Happy Halloween!

I hope you enjoy the holiday! Are you dressing up?

This year I'm Gus from "Sweet Tooth," a lovely mini-series on television earlier this year. Below are pics of me and the original. How'd I do?

Fragrance

Do you wear a fragrance? What kind? How often?

In an effort to improve myself, I identify areas previously neglected and study them. One such area is fragrance. I've worn scents in the past but it's been a few decades since I last applied one regularly. I'm looking for an attractive cologne/perfume and wondering what others are using. Please share!

More New Art

When you start looking for something, you see it everywhere.

I recently started collecting fine art. Two weeks ago I spotted something appealing through an art studio window. I contacted the artist, a talented local woman, and met her over the weekend (Melissa Maiello). Melissa creates beautiful large charcoal drawings that evoke emotion. The drawings have rough, torn edges which add to their power and surreality.

I acquired two of her drawings today. They're large: one is over five feet wide and the other is over seven feet tall. Fortunately I'll have room for them in my future playhouse/office/art-museum/global-headquarters/Batcave/evil-villain-lair. 

Here are the drawings. What do you think?

New Artwork & Hockey

I went into NYC yesterday and bought my second work by famed glass-blower, Lino Tagliapietra. It's a dramatic piece four feet tall. In person, it's even more impressive as you closely examine the technique and coloration used. I'm thrilled to acquire the work.

This art was made in 2016 when Lino was 82 years old. That same year a terrific documentary was made about Lino; it's on YouTube and I strongly encourage you to watch it: "Lino Tagliapietra: The Making of a Maestro." During the film Lino is shown making THE VERY WORK I PURCHASED. Lino and his art have real historical importance; I'm a lucky sap to be able to own a piece of that history.

After my gallery-visit, we went to Newark and saw our favorite hockey team (New Jersey Devils) win their season home-opener in an exciting game against the Chicago Blackhawks (4-3). The Devils won in overtime when young Jack Hughes scored his second goal of the night. The place went nuts.

Motorcycles and Glass Art Together!

Motorcycles and glass art -- the perfect marriage!

The Corning Museum of Glass is amazing. I've been there twice in the past two years. It stimulated my interest in glass art. 

Museum officials there are as hip as the exhibits -- they just allowed a motorcycle stunt-rider to ride an (electric) motorcycle through the museum, right past rows of fragile glass sculptures. You can see him wheelie through the museum -- using no hands! Although the video is 25 minutes long, the ride in the museum is shown during the last three minutes so feel free to jump to 22:00. Pretty cool. :)

Go here: Link

The Many Saints of Newark

David Chase is a brilliant, odd man who creates compelling stories. He wrote "The Sopranos" and kept that show interesting. It mesmerized us with unexpected surprises instead of devolving into gangster cliches.

We saw "The Many Saints of Newark" yesterday, after binge-ing the entire Sopranos' series. Again, Chase surprises us. The film is nothing like the show, differing in both content and presentation. It achieves Chase's stated goal of making cinematic art instead of television. 

While there's a little "fan service," the bulk of the story is about a character not shown in the TV series (Dickie Moltisanti, Christopher's father). His struggles in racially-torn Newark bear little connection to mob activities later on.

My verdict is that Chase achieved something special here. I don't believe the movie will be popular; many will be disappointed it doesn't recycle what they liked about the Sopranos show. But, truly, Chase never cared about pleasing us; his goal is higher than that. He's exploring and commenting on the human condition.

New Art Show

Famous glass artist Lino Tagliapietra, whose work I've started to collect, is having a big show this month at the Heller Gallery in NYC. Over thirty pieces are on display.

I'm heading in again on Friday to enjoy the show and buy another work. If you're anywhere near the City, I encourage you to visit the gallery. You'll be stunned by the beauty of this art -- in person it's much more dramatic and impressive than in pictures.