(un)Confirmed Bachelor

He's such a bachelor, he can't even commit to the term bachelor.

"he is a bachelor for life...I am sure of this..."

The text above is from a friend. I wish you the best in love always.

Submerged

Had an amazing weekend getaway in Vermont with some friends. Hiking, swimming, running on country roads, and of course, embroidery!

Before I Met You

I was talking to a friend last night at my favorite local bar. She just returned from a trip to Berlin, during which she wiped away the cobwebs from a recent breakup.


Before her trip, we had joked about the embroideries I should make. I was on deadline to deliver work, and needed to make some post-its quickly. She came up with the idea of a black square, and the concept of emptiness. I'm not sure who came up with the text, but I think it was a collaborative effort.


She told me that while on her trip, she kept imagining the embroidery, and couldn't wait to give it to someone, her future love. I went home last night after our conversation and embroidered my version of what I think she was imagining. 


"Life before I met you" (was a black hole).

Getting closer

I am almost done with my third Brooklyn piece, which is a bit of a departure from the first two. I will post it within the next few days, I promise.

In the meantime, I thought I'd give a brief review of this past weekend's art orgy, otherwise known as too many art fairs hit New York within a 3-day period. After teaching on Saturday morning and having a brief brainstorming session with my gallerist, I dragged myself into Manhattan to see Independent, which had no cover charge, and an array of artwork from all over the globe, much of which felt clinical to me. I did not feel much inspired by the work, but was pleased to run into art critic Jerry Saltz, who I find to be hilarious and incisive. As his Facebook friend, I also find it entertaining that he is a poor speller, yet gets his point across quite clearly. Thank you, Jerry Saltz, for adding your voice to the contemporary art world.

I also had the pleasure this weekend of seeing the work of a new friend, Anita Walsh. She is showing a series of "living drawings" in Park Slope at Picada y Vino wine shop on 5th Avenue and 3rd Street. You can see more of her work here. The piece at top is hers, too, entitled "Living Drawing Series I," rubber and brass on white birch. 

I love the woven quality of the rubber bands as thread, and I love the organic decay that occurs. I feel as though I've discovered a new textile artist, and I'm thrilled!

Boyfriend/Lover/Beloved

As many single people will contest, the once-clear category of boyfriend/girlfriend/significant other seems passé. Or maybe these roles were never so clearly defined as I believed growing up. While "marriage" seems to be a pretty concrete concept with some widely agreed upon tenets, what does one call the friend one occasionally sleeps with, the ex-boyfriend or girlfriend with whom one occasionally gets together, or a collection of one-night stands?

I am curious as to why the term "lover" is so seldom used in this country. It sounds affected and strange whenever I hear it. Maybe "lover" needs to make a comeback. If we referred to that guy or girl we picked up at the bar or met online as a lover, would we would inject our behavior with a little more thought and lovingness, in the absence of a more maturely developed love?

Image above: So Besotted -- embroidered adjectives for "beloved." Completed 2008, with some linguistic help from a friend (see scrawled journal entry at right).