Gallery Night Milwaukee: Endangered Concern

All around Milwaukee you can see physical changes taking place, clean-cut mixed-use developments, fragrant plantings in the boulevards. The streets are even getting paved after ten years of neglect. Some of that same rejuvenating energy is being released on the social scene too. Gallery Night is not a new invention and it's nice to see creative outlets taking root in Milwaukee.

One of my favorite displays of the night hung not from a wall of Art Asia, but from the shoulder of a stern-looking fellow who looked like a typical renegade with a Harley parked outside. Stereotypes in place, alligator would be expected to cover his feet. Instead one rested gently cradled on his forearm and bicep. Everyone has to have a cause.

The caretaker of the endangered Chinese Alligator had the kind of leeriness emitting from those that think satellite surveillance is being taken of them. Apparently he has been battling the animal rights activist, the extreme ones that do not believe anyone should own pets (especially if they are alligators). Those pretentious fun-suckers! Personally, I am all for docile 45 lbs, 18 year old alligators chilling on Gallery Night with their masters. Wait a minute... this must be one of only several handfuls of Chinese alligators left on the planet.

Everything was red. Not Commy red but deep visceral blood red. This relic of a beast fit in perfectly with the ambiance of Art Asia, a trading post of Chinese gifts, furniture, and artifacts. Minus the crowd hovering around reptilian and owner, you may not have noticed the gator's presence. It was a serene creature, an expression opposite to the one given by the typical bewitching "alligator smile". The constant glance of this creature lacked menace unlike its relatives, looking almost relieved to feel protected by and outside force other than it's own wild instinct. I am usually harsh on exotic animal owners, but I think I can let this one slide. My super-cool friend Miranda and I both ended up donating 5 bucks to the cause.

Gallery Night is a quarterly event, which I think would make the next one scheduled for late November.

Ashes of Anarchy

When accomplishment overwhelmed my senses at the conclusion of 2 months of rehearsals and 10 straight days of performances, I found myself nearly shaking from feeling the energy that was stored, in the now empty space that was our small black box performance hall. My appreciation radiated in a very genuine moment, my liquid friend Carlo hadn't started kicking my arsenic at that point.

Partaking in the glory that is performing in a Shakespeare classic, left my blog sorely neglected. The production of Hamlet was an attention hoarding bastard but well worth the effort. A couple hours after the final show, my old buddy Carlo (who we served to patrons as brand XXX moonshine) definitely congratulated me with the graciousness of a pal that likes to see you make a fool of yourself so they can laugh.

With music blaring and an empty chair audience, I shimmied around the hall like a ecstatic kid embroiled in the funnest 4 person celebration I have every been a part of, then - cruck - crash - a glass object topples from a vacant seat onto the black concrete floor. Oops. I glace down and its an ash tray. It's clearly cracked, but as I picked it up gently I notice that it broke perfectly into the Anarchy symbol. It was an omen, a confirmation that the perfect storm just occurred.

This was not your father's Hamlet. Directed and starred by a renegade theatre study, Brian Rott lead 3 and half hours of mayhem on stage as Hamlet. Set during the roaring 20's, this Hamlet rendition drew inspiration from the silent film and vaudevillian influences of the time.



I played Guildenstern, one of Hamlet's childhood friends who along with Rosencrantz, are hired by Hamlet's mother to spy on him. Some perceptive audience members shared that they noticed right away the hints of Laurel and Hardy, in the portrayal of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, as we constantly tried to one-up each other in scenes as an on-running joke.



Taking the 20's theme to the hilt, the duo's reunion scene with Hamlet was set in a speakeasy with a showgirl and tin cups and all.










The vaudevillian cherry on top was the ending, with Laertes and Hamlet offing each other with pie tins of shaving cream. Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, seeing this ends her misery by dumping a 2-pint-tincture-spiked crystal glass of water on herself leaving her completely drenched, thus prompting King Claudius to shamefully pie himself in the face, drawing the 'tragic' affair to a comic close.


If you asked me a year ago if I would be an a Shakespeare play, I would have said "Are you crazy" in a "What you talking 'bout Willis" kind of way. If you would have told me I would break an ash tray into an Anarchy sign, I would have said "maybe", but never suspecting it would consummate the closing of my first semi-heavy acting experience.

Love Sick Moon Phases

Last week the full moon was really intense, some kind of special moon astrologically that was supposed to open up a time portal allowing the ancient beast Biroc to take a bath in the Big Dipper or something. Well anyway, it kept me awake for 4 nights in a row. I'm putting my heart back in my pocket these days, and it's taking longer than usual, especially since there's been two months since I found it on the sidewalk abruptly, like "gee you could have just handed it back to me, I might need that someday."

The funny thing is I was breezing through my sketch book and came across a page that I wrote last fall, maybe October about this same person... immediately intrigued my ability to ignore my wise pencilings... It read...



I write this

learning for the last

time to let stray hearts

wonder. There is nothing there, when it

came down to that morning you can't wait

then hours in minutes lets the air escape

Duly noted when sudden error marks the area

you can hold me if you try,

its over now the best times past

get a gasp

I may be wrong but better off, it not your fault

you meant no harm, but I'm breaking the world.

Step into the A.M.: Resurrecting Tennis Shoes

I just finished my Air Flight 89 refurb project Nascar style. This project took way too long to finish. They are painted and airbrushed. I left my air brush at a friend's house for months thinking I would airbrush them. Then in the absence of my airbrush, I started playing around with paints and found the mixed-media to be pretty cool and easier to work with.



I always had this obsession, as a kid, with the phrase 'spic and span' and never could figure out where it came from. Obviously when I was old enough to learn about the brand of cleaning products it made even less sense. I'm not a huge Nascar fan but the advertising is so gaudy and blatantly consumerist, it's almost excusable.



I've got some other ideas and favorite color schemes and slogans to play off of... I have to go find some more beat up shoes, before I go full out on brand new kicks!

E - jackers

So in the wake of my first e-commerce success I find out that Red Bubble, keeps 99% of the sale... on a $23 shirt I get $3... that's not a fair trade for international exposure! I changing channels to etsy!!! Duh!

I love my new shirt, just printed this early today (now yesterday)...



Now that the school year is over I am fully embracing the artists clock, it has 16 hours! Acting took me there, now making stuff will keep me there!