Feeding the Soul

Saturday the AZ. Office of Tourism booked me to tour contemporary art critics from New York and Los Angeles. I had no idea there IS an "art scene" in Phoenix, so I was treated to go with the artists to private studios and events. Art is good for the soul.

I was on vacation. I was just the driver - along for the ride. I was the tourist. Everyone we met was beautiful.

Barry Sparkman (Abstractions Inspired by Nature) ( http://www.barrysparkman.com/ )

I was afraid to take too many pictures because I didn't know who would have concerns about copyright infringement, but I didn't mind being a "tourist-for-the day".

Dominick Lombardi is an arts guy from New York. He works on the set of Law and Order CSI creating crime scenes (think blood spatters). He was very nice. He went out of his way when he saw I was interested to explain techniques in abstract applications.

I only took pictures in the places where I saw Dominick using his camera. ( http://www.ddlombardi.com/ )

This really isn't Cake.

Ooops. I'm afraid I have to learn about my camera. Just tilt your head in the meantime.

At " The Trashy Sculpture Exhibit " Everything is made of trash.

A BEER GARDEN

Hector is a "Post-Chicano" artist, here with Sharon, an art writer for LA Times. His collaborator, Dose, is a "graphic street artist" ( I know what that is.) In their collaboration they use different techniques to arrive at symmetry. I didn't understand but Dominick said it was good and Hector's curator was so interesting. She explained why colors in Southwest art must be brighter than elsewhere because the sun at our latitude washes anything dull to beige.
OK.

Then there was lunch:

The Welcome Diner is on 10th Street and Roosevelt in South Phoenix. It seats eight - that would be 8 people. Built in 1947 by the Valentine Diner Co. in Kansas City, Kansas. It came complete with dishes, cookware, everything for $50 down and $30/month - as advertised in Life Magazine. It was first in LA till 1955, then on Route 66 in Williams AZ. for 10 years, then in Phoenix till 1975 ----- then it sat empty and abandoned on the same corner for 25 years.
I wonder how many people drove past and said, "I wish I could open a Diner", but never had the courage to give the Welcome Diner a chance, till the Diner finally found Sloane

This is one of those "Beautiful Souls" who never has understood why he doesn't" fit" in this world. Duh, Sloane, its because you ARE different. You're from Atlantis, Sloane, you're Indigo.
His business plan is, "I don't have customers, I only have friends."
No, really. The guy doesn't have customers. He has no hours of operation. He's only open when one of his friends calls and says they're coming over.
He describes it as part of his own "spiritual journey".

But his "friends" include other Indigos who pass their time on this planet as physicists, botanists, sculptors, musicians...... He's popular with the ASU Business Dept. (imagine the field trips for that class!) and Sociology Dept. It's a "Beatnik" hangout. One might find a chess tournament or poetry slam at anytime at... OR, he might be closed.