Paul Paiement at Peter Blake Gallery

Boy, politics sure can be distracting for the art lover. It has been far too long since I've stepped foot in a museum or gallery - but I did walk a precinct for the first time yesterday, espousing the fabulous-ness that is our Congressional candidate, Debbie Cook!

But I digress. This blog is supposed to be my escape from maddening things such as politics. So, if I were to have gone to an art-related event in the last few days, it would have been to an opening at Peter Blake Gallery in Laguna Beach, to see the beautiful works by Paul Paiement. I love Paul's work so much - Eric and I were lucky enough to have acquired one of his watercolor's last year at the UAM auction that I coordinated. He continues to fuse nature and technology in his "hybrid" series, as you can see in this piece CALCOLEPIDUS SATELLITERADIUS. Click here to read more about the hybrids and check out the cool catalog of hybrid pieces.

Only 60 more days until I can have my art life back...

My Grandpa Ray Marshall

My paternal grandfather Ray Marshall was an incredibly calm, sweet man. In all my memories of him, he's calmly doing something for me - spreading icing on a toaster pastry for me, fixing my bike tire - always with utter mellow-ness, and always, always with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. I actually liked the smoky smell that always permeated him - the only person whom I can say that about!

Grandpa was a total salt-of-the-earth guy, grew up on a Kansas farm and knew how to work hard. He went on to work for decades at Braniff Airlines, and Braniff was the total center of the universe for him and Grandma. At 95, Grandma still talks about all the gardening clubs and card games that were formed with her fellow Braniff brides. Working for an airline allowed Grandma and Grandpa to travel more than the average couple during the 1950s and '60s. I loved hearing their stories about South America, Hawaii and beyond.

This photo from 1951 shows Ray with some Braniff colleagues...that must be an important document! Even though this was taken 20 years before I was born, this is exactly how I remember Grandpa - wearing a shirt and tie, totally patient and unflappable, and probably plotting his next smoke. He's been gone for almost 20 years now, but I can still smell his sweet smoky-ness.

Thanks to the internet, Braniff is able to honor its former employees. Click here to read the bio that my Grandma Vada wrote about Grandpa.

It's a great place to check out the airline's history too - this is one of the airplanes painted in a design by Alexander Calder. Groovy!

Todd Brainard, take me away!

Well, Todd Brainard's painting, that is. I'm so frustrated by so many things right now - my small-thinking city trying to close the Main Library, my inept congressman working his good-ol-boys machine against his incredibly worthy opponent, and another 116 days with this buffoon of a president - but I can always count on artwork to take my mind to a happy place. I haven't seen this painting in person yet, but even the digital version is so gorgeous I can't take my eyes off of it. The painter is none other than Long Beach denizen Todd Brainard, whose work has always reminded me of a 21st Century Edward Hopper. The incredible detail, acidic colors and mysterious viewpoints are truly hypnotic. Thank you, Todd, for reminding me of the beauty in the world!

This painting is part of a group show right now at Gallery 33 in Long Beach.

My mother the daredevil

My mom has always been open to trying out new things, but she's not exactly a daredevil. But she's always up for a challenge, and when my cousin Jason announced he was putting together a family sky-diving trip, my pint-sized mother signed up!

So off to Iowa she went, and strapped her 95-pound body onto a burly tandem jumper. Surely he thought she was the easiest tandem jump ever, she's so little! Here she is landing; look at her little legs! She said it was the most thrilling sensation ever. The family group included my 19-year-old cousin and my 76-year-old great aunt! Jason was the only fella in the group, so apparently it's the ladies of the family who got the risk-taking genes. I hope to make it to next year's jump - I'm convinced the vast expanse of Iowa's cornfields are the perfect spot to float above.

Steven Kwon in the LA Times - and Afghanistan

Apparently Eric and I are of a dying breed of people who actually read the newspaper with our morning coffee. I guess I got the habit from my parents - the newspaper has been a part of my morning routine since I was a teenager, and I still cherish that part of my day. Since I went on to get a degree in Journalism I truly appreciate the work that goes into pulling off the task of a daily paper, and the Los Angeles Times, despite all its struggles, still impresses me.

So, even though print newspapers are fighting for their lives, I still glean valuable information from them every day. A couple days ago the LA Times ran a great story by William Lobdell about Steven Kwon, a Pasadena man who has single-handedly introduced introduced soy bean crops into Afghanistan. It's a great story, and Kwon is clearly a courageous and brilliant man. In 2005 Kwon's non-profit organization Nutrition and Education International, provided 2 tons of soy seeds to Afghan farmers, and in the last two years 4,400 farmers in 15 provinces planted 80 tons of seed, resulting in a harvest of 2,000 tons. Kwon's group provides the seeds, fertilizer and training - and it also guarantees to buy the harvest.

