Zuzu Fridays z10 ———— Tequila + Art = LOVE

Casa Dragones special edition bottle with Gabriel Orozco

I had the opportunity to attend an event Wednesday night where Casa Dragones unveiled their new bottle – a collaboration with Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco (I’m a huge fan of his work).

If you don’t know Casa Dragones tequila, you are missing out!  It is sexy, smooth and delicious.  This is the kind of tequila you pair with fine food……not the kind you mix in a margarita or do body shots with. (what??  Mom, that link is for you….new vocab).

One of Dallas Contemporary’s board members was extremely generous and offered their home for the event.  The house was the backdrop for a killer art collection with a Frank Stella painting (shout out to JonB!), Tony Cragg sculpture, a handful of Damien Hirsts…..just to name a few.  Tequila was served alongside yummy bites from Doug Boster catering.

Casa Dragones brought Pedro Alonzo in from Boston to give a talk about Gabriel Orozco’s work.  It was a special treat to hear from Pedro and learn more about Orozco’s work before seeing the new bottle.

Bertha Gonzalez and Pedro Alonzo

Then Bertha Gonzalez, the co-founder and CEO of Casa Dragones, unveiled the new bottle.  She spoke of her relationship with Orozco, love of his work, the impact he has had on the art world and the way that the collaboration came about.  CD + GO = LOVE.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE…bye bye.

See all the pics from the event here.

Me with the beautiful Roksolana Karmazyn

Me with my dear friend Jon Schwartz

Zuzu Fridays is a weekly post about all things sexy, pervy, vampy, weird…or just plain effed up.

¡Zuzu en España! z02…por fin.

Life in the big D has been pretty insane lately and I’m finally going to post about the rest of my trip in Spain.  Then I am back to regular Zuzu blogging.  Love you!

Upon arriving back in the great city of Madrid (after our awesome weekend in Barcelona), we were fulfilled but tired.  We had a quick dinner and then off to sleep!

The next day was a school day!  Alexa had a meeting around noon and then class in the afternoon.  I joined her on the trip to school so I could see where she studies.  It is a large university with a huge campus – Universidad Complutense de Madrid.  She showed me her route (which is quite the route).  We went to the cafeteria for a croissant and cafe and then headed to the library for some wifi.  Weefee, as they say.  It was nice for me to see where Alexa goes to school every day.  Now when she texts me about something weird about school, I will know what she is talking about.  Love it.

Once Alexa was off to school, I ventured out to La Casa Encendida (see this Zuzu Fridays entry for more on that).  I walked around the neighborhoods of Lavapies and La Latina that day.  It felt very local….as if the people in the hood all knew each other.  A nice vibe…

That night we went over to Hernan’s house for dinner.  He and his bro, Seba, whipped up a fabulous meal of yummy olives, Spanish tortilla, shrimp cocktail and then a delicious rice with seafood.  Topped off with a coffee flavored flan.  And of course, wine, wine, wine.

Spanish tortilla made with love by Seba

there was a little dancing too....

The next day, I took the day off essentially.  I chilled at Alexa’s, made a grocery list and went to get the ingredients for a Lebanese meal for Alexa’s Spanish amigos!  It was a successful grocery shopping trip (only one mishap – I didn’t weigh my own produce).  Once I got back to Alexa’s, I cracked open some wine and got cooking.  It ended up being a delicious meal….if I do say so myself.  Stuffed cabbage, squash and peppers with meat and rice, fattoush and yogurt sauce.  And of course, more wine.  In attendance:  Alexa, Hernan, Seba, Teresa, me and Teresa’s sister and Alexa’s friend that she met in Baltimore, Chelo.  So fun…and everyone was pleasantly full.

Hernan, Alexa, Chelo, Me, Teresa and Seba

The next day I did some walking around.  I went to the Prado and walked through Retiro Park to see the Crystal Palace.  I got some weird souvenirs for the girls and some children’s books in Spanish from a strip of book vendors near the Prado.

Crystal Palace

That night we made it a movie night!!  In English!!  I met Hernan and Alexa and an old man bar for some tapas and vino.  Seba joined us too.  Then we were off to see SHAME with Michael Fassbender and Casey Mulligan . Nothing much to report here.  I didn’t like the movie.

