bill and Frank have worked tirelessly to get me a new bed and I say with a grin to the next intern, you should be grateful for their efforts, just as much as the old interns are jealous. Everyone at ULAE is extremely nice and welcoming. Marie is really sweet and helpful. Jill is great too, and has the nicest Long Island accent I've heard. The printers, Bruce, Jason and Brian are really informative, friendly and always in good spirits. Ask them anything. They will oblige. Frank is the handyman, and he likes it that way. Act extra nice around him, and he may smile! And Bill has been really nice as well. He has the authority of a New Yorker, but the nature of an Okie.

Well, I've wandered around the city a few times, first with my family while they were here and then by myself. I have found the greatest vegan restaurant, Soy and Sake on 7th and Bleeker in Greenwich Village. It's very strange though, it has lots of fake meat dishes. While the fact that I can order anything on the menu is thrilling, it is an odd feeling that the menu is full of chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, etc. when I chose not to eat meat in the first place. I didn't do it so I could pretend to eat meat. Anyway, it was delicious. The sake was tasty too.

The museums are fantastic. I have been all over Italy, Paris, London, Chicago, Houston, I've seen so many museums and galleries, but nowhere have I seen such an abundance of art as in New York City. I haven't even seen it all yet and I doubt I will get to! But it's all right here. It is the most amazing opportunity to be here and I am very grateful.

I have learned a lot already and even though the work is a bit slow right now, I am excited to learn more. It's a different kind of work, the studio is a unique one, to say the least. But again, the people are fun and ready to share knowledge.

I was going to go to the Whitney Museum this last weekend, but the death of a close friend in a car accident brought me to San Antonio, Texas instead. I got to spend a little time with my family and hers, which helped, but I am suddenly very aware of my seclusion as I settle back in to Skidmore. Although, it must be said that before I left, this house was a little creepy. The black windows, distant creaks and swaying doors can make you jump. But now that I have come back after a long and painful weekend, the house seems a little more familiar and a little more like home. Next week Mauro, my boyfriend, is coming and I can't wait to show him the city (Little Italy better be ready to impress a hungry Italian), the beaches, work (he will be impressed by all the presses!), and my new found ability to drive in dense traffic. That's all for now.

This was my last weekend in New York. I went to the New York City Public Library and saw the Gutenberg Bible, as well as an exhibit of Art Deco books and posters. The building has lovely ceilings with putti looking down upon the patrons and murals in arched panels by Edward Lanning. The murals were painted during the Works Progress Administration Project and are themed on "The Progression of the Word."

Afterward I went to MOMA for one last visit. Saturday I went on a tour of Carnegie Hall and then went to The Met for one last visit. I saw the Roxy Paine installation in the roof garden. I also wandered around the first floor and came across the Medieval arms room with armor. I did not know that armor had such intricate scroll work in the metal.

I said goodbye to my friends Vermeer, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Miro, Picasso, Van Gogh, and all the rest. I took a walk through Central Park and then took the subway down to Houston Street to eat a corned beef sandwich at Katz Deli.

I love walking through the city and watching all the activity. I will especially miss my walks through New York. What a great time I have had!

This past week end I went to The Closters, located on four acres of woods and gardens, which were in bloom. I believe the pink tree is a weeping cherry. It is on the left as you enter the gardens.

The structure is comprised of five Medieval cloisters from Monastic sites in France. It is full of Medieval artifacts and art like stained glass windows, tapestries, furniture, and even tomb markers. There are two herb gardens in court yards surrounded by arches. The asp on the left is the Romanesque which has the
round arches.

The glass room is full of stain glass and silver stained roundels like this one.









The Cloisters were a bit like walking into another time. It was peaceful and hushed, even though many people were there. It is one of my favorite things I have done while in New York.

This past weekend I went to two exhibits. One was "Brucke: The Birth of Expressionism in Dresden and Berlin, 1905-1913," at the The Neue Gallery. My favorite piece, by Ernst Lugwig Kirchner, is named Portrait of a Woman, 1911. This tiny image represents the painting, but cannot begin to do it justice. This is one thing I have learned. Plates in art books and slides cannot communicate the true image. It may be better than nothing, but I have found that some of the works of art I have seen in books and not particularly enjoyed, I can totally appreciate in person. Portrait of a Woman is good sized, 46 3/8 x 34 5/8 inches. The colors in are vibrant and painted with expressive visible brush strokes. The contrasts between the colors give a vibration that is delightful to the eyes.

