Okay, New Year’s Resolution: no more heavy, philosophical bullcrap. Just the facts as I see ‘em ma’am. Though that may not work out too well since I can’t seem to resist those meanderings, at least every now and then. Then maybe… okay REVISED New Year’s Resolution #1B: not so much heavy, philosophical bullcrap. Keep it light and tight. No one wants to spend ten minutes of their valuable allotment of discretionary time reading someone else’s brain noise.

Morning sky over San Miguel

The problem here is the same as Popeye’s and everybody else’s: I am what I am. Just bear with me and I promise to mix it up.

One promise I made myself for the new year was to get this weblog up to speed. Thanks to some new software you can now try to toss me a line when I go out dog-paddling in the deep end. Post your comments and save me from drowning in simile.

Welcome to the New Year! The “new” thing is very big in this world, so no wonder this holiday is popular. Western Culture keeps us hungry for it. Keeping on top of it is our lifestyle and you’re some dotty old crank if you aren’t right there.

The sharp point of “the new” is always staring us down as artists. While making a fresh instance in art is vital, there’s really nothing new under the sun, so finding a context and then developing a viewpoint seems to me more important. Or else you’ll go around with a big, neon, self-conscious arrow pointing to your “new art”; all shiny and new but trivial at last. It’s like the “New Toy at Christmas” phenomena. The toy that gets twenty minutes of attention Christmas morning and then passes onto a heap of mediocre plastic.

Stefanie in the campo

At some point as we age the opposite value makes its stand: Old is amazing! I see it as the ultimate test of value: been around the block a few times, still kicking and looking good! (well maybe just the first two parts). We met many great people at our art fair this week but some of our favorites were well up there on the chronological scale. One lady told us she painted watercolors for ten years but gave it up because “I decided I didn’t know what the hell I was doing!”. Another charming lady told us she decided not to buy land here thirty years ago.”I could shoot myself. In fact I’m surprised I haven’t!”

Sunset blaze on templo edifice

These old beauties tell me the wonderful part about the age I’m entering. Its time to have fun with my foibles and weakenings, let go of the pride that is death to humor and the unflinching opinions about what is real quality that make me a snob and get on with opening my senses to this big fat juicy life.

Smiles at the art fair

Sure we love our new things; new house, new car, The New Christie Minstrals. But god forbid we Americans learn a new language. Talking to a lady from San Luis Potosi (who spoke multiple languages), I lamented the lack of foreign language study in the States as well as my own inability to master Spanish. She asked me if I knew what a person who spoke three languages was called “trilingual”, Two?, “bilingual” One? “gringo”.

Happy New Year. May it bring you new ways to see growing older.