Not only does this simple plan provide farmers with an alternative to growing poppy, it addresses the wrenching malnutrition problem in this poor and war-ravaged country. I'm so thankful for people like Kwon, who sees a problem and tries to solve it, and to publications like the LA Times, which continues to provide readers with nuanced coverage of the pressing matters of our time.

William Lobdell, who wrote this piece, is part of the recent wave of layoffs at the Times. Such a loss. I hope the continues to be published there as a freelancer. It has made me seek out his web site: williamlobdell.com. He's a very interesting guy who has reported extensively on religion in the U.S., transforming from an evangelical Christian to an atheist.

Amtrak from San Jose to Berkeley

I recently took a quick trip to Northern California, spent a night with friends in San Jose then took Amtrak to visit family in Berkeley. The train ride was only about 1.5 hours long, but it was such a great mini adventure. It's amazing how much the landscape changes in such a short trip. Here are a few little videos from the ride, in progression heading north. From beautiful landscapes to rusty railyards, it felt more like a cross-country trip! All this for only $14! I have no idea if this is of interest, but I know I love the sounds and view from a train, so for you train voyeurs...

San Jose to Berkeley 2

San Jose to Berkeley 3

San Jose to Berkeley 4

San Jose to Berkeley 5

Help Save Self Help Graphics & Art

I first heard of Self Help Graphics & Art more than ten years ago, when I was an arts writer in Austin. Artists and gallery owners frequently referred to the stellar work being done at the LA-based Self Help Graphics; it was widely known as a hotbed for contemporary artmaking, particularly by emerging Chicano and Hispanic artists.

In the eight years since I've lived in the LA area, the reputation of Self Help is even more reverential, continually providing an outlet for new and emerging artists, who use the center's facilities to create stellar contemporary prints.

To make it more interesting, SHG was founded by Franciscan nun Sister Karen Boccalero more than 35 years ago. Sister Karen is gone, but the building is still owned by the local Archdiocese. Alas, it appears that the massive property sell-off by the Catholic Church, to pay off their enormous legal bills of late, has put SHG on the chopping block. The Archdiocese shocked the art community last week by announcing they were selling the building to a local developer without telling SHG.

The Archdiocese' actions are completely outrageous, as it is unthinkable that the Board, community leaders and members were not given fair notification or the the chance to place a bid for the building. Given SHG's years of service to the community and carrying on the legacy of beloved founder Sister Karen, it is only just that whatever agreement has already been signed off-on, be revisited and renegotiated with all invested parties having a place at the table.

For more information on this situation, and to see how you can help, click here. Please help!

Sage Brush Retreat in Palm Springs

June seems to be slipping by at an extra-fast clip, and I've yet to post! I must give a shout out to this vacation rental in Palm Springs, CA. It's a fabulous 3B/3BR house with a really spectacular pool - and look at that view of those glorious desert mountains.

Our friends purchased and remodeled this house last year and are ready to rent it out! I stayed there with five girlfriends (our annual Palm Springs outing!) and had such a great time, grilling, cocktailing and girling it up. The hosts have thought of everything - from the iPod hookup to the wide variety of suntan lotions to the fully stocked kitchen. With all the gay marriages going on in California - particularly Palm Springs - this house should be booked non-stop right now!

For more info, visit sagebrushps.com.

Diary of Anne Frank by Long Beach Opera

As I've written before, I love the Long Beach Opera. Their unique productions really resonate with me - not typically an opera lover. I'm so proud we have this creative little company in our city.

Their next production is "The Diary of Anne Frank," and it's being presented in, of all venues - parking garages! Having visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, I think the garage is a brilliant metaphor for the dank surroundings that Anne and her family lived in for so long. And apparently the acoustics are quite stunning.

The opera is offering discounted tickets: 10% off single tix (code AFEB1) and 20% off groups of ten or more (code group20). In addition to the June 8 performance in Long Beach, there are two shows in LA at the Sinai Temple in West LA. Please help spread the word! Tickets available at www.longbeachopera.org.

Ah, Austin....

I'll preface this by saying that I used to live in Austin and often fantasize about moving back there. I sing its praises so often that my best friends are sick of hearing about it and the Austin CVB should be sending me a paycheck. So if this entry is overly-effusive, forgive me. I left my heart in Austin (fortunately I took my husband with me).

My mother also loves Austin, so we planned this little journey and thought we'd stay at her favorite hotel, the iconic Austin Motel. Alas they were booked, so a quick search led me to the Park Lane Guest House, and it's now one of my all-time favorite B&Bs! Tucked away under some meandering oak trees in my old neighborhood Travis Heights, this lovely little getaway is an absolutely perfect place to stay if you want some true hippiefied Austin flavor, with Tibetan prayer flags strewn across the yard and an overall blissful zen vibe, and it's walking distance to everything I love to do. We stayed in the Garden Cottage, which has a separate bedroom and a full little kitchen. But if I return I'll opt for the uber-cool Carriage House, which is like a grown up version of a tree house and was recently built and installed by a neat little outfit called Tiny Texas Houses. They build customized little cottages and sheds out of reused, found material. It was so lovely!