The second exhibit was at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. I went to see "Gustave Caillebotte: Impressionist Paintings from Paris to the Sea." My favorite piece in this exhibit was Oarsmen Rowing on the Yerres, 1877. The critics of the time made fun of the painting saying that Caillebotte cut of the man's head. I particularly like the work because of the perspective he used. It was a bit different from other impressionists and gives you the feeling you are riding in the boat with them. I can almost hear the water splashing as the oars lift in and out.

I also saw Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party. The museum website describes it as "a massive ceremonial banquet, arranged on a triangular table with a total of thirty-nine place settings, each commemorating an important woman from history. The settings consist of embroidered runners, gold chalices and utensils, and china-painted porcelain plates with raised central motifs that are based on vulvar and butterfly forms and rendered in styles appropriate to the individual women being honored. The names of another 999 women are inscribed in gold on the white tile floor below the triangular table." Here is another work of art you cannot appreciate until you see it. Each of the thirty nine plates is designed to relate a specific woman and the runner beneath it coordinates. The amount of work put into it is hard to imagine without seeing it and the work is beautiful.

Before I visited the museum I decided the day was too pretty to begin indoors so I walked through the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. It is early and many plants are still hibernating, but trees are budding, daffodils and tulip trees are blooming as well as the Japanese Cherry. There are rose gardens that bloom in June, so maybe the next intern will get to see them.

I can't remember if I talked much about the snow a few weeks back. We had 14 inches. It was a problem because they had trouble keeping the roads plowed. For a while the snow re-covered the road as fast as they could plow it.

I hope we are done with snow for the year!

This week my daughter and her friend Becky have been with me. They did a lot of tourist things and I did some with them. We saw Guys and Dolls with Lauren Graham. They got pictures and autographs of several of the cast including Lauren Graham.

The thing that really impressed me was how great the lighting was. We had great seats dead center on the 12th row. We could see the sweat running down their faces. Lauren Graham, of Gilmore Girls fame, has a great voice. I never knew that.

We also took the Circle Line Semi Circle Tour of the Hudson River. We saw the Statue of Liberty from the water, the U.N., The World trade Center site, the Battery, and of course all the bridges. It was a 2 hour tour, and the day was beautiful.

Afterwards, we celebrated Becky's birthday with dinner at Trattoria Trecolori . The food was wonderful, but we didn't get reservations and we had to sit at the bar. Still it was fabulous food and we enjoyed it.

Saturday, March 7, I went to The Armory Show. I spent four and one half hours walking and looking. It was exciting to see contemporary work as well as Modern works by Picasso, Leger, Miro, etc. As I looked, I got all sorts of ideas to use in graphic design. I paid special attention to the videos since I will have Computer Graphics Studio in the Fall.
Sunday I walked. I started at the Flatiron building on 23rd and walked to the Brooklyn Bridge. One place I liked was an animation gallery called Animazing Gallery. There were original Charles Schultz drawings as well as smaller etchings made from his work. Here is the link. There were other fun fantasy based paintings as well.
The weather was nice, so I decided to walk and take as many pictures as I could find interesting subjects. In NYC there are so many.
I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. You can see the Statue of Liberty from the bridge, although it is a little distant. After I crossed the bridge I wandered a bit in Brooklyn by the water and got an ice cream cone a the famous Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory.

Last Saturday in the city was beautiful, even if it was a bit cold. I went on a photo walkabout in Greenwich Village. The tour guide, Lora, was great and taught me how to use the manual mode on my camera. I had not learned to do that yet. She showed us where the exterior of The Cosby Show was filmed, Friends, and other well known sites, like the house used in the Will Smith movie I Legend. It was one of the most fun things I have done so far. Greenwich Village is interesting to walk through with loads of variety packed into a small area. The tour group meet at Father Demo Square. This movie theater is right there, just to the north.

This famous arch is in Washington Square, right across the street from the house used in I Am Legend. Our tour guide said Will Smith was a really nice guy and during the filming he climbed aboard a tour bus to say hello to everyone. The park is under construction now so parts of it are inaccessible. The squirrel came right up to me. I think he was certainly expecting a hand out.

There is a street with a row of exotic stores with brightly colored fabrics and apparel. The beautiful owner allowed me to photograph the interior. There were lots of beads and jewelry.

