Monthly Archives: January 2016

Have a Great Weekend

A hint of future projects? Just give me a free weekend or two, and you’ll see.

Past Events and Future Press

imageWell. Two weeks away, and life keeps getting interesting. As can be told from the photo above, the presentation on biofluorescence at the Perot Museum was, well, interesting. The whole venue was well-lit with UV LEDs, which made me feel like I was stuck inside an Eighties-era tanning bed, and the big issue was less with showing the fluorescence and more with blocking out the amount of visible light emitted by the LEDs that washed out said fluorescence. This led to quite a bit of planning for the next such demonstration, including learning that classic E-Z Up tents now come in black, but the event was a learning experience all the way around. Among other things, I could stay underneath both shortwave and longwave UV lights without recreating key scenes from the film Near Dark. Sadly, one of the Heliamphora pitcher plants in the display didn’t have that advantage, but it’s already making a strong recovery. I’ll just name it “Homer”.

In any case, continued blog silence means that things at the gallery keep getting lively, and that includes new signage. The last big ARTwalk event demonstrated that even with the existing signage in the mall showing where the Triffid Ranch gallery is located, people had issues with finding it, so it’s a matter of making signage that can’t be overlooked. This beast started out as a Styrofoam insert for a sound baffle in a movie recording studio, so let’s see what it looks like after about two hours of texturing with a heat gun, repainting to pass for basalt, and lots of detailing, eh?

And then there’s the weekend. Sunday marks a return to the studios of the Fangirls of Dallas, to talk about plants, the space, and just about anything else that comes to mind. Between now and then, though, I have a LOT of painting to do. Updates to follow.

 

Have a Great ARTwalk Weekend

Well, another third Saturday of the month, another ARTwalk. If you’re here thanks to Brentney Hamilton’s article on the Triffid Ranch upgrade in Guidelive.com, then feel free to poke around. Just ignore some of the dust on a few of the links, and the dead moose in the bathtub.If you’re not, then feel free to come by on Saturday, from 6 until 10 or whenever we kick everyone out.Either way, it’s time for music.

Have A Great Weekend

A world without Lemmy is going to be a lot rougher than expected, but I know we’re all up to the challenge. Here’s hoping that his ongoing stint at the Roy Orbison Celebrity Rehab Clinic and Retreat, the Valhalla for presumed dead rock stars, features his repeatedly giving wedgies to Elvis and Kurt Cobain.

Upcoming Events – January 2016

lecture_12062015_1Okay, so the holidays are over, and the social calendar is pretty much shot until Groundhog’s Day. (Around here, watching Sid Vicious rise from his grave, look down at his shadow, and realize that he has to wait six more weeks until spring is an essential step toward knowing that winter is finally over.) You’re so burned out from holiday shopping that the thought of going near any crowded retail venue gives you hives, you’ve already seen every movie released into the January Sargasso, and even responded to trailers for the new Warcraft movie with enthusiastic bellows of “LEROOOOOOOY JENKINS!” It’s too cold to go swimming and too warm to go skiing, all of the interesting outdoor activities face horrendous weather at any time, and most indoor events require getting off the sofa, peeling the cats off your feet, and dealing with the same rainstorms, fires, floods, tornadoes, Christmas tree bonfires, and occasional Pearl Jam cover bands that keep you away from outdoor activities. When you’ve seen everything even remotely interesting on NetFlix and you’d sooner read a copy of D magazine than turn on terrestrial radio, what to do?

WELL, you have options, even if you didn’t know it. Make time in the calendar now to be in downtown Dallas on January 22. That evening, from 7 to 11 p.m., the Perot Museum of Nature & Science hosts its regular 21-and-up Social Science late-night event, and this month’s subject is “Glow”. It’s a tie-in to the Creatures of Light exhibition, with the advantage of a cash bar, and it’s already full of activities. The one addition will be a demonstration of fluorescence in carnivorous plants with the help of a trusty shortwave UV lamp, as well as presentations of what fluorescent blooms are available. (Considering that my aloes think that spring is already here, this may or may not include blooms that fluoresce so strongly that the glow hurts your eyes.) Tickets are going fast, so get in while you have the chance.

Incidentally, for those who can’t make it to Social Science, a smaller version of the same presentation will be available at the next Midtown ARTwalk on January 16, so come by for a preview. Either way, it beats staying home to watch Seinfeld reruns, eh?