Christina and Kodiak and I recently managed to do something we've been talking about for years, which was move to Europe for a year. We went back and forth for a while about WHERE to land, exactly, settling eventually on Barcelona. We have friends here, we both love the city from previous visits, and one of us speaks Spanish. So here we are, in Spain.
It occurred to me to start a new blog (yet another one!?), but this one was supposed to be the one that simply chronicled my life, the life of an artist... I thought about calling it viviendo_en_el_raval, OR un_año_en_barcelona, etc. But hell, it's hard to beat Art Is The Proper Task Of Life, isn't it?
It seems as if, in consideration of the fact that I am in fact reviving this old blog, I should recap the last five years in order to provide some continuity, right? Sounds boring, so let's keep it to one paragraph. I built some new sculptures, travelled with them to some interesting foreign places like Israel, Russia, and Texas. One of my sculptures features prominently now at the coolest place in Santa Fe, Meow Wolf. Christina's and my son, Kodiak, is basically his own little person now. I got really into off-raod motorcycling which is tremendously fun, but also in some way not very good for my productivity. A guy who used to be my friend is suing me because of the negligence and stupidity of another guy who used to be my friend. I wasn't even there! And then we moved to Barcelona. And then a minority of Americans managed to elect Tronald Dump.
So yeah, for now this blog really will be focused on our time here in Spain, because that's what we are doing now. The last year and a half in Taos was hard for a few reasons, mostly because of that pesky lawsuit.
I needed a change of scenery.
I hope that this time in BCN will be rejuvenating in some way, and give me a bit of focus back. It's a beautiful city, full of life and love and wine and sun and history and motorcycles and sculpture, and yes... inspiration is creeping back in. A few days ago I even made a paper shark sculpture! It's the first sculpture I've made in months.
Art actually is the proper task of life, for me anyway. I think Barcelona is going to help me remember that.
A cafe around the corner from us, with beautiful facade design, stainless steel, glass, and stone....
Sword-wielding Barbie... from the puppet theater in the Raval, not far from us....
Down the street. Why is this very official-looking (and very beautiful) skull sculpture placed above the street sign? Why is there a tiny silver figure perched in the eye socket? And let's not overlook the spectacular sculptural work on the building itself....
And lastly, here Kodiak peers out the window of our flat at the mini vegetable market that pops up sometimes in Plaça Galdric, the plaza below us. The large metal-roofed building beyond it is La Boqueria, one of the main markets of the city, which has been operating since at least 1217. I will post more pictures of that place in days to come, as it is quite unique.
Cheers
It may not be the only proper task of life but it is a great one for those called. That and making the world an art. Glad to travel vicariously and welcome back - you may inspire me to blog again.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear! Who are you?
DeleteOh, Hi Ethan!! Nice to hear from you sir. Blogging beats FB, and all that other corporate social media, in my humble opinion.
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