The Frenchmen Arrive at the NEW Pocket U!!

Armin Kunz in yellow conferring with me on who's who in engraving in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.  Paul Shore in the foreground determining the hanging height.

Armin, "Ok, we've got a portrait of King Louis XIV ca. 1644, age 6, next to two etchings of Baudelaire by Jacques Villon."

Paul standing beside the "wall of artists" with a portrait of the painter Charles Coypel visible along side a portrait of the sculptor Guilleaume Coustou the Elder.

Pictured above a portrait of the engraver Gerard Edelinck with the drapery falling out of the oval frame (which is a common theme).

Hmmmmmmm.

Villon's (born Gaston Emile Duchamp) etched Baudelaire, 1920

Everything narrow, etched, engraved and contemplative.

Perches Placed (Done)

Ten years ago, after having a show of my Personal Perches at Diane Pruess Gallery in Chinatown, downtown, LA, I put my work into storage.

 The personal perches, above.

And the perches sat in storage until Jason Andrew and I went to get them.  Jason was the only man for the job, for he is the "ultimate collaborator" and "art super-hero of Bushwick," if I do declare!

We rented a truck and stopped at the ocean for a quick dip.  

Purged and prepared ourselves for the journey ahead.

We picked up the perches from storage.  They were nicely packed, but dusty!!

I was relieved that the perches were there because I had put them on Craigslist in the "free stuff" category.  I had some takers, about 50 of them, but it was too hard to coordinate from afar.  I even sent someone the keys and pass code to the storage unit.

Jason, doing the heavy lifting!  

Jason, realizing what he's gotten himself into gets on the phone and starts emailing folks, we get  directions to our first stop: Joshua Tree, California.

The milage - 1901.8

We arrive in Joshua Tree at BoxoOffice and peer a small gathering through Gosia Wlodarczak's "Frost Drawings" that appear veil-like on the windows.

We gather and discuss where the perches might go and I look serious, but I am liking this group-think.  Shari Elf is in pink next to me, she is an artist and runs a gallery and "The World Famous Museum of Crochet!"  Everyone has good ideas, including the host Bernard Leibov, to my left.

Next morning, up with the sun.

We start installing a personal perch for Bernard!  (Feels like it was just yesterday that I made them in Bushwick and put them together.)

Jason Andrew, "art super hero," again doing the heavy lifting! 

 

Standing aside, the perch is really for the percher.

In the shadows and a dappling of light.

The perch alone.  It seems like the perch was meant for this spot.

Bernard alone perching.

 This isn't a my perch, but a nearly complete place to stay at the Rattler Ranch Cabins, a spot for contemplative cabins in the desert.  They will take a perch.

Bernard and Diane Best of the "Rattler" talk about a spot for the perch.

A desert tortoise comes out to inspect the spot and I consider this a very good omen.

Diane, her studio above, will install the perch with partner Christopher.  They will pour footings, attach the hardware and re-christen the perch "Quail Perch" for a flock of quail that come around twilight and delight their guests, which I will definitely be in the future (who's coming with me).

Another shot of Diane's studio.  She just broke ground on a new studio.  These are her source photos. 

Diane gives us a desert "bird cage" and if you look closely you can see her in the distance with the perch and its parts.

 

This PERCH BLANKET made especially for the soon to be "Quail Perch" by artist Laura Watt.  This crochetted blanket will go to the "World Famous Crochet Museum!!!"  Thanks Shari and Laura!

 

Casting a shadow (yes this picture has been taken before)...back to the road, for we have a dinner date in Tucson, AZ.

Gas in the desert.

 

Our Tucson, AZ hosts Aurelie Sheehan and Reed Karaim whom I met at the Ucross Foundation.  They served up the best meal of the trip!  They tucked us in, filled us up with stories of their lives, patted us on the back and waved good-bye.  I love them!

The sign to Marfa, TX our next stop.  We still need a home for the last perch...but I decide not to worry about not worrying about it.

The sign to nowhere.

 

In Alpine, TX around 10:00 p.m. we decide to eat and drink and after a few beers I tell the proprietor of the Saddler Club about the perches.  Well, the proprietor gets super excited because there's a Montessori School in town and she thinks they would love a perch!  We get excited, I order another beer, phone calls are made and tomorrow it looks like the perch will have a home!!

Good morning, Alpine, Texas.

 

We hit Marfa for a tour of the JUDD Foundation.  Here is Jason strolling down main street.

Reflected in Judd.

Our very capable tour guide, Hope.  We drill her with our questions, particularly, "why did Judd go to Marfa in the first place?"  Hope gives us an A++ tour.

No pictures allowed at the Judd, but this is the place to eat.  It looked to me as the only place to eat - Food Shark.

Our truck outside the Judd.

Chianti, the other Judd - "a contemporary art museum in Marfa, TX, based on the work of 

Donald Judd" (from the website).  

Sky and land reflected here at Chianti Foundation.

We head to the montessori school in Alpine to set up the perch!

The outside of the school.

The perch spot.

The perched...

The first perchers take to the ascent.

Perching.

Hey, we can see our neighbors!

Back to the truck, now empty.

Roger Hodge, Texas native, tells us to stop at the Pecos Bridge River Overlook.

Jason decides to SWIM across the river, I put my toe in and pray he doesn't drown!  A flame-colored tanager comes to perch and watch the swimmer.

Jason after the swim!

Our hotel in downtown San Antonio.

And our truck.

Let's call that 3453 for a total of 1553 miles of perching!