On my last day in Spain, we caught an early train to Toledo.  What a way to end my trip.  It was SO lovely there.  We walked around the little town, stopped here and there for food, wine and souvenirs, Alexa made friends with a nun who had lived in Toledo all her life and then we headed back.

Toledo

sweet A

sweet H

sweet T

The next morning I had just enough time to pack and then Alexa escorted me to the airport.  We had a small run-in with the ops agent there.  She asked me and Alexa if we were mother and daughter.  We certainly didn’t want to know which one of us was the mother.  ¿WTF señorita?  Alexa gave this chick the look of death, and said something along the lines of “Hold the phone, lady.  I don’t think you want to go any further.”

We had a laugh….and then a cry because we knew it was going to be a long time until we see each other again in person.  Adios….xoxoxo.

me and A

¡Zuzu en España! z01

Pardon my absence…I’m back from Spain!  It was a fantastic trip from start to finish.  This is part one of the adventure…

I arrived in Madrid on a Wednesday morning.  My dear, sweet Alexa was waiting at the airport for me.  I can’t tell you how great it was to spend time with her.  Love, love, love.

Me and Alexa...hot, hot!

First stop: Alexa’s apartment.  She rents a room in a cute, cozy apartment from a lovely Spanish girl named Teresa.  It’s a great neighborhood and I was happy to see her digs.  Alexa put the coffee on, I hopped in the shower and we hit the streets (staying awake was key so I could sleep through the night that night).  We took the bus down toward the city center.  Alexa had a lunch spot in mind where we ate from the menu del dia.  If you don’t know, this is a great way to eat la comida (the Spanish main meal of the day).  For around 10 euros you get a salad, main course, dessert and wine.  It’s a steal.

After lunch, Alexa headed to class and I decided to walk around and pop into some shops.  I walked along the park near the Museo del Prado and then up onto Calle de Serrano which is sort of like Fifth Avenue in New York.  An hour or so later, I get a text from Alexa that her class is cancelled so she met up with me.  From there we decided to have a drink.  We went to a couple of classicly Spanish bars – “old man bars” as Alexa fondly calls them.  A drink, tapas, another drink, tapas….etc.  By this time it’s getting close to 9:00 and with very little sleep on the flight over, I was wiped.  So we called it a day.

The next morning we made our first stop ARCOmadrid – the contemporary art fair that I recently blogged about.  We met my boss Peter Doroshenko there.  He was in Madrid that week because he organized a panel with collectors who have created private museums to house their collections.  We walked around the fair.  As usual at fairs, there is always too much to see but we made the rounds, saw some great art, saw some not-so-great art and ate some over priced sushi.  The nature of the biz…

However, one of the most interesting things we ran into was ROYALTY.  Upon arrival, Peter told us very nonchalantly that the prince and princess were in da house.  Alexa freaked.  I wasn’t really sure what to be looking for but we made our way around the maze of galleries and then found it – the crowd of people gawking like we were about to do.  We took some terrible photos with our iPhones and checked “Spanish Royalty” off our list of things to see.

Prince and Princess of Asturias at ARCOmadrid

From there Alexa headed to class and Peter and I decided to hit the Museo de Reine Sofia and a gallery which was showing Doug Aitken’s film “Black Mirror”.  Both were great.  I took a break to rest up for the evening out.

Hernan, Alexa’s super sweet and handsome beau, met us at the apartment before heading out.  First stop was Cafe Melos in the Lavapies neighborhood, a diner-like place with bad lighting and bad service (a common trait of Spanish restaurants) – but packed with people and really great food.  We ordered wine, pimientos (a fave of Alexa’s), empanadas and a zapatilla (which translates as “slipper” – not sure why except that maybe it is because it is as big as a shoe).

Hernan and Alexa

empanadas y pimientos at Melos

zapatilla at Melos

From there, we headed over to a bar called Delic – cozy, warm and had good mojitos.  Lorena, a Spanish friend of Alexa’s, met us out.  After a drink at Delic, Lorena wanted to take us to the Bar Cock.  It’s not what it sounds like.  This was a cool spot – had a nice ambience and an interesting crowd of people.  It felt like the days of the Owl Bar in Baltimore (kind of funny…cocks and owls). We had a drink there but were needing to call it a night soon since Alexa and I were getting on a morning train to Barcelona.  But with the Spanish, it’s not that easy.  I will give it to Lorena – she tried her hardest to make us a stay.  But alas…we had to go.  We needed to sleep and Barcelona was waiting for us.