After the tour I ate at a really nice restaurant called North Square at the Northwest corner of Washington Square. It was a brunch with wonderful baby pancakes with walnuts, eggs, apple sausage, home fries and this scrumptious cranberry bread. It was intimate and comfortable and moderately priced.

Next, I walked over to the 6 train and went up to the Armory to see the Art Dealer's Association "The Art Show." I was up close and looking at a Renoir and could have bought it, if only I had enough money. The show was great and the building is beautiful with stained glass windows, deep wood paneling, and a grand staircase. The show had calla lilies placed around on pedestals and an elegant feeling. My favorite booth had works of Picasso, Leger, and Henry Moore. The girl stayed in that position for hours. I am not sure how they did it, but she was good. I never saw her blink.

Finally I walked down to the southeastern edge of Central Park and took more pictures of the people and the evening. This was a lovely day.

This weekend was beautiful in the city with the weather warming up a bit. I went to the Black Fine Arts Show at 34th across the street from the Empire State building. It was really neat because a lot of the artists were there and they talked to me about their work.

On Sunday I went to church again, I love the service at MorningstarNY on 50th between 9th and 10th. After I walked to MoMA to see the Jasper Johns exhibit. On the way there I stopped to eat lunch. I came across a place that I ate at just because it was called Thalia. It was really nicely decorated, the food and service ware great. On weekends they have little pumpkin, carrot muffins with chocolate chips that are yummy. It cost about 15 dollars for my entree. Good job Thalia :)
I walked past Rockerfeller Center and the ice skating rink. I saw a guy in a wild Chiquitta Banana outfit walking a baby in a stroller. New York just has to make you smile.

I stayed close to Skidmore this weekend. I got a great hair cut at Dominic Ricci Salon in Islip with the owner, Sherry. I also went to Fire Island and took some photos of the light house. There is a nice wooden path over the dunes from the beach to the light house. It takes about 20 minutes to walk it. Lots of deer roam around the island. It was a really nice day, but chilly in the wind.

This weekend I went all the way up to Columbia University to hear Georg Friedrich Hass conduct a 24-piece chamber orchestra. I found out when I got there that had the date wrong, so I will get to make the trip again this Friday. Since I was there, I decided to try out an Ethiopian restaurant in the neighborhood that I had read about. It is called Awash and just a little bit south of Columbia on Amsterdam.

I was seated right away but the service was slow and I spent two hours there, but the food was wonderful. They cover large plate with pancake-like bread called Injera. I ordered Lamb Yebey Tibs, a mildly spicy lamb dish, with a lentil side and a chickpea side. It comes with two rolled up injera, and you eat with your food with your fingers, so they bring you a hot towel to clean your hands. It is very spicy, but a different hot than Mexican food. My mouth had a nice warm feeling for about an hour after I ate. I really like the food.

Saturday I went to the Metropolitan Art Museum. I saw the exhibit, Raphael to Renoir: Drawings from the Collection of Jean Bonna, and the Pierre Bonnard: The Late Interiors exhibit and then ate at the cafeteria. My chicken dish was ok but nothing special. After I meandered a little I ended up in the Impressionists rooms and I sat down in front of Sargent’s Madame X. I had felt a bit lonesome when I sat down, but as I looked around I realized I was surrounded by old friends, Sargent before me, Degas on my left, Van Gogh, Monet and Manet on my right, an Cassatte behind me. It was great to see them in person knowing that Picasso or Braque had put his hand to that piece of canvas.

Sunday I came into New York to go to Chinatown for the Lunar New Year’s Parade. It was crazy crowded. I reminded me of the poem “There’s too many kids in this tub, too many elbows to scrub. I just washed a behind that I sure isn’t mine, There’s too many kids in this tub.” It was so crowded that I was pushed on every side. I found a niche on the side of a building and tried to get out of the crush. Eventually I made my way a bit further down the street and a nice old Chinese gentleman invited me to stand beside him on a step and he told me about the parade as it passed. He told me where different lions were from and also about the different costumes people were wearing. He told me the black lion had to come last since it is the strongest and would overpower the others if it came earlier. This is the year of the Ox so a lot of people were wearing horns. It took me a while to realize they weren’t meant to be devils. Venders everywhere were selling poppers full of confetti so there was a constant flow of colored paper in the air.

It was hard to see the parade very well because of the crowd. Many people had their babies on their shoulders so the crowd looked like a sea of people with bobbing babies on the surface. Still, I enjoyed it and I did get a few good pictures of the event.

