So, TM, why the trip to California?

Like, duuh, I totally neeeeded to go shopping! 
OMGeEZ.
No.
After nine months of working out of a work/live studio in Baja California, my Human had his first solo show in L.A. at Luis De Jesus -in case you have been out out of the loop. And I chose this momentous occasion in my Human’s life over the the art occasions in the lives of other humans. That’s just the way it goes when you are in love…
I was there to see the installation process finish and do little things here and there to help out. Mostly, it was stay low and not be a fuss. There was enough to do in preparation for the opening and I didn’t want to get underfoot so I hid out in the front office most of the time doing what work I could for folks back in NY. 
The opening turned out to be an all day event! No sleeping in for me! Because of transportation matters, In the morning there was a buffet brunch for collectors before the public opening. To amuse myself, I tried to take interesting shots of the space before it got too crazy. -Crazy? Young children came into the gallery with their parents. One child’s giggling filled the whole place as he played hide and seek. It was not at all a bad thing. I am happy to see the small ones in attendance. It feels more right and normal that there is more inclusion at these art events.
And I must sing the praises of the gallery owners Luis and Jay! They were were the most graciously accommodating people. And hard working!  The day after the opening Hugo saw them (and his work) off to Brussels! I hope they have great success with what they are doing. They deserve it!
So, in those nine months that Hugo has been away from New York I’ve been able to see him for one month (in total) divided between two trips. Sure it was great for me to get away, but I miss him here. I know he would rather be in NYC. It was strange coincidence that so many different people were implying in their conversation that he should move to L.A. Hugo and I do have plans to move- but L.A.? That is a big question mark.
Other happenings on the sun-blanded street of L.A.

Ethiopian food. Enough said.
Spent some hours at The Getty
Impressions- I want to like it more. The parking garage in the bowels of the mountains and crowds lined up for a train ride seemed way to american amusement park cliche to be associated with seeing fine art, but  this is California…  Suggestion-  Never go on a lovely Sunday afternoon. 
Venice Beach -the Great Pacific Beach Bum sneezed on me. I now have a cold. Thank you.
Santa Monica. Did I mention sun-blanded? 
In an Inglewood strip-mall parking lot next to a Starbucks some racism may have reared it’s head. The milk substance dripped onto the passenger side of the car looked to deliberately placed to mean anything else but meanness.
Now that I am back in Brooklyn (alone again) I am a complete zombie that cannot spare too many more moments in this state.
Universe, come to my aide!
I have three performances coming up all too soon!
The dragon’s grinning teeth are razor sharp. He is not always kind to dogs.
 

Rain in Culver City – Painting in the Future

While at an Office Depot this drippy morning picking up supplies with gallery owner Luis De Jesus, Hugo and I daydreamed the future of painting without paint:

The idea was that there would be a “smart” primer gesso substance which could be applied to any surface. It would be inert (no currents running through it) until it’s programmer/painter touched the surface with finger/hand/body part. Only then would the surface activate- change of color would appear.
The programmer would have their own unique palette of colors and would be the only one able to make any mark on the “smart” primer. The person would be the source of energy and would provide the other half of a code string (or something like this) which would activate the desired colors. How would the colors be differentiated? Pressure and heat senses are the obvious ones, but what if the paint was smart enough to recognize the  hormonal difference between the the artist on a good day versus a bad day or the  structural difference between an elbow and the the nail of the pinky finger of the left hand? -Colors could be assigned to each part! How much fun would that be! …
I hope some else out there catches the idea and the spark of creative will to make it happen.
Though it is essentially finger painting, I still think that for artists it would be a useful marriage of science and fine art- the the right hands – as it were.
It would be incredibly difficult to make a forgery of an artists work!
And it would be literally something coming from you and you alone. No one else could make that mark. For better or worse.
So this was my brain running along with Hugo’s thoughts into what little I know of biometrics and nano paint tech. And I have the time to sit and dream it out further and blog about it! That is an amazing thing to me right now. I am on vacation! I can have time for my daydreams. Yay!