Hors d'oeuvres and Bacon. There was plenty to sink my teeth into at the Art Museum after work yesterday. I went to the member-only preview of the Francis Bacon exhibit to kill time before a 6:30 blogger meeting.
Bacon's paintings supposedly "expose the rawness of humanity." Maybe that's why I didn't care for them. Sometimes people who think they know art try to explain in big words what they think the artist was trying to convey. He "developed his evocative style" during an "intense period of eclectic experimentation, offering rare insight into his iconic imagery." I'm just glad I got out of there before the "eclectic jazzy sounds of Mrs. Fun" started.
By far, I enjoyed the display of award-winning student art more than the "haunting visions of a master painter."
I was very pleasantly surprised by the Bradley collection on the third floor. I'd seen it before but not since a massive remodelling completed last April. The space is much more open and airy even though they walled up windows to increase the useable space. The most amazing new thing is the living and dining rooms Peg Bradley used at the Museum are now open to the public. She wanted to share her art with us while she was still alive, so she spent a lot of time at the museum enjoying it herself. It is a very brightly colored, beautiful space.
There were a lot of nicely dressed people and I felt a little out of place in jeans and tennis shoes coming right from work, but art lovers come in all shapes and "eclectic" styles. I survived.
From the Art Museum to the Journal Sentinel Building to meet my fellow bloggers and have a tour. We talked about now having a little over 80 bloggers on 25 sites. About making it easier to post photos and spell check. There were a few awards handed out and I even won a door prize. I don't know what got into me, I turned down the door prize. Isn't turning down a gift kind of like... turning down a gift? I know people who would never turn down a gift but I just couldn't get up the courage to accept tickets to a golf show. Sorry Mark.
Meeting fellow bloggers and talking blog was great but I probably got more out of the tour. I left my employment of twenty years with the Journal less than a year ago and, I'd have to say, have wanted to tour the building for nineteen of those twenty. I wanted to see where the paper was produced; hear the roar of the press, smell the ink and paper, feel the grime. The presses are in West Allis now and I was Downtown but was still able to see where the paper's produced - we toured the newsrooms. I strained to find a recognizable columnist but instead found a great group of hard working individuals including the publisher and the editor. You want to see a messy desk overflowing with paper like the reporter in the comic strip
"Shoe" or see a great collection of cubicle toys? Take a newsroom tour.
Walked a block north with several hardy bloggers after the tour for a visit to
Buck Bradley's and the longest bar east of the Mississippi. Since all I had for dinner was a couple delicious cookies from the meeting, I limited my refreshment intake to two beers. One of the best conversations I had was with someone who shouldn't have even been there, BrookfieldNOW blogger Shawn Matson. Shawn is only 17 and wasn't there with a parent. Sorry I didn't offer you a soda, buddy. Forgot my manners.
Remember, toast with upper crust not my cup of tea, but beers with peers are better when they're free.