For two days we basically shopped and ate our way up and down South Congress, including the obligatory stops at Guero's (see mom and me with mariachis!) and Jo's Coffee. Since we were staying in such a great little home, we were able to invite my Austin amigos over for poolside wine, which we bought at a great little grocer called Farm to Market.

A shout out here to my friend Marla, who's the publisher of a must-have magazine for you foodies out there (whether or not you live in Austin). It's called Edible Austin, and it's a terrific resource for learning about seasonal and sustainable foods. Check it out! There also might be a version that caters to your area (Edible Portland, Edible East Bay, etc.).

I did discover some new additions to Austin. The restaurant Mars (pictured here), which for years lived over near UT, is now located on South Congress and has a really fantastic patio, again shaded by those amazing old oak trees. They have a terrific happy hour and the setting and people-watching can't be beat. That was where we celebrated my anti-birthday (you grow younger in Austin), then set off for a downtown bar I'd never heard of called Lambert's. It's actually a restaurant serving fancy-fied comfort food, but all I can attest to is their quality martinis, and their choice in artwork and music. A band called Pink Nasty played that night, and I just loved them! They reminded us a bit of Cowboy Junkies, but they really made me think of Madder Rose. Thoughtful, melodic, rockin', and a slightly twangy female vocalist. I bought two CD's!

On the walls of Lambert's were gorgeous paintings by a local artist named Gerardo Arellano. This one, System Trap, is from 2006. His work was so vibrant and full of energy, it even captivated me in the dark bar.

In was the quintessential Austin evening - yummy inexpensive food on a shady balcony, followed by stumbling on a terrific band and local artist. Austin, you don't make it easy on me, do you!?

Dallas and Austin, my old stomping grounds

Again I'm relying on memory in writing this entry...if any of you daily bloggers have recommendations on how to actually write on a daily basis, please share! I keep letting time pass but I obsess on spreading the word about these great places and things, so I guess it's better late than never.

My grandmother's 95th birthday took me to Dallas last month (she's doing pretty well, thanks for asking!), so I was delighted to be able to see my ol' peeps and visit some new spots, including Fireside Pies, which had terrific pizza and is clearly a hot spot. It's in my old hood near I-75 and Henderson. Back when I lived there many moons ago it was not exactly the hippest neighborhood (okay, we regularly heard gunshots) but now it's like total Hipsterville. Too funny. My cousin Diane and I made our way to Turtle Creek one day and explored a bit of the Katy Trail , a 3.5-mile pedestrian and bicycle path, traces the greenbelt along which the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT or "Katy") Railroad. Oh how I would have loved that little trail back in the day!

After a few days in Big D my mom and I hit the road for Austin but made some delightful stops along the way, including darling little Waxahachie. I don't even want to know the price on the amazingly huge and gorgeous Victorian homes lining those old streets, it'll make me want to pack up and become a Waxahachie housewife. The old town square is so cute! We stopped for a milkshake at Trinity Pharmacy, which was built in 1913, smells like your grandmother's attic, is lined with dusty apothecary bottles and offers Campbell's Soup on the menu! Look how cute mom is at the soda fountain!

We made our way down the back roads to Forreston in search of one of my all-time favorite shops, Bon Ton. It's been almost ten years since I found my way to that dusty old place, and we did at last find it, but alas it's closed on Tuesdays! But for all you vintage-loving shoppers, put this on your to-do list one day. It's am amazing huge old place and the owners are delightful and always have fantastic old jazz music playing. And oh my I just realized they have online shopping now! That's very dangerous.

Next up - Austin yee haw!

Beatriz Milhazes in my dreams

In a recent home design magazine (I can't remember which one, I was under the throes of my hair dresser), I saw a home with several paintings by this artist, Beatriz Milhazes. I said to my hair dresser "Look over there it's a bright shiny object!" and when she glanced away I ripped out all the pages with Milhazes' work. And I think I've been dreaming about them ever since. The colors and energy...well, if you've ever read my blog before you know that super-energized work paintings of vibrant bursts of acidic colors are right up my alley!

Wouldn't you know it, she's not a starving student selling her work on the cheap. A quick Googleing showed me that she's clearly an established an accomplished artist and is represented at James Cohan Gallery in NYC. Beatriz, if you ever happen to read this and really want to make a fan's dream come true - call me!!

48 hours in Denver

Two days is definitely not long enough to explore a major city, but we did our best. We hunkered down in Downtown Denver and explored by foot, trying to get the flavor of the mile-high city.

Lodging
We stayed at the Curtis Hotel, a cool modern place where the motto is "Stay Happy!" We kind of missed the intimacy (and the breakfast!) of the Boulder B&B, and it was kind of party central (in a loud, drunk voices in the hallway sort of way), but it was cool and walking distance to all points downtown. They also have a lovely martini happy hour every day.

