Dumb

Folia 3 (Red) 2007

Fear

Folia 3 (Orange) 2007

that it will all come to smash before I can take the next step on life's path.

Thanks

Folia 3 (Yellow) 2007

for comfort
for friends
for security
for a nice place to live
for good food
for discernment
for colleagues that value me
for colleagues whom I value
for helping me to remember not to let myself get all freaked out about it all sometimes
for plunking me down in a place and time where I have access to so much
for the love
for cuties
for humor
for an excellent list-making ability

Community

Folia 3 (Green) 2007

This morning I freaked out when I found that, in order for my car to pass state inspection, I must have repair work done that could cost over $1000. I raged and groaned and gnashed my teeth. But when I got to school I mentioned the situation, and one of my students gave me the name of an inexpensive repair shop that also does inspections.

The raging groaning and gnashing is MUCH more enjoyable when followed by a positive resolution.

Silence

Folia 3 (Blue) 2007

Funny how you can focus so much on the silence of others that you forget that you haven't been in touch with them. Sometimes you get angry, other times you feel hurt. Maybe you're really wrapped up in work, or there's just a shit-load of busywork that needs to be done. But the calls and e-mails stop going out, and they stop coming in too. And it takes a while to recognize that you feel lonely.

Memories

My father parked as close as he could to the house, on the crowded block in an old section of the city. Inside, we went through that awful ritual of greeting the great aunts and uncles. What if I forgot a name? Saying a few words to Great-Grandma in her easy chair, her Scottish accent so thick that you had to listen very carefully. Sitting stiffly on the big sofa until Aunt Jess called us out to the kitchen, where Diane was always cutting up, sending us into stifled giggles.
After dinner (and a few Whiskey Sours) the adults loosened up. “Clear the table!” ordered Great-Grandma “Bring out the cards!” And the Poker started. Aunt Kay flirting, Dad wisecracking and winning, Grandpa retelling the family stories, Aunt Mae gossiping with Bill Frisbee, Uncle Andrew looking nervous, all of them roaring with laughter as the game danced in spirals around the table.

Oh! to be part of that magic circle again, so sophisticated and amusing, so complete and happy and safe! Who imagined how much it would all change? Aunts and uncles die, cousins and siblings marry and move, parents become fragile. The circle becomes smaller, and the magic refuses to kindle. And if you happen to be queer, your stories have no place. “Inappropriate.” “Not something I want the kids to hear.” “You live in a big city. That sort of thing isn’t discussed here.”

The car bounces over a rutted field to park next to a van covered in rainbow stickers. As Sky and Trixie and I pile out and stretch, I recognize some familiar Faeries. “Oh, you’re ‘Fritillary’ now? Weren’t you ‘Glory Hole’ last year?” As we pitch our tents, we stop frequently for hugs and news from Faeries we haven’t seen in 3 months, in 3 years. There’s always that frisson of tension: What is his name? Where does he live? Who is his lover? Then we hear a falsetto “Yooooo-Hooooo!!!” and head off for dinner.
After a meal served by guys dressed as prison matrons, we all sit under the stars, singing along, laughing, applauding the antics of an impromptu No-Talent Show. I find tears welling as I laugh, touched that these men have shared their talents and sadness and silliness with each other, with me. Then someone suggests we join hands and a snake dance begins, romping over the meadow, drums and feet pounding, sequins flashing, the dance spiraling round and round, shooting off magic into the moonlight.

Summer Art 2007

Had an opening at the beginning of September for the latest installment of the Folia works. It was a warm night and there was quite a crowd for the first of the Fall First Fridays (the night when the downtown galleries have their openings concurrently).

A Garden

Went up to Washington DC a couple weeks ago and visited Dumbarton Oaks. This is an 18th Century-style garden on the Northeastern edge of Georgetown. If you’ve never been, visit. It’s a gem – a peaceful oasis on a weekday.

Spring Art

Ashley Kistler, the curator for the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, commissioned me to photograph her garden over the course of a year, and create a piece for her. The resulting piece, AK Garden, was framed and installed this past Spring.

During March, I showed work with photographers Aimee Helene Koch and Amanda Sauer at Richmond's Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Nellie Appleby curated the show. I exhibited Folia 3 (Yellow), part of the nascent Folia 3 uber-werk. (It's good to have aspirations.) The show was reviewed at Richmond.com:
www.richmond.com/museums/output.aspx?Article_ID=4615827&Vertical_ID=127&tier=1&position=7