Paintings under Wraps from the Past were dragged out, noted, and returned to a slightly more

rational order as it warmed just enough to lunch out but then

back to it, finding some interesting titles.

Mornings,

colder than they looked,

with hidden dog[s].

Sunday, due diligence due, we ventured in to Berkeley, which wasn’t nearly as difficult

as anticipated, to see “Way Bay” at the B. Art Museum, which wasn’t [nearly] as uninteresting as had been advertised.  Lots of unlikely works, many [most] by people I didn’t know,

many of whom were women [many women, generally]

and although we do know Lia Cook [above] the considerable female painter below I didn’t and without a catalog or information on the website may well never.  We should have stolen the gallery guide, which was essential for navigation as well as a potential aide memoire…

A wonderful silent “dream” movie from the Oakland Tribune ca. 1924 was particularly delightful

as was, in its mysterious way, the grainy analog virtual reality filmed from a modeled Marin

in the early seventies by city planners at the University…somethin’ like that, anyway.

I enjoyed a most palatable green curry overhanging Center Street before we returned for the last eighty or so Way Bay pieces; Mr. Bechtle’s charcoal drawing was recognizable, of course,

but the insanely detailed colored ink drawing detailed below was by another unknown to me,

as were these two intense watercolor/colored pencil pieces inspired by galactic imagery.

On the other hand, it’s hard to mistake the venerable Bruce Conner for anyone else

and Kim Anno, always surprising, nonetheless familiar; “Niagra”, a lovely painting.

Sculpture crashed out of the wall In the hall while on the lower level

light crept across floorboards; we were soon back on the street seeking the parking garage

and extrication from the city’s semi-maze, blue skies towards Benicia and back to

the inventory, which unearthed an early instance of propaganda and

subsequent evidence as to how it had all worked out, forty-six years later;

Blue Monday, last one of February, red ships in the morning,

a strange growth on K Street outside Casa Renfrow

and a swiftly moving afternoon storm moving swiftly through though

Tuesday was placid; the calm before what is being predicted as the “storm of the century.”

…well we’ll see.