RSSIn which the writer catches up after a very busy week
Oct 05
Uncategorized busy week over with, mud and metal, photo editry, playing catch up, Woody Allen No Comments
Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church in Hampden, which was struck by lightning.
It’s been a busy week. Wednesday was class, which was wonderful as usual. This week for typography I’m to pick a letter and write a short (very short) story about it, then design the story so that it wraps around the letter, or somehow fits into the shape of the letter. Seminar in Literature and Writing brings Kafka, delightfully bizarre.
Thursday was my first concert at Rams Head Live, Tegan and Sara. They put on a great show. Their banter between songs really is the best I think I’ve ever heard. And the sportingly put up with the bra and underwear that was pitched at them while they were on stage.
Friday was a friend’s birthday, and it found me at the 13th Floor, a bar in the Belvedere. I think there may not be a better view in the city than at the 13th Floor.
Saturday, Ave and I spent all day watching Smallville. I also worked on the first of a series of sculptures (for lack of a better/more accurate word) that I have in mind. They all center on something having to do with birds. This first was a simple frame made of dowel rods and wire. I strung origami cranes on gold thread and tied them into the frame. It’s a large piece (probably about 3×3) and I have nowhere to hang it. Ideally, it would hang free in the middle of a room or several feet away from a wall.
Saturday evening, we ventured out to see some friends of mine play at Golden West in Hampden. Katie and Adam, who are both in the MFA program with me, are the band Red Sammy. Their show was perfect. I have never actually heard their music, but I really fell in love with it.
Today, I delivered Ave to the train station and then spent my morning wandering around Hampden. I’ve been in Baltimore for a year, and I live just 5 minutes from Hampden, and yet I never spend time there. Today I was kicking myself for it. It’s so alive. I stopped in for lunch at Puffs and Pastries. The apple-wood bacon quiche may have been the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten. I also visited Mud and Metal, the Minas Gallery and Boutique, and a few other stores. Minas, who owns the Minas Gallery, and I chatted briefly. I asked about the possibility of selling my chapbooks there, and he suggested that I attend the reading series and consider reading there myself.
And all the while I was photowalking. I don’t think there has been a more perfect morning. But my chat with Minas and my own increasing artful efforts have me thinking. I think it would be wonderful to get out more with my art, be it visual or verbal. I’ve been in Baltimore long enough to feel comfortable in the city. (I’m even learning to parallel park!) It’s time to get involved. I’ve also been thinking about my commitment to the art I make. I’ve always been a learner, but I’m also lazy, and it’s kept me from figuring out new ways to explore and take my work. But recently, I’ve felt an increasing need to seek that information out. I’ve been slowly picking up some new skills in photoshop, and then there’s the MFA degree I’m working on. And I would love to take some art classes (if only money would fall from the skies).
I realize I’m rambling, but I guess it’s made me start to question and wonder just where my life is going, and who I’m turning out to be.
And, in a partial answer to that question, here’s today’s self-portrait. I didn’t want to overwhelm the post with all those I’ve missed, so should anyone be interested, you can see them all on my Flickr page. 