treasure hunt

mk + i spent the morning at the flea market.  here are a few memorable pieces.

a stool crafted out of solid teak wood.  asking $150.

a skinny bench with nice joinery but not very stable.  asking $25.

cute stroller in the  back.

this stall of handmade jewelry is incredible.  the owner is the artist and he reminds me of beth orduna except that his work is more raw and bold.  if you can zoom into the photo, the piece with the chunky crystal dangling from the thick industrial chain on the left center of picture is my favorite.  he asked for $80 and i would have gotten it if not for the rust on the chain.  his work has soul and his aloofness is touching.

you can sense his artistry not only from the pieces he created, but the care he put into the display of his work.  

these boots rock!  thomas wylde, would you please plagiarize them for your next collection??

a johnsian conversation

we are so fond of jasper johns that we named our son after him.  perhaps more captivating than his work, i find, is his personality.  a conversation with johns can be so distinctive that people in the art world refer to it as "a johnsian conversation."  here's an illustration excerpted from the book by michael crichton.

The art critic Leo Steinberg has recorded the following conversation:  "i asked [Johns] about the type of numbers and letters he uses - coarse, standardized, unartistic - the type you associate with packing cases and grocery signs.

Q:  You nearly always use this same type.  Any particular reason?

A:  That's how the stencils come.

Q:  But if you preferred another typeface, would you think it improper to cut your own stencils?

A:  Of course not.

Q:  Then you really do like these best?

A:  Yes.

This answer is so self-evident that I wonder why I asked the question at all; ah, yes - because Johns would not see the obvious distinction between free choice and external necessity.  Let me try again:

Q:  Do you use these letter types because you like them or because that's how the stencils come?

A:  But that's what I like about them, that they come that way.

while i'm totally fascinated and amused by reading these conversations, i can imagine living with someone like this will make me jump out the window, very quickly.