We’re at an outdoor cafe connected to an artist’s studio and gallery. The Berkshires Mountain area has a long history of attracting writers, musicians, and artists.
Tag: art
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An Artist Needs Compassion
A staple gun, a dowel, wood glue, nails, a long handled wrench, a hammer, barbed wire clipped from an abandoned shed, a pencil, a Sharpie, a saw, tools he has strewn on a lace table cloth.
He wears a beanie to keep his long hair out of his eyes. He sings in a loud voice while he works. My son is building a tripod where he will hang a clay head he has sculpted. Last night I dreamed about my friend whose son died in his sleep when he was 17. A true story. Freeboarder graduates from high school in May.
He started a new painting tonight. He asked if Aurelia could stay with us because she’s sleeping in her car, and I said she could, even though I’d rather not have her here. He’s teaching me to sand my sharp edges.
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Baltimore Art Dreams
We arrived in Baltimore last night, dropped off Freeboarder’s portfolio, and ventured into the cold to eat at an Indian restaurant, Freeboarder’s first exposure to this cuisine.
We had poori, vegetable biryani, and a few different curries. An aromatic, spicy meal for a dark, windy night in a new city.
And now we’re at MICA, an art school that was founded in 1826. The students are all standing in different lines to have their art portfolios reviewed.
MICA is hosting a National Portfolio Day, and over 50 schools have come to review portfolios. The students have big dreams that someone here today will tell them they have what it takes.
Freeboarder is in line to talk to The Cooper Union, one of the hardest schools to get into–if you’re accepted, you pay no tuition.
So of course the lines for this school are the longest, and the art is phenomenal.
Some of the parents are quite crabby with their kids. They’ve obviously invested a lot of money already in their children’s art, judging from the size and quality of some of the canvases I’ve seen.
I’ve found a quiet corner where I can study for my poetry final, but all I really want to do is eavesdrop and take pictures.
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Painting on the Porch
Freeboarder, back from the beach, has resumed painting on the porch. Right now he’s listening to the Flaming Lips while rendering an image from a dream he had about “the great god of nature.”
I’ve spent the morning reading and shopping online for a used canoe. We didn’t join a community pool this year, so I’m thinking about taking advantage of the nearby river and lake for some outdoor fun.
Balanced On the Edge 