It has been so interesting for me to read and think about the essays we have for this month. In what order should you build your palette? I might start with Anna Leung’s article about Gabriel Orzoco’s retrospective, which she saw at the Tate Modern in London. This is the show’s last stop; it closes April 25th. It opened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where it was organized, in December of 2009, then traveled to the Pompidou Center in Paris and the Kunstmuseum Basel in Switzerland before arriving at the Tate Modern. As always, Anna has given us a delightful and thoughtful read of the exhibition.

I traveled to New York City to visit with Betty Woodman in her studio. This is part of a larger project for which I am visiting living American woman artists whose work I have followed for at least 25 years. Among other things, I want to hear about how they have managed to keep it going all this time with such energy, beauty, and work. Woodman has indeed lived her life as an artist with grace, finesse, and art. My wonderful mentor for this project is the writer and biographer Hayden Herrera who chose to work with me through the Andy Warhol Foundation/Creative Capital art writers program. This has been a meaningful endeavor for me; those who know me know that I am a painter first, and then a writer. I cannot thank Hayden or Amei Wallach, who chairs the program, or the foundations enough; it has been a much-needed gift. 

I watched an online streaming version of the Israeli movie Jellyfish co-directed by Etgar Keret. I found the film moving, funny, and mysterious, so I asked writer Andrew Dietz to go hear Keret speak at Kennesaw State University, near Atlanta, and interview him for TAS. My intuition might have been working that day, as I think Etgar and Andrew found themselves very much on the same wavelength–literary soul mates. You will see what I mean when you read Andrew’s essay.

All my best,

Deanna