Otto's Shrunken Head - One of the Best East Village Dives

Listening to Sergio Mendez “Brasil 66″ inspired me, you are right of course, it doesn’t take much, to find a decent Tiki Bar in New York City. For some reason all that’s left of the great ones are in places like Munich, Hamburg and SF’s Tonga Room, home of the floating barge in the indoor tropical rainstorm at the Fairmont Hotel. Germany seems to be where the last of the legendary Trader Vic’s survive and trust me, they are still very Fab! We sadly lost ours here when that awful vixon Ivana Trump tossed ‘em while shredding the Plaza.

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Ross Bleckner at Mary Boone

Through a series of events, I became a Plus One to a high-end art opening in NYC! The artist Ross Bleckner at the posh Mary Boone Gallery.

I wasn’t really prepared for this type of event you know, I had just come from work. Luckily, this particular Thursday, I had decided to wear my new black, suede over-the-knee boots, good for any occasion, and had a tube of just right, red lipstick in my purse, always carried for emergency.  I have one last look in the mirror before I leave the office, check my hair; Smashing! I’m satisfied; out the door, on the subway, headlong toward my destination.

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The Fulller Building

“It all started when somebody wrote the “F” word on a canvas”  the famous gallery owner snarled cleaning out his fancy digs on 57th st. “Went straight downhill from there.” And that’s that. Game over. Head for the hills, the gigs up. No teeth gnashing and contemplation here. Just run for it. Said he has hundreds of paintings, can’t give them away. And his artists are Hopper, Nolde, Charles Burchfield and David Smith. Not exactly good news for the rest of us painters.

Just exactly when did the Fuller building begin to look so empty? Like something might have happened here once upon a time, it’s now dim elevator lights, tired hallways, space available! the sign sez, rug merchants sit next to dentists with shakey hands and the kind of lawyers that you hope the other guy has.

A simple flattering comment about a Lester Johnson oil brought the sales team to it’s feet. Running. “It’s listed at 28 thousand, you can have it for 18. That’s negotiable though. How about 12?” Sizing us up they were! And filter off as they apparantly were let down by all the usual tells: shoes, watch, fingernails, that transmit breeding, financial and social position. Somehow they mistook us for gallery visitors who might actually have some dough, might against all odds, be customers. “We can reframe it if you like”

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And while we are on the topic of careers in the artworld this question often appears about as welcome as a bounced check; What are the odds of having a long happy creative life?

As a young painter I once got a call from Aquarious Productions for an interview and found myself looking for said Company in a grim building squeezed in somewhere way down West 42. I climbed 4 flights of stairs bothering sweaty folks in dance studios and musicians along the way to see if anyone knew where Aquarious was. No one knew. I knocked upon an old scarred door with a wierd blue/gold triangle and a painted on eyeball, kind of  a dollar bill type symbol. The peephole darkened from within, a police lock was wrenched away. An overweight guy greeted me, stringy blonde hair reaching the shoulders of a denim shirt embroidered with a butterfly or maybe a mushroom on the front, the whole look skillfully pulled together by a giant bronze marijuana leaf belt buckle. A skinny kid who seemed to be in some sort of a trance, whacked  a snare drum roughly every 15 seconds, or so. With a beefy wave I was invited to sit on a caved in sofa next to a dead empty fishtank with a nine iron poking out of the top. I dutifully showed my art portfolio, which at this time consisted of photos of enormous paintings of industrial stuff like screwdrivers, channel locks and power drills. Read the rest of this entry »

Eating Pie by Philip Guston

Philip Guston must have seen these although the nice lady at the Knoedler desk said the paintings have always been in the family and not seen very much, if at all. There is a painting that depicts a bunch of boats in a harbour and it looks like one of Guston’s hobnailed shoe piles. Another of some steam stacks looks like his Klansman. Simple but reductive, nothing is not unnecessary here. Nothing is out of place, even the squiggles meant to convey bricks on a wall. Read the rest of this entry »

While driving a famous New York Times art critic somewhere last month we had a nice chat. Actually we had a very bitter chat. How there are no sustainable artist careers and most art parties are now filled with artists looking for mates. Rich mates who can support the indulgences of an art career. Also the critic talked about how it’s over by the time you are 35. This was a car trip like Sluggo driving Negative Nancy, if you can imagine. Me, my forced semi-pleasant composure dangerously flirting with the red line like a propane tank ready to blow. Art schools are frauds, sez the critic, diseminating lies and more lies about how to make it in the artworld. Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, yes ekphrasis ( the curators know what this means and you don’t) was a big hit in terms of over 400 people, cool music and the joining of writers with artists in the dead doldrums of a harsh, cold winter. Although many of us spent the evening being shusshed in the adjoining room where some slightly inebriated artists seemed to be enjoying themselves a little too noisily. Ok. The readings went on for an hour and a half. Ok? This is a long time for all the art folks with the collective attention span of a gnat to pay attention to anything. But curator Pamela Hart did put together a cool group of writers and poets. Read the rest of this entry »

Yogurt Lid

At the risk of being called a Philistine* or at best an ignorant art buffoon (again) herewith an opinion. The Gabriel Orozco show at MOMA, a glorious institution whose fine reputation has again been recently sullied by the idiotic show of Tim Burton’s doodles, has now fallen prey to the Emperor’s Clothes syndrome affecting all the contemporary showcases loosely called museums and overstuffed “important” Chelsea galleries. Any art student will roll his eyes and recite the John Cage mantra- ‘art is everywhere’ all you have to do is look for it. Read the rest of this entry »

So far LTP has created 3 memorable events while being open for under one year. LTP is presently looking for visual artists who need a project space in the Metropolitan NY area to execute their concepts. Take a look at our site and proposal submission form to inform the curators at LTP about your idea for the LTP Space. We are looking for artists that can successfully execute an installation and promote viewing and sales.

Our Ekphrasis Opening was a great success…View video Opening of Ekphrasis at Lift Trucks Project or click next and previous buttons below to view photo images. Read the rest of this entry »