Sunday, June 24, 2007

last night...

G-spot and I went to town for Erica's opening... i was and am very excited for Erica in this new venture, but i have to admit after all this time of checking myself out of the maintstream art world i was even more excited to see old friends. and indeed! it felt so good being with them.

Max looked great and was in the prime-form that only he can be in. Mitch, Carolyn, John, Carrie, and i took a little trek off the beaten-path to Max's gallery to look at a piece that Max had been working on... an ink drawing of a beautiful gnarly old tree with a sort of yin yang going on as the tree is intensely lined and dark on one side, moving to clean, simplified light on the other. In typical artist-fashion he was worried that the piece wasn't "working" - but it was and we all tried to convince him of the fact.

While I was in his gallery I wanted to see the latest show that was hanging and took to wandering around the gallery... there are some really great works in this one... I come to expect this at M2 as Max and Michael have a high-bar set for what goes on the walls.

I discovered that Max had one of my paintings hanging in the show, "Release" is the paintings name. Now, my words can not do justice to the feelings i went through seeing it hanging without knowing it would be there. Max is really a good friend and I feel we share some common threads that leave me knowing we share a love for each other.. and NOT in a romantic or sexual sense! And full-knowing Max could be capable of hastily hanging that painting as a gesture of friendship knowing i might be there to see it... I also know how important it is to Max to have a show hung right...with each piece properly flowing into the next. I have sat and watched him agonize over every single painting in a show for hours on end... and so it is with this knowlege that I was so touched by seeing my painting there hanging. I know he wanted it there, I know he believed in it and its relationship to the gallery as well as the paintings hanging along side it.

I am still blown away by this, I just don't know how I could truly thank him.

There were LOTS of real life hugs last night and it felt so good... in contrast, I hate hugs where two people barely touch - as if there is a thin layer of shit between them that they dare not get on each other and these sorts of hugs are always accompanied by nervous pats on the back... those were not the types of hugs that went around last night.... we held each other, smiled, laughed, closed our eyes, felt each other's warmth... it was so nice.

I had one-of-a-handful-to-date, great psychology-based conversations with Carrie. She is an energetic woman alive with electricity I swear... she is getting ready to do her internship in NY at Mt. Bellview and as I write this is probably standing on a curb in Long Island checking out over-priced apartments, as her plane was leaving at o-dark-thirty this morning for three days of touring the hood for housing.

When Carrie and I have a chance to talk it is always a very candid conversation... and why not? I happily volunteer myself for her free-services, and in some ways she does the same with me, which of course is quite flattering to me.

She told me before we parted for the night that she loves talking to me as she leaves learning something about herself every time.. I was floored by this compliment to the point of not knowing how to respond, nor was I able to reciprocate and tell her she always has the same effect on me.

There was of course much more to the evening...but I will refrain from going on and on and convincing you of my oddness.

Now back to cleaning a path through our house so that when my mother arrives tomorrow night to spend the night she won't have to mark out an obstacle course to find her sleeping place... cheers!

8 comments:

paisley said...

wow... i read wrote fed the cats and the dogs... wrote read looked at tv and went to bed at 9.....

but its ok.. thats who i am ....

you have a terrificly interesting life and group of friends,,, i hope you keep sharing them with me.....

JaneDoughnut said...

It is wonderful to belong to a community. I feel like that with a lot of the musicians around here. Glad you had such a great time.

Art Will Save Us All said...

Michael Ann,
I knew exactly where your painting would be best presented and will always show your works that is as long as you allow me too.

Seeing Gordy and you the other night made my night and I look forward to visiting again.

Erica's place looks fantastic and her jewelry is top notch. I have one of her pieces and get compliments on it every time I wear it.

I love you guys bunches and bunches.
OOOXXX
Max

Jamie Lee Awesome said...

Mom! This is completely unrelated!

I got the job with Apple! YAAAAAAYYYY!

Shelli said...

Elaine and i were in New Orleans (Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon) celebrating her BD! otherwise we would've gone to Erika's opening!

Michael-Ann said...

Paisley my life is not very interesting... just every now and then I get to be in the company of interesting people.

Jane what is it about artists? Doesn't matter if they are the artsy-kind, or musicians, or poets... :)

Max! What a surprise to find you here... Mitch must have told you I was talking about you behind your back :)

HOOTIE! I am so happy for you and I am sure a lot of your stress just flew out the window!

Michelle... I figured you must be on some adventure. I missed you.

Biddie said...

And I have to report that there was a fine clear path to my sleeping place!! I thoroughly enjoyed my "hit-and-run howdy" type of visit to my daughter's home! She does, indeed, have an interesting life - she's just too close to it to see it .....
There's always such a great energy in her home, it's fun being there with her and G.

And once again, many, many thanks for all the help you gave me this week - it made things go so smoothly!

Mitch said...

Guilty! ;)

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