as usual, this is late in coming... but san francisco was quite a trip. the robert kingston show at dolby chadwick gallery was nothing short of a triumph. that first afternoon, the day before the opening, i cruised in and checked things out. in fact, truth be told, i cruised in and got blown away by serious kick-ass abstract painting. this was the show kingston could have done years ago, but, saddled with a passing fancy for geometric abstraction, didn't. this was the art the 2 of us have discussed in studios from nyc to LA, over beers and over mexican food in both cities. this was the art that any true painter should aspire to. this was the art that should be made. there was the heartily consistant, ballsy quality to each piece. the pallet limited to earthy tones and bone whites. there was the ubiquitous kingston moves-- the semi-literate sketches, the cross-hatching of brush strokes, the newspaper pull off of passages of color. and there was the sure handed strength of an artist at the ready. this was the show that artists long to see on those nights out to the galleries. this was the show that was so needed today. today and any other day for that matter...

as for the city itself-- san francisco still has it's whores and junkies stalking downtown. my hotel, mere blocks from the gallery and union square was surrounded by them. but it's a different take on the seedy nature of urban america. this wasn't the land of the walking dead that downtown LA was and (for the most part) still is, this was a living, working, disordered level of society and, indeed, america. this is the seediness of being on the make, looking for the next move, the next outlet. furtive, endangered and dirty...

and there were the numerous pints of stella in the vesuvio cafe, ducking into city lights bookstore to read pages of poetry and criticism, back to vesuvio to talk to the aged beat poet, her hair long turned gray, but still turning it on. she spoke of the main men-- kerouac, ginsberg, mcclure, snyner, rexroth, etc... life is good.

but sometimes it's better then we think.

more to come...