Why I Heart France Reason #19: Fungus.

At the request of blog commenter 'Tired of Snow', Saturday night Frenchboy and I managed to get a table at one of the cities best restaurants, Au Pampre d'Or, without a reservation.

It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.

It's true, Au Pampre d'Or happily lost it's Michelin star recently, but after ordering and being absolutely charmed by the 5 course Truffle Menu I have no effin' idea why.

Now, before we get to the food porn, can I just say how much I adore the French for their love of mold and fungus? Before moving to France, I had only heard of chocolate truffles (although I don't think I'd ever eaten one of those either). So naturally I am absolutely fascinated by the idea of eating a spore that costs nearly €2,000 for a kilo.

Last night we must have eaten at least 50 grams of truffles and I won't lie to you:

It was Divine.

An Amuse-Bouche fit for Royalty.

I love when they bring your food under a cloche. (What do we call that in English?)
The French do have a flair for the dramatic---even in their food.

I wish had stolen a copy of the menu because describing this first dish as
"scrambled egg soup with truffles" doesn't really do it justice.
It was amaaaazing.

Pigeon with truffles!

How is it that I've lived in France for 7 years now yet I had no idea that you're supposed to eat your Munster with light sprinkling of cumin? Seriously? I'm just finding out about this heavenly combination now?

I love when they bring you two platters filled with
what can only be describes as"pre-desserts".

The cutest mini pistachio muffin on earth.

Insane chocolate soufflé that what so perfectly light and fluffy that I felt like I was eating chocolate and mandarin flavored air.

And a bit of Meringue for good measure.

Take that André Michelin!

I Survived the Snownami.

I'm writing this from the great state in Indiana visiting me mum. I booked this trip to the US because I have not one, but three exhibitions planned back to back and I had planned to attending at least the closing reception for the first one near Chicago last week.

Unfortunately my reception got canceled by the Snowpocalypse.

Two days before the reception, Chicago got pounded by a storm system that pounded them with with 2 FEET of snow. Here in Indianapolis we didn't get snow, instead mother nature treated us to a 3 inch coating of ice that paralyzed the entire state and left many without electricity or heat.

How's that for a homecoming party?

We were all but trapped in the house for nearly 3 days. Luckily my friend Danielle managed to make it to our house on the 3rd day. She helped me dig out my car and my mom's car. No, No. Let me rephrase that. She helped me chisel my car out of an effin' glacier with a hammer. A frickin' HAMMER!

Once we had liberated the cars we were feeling quite triumphant. Here is me with my mini shovel and my nearly 18 inch tall and 3 inch thick Ice trophy. The bugger weighed nearly 15 lbs. No kidding.

But besides that, all is swell. In spite of being technically out of the office, I'm getting a TON of work finished, and more importantly I was here to help out my mom. I was like a gladiator shoveling out her car.

I am a total bad-ass.

New Year, New Ideas, New Focus, New Fun!

Those of you who e-mailed to check up on me are just too sweet. There is no cause for concern, I am doing just fine.

No, no, to be more correct: I am doing frickin’ awesome! See, don't I look happy?

Just when you think life can’t get any more juicy and interesting, well, it does.

What I’ve been up to:

Baang and Burne has been keeping me busy!

With 2 exhibitions under our belt we’re planning an event for Chicago, another psychotically enormous 6 week project to take place in NYC in September. If you're in the NYC area, join my invite list so I can...well invite you.


In other news:I gave up coffee and have become a tea junkie.

Which may or may not be related to the fact that I’m watching Being Human. A show about a ghost, a vampire, and a werewolf who constantly drink tea.
(Why can’t France have an equivalent of BBC3?)

Also, I’ve been cheating on you with my Art blog. For those of you who don’t what I do for a day job, go on over and check it out. I just gave it a ginormous overhaul and a new focus. In the past year I’ve published a few articles about art school loans, juried shows, and understanding difficult art. But now it’s time to take off the training wheels and really kick things into high gear.

I’ll still be showing off my own totally bad-ass Art , but I’ll also be helping other artists get their sh*t together and get their careers on track. For years I’ve been helping artists rework their resumes, write their artist statements, and put together exhibition proposals. Believe it or not, that type of stuff is fun for me.

Seriously, if you’re and artist who is struggling to create, show, and sell your art, you really should be working with me.

So you see, I haven’t been kidnapped, nor otherwise imprisoned. I simply got carried away living my big fat juicy life.

Oh how the time does fly when you’re having fun.

Look on the Bright Side. It Could Be Worse!

I just got an e-mail containing the following message from the US Department of State. When I read this stuff I always feel really helpless. I happen to be American. I live in Europe. It's not like I can cut my holiday short and fly home to avoid any possible dangers. I'm not a tourist. This is my home.

So instead of sitting here feeling all panicky and helpless. I thought I'd entertain y'all. Now, don't be skeered, but ask yourself....

Travel Alert
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs Europe
October 3, 2010

The State Department alerts U.S. citizens to the potential for Zombie attacks in Europe. Current information suggests that al-Zombi’ia and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks. European governments have taken action to guard against a Zombie attack and some have spoken publicly about the heightened threat conditions.

