Month: August 2012

Contemporary Art

Tonight at The Reading Room

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(left) 'Esdenis', 2012, Letraset, 10" x 9”; (right) 'Field #26', 2012, collage on paper, 8/5" x 7"
(left) ‘Esdenis’, 2012, Letraset, 10″ x 9”; (right) ‘Field #26’, 2012, collage on paper, 8/5″ x 7″

Eric Zimmerman’s Telltale Ashes and Endless Disharmony will open at The Reading Room on Friday, August 31 from 7 to 10 pm with a performance at 8 pm. The exhibition will include collage, drawings, a publication, and website and will continue through September 15.

Zimmerman’s work deals with the problematics and complexities of representation and the creative process. He will approach these issues by having concurrent exhibitions at TRR in Dallas and Art Palace in Houston and by establishing relationships/harmonies and dis-harmonies between the two sites.

Telltale Ashes is the name of one of Houdini’s card tricks that appears to impart the magician with mystical and telepathic abilities to communicate with the “other” side. Endless Disharmony derives from Zimmerman’s interest in the idea of infinity and refers, among other things, to the looping cassette tapes his work has incorporated for several years.

Zimmerman’s work has shown in Texas at Art Palace, Old Jail Center, Grace Museum, Austin Museum of Art, 2009 Texas Biennial, Fort Worth Contemporary Art and in New York at Horton Gallery and The Re Institute.  He received a MFA from the University of Texas at Austin. Zimmerman was in residence at The Bemis Center for Contemporary Art in spring 2012 and will be a visiting artist at the Wassaic Project this month. He is currently editor of … might be good journal.

Landscape & Gardening

What’s Blooming Now

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Because they are so blinding white, their details are hard to make out.
Because they are so blinding white, their details are hard to make out.

Look what the rains brought! Big bodacious Rain Lilies! Here in Dallas, we’ve had two torrential rain storms in less than a week, and these lilies respond only to rainfall and not hand watering.

On a sad note, you may notice large amounts of pollen on their petals. Normally the local bees would have made off with most of it, but most of them have been killed off. Because of a huge mosquito problem and a bad outbreak of the West Nile virus, the city officials have responded by spraying pesticides two to three times a week up and down our streets and alleys for the last two months. The mosquito population has not diminished nor have the cases of West Nile virus, but the bees, butterflies, and Anolis lizards have, for the most part, completely disappeared. This time last year, my gardens were loaded with these beneficial creatures. And to make things worse, the county has added aerial attacks. Four planes have been making rounds for the last five days dumping a pesticide called Duet, and the second round begins tonight. My neighborhood has just been issued a “Red” alert, informing us to take cover from 8:30 pm to midnight.

Contemporary Art

Yankee Doodles Sing-A-Long

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One of many selected artworks from the Oil and Cotton Creative Exchange summer classes.
One of many selected artworks from the Oil and Cotton Creative Exchange summer classes.

Should you be looking for a respite from the Tax-Free Weekend, consider coming to The Reading Room Sunday, August 19 from 4 to 6 pm. There will be a short musical program of American Revolutionary era songs and action rhymes at 4:30 performed by The Yankee Doodles featuring John Dufilho on drums and guitar.

This will be followed by a hands-on art activity, making your own personal flag or banner, by the Oil and Cotton Creative Exchange. Selected artwork from summer classes at the O&C will be on display also. Learning about art, history, and individual versus collective action and thinking underly these programs.

Come sing along and bring all tiny patriots and future revolutionaries for this one day only, back-to-school program.

Landscape & Gardening

Now There’s Four!

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Truly amazing considering the extreme temperatures. Still don't know why these spikes lean west.
Truly amazing considering the extreme temperatures. Still don’t know why these spikes lean west.

This Yellow flower false yucca continues to thrive while other plants in my gardens show distressing signs of summer fatigue. I’ve started the process of trimming off the top third of the sage, blue mist, and guara perennials in hopes of reviving them in time for one more burst of blooms in the autumn. They had also become too tall and were falling over each other.

Film: Design & Architecture

One Hour with You (1932)

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Instead of a movie poster to introduce the film, this will have to do. None were large enough.
Instead of a movie poster to introduce the film, this will have to do. None were large enough.

This film is a very silly musical comedy starring Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier. For me it’s the sets and costumes that are the prime attraction. I’ve seen this film several times and yet, when I rented it from Netflix to capture the following stills I had already forgotten the plot. And the same thing happened again when it came time to put this blog post together. So I hope you don’t mind if I don’t provide captions. It’s really not worth it. Just enjoy the eye candy.