Cleaning up

With Eric tending the GR store business, Souther Salazar art opening, and maybe even some interviews for articles in New York City, I spent a few hours at GR2 helping Michelle take down an art show, pack the pieces in an archival manner, and spackle the walls.

At the end of the day, one painting was left hanging--the one I had my eye on for the duration of the show. I kept wondering when someone was going to buy a certain piece by Jack Long, a Philly guy who went to RISD and wound up in L.A. A lot of the art we show at GR2 is illustration-based, but Jack's stuff is the opposite. It's painterly. He plays in punk and noise bands, yet when the brush is in his hands, the chaos ends and time stops.

Jack depicts castle-like homes, suspended in the air with mysterious cables, birds, and occasional hooded figures walking around. The mood is very peaceful, but there are hints of a story in every piece. There's some gravity-defying technology going on and the wafting energy is suggests AD&D-like powers at work. Not only is the subject matter compelling and execution masterful, but the work comes in a frame so you don't have to pay someone in Chinatown to make it displayable!

After buying the piece, my tasks at GR2 were done.