DAY TEN

Day Ten, December 25, 2012

 Today, returning from a screening of The Hobbit (an excellent romp, thank you Peter Jackson) I stopped off to visit the graves of my former landlady and patron, Donna Raye Beckett and her mom, whom we called "Becky."  The day was overcast and rather chilly, but I was impressed with the number of families and individuals who were taking Christmas afternoon to pay respects to loved ones who had passed on.  The whole cemetery was strewn with not only hundreds of poinsettias, but a couple of graves had full sized fully decorated Christmas Trees.  

One person sat for a long time beside a grave near where I was visiting. He was quiet, perhaps having a little lunch? He took a long time and when it was time to go, he gently caressed the bronze marker and then bent down and kissed it.  This kind of devotion impressed me.   After he left, I went to see the grave.  It was a simple marker with some little Christmas Trees left behind, all brushed off.  Singular.  Alone. 

I first 'met' Don and David Keeney several years ago when visiting Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.  They were twins, evidently, born in 1955.  David passed away first not yet three years of age.  Don survived for almost exactly a year to the day beyond his twin, not yet four.   

The inscriptions on both of the markers are the same: "For of such is the kingdom of Heaven."  I just found the quote from Matthew 19 in the King James version of the Bible. The verse quotes Jesus saying that children should not be hindered from coming to him.  I don't think that the Bible verse really means that children should be in Heaven, but that's sort of the fatalistic take that I make on the inscriptions. 

These twins are buried under a big tree next to folks who lived full lives, or at least long ones.  I wonder what it was that made these guys vulnerable back in the fifties?  I wonder about their parents and maybe siblings?  I wonder about twins and their special bonding and why Don got an extra year to live? 

It's Christmas Day.  Good movie.  Good chatting with Stuart and Marlene.  Well treated at the DGA.  These are presents that are mostly intangible, but welcome and... just enough.   

P.S. The Keeney's showed up on line.  The parents, Dwight and Joyce, had three more children. Daniell Lee and another set of twins: Laura Faye and Lavon  Rayond Keeney. 


 

DAY Nine

DAY Nine, December 23, 2012

From my porch, now and then, nature makes a comment. Clouds in Southern California are a hit and miss proposition, but when they roll in, I remember Colorado sunsets with thunder heads along the Front Range and sometimes a rainbow.  

When I moved here in 1986, I looked out across Adams Hill and dubbed the big gray house across the way "The Shoe Factory." That was, partly, an homage to Gar Campbell's video that I'd seen back in the days before most folks could shoot video on a phone.  

The neighborhood is mostly unchanged here. Cambridge Drive is quiet with a few new neighbors.  I miss the old ones. 

Clouds. Nature's Artwork. To me, when they pile up like this are every cliche I've ever heard. Tall ships. Castles in the air. Ever changing ephemera. 

Long ago, in a Peanuts comic strip, Lucy, Charlie Brown and Linus are lying on a little hillock looking at the sky.  Lucy asks Linus what he sees in the clouds. 
"I see 'The Stoning of St. Stephen" as realized by the Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn.  What do you see, Charlie Brown?"  

Charlie Brown pauses for a moment. 
 "I was going to say a ducky and a horsey, but I changed my mind." 

Death and holidays: time for reflection.   

              Look to the clouds.  
                      Look to our hearts.  

DAY Eight / November 20, 2012

 

 11/20/2012   Hollywood Forever

Lucille Bliss has died

A fancy casket

shiny brass with roses

The Chatter of a handfull 

of folks

                 A red faced man -- Ken

                Emotional -- has his

written thoughts -  His tie's askew.

A woman with long dark hair

          impossible heels - Asian

One ear peeks out ---  Her 

purple dress  somehow

        appropriate

    She tweets or Text messages---

OC Pastor --- United Methodist

      Did not know Lucille--

Twenty eight friends or 

  friends of friends --

The red faced man mumbles

An asian man tells the

          story of Lucille being 

   in a restaurant... 

Elvis walked in    ... crossed

to Lucille and asked for her

   autograph...

       The pastor sings the

         Rocky & Bullwinkle theme

         as June Foray returns

         to her seat..

Other friends extole the

virtues of the Lively Sprite

Lucille was..  She was 96

& to the end shared her passion

for the work that sustained

her for over sixty years...  

Somehow appropriate, a telelvision shoot was going on adjacent to the little chapel where the service was held.

