New York Optimism

I've made some progress in my search for New York galleries since my break through in the understanding of the scale of the city. I have discovered http://www.artupdate.com/ which produces a brilliant map of London galleries, which can be found in the small independent galleries, produces a New York Edition. After my chat with Mike (mentioned a couple of posts earlier) the map means a lot more to me. I think I've gained some confidence, and with a couple of comment on my early posts (thank you), I feel a lot more optimistic.

This is important for me, I'm very mood lead, strangely I see parallels with an obscure X-Men character called Long Shot, not one that those of you who only know the movies will have heard of, Long Shot was a from the comics of the late eighties and early Nineties when comics were my biggest distraction before 'wimmin and drinkin'. His powers were very different from the showy, loud powers we are used to, his power was "Luck", but not just good luck; it was dependent on his mood emotion and motives. If his motives and emotions were noble, happiness or love, his luck would be a wonder to behold! But if his motives were, negative; selfish, fearful or angry his luck would be BAD!

It was very strange to have a power that actively worked against a character, but it was fascinating to have emotional depth to a comic character in a period when I was growing up and forming my own personality. It seemed to (and still does) reflect in my own life, when I'm unsure, depressed or when I go against my best instincts things go wrong, and luck goes against me. Yet when I'm confident and happy everything goes right. I'm getting more and more excited about this trip and somehow I'm finding useful people with useful information about places to go and things to see. All I need now is a few connections, so if you know anyone who would be interested in meeting a charming British artist from London drop me a comment.

Art of England - The Daily Express of Art Magazines

I bought Art of England for a contrast to Art Review and Art Forum. It has a very strange editorial policy, no apparent worries about integrity or credibility. Its target audience I would say is the retired water-colourist and the evening class taker.

This month the theme seemed to be Rolf Harris, as you will all know, Britain's most famous artist. The cover story was about the TV portrait programme he presents and the second was about the portrait of the Queen he was commissioned to paint for her 80th birthday celebrations. The cover feature is about the portrait equivalent of Ready Steady Cook Where three established portrait artist are challenged to paint a surprise guest in a place of the Celeb's choice. I can't really knock it as, although I don't really watch TV if I stumble across it, I will watch it through to the end, as I did with the article. As well as talking about the programme in general, it interviewed three of the most recent artists who had Barbara Windsor as a subject. What they had to say echoed my own feelings, they were in it for mostly three reason firstly and probably most importantly, fiscal the exposure and PR was worth it on its own, secondly to get out of the studio and work along side other artists and Thirdly for the challenge. I know it is very easy to slip into habits and close your mind it's why I came to University to open myself to new ideas. But a little less about me, and more about the article. It was really to promote a TV programme, which is a little like going to see artists in a zoo and watching them jump though hoops. At least the artist were getting their bit out of it too. It's like any relationship it can be boiled down to who's exploiting whom, this is not touched on at all by the magazine there is very little critical depth or opinion, it's input is more "just grateful to be here with the lovely Rolf”

The rest of the articles followed similar lines, one about a show of celebrity portraits from the National Portrait Gallery in a gallery in Walsall another on some anniversary or other show of the Royal Society of portrait Painters, no critical discourse just a mostly factual gently sycophantic description, big adverts really. But here is where I confuse myself a little, I quite admire the brazen “middle of the road-ness” of the magazine, the total lack of pretension, its ability to be self-sustaining to a mass audience. I wish there was a middle ground where a magazine tried to lead the evening classers away from the safety of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters. But that is just another battle in my own personal art war."

New York Becoming a Reality

I have spent the last four hours fighting with my laptop trying to get speech recognition software to recognise the word Fuck, but I did get round to recording a proto instalment so I have actually done some work for a change. It did actually give me the impetus to get this done, I have had it in my head for the last four days. Even if I don’t get to transcribe it, making the recording solidifies the ideas in my head, listening back to them is a pure bonus.

I have been trying to round up my various New York connections to ask where I should be going when I get there. It suddenly became a tad more urgent when this week I booked my flight, going out on the 7th and coming back on the 17th of June, that and the end of term looming give me a slightly anxious outlook. So I got round to asking. I started in a quite gentle way asking two friends Jane from my course and Sam an exchange student actually from New York State. It was a very short conversation, they both were a little vague and gave loose answers about areas like St Marks Place and East Village. At least that's what I think they said, I did record it, but I think the real problem is that I really know so little about the city that anything I hear is almost just noise. I spoke to Irene Reed and the problem is the same, without a metaphorical grip on the city I can't take in the information. I could blame my sources, but it’s my trip at risk, it’s not their responsibility, if I don't know what questions to ask.

Thankfully, I have had some success this week because Mike, the man I used to jokingly call my other half be cause we job shared the same position in my day job, has just returned from one week in New York. In fact, it wasn't even a whole week, it was 3 nights in New York and 3 days in Boston. In his own words, he only had time to see the sights but it gave him a chance to get an idea of the city, a model to work with in his head. Weirdly, this man who is the same age as my dad, who has no real artistic slant gave me a starting foothold for my own preparations. He went having never been before so he had to learn about the absolute basics The Subway, The grid system of numbered Avenues and Street, the cab drivers, Central Park and all those other things that we've heard of, from the last forty years in which America particularly New York has come to dominate popular culture.

I was reminded of my experience of LA, three days doing just the Tourist things, and I have got to realise that that is all I can do in what will work out as one week of NY. I will however take a leaf out of my ex-fiancée’s book and plan the trip with in an inch of its life, without personal recommendations my trip will have to be a combination of the Lonely Planet meets the Art Update New York Map. I will be out there with a different ex the much-mentioned Isobel but while she will probably supply the social diary this is work so I have, for my own sanity, to plan the days (and maybe the some of the nights) it would be good if I can get myself to a private view or three.

I’m going to list here the Galleries I have found so far as much for my own information as anything, but if anyone is out there, any suggestions will be gratefully received