(WARNING, SAPPY POSTING AHEAD!) I am not sure where to start with this, but I am going to air a bit of recent realizations and experiences that have occurred over this much needed weekend. Recent visitors to the magical land of Spillmanville have probably noticed that I am riding some kinda roller coaster of chaos between my job and my art, and that would probably be a correct assumption. Some of the events and conversations over this weekend have lead me to many new realizations about both myself and the things that I can not control.
Tad's show @ DLG was everything I had hoped it would be. I think I have been looking for some sign from the art gods to give me faith that art as an adult can and should still be fun. Thank god for Tad. I don't know how he keeps it together, but this is the best show I have seen him do yet. First the weather was and is beautiful. I walked in the gallery with my arms raised like Rocky at the top of the Philly Museum's stair mountain. I can't remember having that much fun walking through the doors of a gallery in a very long time. Go see it, and if you have kids, take 'em.
The keg beers afterwards at the Lauritzen-Wright compound cultivated conversations galore. After several man hugs and congratulatory comments, I realized that Tad and myself have had a long connection in this art thing. Besides being one of the first artists to critique my work in grad school, Tad and I have become good friends with a strong respect for each others work. In my first group critique, I remember Tad speaking very highly of my work and building my confidence up as a student and an artist. All artists go through streaks of duds and uncertainty in our little art lives. The best most important experience I got from grad school was studio visits. We all do them, well most of us. Tad is a good studio visitor. Over the past year or so I had visits with Tad in our studios about his work and ruts. Tad makes a lot of work, so it was rather hard to tell that he was actually running through a world with so many questions on his mind. If you have seen his show, then obviously you can tell that all his questions got figured out in a big way. He thanked me for those conversations, and told me that I had an important part in getting him pumped up to make work. By the end of the night I was saying the same thing back at him over and over again.
Throughout the night I had several comments made by people who had been down to the new 3 Angels Diner and had seen my paintings hanging up. I have made comments already about that painting on my blog in the past weeks. People who have never seen it think that it is brand new and seem to like it. I appreciate how fresh this painting has been perceived. The funny thing is that I have been sketching out ideas for a new series of paintings that are kind of like a return to the one noted in the diner. No, the comments have nothing to do with that. I have been making little moves here and there behind the scenes to kind of put myself in a position to concentrate on paintings and ideas put away when I left grad school and entered the world of gallery solo shows and over thinking the audiences tastes. As I stated before, I had been waiting for signs that painting could be fun again. Thanks mister Tad, I just purchased 4 stretchers and I have a coupon to buy gesso today.
Saturday was a day filled with a nasty keg beer hangover and a bunch of running around. Melvis woke my ass up way early, as I had fallen asleep hanging off the couch in the den with a cookie in my hand (sign it was a good night). We went to the frame shop and picked up some freshly framed sweetness fresh from Mel's studio for her show at Material next Friday. Get ready; they look nice! I am excited to see another Spillmanvillian putting greatness out there and couldn't be prouder of her production. The day then led to midtown to pay the stretcher man, and then back to the Easy East to meet with my old pal Paul Miller. Paul is probably one of the best draftsmen in this city, and most people never get to see his work. He's a big man down at the Physical Plant at the UofM and a proud father of 2 boys. Paul had a lot of questions to ask about his work and future plans. Paul was in undergrad while I was coming out of grad school and heading into the adjuncting in the day cooking at night world that is post grad reality. He has heard everything under the sun come out of my mouth in critiques and in public, and he has always appreciated my opinion. It was refreshing to see the maturity in both his work and in himself. It lead me to realizing how much more mature my comments to him where then an in the past as my life and his have both changed since the old days of our studio visits. I think he wanted some help from me, but I think he was helping me more. Damn, that kid can draw. He draws all the time. If you see him driving around campus in his golf cart sporting his Dickies uniform, he is probably drawing at the same time. Thanks for the motivation Pauli, and good luck!
The day then moved back to Midtown. I went by to pay a visit to my hard working friends at the diner and sip some coffee. Really I went to stare at my painting. I can't lie. Oh, I love Jason and Becky. I don't know how they handle running 2 restaurants, especially with their 3 overly energetic and extremely curious boys running around. The family and the employees were setting up and handling business as the boys treated the backroom like their own fictional land where Luce was the king. He tried to be the king over me, for a minute. I tried to help out and entertain for a second, and so I employed some of my goofy Mr. Spillman tricks. I made the kids some sweet looking paper mustaches, and taped 'em to their smudgy little faces. They ran around the diner showing all the costumers their new manly looks. Part of their payment for the mustaches was that they had to chill out. The other was that they had to sit for a photo shoot. The above photo is one of the products. I told 'em to look fancy, and yes, they are sitting underneath the painting.
So what did I realize? Well, for one art can be fun, and it is going to be, once again. 2, I waste too much time. 3, I need to paint, for my one personal needs. 4, I inspire people around me to do their best, and those people have just inspired me to do the same. 5, I need to make time to enjoy the fruits of other's labors a bit more. 6, I have needed a fat piece of humble pie for a long time. 7, I can't change my job, but I need the money. I am going to make the most of it, and try to enjoy the handfuls of seriously talented young art students in my classes and bring out their best. I am going to try and ignore everyone else there that gets in my way of doing things. I am going to find a pleasant way to return to my dreams. 8, Things can and will get better. 9, It takes about 5 dudes to realize that the co2 cartridge has to be replaced on an automatic keg to increase pressure to release the beer from the tap, because kegs don't float after 10 beers.
Here's hoping that the rest of this day is as pleasurable as the past few days. Today's agenda, finish and photo the latest comic page, sketch, relax, chill with Mel, Arsenal vs. Chelsea at 10, biscuits and eggs, laundry, lesson plans, chicken for dinner and maybe a nap.
Enjoy,
Spillmanville feels a bit humble and more understanding today. Aw, that's sweet. Shucks.
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