Zombies may elect to use a variety of means and weapons and target both official and private interests. U.S. citizens are reminded of the potential for Zombies to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure. Zombies have targeted and attacked subway and rail systems, as well as aviation and maritime services. U.S. citizens should take every precaution to be aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves when traveling.

We continue to work closely with our European allies on the threat from international Zombie-ism, including al-Qa’ida. Information is routinely shared between the U.S. and our key partners in order to disrupt Zombie plotting, identify and take action against potential operatives, and strengthen our defenses against potential threats.


We recommend U.S. citizens register their travel plans with the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy through the State Department's travel registration website.

This Travel Alert expires on January 31, 2011.

(Wait. Serously? WTF for? Is this the date world peace starts? Oh, Awesome!)

United States Embassy
American Citizen Services Unit
4, avenue Gabriel
75382 Paris Cedex 08
France

Telephone in France: 01 43 12 22 22
Telephone from U.S.: (011 33) 1 43 12 22 22
Website: http://france.usembassy.gov
E-mail: citizeninfo@state.gov

Bringing Art Back to "Everyday" People.

Through the process of organizing Baang and Burne Contemporary’s first event, I’ve been asked time and time again ‘So who are Baang and Burne?’ To answer simply—they don’t exist. Instead our gallery takes its name from a cold-war era espionage term for covert demolition and sabotage operations. We altered the spelling slightly to make a tongue in cheek reference to Big-name art galleries that take their names from their celebrity directors. When I came across the term ‘Bang and Burn’ it seemed perfect considering that our whole approach is about doing away with all the barriers that come built-in to the traditional art buying experience.

So let’s take a moment to talk about the biggest barrier shall we?

I’ve been on the ‘inside’ of the art world for quite some time, but not so long that I’ve forgotten how confusing and intimidating it can be to shop for art. I’m not too proud to admit that there was a time not so long ago that even I was afraid to go into certain galleries in New York City. Let’s face it folks—the art snob intimidation factor at many galleries is quite high. I was reading an article not to long ago where even world famous/fabulous fashion designer Marc Jacobs was too intimidated to go shopping for art.

If Marc Jacobs found the experience of shopping for art intimidating, how on earth can a non-art, non-millionaire “everyday” person be expected to enjoy the experience? And buying art should be an enjoyable experience, no? I refuse to believe that the fun only begins when you unwrap and install it in your home. The buying is an important part of the process. When asked, most people would say that the main reason they don’t buy art is because if the price. In reality, I think at least 50% of the problem is the actual process.

The traditional model of selling art in galleries has removed people from the experience of art, let alone the experience of buying it. Aside from those people who are especially motivated to take a drawing class or enjoy painting as a weekend hobby, very few people feel connected to art in the same immediate way that they feel connected to music for instance. The whole experience of viewing, understanding, buying, and just interacting with art and the very real people who make art has become almost completely alien. And this alienation has become the norm. Am I the only one that finds this fact tragic?

So I'm just throwing this out there:

What can be done to make the art buying experience less foreign?

What should be done to make art more accessible to would-be collectors?

What can be done to demystify the art buying process?

What can be done to make the entire idea of “art” less foreign to the “everyday” people of the world?

Who the hell are “everyday" people anyway?

I Came, I Saw, I Baanged, I Burned.

I blame my lack of posting on my massive case of jetlag. Just in case you’ve lost track, I spent the entire month of September in the US, shuttling between NYC and the grand state of Indiana. Now that I’m home, back in the studio, in France, I wanted to post a short and sweet wrap up of Baang and Burne Contemporary’s first NYC event.

In short, it was fabulous. Jane Zweibel’s work filled the space perfectly and it was a real pleasure to have the chance to see it again. The guests were intrigued and enchanted by the art, the food, the environment, and by the very concept itself. I know I’m biased, but our event was one of the best art event’s I’ve ever been to. However next time I will put someone in charge of documenting the entire event from start to finish because I was so busy with the guests that I barely took any photos!

What surprised me is that almost every guest spent time in the flat files room handling and touching the works on paper. Even more surprising was how many people went back in to see and touch the work a second time after they’d made the rounds once. As it turns out, I’m not the only one who loves white art handling gloves. I think everyone put on a pair at least once.

By 6PM the lasts guest had all said their goodbyes. An hour after that the entire exhibition had been uninstalled and packed for transport. No muss, No fuss. And that, my friends, is how you Baang and Burne.

The next Baang and Burne event will be EveryDAY: Recent Artwork by Charlie Grosso and Todd Squires, and takes place in NYC on Thursday October 21, 2010 from 6-8 PM.

Unfortunately I won’t be there. I can't get on a plane for fear that I might actually be the first person in history to actually die of jetlag. But if you're interested in seeing soem great artwork and actually meeting and talking to some great artists, I know a guy, who knows a guy, who can get you on the invite list. *wink wink* If you’re in the NYC area and you want to attend, just drop me an e-mail, or you can just go directly to the website and sign yourself up to the invite list .

