Leonardo...Drew

I stopped by Sikkema Jenkins Saturday night for the opening of a solo exhibition of new work by Leonardo Drew. He is a friend via my time at the Vermont Studio Center. He creates dynamic large-scale sculptural installations, which incorporate created, manipulated and found materials such as paper, wood, tree branches and roots, rust and mud. His work stuns with humble materials in the service of sophisticated shapes and arrangement. His opening was all abuzz, and he oh so added to the general excitement wearing a bowler and a pair of peacock feather pants.

As ordinary as Zen Butter

I was having dinner downtown with Jill Leininger, a poet that I met at the Vermont Studio Center. Afterwards, we stopped at one of our local downtown ice cream places. There regular is defined as Avocado, Black Sesame, Taro, Wasabi and Durian, while Chocolate and Cherry Vanilla are "exotic" flavors. It was the perfect place to discover in the company of a poet. This is why I love New York.

Buds, not just for Spring

One of the best things about being an artist is one's artist friends. This is myself and Stephanie Patton. She does installation, painting and performance art among many other art forms.

I find her to be positive in the face of adversity (so important for an art career), warm, generous, and always ready to laugh. I visited with her on my recent trip to Louisiana. She's been showing a lot recently both in New York and Louisiana and is enthusiastically teaching art to kids as her second job.

One of my favorite performance works's is her character, Reynella Rose Champagne. Reynella poses, performs and gets press for the songs she writes like, "Beer is my Best Friend." The image here is Reynella as Manet's Olympia circa 2003.





I met Stephanie originally at the Vermont Studio Center. We collaborated on a project and I also participated (she's persuasive) in her production of "Fountain of Talent" (bottom, middle photo). That's me playing the 'tit fer (Cajun triangle) while singing "Diggy Liggy Lo" with simultaneous translation into English and Korean. I get by with a little fun with my friends.

Son of VSC

This month I was slated to do another residency at the Vermont Studio Center. For various reasons I had to bow out. I was very sad about it, and tried to define some of the things that made VSC special for me so I could see what I could put in place this month while on home ground. The number one special emerged as freely talking art all the time, anytime, like a studio drop-in with beer. Some of my art colleagues live in places like Montana, Ohio, Louisiana, Egypt, etc. so I decided to set up a virtual VSC. Skype and a $29 Macally web cam, and presto — art Show and Tell 24/7. Critical discussions, taunting of my work, materials and procedures demonstrated — I haven't enjoyed anything so much in ages. P.S. This image is of skyping with sculptor Jon Berge, VSC alumni and best bud.