massive wardrobe of cowboy clothes...

Dear Girl Band Members,

I am thinking lately about Gillian Welch.  Looking at some of her songs on the internet, I couldn't help noticing that some listeners are a little confused, and they seem to have singled out What's His Name as the greater talent in their musical union.  Well, yes, he can play guitar, but it's all just facility and flourish: the soul of the sound resides in Ms. Welch.  He just rides her coat tails, but he's an affable fellow, so I don't mind if she wants to keep him around.

In listening to their songs, and after watching this video, I began another of my semi-regular searches for some really sharp Western duds with scads of embroidery; the kind that Gene or Roy would have worn.  I have wanted a suit like that since I first laid eyes on Dale Evans, when I was 8 years old or so.  There's a framed 8 x 10 glossy of Dale and Roy in the second bathroom- it's a nice room; the shower wall has a beautiful Neruda poem about a time- and water-rounded stone painted on it.

Anyway, while I was looking for the perfect singing cowboy shirt, I found Rockmount Ranch Wear.  See if you can live without some.











PS
I wrote this little bit of rumination half a moon cycle ago, and researchers at the Dodo have just brought my attention to this relevant essay.  Which reminds me of the co-incidence of my just begun Guerilla Girls manifesto shrine.  Things are being added to it regularly.  I put it in a very prominent place where I work sometimes, as what we like to call an 'instructor of art,' but my mentor would always say "a God-damned college professor." 

Make union with us.

Making lemonade out of coal.

Dear Glad You Asked and Been Meaning to Say,

I am not even remotely over it.  I sometimes don't think about it, but it comes out of nowhere and hits me like a ton of bricks, which I have noticed have little words and phrases stamped into them.  Things like 'well, now what?' and 'futility,' and 'wellerschmertz.'  If I ignore these bricks, more come along, which only proves their wretched little points.  Beware the bricks.

I am going to get a sofa that people can stay in my studio on- overnight.  It's not an easy decision.  Many things will have to be removed, re-located, given away, in order for the space to accommodate a making down of a pallet on the floor.  An artist pines for years to have a dedicated space- a space without a washer and dryer in it, or mice, or a dresser full of clothes, or shovels and hoes.  A place that is only for making.  I set mine up for that, and for reading, but only for reading the 'right' kind of books- theory, and picture books, dictionaries in various languages.  I made shrines to the things I cared for in it- photos of people, birds and animals;  rocks, leaves, dirt, shells, seeds, sticks, and the red powder they use in India.

Still, what use are secret shrines anyway?  Who would be the initiates that might see such sacred spaces?  There is a very nice* bakery in Los Alamos, and the bathroom has a little Joan Didion shrine in it.  And isn't that the right kind of place for a shrine?  A place that people visit?  I think putting people to bed in my shrine-filled studio could be a step in the right direction; although I remain far from certain about the right direction; sharing a space surely cannot be worsening things, can it?












*  Par exemple, they make terrific canelés AND fabulous pretzels.  Imagine mastering both of those, and consider how wonderful the croissants and bread must also be.





PS 
Make a few more pallets....  One, two, three, four, & five.

Paper Wings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Flapping,

 

I saw a few works made by Arthur Ganson recently, at the MIT museum.  The flapping one above was there, slowly churning the air.  Of course, you can see how marvelous they are, and maybe you have even seen them in person.  They struck me as self-assured, and delightfully modest.  They aren't terribly loud, or showy, they just seem to bumble along like clockwork, like old machinery, or a mill wheel.  They really are just right, and I hope you spend some time on his website, watching the time flow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PS

Here is a song to go with the first film, and please also look at this wonderful one: