Stop Clear Cut Blogging!

As some of you have learned or even experienced, I was recently in Calgary for a very short visit. For those of you whom I graced with my presence, you should feel bestowed with an unsurpassable honor. For those of you whom I did not manage to connect with, you have my deepest apologies. Unfortunately, even my beloved and beleaguered parents whom I stayed with barely saw me. It turned out to be a sort of working holiday, and the industrious Sarah Thomas had many exciting activities planned, including canoeing on Emerald Lake, folk festing, and fine dining at the Ranch Restaurant which very pleasantly took up several days.

My trip proved quite successful at least on one particular front. I’ve been boasting for some time about my alliance with Deborah Herringer Kiss, and that boast was not a lie, but it was a fairly tenuous alliance at best. However, as a result of our recent conversation, our relationship has solidified somewhat, and you can all go and see my work at her website and so forth. I will update you should there be any specific shows in which my work is included so you can all go down and say “How much are the Evans paintings – ooh I just love them so much!”, which you should do daily from now on if possible.

Since returning home I have been even more busy than when I was away! I have no idea how the last two weeks have been so busy, but they have been. Unbelievably so. Lets see here.

I have a new job. I suppose that cuts into my loafing a good deal. I now am a Development Associate for Heart of Brooklyn, an umbrella organization comprising the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Prospect Park, the Botanic Garden, the Brooklyn Public Library and the Prospect Park Zoo. I think it will be a good chance for me to do some work in a non-gallery setting, paving the way for future moves into even more remote development areas…

Also keeping me a little busy was a nice visit from the ubiquitous Merry Chellas. I managed to get up to the Catskills and explore her ancient cabin in the woods, literally a cabin deep in fern-carpeted forest. We had a very enjoyable evening drinking beer and eating massive burritos, myself, Merry, and her brother and sister. The following day, Merry, her sister and I went driving along the Hudson with the goal of going to the Dia Beacon and the Storm King sculpture center, but due the maniac whims of cultural institutions, both happened to refuse to open their doors on Tuesdays. So instead we meandered all over the place, banging into bio-ethics centers, Parisian ice-creameries and funky coffee shops. Later on, I suppose on Friday, we managed to get together again here in the city for a browse through the Wal-mart of the Chelsea art world. I enjoyed Merry and her sister much more than the art – Merry performing spontaneous interviews with almost anyone she could corner, and Jill chortling quietly to herself at the most pompous of exhibitions. The work was a mixed bag, as usual, though the stars of the day turned out to be the old-timers, the famous names who still seemed to have something worth looking at (Alex Katz, Rauschenberg, bloody Richard Serra, etc.). We dined on “po’ boy” crab sandwiches and buttermilk red-onion rings, which definitely put us in a mellow, if not sleepy, mood for the day.

Also of some note: I have finally managed to get down to the Down Town Boat House to volunteer with kayaking in the Hudson River. The DTBH is an amazing institution. Totally run by volunteers on apparently no money, they offer free (totally free, no strings) kayaks to the public for little half-hour jaunts around between the jetties at pier 96. They also offer lessons, and, for volunteers, different longer trips, classes and programs. Tonight, for example, I took my BCU Star One class in anticipation of an exam on Aug. 27th. I thought I knew how to kayak – I’ve been horsing around for 6 years or so with the things, but I got schooled tonight. What a cool activity. Anyway, the first day I went there turned out to be the annual regatta and barbeque – around 80 boats in the water and total pandemonium. I didn’t even get a chance to find the veggie dogs, I was just getting people to sign waivers and putting kids into lifejackets and generally helping out. I’m so stoked on how do-it-yourself and see-what-can-happen-when-a-cool-buncha-people-put-their-heads-together it all is.

Final reason for the remarkably busy time (other than a heavy workload at work which I won’t bore you with): Home Reno. Inspired by the great décor of Calgary homes, I endeavored to go from slum-hole to emergent hovel. Gotta take small steps. So I’ve gutted the works, applied a coat of paint, put up shelves, built a closet, all that sort of thing. Then, to top off my new accommodations, I went to Ikea with a hand-cart dolly thing I borrowed from Ken, and managed to bring a sofa-bed home on the subway. Now I was anticipating a great story in all that effort, that somehow this impossible sounding task would gain me the respect and admiration of my peers I have so longed for. Unfortunately, nothing remarkable happened. I just strapped it to the dolly and wheeled it home. I didn’t even get stared at. Whaddya gonna do? Next week I’m going to try carting drywall on a bus.

So I guess that is about all I have to report. As you can probably tell I am not returning to Calgary in the fall. Which means all you who have talked about coming for a visit, you now have a longer window of opportunity. But you never know when it will close. I recommend getting down here before the ice flows into the Hudson so you don’t get quite so cold when I take you kayaking, but it is up to you.

All best to you all,
Ben
PS: I also post here an image of Buddy, clearly the happiest dog alive: