Hmm. I have moved. I am feeling a little more settled. I have lovely housemates (it is good to live with people again). I am framing pictures in New England. How romantic, no? No, I kid. It is the start of fall and the foliage is starting.

Today a little lady/baby came into the world named Isabella. Maybe many an Isabella came into this realm today but this particular one I am talking about sprang from my brother and sister-inlaw (Nick and Naomi). It is very exciting. I am going to meet her on Sunday. Today also happens to be the birthday of three other really special people to me, this I take as a good sign for her.

Happy Birthday emmett, Laura, and Joshua!

Two nights ago I went to see Jessica Stockholder speak at Mt. Holyoke College. I remember leaving feeling really interested in art, which I have to say was nice because many times after going to lectures I want to crawl into a hole and sleep and pretend that I am not involved with art. I wish I had written stuff down that night because now I don't have the words to describe what is going on in my brain in response to the lecture. Grrr, if only I was good at keeping up with this writing business (it is my weakness). Watch the pbs art21 with her talking about her work. I felt like the lecture was similar to this except that the information she was sharing seemed tailored to an educating lecture as opposed to an interview.

One particular part of the lecture that stuck out in my head was when she talked about not being an artist for a little while after grad school and how this let her make whatever she wanted. She worked and puttered.

Here are some links to her work:

http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/stockholder/index.html

http://www.oneroom.org/sculptors/stockholder.html

http://www.artnet.com/awc/jessica-stockholder.html

"When I Go Like This, You Will Know it is Time" is opening Sunday September 16 at the Incubator Gallery located in the Southwest Residential area next to Hamden Gallery at Umass Amherst. The opening runs from the 3 - 5 PM and will be up until October 19, 2007. In the main gallery at Hamden will be Paula Hodecker and Brendan Stecchini (there is a stellar drawing of their dog Julio in the show). If you are in Western Massachusetts and can make it to see the work that would be great. I will write more about it later, I am in the midst of moving right now and have to stay focused on packing properly.

Everything I ever needed to know about aesthetics I learned in catholic mass. Well maybe not completely true but partially true none the less. I am at my grandma and parents' home. My grandma watches mass on the catholic cable channel all the mornings she doesn't physically go to church. This morning I sat down at the table with her while she was watching. I haven't seen mass on tv in years and I haven't been to mass in even longer. Seeing it on tv in all its golden glory I can see why I do what I do. I have had this conversation before, stating that my materialistic behavior in my art is based in my little old catholic self's love of relics and statues and pilgrimages. I still am in love the idea of these things. The rituals and the objects and the stained glass and saints and well .... magic, theatre, costumes, transformation, the body and junk.

I was watching the priest clean the chalice out, then fold the fabrics that go on top and then the alter boys came and took it all away, the whole time the priest said words. I was once told that my hands were too busy in a video I did. And watching the priest folding and placing and putting I thought of the video and how that character was doing a similar thing. It may look busy but it is intentional and needs to be done "right" in order for the magic to work.

Superstition.