I’ve decided that I’m opening an art gallery, but that art gallery is mostly hypothetical and exists as a newsletter on the Internet. Welcome, and thanks for coming.
Listen, with everything that has happened this year, I think we need all of the light, peace, joy, cookies, delicious meals, movies, parties, silliness, warm socks etc. etc. that we can get.
I thought we could stare at some loosely holiday-themed art today and soak up some more of that magic.
This week’s exhibit is titled HOLIDAZE.
Our first piece is this menorah made out of pipe cleaners by Montrel Beverly.
There are some truly excellent menorahs out in the world, but this one is my recent favorite.
Next up: this box of Droste cocoa.
The deep red! The eerie nun! This screams holiday baking to me.
I’ve recommended treating the grocery store like an art gallery if the mood strikes you. This is literally a painting on a box of cocoa! What a treat.
Finally: this tapestry by John Paul Morabito.
When I first came upon John Paul’s work, it was through his series “The Immaculate Collection: A Queer Tangent in Tapestry”.
My family was very religious growing up, and even though I wouldn’t use that descriptor for the family I’m raising now, I still get a lot of joy out of celebrating Christmas. Something about this piece just feels right to me in this context.
It’s a great one to stare at for a while. Do you see the tiny glass beads at the bottom?
More about this series in John Paul’s artist statement.
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That’s it!
Thanks for attending another Gallery Blerf exhibit. If you’d like another holiday visual treat, I love this compilation of bizzare decorations at the Austin Trail of Lights. Most have them have been there since I was a kid!
Also—wanna see my Christmas trees?!
Gallery Bookstore
Santa Calls: I collect Christmas picture books (nerd alert) and this one is one of my favorites. The illustrations are otherworldly.
This Is Christmas, Song by Song: The Stories Behind 100 Holiday Hits: Austin Kleon recommended this book in his newsletter this week. I’d love it on my coffee table for the holiday season.
1964: Eyes of the Storm by Paul McCartney: would make an excellent last minute gift and is most likely at your local bookstore. Paul McCartney’s personal 35mm photos, right around the time the Beatles were rising to mega-stardom.
Unrelated
If you’re into Christmas music, here are two wacky and weird albums:
A Christmas Together: an entire album of The Muppets singing with John Denver.
Hark by Andrew Bird: kind of eerie, kind of joyful, some great whistling.
I’d love to hear your favorites, if you have any!
I wish you many visual treats this week, and many literal treats. I hope you get to spend time with people you love. And, if you’re feeling blue at all this holiday season, I hope you know that I am too, and that I’m sending some sparkly fairy dust your way.
Later gator,
Rachel