Dining
On a very cold morning, we set off to find breakfast, heading in the general direction of the Denver Art Museum. It was a Sunday and downtown was really dead. And it was really cold. We circled the Museum and just as we were about to give up and walk back toward the hotel, we saw a breakfast beacon called Dozens. It smelled of crispy bacon and dark roasted coffee. It also had a long line. They told us we could wait for a table across the street (more on that below). When we finally did have breakfast it was so worth the wait - I believe I had some sort of eggs benedict dish and a small pot of French press coffee. Bliss!

The place where waited for our table is Pint's Pub, an awesome smelly old English pub that claims to have the largest collection of single-malt scotches outside of Scotland. Easy to believe from seeing the selection. It was a great place to wait on a cold Sunday morning, with terrific bloody marys and steaming coffee. The restaurant called when our table was ready - and we actually put them off to hang out at the bar longer. We even returned later in the day for some microbrew and potato chips. Good stuff.

Nice microbrews and a lovely old dartboard can be found at Breckenridge Brewery.

Out on the town
There has been much to-do about the new Libeskind-designed Denver Art Museum. I can't say I think its unusual architecture provides the best way to view art - with odd angles going to and fro - but from the exterior it's certainly a beacon. And the Museum's exhibitions and collection were small but impressive; of course we went straight to the modern and contemporary galleries, where a stunning Anish Kapoor piece greeted us. The Museum also offers unique and clever ways to engage visitors; just walking down a hall from one gallery to the next is fun, with opportunities to sketch or write poems about your experience. They also have a pretty terrific web site, with lots of interactivity.

You can find all more than you thought you'd ever know about the "Unsinkable Molly Brown" at the Molly Brown House Museum, the grand old home where Molly raised her kids before becoming a jet-setting feminist (or, rather, ship-setting?). And then there is the lovely Colorado state capitol, with a top painted in 24k gold (it's true - this is mining country, and the gold rush is legendary!).

48 hours in Boulder

A couple weeks ago, we spent four fun days in Colorado - two in Boulder, two in Denver. This was our "Random City Rendez Vous" with Kim and Eric, who live in NYC. We convinced them that Colorado was halfway between them and us - okay, so it's much closer to California, but we still had a blast exploring two cities none of us had ever visited.

Since (per my usual sloth-ness) I've let so much time go by, I'm just posting some highlights here. Caveat: there was no time for skiing, as my Texas-raised-now-beach-living self has never done it, so these are very eating/drinking/art-hopping type things.

BOULDER

Lodging: I highly recommend The Bradley Boulder Inn. It's a fabulous B&B, and while it's a little larger than your average B&B, it's just as cozy and homey as you'd hope for when staying at the base of the Rockies. The rooms are large and quiet, the breakfast is really spectacular (the homemade granola and apple brie quiche were to die for!), and the entire staff of young ladies were all so remarkably lovely and sweet, we started to wonder if they were a new kind of specially-designed robotic hotel personnel (I mean that in a totally complimentary way). It's also just a block from the Pearl Street Mall and all kinds of hikes, so thumbs up on location.

Out on the town:
DO NOT go to Boulder without embarking on Banjo Billy's Bus Tour. I'm sorry to say I don't remember the name of the guy otherwise known as Banjo Billy, but he was a hoot, and his 90-minute tour of Boulder in the school bus/log cabin hybrid was a blast. And, it was BYOB! You'll get some some mediocre but lovingly told ghost stories along the way.

Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (It looks like their site is having problems). A funky and cool little museum with no collection, it seems to host some interesting and challenging exhibitions. We saw work by Yumi Janairo Roth, Wang Jing, Susan Lee-Chun, and, our favorite, really engrossing photographs from North Korea by Hiroshi Watanabe. The photos from his series "Ideology of Paradise" are so gorgeous, like the one above, Li Min Gyong, Pyongyang Schoolchildren's Palace, North Korea. The colors and flavor of these North Korean residents were so rich and vibrant - but it was all tainted by the knowledge that they live in such a repressive society. I'm so happy to discover his work!

Dushanbe Teahouse
A real Tajik teahouse, built by artisans direct from Tajikistan (Boulder's sister city); this place is so gorgeous and, apparently, really popular - it was packed! It's right next door to the MoCA. It's worth a peek inside even if you're not sticking around for tea.

Dining:
We hit so many restaurants and I did a crummy job of keeping track of what we ate where, but I can attest these places:
Mountain Sun Pub: this was our first eatery, and one of the best. I still remember the flavor of the blue cheese burger and micro brew ale - sooo good. Their motto says it all: Beer, Food, Music, Love: What Else Do You Need? Indeed!

The Kitchen Cafe
We only had drinks and appetizers here, but the food was fabulous, and they pride themselves on seasonal, organic produce. It's a very "green" restaurant; they use wind-power generated electricity, and all of their paper products and straws are biodegradable. They give the remaining uncooked food and open bottles of wine to our staff at the end of each shift and all of our food scraps are made into compost. I love that!