Sunday morning I visited a really nice Non-denominational church called Morning Star New York. It is at 50th between 10th and 11th.
It is really close to MoMA so I walked over after the service. I ate at a cute little restaurant called Vynl, at around 9th and 50th. It had a disco theme with old album covers for menu covers. There were disco balls and beads hanging from the ceiling. The food was really good and it was only around 10 dollars to eat there.

At MoMA I saw two exhibits. One is the Pipilotti Rist: Pour Your Body Out. You take off your shoes and lie down on a lavender couch and watch a giant movie on three walls. The images have a kaleidoscope effect in the corners. The film flows from images of flowers, to fruit, to mud, to feet, to fruit squishing between toes, to a naked lady crawling in the grass, to a pig eating an apple, to the lady eating an apple, just like the pig, to the lady stuffing flower petals in another lady’s nose. I have to say it made me laugh out loud several times.

The second exhibit I saw was the Marlene Dumas exhibit, Measuring Your Own Grave. It was a collection of her works which are portraits. The artist did recordings for the exhibit, and I liked hearing her perspective on the work. According to Dumas’ exhibit recording, she believes that “Making art is like measuring your own grave.” Canvases are like coffins and figures struggle with the fact that they are images in a painting. She said, “They never breath so well in their painterly space.” I think my favorite part of the exhibit is a wall of portraits she did called Models. The wall was full of small black and white paintings, made of ink or chalk. They were painted very quickly with just a few loose brush strokes. Most of the figures look right at the viewer, but a few look across, as if seeing one of the other models. Each drawing stands alone and yet having the wall full of faces makes an interesting repeating pattern.

After the exhibit I decided to walk to Penn Station to catch the train home. It was snowing, but not that cold out. I headed to a place I learned about at Tripadvisor.com called The Perfect Pint. I am keeping my eye out for places with good food that are not too expensive. This was an Irish pub, and everyone had an accent. I don’t know if they were genuine, but they were good. I could hardly understand my waiter. I got the crab cake appetizer, which was very good. I think an average meal here is about 15 dollars.

Next I continued my walk to Penn Station. I began walking toward 7th and suddenly stepped out into Times Square. It was a giddy feeling to look up and see all those lights on every side. I realized that I should walk more often since you miss a lot when you ride the subway. (Not being 10 degrees out helped that night.)

Week Three

Last weekend I stayed home tucked in bed with a cold, so I will tell you about my adventures from the previous weekend.

I learned a lot about the subway. I was going to MoMA's PS1, (http://ps1.org/), to see the Olafur Eliasson exhibition. Only one piece was still installed. I went to the room where it was and a poetry reading in honor of Bessie Smith, a blues singer, was happening. They had liv instruments and the actors wore wild costumes. The room had a revolving mirror on the ceiling that was part of the Eliasson exhibit, so you could see the presentation from many angles. It was pretty neat.

I had a bit of trouble getting there. I took the first train uptown too far, so I had to go back downtown, but I forgot to check the letter and took the F train instead of the E train. I was on my way to Coney Island. So, I had to get off the train and go back to where I was and take the E train to the Ely and 21st Street exit. One good thing about the subway is that once you pay, if you don't exit, you don't have to pay again, so it is a bit forgiving.

The first week has gone by quickly. I was able to help some in the studio as well as in the kitchen, so I learned some about print making in addition to a few new recipes. BTW, things cooked in olive oil with sautéed garlic tends to be really yummy.

I went into the city Friday night for two gallery openings with some of my coworkers from ULAE. The first opening we attended was the George Adam’s Gallery. Enrique Chagoya’s show, “Adventures and Misadventures” is currently showing. The artist was there and I was able to meet him. He was born in Mexico City and currently lives in San Francisco.
Here is the URL for the gallery and his exhibit:
http://www.georgeadamsgallery.com/exhibitions/exhibitions_cur.php3exhibitions/exhibitions_cur.php3

It was great to see the exhibit in person. I enjoyed the satire in his work and I would love to know more about the character in Those Specks of Dust. We could not stay nearly long enough. The work was engaging and I would like to have more time to study it. This image is Those Specks of Dust. I also saw this character in another of his works.

