soon...

A quick update while I'm in the vicinity of a wireless signal. Been in Texas for 5 days now. The acquisitions department of Lo & Behold has not been as active as I had hoped over that period. Nevertheless, I soldier on with the promise of the Marburger Farm show on Tuesday.

Living out at the remote cabin has been great. Lots of indian paintbrush and only a sparse amount of bluebonnets. I've been watching roadrunners from the house. Very windy. I love the solitude in short bursts. Sometimes I listen to just the wind and insects. On the other hand I also listened to Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" at top volume at midnight a few days ago.

Below is the view from the front porch.

I have not had any barbecue so far - I'm being really picky about where and when. Had some disappointing tacos al pastor at Gueros. Will try again with some friends tonight at Azul.

Here's another one from the property.

My upcoming art show at Yard Dog now has a name - "The Other Side of Anonymity". Be sure to check it out - it opens on Saturday April 12th.

That's it for now. Check back in a few days. Wish me luck!

-Mike

Texas...rapidly approaching

Hello again.

I'm taking a little time out from working to let you know about some upcoming stuff I'm pretty excited about.

First, I'm getting set to take my spring trip to Round Top, TX for the dizzying array of antique shows that will happen over the next few weeks. I now only go to buy stuff, so you won't find me set up anywhere out there. This trip is always a wonderful (but hectic) blend of business, old friends and Texas-style fun. I'll probably update this blog a few times from the secluded ranch cabin where I stay on these trips, so stay tuned.

Second, I'm rapidly finishing up work on a new collection of photo-collage for my second show at Yard Dog Folk Art Gallery in Austin. The show opens on April 12, 2008 and I'm really psyched. The picture above is a partial preview of what will be featured in that show. You can check out their website here http://www.yarddog.com/

As usual feel free to contact me at thatspoppycock@gmail.com

-Mike

ps. I've just filled out my bracket - I'm taking Kansas all the way. Go Temple!

blind faith

No, that's not the ufo that was spotted in Stephenville, Texas back in January. It's the lighting rig above the stage at Madison Square Garden, where some friends and I went to see the 3rd and last of the sold-out Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood shows. It was my first visit to the Garden and it was inspiring. We were on the floor and it felt pretty cool to be under the jumbotron where guys like Walt Frazier and Patrick Ewing played night after night. Admittedly, I'm really only a passing fan of Clapton and Winwood. However, the show was fantastic. They did a bunch of Blind Faith tunes as well as some Traffic and Hendrix numbers. It's remarkable that even while burning through Hendrix classics like Voodoo Chile and Little Wing, there was no mistake who was playing guitar - Eric Clapton. His tone and feel are immediately recognizable. Steve Winwood took some impressive turns on the guitar as well. This probably means I'll end up obsessively listening to the classic album "Blind Faith" for the next few months. The most impressive part may be that despite having 16 oz of beer accidentally dumped on me by an amateur bar patron before the show and getting stranded for two and one half hours on I-78 in central NJ at 2am with 2 flat tires, it was, as my good friend Jim said "still worth it!"