Lastly but certainly not leastly, the Mork and Mindy House! Proof that we're children of the '70s, we sought out the house where the TV show took place (at least the exterior). Here's Kim and Eric doing the special shake. Makes me think of those goofy suspenders I used to wear...I think I even said "Nanoo Nanoo" instead of hello for a good long while. Thanks to Watts for making this happen.

Still to come...48 hours in Denver.

House Artist Deduction Bill

Whenever I work on an art auction, I'm always amazed that artists can only deduct the cost of the materials in the artwork that they donate - not the actual fair market value of the artwork. It's a real rip off for artists, and makes it that much more difficult for arts organizations to secure quality donations for their fundraisers.

It also affects museum collections - most museums, libraries, educational institutions and archives lack funds to acquire works of art, relying instead on donations. Without incentive to give their works to nonprofit institutions, creators often keep their works or sell them to private collectors, and the public loses.

Now, in the U.S. House there is a pending bill to allow artists to deduct the full market value amount of their artwork when donating to museums and non-profits. This bipartisan legislation would simply allow artists to take a fair-market value deduction for works given to and retained by nonprofit institutions. From what I can tell it has been stuck in sub-committee for some time, so please contact your Congressman/woman and support this bill by clicking here: capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/bills/?bill=9680576

Day 4 - leaving Marfa

Sunday morning, our last chance for a delightful Marfa meal. On our way out of town we hit Austin Street Cafe, and it's WONDERFUL! I forgot to take notes, but we had something called Green Eggs, and it was a crust-less spinach omelet-like dish, and fresh blueberry French toast, and some really wonderful coffee. It was a bright, chipper place in an old house with really friendly staff, and a lovely garden out back.

Alas, we must hit the road. On our way out of town we stop for a moment at the crazy Prada Marfa, an art installation that looks just like a Prada boutique - replete with shelves of shoes from the 2005 collection - and sits plum in the middle of nowhere near Marfa and Valentine. There's a great entry in ArtForum about Prada Marfa (and Marfa in general), just click here.

Also, a little slice of West Texas here...nothing like an open road and roaring wail of a train to make one homesick for Texas! Pardon the windy noise. And thanks for reading!

Day 3 in Marfa

The next morning, everyone looks a little green as we rally back at the Brown Recluse, whose homegrown organic coffee is just what the doctor ordered. They were packed (thanks to us) and the huevos took a while, so we perused their selection of cool old books and bought some t-shirts. Everyone but us is leaving today, so people clear out quickly, and the newlyweds pack off to Alpine to catch the overnight Sunset Limited train to Houston.

Eric and I wander the town, it's still down season so it's pretty quiet, but we do find some galleries open, including Inde Jacobs, where we talk to one of the owners, Vilis Inde. He describes how much he loves living in Marfa, after time in New York in Santa Fe. It's a terrific little contemporary gallery. We stroll on and stumble on Yard Dog Gallery, the West Texas outpost of one of my favorite little Austin galleries. Chat with the gal behind the counter, a very cool chic who moved here from San Francisco to work at YD and pursue her video art. She, too, raves about living there. It's so interesting to think about the culture shock these artists went through, moving here from such huge cosmopolitan areas, and loving it so much!

Anyway, at Yard Dog I buy a couple of tiny nature photos mounted on 100% recycled barn wood by Rebecca Tolk, who shot them with a Holga. They're lovely, and only $20! You can buy them on her Etsy page at rebeccatolk.etsy.com.

Then, as we tend to do when we travel, we discover a great pizza place called Pizza Foundation. The pizza is so yummy, thin crispy crust, tangy sauce and tasty pepperoni. The frozen limeade rocks, too.

As we make our way back to the hotel, we mosey into the Presidio County Museum, a blissfully old-school and non-technological look at the history of the area, from fossils of the area to the lives of the Native Americans to the different sorts of barbed wire by ranchers. Good stuff.

After some chilling at the hotel, we decide to go for a drive. There are scenic drives all around Marfa, so we pack up a bottle of wine and hit the road, hoping to find a good sunset spot. Instead, we find ourselves meandering through Fort Davis, magnetically drawn to the McDonald Observatory (well-known for the home base of the NPR segment "Star Date"). It's about 40 miles from Marfa, and SO WORTH THE DRIVE! We're lucky enough to be there on the night of a Star Party - sign us up! We gather with a group of about 100 (apparently during the busy season it can be 1,000) at an outdoor amphitheater, watching the sun go down, the sky go dark, and the stars light up. It's close to a new moon, so the stars are really shining. I'm so happy to see the Milky Way again. There's classical music playing, and life is good! Here's a little clip.