Alexa, Lorena and Me

Barcelona bound!  Friday morning we got on the Ave train to Barcelona.  Was it expensive?  Yes.  Was it super comfortable and worth it?  Yes.  Upon arrival, we went straight to our hotel – Grenados 83.  It was a cute, modern boutique hotel in a great location.  Nice customer service, a metro stop close by and a sweet coffee shop run by a French lady across the street – I totally recommend it.  That day we walked around.  Alexa led me around several different neighborhoods.  We stopped at a little café for la comida.  Consumed:  chicken soup with cabbage and garbanzo beans, paella and flan.  We then walked around and did some shopping…Zara and Hakei among others.

me and Paella

breakin' the sweet sugar crust...

After shopping and then a break at the hotel, we decided to do a bit of a bar crawl in the Raval neighborhood.  Our good friend (from Baltimore) Andy Stella who is living in Barcelona with his lovely wife Laura, made a super fab google map of bars that they like in this neighborhood.

Andy Stella's stella map

The first stop we had a glass of wine and admired the two very hot bartenders.  One noticed that we were looking at the other.  We couldn’t help but live up to what they probably already thought – that we were silly, shallow American girls.  Yes!  Then we left needing a little food in our bellies.  As we walked down the street Alexa spotted a falafel joint.  Perhaps it was because we were really hungry, but I do believe this was the best falafel I have ever had.  We gobbled it up and made a couple more stops.  Along the way, we kept spotting cats, pirates, cows (a lot of cows for some reason) and superheroes.  A and I were speculating on why in the world all these characters were roaming the streets.  As we I asked our concierge.  He said, “Carnival.” With a tone that said, “Are you kidding me?  Carnival, you idiot.”  I said, “Oh, right.  Thanks.”

Saturday morning we headed to the northern part of the city to go to the Museum of National Art of Catalunya (MNAC) and the Mies van der Rohe pavilion.  Both great stops.  MNAC had a solid collection of Romantic, Gothic and Modern art.  Going over to the Mies pavilion was an unexpected treat.  I didn’t know he had a building in Barcelona.  Apparently it was built in 1929 for the International Exposition in Barcelona.  It was then taken away and after about 50 years was rebuilt.  Oh, Mies!  How I love you…it actually makes me miss the Highfield House in Baltimore.

Me and Alexa at MNAC, Barcelona

Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, Barcelona

Mies van der Rohe pavilion...with the Barcelona chairs

After a lot of art looking, we needed a bite to eat.  La Boqueria for fresh juice, cod fritters and a selection of empanadas.  It’s impossible to take a bad photo in this place.  Beautiful colors everywhere…and it was buzzing with people.

La Boqueria

Me and Jamon

From there we went to see the water and to have a refreshing glass of cava.  Aaah…

Alexa by the sea

After a full day, we had plans to meet up with some Catalan friends for drinks and dinner in a cool neighborhood called Gracia.  After a quick nap, we were refreshed and back out the door.  We were meeting Marta and Jordi — friends of Alexa’s which she met in Baltimore while they were living there for a few months.  These two were sweet as pie…we had a great night together.  First they took us to Elephanta, a bar which specializes in gin and tonics (this seems to be a Barcelona trend).  We had a couple of drinks and snacks and then were off to the next place for a typical Catalan meal.

Alexa and the Catalans - Jordi and Marta

gin and tonics, chips and guac at Elephanta

Marta, Me and Alexa

Marta and Jordi ordered the spread — meat and cheese platters with ham and chorizo, grilled artichokes, cod salad with fresh tomato and onion, roasted eggplant and red peppers and bread toasted with tomato.  We shared a bottle of wine, enjoyed great food and great conversation (topics including but not limited to the WIRE — always a plus).

typical Catalan meal at La Llesca in Gracia

Sunday morning Alexa and I went different places.  She wanted to head back to the MNAC to see a bit more and I wanted to go see Gaudi’s Casa Batllo.  I got there right as they opened so I didn’t have to wait in line.  Perfecto.  I have always seen images of Gaudi, but what a difference it was to see it in person.  He must have been a whack job.  I can’t even imagine.  And on the tour I learned that he was there every day while it was being built because the builders only had a drawing and a model to work from.  What a nightmare!!  Even though he was probably very eccentric (nuts) he was certainly a genius.  Alexa recommended I go here and it was definitely a highlight.

