by Bedroom: This was supposed to be the easy room. Also, I’d already done the hardest job of going through everything I’m storing back there and paring it down. That took me a day! Anyway, done. Stupid bedroom.
Bathroom: The smallest room in the apartment and it is always the hardest to clean. It’s done, but I’m not entirely happy with it. I’ve got this shelf thing that I can’t get to hang right, and I don’t know any handy people to help me. This is the problem with being “arts” oriented. Can’t even hang a shelf-thing properly.
By the way, in the process of going through my storages boxes I came across some letters I’d written to my friend Chris in 1977 and never mailed. Here is a snippet. I was in my last year of college, studying fine arts and I’d get my BFA the following spring. I painted, sculpted, photographed and loved it all. Still do.
“I’ve decided that the painters, sculptors, photographers, everyone, all the artists are a bunch of romantic, archaic assholes—no one should paint, sculpt, etc., anymore—it’s all irrelevant … space technology is where it’s at and anyone who isn’t concentrating their efforts in this direction is wasting his and everyone else’s time. It’s time for totally new art forms, stuff probably beyond our imagination at this time but it’s the only goal worth pursuing—we have to break away—work with the black holes.”
I sound like I was 14! Of course I was wrong about painting and everything else being a waste of time and irrelevant, but I remember what I was thinking and I still agree with me. I’d just learned what a black hole was, and as an artist you’re always thinking about negative space, and this was like the ultimate negative space, the ultimate unseen and unknown, it was all very exciting to me, and I wish I had pursued this thinking seriously.
Also, I would have sworn I never used the word “technology” in a sentence until 1986.
There was a block sale on Perry Street yesterday. I took a picture of these two yellow vases because the same exact vases are sitting on a book shelf to my left right now. I inherited them from my mother. (Karen, if you’re reading this you know these vases! FYI, they were priced at $90 for the pair.)
Yes I do remember those vases well!
– I can’t remember if I bought both or just 1 of them when your Mom was in her yellow McCoy pottery phase. God when I think about it – it was 12-13 years ago that I was bidding on them on Ebay for her Christmas or BD gift. So glad to know that they have gone up in value somewhat and that you have them as she really was into that stuff before she got ill. When I first saw the pictures I immediately thought of Jeanne. Can’t believe after 11 years how much I still miss and think of her!!
Awww. You know, these yellow vases make me so happy. I don’t know a lot about pottery, but the color, the style, but I just love them.