Bangkok, Thailand. 10 March 2025 (2568!)
Really, it’s 2025 already? And all those things really did happen?
You know which things, I’ll not list them here. But I will say the obvious: change is afoot. Some of it, very welcome: I won’t miss the hegemony of woke leftist psychopaths in public life, though their claws still need some prying off the cultural sector. If we can at least get the open supporters of terrorism out of the national institutions, I’ll call that part a win.
Much of the change, alas, is unwelcome: will the parks be open in the spring? Will there be anyone left to process my fiancée’s visa?
With all acknowledgement of the artistic-bureaucratic excesses of the Left, I shudder to think what today’s Right is going to come up with for, say, the National Gallery if they ever get around to thinking about it. Probably not on their radar yet: doubt the bossman’s ever seen the inside of it anyway. But someone, somewhere, for sure is scheming to get some Very Bad Art in front of impressionable young eyes. Despite the absurdly demonstrative Catholicism of some of the new courtiers, and the flirting of the First Buddy with Meloni, I rather doubt we’ll see the great works of the Rinascimento pouring into our marble halls. But I could, in my hope-dies-last optimism, almost imagine a nice fat Triegel show!
Meanwhile: some artist’s block and a move to Japantown and a bunch of other things have been suppressing my output. But the systems will all be back online soon enough.
I have a couple months of “more time than money” lined up; and while space is very tight these days, it’s not nonexistent. And for writing, who needs space? (Yeah, actually I do, but I’m trying my best to reign it in.)
With a little discipline and a little luck, I’ll kickstart Several Artists this year. Soonish. And I am starting at least two new web-publication projects: one a possibly boorish commentary on the AI happenings, which I’m going to call Skynet Observer. The other, still in the planning stages: Thonglorian, in honor of my new home in Yeepoontown. For some reason, I want to use that one for art videos, even though I should probably do it as a local-tips blog. Let’s see where the thread leads, if we don’t tire of pulling it.
I feel quite far from the Art Lab concept, but I’m not giving up on it. We may soon build a little house on a little farm, and if we do then I’ll put some kind of little art-lab on it: say, a place to sculpt and work on a few oils when out in the country. But that’s about a year away in the best case.
Meanwhile, it’s looking like a phase of works on paper, maybe some small and non-messy acrylics; and whatever video and sound work I can think up. For way too long now, I’ve been making art primarily in a small room in a rented condo (and the new room is a lot smaller than the old). It’s stifling, on the one hand, but on the other you count your blessings: so many don’t even have this.
Big plans, anyway, for sooner or later. Just need a little cash and a little more space, space to get dirty. I’m sad it won’t be on the island, but the finca was way more than I could handle, and may the next owner live there full time. I’m now focused on visions of Bangkok, and the farm, and LA and SaMo and yes, that beach.
Shed a tear every day for Palisades, of course: it’ll be a long time before that place recovers. But on we go – LA still beckons, subject to the normal thing about visas and work.
So, let’s allow a moment of grand optimism: let 2025 be the year I make the first bronze! Let it be the year I get a studio For Real. And also break ground on the house.
One day at a time, for now. But the plans are there.
From a Lost Sketchbook