Gaudi's Casa Batlló, Barcelona

Me at Casa Battló

Afterward, I made another Gaudi stop — Sagrada Familia.  Stunning.  But lines were too long so I didn’t go in.

Gaudi's Sagrada Familia

Alexa and I then met back up to meet with our Charm City friends Laura and Andy Stella!!!  So GREAT to see them.  We all greeted each other with big American hugs!!  Andy is there working on a Master’s degree.  We met them at their super cute apartment and did a quick catch up.  Us girls went out for a quick bite and then made plans to meet up for dinner and drinks.  We met up for dinner that night at a place in their hood.  Then walked to a place called Madame Jasmine.  It was strange (in a good way)…dark with a sort of warm red glow, good cocktails, great music and bartenders whose sexuality was uncertain.

The Charm City Gang (nerd) - Laura, Andy, Alexa and Me

Alexa and Miss Laura

Me and Andy

Marta met us out too!

For our final day in Barcelona, Alexa took me on a bit of a walking tour.  We checked a few more bits of fabulous architecture, did some good people watching and then it was time to head back to the train.

Then we were off to Madrid for the rest of the week.  Zuzu in España z02 to follow…

Check out ALL the photos up to this point on my facebook page…love you.

SHEPARD FAIREY (epic!)

Andre the Giant has a Posse

Last week was a crazy week!  In the best way possible…

Shepard Fairey and his crew (Dan, Z and Nick) arrived early Monday morning to get started on the city-wide mural project that we have been tirelessly getting ready for in the last couple of months. They came up to Dallas Contemporary to check in, take a tour of the building, meet our super cool staff and gather up supplies that I had ready for them.

Before we ventured out to the first mural site, they wanted to grab a bite. So I decided to take them to a favorite of mine — Fuel City Tacos. Barbacoa deliciousness. The weather was still beautiful so we sat outside at the picnic tables.  It was nice to sit and chat with the guys for a bit – this was one of the only times we had a moment to just sit and hang out for a few minutes.  Shepard and I chatted a bit about Baltimore and the weather.  I got to know that one of the guys is a native Texan and another fancies Cheetos.

Fuel City Tacos

From there, we headed to the first site to get started – 331 Singleton.  It’s an interesting process to see these guys work.  Clearly, they have done it a time or two and they are very comfortable with one another.  Much like family, they have their own language with each other…there was a lot of laughter and a lot of bickering.

As soon as we arrived, I thought we had a stalker.  It turned out, she was a reporter (sort of the same, I guess).  Kudos to her that she got the story out there first, however, we had work to do and she was already slowing things down!  I also disagreed with a couple of things that she wrote.  Water off a duck’s back…

This was not the last of the people that wanted to talk with Shepard.  It had only just begun…

For the rest of the day, they got situated and really jumped right in to the project.  I was able to introduce the guys to Butch McGregor who is one of the owners of the buildings on Singleton.  He was a positive force through this process and generously gave us 3 walls (more if we had wanted them).  Butch and his business partners are heavily involved on the changes going on in West Dallas.  It’s interesting to hear about their vision and will be interesting to see how it all comes together.  I’m happy that we could bring Shepard’s work to the neighborhood.

Tuesday, the crew kept plugging away at the Singleton location.  I ran back and forth between there and Dallas Contemporary.  Simultaneously, we were getting ready for the big event to happen on Saturday – Phenomenon.  A dance party to celebrate the murals with Shepard deejaying and an OBEY guerilla shop with clothing, prints and other things.

At one point on Tuesday, there were probably 60 people — watching, photographing and trying to get autographs.  I had to flex my muscles a few times.  Ha.  I knew he had super fans but it was strange to see it in action.  And I learned that I don’t like being the one to stop people.  Most of them were just so excited that Shepard was in Dallas and wanted to thank him for doing what he does.  It’s hard to say NO to people when that is their intention.

