An Esthetic Point Of View

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Advice in the window of a restaurant across the street from Marlene Rose's booth at the St. Louis Art Fair. From some reviews and articles I've read, I think a number of art critics agree.

I got to stop doing these multi-photo posts with little essays. I mean, when am I going to put my laundry away or possibly even open a book? So tomorrow will be a simple Arch picture, but with some Darjeeling thrown on it.

St. Louis Art Fair - Beauty In Pewter

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It started as it so often does: something visually interesting crosses my path and I stop to check it out. In this case, it was a woman behind an intriguing triangle of curtain who had a warm smile. To one side are tall, elegant pewter containers holding flowers. The woman is identified by a banner in unusual colors, complimenting the curtain. As I so often do, the first words out of my mouth are, "Hi! Would you mind if I took your picture? You look so..." This Janet Miller from Nashville, Tennessee, one of the artists at the fair last weekend. Her work is gorgeous - check it out at her web site. Better still, buy something. The list of art shows she is attending for the rest of the season is here.

WHAT I'M READING: The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow. It's about the science, the math of randomness and probability theory and their meaning in ordinary daily events. Don't overestimate that "hot streak" at the slot machine.

TOMORROW: I got to the Art Fair late on the last day and didn't get a lot of pictures. So, we'll go back to the Hispanic Festival with a meditation on adolescent male fantasy and one of the National Football League's worst teams.

St. Louis Art Fair

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This weekend brought us the annual St. Louis Art Fair. Quite an event. Not just any riffraff gets to display work - only a small percentage of applicants are accepted. For me, a lot of the stuff on display shows a high degree of craftsmanship but is aimed at a mass audience (the artists do have to make a living). If I see one more photographer with pictures of Paris, Venice or various colorful places in the American Southwest I'm gonna scream. I swear, I will. However, each year there are a few original gems. The airborne dancers or acrobats above are an example. It would be hard to find a place to install them in your home unless you have a big yard. I think they are magical.

WHAT I REALLY SHOULD DO: throttle back my photography addiction, work harder and make more money to feel my habit (not to mention household expenses). Contact me in a week and see if I succeeded.

TOMORROW: Art Fair? Hispanic Festival? Not even I know.