What a day.

I am doing this lecture about "hard edge painting" for the OCMA, and in doing research for it I have been discovering why I love the work of these older cats so much. Benjamin, Feitelson, Hammersly, Lundeberg, and McLaughlin are so good because of the way they made. Their practices were such good models of childlike observation and exploration. So cool and Californian and unpretentious and non 2007 fame seeker bullshit. Good models of plugging away at what you love to do. Their paintings are so fucking engaging and have not lost steam over the last 50 years. Their not heavy, political, or artsy, they are just awesome and celebratory.
Dave Hickey has the most articulate and interesting things to say about the work as far as criticism goes. Go see the Benjamin show at Louis Stern and the Birth of the Cool at OCMA if you want a dose of solid awesome painting.
This research led me to Louis Stern today where the fantastic Marie Chambers loaded me up with books and a chance to see some AWESOME objects which was so, so gracious and cool of her. With being in the OCMA auction a few months ago with painters whom I love and should not be on the same walls as, like Mary Heilmann and Kim Fisher, the Christopher Knight article, getting to hang the Benjamin show at the CMA earler this year, Paintings Edge this summer, and seeing the Brice Marden show at SFMOMA with my dad and Steve Comba to whom I owe much, finishing my mfa, having a studio by the beach and getting to paint every day, getting to do this lecture, teaching art classes at a college, and today w/ the Marie day, I think that my head will explode if anything more awesome art wise happens next year.
I love exploring.
Thank you God.