The people gathering around was a great example of how something like this – public art – immediately changes things.  I would guess that many of those people had not been in that area of Dallas.  It instantly changed the landscape.  There were kids running around playing….it was kind of surreal.  I’m pretty sure that West Dallas has been limited to trucks and industry.  It made me really happy to be a part of this project.

Wednesday by the end of the day, they had finished 2 massive and 1 smaller painted mural at the Singleton location.  The Dallas Observer did a good job of keeping track of the work being done. A few of the guys headed over to Dallas Contemporary that night to prep a few things for the following day.  The mural at Dallas Contemporary is the largest one – over 90 feet long.

Mural at Dallas Contemporary

Thursday was a big day.  The crew got to work early working on the mural at DC.  It was nice to be at a new location…people hadn’t gotten word yet so it was much quieter.  For at least a few hours…

We had a big group of kids come from a local high school. They watched as the crew was working.  Shepard then came over to talk with them (it’s clear he really enjoys this kind of thing).  He handed out stickers to them (he keeps stickers on hand to give to people that stop by to see him work).  Throughout the week, Shepard was able to chat with a few different groups that stopped by.  He is incredibly accommodating when it comes to this.  I heard him say to young people several times to keep making work that they believe in and don’t let anyone stop them.  For DC, these are the rewards that are reaped from bringing someone like Shepard in and from putting artwork out in the public community.  Yay Art.  Yay DC.  Yay learning programs.

Around noon, one of the guys suggested that we cook out.  I was TOTALLY on board.  One of my co-workers was out and about and I knew she could hook me up with a grill.  She happened to be at home and threw the grill in her car.  I headed to the grocery store to get the goods for a burger feast.  We fired up the grill, Uncle Pedro (a curator from Boston who I have come to know and who has worked with Shepard on many projects) cooked the burgers and we prepped all the fixins.  Everyone took a break and we grubbed.  It was the perfect day to do it and it was festive.

Uncle Pedro cooking burgers

That afternoon, DC staff began getting ready for our Book Signing and Chit Chat (artist talk) with Shepard.  Once we put the information out about these events, the response was overwhelming.  The book signing was for members only.  We sold out of the books and Shepard signed each one very thoughtfully.  I was manning the book signing table and sometimes had to move things along (or else we would have been there all night).  Shepard talked with each person in a way that was like he had know them forever…

After the book signing, we held the Chit Chat.  We knew we were going to have a crowd but didn’t know that there would be more than 500 people.  It was awesome!!  And the chat was great.  Hopefully we will get some audio from that and I will post.

Chit Chat at Dallas Contemporary

The crew kept working while our events were going on.  I cut out of the talk early to see how things were going outside.  They had accomplished a lot!  They came to a stopping point and decided to call it a night.  I joined them in sitting outside on a beautiful Texas night, drinking cheap beer (which they generously provided) and shootin’ the shit.  Their projects with Shepard make for pretty interesting stories.  They are the first to say that these trips they take should be documented – prime content for reality TV.

After this successful night, the guys invited me to join them for dinner.  They stayed at the Belmont Hotel (which I adore and who sponsored the mural project) so they decided to have dinner next door at SMOKE.  In attendance: Shepard and his super cool wife Amanda, Pedro and his lovely wife Lane, Perry Rubenstein (dealer in from LA), Dan, Nick, Z and myself.  We had some family style barbeque and most of the table had margaritas.  We capped the night off with a drink at the bar at the Belmont.  It was a nice night.

Friday we had a bit of a rain delay in the morning.  It worked out for me because I had press interviews lined up for Shepard.  In between interviews, he also signed the edition of prints that they ran special for Dallas.  If you haven’t purchased one yet, do it now.  They are going fast!

Lotus Diamond (Silver) made for Dallas

Once the rain cleared and interviews were finished, the crew headed over to the Belmont for the final painted mural.

Mural going up at the Belmont Hotel

Things were getting a little crazy over at DC getting ready for Phenomenon.  We put word out that the event had sold out.  We also put word out the shop was opening the night of the event.  Our phones were blowing up!!  What a great problem to have…

After we wrapped up the day, we all headed over to one of our board member’s homes – Karla McKinley.  She generously hosted a fun get together with a taco bar and booze.  It was a really fun way for Shepard and his crew, DC staff, sponsors and some other visitors to get together and hang out after a busy week.