After it gets pretty dark, and now that our eyes are adjusted a bit, a guy takes the microphone and starts telling us about what we're seeing in the sky. He has a really spectacular green laser pen, one so powerful that he can point out a constellation like it was a Power Point presentation. He shows us the Pleades (seen below, thanks NASA!), also known as the 7 Sisters, Cassiopeia, and so many others. It was so spectacular. He also pointed out something we'd never heard of before: the Zodiacal Light. Gorgeous! Everyone leaves the amphitheater and gets in line at one of five telescopes, each showing a different thing of beauty in the sky. The most amazing was Saturn - and its rings! It was crystal clear, it just felt like you could reach out and grab it.

What a great show that was! Drive back to Marfa (listening to Moby), stop for a drink at Maiya's, head back to the hotel and rent "Giant," (when in Marfa!) and stay away for about half of the movie. Life is good!

Next up: the journey back....

Day 2 in Marfa

Day Two, Feb. 29
WEDDING DAY and LEAP DAY!
Waken to a blazing bright morning, and join the night-before couples at Conchita’s for ridiculously yummy and cheap breakfast burritos. I decide I’m eating bacon at least once daily on this trip. Kate and Willy are amazingly calm for their wedding day – the notion that all their family members are ambling their way to this tiny town doesn’t stress them out one bit. That’s why we lurvel them.

A walk back to the hotel, a little washing up, a little marveling at how clean the air smells. Kate and Willy go for a stroll with Pat and Claire (how many couples go for random strolls on their wedding day? Again, lurvel!). Then Kate and I make our way back to Alpine to pick up her wedding flowers at Flowers @ 6th Street. The owner (Sherri, think?) is lovely and delighted to meet Kate, after all their phone conversations. The flowers are real purdy. Then Kate and I pop into like five nail salons to see if we can score a mani/pedi, to no avail. But it was fun looking, even just so I could announce to a bunch of strangers that Kate was getting married that day! Pulling back into Marfa we stop at the Brown Recluse for an iced latte, and speak to the nice owner, who moved to Marfa from South Africa (would love to know more of that story!). Kate tells me when returning here for breakfast tomorrow. She finally seems to be getting a little nervous.

Back to the hotel. I score cheap nail polish at the dollar store and do a really crappy pedicure on myself by the pool (with a Shiner, of course!). Family members start to arrive, most having flown to Midland and then driving three hours from there, and staying at the Hotel Paisano. Kate’s transformation from cutie pie to Amazing Hot Stuff Pinup Girl begins. She has the most amazing green dress with big hoopy thing, and ‘40s style hair and makeup. For a while we’re not sure of the whereabouts of the groom, but my husband is also missing so we assume they’re doing…something. They finally arrive, and it turns out they were wandering the county trying to find the wedding cake, which was baked by “Josie, a lady who works at the bank” who happens to live even further out in the middle of nowhere. But they did have time for falafel and hummus at the Food Shark.

We drive the lovely bride to meet her court at the Hotel Paisano, and much camera-snapping by the outdoor fountain ensues. It's also a reunion of sorts. I've known the bride and her family since I was six years old (!!!) and haven't seen any of them in far too long...I love that we are seeing each other again at such a special event in such a faraway place! So after the shutters stopped clicking, we walk around the corner to the Presidio County Courthouse and ascended its many steps to the cupola. What a great setting!

You can see the edge of Marfa in all directions, then the vast expanse beyond. The Justice of the Peace arrives, and what is her name? JUDGE CINDERELA of course!! She is Judge Cinderela Rice Guevara, and she's the loveliest little judge you ever did see. The vows that she read were so perfect for our dynamic couple, and brought us all to tears. It was so fantastic!

Back down the stairs we go, much more camera-clicking ensues all the way down the stairs, out the door and down the street to dinner. We forced the newlyweds to stand in the middle of the street to get some lovely shots of them in front of the courthouse. Then we make our way into Maiya's Restaurant and partake in margaritas (I like to call them Marfa-ritas) and another fantastic meal. Life is good (there's Eric and me, enjoying our 'ritas)! And here are my kooky friends, Scott, Sarah, Kate-the-bride, and Patti, the one who brought us all together back in the beginning!

After dinner, we're back at the Hotel Paisano, and stumble on an art opening at one of the hotel's galleries, the Greasewood Gallery. Lovely huge landscape photographs of the region by Richard Finker, and the artist and gallery manager so nice and completely cool about a whole wedding party filling their room and drinking their champagne. The Hotel Paisano takes great pride in its role in the classic film "Giant," and there are photos of Liz Taylor, Rock Hudson and the ever-gorgeous James Dean proudly hung. The whole town is quite proud of the setting of this and many other films, including the recent "There Will Be Blood" and "No Country for Old Men."

So, back to the hotel for some outfit-changing (ready for sweaters and boots!), back to the T-lounge for another drink, then off we go again to the Marfa Lights Viewing Station, where the weird green and red lights entertained us while sipped Sofia Coppola champagne and devoured the yummy pecan/chocolate cake made by the nice lady who works at the bank and lives out in the boonies. I'd say it was one spectacular wedding day!

