….as we do every November, Richard and I are escaping any traces of American Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday and getting as far away as possible from Turkey Nightmares and disappearing into the unknown…sometimes you just have to say No……it's not like we dislike tradition…but we lean more toward honesty of Spirit and not towards the socio-economic madness that masquerades as "Thanksgiving"…so you will find us somewhere sunny and warm and mysterious and off the beaten path…giving thanks……
….well the Calavera that we put together for the La Calaca Festival here in San Miguel has left the nest. I brought it home to do some touch up after the festival…it was here for a week more in my studio. Today Sergio and Juan, two of the producers of the Festival took it away. It will be on display for a few weeks at the Casa Primavera here in San Miguel…then it may go on tour…before settling in with a certain someone….There are rumours that it will be at Burning Man next year. Part of my heart and soul resides in this piece…my assistants Carlos and Margarito Ramirez joined me on work days…a few times at 5 am…We rocked…..I am so proud…here is a photo that Spencer Tunick took…..I believe it is the best shot so far…..
…a beautiful weekend in Mexico City…Einstein on the Beach at Bellas Artes was a profound event. I felt that it was one of the more important cultural presentations of my lifetime…yes…cudos to Robert Wilson and Philip Glass…and yes to Lucinda Childs' choreography….the cast and crew…it was all brilliant and BIG and timeless…..and the treat of being in the rafters of Bellas Artes underneath the Tiffany ceiling…..and last evening…going to see Cartaphilus Teatro in Coyoacan…the setting was completely the opposite…small but delightful. Luis and Carmen who Richard and I met in the street in San Miguel last New Years Eve….they treated me with such gentle loving kindness. They placed me in a special seat in the front row. And again I wept…just like I did in "Einstein"…I witnessed such connected beauty and play. I was very impressed…the play is called "Zen"…there are only 9 more performances. The minimalist pizzazz of "Einstein" and the quiet timeless soulfulness of "Zen" both share a thread that is anchored in the Silence of an accepting heartfulness…..yes…"Poetry in Motion"…Nice….o Lucky Me!
…..following your instincts….dipping into the unknown……remembering your tools…..acknowledging the glow…..feeling the curve…accepting all turns…..shining in the light……letting go……
….getting things done in the studio. Working on some commisions…creating pieces for a show in Mexico City…selling stuff from the house and studio that needs to be replaced…beginning work on a large calevara (skull) for the Day of the Dead…Lolita is visiting from up North and selling her small place to Iman who is arriving tomorrow from Mill Valley…going down to Mexico City on Saturday to meet Richard …returning to San Miguel next Monday…oh!… yes……life is good while I busily try to grow up as time flies by while marveling at what my days on the planet have presented me…We live in a beautiful garden here…we are quite fortunate…time to begin my day…..
…felt more to my liking than watching the Convention…We broke bread with a progressive conspiracy theorist last night…there were others at the table also, however, this apparently very intelligent man painted Obama as the devil and called Clinton a double devil…he said to me, "when are you going to get angry?". I told him, that I had voted for Eldridge Cleaver in '68. I was angry then with a bit of an LSD hangover… I thought about it and realized that I have become a bit complacent over the years and that I was voting for the lesser of two evils…The banks own us…they own the oil companies…they own Obama….but I have to consider what the Republicans would do to the US should they get elected…end of abortion rights, gay marriage out the door…and on and on and on…with Obama…there is a small glimmer of hope and I guess I am putting my money on that glimmer…this whole world is in upheaval…..sigh….