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You can call me SL, this is about living.  |
NYBG's "The Orchid Show: On Broadway" Bronx, NY from my 2011 archive |
NYBG's "The Orchid Show: On Broadway"
Bronx, NY from my 2011 archive |
NYBG's "The Orchid Show: On Broadway"
Bronx, NY from my 2011 archive |
NYBG's "The Orchid Show: On Broadway" from my 2011 archive
Bronx, NY from my 2011 archive March 5, 2011 Beauty The Swede and I have gone to The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) a minimum of twice a year for the past three years for two of their annual shows; The Orchid Show and The Edible Garden Show. The Orchid Show for 2011 opened today and is titled and themed, "The Orchid Show: On Broadway." It is simply spectacular. The orchids this year are especially fragrant (as are the gardenias that are in another section of the greenhouse). Orchids are one of those flowers that command your attention. They seem to say, "LOOK at ME." I have to say I enjoyed this show and the one in 2009 titled, "The Orchid Show: Brazilian Modern" the most. Both shows were able to transform the space in the greenhouse and to make the experience unique to their chosen themes. At this time of year, everything at the NYBG is ALL about orchids. They take over the gift shop and everyone seems to be in search of one to buy. After seeing the show, it is hard not to want to buy one. The gift shop has an amazing selection and sells some orchids that I have never seen anywhere else. As I watched many people buying orchids, I did feel a bit bad for them. I could not help but think most of those orchids will not last more than a week with their new owners (but I do wish them luck!). I have had past success with orchids when I lived in Southern California, but cannot seem to provide stable conditions for them to survive all four seasons in this East Coast weather. So for now, l will have to settle for enjoying the NYBG's show year after year. archives: Garden |
Mark di Suvero's "For Mother Teresa"
Cranbrook Academy of Art Bloomfield Hills, MI from my 2005 archive |
Mark di Suvero's "Pyramidian"
Storm King Art Center Mountainville, NY from my 2008 archive |
Mark di Suvero's work (Title Unknown) in courtyard of MoMA PS1 Museum Long Island City, NY from my 2007 archive |
Mark di Suvero's "The Calling"
(adjacent to Milwaukee Art Museum) Milwaukee, WI from my 2009 archive |
exterior of Mark di Suvero's Studio
(adjacent to Socrates Sculpture Park) Long Island City, NY from my 2010 archive |
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March 5, 2011
Honored The Sculptor, Mark di Suvero was honored on March 2nd at the White House (by the President himself!). He received the National Medal of Arts. Can it get any better for an artist? Well--maybe getting the MacArthur "Genius Award" (and the $500,000 that comes with it), but getting an award from the President is a BIG deal. What an honor. I first learned of Mark di Suvero in 2005 at a lecture he gave at Cranbrook Academy of Art. Not only did I find (and still find) his work impressive; I was touched by his story. He was born in China in the 1930's as Marco Polo Levin. His family later moved to California and he then eventually found his way to New York. Fast forward to the 1960's and he was paralyzed in a freight elevator accident. Through rehabilitation (and I imagine a strong will) he was able to walk again. His artwork requires such physical strength in its making due to its scale and materials that I cannot imagine how he does it. My guess is through an intense passion and commitment to his work. Across cities in the U.S. and in many other countries, you will find a Mark di Suvero sculpture. Each sculpture is unique in its own right, and it becomes easy to spot "a di Suvero" after you become acquainted with his work. Some of his works are interactive (you can play them with a mallet or sit and swing on them) while others have pieces that move/sway with the wind. The latter you notice when you stare intently and patiently. His sculptures are beautiful and a little scary. If you have ever stood underneath one, you know what I mean. Although he uses incredibly heavy materials such as steel, there is still an intimacy to his work. The massive steel beams are welded and bolted together in a way that allows the work to become visually lightweight. Last year, I had the fortune of spotting Mark di Suvero when I walked past his studio en route to the sculpture park he founded. I only saw him for a few seconds through a large open door as he went up a scissor lift. I wonder what he was working on... archives: Art |