Three Days in Marfa - Day 1

It has already been two weeks since our journey to Marfa, TX, so before more time passes here's our Marfa experience, somewhat stream of conscience...

Day 1, Feb. 28
Fly into El Paso, rent a car, head East. Ten minutes from town is when the wide open space begins, along with the higher speed limit - 80mpg, which means we go 85. We're promptly pulled over by a highway patrolman with a striking resemblance to Tommy Lee Jones. He was real nice and gave us a warning, and I almost asked for his autograph.

The countryside is fantastic, especially once you pull off I-10 and onto Highway 90. To your right is the mountains that spread out to Big Bend, and on your left is grasslands and rumbling cargo trains. Decompression begins set in. Our driving CDs: Dave Brubeck, White Stripes.

Three hours after leaving El Paso, we're in Marfa, Texas, a town long on our to-visit list. Our friends Kate and Willy, who live in Houston, are so cool that they decided to get married in this quirky, funky, artsy, dusty outpost. It's pretty much just past the middle of nowhere in West Texas, but has transformed into a contemporary art mecca in the last couple of decades. To read more about the town's original artsy cheerleader Donald Judd and the Chinati Foundation, click here.

So we pulled into the Thunderbird Hotel, a stylish little modern hipster-type place opened by the folks who brought us the lovely San Jose in Austin. Kate, the bride, greets us in the parking lot, jumping up and down and clapping and looking as blissfully happy as a bride ought to look. Hugs, kisses, checking in. Lovely room, WiFi and ethernet, iPod docking, quirky gifties, etc. Made the mistake of not transferring to a room NOT below someone else (lots of noisy footsteps overhead), but real nice, nonetheless. Kate/Willy's romance package includes a great CD of funky love-related tunes, bottle of champagne, and pink christmas lights strewn on the floor. Very cute.

Kate and I enjoy a Shiner Bock by the pool (ahhh), then rally at the T-bird Lounge with the other early-arrivers Claire and Pat, another fun Houston couple. I have a Snake Bite, which here means Apple Cider and Plum Wine - YUM!

We shoot some sunset photos, then head 20 minutes east to the town of Alpine for dinner at the Reata Restaurant, which makes fine "Cowboy Cuisine," including amazing jalapeno cheddar grits and bacon-wrapped asparagus! We feel so special, having such an intimate night with the blushing couple.

On our way back to Marfa, we pull over to the Marfa Lights Viewing Platform. Much has been written about the Marfa Lights, so I won’t go into detail. But they are indeed very strange and cool and should definitely be on your “One Day…” list. It’s very chilly and windy, and the sky is so HUGE and clear. The Milky Way does indeed still exist! Melancholy over living in a place with only one or two visible stars sets in – as does fatigue from the long day. One more drink at the T-bird Lounge (music: Pixies’ Debaser), one more round of hugs, and off to bed. TK: Days 2 and 3...

Amy Ruppel at TS - I couldn't help myself!

So just because our kitchen is all tore up and we're spending all extra pennies to make it real purdy and we don't have any wall space left for art and I swore I'd try to kick my Tiny Showcase addiction doesn't mean I don't slip off the art wagon now and then!! I am only human after all, and this print was just too fabulous. I was actually very lucky to land this one, as all 200 prints sold out in 30 minutes. I owe this one to Gina, who alerted me of its presence moments before it sold out. She scored one too, so Long Beach will be graced by at least two of them.

This lovely 4x6" print by Amy Ruppel is called "Mensa Masters," so I think buying it was rather genius, so to speak. Plus it comes with two enamel pins! And by golly we will find wall space for it! Plus $250 of the proceeds benefits Direct Relief International, a non-profit humanitarian medical relief organization. Because that's just how cool the Tiny Showcase people are.

The coolest opera - Long Beach Opera

We were fortunate enough to attend last night's premier of Long Beach Opera's "Orpheus and Euridice," a classic tale of love and loss told in a totally unique format. The company used Long Beach's Olympic Swimming Pool to fill in for a river at the gates of hell, and they used lighting, boats, cloaks and smoke to stunning visual effect. It was so refreshing and unique, and made a me a sudden, ardent opera fan! Elizabeth Futral's voice alongside Todd Palmer's clarinet were haunting, beautiful, and totally engrossing. Check out this cool time lapse video of the whole production (including set-up and tear-down).

SUPER TUESDAY: GO BARAK!

I feel almost as excited as Obama's cutie pie 86-year-old grandmother, Sarah Hussein Obama. I love this shot of her holding a picture of her grandson as she awaits the results of today's primary in Kogelo, Kenya.

Shane Guffogg at Leslie Sacks

If I could somehow work a drive to Brentwood into these hectic days, I'd head straight to Leslie Sacks Fine Art to view the new works by Shane Guffogg, whose work I adore and whom I'd drive much further than Brentwood to see, if I didn't have to do random, time-consuming things like work.

