This has been a long week, I loaded up the sculptures for the Charles
Cowles Gallery exhibition and left home on the morning of the May 24. By eleven o-clock or so I was out of Colorado, and running due west through Nebraska, all was green along the North Platte River bottom, just open road, green cotton woods, and blue sky. I made it past Omaha and shut down for the night. The next day took me through plowed field as far as the eye could see, and on into Ohio and
Pennsylvania, beautiful country. The next morning it was New Jersey, and then the skyline of New York, I crossed over the George Washington Bridge and into the lion's throat. For the next hour I went 178th street on Broadway down town to 57th then over to 11th, and then down to 24th. Charles Cowles Gallery is on 24th between 10 Ave and 11th Ave. We unloaded the trailer and then I went across the East River to the Navy Yard, parked the rig, then went to my daughter Eva's place.
The next day (the 27th,) we hung the show. It looked real good, I was at that moment beaming like a new daddy. I felt really good, then Charley told me he was closing the gallery when the show came down. Mine will be the last show from a dealer who has showed some of the best for well over 35 years. Shit fire, now that was a dampener for sure, but after a few minutes, I just thought OK, now make the best of the day and move on, so I did.
The show opened on the 28th, and I must say it is one of the best I have ever done. It will be up for a month, please see it if you can. When it comes down, there will be a hole left, but life will go on and no one will even blink. Life is what it is, and it can turn on a dime or on the tone in the voice of a messenger. After the opening 24 of us walked down the street to Bottino's restaurant. Good food with good friends.
The next morning Eva and I loaded up her things and started backtracking our way west. We got to Boulder on Sunday afternoon, unloaded her things, and I said good bye to my new NYU graduate, and drove on home. God I love driving in over the mountains knowing it is where I live. I am home. James