Ursula von Rydingsvard's "Ocean Floor" Long Island City, NY from my 2011 archive |
Ursula von Rydingsvard's "Elegantka"
(cast in resin) Long Island City, NY from my 2011 archive |
exterior of SculptureCenter
(a mix of old and new) Long Island City, NY from my 2011 archive |
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February 28, 2011
Wood This past weekend, I went to check out Ursula von Rydingsvard's exhibition in Long Island City. The SculptureCenter (S.C. for short) is a short trek from the Court House Square subway stop and MoMA PS1 Museum. The exhibition space at S.C. is simply amazing. It reminds me of Smack Mellon in Dumbo, Brooklyn; industrial, raw, and expansive. Ursula von Rydingsvard's work situates itself perfectly within the architecture of the space. I have previously experienced one of her pieces outdoors in Upstate New York. This exhibition shows a wider breadth of her work, and the potential of wood as a material. Her monolithic works resemble geological formations (think Grand Canyon or Bryce Canyon) which upon closer examination reveal their machined and hand made parts. The immense scale of each piece potentially threatens to overpower the next, but they do not cancel each other out due to the space. The natural light coming from a skylight overhead casts a glow throughout that gives subtle shadows enhancing the depth in the undulations in the material. It is a breathtaking exhibition, well-curated with each piece allowed to have its own breathing room. archives: Art |
Takashi Murakami sculptures in the front window of the Gagosian Shop Upper East Side Manhattan, NY from my 2011 archive 
Pharrell Williams for Domeau & Pérès (yellow bike) in the side window of the Gagosian Shop Upper East Side Manhattan, NY from my 2011 archive February 26, 2011 Mixed Finally went INTO the Gagosian Shop on the Upper East Side today. I have walked by it many times when visiting "The Met" (the real name is too long, The Metropolitan Museum of Art--just call it "The Met" or "Guggenheim" (also has a long name, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum) but have never gone in. I made the trip to the Upper East Side today specifically to visit the Gagosian Shop hoping to score a copy of an exhibition catalogue from a show I saw last week. They were sold out and the desk clerk said I would find the catalogue in stock at the Gagosian Shop on the Upper East Side. So as the story goes, went to the Shop today and no catalogue to be found! Disappointed to say the least but it can be purchased online...so life goes on. The Gagosian Shop is a mix of artist editions, one of a kind originals, knickknacks (key chains, postcards, mouse pads, plates, "Gagosian" inscribed pencils), posters, clothing, skateboards, books, catalogues, and magazines. You will find work by: Yayoi Kusama, Damien Hirst, Elizabeth Peyton, Roy Lichtenstein, Ed Ruscha, Takashi Murakami, and the list goes on and on. Some works/items for sale that stick in my memory are a Jean-Michel Basquiat candle, a signed catalogue by Keith Haring ($10,000), an Elizabeth Peyton painting with a bright light shining on it (is that archival?), a Visionaire Edition 50 magazine (described by some as the non-magazine magazine), and all the Damien Hirst works. Damien Hirst definitely ruled the Shop with various wallpapers ($1,000), his famous dot paintings ($6,000), skulls, posters, and butterfly paintings and prints. If you find yourself in the Upper East Side, it is worth a stop. The Shop in itself is colorful, bright, and eye candy for Art Enthusiasts/Collectors/Artists/or however you define yourself. archives: Art |
Flushing, NY from my 2011 archive
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Astoria, NY from my 2011 archive
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February 22, 2011
Maneki Neko continued... More Maneki Neko spotted! The first at a Dim Sum House in Flushing, Queens and the second in the window of a martial arts center in the Ditmars section of Astoria. This one had a moving arm (will remember to take a video the next time I see another one of these)! archives: Maneki Neko |
Artist Unknown, Chelsea Gallery District, NY from my 2011 archive 
Artist Unknown, Chelsea Gallery District, NY from my 2011 archive 
Space Invader piece (Pacman Ghost in green)
Chelsea Gallery District, NY from my 2011 archive February 13, 2011 Street Art My love affair with Street Art continues. The image above is of Space Invader's (French Street Artist, real name unknown) work on the wall of Comme des Garçons's building on West 22nd between 10th and 11th Avenue. Would it be wrong to climb up there and take it for my Collection? Not going to happen, wishful thinking. archives: Street Art |