The crypt is four flights up.  A gray curtain covers the 'door.' A special lift raises the casket up.  Two respectful guys in work clothing roll the casket into it's final resting place. Ten roses ride the casket right inside and then, it's gone.  

Lucille's downstairs neighbor is Yma Sumac! 

 

  Day Eight
Michael Sheehan 

 

Day Seven / November 15, 2012

Is David suitable viewing for all ages?

Today I sat through a long meeting of the Glendale, California Arts and Culture Commission.  They have worked in concert with so called "Risk Management" attorneys to develop (after almost five years of saying that a 'policy' is in the works) a set of guidelines for artists who may want to exhibit their work in a Public Space here in Glendale.  One Commissioner, Razmik Gregorian, objected to one point of the policy: that submitted artwork be 'suitable for audiences of all ages.'  This  became a point of contention for Mr. Gregorian. A discussion then ensued regarding whether or not Michelangelo's David would be considered appropriate for display in  City owned properties.  His objection to this point was overruled by the other commissioners.

A draconian list of requirements that artists who may want to install in Glendale, included  a laundry list of inappropriate works of art,  definitions of pornography including whether the artwork would incite to riot or unlawful behavior.

The whole policy (that was eventually approved by the A and C Commission) is supposed to guide artists to want to show in Glendale.  What it does is impose on anyone who may be interested in pursuing a goal of Art for Glendale a set of "rules" that are outlined in a six page list, mostly of restrictions, to protect the City from issues arising from the decapitation of a rambunctuous kid who may knock over a misplaced sculpture to someone being injured by a falling painting.  Do I think this is ridiculous?  Well, in a word: yes.

We have common sense to guide us but the highly paid staff of attorneys working for the City needs to make sure that nothing offensive or challenging or thought provoking or sexually suggestive or otherwise artful in a contemporary sense will ever be installed inside the walls of a Civic Building.  By pre-censoring anyone who may be foolish enough to ever want to show in a public building, they have, effectively, solved their problem. No one will apply, nor should they. 

The City also wants to charge artists $100 to $500 for the privilege of showing and want for artists to have their own insurance to cover, not the artist, but to indemnify the City from imagined harm that may come from the art exhibit.

There are thoughtful commissioners on the Glendale Arts and Culture Commission.  Director Cindy Cleary is thoughtful and fair. That they agreed to this draconian (I do love that word!) set of rules set forth by Risk Management Experts is a shame.  If any artist applies to what may in some distant future be a Request for Proposals by the City, be forewarned that the list of requirements basically will restrict you to something nice that may go with a sofa or maybe brighten up a bathroom.  Any art with substance or teeth of any kind is not for public consumption in a City Owned Facility.  

I yelled a little at the Commission today.  They get it that artists should be supported and encouraged. Mr. Gregorian was vocal on that topic and should be applauded.  But, what it comes down to is that the excuses that the men in suits come back with is "that's the standard way we do it."  

That the City of Glendale is pretty much anti-art seems clear now.  A wonderful presentation by an Arts for L.A. representative mostly was nodded at by the commissioners today. These arts advocates got the LAUSD to agree unanimously that an arts curriculum is a vital part of education in Los Angeles.  In Glendale we have six pages of 'rules' that no self respecting artist or any person, for that matter should ever have anything to do with. 

Does anyone with any clout have anything to say about this?  I sadly doubt that hardly anyone really much cares.   

Michael Sheehan

Adams Hill        

Day Seven 

Day Six / November 2, 2012 Revised

Okay.. here's the story:

Edith Abeyta (on the left above) had a recent health issue. She was presented with a huge hospital bill.  Fortunately, she's been able to negotiate an adjustment, so it is less huge.  On FB I suggested that if all of her almost 500 friends had ten bucks or so, that some of her financial pressure could be relieved.  

So!  If  you'd like to make a small contribution to Edith's bill, please send her a check (I imagine she'd go for cash, too) to:

Edith Abeyta
1873 Echo Park Avenue
LA, CA 90026 

This was my original post:  


Two of my favorite people.  

The LA Municipal Art Gallery is an egalitarian space rescued from privatization by the efforts of dedicated staff and artists as well as well intentioned politicians (I think.)

