Well, it’s time for the big wrap-up post. I wish that I could write a paragraph or two to give any readers who are still lingering a decent survey of the entire trip, but they wouldn’t do it justice. I don’t want to belabor the trip either so I will simply say that it was an incredible opportunity and I learned many things while walking those crowded, frantic, sometime glamorous, sometimes stinky streets. What an amazing way to live - millions of people over so few square miles and always, ALWAYS something interesting going on. If I were a singleton (or maybe just without children) there’s no doubt in my mind I would move there and enjoy what a large metropolis like that has to offer. But, being of a more domestic stage in life, I am content to return home to my family, my coworkers, my teachers and my little blue house. There are many comforts to living here too, not the least of which is just the sheer pleasure of driving my WRX up the canyon if I need/want to (one of my guilty pleasures - sorry CO2 police). I will miss the ease and efficiency of New York’s mass transit system - we never needed a car - and I will miss the amazing variety of shops, buildings, people and atmosphere of each of its many neighborhoods. I will especially miss looking across the Hudson at the beautiful skyline of buildings…. totally gorgeous and I’m sure it will figure in many of Bryan’s architectural paintings to come. I expect Salt Lake City will feel a little bland by comparison now.
Sadly there is no way I could keep writing like I have been and still maintain a decent standing in my studies. I remember how rigorous things get in the middle of the semester. I will leave this blog here for a little while for people who would like access to the slideshows or videos (clicking on the pictures leads you to a downloadable file) but I’ll archive it eventually. I hope to post a little more often then I have in the past on Bryan’s blog when the mood strikes.
Thanks to the many people who have commented and sent me email - I feel closer to you now than ever before. Thank you to the instructors and students at the GCA for a great set of workshops and fun lunches. Thanks to Danny for giving us a tour of the Waterstreet Atelier. Thank you Patrick, Mom and Joe for visiting us. Thank you Peter and Piper for hosting us and showing us your beautiful neighborhood. Thanks you Sal and Dianne for the awesome swimming lessons on our way out. And finally, thank you to Jocelyn and Garrit, Guy and Zoey for letting us stay in your beautiful home - we couldn’t have stayed sane without such a pleasant homebase!
Bryan finally has a few days in which to explore NYC without any distractions. His first wish was to visit the Empire State Building of course! Well, Asher and I had already been there with my mom, but it was so neat we decided to go again. This time I let Bryan take all the pictures and I think he’s planning on posting his own slideshow in a bit over at Rationalart. He seemed to really enjoy it - the interior has so many interesting details that would make for fun details in paintings, a kind of homage to the now tallest building in Manhattan. Speaking of which, the house we have been subletting all summer is home to a family that has a young boy and a little girl (lots of toys to play with) and a huge collection of books to read in the evening. We happened across a really fun, well-illustrated book that made both of us tear up at the end. We started reading it to Asher about four nights ago and he has requested it every night since. It’s called “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers” by Mordicai Gerstein.
After the third night Asher asked explicitly where the towers had gone since he recognized other buildings in the foreground but had never seen the two towers. This led to a somewhat difficult discussion of what happened in New York City only seven years ago. Bryan and I have never really had any detailed discussion about death or anything really existential or negative about the world with Asher, except perhaps the obligatory “Don’t talk to strangers - they may run off with you…” talk, so this is definitely new territory. Does anyone know when a good age to discuss this kind of thing begins? Old enough to grasp the essential idea but without having any nightmares or serious scariness? Just wondering…
Also, while in Pennsylvania Bryan and I were discussing what kinds of things to do in the coming weeks and he didn’t seem to have a big list. In fact, he seemed quite intent on starting a painting as soon as possible. That, combined with my own inclination to get back to work and my sister’s new baby, have compelled us to move our flight back to Utah forward. We will be back home very soon, but there are a few more things worth posting and a few more pictures worth viewing, so don’t sign off just yet!
This is Asher, my little baby suddenly turned boy (take note Amy). When we came to New York there was no way in hell he would EVER put his little face into the water, let alone jump into a pool. I’m so proud of my newfound water-baby.
Thank you Allegra, Dianne and Sal for a wonderful dinner and letting Asher swim in your pool for THREE HOURS!!! Tomorrow when he wakes up with webbed toes and gills we’ll know where to take him.
I remember many, many fights and arguments, screaming and sulking about which side of the room was yours and mine, or who hit who first, or whose fault it really was. You were my funnest sparring partner, closest friend and you, my dear, were the real peacemaker in the family. Now that we’re older and I see how accomplished and strong you are, I can’t believe how lucky I am to have such a wonderful woman to rub shoulders with. After a very long wait and saint-like patience you are finally the proud mommy of baby Nathan T. - middle name as yet undecided :). I can’t wait to come home and kiss the both of you. You are going to be the best mom ever dearest. Hope you are resting and loving every moment of this new experience.
I wonder how the paintings of Van Gogh that are really double paintings - apparently about a third of his earlier work - will hold up over time. One attribute I’ve looked for in many of the paintings that I’ve had the chance to see over the past weeks in NYC is the crazing or cracking of the paint layers. A painting may show only minute traces of aging even though its from the 15th century (as is true of much of the Frick Collection) or it may show a a wild set of cracks and crazing, as is the case with many Waterhouse paintings and newer artwork like Pollack’s. I’m told that a lot of it depends on the thickness of the paint layers or on the pigment/turpentine to oil ratio as the paint is laid down on the canvas. The common rule, if an artist cares about the longevity of his work, is to paint ‘fat over lean’. This is one of many precautions an artist can take to ensure that the artwork itself will have a much longer viewing lifespan.