gallery visitors waiting in line to see Christian Marclay's "The Clock" Chelsea Gallery District, NY from my 2011 archive February 12, 2011 "The Clock" Recently, The Swede and I have been hearing from friends and reading in the media that Christian Marclay's piece, "The Clock" is a must not miss New York art event. It is showing at a gallery in the Chelsea Gallery District. The Swede and I plus our artist friend ventured to Chelsea to check it out (brrr, it was a chilly day and very light flurries started to fall). We arrived fairly early on a Saturday morning and the usual amount of people were cruising around to visit galleries. We spotted the line from afar but were not sure what people were doing in a line (not typical for a gallery show). We waited twenty-five minutes just to get in the door to wait another ten minutes in line before entering the expansive room where the video was playing. We watched "The Clock" in real time from 1:15-1:45pm. There was no time limit but we had a tight schedule and other shows to see. I have to say that "The Clock" is quite a feat. It is a 24-hour video montage including audio. As an artist (or not), it is impossible to see this piece and not think about the process of its making. Marclay uses thousands of excerpts of film footage to illustrate the passage of time using snippets of clocks, watches, alarm clocks, and the list goes on and on. The segments span all decades and genres of film. The film also happens in real time (verified it with my cell phone) meaning that around lunchtime the actors/actresses in the piece may be having lunch too and when a clock in the film says 1:15pm, it really is 1:15pm. I will try to go back to see another segment of it, preferably some time at night. I spoke with a woman in line for the restroom (YES! Paula Cooper Gallery has a restroom that you can use which is rare/non-existent and when you live in NY you become overly concerned about where the restrooms are that you can use) that watched the video from 2:00-3:00am on Saturday morning. She mentioned there was still a line at those early hours! Upon exiting, I spotted Kara Walker (with her daughter) waiting in the front of the line about to enter the viewing room. This is the second Kara Walker sighting for me, the other was at her own show opening with Mark Bradford at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. I did meet Mark Bradford at that opening but lost my nerve to meet her. Arturo Herrera is also represented by that same gallery and has a show up now, check it out. More on Arturo some other time. archives: Art |
San Francisco Chinatown, CA from my archive February 3, 2011 Happy Lunar New Year, here is to the Year of the Rabbit! Hop. Hop. I am hoping for a great year. Last year was a little rough around the edges. Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year to me) is a big deal. It is a time to celebrate with family and there is much superstition surrounding it. In my family, we follow a few traditions but otherwise we keep our superstitions to a minimum (thank goodness because any more and I would not be able to handle it). I once broke three mirrors within a few weeks time and by my calculation (seven years per mirror) that would mean twenty-one years of bad luck... The house must be cleaned and you must bathe/shower the day before the new year. You are not to shower or clean on the day of the new year; otherwise you wash away your good luck. It is a few minutes past midnight, and I am ready to ring in the new year. My betta fish, Phuket is also ready. He received a water change about an hour before midnight. There are certain foods that should be eaten such as noodles which stand for longevity, boiled white chicken for purity, dumplings which resemble nuggets of gold, and countless other dishes. This year instead of going out for dinner, I plan to make a few dishes at home. I also plan to have Dim Sum this weekend with friends (any excuse for Dim Sum). Wishing you much prosperity in the new year! archives: Food, Miscellaneous |
