Is That Right?

....And I Say Potatoe..."

But instead of calling the whole thing off? Let's get into it. 

A couple of you via direct e-mail have hinted my Paul's Heimers is kicking in....'cause it wasn't TOO long ago I told this Luis Jimenez story about the Mustang (refer to previous posting).

Well, sorry, this won't be your case in point.  I was obeying two rules of journalism by repeating the tale.  First, I have a duty to 'advance' the story if there is something new to report. The fact the Mustang is in place, and people are reacting to it is the new twist. And you should never insult those who hadn't been hanging on your every word  the first time around by saying, "as you'll remember....blah,blah,blah."

The next rule is "one of thumb."  This maxim presumes public memories are short.  It says given a little time ( a scale that floats) you can repeat your story verbatim and the mass of humanity tuned in won't even remember it's a rerun.

For example? On Valentines Day two years apart I revisited a feature on love at the zoo. In fact, only a few people at the station figured out it was a repeat. It is important to change the pictures and narration, at least a little bit.

Just because I liked to go there, I did about 10 stories on Wildlife at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal with very few questions asked. The trick there is you can do it the Fall when the deer are in rut, then return in the Winter to watch visiting bald eagles hunt, catch big birds stopping on their way back to to Nebraska and Alaska in the Spring, and then show up to profile the culling role the coyote plays in the Summer.

Having to explain all that? Well it forces me to speed up retelling of the sad Luis Jimenez story. Following more than a decade of bickering with lots of legal muscle on both sides, Luis agreed to get the beast in place.

Unfortunately, while he was maneuvering the monster support unit in his studio, it collapsed on the sculptor and killed him.

It was clearly irony, and as I hinted in the last posting, bordering on a classical definition of tragedy.

Despite his tarnished reputation here in Denver, Luis was a renowned artist, known and honored around the World.  His sculptures and paintings are in government sites all over Texas and New Mexico, in places as far away as Australia, and in D.C. at the Smithsonian.

Being an essentially universally honored man would give him the status required to make him a tragic figure.  And he needs a tragic flaw that leads to his downfall. Clearly PRIDE was his Achilles Heel. And that he was universally mourned in the art world pretty much seals the deal for him. 

But let's get back to the EQUINE BEAST. Elena Brown is a good friend and I'd suspect in all of life's issues we'd be on the same train 90 percent of the time.  But this ain't one of them.  I LOVE THE BIG BLUE BEAR,

 

 

 

 

And I adore the DANCING ALIENS...

 

 and I'm sorry folks, I just get tickled when I look up at that MUSTANG.

 

 

Here's a credit to Luis Jimenez' sense of humor. One of his  original thoughts was to be as anatomically accurate as his skill would allow.   

"SO....what am I going to do about that scrotum area.....hmmmm."

I couldn't get very close when I shot it, but I'm pretty sure that area is all lit up in NEON.  Those of you working out there can confirm or deny that observation..

And, Oh Yeah, Elena when you look at the Art at DIA, and pass judgement? Go ahead and DO that, but consider the alternative. If we did not have "percent for art' at public institutions around the country?

I've met and done stories with most of the major artists who contributed to DIA's facade. I DID NOT LIKE ALL OF THEM, AND I DID NOT LIKE ALL THEIR FINISHED PRODUCTS....BUT....

At the same time I was making the rounds, I took a trip to Munich, which at the time boasted the latest REALLY, truly NEW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT in the World.

I'd met the Munich airport manager in Denver, and so in Munich he arranged a complete tour of the place for me and Peggy.

At every stop his Chief Aid points out the airport's utilitarian efficiency (although he is pretty careful not to let me get too close to their baggage system).  The whole airport gleams of polished metal and glass, BUT NO ART!

And you know what? The place is cold, it's depressing, it makes me feel like I wish I'd flown into Austria instead. I am cold, I am depressed, I am anxious to GET THE HECK OUT OF THERE.  And maybe that's what they were after.

That's when I started appreciating art, even the stupid farm implement sculpture at DIA. It is JUST BETTER than the alternative.   

It didn't help my attitude that in the town of Freissing, nearby? There is a quaint looking little restaurant called the Hoffbrau...mmmm...sounds good, eh?

Well step in "THAT HOFFBRAU" and what do you see? Dingy gray walls decorated with those itty bitty Mexican Sombreros you can get for 50 cents in Tijuana. "THAT HOFFBRAU" serves the worst Mexican food on the planet.  But there is hope...down the road? Inside the bargain hotel? They have a CHINESE Restaurant.

I'd love to keep this going.  Let me have it. Maybe we can all get on the next big ART selection committee.