A blue Monday walk. Some good news in emails for State Theatre art walk call for artists, such that I feel shows will be worth attending for the art.
Also, Commonality Show apparently will be on a Sunday at Centre Plaza, though Christine has yet to confirm all that, I've sent off the jpgs and glad to see that show progress to reality, and should be fun.
JB and I had lunch at Barking Dog, gave an art walk poster, and were in partly to see the art on the walls, as they've shown art there since opening, and suggested they consider the art walk, as much as it is there, and do the music events, often quite good.
Walked over to Tresetti's, Paul letting me upstairs in the wine shop, take some pics of the former posters for Fat Tuesday to get the style right for the new project I'm working on. My neighbor at the Art and Wine Festival from Ceres, artist David Carr has been getting around, up at Tresetti's for sale, and at Minnie's, and also at Chartreuse Muse, and I talked with him and his wife during the August 12 hour stint, and so recognized his works, quite colorful usually.
Meanwhile, I'm on my way to Artel tomorrow, get started on new project with Mitchell that requires some new canvas, likely enough art stuff to get that cool artel tote bag on purchases over $50, easy to do in an art supply store. Bad enough JB took me over to OFfice Depot for new printer ink for both printers, quick C note out the door. Likely need to consider contracting with John's printer.
Bought my brick today for Virginia Corridor park for kids at Johnson Rug, made out to the Lion's Club, as Blues Festival considering a change in route for the United Community Walk, using the corridor up to Roseburg Square, or Roosevelt Park where mom plays tennis, as the official route, but also thinking, why not walk to the festival, or have mcm pick a Saturday in June to ride, maybe along our route to open the festivities with a morning ride, its Flag Day on Father's Day weekend.
We have a number of non profit partners in this project, but the more, the closer we are to our concept, which is some stops along the way, information, wear your organization's tee shirt, or bring a flag, have an information table along walk route, or as a vendor in among things for sale, bit of music, and we're six months away, still time for us to work this out with the City, and maybe keep our original route as well, past the Betty Salletta sculpture Graffiti Summer at five points near Ralston Towers with the walk to the Blues Fest idea. Park your classic car, and walk on in..... we are part of Grafitti Summer events schedule, and will be on theme, but we have some classic bicycles on the crew, to show with the classic motorcycles and cars. And we do use zappy scooters on site for all our events, electric powered, less smog. So, if your nonprofit, or service group, wants to join our walking group, let us know, easy enough, we'll have a map, some water stops, and be posted when we've worked this out, but Virginia Corridor South should be finished out by March, and we're in June, so see who all turns out. You'll remember our walkers were pretty good, but Relay for Life also same day, and Efren did fine work with that last june, and we invited them to join us if 2008 doesn't conflict.
If into that sort of fun community thing, prelude to a day of blues music, just the warmup, email johnb@jbpresents.com [1] We also have a need for sponsors and vendors, costs on sponsors, $500 to $3000 or more, vendors noted in our blog at http://www.myspace.com/modesto_blues_fest [2] where we also report we've had some international inquiries to attend and possibly play. That takes some dollars, much of the line up is set, but we could add one out of town, well known, or.... if enough dollars come in for this, FREE to the public event. We still have to cover the budget for what we have on schedule, festival, concert, the security, art venue, the car and bike show, and united community walk as important as rest of what we do with the show.
My mom is walking everywhere these days, one of those things being eighty, you might need your eyes fixed, that's coming up, so she'll be better on the road in a month or so, but we walked the other day downtown to the bank and Savemart, said hi to Julia doing the Mr Pickles sign twirling, stopped by Eric Michaels Antiques, and back again. She usually uses a different route than I do, down Morris then down Johnson, while I go Bodem, down Scenic, cut across at Downey and cut diagonal thru Savemart.
Chris is picking her up for tennis, and my mom the one that suggested to JB and I to think about the Virginia Corridor, as she sees the construction every Monday and Tuesday for Tennis, and we get updates from my brother Scott in Parks Dept, and she is on the Board with NAMI Stanislaus, co-partner host nonprofit in the Community Walk. I can still keep up with her walking, but now having to get my own eyes checked again, shopping insurance, as may be chauffering mom around. If I get a truck, JB be out of his job as my assistant for State Theatre art walk production to move those twenty easels a month 3.5 blocks.
My sister in law took pity on us, stopped at our house from Gervasoni's before Savemart stop, and they weren't exactly unpacked when I had to leave for Art Association potluck at Mistlin, and Bank comes after Savemart, so no main course from me, who scarfed up plenty of great food while I was there. Partly recruiting artists, but Deb and Scott great with White Elephant party they go to, forgot to pick up joke xmas gift for gallery, so happened to have our ModestoArtx calendars with me, ones that help us with Blues Fest, rest sold out, and was able to give one to mom's close friend Doris I'd not seen in many years, and one to Brad Hawn, who is president of the Art Association, presides over meeting tonight, just wish he'd brought up the recent controversy, instead, only job things, like the Young Master's show coming up, and volunteers for the Spring Show. I volunteered for the young artists project, looking to maybe do something with Tricia's students in spring, and not Spring Show, may actually enter again this year, so likely need to do a painting. Getting volunteers for any nonprofit these days, and that was my meeting with behavioral health this morning, is at times difficult.......people almost treat it like jury duty.
Anyway, first time I've been down on a Monday Night, usually this one scheduled for the workshops, which I last did in the basement. I used to go down and talk art or civic issues with Brad while he was doing art stuff as Saturday open gallery hours, when I was near broke, homeless and mental health advocate, still interested in my favorite past time, possibly lobbying for some project. So, I"m sure he is familiar with my issue on audience of transients, should not penalize artist in a show, could have been me a few years ago, and I was well behaved in art shows and concerts as usual. I didn't recite poetry until I'd left the building, why I was so happy to see Lee Herrick poetry reading there recently though I didn't go, had that ticket from Sam for ILL List.
From there, went over to Clayton's let Mitch know Paul let me up the stairs to start the poster, haven't mentioned Robyn Ford the headliner, oops, oh, yeah right, its those other bands I don't have the names of yet, but can start anytime to get the poster done on time. I think I have the right canvas size, forgot the tape measure this morning. I also wanted to find out how it is Eric Benson is playing there for art walk, instead of cameo appearance at my planned Blues Thursday State Theatre art walk, and doing piano at Clayton's as special event, see if he needed to book some art, so introduced him and Mitch to the usual Blue Monday artists come to visit, before Tuesday at Chartreuse Muse life drawing night, so that's covered. If this goes well, and we're also supporting our friend, often there, Nevada Silva of Lost Art Gallery next door with this, we'll be adding them on as a permanent stop on the art walk, so stop in, Mitch is going to contact Carl to get on the map. So eric benson presents eric benson on music, and mercenary graphics helping out, with longtime friend and recent art buyer Mitch Macetti with the art and artists, though I'll be at the State Theatre, some of my portfolio may be at Clayton's perhaps with a Guinness waiting for the after party when I come to pick my stuff up.
Saw Ray, after the show at Fat Cat, and we talked podcast. Have a good night, and rest of the week, as I"ve got painting to do, portfolio to sort so I have room to paint, possibly pick up the hound dog dobro, fix that guitar string on Monster, see if that stack of paintings has damaged my casio keyboards, light up a cigar, dip the brush in some water, see what happens, as I got some paintings to get done, and the NAMI Stanislaus Dinner Wednesday night, promised I'd have that original watercolor by me for the raffle.