Visitor

We got a phone call earlier this week from my friend, John Grant. He said he was riding his Harley from L.A. to Boston and would like to stop by to see us. I got the house cleaned just in time for him to show up on Wednesday. He insisted on making us a peach and blueberry tart.


I made the GF crust and John did the rest. I love it when men know how to cook well! Oh man, did my family make quick work of this...


John was one of my teachers at SMCDAA, a now-defunct experimental art school in Santa Monica, California. John, along with Bob Ebendorf and Bob Wilhite, taught me not only how to use a table saw, planer, and torch, but also how to experiment with other materials in my work. The experience was invaluable and had a very deep influence on what I create now. John is primarily a woodworker, but he's also quite adept with tin, like this little portrait box he gave me years ago:


And this sweet tin truck he made for Dylan's first birthday:


I took John to the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. I thought he might like to see the beautiful building by Jacques Herzog. There was a pretty nice ceramics exhibit, but I always end up getting depressed by most of the exhibits in there. I'll be happy when we can start seeing less conceptual art in high-brow museums. There, I said it. The sculpture garden, however, is one of the nicest I've ever seen. Here's John in front of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen's Spoonbridge with Cherry, which has become a Minneapolis icon.


Next up was a trip to Lakewood Cemetery. I know that sounds a bit creepy--bringing a friend to a cemetery--but the cemetery's chapel has the most stunning example of Byzantine mosaic in the country. I swear, this spot is the best-kept secret in town. If you're a beader and find yourself in Minneapolis, you need to go! Just picture each mosaic tile as a Delica bead, and it'll blow your mind. Plus, the architecture of the building is stellar, so non-beading significant others will be happy to get dragged along.


John took off early yesterday. I was so thankful to be able to spend some time catching up, laughing about the old days, and sharing my new life with him. A great break to remember my roots as an artist!