Riding the Crest
Should auld acquantaince be forgot?:
As 2009 looms brightly I’ve made some interesting observations. I’m excited that next year we will induct our 44th president (one who actually smiles) in the year that I turn the same number of years young. Over the coming months I am involved in two exhibitions, one here and one elsewhere, and have two speaking engagements at PSU and PAM. It’s the first time in my life that I am seriously contemplating grad school, and by year end will get back to New England for the first time since ‘06, more twos. In ‘09 I will have lived in the state of Oregon for eight years, so more even numbers (good for Libra). Ultimately, the belt’s been extremely tight around my search for quality employment in a satisfying field, even outside the periphery. Instead I have decided to continue to do two things that bring me a sense of calm, and balance: consolidate my world posessions and read. I had the pleasure of serving on my first RACC panel this year, and completed a wonderful residency at Caldera back in February. Two friends suggested books, so I hopped online and bought both The Gift by Lewis Hyde (thanks Paul) and On Seeing by F. Gonzalez-Crussi (thanks Chas). At year end I offer no “Best Of” list - and I met a goal weighing in at a net annual loss 13#. I’m about to embark on a new body of work that keeps me somewhat sequestered in the studio, making something of a foreign cousin to the classic still life. 2008 was a melange of things, and the new year, from the outset, already hints at surpassing what’s been kickstarted thusfar. Happy New Year everybody!
Tags: Caldera, F. Gonzalez-Crussi, Lewis Hyde, New Year 2009, On Seeing, The Gift