Episode 3 of WOA offered up a head-on collision between the integrity of art criticism and reality TV’s addiction to product endorsements leaving the integrity of art criticism in traction. Yay! And while they added an artist back to the judging panel this week, it was still very clear who made the final decision on the win. Continue reading
Sorry for the delay on this post. My lack of cable is becoming an issue! And my sister, Tina, is visiting, which has been a delightful distraction. Also, I’m having a difficult time finding photos from the show to accompany my posts. If anyone has any ideas on this one, please let me know. Okay, so enough with the apologies and excuses. Let’s get on with the show! Continue reading
My sister is visiting SF for a few days, and we will be checking out the open studios at Fort Mason (more on that later, of course). Before moving on to this weekend’s art festivities, I want to recount my only open studio visit for week one, which I almost forgot about. I was heading to dinner in the Castro and dropped in on Morris Taylor’s studio. Continue reading
I finally made it to two venues for SF’s 3rd weekend of open studios. I saw several artists that I liked, but two in particular illustrate how starkly different artists’ perspectives can be while both remaining exciting and vibrant. Continue reading
My friend, Eric, will be traveling to southern Spain in December, so we’ve been watching travel videos to get a flavor for what he can expect (and what I can expect if I tag along). For the most part, the shows are informative and somewhat entertaining. But do they really help with travel planning? Continue reading
Fall is my favorite time of year and when I prefer to travel. Most places are cooling down after summer and offer some of the best prices of the year. And, living now in San Francisco where seasons don’t really exist, it gives me a chance to experience the fall weather I grew to love as a child.
Whatever time of year I travel, though, I struggle with the same question: Do I go somewhere new or back to a favorite? The latter holds me with a nearly unshakeable grip promising to feed my desire to move beyond the shallow familiarity of the tourist into a deeper understanding of a place and its culture. Short of living somewhere long term, deep connections are slow and arduous requiring many visits coupled with a sincere effort to glimpse the locale behind the pretty facade.
But what of the allure of the new? What if a previously unknown city is the one? I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m still looking for that. I’ve come close with a couple of cities where the connection has been nothing short of spiritual tempting a belief in past lives with unfinished business.
And my journey continues.
I’m getting a late start on the open studios this year (I missed the first two weekends), but I’m jumping in tomorrow and am excited to see what’s out there! Tomorrow and Sunday will feature open studios in the Bayview, Tenderloin, SOMA, Potrero Hill, and Dogpatch neighborhoods of San Francisco. Those neighborhoods cover a lot of area, which is why I will likely stick closer to home with the Tenderloin and SOMA. I’m also hoping to check out the free public reception tomorrow night at SOMArts (934 Brannan between 8th and 9th) from 6-9.
I will let you know what I find! You do the same!
The main strength of the first season of Work of Art – which seems to remain intact for season 2 – was its glimpse inside the artistic process. Even though the process is skewed due to the artifice of the weekly challenge, it is informative to see how different artists approach solving a problem (i.e. to fulfill the dictates of a challenge in a way that meets the judges’ expectations) as filtered through their particular style. Continue reading
When you travel, you expect to have incomparable moments that you can’t – or don’t – have at home. But occasionally, you can have the unexpected and sublime in your own town. I’m having one tonight. Near my new place is an area called Mint Plaza. It abuts one of the old San Francisco mint buildings, which is no longer operable as said mint, and now serves up several restaurants. The area is hopping for lunch, on weekends and during conventions (such as the just-wrapped-up Oracle Open World convention), but on off-nights is charmingly quiet. Continue reading
One of the most wondrous incidental characteristics of travel is how it opens up the traveler to the experiences of the people of another place, for good and bad. Visiting Cairo three years ago, I was struck by how hidden, necessarily, gay life was there. Police frequently raided places where gay men attempted to gather and prison time was common for those arrested. Continue reading