dedication

Once upon a time I stopped
long enough
to look over my shoulder
to see the boys
I had taught
who stayed in touch
had become
teachers, artists
and soldiers.

A great big thank you to all the people who supported me in the show, many of whom are pictured/mentioned in my last two entries.
Special thanks to Nancy Hofstadter of the Meeting Center and to John LaRocca of the Rensselaerville Institute who were crucial to the creation of the exhibit.

Finally, a little explanation and a dedication that were posted at the gallery, for those who couldn't make it:

genesis
two years ago, the ties began
with my desire
to use words of great thinkers to
counteract the bombardment of
contemporary rhetoric on the senses.

early summer 2007
masks were shaped
to expand upon themes of character and identity
begun with the ties.

installations
were made, paying homage to
Seven Samurai, incorporating
traditional Japanese materials:
paper, fabric, bamboo.

convergence
late summer 2007
a former student
brought to my attention a blog entry
on MySpace written by a helicopter pilot in Iraq.
The pilot, also my former student,
cited words I had given him some
seventeen years ago
that he remembered
in the desert.

winter 2008
the story continues to evolve
with subsequent correspondence.
threads of this story and
of our lives tie the elements
of this exhibit together.

proof
beneath façade,
time casts an
invisible net of thought,
feeling, presence, truth
that binds us together.

dedicated
to Captain Brian Michael Olmstead USMC
and to all once and future warriors.

oo la la opening! part II

More Beautiful People
at the opening


illuminated by candlelight


and the light in Laura's eyes
looking at her little guy.


Guest fixated on repast by Gustav across the room...


..on the beautiful basket of pan! The picos and tortas were magníficos,
a perfect accompaniment to the amazing Spanish cheeses.
(p.s. he practices his magic at Honest Weight Food Coöp in Albany NY.)


Detail of main course, by yours truly: hand-painted tie, quotation by Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted."
Took many orders for this one! (Sorry, Robert reserved the original long ago.)


John viewing the exhibit and modeling one of my ties from his collection.


Robert, photog nonpareil, tie collector and supportive friend, posing avec moi while Nancy snaps away. Thank you, Nancy and Robert, for capturing the memories for me!


Crasher.

oo la la opening! part I

This was the seen scene at the Guggenheim Gallery of the Rensselaerville Meeting Center, Rensselaerville NY last weekend, February 10th from 2-4 p.m. for my opening of "Inside Out", mixed-media installation show.

tiki girls

Thank goodness and hallelujah for the Whitemans, they are troupers, but then we knew that from their star power and stage credits.
Extreme thanks to Beth, Robert, Sophie, Ellie, and to Nancy and John LaRocca for all showing up early and staying late to help.

Beth and I:



Nancy arrives.


Gustav's feast, it was to die for, he is puro genio.



one of the boys on the wall...



The Beautiful People, as photo-op'd by Robert...



(Little did the unsuspecting revelers know that the world outside was under siege; a white-out caused several groups of people trying to make it, back down the mountain. Well, we all found out when we departed in Everest-like conditions a couple of hours later, yikes! Glad everyone made it off the mountain safely.)



Thanks to all the Beautiful People
and Beautiful Kids who graced the show.







Party, on.

...to be continued in part II

sneak peek

just a quick one, of my show.





who are these masked men?

the show must

...and on it goes.



lo siento, 'my bad...was AWOL due to birthing this baby; making and writing for the show instead of the blog...
the install took six hours yesterday, the quickest set-up of installations i have ever done. with a muchísimas gracias to the inimitable Robert who happened to be there teaching for the weekend, for bringing me food every couple of hours throughout the process.

finishing touches to be added this week, opening this coming weekend:
Sunday February 10th, 2-4 p.m. in the Guggenheim Gallery of the Guggenheim Pavilion at the Rensselaerville Institute/Meeting and Conference Center, Rensselaerville NY.

all are welcome to attend, and you must use the "winter entrance"...the normal short-cut entrance is impassable unless you are driving the town plow and even that would get stuck on the hill.

a group from NYC in fact couldn't get "off the hill" this past weekend at the Center, due to inclement road conditions, but never fear, the forecast is: "mild, breezy, Chinook winds and warming temps into the '80's" for the weekend opening.

SIKE!
only kidding.

more previews coming.