New activity – OFF THE GRID Exhibit

We’re sometimes hesitant to go to an art gallery because we can drive 45 minutes, only to find that the exhibit we expect to see is comprised of a small number of paintings that don’t impress us. Not so in the case of the Cerulean Gallery in Dallas. The exhibit we went to see was called “Off the Grid.” When asked why we were told that the artists wanted to show works of art that were not the usual style or medium they were used to working in. Of the 3 artists we both agreed that our favorite was a Dallas artist, Leslie W. Friedman. She’s won several awards and has worked in many media but her current passion is working with hot-fused glass and stained glass. The resulting art pieces are quite lovely and very different from anything we’ve looked at.

Carmen Menza was another artist that caught our eye. She attempts to see how various materials react to surrounding light and indeed, the colors in the pieces shift with the transmission of light as demonstrated to us by the woman we talked to at the gallery. We thoroughly enjoyed this visit. Now if we can only make some room on our walls……

Movie Theme – Opportunists, Obsession

Laura: I’ve always wanted to see Billy Wilder’s film “Sunset Boulevard.” So I was pleased to see it pop up during my search for movies that dealt with “Opportunists.” After watching the movie, I’m more inclined to list it as a movie about “Obsession,” but whichever label I choose, the film itself is Outstanding! The acting, dialogue and storyline put it among the very best films about the motion picture business and its long-reaching effects on those who comprise that industry. It features a delusional has-been silent movie queen (Norma Desmond), a down-on-his-luck screenwriter (Joe Gillis), a mysterious butler (Max) – even a dead monkey in a casket! Although I agree that this film earned its 1950 Academy Award Best Picture nomination, it was a heart-breaking story – one that leaves you worn out. Its themes are definitely still relevant and make me wonder which films being made in this century will one day be regarded as masterpieces. I do think that memorable, witty and clever dialogue go a long way toward making a film stand the test of time and “Sunset Boulevard” has tons of it. One of my favorite exchanges is when Joe meets Norma and says, “You’re Norma Desmond. You used to be big.” Norma answers, “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.”