Hi there,
I think that you might be interested to know that I have just installed a stunning exhibit of what I feel is my finest body of work to date, in of all places, the Continental Club Gallery here in Austin. It was a plan and a good excuse to really pull out all the stops for my old friend Steve Wertheimer's reopening of the CC gallery after being shut down by the city for quite a long time.
Gary Martin (Martin signs) & I did the original CC neon sign for Steve Wertheimer in 1987, so it seemed sentimentally appropriate to display both Steve & my twenty two year friendship and evolution as club owner & artist by using this venue.
There are seven conceptually significant pieces on display One called "Lucky Linda's 40th Orbit", which will be traveling to the Corning museum in New York in May, where I will follow to demonstrate in June, my unique opalescent mineral phosphor coloring techniques that I discovered during my NEA fellowship. One piece called Confabulating Orbits Jr., which is a miniature version of my AIPP public piece at our convention center, can be seen through the gallery's big windows 1/4 of a mile up Congress as one approaches the club from the north.
The gallery opened March 11 with the work installed as it is still pleasing crowds and getting shout outs from performing musicians Like Jesse Sublett & more there in the aftermath of SXSW...Last Saturday, March 21st, me and my band The "That's what she said" Boys (Lost Gonzo Bob Livingston, Balcones Fault's Michael Christian, Bill Browder & more) performed eleven of my original (journal based) songs like "Smart Fools from Art Schools" etc.., rocking a full house with a line out the door. A good time was had by all.
Pebbles Wadsworth, former director of the University of Texas Performing Arts Center enjoyed the show so much that invited us to perform a house concert at her new venue..
The work remains on exhibit every night starting at 9PM. The show runs through Apr 11. I will be there most week nights at 9PM to visit and answer any questions that folks might have.
All said, I am so proud of this work (I'd say it's my best ever) and as an artist who works pretty much only by commission, it is a rare event that I have a body like this together in one place, especially after last year's diaspora from the old studio as Wayne A. Brenner so elequently reported in the Austin Chronicle..But Phoenix has risen from the ashes and alas, I have landed on my feet better than ever!
Here is a great newspaper interview about just that. (please cut & paste this in address window):
http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2009/apr/03/td_neon_livingston_040409_43463/?entertainment
All the best,
XOBen
512-474-9980
www.beneon.com
http://continentalclubshow.blogspot.com/
