Several exciting and inspiring books have been gathering around me. a known weakness. I am slowly plowing through…i am a slow especially with dense writing...dozens of new books are on the night stand. Here are a few and personal stories around them.
Typing this out , this time with more self inspection, catching my messy live typing phonetic misspellings..so many!.. It’s getting worse with age…so awful so, lazy of me. To my friends i am sorry. Overwhelming today is the harsh realization of the continued misspellings, for instance the art dealer Vrej Baghoomian and artist Ouattara Watts.. among countless others…the grave misspellings make my wordsmith friends worry about me..myself also for that matter..My only defense is my writings here are generally spontaneous sketches fast and live in a moment of inspiration .. remembrance.,,friends here inspire me to keep going.
Books books books
I am thrilled to read a first in-depth survey and biography of Ouattara Watts. A friend I worked with in 1980s is has a couple of great shows up with books. I have learned more at many levels, his story is very moving, an artists journey from Africa to Paris to NY till today. The two books are produced by the Karma gallery in concert with the Currier Museum. One simply Ouattara over 400 pages. So happy i put photo credit stickers on the installation and artwork transparencies back in the late 80s. several full page and double page spreads show installation and interiors with credit! Hooray.
It inspired me to pull a cherished relic out from the 80s, the Vrej Baghoomian gallery catalog of Ouattra’s break out show. Very proud that I did the photography for much of it ..gosh 34 years ago. Some in trade for work. Just now revisiting a warm inscription and drawing in the front pages. I tingle so happy for Mr. Ouattra Watts a great powerful painter.
At that time in the mid 1980s i was traveling on field trips with my sister, a cultural anthropologist , Carol Patterson, documenting the south western Pueblo Indian rock art with her and mentor and guide La Van Marntineau who parents were French sheepherders were unable to care for a new born baby left him on Paiute Indian reservation in Utah. ( a long great story about traveling with my sis and La Van and his teepee and daughters who traveled dancing at powwows (black and white spotted spotted flicker bird costumes ). LaVan wrote a book from his extensive field studies called “ The Rocks Begin to Speak “ Among many lessons in the field he introduced me to how to begin to read many rock symbols which was a epiphany moment for me … and showed me how to make arrow heads with a antler tip and leather on your knee ..he was fast ..which he threw a Folsom point he made over his shoulder laughing. “ for scientist to discover”. La Vans books and my sisters books were very exciting for me at the time, the mid 80s… ..Also learning how mix mud and the building Adobe structures. Back in NYC i told anyone that would listen about these adventures.
Jean-Michel was very animated and excited when i told him these stories. The ancient rock symbols and adobe building I see now how this was also alined at this moment with his new artist friend Ouattara Watts. JMB was lit up by Ouattara’s work and history and sacred symbols. Jean-Michel told me he had bought some land in New Jersey or upstate NY?, he wanted me to show him how to make adobe from the dirt on the property. He wanted to bring me there to see it. Busy simply surviving i never followed up .Just night coke talk or maybe probably, anger or jealousy. I was broke he was rich. Once i ran into him at a Interview party downstairs at Indochine on Lafayette in NoHo for Bob Colacello I think .., I was there with my girl friend Pamela Edelsten .. standing on the dance floor JMB came right up to me screaming in my face because the music was so loud ..”I thought you were going to show me how to make adobe “ we chit chatted and he then handed me a lit cigar size joint with chunks of burning hash dropping out and asked my girl friend to dance..and away they went for many songs .. the poison of jealousy and anger was in my blood. So I blocked him out. Now I wished id tried harder visiting ..or getting the balance due on a trade due , transparencies slides for art.
Collage
My current fascination and work with collage was rewarded with a GREAT new book on my hero Ray Johnson “ A Book About Ray” by Ellen Levy. MIT press “I don’t make pop art, I make chop art.” Its a first in-depth career survey. Opens up countless new insights on his life and work… his brilliance. My wild Parisian artist friend Matthew Rose @maybemistahcoughdrop got me addicted to Ray.
Alerted on the treasured “ Old News” art newsletter from Jeff Weiss gosh ..everyday a curated art news for over a couple decades ..5,500 morning reads.. … https://weisslink.com/sortaold-news/index.html Last month Old News alerted me to a beautiful fat new history of Collage.400+ pages. “FRAGMENTARY FORMS A New History of Collage” by Freya Gowrley…A must have preorder. At first was super excited. It does survey in depth a multicultural history of collage most would not weave into the art form we know today. It’s enlightening and dense cultural art study. For me the bottom fell out when she passed over several of my heroes .. like Christian Marclay “ the clock” fame and Ray Johnson. And a shallow brief pass at San Francisco Punk street art movement. And worse a thin passover on the Dadaist’s and amazing Hanna Hoch. She blew past current active groups and movements ..For instance hometown hero Mario Zoots’s amazing international Colle project @revuecolle @zoots I hope the book will become more redeeming.
The Big Picture Colorado..@the_big_picture_colo .. our 2023- 25 catalog is in print on Blurb books. With thanks to ace assistant on screen. @gracefriesphoto. Great great great new work is flowing in for 2025-2027. We will launch during MoP in March. @mopdenver
A gift came in …marvelous dark humor on religion and advertising “ Churches ad hoc “ A divine comedy”came in from a photographer in his late nineties . ;Herman Krieger. He submitted to the Big Picture Colorado calling for 2025-27. www.hermankrieger.com. He trained in Denver during WWII , i shared my fathers book War Stories 1944 journal of Charles S. Sink i recently put up on Amazon.
I am getting to wrapping up a catalog of my retrospective last year RedLine Contemporary Arts Center.. Took a year to get to it. Again thanks for a excutive assistant Grace.
Once we are on personal books.. Poppy has written and illustrated over 20 unique precious kitty adventure books .. and bookmaker maker.
@ouattarawatts #ouattarawatts #jeanmichelbasquiat @basquiatofficial @curriermuseum @fusi_l @karmakarma9 @buddhabacon @pesterchester #streetart #wheatpasting