I was asked by one of the guys where to go out.  They wanted a good dive bar.  I sent them over to the Double Wide and followed them over shortly there after.  We had a couple of beers then there was talk of tattoos.  One of the guys was in need of a permanent souvenir.  So then we made our way over to Elm Street Tattoo.  I’ll post more about this for Zuzu Friday.  Stay tuned…

Saturday was the big day for Phenomenon.  Our committee and staff had been working for months on making this a huge hit…and it definitely paid off.  Neon decor, yummy food trucks outside, Shepard running the DJ booth, people dances their asses off.  It was a great way to celebrate the murals. And a few of my favorite people came…icing on the cake.

Patsy, Shepard, Mandy "backstage"

Mandy and Amanda...check!

This was a great week…thanks to ALL who helped along the way.  I would have Shepard, Nick, Z, Dan and Jon back in a heartbeat to work on a project.

Sweet Jon without an H was documenting throughout the week – check out the OBEY blog to see his pics.  They are way better than mine.

Me and Shepard, courtesy Jon Furlong (OBEY Clothing)

Happy Birthday, Seeester.

Mandy & Patsy

A pretty incredible lady, friend and mom to my nieces – known as my sister Mandy, had a birthday on Saturday.  I was lucky enough to celebrate with her over the weekend.

My beautiful sister-in-law Patsy put the plans together for Mandy – a dinner with friends on Friday night.  We met at an old favorite of theirs – Edohana in Grapevine.  The crew consisted of Mandy & Patsy, Debra & Tara, Paige (we missed Sheila!), Dee & Donna and Amanda & Kelsey.

Amanda, Kelsey, Donna, Dee

I have come to know these ladies over the years.  No doubt, Mandy surrounds herself with really wonderful people…one doesn’t see a group of friends like this often.  When I’m around them, the bond they all have is very apparent and you know that each of them would do anything for the other.  Sappy? Yes.  But definitely worth mentioning…

Mandy, Patsy, Tara & Debra

Donna, Dee, Paige

Upon arrival, the old Japanese barkeep remembered Mandy from the years she used to frequent there.  He was sweet as pie and her sake was on the house.

We sat down, ordered drinks, hibachi and sushi.  Then the conversations started…the stories kept us laughing, the fire from the hibachi kept us warm (too warm at times…eyebrows singed?) and the food made our bellies full.

Someone from the restaurant got wind that it was Mandy’s birthday and they made her wear a hat that could have fit a toddler.  We all sang Happy Birthday out of tune (with a weird drumming in the background) and Mandy indulged in the birthday special – fried ice cream.

After Edohana, we went over to Esparza’s in downtown Grapevine for an after-dinner drink.  It was super fun to hang out with those gals…happy birthday to Mandy.

Me, Mandy & Patsy

Bonus birthday celebration:

Gitta and Papi were in town because they kept Bugs and Li for Mandy & Patsy’s night out on the town.  We all gathered for lunch on Saturday – Mandy’s official birthday.  Mom made Mandy’s requests – baked pork chops, sweet potatoes, pasta salad and for dessert, lemon bars.  Not a very “wintery” meal request, but hey, it was like 70 degrees outside.  God bless Texas.

These are times I’m happy to be living back here…being able to celebrate with family and eat Mom’s food (she also sent me home with enough home-cooked food for the week….LOVE).

Before, during and after lunch I played with the girls.  Have I mentioned how much I love them?

Happy Birthday, Mommy. from Erin Cluley on Vimeo.

Virginia’s Smoked Pig & Nothing From Joe

The Power Station, Dallas

I went to opening receptions for two really great exhibitions recently.  Virginia Overton: Deluxe at the Power Station and Joseph Havel: Plus or Minus at Talley Dunn Gallery.

The Power Station had their opening mid-day on Saturday.  It was an amazing Texas day in January with the temperature in the mid-60’s (I seemed to always mention the weather).  These are the kinds of days that make me super happy to be living in the Lone Star State.  I know these days are limited though….so I was happy as a pig in shit.

