Open Marriage isn't about cheating, Newt Gingrich...

Want to know how a real open marriage works? Read "Open: Love, Sex, and Life in an Open Marriage."

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Leonard Volk Signing at Calypso

Check out this signing with Dallas photog Leonard Volk. Amazing work surrounding what many of us don't even take notice of.

January 18
5:30 - 8:00
Calypso, The Plaza at Preston Center

Lionel Lamy's Pseudoarchaeology

 

Even without the show's title, the viewer knows immediately upon entering the gallery that there is something both archaeological and pseudo about what they are seeing.   

There are portraits of great men we should know. At least we think that are great and think that we should know them. The truth is they are portraits of the idea of being wise, of being learned, of being important. But they are not of anyone in particular who possesses those traits.

The portraits bear x's on their faces or around them. They are black and white and the x's or other strokes or designs or scrawling lines around them are in color.

Some of the faces are more distinct than others, which are blurred or have lines painted on them as if the skull is showing through.

The men are serious and poised and posed. They look like scholars  and philosophers, and their faces bear expressions of anger or disappointment or, on some, simply stillness. Strangely, they seem angry at or disappointed in the viewer. Or they seem blank, looking beyond or through the viewer.

They are the faces of no man and of every man. They remind us that there were great men and we don't always remember them. But we should. They are not fodder for archeology. Except that they are. Not because they are tellers of fact. But instead because they are tellers of our stories, as art so often is.

Other pieces in the show are darker and more tribal, with eyes staring out from canvases painted in designs in blues and reds, oranges and yellows. They both frighten and invite. They seem not to be our own archaeology, but instead that of another culture, perhaps one less "civilized."

But in this show, the viewer cannot help but connect them to the works that surround them. These pieces may not represent the history we want to tell. But it is history that we must own.  We have our own tribes and darkness among us. Our history is not all made of noble men.

A few pieces in the show look like maps, including "street fewer" with glowing silver streaks and curves and lines and shapes in blue and red and white and black. The work seems to imply that it can tell you where you need to go, but what it reveals is nothing but confusion.

The same can be said for the for the figure in the oldest piece in the show titled simply, "the business man." Strokes of black emanate from the man's head as if he's going in too many directions. The background is graffiti and, at first glance, the suit jacket he wears looks more like a doctor's coat. He's any man in any business on any day. His image cannot tell us where he is going or where it has been. It, like the "maps," portrays nothing but confusion.

All of the faux archaeology in the show feigns to give us information about a culture long gone. But they are not artifacts. They are an artist's musing of what our artifacts might be. And that is what is so clever about this show. It means nothing, as the history is "faked." But it means everything, because what is being faked is too close to our own history to not reveal at least some truth.

Some say it is our histories that tell our stories. But often it is our art that is far better at that task.

See the show at Jacques Lamy Gallery through January 10. (The artist, Lionel Lamy, is gallery owner and artist Jacques Lamy's son. Well, you know what they say about the apple...)

1607 Dragon Street

214-747-7611

Gift Guide goodies - Baby Belle Carriers

Carriers have come a long way since I had a baby nearly thirteen years ago. (Wow. That seems weird to write.) Anyway, Baby Belle makes carriers that are great looking and they are a great way to parent and child (or caretaker and child) to bond.

I think the leopard is my favorite. (It's even furry!) It's also easy to use, which is a lot more than I can say for a lot of baby carriers. And both the baby and the person wearing the carrier will enjoy the kind of comfort and support that not all carriers can boast.

And if the leopard's too much for you. They have all kinds of simple solids too. But, the truth is, as pretty as they are, the pattern will be the last thing on your mind, it's all about the structural design when it comes to Baby Belle Carriers.

Gift Guide goodies - Katydid boots

I love my Uggs. But I also love these new boots from Katydid. First of all, much better price point. Second of all, a little glam. And third, they're as comfy as their Australian compadres.

They come with a variety of different embellishments. And they are super snuggly. So many people are sporting the plain variety these days, Katydid's version are a great diversion.

Get them for any girl on your list who likes to turn heads as much as she likes to stay warm and cozy!

Gift Guide goodies - Q Tonic and Q Ginger

Sometimes it seems strange to mix high quality vodka with grocery store tonic water. It seems like a disservice to the poor vodka, you know?

Plus, I am a sucker for great package design. So, Q Tonic and Q Ginger had me at hello. It looks great and tasted even better. And even the best spirits are delighted to share a glass with it.

And it's tasty enough to drink alone too, of course. But I'm not much for tonic when it flies solo. It makes a great gist for anyone who enjoys a little bubble in their glass.