Science! Psuedo-science! Nature! Art! Nonsense!
September 5, 2022
nature, river, who knows gem, kayak, nature, photography, river, romey, shenandoah, shenandoah river, skaggs, video Leave a comment
We are way too busy. During COVID the river was a key respite for us. Time to get back to our roots.
A run in September is just what the doctor ordered.
Honestly, they did answer…
Boyle’s boat looking grand.
A run of the class 0 rapids (with one hand).
Here’s to more Fall runs during 2022.
September 5, 2022
art art, art museum, hirshhorn, joan, photography, romey, video, washington dc, yayoi kusama Leave a comment
There were circles. Which is my favorite part.
Romey and Joan arrive
We waited for our timed entry.
And finally it was time.
Then more waiting.
And it was time again.
And then, you guessed it, more waiting!
And it was the last time.
Well worth the wait. Wow.
Our reality is not quite as…
July 23, 2022
art, politics art, art museum, dali, film, light, madrid, modern art, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, photography, picasso, politics, queens, romey, sculpture, spain, video Leave a comment
There is lots of politics pervading the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía which if you think about it is somewhat ironic. I mean, the place itself is named after a queen. And lots of anti-imperial politics pervades (including some well-deserved anti-Americanism). But a queen? What kind of democracy has a monarch? Or still reveres a monarch? Seriously. Those days need to be behind us as a species.
Anyway, the ill-begotten gains of monarchy are at least being spent on art and not on oppression. Or is art just an opiate slightly stronger than religion? These are difficult issues to plumb.
And are they old fashioned or what? No pictures of some of the pictures? Trapped in the past they are. The guernica room is a shrine that should be full of life, not a mausoleum. Spain still seems to have a Franco hangover.
But still, go. The sound and the fury be damned.
The light is excellent.
Shadowplay.
Take a green break.
Watch mute.
And then coffee.
June 25, 2022
film, music, photography claudia, download, download festival, festival, five finger death punch, germany, live music, markus, markus schumacher, metal, metallica, music, photography, video 2 Comments
What do you do when you land in Germany? The answer involves a Camaro and the Autobahn and Metallica.
Markus’s airport car service
After a quick shower to wash off the metal tube, it’s time for the first Radler. A slippery slope to lots of beer. It is, after all, Germany.
The download festival. Here we come.
The duck is your co-pilot
Cider for the win
In the van things are serious
The weather GOOD
The weather BAD
duckface
After a bunch of beers (who is counting?), we wound our way over a 5km spiral into the venue. Germans are a very orderly bunch. Bt who thought up this entrance and exit plan?
MOO.
Sabaton from Sweden
Rock and roll
What?!
My crowd. What an unruly, fantastic bunch.
There was beer
Did I mention the part about the beer?
We pushed off the rain through sheer psychic magic, but it was only delayed.
Nap time for the American
Five Finger Death Punch
You may start with five fingers, but you will end up with four.
Finally, Metallica
Are you feeling good? Yes, we are.
Some guitar for you.
Rocker
Nothing else matters in this crowd of strangers. Metalheads are a welcoming bunch.
I am not alone.
My first metal show was the best one ever.
June 3, 2022
art art, art installation, barns of rose hill, berryville, BORH, digital art, digital psychedelic art, eli mcgraw, original art, photography, the ulluh, ulluh, video, Virginia 1 Comment
In the end it is a sight to behold. That is, the transformation from a workaday, poorly conceived upper gallery blank slate into a thoughtful exhibition of great beauty and striking talent. Feast your eyes on this…
The (almost) final instantiation of digital psychedelic art by ulluh
This is the first formal showing of ulluh’s art on planet earth, and it is an incredible testament to the power of digital art and artistic vision.
Here’s how the show went up.
Stands for the digital displays (seven of them in the show, all told), five on these rolling stands.
This window required covering, and the space could use some chopping up and conceptual clarity.
That’s more like it. The blue leaks into the great hall like the glow of an old school TV. All intentional design.
Screens booting up. Each of these displays show three pieces in a six minute cycle. They are synchronized. The art gets an opportunity to speak for itself.
Romey’s couch and a 10.5 by 8 feet divider create a space for more intentional viewing. This is where the absolutely stunning builds are shown in an 18 minute loop. Watching the artist’s creative process is both informative and captivating. Wow. Once again, the blue light brings the space an altered reality.