That's Edith on the left and Nancy on the right. They are at the heart of the gallery in their dedication to keeping the gallery active and filled with interesting and challenging artwork.  Edith is an artist in her own right whom I met through her installation work months before I met her in person.  I admire her so much.  She is an inspiration.


michaelsheehan 

Day Five / November 1, 2012

"Sometime too hot the eye of Heaven shines..." has been running through my mind when I think of this lovely sculpture in a small corner of The Brewery. I may be mistaken, but I think she is the Queen of Heaven from Chinese mythology.  I first saw an image of her at the home of Dona Lee Davies.  Her tranquility is soothing and "now in these days of confusion, I have need of her company" to go back to the spirit of Richard Farina. 

Richard and his beautiful wife, Mimi, brought the mountain dulcimer to us in the sixties.  Being stuck in the Sixties may be counter productive, but the simplicity of those times and the wonderfulness of the message of Peace and Love I still believe in is an important one to remember.

Finding a still center is easier on the dark cool days for me. 

Day Five.  

Day Four / October 27, 2012

Many years ago, with the draft right on my tail, I wound up on this street in Garden Grove, California.   Rancho Alamitos High School was a relatively new school with need of a drama teacher. That would be me.

Driving by Rancho on Wednesday was sad and sweet.  The campus has changed.  Huge eucalyptus trees that stood to the north of the main campus:  gone.  Fruit trees on the Senior Lawn: gone.  The old sign at the entry to the office with Poco Vaquero: gone.  The lawns are dry.  I could see a familiar sign on the gym.  

I met important people during the five years I spent in E5 and mostly in H2 trying to make theatre with a fifty dollar budget and a great group of kids, some of whom remain my good friends today. The serendipity of life: doors opening and closing by design or by just the chance of where we are at any given time all bring us to this moment.  

At this moment I am grateful for all the moments and odd connections that have led to it. 

Day Four

 

Day Three / October 22, 2012

Brewery Art Walk Autumn 2012

Fall sneaks in and holds off a little for the Artwalk at the Brewery.  I seem to be enamoured with the clouds lately and finding them adjacent to interesting things is a pleasure.  Just before taking this photo, Llyn Foulkes walked by.  He has his Church of Art there at The Brewery and conducts 'services' for attendees.  His 'Machine' is a huge contraption that is made up of Bombay Bicycle horns, a sort of reeded wind thing that is like a sax or clarinet, an electric bass string that he plays with his feet.  There's percussion and he sings/raps songs that are just fun to listen to.   He has an installation up currently or soon at Mat Gleason's Coagula Gallery in Chinatown here in Los Angeles.  The opportunity to see a world class artist in a local gallery is a treat. 

Originally, I was going to just describe the photos that I post here, but it seems that waxing to other stuff may be happening, too. 

There are 26 teeth in this photo of a huge cog wheel.  In the photo, 26.  It's a very large piece of machinery which I can't imagine at work.  A combination I like:  
The Rust. 
The Clouds. 
The Sunshine. 
The Blue Sky.  
Exchanging waves with Llyn Foulkes.  Just a near perfect day.

Day 3.

Day Two / October 21, 2012

This is the studio where I met Eugenia Butler.  It's dedicated to children now.  

For folks not in the art world, her name may be obscure.  She was a dynamic and creative woman unlike anyone I've ever met.  I always walk by this space and remember meeting her work before I met her.  She changed people's lives with her enthusiasm for art and ideas.  

We are less for her passing away but more for having met her.

Day One / October 10, 2012

The clouds bring me back to my youth in Colorado.

Highland Park, California   October 2012

Driving back from a memorial service in Long Beach, the clouds seemed to suggest that a hundred days, a hundred thoughts, a hundred photographs... or so... might be an idea.  How to share pithy ideas without boring the pants off of friends and others is a goal.  Gee, I have a goal!

A beautiful friend once said in a hand written letter to me (remember the post?) that her grandfather had said that when you start to discuss the weather, it's time to close.  The clouds are not exactly the weather, so I want to mention the day today in a cemetery with mostly people I will never know...   and the clouds.  The sounds of heavy grave digging machinery invaded the Philipino Priest's ritual.  Small airplanes droned over head.  Big trucks rumbled through. A huge airliner drowned out some of the little tributes. And, then...  we all just left.  Left behind a small box with a rose on it, alone.  All alone.

The stuff of life that causes our breath to catch, just for a moment, just a little and a tear to well up within us is probably the important stuff.  It happens unawares sometimes. I tend to see it as a sign of something human. 

Did you sparkle today?

This is the first entry.  I feel human now.