Speaking of pigs…as I walked up to the Power Station, I followed the sweet scent of smoked pork…and then I turned the corner.  Wow…they were doing it up right.

Tennessee pig at Virginia Overton

I bypassed the pork and went into the building to see the exhibition.  If you don’t know about the Power Station yet, make time to check it out.  Essentially it is a private museum started by contemporary art collectors Alden and Janelle Pinell.  The building is in the Fair Park area of Dallas and the space is FANTASTIC.  I wish I could live there.  I enjoyed the exhibition but I suppose it’s not for everyone.  If one walks in, it may seem as if there is just a truck, a tire and some other common everyday objects in the galleries….and that is exactly what it was.  Read a bit more from the Power Station press release here.

After taking a look, I went outside where people were gathered around the pig smokers and the booze.  I had a chance to talk with Virginia.  She was sweet as pie and I could have listened to her Tennessee accent all night.  We ended up not chatting about the art but chatting about the PIG.  The pig was from her family’s pig farm in Tennessee.  Her sister actually brought it on her flight – iced down in a cooler, no less.  They smoked it on site at the Power Station.  It seemed that the ritual of the pig-smoking and gathering to eat it was just as much part of the exhibition as the art inside the galleries.  I think that is fantastic.

After I left the Power Station, I went home for a quick break and then made my way up to Talley Dunn Gallery to see Joe Havel’s exhibition.  I have been fortunate enough to spend a bit of time with Joe over the last year.  It seems that on occasion we run into each other and with mutual people in common, we end up at dinner together.  He also often makes an appearance in Dallas.

Joe Havel at Tally Dunn Gallery

Joe is good people.  He is incredibly sincere and I always walk away feeling like he helped me out…a natural teacher, I suppose.  And maybe I always seem like I need advice (yikes).

Besides all of that he is a great artist.  His exhibition at Talley Dunn shows the fine sensibility that runs throughout his work.  I had seen his sculptural work in person but had not seen the “Nothing” tag installation which consists of thousands of shirt labels pinned to the wall.  It was a real treat.  And impressive.

The exhibition is up through February 25.  Go see it.

Joe Havel

Joe Havel at Tally Dunn Gallery

Joe Havel at Talley Dunn Gallery

Joe Havel at Tally Dunn Gallery

Lessons from Mister Gilbert

I got to hang out with my one of my favorite people (and artist) James Gilbert for the day on Sunday (check out his work here).  He was en route from Los Angeles to Detroit where he is working on shooting a video for a Dallas fashion designer this week.  I’ll be sure to keep you posted on this as I find out more…

It was a nice, Texas winter day on Sunday…with the temperature around 60.  Lovely!

We had a delicious late brunch at Bolsa (one of my Dallas faves for sure).  Bloody Mary, bruschetta tasting and flatbread with arugula, goat cheese (can’t go wrong) and grilled grapes.  Everything was so delicious.  And I always love the service there.  It’s almost as if you are just one of their friends…attentive but not too attentive and just…cool.  I like.  See food pics below.

Hanging out with James always means interesting and weird stories.  A dinner party invitation gone wrong in France, a strange and perverse moment on a movie set in L.A., a blue cheese covered pork chop that hits the ground and gets washed off (and eaten??  I’ll never tell.)…….

Along with these stories came some incredibly valuable life lessons (can you hear the slight tongue-in-cheek tone here?).

Lesson #1.

Speaking of grilled pork chops, how do you know how to tell the temperature of meat by poking it with your finger?  Let Mister Gilbert shed the light!

It should feel like different parts of your face.  Ok…follow James’s directions.

RARE.

MEDIUM.

WELL DONE.

Lesson #2

When you go the thrift store, how do you tell if those cute jeans are going to fit you without trying them on??

Take the waist of the jeans and wrap it around your neck…almost like a scarf.  If it comes together around your neck as a nice fit, then those jeans are for you!

Lesson #3.

When you are out surfing (as you so often are), how do you know how much daylight you have left??

Take your hand and put it between the sun and the horizon.  How many hands you can fit between the bottom of the sun and the horizon line is how many hours of daylight you have left.  Fantastic!!

Time to paddle in, folks.

Yummy….Bolsa.  By the way, I’m still exploring Dallas restaurants.  Anyone have any favorites they suggest??