|
Saturday, July 11 The Provincetown Art Crawl
Well dears I must say of all the wonderful things a girl, or boy, could do in Provincetown Every Friday night, well in the summer anyway, an abundance of local galleries hold art openings. Basically it’s a chance to run in and out of galleries, mostly in the east end eating cheese and drinking wine as you go. Talk about a free night out! The normal time frame is from 7-9pm but last night The Provincetown Arts magazine held a party for their new issue at The Provincetown Art Association Museum which started at 5:00. By the time publisher Chris Busa took the podium this girl had already had enough cheese to constipate a camel but no matter it was a lovely party. Chris certainly deserves a heaping load of credit for bringing the art of this amazing cultural community to a wider audience. Varujan Boghosian, a noted sculptor and mixed media artist, who is featured on the cover of the current PA issue was honored. Although I can’t pronounce Boghosian’s name to save my life, I ran into him hiding in the Julie Heller East gallery across the street, The charming 83-year-old man was a bit shy from all the attention and we proceeded to have such a lovely talk that we wound up hugging like old pals. He was actually far more interested in what I did for a living then talking about his famous art, just adorable. At PAAM by the way, was a wonderful exhibition of Pat De Groot’s, a local artist, (wife of Nano De Groot) who I have met many times on the beach while she was walking her dog. The dogs have changed over the years, but not the constant creative spirit of this interesting energetic not willing to be elderly woman who has only in the last decade of her life received the recognition she deserves. I am fond of her work and was happy to see both her cormorant drawings and her horizon paintings on the museum walls. I then ran to the Fine Art’s Work Center opening where I found my ol pal hell raiser and legend Norma Holt who while well into her 80’s is still one of the more flirtatious women around. Norma, a life-long photographer is long due some serious recognition not to mention moolah, but alas sometimes artists only get their real appreciation after they are gone, I mean look at Michael Jackson. Also ran into Ray Nolin who has excellent taste, (he’s a fan of my radio show) and is one of the most talented artist’s in town. I am happy to say I own several pieces Ray created. I then trotted off to my fave gallery in town, The Berta Walker Gallery where the uber talented and highly modest Salvatore Del Deo who I have had the pleasure of exhibiting at the Artist’s Room in NYC, was being featured. Sal was showing a series of paintings done as though thru binoculars. In the group show room I let my eyes bathe in the works by painters I adore; Erna Partol (another great artist I had the pleasure of showing) was showing her painting of tomatoes done in her abstract fluid style which she had showed in the Incredible Edible show with me a couple years back, the legendary couple Robert Henry and Selina Trieff were there, still spunky, oblivious to being in their 80's and still constantly painting, one day I will own one of Selina’s chicken or pig paintings I just know it. As I walked out of Berta's it occurred to me that some of the talented, charming, and really approachable living legends I'd talked with this night would not be here ten years from now. I feel honored to have met them. After Berta I visited the Wolfarth gallery to see my pal Cid Bolduc’s opening. Cid, yet another artist I am thrilled to have shown, does fantastic work in wax. Her encaustic creations are, I suspect a touch dangerous to produce between the fumes and the hot wax but well worth it. The day had really been a rich and inspiring one as that afternoon, I visited TJ Walton’s new gallery. TJ is one of my all time fave Provincetown artists and in many ways akin to a previous generation artist I also adore Paul Resika. At TJ’s I was greeted by Patty Deluca, one of TJ’s students. Patty’s work was really wonderful, very very much in the spirit of her teacher with what I love most, A WHOLE LOTTA PAINT!, but still her own spirit shining through. I was shocked that she’d only been painting with TJ for 9 months, but then after years as a filmmaker perhaps her eyes were well primed. It was nice to see an offspring of TJ’s on the walls and I thought of the way TJ had kept alive one of Provincetown's oldest traditions; that of the master artist passing on their trade and something of their vision to a new generation of pupils. I understand TJ will soon be starting a school at her studio which she is clearly passionate about. It just all felt very circle of life to me. Teachers and pupils starting with perhaps, Charles Hawthorne then the next generation Hans Hoffman, the generation after that folks like Resika and now we have TJ Walton passing on the torch. So today is the first day of BEAR week in Provincetown and while hundreds of hairy, barrel chested, big boys fill commercial street, I am perched on my porch painting my heart out with visions of Selina Treiff’s orange chicken, Lawrence Young’s wax and paint nude, Pat de Groot’s black and white ducks and TJ’s boats on the bay dancing in my head. I am myself, my form, my style solid clearly my own and yet like everyone who has ever walked into a gallery in this town, I am also a sponge filled with the colors and images and inspiration of others, what stew shall I cook on my canvas tonight…ooooh let’s see!
wow...starting to think when i'm not painting, writing, cooking and ranting, i am showing a hell of a lotta art...not a bad legacy i must say..
| 
Archives |
