Art Is The Proper Task Of Life: Get into the Groove

Hello again.

I think I've started most of the last few posts by talking about how it was easier to structure and to write blog posts in Europe. It's getting to be a boring refrain, but I am still grappling with my different mental landscape since being back here, as reflected in my newfound lack of certainty about whether I have anything worth writing about anymore. I had an interesting conversation with my smart and talented friend Alan Vedder in which I tossed around the idea that maybe I'm just duller here in Taos than I was in Berlin; that maybe the more subdued landscapes here (cultural and physical) lull my mind into a more torporific state. It's probably not true... but it's hard not to at least consider it as a possibility.

Add into the mix another conversation I had with a different friend, Joseph Lightman, in which he mentioned that he felt "creepy" reading my blog... as if he was voyeuristically learning things about me that he almost had no business knowing, and I guess I could say that I'm in an almost existential crisis about the blog. Joseph's comments did cause me to reflect a bit on the continuum between "private person" and "public person," and the ways these two 'types' communicate information about themselves. Naturally I briefly investigated my own propensity to share fairly personal thoughts through this blog, and found myself wondering where I land on that continuum, and... that's a topic for another day.

Ironically, I've also gotten some nice comments of encouragement lately, a few people mentioning to me that they like reading it. And I enjoy writing it. But really, the worst thing that could possibly happen would be for it to get boring. Then I'd have to stop. Or, try to figure out why my life had gotten so boring and do something about that. Anyway, blah blah blah, self-indulgent first-world problems, blah blah blah. I will get my groove back; I will carry on for now.

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My trip to LA, which I undertook in order to install Big Mother at the Hive Gallery, was pretty fun. The show itself was rather ridiculous - a few good pieces and quite a lot of mediocre stuff too. I visited the amazing Amoeba Records (where I was astonished at the high price of vinyl records... I wanted to buy an LP by my favorite band Rammstein but couldn't justify $40.00 for ten songs I already own) as well as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), all with my pal Chris Wagganer.

Chris Burden at LACMA

John Chamberlain at LACMA

I crammed in about 10 art galleries, and an amazing mannequin store.

I have to go back to LA in the beginning of February to pick up the piece. That's a lot of driving.

I built us a new table for our home... a dining table / art project table / laundry-folding table, and it looks like three pieces of bacon. It's actually made of red cedar, not bacon.

Christina and I both submitted work for a group show of self-portraits here in Taos. I realized earlier today that this means I currently have two pieces of work up in galleries right now. I think that's good. I've always secretly wanted to get some sort of gallery career going... and although I don't think either piece is likely to sell, it's still good.

I'm inserting this image of my self portrait in an unfinished state as something of a placeholder.

When I get ahold of a photo of the finished, framed version (a photo which for some reason I did not take at the opening) I will swap it in here...

Christina and I are also both in the final stages of preparing our proposals for this year's Burning Man festival. I would love to share my proposal here... because I like it and I'm proud of it... but as some readers might remember from last year I am superstitious about revealing proposals before they are approved or denied. We will find out from Burning Man in about a month whether we are funded this year or not, and I will discuss my proposal at that time. It will be interesting... and unprecedented... if Christina and I are both approved for funding.

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Before I leave you this evening, I'll share a tragi-comic Taos story. A flock of bighorn sheep were introduced to the mesa lands west of Taos a few years ago. The land which they inhabit flanks both sides of the highway, so big fences were erected to keep them off the road (also constructed were under-road crossovers to facilitate their freedom of movement.) A few days ago I was driving Kodiak to school in the morning and we saw what happens when a big ram somehow manages to get onto the road.

Kodiak and I spent some time looking at it, reflecting on how sad this was.

On my way home 40 minutes later I got out again to see that someone had dragged the ram a bit off the road, propping it up on the concrete barrier (for a photo op??)

While I was standing there, a bunch of workmen stopped to have a look. At this point the whole thing took on a macabre and darkly comic tone, with the men alternating between "aww, poor guy" and joking about how they were unable to get a hunting permit this year so they had to run this guy down in their car. They even took a few "hunting" photos...