Tomorrow

It’s been three months since I started this blog and I went back to the beginning for a little reflection.   Too soon?  It’s never too soon for reflection.

First of all, I would like to say that I had every intention of posting every day or every other day, but I have to say the lack of followers really encouraged me to keep my fingers steady and occupied with other things.  However: blogging is also a way of thinking and coming up with new ideas, so in a town like SA, after finding myself without friends, I probably need Live Writer as a sounding board if nothing else. 

Second; I had set out at the end of last quarter to tell the story of our experiences writing, painting, sculpting and trying to market all of it.  It was my hope that someone, someday, could learn from our mistakes.  Since we did everything from scratch and by ourselves, I sometimes wish there was something (blog, book, person) to help us along the way.  I haven’t been successful in telling many of these stories, and I will try to do better in the following posts. 

In other news: Gordon continues to work hard on the new sculpture.  It’s absolutely amazing and I’m really impressed.  I can’t believe that when it’s done I get to have it in my house before the show.  Very excited.  I keep telling him to work on it to speed up the process.  ;-)  I haven’t released any photos of it yet.  No FB, twitter, here….I think conceptually it might be misunderstood at this stage.  There are several pieces.  When this one is done I will photograph it and then for similar pieces in the future, I can explain it better. 

I have been painting more walls and doorframes than canvases, and I haven’t been painting many of those either.  Dogs, volunteering, school, cats (sick cats) and botanical beautification have taken up most of my time.  Though sometimes I try to forget, I also have daily grindingly-depressing searches for work. 

I got the new camera a few days ago and I have had to play with it a little.  So far, I think I’m figuring it out and I’ll have much better pictures of the art and process.  We did go to a couple shows on Thursday of last week.  Blue Star Contemporary Art and PASA had new shows. I was in infant stage with my camera, so I didn’t get any good photos, but this is one of Gordon’s favorite pieces.  The fish look familiar.  ;-)

My only real problem with our evening (this bothers me on many levels that I will not edify on this particular soapbox) was the state of downtown after 5.  First of all, the walk from the car to the galleries had a strong olfactory similarity to a gas station restroom in the middle of west TX.   I suppose in Paris, I would get used to it, but in San Antonio it’s hard to walk down the sidewalk in cute little shoes, looking forward to the evening of art/people watching when you are surrounded by (at least) the smell of urine.   The streets are crowded by homeless.  It’s ridiculous commentary on the state of our downtown area.  I’m very familiar with how hard the nonprofits in the city are struggling, so I wonder, do these men have any place to go?  If they do, why do they choose to stay on the streets?  When you don’t see just one or two but dozens of men in the same block at seven at night, something is very wrong.  Okay I used the soapbox a little.  My real point is: do you have product (art) that is equally attractive to many demographics  when the place (gallery) is located in an area that only young urban people feel comfortable?    I have heard these artists/Blue Star/PASA trying to revitalize downtown.  I hope they have the city to back them, because not even St. Louis was this bad twelve years ago when I lived in the revitalization.   I was young and urban,….huh!  Hopefully SA is successful.