As you can see from this gorgeous image, Secrets of the Golden Flower from 2007, Guffogg is highly skilled at creating layered, hypnotic abstracts. Could this painting possibly have a more apt title? I see secrets! I see gold! I see flowers! Through the gorgeous haze is a beautifully symmetrical play of color, evoking an almost Victorian pattern with a '60s-esque dazed feel.

Some of his work is darker and even more mysterious, like this one on the left, Intimations of Daybreak from 2007. Eric and I were the lucky "winners" of one of Guffogg's work at an art auction last year. I had to rub my eyes and pinch myself when I realized the work would be ours, I love it so much! This one on the right is our own little Shane Guffogg: Book of Secrets from 2006. What secrets do you have, pretty little painting? Do tell!!

Eric and Cari, in wetsuits

I don't know why it has taken me so long to post about this portrait of Eric and me in wetsuits. Perhaps it's because I kind of hate how I look in this photo (where oh where did my eyebrows go??), but it's certainly not because of the portrait itself, which I LOVE!

The artist is Peter Zokosky, he's up there on the left. He's long been one of my favorite painters, and we've become friends over the years. I fell in love with his figurative work years ago, particularly his "flayed" figures (like the one here, Trapezius from 2002). He's really a master and painting the human form. No big surprise that he teaches "Biology for Artists" at Cal State Long Beach. Imagine how honored I was when he told me he had a vision of me and Eric wearing wetsuits, and he just had to paint it! I'd never worn a wetsuit in my life before we posed for this painting, so I can't really say where the vision came from. I know he likes how wetsuits kind of minimizes people's figures, making them at once adrogynous and quasi-amphibious. He said he thought I had a "very feminine face" and Eric had a "very male face," features he wanted to see in the portrait. So there you have it.

This painting is currently on exhibit at the Long Beach Museum of Art (yep, my former home-away-from-home for many years) as part of About Face: Portraiture Now, on display through March 23. Peter himself curated the exhibition, and it's a great look at contemporary portraiture by 35 regional artists.

RIP Ettore Sottsass Jr.

2007 ended with the death of an icon in the art and design community, Ettore Sottsass, who died of heart failure at age 90. I'm one of those people who anthropomorphizes inanimate objects, expecting a little personality in the design of just about everything, whether my mouse pad or my coffee cup. This is why I love the work of Ettore Sottsass!

Sottsass had a long and unique life, punctuated by very dark days (time spent in a concentration camp during WWII), and greatness (some of the world's highest design awards). He is perhaps best known for imbuing normally hum-drum items, such as typewriters and other office tools, with colorful personalities, suggesting a change should be made in the way we view the inanimate objects we surround ourselves with on a daily basis. Click here to view a Sottsass bio.

In 2006, LACMA hosted the first Sottsass retrospective in the US - it was a terrific show, beautifully capturing both Sottsass's quirky aesthetic and and desire to give life and character to so-called everyday objects. Click here to read a brief interview with the curator of that exhibition, Ronald T. Labaco, LACMA’s assistant curator of decorative arts.

Napoleon at MFA and Cool at OCMA

The thing I love about the holidays is the loosey-goosey schedule that allows for some catching up on exhibitions. We were in Boston a couple of weeks ago, and in between blizzards I managed to sneak (thanks to my sister-in-law) to the MFA to view Symbols of Power: Napoleon and the Art of the Empire Style, 1800-1815. Although I would have loved to see more 2D work from the period, the furniture, dinner settings and - most of all - the Empire dresses were spectacular. Per usual, the MFA's web site offers a really terrific interactive component. Click here to view.

And then last Thursday, three girlfriends and I played hooky and ventured down to Orange County to check out Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design, and Culture at Midcentury at the Orange County Museum of Art. This show has received quite a bit of buzz, partly because of the dedicated love of mid-century design in this part of the world, and partly because it takes a different approach to museum installation - it incorporates music! Imagine that! Art and music together! I often wish museum installations would have a musical component, because so often music is of great influence to an artist's work, and music also helps convey the feeling and vibe of a period of time.

So this show did just that, starting with the title: Birth of the Cool is, of course, a Miles Davis album from the 1950s, and its funky, groovy sounds greet visitors entering the exhibition. Throughout the show, there are listening and viewing stations where you can check out "cool" albums and TV shows from the same period. The whole experience really made me want to visit the Playboy Mansion and sip a martini.

My favorite part of the show was the gallery of paintings. I've long been a fan of Helen Lundeberg and Karl Benjamin, and this is such a great opportunity to see several of their dynamic works all together. I'm so happy to finally see Benjamin get his props - his work is so dynamic and is so relevant to what was going on in design and art in Southern California in the 1950s. He's quite elderly now but totally lucid, and I'm sure he's enjoying this much-deserved attention. This piece, Benjamin's Black Pillars from 1957, became the most iconographic image of the show, and rightly so, since it's geometric forms and unusual color combination are hallmarks of the designs explored here.

Happy New Year to you! Thanks for reading, and check back soon for more explorations!