Live Blog @ Wire + Nail Gallery for People I’ve Loved Opening

When I’m not thinking about the afterlife, I’m thinking about love. This is true. Currently live blogging at Wire + Nail Gallery for Carissa Potter’s opening, People I’ve Loved. One of my favorite artists.

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8 responses to “Live Blog @ Wire + Nail Gallery for People I’ve Loved Opening”

  1. I really like the pendant. It suggests passion-

    For the one ‘in love’ with life, or with a significant other- a stream of sonnets effortlessly flow-

    I believe that love is the springboard to discovery-

    1. This particular piece is titled, All You Left Me. It’s a necklace made from a human kidney stone. I can see how it suggests passion (as if holding on to a loved one and taking all that you can get because there is deep passion and longing to hold on. But I also see it being synonymous with one of those t-shirts, “Somebody went to San Francisco and all I got was this t-shirt”. Not to degrade the piece but there’s something sad and humorous for me when I think of holding onto someone’s kidney stone because, more often than not, one thinks of the heart and not the kidney. Then again, the kidneys are used as a filtering system in the body. Something to think about. In any case, I’m a huge fan of Carissa Potter and I’ve been following her career since she received her MFA from SFAI. It’s been quite the exciting road to see…

  2. I was there before you arrived. I liked her approach to translations; they inspire me to want to make my own. “True love is conditional” is a thought-provoking statement that I discussed with my friend afterward.

    1. Oh no! I can’t believe I missed you, Molly. It would be lovely to see you and I also want to see your latest work as well. Hoping all is well and your students aren’t driving you crazy this semester.

      Yes, I too, like her approach with language. I think this is why Potter’s work is striking and memorable to so many that come into contact with it. “True love is conditional”, whether you agree with it or not, makes you wonder about the constructs we have built around love and connection and what that looks like. Very timely opening considering that my favorite day of the year is around the corner. I know most people despise this day and say it’s a hallmark holiday (ummm, so is Christmas and so many other ‘holidays’). Everything is hallmarked, isn’t it (sorry, tangent, and a completely different discussion all together), I LOVE Valentine’s day.

      Thanks so much for going to the show, supporting Carissa, Wire + Nail, and my art writing. I really (truly) appreciate you!! Hoping I see you soon.

      1. In terms of “work,” I’m doing a humble 365 photo-a-day project: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45282854@N00/sets/72157628673126541/. I’ve never tried this before, and I thought it would be a lot harder/more annoying to keep up with than it is. I’m really enjoying it, and it’s teaching me things about photography that the constant whipping out of my camera on vacations never has.

        Thanks for recommending the SF Center for the Book to me last summer! I took a workshop there a few weeks ago and plan to take more. I’ve developed an obsession with coptic binding.

        Have you taken any more art classes yourself? Pam’s class really inspired me to start making things again. I wish I had the time to invest in something longer term, but I’m getting it in where I can.

  3. Wow…that’s interesting. I never would have guessed. Besides all the symbolism, if any, I think it’s a great way to keep a loved embraced and memorialized in in such pendant that rests on your heart.

    The kidney stone being a crystal, it is a gem- I can’t think of any other body part as unique and avant garde. I wouldn’t want in it a fingernail, or a tooth, whatever you can think of that is more appropriate.

    Kidney stones, being crystalline in structure- who knows, may rings and earrings can be made from them

    1. Carissa does a wonderful job of making new and unique connections to love, loss, and longing (i.e., a kidney stone).

      I never thought of the kidney stone being a crystal or a gem. That is rather ‘avant garde’, as you say. Anything can be made into a jewel of some sort. As a matter of fact, I ran across a National Geographic commentary on how Shrunken Heads were actually worn as necklaces by the victors. Believe it or not, when writing Carissa’s press release, that commentary served as some inspiration.

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