Letter From Sol LeWitt to Eva Hesse

M and I were talking about this, so he sent me a copy of it. I thought I’d put it here, because it’s good advice:

Dear Eva,

It will be almost a month since you wrote to me and you have possibly forgotten your state of mind (I doubt it though). You seem the same as always, and being you, hate every minute of it. Don’t! Learn to say “Fuck You” to the world once in a while. You have every right to. Just stop thinking, worrying, looking over your shoulder wondering, doubting, fearing, hurting, hoping for some easy way out, struggling, grasping, confusing, itchin, scratching, mumbling, bumbling, grumbling, humbling, stumbling, numbling, rumbling, gambling, tumbling, scumbling, scrambling, hitching, hatching, bitching, moaning, groaning, honing, boning, horse-shitting, hair-splitting, nit-picking, piss-trickling, nose sticking, ass-gouging, eyeball-poking, finger-pointing, alleyway-sneaking, long waiting, small stepping, evil-eyeing, back-scratching, searching, perching, besmirching, grinding, grinding, grinding away at yourself. Stop it and just DO!

Process Letter to My Advisor 5.2

Dear XXXXX,

How have you been? I’ve been in LA for almost a week and spent my birthday somewhere in Oklahoma. Working on this packet while sitting next to the hot tub has been a nice change from Buffalo winter…er… as that’s not my usual practice. Now I’m at the conference and finishing up. Today was mostly people presenting papers on panels and Friday is Robert Irwin. I’m staying at the Biltmore for the next several days, which I have come to discover was the site of a couple of early Oscars ceremonies, oh and the last location the Black Dahlia was seen alive before her murder. It’s kind of glamorous in an old hotel way with elaborate ceilings and fountains (the sphinxes have very large breasts… which led me to realize I am indeed in LA), but the rooms themselves are rather lackluster or standard I guess. After the conference we go back to staying at M’s parent’s place to the south of the city.

Agnes Martin’s Writings

Agnes Martin’s Writings read like art torah, striving towards an inner perfection and finding a place of honesty in one’s efforts. In my work I am at a crisis and wish I could spend more time wrapped in her process. Her ideas are profound, yet resonate with the dailiness of life, as she seeks an underlying awareness of perfection. I found myself wishing I had some Agnes Martin chip I could have installed in my head (keeping these ways of thinking at the forefront of my thoughts about art and writing). She is wise in exactly the way I am not.

General and Annotated Bibliography

For those that are interested I’ve finally posted my general bibliography and annotated bibliography as their own pages (link to the right). All of these books are from the past two years and correspond to the manuscript I am currently working on and art writing/essays that I have done during this process.

Process Letter to My Second Reader 5.1

I sent out the first draft of my manuscript to my advisor and second reader six days ago, and already heard back from my second reader. I have a lot of work ahead of me… Here’s one of the letters I mailed out:

Dear XXXXX,

How have you been? I’m excited to work with you! Thanks. Things are good back in Buffalo. Snowy. It’s been about -12 every night, so it feels like I never left Vermont. I am looking forward to the drive out to LA in February. Ah, sunshine and beach. Again, the dates for LA are Feb. 14th (3-4 day drive out) and we plan on driving back in the beginning of March (but this may change depending on how well my boyfriend’s step dad is doing with his chemo). We may opt to stay longer. Either way, I’ll have my own space to work in there and don’t have a problem buckling down and doing work in strange places.

Process Letter to My Advisor 4.5

Dear XXXXX,

Wow, the semester is over. Does it feel like we’ve worked together for a year (at least academic-wise)? Thanks for the feedback last packet. I’m just happy that I’m done with my Teaching Practicum, Long Critical, Short Criticals, and annotations (everything now is above and beyond). Oh, and as of now I pretty much have a draft (more or less) of my manuscript, that if I spend the next two months rewriting, will almost be a readable first draft by the beginning of next semester.

Process Letter to My Advisor 4.4

Dear XXXXX,

How have you been? Thanks for the extension. It helped a lot, but I’m still sick… and I don’t really have much to say. I’m ready to not be sick anymore. I am done with my teaching packet and really happy to be able to move on and finally focus completely on finishing my manuscript. I feel like this teaching practicum was hanging over my head as a distraction and the process became more difficult than it needed to be.

Remix Inner Space and Op Art Revisited

A little over a week ago the Buffalo News ran my review of two shows at Albright-Knox. If you’d like to read it in its entirety, check it out at: Buffalo News.

Pair of shows out of spotlight at Albright-Knox

As the Albright-Knox Art Gallery prepares for the February opening of “Action/ Abstraction, ” perhaps its most important show in years, two other exhibitions on view through January sit quietly under the radar, each worth a look in its own understated way. (Read More at: Buffalo News)

Process Letter to My Advisor 4.3

Dear XXXXX,

Greetings from the road. How are you? The image of pregnancy in Pucci made me very happy. I think everyone should be required to wear Pucci when pregnant, well not everyone. Yeah, I love thrift stores in small towns. I was a clothes scout for years after high school, back when I was more stylish, buying vintage crap and selling it off to the clothing stores. I managed a vintage clothing store and bought for them too, so who knows what I’ll find. I’m just happy to get a trip before winter sets in and to see A LOT of art (kind of an insane amount actually). As of now the itinerary is: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, NYC, DIA Beacon, and MassMoCA. I’m sending this out mid-trip. We just started.

Process Letter to My Advisor 4.2

Dear XXXXX,

Things are going well here. I’m gearing up for the Teaching Practicum and the great east coast museum tour of 08. It’ll be good to get away for a while. Yes, definitely I’ll make you a scarf. I like knitting. It’s a nice distraction while watching TV in the evening or possibly even road tripping (maybe I’ll get it done then). What colors do you like? Stripes? Solid? I have to admit I have a fondness for hideous colors together, but I like you too much to do that to you. Oh you mentioned Gilmore Girls at the residency and I wanted to give a shout out. How have you been?