Pop Tart, 2009
45" x 45", oil on canvas
Here's a painting that I finished just in the nick of time for the Robots, Donuts, and other Madness show featuring Eric Joyner, Jessica Hess, and me at the Miller Gallery on June 26. When I got to the opening, a bowl of popcorn was there, but I wasn't sure if it was a sculpture or something to accompany the painting.
I have to say this turned out to be more of a vacation than an opening. First of all, I went with my pal Walter because my pretty little wife had to stay home with our epileptic dog. This turned out to be great in that we were able to spend many, many hours discussing important topics such as:
-Red West: Great American actor or Elvis Presley flunky loser?
-Would Dack Rambo have made a great villain on The Incredible Hulk television show?
-Arguing about driving directions for a path that was essentially staying on the same road (I75 north) in a straight line
-Should I use my Popeye voice or my James Mason voice for the duration of the weekend.
-Should I use the "hybrid" Popeye-Mason voice?
I'll let the pictures do the talking, but I have to say this was a great weekend:
The lovely Gallery Director Rosemary Seidner took this picture
Swingin' hepcat Hugh McMantis offering up a few Eric, Jessica, and Otto t-shirts posed in an incredibly natural way
Owner , Gary Gleason ( looking pretty cool slinking around the corner ) "pre-show"
My new pal, Eric Joyner, next to one of his paintings
Jessica Hess and Walter sharing a laugh undoubtedly brought on by my comedy stylings including an extensive Popeye-Mason routine
The front entrance to the Miller Gallery with Rosemary, Gary and some ladies with a little dog
That's actually William Shatner posing as Eric Joyner
Oil painting by Jessica Hess ( she doesn't really have an "X" on her face)
After show dinner with owners Gary and Laura Miller Gleason and all of the wonderful people I met this weekend. Note the bald guy with the big mouth. He might be saying something really clever and intelligent, or... he might be yelling something that only he thinks is funny. Oh, and what's up with that palsied-hand-gang-sign-thing?
I didn't end up with any pics during the actual opening. This is due to the fact that I was actually enjoying myself meeting all of the cool people that night. I cannot thank Gary, Laura, Rosemary enough for making the show a wonderful experience and for extending their hospitality to me. I also want to thank Rosemary's daughters for making the Margarita's WAAY too strong, for Hugh helping out with the cool t-shirts the gallery had made, and for Becca letting me sleep in her room. I swear I didn't steal anything ... that you'd miss.
I would also like to thank the city of Cincinnati for the $50.00 parking ticket that I received within the first 10 minutes of arriving in town. This penalty has taught me an incredibly valuable lesson about the extreme "dangers" of parallel parking a vehicle the wrong way on a quiet side-street. Pin It Now!
