2:31 PM: today i continued my take it slow policy from yesterday. the new fayum image i'm riffing on seems to have a longer life than it's predecessors. we can only guess what this ancient greek/egyptian was musing as the painter made her portrait. right now right here, she appears, with her piercing yet soft and empathic gaze, to be interested in me personally. she is here, now. a few hours ago i spoke with my old friend david hockney. i acknowledged him for his tavis smiley interview and for his upcoming major tate gallery retrospective. i especially liked what he said, and he made this point a few times, about the now. that's it; that's all there is. when i reminded him of that moment in the interview, we both cracked up.
tachen is publishing a couple of new books about him. one of them, he said weighs 30 kilos! will i need a wheelbarrow i asked? more laughter. david is always infectiously enthusiastic about whatever he's up to right now, and i so understand that.
BELOW: the stages of gaze 33, from it's inception on september 13. the images are chronological, starting in the upper left.