Next we went to the Larissa Goldston Gallery which opened a show by Jack Warren, of Brooklyn. The show is called Straight, No Chaser, and consists of collages, installation, and video. The collages are of found paper, with and without printed images. It includes a lot of bird images. His friends there that night said it is because "Jack likes birds". The work includes excerpts from the monologue by Werner Herzog in Les Blank’s documentary Burden of Dreams. The concept, as I understand it, is the violence of nature and the waste that humans tend to leave behind. Here is the URL for part of the film if you are interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PAsYkrEwjM

Here is the URL for the exhibit at Larissa Goldston Gallery, although the images online don’t convey what they look like in person. They lose the 3d quality that is very much a part of them.
http://www.larissagoldston.com/exhibitions/warren/index.aspx

Saturday I went into the city by myself for the first time. My foray took me to The New Museum in the Lower East Side at Bowery and Prince. I learned that the V train does not run on weekends, after I waited for it for 30 minutes. It is actually printed plainly on a sign, but I did not read it until later. I needed the F train to 2nd Avenue. I arrived an hour before the museum opened, so I explored a little. 2 blocks one way is the beginning of China town and 2 blocks another is Little Italy.
I ate at a genuine Chinese buffet. It was only 4 dollars for more food than I could eat. I did not know that they leave the bones in the chicken, so I mostly at the rice. :)

I also explored a lighting gallery with many custom designed lights. The chandelier in the picture was taller than I am and hanging from an eight foot ceiling in a small space crowded with lights of all sorts. This area is a historic lighting and restaurant supply district.


At The New Museum, the Elizabeth Peyton exhibit was showing. It ends this weekend, so if you want to see the website for the exhibit you should look right away. She is mostly a portrait painter. Her subjects are historical figures as well as well-known people and celebrities. She works a lot from photos and her work consists of mostly flat planes of color, which contrast light tones with darks or bright colors. She mostly uses strong brush stokes and not much modeling. Most of her portraits have bright red lips. I am not sure that shows up on the website.
The URL is:
http://www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/400/live_forever_elizabeth_peyton

My last stop was back uptown to the Museum of Modern Art for the Joan Miro exhibit, which also closes this weekend. I made may way back to the subway station, it was snowing by then. I had to take the F train to 4th Ave and change to the E train, which goes right to MOMA.

I have found the people in New York to be really nice. Any time I have asked for help, if they speak English, they are glad to help. There does seem to be an unspoken code that you stay in your space. Its like a bubble of protection and once they have helped you, they are back in their bubble. I really sort of like that. There are so many people that it would be uncomfortable if everyone was in everyone else’s space. Now, back to MOMA and the Joan Miro exhibit.

I loved this exhibit. We studied him in 20th Century art, and the instructor told us that the images he showed us could not do the work justice. I see now what he meant. The colors are so vibrant. He used them right out of the tube without mixing or diluting. The difference is remarkable. Thanks so much to Mr. Bill Goldston for the ULAE internship and the opportunity to see these works.

My favorite is Dutch Interior (I) (Image to right). If you don’t like Modern Art, you might not enjoy this piece, but I love color, and the composition. I also see humor in it. Miro said he wanted to “assassinate painting.” He took an image off of a postcard depicting a painting of a lute player by the Dutch painter Hendrick Martensz Sorgh. He took the body apart and like a puzzle spread it apart for the viewer to mentally reassemble. I guess I like art that engages the brain.

The URL for this exhibit is: http://media.moma.org/subsites/2008/miro/, but you need to hurry since the exhibit ends, Jan. 11, 2009.

Today, Sunday, I am relaxing at Skidmore, doing laundry and other chores and letting my feet recover from the New York sidewalks. Future interns, be sure to wear good walking shoes when you go into the city. If you need to be "cute," then carry the cute shoes and change when you get where you are going, if possible.

Later, I may venture out and find the ocean. I know it will be cold, but it will still be beautiful

Settling In

I decided to drive my car to New York so I would have transportation. My husband, Ben, came with me and flew back. JFK is only 45 minutes away, so it was an easy drive. After he left, I drove around a little and found ULAE and the train station. Everything is pretty close by, but not really close enough to walk, at least not in winter.

I feel right at home at Skidmore Place. I grew up in a very old house, so this place seems familiar to me.

One of my responsibilities at ULAE is to get lunch every day. Monday, Bill Goldston taught me how to make a wonderful vegetable soup. This morning I had to find the laundry mat and wash the woolen blankets used in the print making process. Ed gave me great directions there, but I got a little turned around headed back. Hurrah, for the Garmin. It was not perfect, but it did get me back.

This weekend I plan to go to The New Museum in the Lower East Side to view "Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton." It will be my first New York Train ride. I will let you know how it goes.