I Couldn't Stay Away... Or, I Wish I Could Quit You

In the past two months I have done my best to avoid blogging.  The reason being, well, If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all comes to mind.   I have just been calling 'em like I see 'em on here.  The thing is, at local art openings I would see artists that I said some fairly honest things about on the blog and felt a little guilty.  I mean, it's not like I was talking shit-  I was just being honest with my opinions about their art, as any art critic might.  But looking at them across the room, I felt a little rotten inside.  At first, it didn't seem to matter because I didn't think anyone read this thing, so I didn't think there was a chance they had seen it.  But then I started getting knee-jerk comments from my friends- "Wait, you're not going to put this on your blog, are you?  Don't say I said that".  Or, "Geez, your blog is getting kind of mean..."

Bay Area, you are too sensitive.

So why am I posturing myself as another art critic?  The fact is, we do need more real art critics here in San Francisco, besides the overly-too-man-art friendly Kenneth Baker of the Chronicle, who has been around long enough in this small pond to establish himself as THE critic.  We also have the fabulous Glen Helfand of Art Forum, but he can't cover more than one or two 'picks' at a time.  That leaves self-appointed critics like those at decent art blogs like Art Practical, but it also leaves people like Alan Bamburger of Art Business, a nice guy I'm sure, but no one needs his two cents- just take the pictures, please.  Here I go again, see?  I can't help it.  But anyway, maybe I was trying to fill the critic void myself, until I realized nothing, other than an MFA that half the SF population also seem to have, qualifies me as an art expert.  And my opinion might be as valid as anyone else's, but I probably don't need to be the one filling the position.  I know no one asked me.  Jerry Saltz, the job is all yours.

I am no longer your corespondent in the trenches, calling 'em like I see 'em.  I will however, be posting things that I care to discuss or share, like a safari explorer of art.  Why make an art blog at all?  Well, I missed it.  I missed wasting my time filling the infinite void with my thoughts.  I also missed having a way to keep it all in one place, like an ever-expanding sketchbook.  A lot of the content will be a way for me to save things I thought were great, note-worthy, or at least beautiful.  I made new links on the side that I actually use more for my own bookmark purposes.  And if you like anything on here, awesome.  If not, don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone what you said last time we had some wine in 49 Geary.

I am ready.   Let's go.

(PS Obviously I stole these images from the internet.)