I’m attending FRIENDS OF THE ARTS PARTY AT CHRISTIE’S ON NOVEMBER 13, 2009, 6:30-8:30 pm – here’s the press release, below:

NEW YORK, November 4th, 2009—The Alliance for the Arts will partner with the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) to host the annual Friends of the Arts Party at Christie’s, opening the galleries for an exclusive preview of the much-heralded Latin American Art show, cocktails and music on Friday the 13th of November, 6:30-8:30 pm.

The Friends Party began in 2003 as a way to support the Alliance’s work as a leader in arts advocacy and to engage artists, policymakers and patrons in conversation about the arts.

“As we face a time when support for the arts is more crucial than ever, the Friends party is an ideal opportunity for younger New Yorkers to become arts advocates,” said Randall Bourscheidt, President of the Alliance for the Arts.

The Alliance’s new partnership with NYPLI is an effort to economize and share resources and serve our mutual commitment to making New York the most accessible and livable city possible.  ”The idea of bringing together two critical organizations for the good of the city is a powerful one,” said Michael Rothenberg, Executive Director of NYLPI.  ”We expect this is an idea that endures beyond the recession.”

Event leaders include Ashton Hawkins and John L. Moore III, Paul Beirne, Robert C. Clauser, Kipton Cronkite, William Earle, Nick Hockens, Werner H. Kramarsky, Dr. J. Marc Michel Léonard and Michael Yeager, Helen Marx, David and Elizabeth Netto, Susan D. Ralston, Jane Gregory Rubin, Joe Versace, Enzo Viscusi and Alan Wanzenberg.  Other special guests include public officials Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, State Senator Liz Krueger and State Assemblyman Jonathan L. Bing, and artists Cornelia Guest, William Ivey Long and Tor Seidler.

In addition to Christie’s, sponsors include Eni, ForbesLife, KiptonART, NYCharities.org, City Winery and Diamond Standard Vodka.  KiptonART will present a silent auction featuring KiptonART artists, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Alliance.

Christie’s is located at 20 Rockefeller Plaza on 49th Street between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas.

THE ALLIANCE FOR THE ARTS serves the entire cultural community through research and advocacy and informs the public through cultural guides and calendars. Now in its 33rd year, the Alliance publishes information on the arts and cultural events in New York City as well as studies highlighting the importance of the arts to the economy and to education.

The Alliance helps government and civil leaders understand the importance of the arts to New York City by making the case for more support for culture from all levels of government. One of the ways it does this is through the Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Fellowship for Public Policy and the Arts, which was inaugurated in 2002 with the objective of training cultural policy leaders through engagement with the Alliance’s advocacy work.

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) is a nonprofit civil rights law firm that strives for social justice in New York City through litigation, community organizing, policy advocacy and public education. NYLPI has in-house expertise in health justice, environmental justice and disability rights.  This expertise is extended by a network of volunteers from New York’s top law firms and corporate legal departments that work with NYLPI to provide pro bono legal assistance to nonprofit organizations and individuals in need.

I saw Julie and Julia tonight in midtown and met several other film and food blog enthusiasts to see a movie that partly, takes place in New York City right after 9/11, and also 40 or 50 years earlier, in Paris, France.

I liked the movie a lot and met before and after it with a group of food enthusiasts, including some bloggers (and then there was me, a blogger, as well) at  Luce Restaurant & Wine Bar – 2014 Broadway- see the two short movies, below.

This painting, I think, is done – I went by my studio space and decided to finish it – if anything can really be finished.   Orginally, I named it “The Uprising” but I think it ought to really be named “Truth” because that’s what I feel when I look at the painting.

Truth 40" x 60" Acrylic and Oil Pastel on Canvas - Marshall Sponder

I did make it over to Brooklyn Artists Gym this afternoon and ended up doing a self portrait.  Here’s a picture Peter Wallace, owner and manager of BAG took of me with my SideKick 3 camera.

I feel this painting, self portrait, is one of my best.

 

The photo I took is decent – but many of the subtleties are not showing up in the digital picture – the work is much richer when looking at it – and some for the lighting I captured on my face looks more arbitrary in the photo than in real life.   The painting looks better, I feel, standing in front of it - than seeing it online, like I have it, above. 

I think I spent close to 5 hours working on my self portrait.  Once I started painting again last year – I let myself go – when I paint – it’s 100% of me and I often feel as if something else is working through me and I’m just along for the ride – and that’s totally fine with me.

Also feel that I can complete my work now where I could not years and years ago – I had no idea what “finished” meant – I did not know when to stop.  Feel much more  confident of my abilities as an artist.

It’s also nice when artists at my studio come up to me and tell me the painting is beautiful – it’s unsolicited feedback.  Without taking it too seriously – if I “see it”, “feel it” and “know it” and other people (who have no idea of how aware I am of the “energy”) come over to me and tell me they’re drawn to the work…..I must be onto something.

But I’m totally glad I’m not out to sell or even show my work at this time.  It takes a alot of courage to put your work out for the world to see – in a gallery show – my soul is exposed.  I’m not ready for it yet.  Maybe I’ll never be ready – I’m fine going on, just as I have -and I’ll see where the road takes me.

BTW, here’s what my Self Portrait looks like at a distance:

I believe a painting should look good at a distance but also close up – but the power of painting is different at a distance – I hope if this work is ever shown, it’s also seen at a distance, like I’m showing above.   Getting close up, another set of associations takes over as you can see the textures and the forms are clearer.

Well, that’s enough for one post and after 5 hours, I packed it up and left the studio, a little after 7PM, Saturday.