New York New York
I have always had this thing with New York, the bustling, busy metropoli really clings to my concious and subcouncious in different ways. My creativeness binges on all the information my senses receive here. From the easy access to all the live art, to the way immigrants from all around the world have established and have permed the city with their ways, tastes, sounds and colours. I am specially drawn to China Town (I have an obsession with China towns from around the world)) the variety of materials keep suggesting me new ways to approach my work. Beads, rare fruits, paper, gold leaf, pottery. When in need of new materials to work with, I like to come to New York.
Fueled by the amazing exhibition of Matisse’s Cut Outs, showing in the MoMa, I gathered some courage, and went out in the middle of Juno (supposed to become the worst snow bliss ever seen by new yorkers) in the search of hand made papers to add to my future production. After a torturing walk in the snow and a subway ride, I got to this treasure cave, between 62 and 3rd.
A typical NY old brick building with a tiny door and narrow stairs patched up with different wall papers, told me I was in the right place. The solemnity in here was really intimidating. Something like John Coltrain’s Blue Train was coming out an old speaker and two very serious looking clerks sitting behind the counter were whispering worridly about the upcoming storm. They barely looked up as I came in.
It didn’t matter, the catalogue was amazing. Hundreds of hand made paper samples from Japan, Nepal, Tibet, China, Italy, where displayed in a magnificent array of possibility. Excited but in a hurry because of the storm , I made my pick and handed my list to the clerk who after complimenting my handwriting, (random), warned me to be 100% sure of my choices because it was a long list and he had to go to another room to find them all. Feeling unsure I told him I was sure and after 15 minutes he showed up with an armful of my soon to be treasures. The bill turned out to be a few hundreds more than I planned, but the snow was falling harder now and I was too much in love with each of those rare finds to step back.