Rodrigvitz Style

Traveling Light...Postcards from my Paradise

Well 56/56 proved to be a golden birthday indeed...thanks to my sweet family that indulged me for 2 solid days...traveling light with only my cell phone camera, come with me on my little birthday celebration excursion...we started with a fabulous dinner AND banana flambe like dessert at Tag

the three of us then went off to a wonderful dance/music performance at the Ellie Caulkin Opera House

Carry on by Paper Bird and the Colorado Nouveau dance company...go on, treat yourselft to 3:00 minutes by these talented performers...I'll wait

The Curtis downtown is a wonderful place to stay...but in less than a month my kiddo will be moved into her condo and we'll be staying at the very comfortable Casa Tess

we won't wear out our welcome...I promise

The Denver Art Museum opened a retrospect of the work of El Anatsui and as we wandered through his amazing works from his chain saw sculpted gatherings of figures to paintings, prints and finally his exquisite Kente cloth like hangings constructed of bottle caps.  We were surprised and delighted to see the artist himself had come for this opening...even surprising some of the staff. 

The exhibit is there through Dec 30th...catch it if you can

Next stop the Denver Botanic Gardens to see the bamboo sculptures of two installation artists working in bamboo: Tetsunori Kawana and Stephen Talasnik.  Mr R had his camera and took many brilliant shots...I'll share those some cold winter day when I need to remember the late summer heat.

my favorites were the pieces floating among the lily pads...drifting with the breeze. 

There you go...some postcards from my paradise

I may stretch this birthday thing out for a few more days...

Postcards from a Night Out

with my kiddo...first Friday in Denver along the Santa Fe arts district

perfect summer evening, just the two of us.... and hundreds (thousands?!) of our friends

wandering in and out of galleries

open to whatever the night threw at us...

which happened to be Shepard Fairey at a the Guerilla Garden gallery.

Postcards from my cool time in the summer heat paradise

 

a Day in Denver...and an Invitation

A lovely drive to Denver...to have breakfast and spend the day with Tess

Le Central, a delightful place to enjoy a European like meal...

in the neighborhood

that Tess hopes to be living in soon...sending good positive thoughts to the universe to make it a reality

she would be such a great addition to this neighborhood :)

AND THIS to put on your calendar:

Are you having as much fun with your phone camera as I am...instagram and perhaps other apps. The Firehouse Art Center is putting on a Phone-Ography exihibit in December as a fund raiser for the FAC.  You would merely pay a small entry fee to submit your digital phone/camera images...the Firehouse would print them out and cover the walls with these amazing images from around the world.  If you are local you would be invited to come to the Phone-Ography opening and purchase the little prints with the proceeds going to support the Firehouse.

I will post again when we get closer or if you'd like to drop me an email now and let me know you are interested I will send updates as I have them.  Write to me at rodrigvitzATcomcastDOTnet...sorry for the criptic email address but have been getting some unwanted comments and emails.

 

Denver County Fair...a different animal

I heard about the Denver County Fair last year...but was too late to participate.  I was immediately drawn to the promotional poster.  

Both the 2011 and 2012 posters by Mark Penner Howell

 

Then I looked closer and found that last year was the very first year for the Denver County Fair and the organizers were intent on putting on an event that both honors the tradition of the county fair and highlights the hip, urban landscape that now makes up Denver.

Now in it's 2nd year there are catagories for craft beers, wine making, heritage variety vegetables, gluten free and vegan baked goods along with more traditional categories...all vying for the coveted blue ribbon.  I am entering this painting in the arts pavillion (just the painting, not Melly, although I wouldn't be surprised if there is a pug catagory).

Are you in Colorado?  You should consider entering...something!

Edit...I just looked at this post and see that my chicken looks a lot like the chicken that Mark Penner Howell did for last years' poster. I did my drawing from a photograph I had taken in Mexico....honestly!!

 

Postcards from Paradise...with my Kiddo

My postcards from paradise...a day in Denver with Tess.  Exploring art museums, old and new.  This post turned into a crazy long travelogue...you can just look at the pictures if you'd like :)

The MCA has some interesting exhibits...

