Howard and Amy took a trip on the ship Infinity early in the spring through the Panama Canal, and they told me there was a David Hockney on board someplace. When we boarded I asked at the desk for a list of the art on board and I was told “That does not exist, Madam”. (…think I kind of liked being called “Madam”…) so besides finding the best vantage points and favorite spots, we were on an art search. Celebrity is Greek-owned and the Infinity captain and the higher-up crew are Greek…and so is most of the art. Of all the pieces made by Greeks I guess my favorite was this one
My second favorite Greek piece was this long sort of Helen Frankenthaler-esque piece…
and we found the David Hockney drawing, a nice drawing of Celia, right on 8 deck, near the library…
One day, while staggering back to my stateroom, I happened on two Josef Albers prints in the “alley”…
…and the big lounge on top had a Lucas Samaras piece in it…(later I learned Lucas Samaras, who I think of as a NYC artist, was born in Greece…) that referenced kites…
but which resonated with a crazy quilt we saw in the Ketchikan Library/Museum collection…
In Ketchikan we also visited the totem pole museum…
and saw some 1959 poles in the Library Museum…
as well as some astonishing native applique, and the use of buttons…
The Damage and destruction of native culture was not “foregrounded” in any museum setting, but was unmistakable…here are two vintage photos of Tongass village in 1898 and 1906…
There was a watercolor artist on board giving 5 classes…
…and I went to the first one but this wasn’t the way my mind was working…
I was thinking of all that we were seeing, and the native use of materials on hand…things I saw in the museums and threads of thoughts in my head…I had brought four 10″ X 10″ squares to “quilt” or embroider…and I’m thinking of these as sketches for maybe a series of paintings?? So here are the things I saw and the things I made…
…of course I had the drawing book…
and a quilt…
…tomorrow just some scenery, and then I’m moving on…