exterior of One If By Land, Two If By Sea West Village Manhattan, NY from my 2011 archive February 1, 2011 Restaurant Week 2011 For Restaurant Week 2011, I went to a cosy/romantic/live piano music restaurant in the West Village with The Swede and another couple (who treated us, thank you!). For Restaurant Week 2010, I went nowhere. If you live somewhere where Restaurant Week does not exist, then it is a week where participating fine dining establishments offer a prix fixe, three-course menu at $35 a person. It is well worth it. We were served a Portobello mushroom soup (compliments of the Chef) in a glass (sans spoon). After a quick debate, my party decided we were supposed to drink it. I quickly scanned the room but unfortunately no one else was at the same stage in their meal. I felt a bit uneasy every time the wait staff came around (I think I prefer to experience my soup with a spoon) because who knows if we were SUPPOSED to have spoons. I started with the calamari, followed by the red snapper with preserved lemon, and finished with the mousse (there were three variations of banana in my dessert). All were wonderful but the fish deserves special praise. It was cooked perfectly to my liking and the skin was crisp and flavorful. Overall, the meal was very well made, presented equally well, and the wait staff was attentive but not invasive. A beautiful bottle of champagne along with coffee to finish complimented the meal (not included in the $35). The Swede chose butternut squash soup (with the nutmeg making its presence known), steak with bulgur wheat, and cheesecake with spiced wine "foam." I am (mostly) used to restaurants where they use inventive terms to describe their dishes, but I could not/have not really accepted the term "foam." I read numerous reviews about this establishment's offerings at Restaurant Week which were mostly negative. I have to say that I disagree with all of them. Perhaps I went at the right time, perhaps I had low expectations (due to the reviews), or perhaps those people have differing taste from mine. Apparently, the Beef Wellington is the thing to order here. I had Wellington once and it was a Vegetarian Wellington (at my sister's wedding when I WAS a vegetarian). It was delicious so I imagine Beef Wellington must be incredible. I must note that One If By Land, Two If By Sea has an incredible interior (and exterior, fell in love with the copper hardware on the carriage door). Ambient lighting is abundant, a fire rages at the entrance, long-stemmed red roses seduce, and wood paneled walls and banisters keep this place cozy on a cold winter's night. Looking forward to Restaurant Week 2012! archives: Food |
vegetable ash "rocks" from my 2011 archive (the one and only photo from the experience since the hostess [who literally ran over] requested "no flash please") January 31, 2011 vegetable ash and rocks (?) On a recent visit to California, an old friend invited The Swede and I to "Oakland's First And Only Restaurant To Garnish The Prestigious Award Michelin Guide 2011." Apparently, the celebrated Chez Panisse in neighboring Berkeley lost their one and only star entirely this year which I found surprising (and a little shocking). Alice Waters, what is going on? Regardless, she and her beloved are still legendary. I had the fortune (and a bit of misfortune because I not in tip-top shape that day) to experience dinner at Chez Panisse last year. I had to make the reservation exactly one month in advance (no sooner because it is not permitted and no later because I would not have been able to get a table). I also had to put down a deposit. Yes, a deposit. I had never done that before. Back to the topic of vegetable ash and "rocks." The first course served to us was (something, something) "with vegetable ash," (something, something) "Parmesan," (something, something) and "chervil." Unfortunately, I was messing about with my camera and did not remember the waiter's exact description. But the words vegetable ash and Paremesan stood out, and I distinctly remember the description ending with a punctuated CHERVIL. Since there were three of us dining, it made sense to me that there were three "rocks" served and topped (or in restaurant speak, finished) with chervil. Still messing about with my camera, I heard different mumblings and The Swede say something to the effect of, "I don't...that is...real..." then I heard my old friend say, "I think..." I looked up in time to see my friend across the table with a REAL rock in her fingers, lowering it from her mouth. The REAL rock was damp (pause for effect). We started laughing in disbelief (including her) and we realized my friend was--let us say confused. She had not understood there were three vegetable ash "rocks" lying on a bed of REAL rocks. She had actually bitten into it twice...we could not stop laughing (which I am sure the Michelin rated restaurant loved) at the situation and it made the night. The meal could only get better from there. What do Commis and Chez Panisse have in common you may ask? The answer is locally sourced, in-season ingredients and dinnerware from Heath Ceramics. archives: Food |
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