It is mid-November and it seems we are racing toward the year's end. In the past week, I unearthed some treasures, including an anchor poem by the Lynn Riggs of the 1931 play "Green Grow the Lilac" (later adapted into Rogers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!) I also explored a wonderful gallery exhibit showcasing Louise Bourgeois' art at Fergus McCaffrey. After spending the weekend with my professor brother, Wendell Berry came to mind and I re-visited some of his reflections on pride, despair, and the power solitude. Additionally, I stumbled upon unexpected art in New York and began navigating through a curated list of the best movies about artists. What is inspiring you lately?
The Arid Land by Lynn Riggs
I am a big fan of the desert and Riggs calls the landscape what it is, in this short poem.
Louise Bourgeois and Carol Rama at Fergus Mcaffrey
I was able to stop into this great exhibit featuring two wonderful artists. I am a long-time fan of Bourgeois’ work. Always a bit jarring, but oddly comforting. I loved the marble hands holding onto one another.
Close up of Bourgeois’ sculpture in Mcaffrey gallery. Wendall Berry
I aspire to be The Marginalian by Maria Popova and her reflections have inspired for me years (17 to be exact). This piece focusing on of Berry’s lesser read pieces is wonderful about the power of solitude.Unexpected Art in New York
This interview is great in Gothamist NYC. I loved how they talked about the subway as a space for art. So many artists have an automatic audience right there. Keith Haring saw it as a opportunity and was arrested many times for “vandalism.” It is interesting the short amount of time for policy to evolve to shift something from illegal to beloved.Best Movies About Artists
Loved this list featuring some of my favorites including Monuments Men and Woman in Gold. And Final Portrait. How many have you seen?
Film still, “Monuments Men.”
Extra Extra: What I’m Reading
National Book Winner Barry Lopez’s 1999 Memoir “About This Life.”
First essay was on the island of Bonaire. Capture my imagination and my own personal experience of the island and scuba diving.Never before seen footage of one of my dives in Bonaire 2021. Carpata Dive:
