the art of mayhem

The day after I arrived in LA, Andy's art show was to open. I was pretty excited to be a part of this, to see his work on display (other than in a store) and have people admire it like I do.

As usual, I hardly slept at all my first night there. I was in a bit of a stupor, not as sharp or as patient as usual. OK, so I'll just roll with it...

I helped Andy load the paintings into his car, and carry them into the gallery. While we waited for the installer to show up, we peeked at the space he was allocated for the show. There were 2 long white walls opposite each other, one about 15' and one about 30'. He had brought 6 paintings. And they weren't the big ones. A few choice thoughts popped into my head about what I would have done differently, but I didn't say a word.

The installer showed up and asked him for the plaques of the artist bio and painting titles--you know, the ones that are posted right below each painting in a gallery. Nope, none of that was done. He had misunderstood the instructions from the gallery. Or maybe he didn't read them?? I was secretly freaking inside, but again, I didn't say a word. This is his show, his career, and who am I to say...

So it turns out he needs to get this shit done, and fast, before the installer leaves for the day. He had like 2 hours to pull it all together. And guess who bailed him out? Yes, the organized one. Dinamo saved the day. We drove back to his apartment, I typeset the bio and the titles, and we ran to a print shop and waited while we had them printed and plaqued. We ran everything back to the gallery within the 2 hours and it was a done deal. The show looks great. A little sparse, but great.

Once the crisis was over I had time to feel my feelings about what had happened. This was a new experience, to feel this way towards Andy. I really didn't mind helping him out, but I guess I was annoyed that his poor planning suddenly became my emergency. It also happened to bump my appointment with the first high school I was looking at for Christie. I'd already moved the time once because of Andy, and now I had to call the director of admissions back and postpone till the next day. I was embarrassed.

I dreaded to think that Andy didn't realize how important that appointment was to me. I also worried that he would continue to depend on me to bail him out. I am such a girl scout, always prepared in advance. It's how I avoid anxiety. He waits till the last minute and flies into creative mode. Not...my...style.

In the end he thanked me, but did not apologize. However, he has sold a painting every day since that show opened, which is pretty damned cool. So, although he may not do things the way that I would, I cannot deny that he knows what he's doing. And I admire him for his business sense.

I, on the other hand, will exert my gentle influence once I am in his life full time. I can already see ways that he can maximize his opportunities, and be better prepared. Like reading things through and writing things down instead of trusting them to memory. Though I think I know better, I have to be very careful. I never want to 'break the artist'. He's golden. And I love him that way.