Shadow box frames hover off the wall.
The rest of the space creates a natural eddy, flowing around the room, drawing the viewer in.
The prints go up, each its own reflection of a digital display.
A build caught in early action.
This art is the result of hundreds of hours of painstaking and thoughtful work. Each piece has a deep story to tell. Lean more here.
The show runs at the Barns of Rose Hill through July 2nd.
May 4, 2022
art anna billman, art, eli, leigh henry, megan caldwell, painting, photography, romey, winslow mccagg Leave a comment
For a long time now, the only painting by Megan Caldwell in the collection has been this little painting on a tiny block of wood in the kitchen. We fixed that.
Sad to miss the opening due to Indiana, though we got a preview of the show before everyone invaded. What a fantastic collection of work, not just Megan’s but also great stuff from Winslow McCagg, Anna Billman (whose photography is excellent) and Leigh Henry.
So now we have some Megan in the house. Or we will. Or something.
This one depicts a local stretch of the river very close to home.
The artist and the mini artist
A whole nother artist
Same spot, different time of day.
Because Eli and Romey insisted, the upper left painting now belongs to me. The water is magical.
This is a study for the painting I purchased. Had to get it too.
Winslow and Anna’s work was in another room. The pairings were perfect. An incredibly well-designed show.
Nice to see such great work at Longbranch. Clarke County’s art scene is top notch. (The show will be up through May 8, 2022.)
March 7, 2022
art, photography ale, art, dc, eli, gem, painting, phillips, phillips collection, photography, picasso, romey, washington dc Leave a comment
The Phillips Collection remains one of my favorite art museums. The incredible level of curation at the new Picasso exhibit shows why. Great combinations in addition to world class art. Top notch.
For those who know their picasso, this is early stuff, basically 1901-1904 (including the blue period).
We went to the show as a last birthday present of the 38th year. Thanks Romey. What an excellent present, art with the ones you love.
PICASSO
NOT PICASSO
My favorite painting at the Phillips.
In a new spot.
After art, we were hoping to have brunch at the Bistrot Du Coin, but once again the google hours were wrong. Fortunately, there was La Tomate to fill in admirably. We had lots of cacio et pepe. Ahhhh.
February 4, 2022
art, photography, travel art, art museum, film, man ray, photography, richmond, romey, video, VMFA Leave a comment
The Man Ray exhibit in Richmond is well worth a visit, especially when you surround yourself with friends. Romey set up this visit to the VMFA with Stan. Gorgeous pictures, interesting technique, and oh the gossip!
There were the famous.
picasso
The dead.
Dead Proust
The musical.
Stravinsky
The queer.
Barbette
Some film (with a modern soundtrack by Paul Mercer called Emak-bakia)
Some high art.
With new techniques.
The silly.
Duchamp
Nobody in particular
Memories. memories. memo. mem. me.
Memories were invoked
POW
Wow
Woo
Tell no one
Love and beauty.
October 29, 2021
animals, dogs, ocean beach, home improvement, mr skaggs, ocean isle beach, OIB, photography, romey, the stick Leave a comment
Sunset and Moonshine (by Romey)
Who knew that installing a new washer/dryer combo thing could be so fun? That’s the nature of the Stick, I suppose. Now that I properly own it again, the time has come to spruce it up (a constant battle in the elements provided by the nearby Atlantic). We also fixed the ridiculously installed electricity, added some lights in the kitchen and over the bar, and installed a beautiful shelf in the bathroom.
Special thanks to Mr Skaggs for the help, as always above and beyond the call of duty. Anyway, here’s how all that unfolded over two visits
Moonshine and Rosie demonstrate how it feels to arrive at the Stick.
Mike learned about pickapeppa on cream cheese. A serious YUM.
The ocean is great when you are under one
Look at that professional grade piping!
The new shelf
Kitchen lighting. Now there is no excuse for not properly cleaning the kitchen.
The bar lights
Claudio and his family are going to do some major work next year. But first they need to see what they are getting into.
A second trip down with the Shepardsons and Romey was required to install the W/D (on order for several weeks).
Installing this thing required taking the entire closet apart, cleaning out 25 year worth of dryer lint, and putting it all back together (without improving the design one tad…LOL). Gotta say that drying sheets and towels is a thing.
How you feel after several days of partying at the Stick