Five Years of Bloggy Wisdom.

Maybe my jetlag is making me all goofy and euphoric, or perhaps it’s just the absolute joy of waking up in my own bed for the first time in almost a month, but I feel absolutely celebratory.

Happy 5 year blog-aversary to me!

That's right. I've been whinging for 5 whole years now. Click here to read my first, very whingey post titled: "France: Not all it's cracked up to be."

My first blog post was just dripping with disappointement in regards to France. Five years later my feelings for France aren't nearly as dramatic. What I feel now can only be described as... a light-hearted indifference.

But like I said then: At least the food is good.

How to Bang & Burn.

Hot on the heels of my guest post about "What I Learned From Running My Own Art Gallery", I figured this would be the a perfect moment to segway into telling you about my latest big project.

A few months ago I got the idea for a traveling, no-walls gallery while listening to an Art Heroes Radio podcast. Philip Huang was talking about how he opened a theatre in his spare bedroom because he couldn't find an affordable theatre where he could produce his one-man shows and performance works. I thought to myself: “Uhm, I should do that.”

My partner in crime, and fellow artist, Charlie Grosso and I have been wanting to work together on a project for about two years now. The idea of producing our own exhibitions and events seemed to fit the bill perfectly. Last month while I was in New York we decided to put our heads together and just do the thing. Less than six weeks ago we officially formed Baang & Burne Contemporary.

Our plan is simple yet ambitious: To produce 4-6 exhibition events a year in cities in the US and Europe. I say it’s ambitious because the goal is to pull off each event with a minimal budget while putting together a quality exhibition. The ‘Big-Picture’ goal of each event is to introduce each of the artists to possible new collectors in a new geographic region, or just a new group of people even in their own backyard. In other words, each event is not just about showing the work and adding a line to a CV, but about promoting increased future sales by engaging new audiences through relationship and community building.

Now here’s where it gets really exciting. Instead of using the traditional “pop-up” gallery that takes over a commercial space or store front for a limited time, we’re going to create a series of private “one night only” events with a much smaller cozy guest list of individuals. Most of the events will actually take place in a private home and will be by invitation only. Of course invitation only doesn’t mean exclusive. Anyone has the chance to be invited simply by getting onto our invite list.

Baang and Burne’s first event will take place in New York City on September 26th, 2010 with New York City artist Jane Zweibel. To say the least, we are excited! As usual more details will be forthcoming.

In my next post I’ll answer the question: “Who the hell are Baang and Burne?”

"Hey, Whatever Happened to the Art Shop?"

Unless you too happen to be an artist, most of you reading this might not know about Alyson Stanfield’s Art Biz Blog, but you should. And I'm not just saying that because last week I was the featured guest post writer.




Most of you know that back in 2008 I set up and shared a gallery space in my city with another artist. The whole experiment lasted about a year or so before I pulled the plug. If you want to hear my take on what I learned from the experience of running my own gallery, you should definitely head over.

Magic Garden Update: You Bring the Bamboo, I'll Bring the Booze.

It's been pissing pouring rain for 4 days, so I haven't been able to get outside on the terrace to take any photos before now. Finally, the storm let up for a few minutes this morning and I was able to get outside and take a few quick shots.

As you can see my mail-order bambou is happily in its home. We found these gigantic plastic planters made by some slick Danish company at the local yuppie garden center. They are super lightweight and are guaranteed to resist UV fading for a hand-full of years. I have complete and blind faith in Les Danoises.

The same weekend we potted the Bambou, French Father-in-Law and FrenchBoy installed this lovely and colorful straw material stuff that I found on sale at Leroy-Merlin. It's synthetic, so it should hold up a bit better than the real stuff we had installed on the terrace at our old apartment. The best part, besides finding it one sale of course, is that it makes the whole space seem more defined and dare I say cozy? I mean who wants to hang out and have cocktails on a Helipad? Ok, I would, but it would need to be dressed up pretty nice first.

You bring the bamboo, I'll bring the booze! p.s. That metal armiture to the right of me in the photo is a hammock that I might eventually use if it ever stops raining.

And just last week French Mother-in-Law called to tell me that Lidl was running a promo on lavender for less than 3 euros a plant.

I promptly drove over to my nearest location and bought their entire stock. OK, I left one plant in the store. I didn't want to look too greedy. (My apologies to the grey-haired old lady that I drop kicked in order to score an entire case of 6 plants, but lady, you had it comin'.) When we bought the planters from the garden center, I saw the exact same size of Lavander plant for about 10 bucks per plant. I don't exactly know which type of lavander this is, but I couldn't pass up that deal. Now my only hope is that they somehow manage to survive the psychotic Lorraine winter and don't end up as 6 flower-sicles.

Anyone who has tips on how the hell to protect Lavander from frost and pissing pouring rain for months on end, speak up in comments.

Oh, and for those of you in France who want to order your own magic garden in a box, I bought my bambou here: here's the website: http://www.bambouweb.fr. The selection, information, and pricing is nothing short of amazing. Order now, have your plants in 4 days. Insane!