Is it possible to get too behind on a blog? Mardi Gras and Judy

I have been having a couple of weeks where it seems like life has gotten too busy. I am barely having time to process all that is going on. Do I focus this blog on just being about parades and Cinco de Mayo?

Let me catch up for a minute.

Last weekend I went to the Mardi Gras Parade. While there were a few stand out floats overall I left with a sense that the main aspsect of this event is drinking and getting beads. Getting beads is like winning money. There is something anti hierarchal about it in that elevated people on display release all these beads out into the audience. It it strange in that really they are just a bunch of plastic beads that an individual accumulates like bling and wears only for the event of the Mardi Gras. People went crazy about getting beads. I realized from this parade a litttle of what I wanted and did not want the Cinco de May Parade to be like.





I was not excited about the partitions that existed between the parade participants and the audience. The barricades reinforce the idea of a more passive audience. I am relieved that our parade is not associated with such a huge drunken party. Also I really hope that people will really try and make some interesting costumes. I felt starved for good costumes and floats after seeing so many people dressed normal, on a half thought out float, tossing beads. I'll attach photos later. Don't get me wrong there was a certain pleasure to entering the world of "Mardi Grad" were people could just hang out in a parking lot and drink. There was a certain freedom and spontaneity to people that I don't typically find in St. Louis. People randomly high fivin' and giving each other hugs. Guys running around in green bodysuits. The counterpart though is seeing an older woman puking on the sidewalk or hearing a man mutter a racist comment to his friend. I couldn't help thinking about the huge Budweiser sign looming over the crowds heads, like some sort of king granting the people a bit of temporary merry making. Ugh I sound far too pessimistic. Nonetheless it was a nice walk, I discovered a great new coffee shop on Lemp, there were some amazing spectacles, and even I found myself sticking my hand out for beads. Still when it was time to leave, I was glad that I had the day ahead of me and that I had not been there just for the party.





Also a weekend ago I went to my student, Judy's first show. This was really exciting for multiple reasons. Judy is an older artist. She has had many other careers before seriously studying art. She is very hardworking. My brother and I went out to her show at a tea house in Florissant. Judy has a strong sense of color and in looking at her work, I saw someone that had really explored drawing a variety of subject matter. In doing so she allowed many different painting styles to emerge as she worked resulting in a painterly freedom that was quite elegant. A few of my favs were a watercolor of flowers that had been painted with both control and spontaneity, and a drawing of a man riding bull. Another favorite thing about her show was meeting her family. I was surprised to find out how many people in her family practiced art on their own in various ways. Her family is truly one full of artists! How special that she has had her first show- here's to many others!