It also occured to me that someone could probably make a tidy business of offering to perform a scientific analysis of a painting that is up for auction or for sale. The x-ray used on the Van Gogh above or some variant could be very useful for assessing a painting’s fitness and longevity. With contemporary artwork selling for millions and millions of dollars - the most recent impressive sale is a triptych by Francis Bacon at 86M - it seems like this would definitely be of interest to a collector or curator (unless of course all you are interested in is acquiring the name). A quick googling shows that this is already being done by museums hoping to assess the condition of their paintings as they travel from one exhibition to another, as with Picasso’s Guernica. This seems to be a great technique for paintings that are fully matured, but would probably be less predictive for contemporary artwork. Good thing we like sharks and the artist is willing to work with us. ;)
Just in case you ARE seriously considering an art purchase, here’s a great little essay, that is both informative and funny, before approaching your local gallery director. :)
UPDATE: I was thinking about this post and remembered a couple of scenes out of a funny little movie, ‘Le Divorce’. One of the side plots involves a bunch of museum curators trying to verify the identity of a work of art and I believe they did something of this sort and then tried to say that it was not authentic even though it was. Maybe this is a routine thing to do when acquiring a piece that is not entirely verified. *shrug* (ummm… I meant the x-ray, not the lying :) )
Second Update: Funny article in today’s NY Times about how a painting that was literally falling apart became an experiment to salvage the artist’s other paintings.
After introductions were made amongst the children they settled into the back seat of the car and became further acquainted in good ol’ fashioned four-year-old speak:
Corbin (whose dad is a neurophysiologist): I’m going to be a scientist when I grow up.
Asher: I’m going to be an artist when I grow up and make paintings.
So as I said before, we are now comfortably relocated to Pennsylvania for a few days. It is so peaceful and quiet here that at first the absence of noise was noticeable. That and the updated plumbing, working AC, real yard to play in, two awesome playmates for Asher, and a very soft bed with soft, clean linens - tears of gratitude! - have been soothing to our frayed New Jersey/New York City souls. And it’s really wonderful to rub shoulders with great friends again too. We’ve been friends with this particular couple since the ol’ biology rat-lab days… when was that??? 1998 or so I think. They just moved out here a year ago and we’ve missed them a lot.
However, it did take a very long time to get all of these photos loaded up on our host’s wi-fi, so I can’t be posting too long. The first set of pics is of a return trip to the Staten Island Ferry with our recent family visitors. Asher was REALLY happy to show Sooki how the ferry works and was brave enough to stand on the outside deck on the way back up at the very front. He still wants to be a ferry boat captain. Then we went to Times Square, which didn’t manage to rouse my brother. I’m convinced that if Times Square were in a Playstation 3 game though, he MIGHT consider it cool. The next day they (mom and Joe) took a trip to Ellis Island while Asher and I explored the Chelsea Market and Chelsea in general. This is definitely my favorite part of town just because of its sheer quirky variety. I love the different markets, streets, buildings and people. I was actually lectured by a hand-in-hand couple of gay men for letting Asher get too far ahead of me. “You gonna let him get away?”… “Well… umm… I was kind of hoping to just yell at him and hopefully he will slow down…” “Good luck sister.”… uh huh. For the record he was a measily fifty feet in front of me. New Yorkers are nosy parkers………. or maybe they just know something I don’t know. Is a child likely to be abducted if he’s fifty feet in front of his mother here??? Geees… maybe this town IS too rough for me.
The following day was dedicated to the Empire State Building and Wall Street. My mom offered to pay my way and it was an offer I couldn’t refuse, so I went without Bryan who was wrapping up the painting class (sorry Bry!). The lines were daunting, but after an hour and some odd minutes waiting to do a security check, buy tickets and ride elevators we made it up to the 86th floor. Even if you’re expecting it to be awesome, it’ll still take your breath away. Your subconscious (at least my subconscious was) will flash alarm bells as you step out onto the observation deck, which is open air and enclosed by a loosely meshed fence. “This can’t be right. I don’t care if the ESB has been here for a hundred plus years and millions of people do this every year…. it can’t be right!!!” And I don’t even have a problem with heights. But after taking a few tentative steps and recognizing some of the outlying landscape, it gets a little easier. Just don’t look up at the pinnacle if the clouds are breezing by - your brain says the building is tipping over and that is just freaky. Later we went to the glass enclosed 102nd floor, which was also very neat, but probably not worth the extra money except to say that you did indeed go to the top. There are gratings at this level outside the glass encasement that look as though they are designed to hold a person. God help that person, whoever he is.
And finally, congratulations to my sister Cathy (hope you don’t mind if I write this to the Internet), who has made an announcement: Evy is going to be a big sister!!! Yay yayayayyaya!!!!! I’m so excited for you my dear and Mike. I can only imagine taking a trip to Germany during the first trimester. Wow. Girl, you are made of sterner stuff than most. Bryan and I are so happy for you two and can’t wait to see you later this month. Hooray!
We spent most of today traveling from Hoboken to a little town on the outskirts of Philadelphia called Downingtown to visit our old friends Peter and Piper and their great boys Corbin and Parker. The trip over was uneventful, aside from almost missing our train this morning. Asher really enjoyed cruising along ABOVE ground. The area we are in has some really pretty countryside and I will try to get some good pictures, but they really wouldn’t do it justice as they’ll probably look just flat and green. My mom and brother Joey have also finally made it onto a flight back to Salt Lake City after flying stand by since yesterday. I’m sure they’ll be happy to be back at home. I just want to tell them thank you for coming for a visit and being so helpful with Asher and such great company. I hope they had a lot of fun. It’s been a long day traveling and I’m really tired, so no slideshows or videos tonight. Tomorrow… pictures of Chelsea, the Empire State Building (woohoo!) and Wall Street. Very cool stuff, so check back.
