Dip in the culture pool

Since the goddess of fortune deigned to cast her light and blessings on your humble scribe this weekend I thought I would  have a little fun today. I took the day off.

The accountant needed some figures for the bank so I headed over to Encinitas and then took off south for a day of happiness and museums in one of my favorite places, Balboa Park.

In late September I was invited by the San Diego History Center in view their plans for the upcoming Charles Reiffel painting exhibit.

Reiffel, for those of you who do not know, was one of San Diego's big four painters of the last century, in some circles given the title, San Diego's Van Gogh.

I have a Reiffel in the gallery, once owned by San Diego Mayor John Forward, titled Prince Iknownot that many of you are fond of.

In any case, the SDHC was gracious, bought lunch at the Prado for a bunch of my painting aficionado cohorts and I and then gave us a tour of their new depression era painting exhibit. It was a fantastic day and the people could not have been any nicer or more forthcoming.

We toured the Balboa Park Conservatory and saw some works undergoing restoration and really got the cooks tour of the place. An excellent visit back in September was had by all.

Today I drove down to see the exhibit which is a collaboration between the San Diego Museum of Art and the History Center. Many Reiffel collectors shared works from their private collections for the world to see.

In the San Felipe Valley, Charles Reiffel

I especially liked the dramatic snow paintings, Reiffel having started his career in Silvermine, Connecticut. Reiffel was a bit of a maverick and his modern tendencies rubbed some of his contemporaries, like Joe Duncan Gleason, the wrong way. I believe that Gleason started the Artists of the Southwest group as a counterpoint to Reiffel's Contemporary Artist's Group.

The show, as expected, at both locations, was a pleasure. The show runs through February 10th, 2013. Try to see it.

Edward Steichen - Portrait on grey and black, 1902

After viewing this exhibit I toured some of the other exhibits and landed in front of this dramatic Edward Steichen canvas from 1902. Interesting to see paintings from a photographic hero of mine.

There is a wonderful painting of Frieda Kahlo holding a sugar skull and various other amazing works. The Benton of the corn is my favorite but I didn't see it today.

I wandered through the botanical garden, snapped a few shots of palms, a giant bismarckia, some mammoth brahea armatas. Nice gloomy light, photographers light but I wasn't quite in the mood. The pond is still roped off, healing and bruised after its ignoble adventure.

I decided to wander down to the Photo archive and look at photographs of 19th century San Diego but it was closed for some strange reason as was the photographic museum. I ended up driving down to Kettner to shop and found myself driving right past the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, which I had so recently discussed, perhaps less than charitably. Perhaps if I walked around the pile of rocks  it would all come to me and I would have to take back all that nasty stuff I said about contemporary art.

Doug Wheeler - DW68

I wandered into a room lit by a neon light which was kind of cool. A room of cut out paper dolls and ambient music that seemed a bit silly. To each his own.

Margaret Noble - 44th and...

 I talked to the hip young cat at the desk of the very lonely place. "I've come to see the rocks man." It turned out that they were in a building across the street. These folks have some very attractive real estate. Thank you David Copley. Here is the rockpile, all photos taken with my android phone.

Richard Long c. 1989

Still find it incredibly stupid, thin and intellectually masturbatory but who the hell ever asked me?

I popped over to Nelson's to check on some photo gear and then to Cafe Zucchero for a sfogliatella. About the time I was really feeling my groove  the client called who I had forgotten I was supposed to meet at two to tell me that they were in front of my shop and where was I? I jammed back fast as I could, about an hour, met them and actually popped another small painting. All is right with my world.

Kohls and new levis will have to wait another day.