MindOverMary privately emails me to say that I’m not blogging enough for my ADHD readers, specifically, her (Quel Suprize!).

Okay, Okay. You know I have to do what you say.

First, you need to know that I heard from No. 1 Sister and she’s great. I love love LOVE getting handwritten notes and think it’s a lost art and the most genteel of gestures left between those bonded by blood and love.

Read a quote from Oscar Wilde upon his first taste of ice cream: “It could only be better if it was a sin.” Made me laugh.

I guess my big news is that I’ve been on the art scene lately and glad for it.

A week ago Friday was First Friday on the Paseo and I was well pleased by the group show at PAA and especially knocked out, as always, by the small works of Michi Susan. I adore her work and I’m too awe struck and afraid to even speak to this extraordinarily talented woman. OMG how I wish I could afford even the smallest of her works, but I’m flat broke these days.

Down the street was the JRB ART show and, although a break somewhat from her previous shows, I loved the energy of the huge canvases and the young artists. Joy Reed Belt does her openings right, in my opinion. She has lovely and challenging taste in her selection of artists and their works. The invitees are always a very mellow and lovely crowd, almost neighborly. I never fail to enjoy her hospitality and her staff and associates are very nice, very helpful, very professional. Everything about JRB is top shelf and she deserves praise.

Later, I went to see the two artists at IAO and even caught a little of the short films they showed, especially a charming and amusing “documentary” about the history of Oklahoma. The two main room artists, a photographer and a painter, had lovely, warm and rich pallettes; I was very at home and intriqued by the general use of colors, although there was little to tweak my love for loud, proud and bright colors. The photographer took her images, separated them into constituent parts and sewed them back together (or otherwise affixed them). The images themselves were often interesting and then the technique of pasteing together the various parts (often geometric shapes) gave the images a background “feel” while also giving them a new and creative texture. The painter used wood, including the frames, as canvas. This young artist achieved her textures through the grains of the wood and other materials. The images were fanciful and, as I said above, richly colored in a way that impressed me as being something that would “wear well” in one’s home; I was very comfortable thinking of having her work somewhere on one of my walls.

Last night, I went to the “furniture” show at Untitled and the only criticism I have is that I suffered from checkbook envy. I would so much like to have some of this breathtaking work, but I’d have to sell my home to buy the work and then buy another house with a significantly larger dining room. Nevertheless, I found myself with my jaw to the floor at several of the installations. Make no mistake. This was art. The plates were art. The tableware was art. The tables, chairs and chandeliers were each individual works of art, despite their functional form. It was sculpture. The worship of a communal meal. And, it was stunning. The crowd itself, by the way, was also a work of art. I’ve not in a long time seen such a crowd, although it seems that once I saw this crowd often. Many many friends were there. I had my 12 hug per day quota filled before I’d seen the third setting. World’s biggest small town. Larry Pickering strawbossed the thing, I think, but in all events, his entry of Bewley glass tile topped table with eight stow-away chairs was magnificant. I’ve heard he’s teamed up with Brian (and Titi) and I wish him luck.

Tonight, I scrounged a trip to the Momentum show, OVAC’s emerging young artists annual show. Went with Oz and Deb and their friend The Shrink. I could have taken someone, but my black book is so depleted after I rip out the “married” and “engaged” categories I gave up the project before I began. Oz curated the show and it was a surprising display by a group of artists, all of which are under 30. Hundreds of people there; band; bars; installation art; it seemed like 100s of paintings; videos. It was beyond stimulating, it was overstimulating. I was very pleased to see a great many works of mature skill and energetic new talent. The grand prize winner(s) of a trip to France was affecting and avante guarde. Speaking of Guards, saw Tanner there and he had his smiley face on. I loved a large canvas of much emotional content of a mother with children. There were just too many to try and describe even the very very best. Lots of lovely Sauced and Red Cup types there, the new wave, the 20 something crowd.

A shout out to Tammy who finally got an email addy!

Love you, sis. Don’t worry. I’m not sitting at home fretting. I’m doing bookkeeping (three consecutive double letters!) and it’s boring, so there’s not much to write about that.

Blogblah!!!