WHAT A WEEKEND!!!
Saturday: A friend of a friend got me "in" at this historically most significant Los Angeles landmark. It was so amazing and fun - most people "assumed" I was an artist and asked what type of work I do.
Cindy came to pick me up. We worked on one of her images for the website and ate grilled "cheese" (rice cheese) sandwiches: rye bread, thick organic tomatoes, and any kind of nut butter grilled in a combination of coconut and olive oils. Next time I'll add swiss chard, I think it will make these sandwiches even more incredible tasting than they already are.
We planned on walking in my great little Studio City neighborhood, but there was no time. So we went over the hill (Laurel Canyon) to Melrose where Gemini G.E.L. is. I'd been given a 'private tour' there before by Jim Reid, who is the manager and also one of their nine artists working for (see artist list below), amongst many others. I knew Jim from "the corner", where I vigiled with NPJ (Neighbors for Peace and Justice, San Fernando Valley) for five years. I also was a core member of the group until I just couldn't do it any more (many reasons). Although I no longer actively participate, I'm still a 'core member' to those who know me best there. Although it's been years, Jim remembered me and gave me a warm greeting/hug when I walked in.
It was the first party I've ever been to where it felt like I had a "back stage pass." Everyone was so relaxed and happy, all enjoying seeing the artworks up close and hearing about how they were produced. Xavier Fumat had a small group he was talking to right as we came in, it felt like a docent tour. I quickly indicated to Cindy that we should listen in and follow Xavier to hear what he said. He described in great detail how he produced works for Richard Serra. For the main piece upstairs he told how Richard sent two curves, approximately three feet in length; and how Gemini was then instructed to re-produce this much larger, with the exact same curve in painstaking accuracy.
(tired now, story to be continued tomorrow!)
I will update this soon, I have friends Sheri & Donna coming by.Look for update later today. They had a photographic memorial to Robert Rauschenberg in the front of the gallery.
New Editions By:
John Baldessari, Jonathan Borofsky, Cecily Brown, John Chamberlain,
Ellsworth Kelly, Ann Hamilton, Elizabeth Murray, Bruce Nauman, and
Richard Serra.
Recent Editions By:
Daniel Buren, Vija Celmins, Robert Gober, David Hockney, Jasper Johns,
Roy Lichtenstein, Brice Marden, Robert Rauschenberg, Susan Rothenberg,
and Ed Ruscha.
From GG's website:
Founded in 1966, Gemini G.E.L. is an artists‘ workshop and publisher of limited edition prints and sculptures. At Gemini, the artists do all of the drawing or carving directly onto the printing elements. The edition is hand-printed by Gemini‘s master printers, and each print is signed and numbered by the artist as well as embossed with the Gemini ‘chop‘.
In 1981, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., established the Gemini G.E.L. Archive, which functions as a study center for scholars and collectors, and contains a complete history of the workshop. Included is one example from each of the over 2,000 editions published. Three major exhibitions with works from the archive have been organized and exhibited by the National Gallery in the past 21 years. They recently created a complete online Gemini Catalogue Raisonné at http://www.nga.gov/gemini
Gemini has collaborated with more than 60 highly accomplished artists
in lithography, etching, screenprinting, woodcut and a variety of
sculptural materials.
That was a bit of a lie. I just now made some (to me) major changes to it (July 11). So it's been more like a month since I started.
I'm losing the one thing I loved about my place (apartment)...the light. The intense heat of the valley has forced me into putting aluminum foil on my east and west facing windows. Of course now my apartment looks very trashy, and I've lost my light to put makeup on. The southern windows are filled with green leaves so I'll leave those blinds open to get the maximum light, but it's still very dark and foreboding in here.
What money does in terms of lack of it in terms of coping methods...
I ran into Cary Elwes over at Cinema Secrets yesterday. My favorite all-time actor. He was very gracious. I was bold enough to give him my card, but whether he'll actually like or see the art is of course highly dubious. I keep getting complaints that its' too dark. Well, it's high-maintenance art that requires the right lighting, that's all I have to say. I'm not going to change it because it might not be as popular as the jazz stuff!!!!! We all have to follow our own muses.
First off, I promised to insert these pictures of my incredibly messy apartment last post. Finally getting around to it...
I've learned to take this in stride. Many people have mentioned that this is part of my "artistic" personality, and don't judge me for it. So why should I?
My kitties certainly don't!
Hope everyone is having a safe and happy 4th.
