when life hands you rain

I love the rain. Especially a light drizzle. I even like it inside, while I'm shopping. Or while wandering around Chelsea at night.

Tuesday afterwork I stopped in the Art Store for a few last-minute supplies for my France trip only to find the entire building surrounded by fire trucks. Truth be told, I paid no mind to the trucks, flashing lights, or sirens in the parking garage. It only vaguely registered in my brain that Panera (my ritualistic pre-art store bio break) was closed at an odd hour. I was in a blissful state of anticipation. Art supplies! France! Alone time!

Once inside mecca it did finally dawn on me that the entire shopping center was, or recently had been, on fire and sprinkler water was swiftly and naturally finding its way through all possible means to the basement -- the Art Store.

"Oh whoops. Sorry. I can see I'm not supposed to be here," I said to the tattoed clerk as he put down a grossly undersized paint bucket in a vein attempt to catch a deluge coming from the HVAC pipe. "Oh, it's no problem. Just shop at your own risk".

That's all I need, a challenge!

It turned out to be one of the most fulfilling shopping experiences ever. Not only was it a thrilling adventure to figure out how to get to the brushes I wanted without getting my paper wet, but it was also inspiring to watch the staff (all artists) calmly figure out what supplies they could use to stave off and sop up the water that was coming in at an alarming rate. (I was horrofied though, to see yards of canvas being sacrificed to sop up water. Use the stupid Learn to Manga books! And really, don't you have a mop!?)

And to my utter amazement I was asked not once, but twice, if I was finding everything I needed. Um yeah. But you have a bigger problem in here than me not knowing which paper to buy!

So tonight I find myself listening to the familiar sound of water falling on concrete and metal. I am locked out, hudled under my condo porch... and loving it! I took a stroll around Chelsea in the drizzle. Found a cute pink polish at the drug store, fastened a set of toe seperators out of a few mini pads, and gave myself a pedicure complete with suntan lotion foot massage. Cute little pink toes and some unexpected free time. Lovely.

Bring on the rain!

An evolving work

One June 2nd, I finished the hair drawings of East Boston and Chelsea sidewalk cracks and soaked them in the river.

While they were still wet, I pinned them in a shadow box and sealed it with tape. I didn't exactly know what would happen, but hoped for some condensation or funk to grow. So far it looks like the only change/reaction has been some tightening and shrinking of the paper. The East Boston drawing has pulled off the pin in one spot.



Come see for yourself this Thursday from 6 - 9 pm at the opening of Connective Tissue, a collaboration of twenty eight artists from Chelsea and East Boston. Growing out of a desire to foster a stronger sense of community between the artists in East Boston and Chelsea, the organizers arrived at the theme “Connective Tissue” to represent that which holds us together, both as individuals and as groups.

Gallery @ Spencer Lofts
60 Dudley Street
Chelsea, MA 02150
www.galleryspencerlofts.com

final image courtesy of John Kennard