Hi Steve,
I don't know if you've ever been a fan of Andy Warhol or not, but the museum about him is pretty cool. He was a strange ranger, that's for sure, but he had a sense of coolness about him too. Kinda like a twerpy version of "The Fonz" or something, but weirder. (You can see in this photo that there are cows in the background on the wall...repeated in different colors...I kinda think that guy was overrated). I mean the REAL dude who created the Campbell soup can labels---where the heck was HE, and did HE get a million bucks for the ORIGINAL creation like Warhol did by COPYING it?! I doubt it.
There were some people at this shin-dig all dressed up as super heroes, and this one did not pass Pete's eye...he asked her if he could pick her up for this photo---she was just some 20-something chick walking around the place, lookin' good in the Wonder Woman costume---and she said, "SURE!" So, here ya go. He loves it. You see, in case I never told you this before, Pete is a 53 year old kid. He still collects comic books, (he's got dozens of huge narrow boxes full of them, all stacked up in a pile in our closet), and so when he heard that Alex Ross was going to be at this exhibit, immediately he bought two tickets for us to attend.
This Alex Ross guy is amazing. I don't know much about him, but apparently at the age of 3, in the 1970's, he was starting to draw his favorite super heroes. He made paper dolls out of them at age 9 I think, and they had those on display too. This guy was totally obsessed with super heroes, and he's managed to make a very good living on his artwork for DC Comics. The detail that he puts into every drawing are just amazing. I was quite impressed with Aqua-Man, actually---every little scale on his outfit had different colors layered, to signify lighting, shadow, and sparkle, like a real fish would.
I mean, this guy seems to have some kind of amazing way of bringing these drawings to life. They really look REAL, and LIFE-SIZE even, and 3-D too. It's like he gets every tiny detail drawn, in a way that it looks EASY, but you KNOW it must have taken him a long time to achieve. He walked around the place, like he was in a stupor....he seemed rather amazed at the huge crowd of people, (apparently he grew up rather lonely, no friends, so these super heroes became his friends instead...so he doesn't have a lot of chutzpah socially. He's rather shy). But he seemed very nice, and enjoyed talking with people. I encouraged Pete to go over and shake his hand for a photo, but he said, "I like comic books for the STORY line, not so much the art work, so I'll pass."
Anyway, it was cool, but everything in the Warhol Museum is odd and weird and cool. Apparently this Ross guy loved Warhol's artistry, and he was blown away when they offered to show off his exhibit. He's YOUNGER THAN ME....I couldn't believe it....he was born in 1970!! And yet he's got millions of these drawings, and paintings, and sculptures...that has GOT to be the ONLY thing he's ever spent his time doing in his whole life. He's a tall guy, balding, with glasses. Nothing to look at. But a genius when it comes to drawing super hero cartoons.
So that's what we did last night. I hope your weekend has been fun too.
Today I went to the mall to attend a cooking class at Williams-Sonoma....GAWD I love that store, but everything is so damned pricey. If they just lowered their prices a bit, I'd shop there more often. But I cannot resist their pumpkin butter...oh man...that stuff is AWESOME...and their apple cider is SO SUGARY, but amazingly awesome when you mix the mulling spices with it....mmmmm....it's a very dangerous place for a Diabetic like me, lemme tell ya. I could go wild in that place. But come on, $14 bucks for ONE napkin ring? Really? That's just plain stupid. I just bought 3 sets of 4 very nice ceramic napkin rings for 50% off at Jo-Ann Fabrics for Thanksgiving, and spent $10 bucks on ALL of them. So nyah. I am and always will be, a bargain shopping diva.
I've decided that I'm also going to make my own utensil holders for Thanksgiving, out of goldenrod, brown and orange colored felt, a fancy fall colored ribbon and a decorative turkey on each one. (I love to make crafts). Give me a glue gun, and I can do ANYTHING!! That's the only "gun" I own, and I love to use it as often as I can. They'll be simple, but elegant, when I'm done with 'em. I'll take a photo and show you when I've made one.
I used to sell my craft stuff at a consignment store in Michigan, and people loved everything I made. I can make fabric covered photo albums, wedding stuff (I made everything for my own wedding, I've done my mom's 2nd wedding, and one lady paid me to do hers years ago when I worked at the Michael's craft store)...I can also make wreaths of any kind, (I used to make this really cool "fan" wreath out of free wallpaper sample books that I'd get at paint stores, then I'd cut a piece of wallpaper into squares, then fold each square back and forth, fold the whole thing in half with a bit of hot glue to keep it looking like a fan, and stick it into a straw wreath with a T-pin...I'd layer these fans of all different colors and sizes, and it turned out looking pretty cool...then I'd add some string pearl accents, pretty flowers here and there, and a ribbon bow. Very country-ish, but very popular in Michigan at the time). I sold those for $25 apiece, but it only cost me about $5 to make. Not too shabby!
I can pretty much make anything that I set my mind to, and that's where my creativity comes in handy. Pete thinks I would be a great "set designer" for his plays, but I'm a bit too perfectionist to do that, I mean, if the director said, "Use blue," and I thought it should be more green, well, to hell with that guy, it's gonna be GREEN. I don't think I'd get very far without creating a badass reputation for myself.
There's one thing I am afraid to try, though, and that's PAINTING. Did you know that Tony Bennett has paintings in the SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM?! It's true. That guy is 85 years old, and not only does he still SING beautifully, (we're going to see him in concert soon), but he is also a very good painter!! However, that's one thing I have never tried.
When we attended the gallery crawl the other night, there was this one artist, (can't remember his name but I'll find it and add it later), who was amazing. It was like he created Chaluli glass sculptures on canvas...flowing and musical...alive and vibrant....just amazing stuff....and I said to the guy, "Don't you feel this horrible pressure that you might make one wrong stroke of a brush and the whole damned thing is ruined?!" (That's what keeps me from trying it). He said, "There ARE no mistakes in painting, you just paint over it and keep going." Now, I had never thought of that. I kept thinking it had to be absolutely PERFECT the FIRST TIME, and if you messed up, you just blew a wad of cash on canvas, paint, and all the supplies that you'd have to toss into the garbage. (I am really very naive of such things).
So now Pete's friend Simon is trying to get me to start a painting. He thinks I would be good at it. I showed him the interior design assignment that's got me stumped, though, where they want me to open some tubes of oil-based paint, and mix some colors together, and develop various "hues." I can't seem to do it, I'm afraid of it. I don't know why really, but it is the one thing I keep putting off. It's a 4 part assignment, and I've easily managed 3...but this part is just killing me, I cannot seem to get past this fear.
Do you ever paint? I've never read anything where it says you have, but you are one of these lucky creative humans who just might dabble in everything and do very well at it. I'm a creative human, too, but I have this chronic habit of "paralyzation from analyzation" where I think "there's no way I could ever be as good as THAT dude, so I'd better just forget about even trying and stick to things I know how to do well." It keeps me from trying new things, and it frustrates me sometimes.
So now I'm thinking, "I don't have to TELL anybody I'm painting anything...they don't need to know...I don't want any criticism or bad comments, or negativity...that would kill me...so I can just go get a small canvas, and dabble a little, and see what it's like...if I hate it, then nobody is the wiser. If I enjoy it, then who knows, maybe I'll keep doing it in private until I get pretty good, and THEN wow everybody with a finished project."
See, being a submissive female is rather complex. We want to PLEASE everybody, all the time, (which is damned near impossible, I know), but we still TRY to please everybody all the time...even at our own peril. But if someone criticizes or condemns it for any reason-----well, then I tend to just shut down, and feel like a total failure, and then I'll kick myself awhile, (the self-loathing of a submissive person is astounding), I'll feel down and depressed, and wish there was some way I could take it back, or do it over, even better, or if I'm REALLY a mess, then I just give it up and get angry at myself, and never try the same thing twice. If a person is NOT someone you can EVER please, then I just totally give up and fail, and hate myself awhile, and never bother trying anymore. I am uber-sensitive to everything. (I am what they refer to as a "Highly Sensitive Person)."
I think you might be one of those too. Read up on it, and if I guessed right, then my friend, I can honesty say that I totally GET YOU. We would be kindred spirits for sure. If I am way off, well, then I'm just another silly fan of yours who THINKS she "gets you." Either way, there's no harm, no foul, and you have nothing to lose by inquiring about it, right?
Did you think over the idea of doing a Christmas album? God I hope you will. I really do. Write your OWN holiday songs for it, don't go for the usual stuff---or mix in a few of your favorite songs with original stuff that you write for it....do something unusual, something nobody would ever expect....and I GUARANTEE you will be a success at it. My suspicion, however, is that you may have this same "paralyzation from analyzation" problem that I have, when it comes to doing something new. That's why I mentioned it.
So, I'll make you a deal, my favorite Troubadour in the universe....if you try and write a few Xmas songs of your own that could EVENTUALLY become a Christmas album, I'll go get some canvas and paint. Deal?? Wanna try doing something totally brand new, and just keep it a secret between you and me?? I won't tell anybody if you won't.
Gotta scoot....time to do some laundry. What a thrilling life I lead.....bye for now. I love ya lots.
Love, Rebecca ps. By the way, Pete did decide what to do about his first wife...he sent her $$. Sigh.
No comments:
Post a Comment