Thinking About Flying is a project by artist Jon Rubin...

Museum visitors are invited to participate by taking home a pigeon in a carrying case and releasing the pigeon to fly back to its loft on the museum’s roof. As this training process progresses the pigeons will travel distances increasing from a few blocks to over 400 miles.

At once poetic and practical, the temporary placement of the pigeons in visitors’ homes expands not only the artwork, but also the space of the museum itself.

Several exhibits feature the counter culture movements in the 60's and 70's...we sat inside a geodesic dome as images of Drop City, a communal artist colony in southern Colorado moved before us.  Photographs of San Francisco’s extravagant theatre groups the Cockettes and the Angels of Light as well as works of modern dancer Anna Halprin are among the works at the MCA.

The Clyfford Still museum...the newest addition to the Denver art scene, is a beautiful museum that houses thousands of Still's works.

I found many of his later...huge canvases to be reminiscent of African and Indian textiles.

We topped the day off with dinner on Larimer square...

and from the City and County building...Peace on Earth...and a Happy New Year.

City Night...our Tradition

As is our family tradition...a trip to the city, this time to meet Tess as she now lives in the city, to take in the holiday lights...

dinner at a new restaurant...

and a walk in the cold to catch The Lion King.

(photo from broadwaysd.com)

This amazing work of Julie Taymor...her years working and studying in Japan and Indonesia take this so far beyond Disney.  It was a magical experience.

More Sunday postcards here

Old Friends

We gathered in Denver to see Hair and have an evening of catching up.  After the show the Occupy Denver demonstration passed by on the 16th Mall...things change and they stay the same.  The Occupy Denver folks were pepper sprayed while demonstrating in the park...really?

The past 35+ years have dealt us all our share of adventures and challenges..

each time we get together we still have new stories to share and old ones to laugh about.

Love you girls

Studio 12...Day of the Dead Exhibit

I am happy to be included again in the Studio 12 Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead show in Denver. Two of my plaster/wax/painting/photograph mixed media pieces.

 
The first opening was well attended...enjoying the quality and variety of the work...

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's all black, Victorian flavored altar...

Studio 12 is a beautiful space on the southend of the Santa Fe Arts District.  There will be another opening to 'Meet the Artists' on Friday, Nov 4th.

I'll be there and would love to see you if you can make it!

 

Santa Fe in Denver

First Friday in Denver along the Santa Fe arts district and an evening 'o art for Linda, Katy, Patti and me.  Tonight was the opening of Bras Bangles and Bunions at the Habitat Gallery...

where Linda and I have work.

Linda touching up at Jean Smith's installion

The cold weather kept some of the usual crowds away so I can show you a favorite spot that is usually too crowded to photograph. 

The wall of doors in the patio of CHAC.

Core New Art Space has works of Pam Pappas...amazing sculpture of wood and natural fibers along with her mixed media drawings

We took in contemporary clay work at the Plinth Gallery...here, Shalene Valenzuela's humorous 'Recipe for Disaster'

and gallery owner Jonathan Kaplan who graciously let us in even though they were not quite yet open.

What are your plans this weekend?

Recharging...

I've taken the whole week...to re-charge, to play, to cook, to experiment in the journal, to catch newly released movies...even to ride my bike.  While other parts of the country and the world are covered in cold and snow we neared 60 degrees, a perfect day for a day 'o fun in Denver.

The Museum of Contemporary Art have some very good exhibits...the Orphan Paintings, a collection of Russian avant-guard paintings.  Athough the paintings after all these years still cannot be authenticated the brothers continued to buy them for the sheer love of the collection...the audio file about this exhibit on the Museums website is worth a listen...

Upstairs in the cafe the clay work of Longmont artist (and fellow yoga student) Kim Dickey...

we shopped, we ate, we saw art...

and yesterday I rode my bike on the newly completed leg of the St Vrain bike path, tomorrow, they say we may wake to snow and a high of 15 degrees, it's about time...

but you never know...hope you're enjoying these last days of 2010.