enter: Society
WED: Glorious Life Drawing! :) There
were a few different people there. 2 notable things: #1)the model was
an extremely slender young Indonesian man- i had never drawn anyone
like this before and it was very good practice (i was surprised at my
own shock at an Indonesian revealing himself thus. but as with all
life models, it takes 2 seconds to get over that. he obviously was a
pro). And Pranoto, the Mr. Miagi, complimented my work :) score.
#2) Via eavesdropping, I found out
about a big art opening that was happening that evening, this time, a
very short walk from my house. Score #2!
The Opening: I had no idea what to
expect. It was a group show. As i walked in, the hotel hosting it
struck me as one of the more luxurious around. Were there kings or
queens visiting, i imagined they would stay there. Then as I
approached the gallery, the narrow stairway became almost impassable
due to the huge volume of people! Again, fascinating mix of east
meets west. These were evidently the very high brow local artists,
looking extremely dignified and beautiful in their headdresses and
sarongs. (i wish i could wear one! boys only, though). And, of course
there were a lot of foreigners. Complete with free wine, sushi &
other fineries. What a scene!! But i quickly found my little life
drawing group, and also scored an invitation to a Jazz Cafe to hear
music afterwards.
Pranoto/Miagi came & talked to me a
few minutes -every familiar face was welcomed. He leaned in a
whisper, affirming what suspected: “This is the Who’s Who in the
Balinese art scene!” and proceeded to point out several prominent
people. Misi, Mario de Balnco was there :) Mis & I visited his
father, Antonio de Blanco’s outrageous ‘renaissance museum’.
The art, was, to use a Lonely Planet
word, spotty. Some good. some very disappointing. There was one that
i considered for a second buying though!
The Jazz Cafe: I trouped out with the 5
or so people from the LD class – interesting being in a ‘group’
again. we hopped in a car & drove very far away – past
Pranoto’s gallery. (i mention this just to indicate the distance of
my walk home – my sacrifice for human company :) Only one lady,
Jen, a British older woman with a very dignified accent but very
spunky everything else, was the only person who had ventured talking
with me at all. I think I am not very approachable.
Let me interject a moment to shed a
little more light on my company. My latest take on Ubud is that it is
the San Miguel Allende of South East Asia. Some of you know what I
mean. Beautiful local culture inundated with most middle-age
visitors, with an abundance of art classes, language classes, and
real estate available. I imagine a similar crowd here. same people
who populate austin’s informal art classes. Occasionally i meet
someone close to my age.
Back to Jazz – after a steep cover
charge, and ordering the cheapest drink on the menu, i had a very
pleasant conversation with Vic – a bald NewYorker who’s been on
the road for nigh on 4 years – australia, new zealand, thailand,
and now here. sweet guy. told my about the artist he’s taking
private lessons from – i may check it out. But the funnest part
was talking to a girl named Kelly – She just served 2 years with
the Peace Corp in Lesotho (sp?) in South Africa. She’s been
traveling since december and we struck up a lively conversation. She
got her MFA from an art school in New York that one of my neighbors
had gone to. She doesn’t want to be a professional artist (‘doesn’t
have the personality for that’.. oh great), but wants to live
abroad the rest of her life :) she’s looking for somewhere she can
help facilitate micro-business crafts endeavors with locals.
Wednesday was her last night here. nice while it lasted :)
