Books | 'Chuck Close: Life': The Northwest native painter who brought the portrait back to modern art | Seattle Times Newspaper

Books | 'Chuck Close: Life': The Northwest native painter who brought the portrait back to modern art | Seattle Times Newspaper
Prestel Publishing, 368 pp., $34.95

Painter Chuck Close's early works are still his most well-known: startling close-ups of human faces on immense nine-foot canvases. Created in the 1960s and '70s, the black and white paintings — many of them self-portraits — are harsh and discomfiting, and helped establish Close as one of the preeminent artists of his generation.

In "Chuck Close: Life," longtime friend of the artist and former museum curator Christopher Finch has written a comprehensive biography that blends an exquisite rendering of Close's unique genius with details of his personal life.
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Read the review, and the book.

Giving my blog a fresh coat of pixels

I have written here and a few other places over the past few years. As things have changed for me I have gravitated toward writing for somebody else, on my own, or commented on other people's work. To a great degree I have returned here think out loud, in front of strangers, and a few friends.
About "Friends", I only have a few, I do not collect them like baseball cards, or free phone apps.
The strangers drop by here in numbers that are greater that the number of people that I actually know in real life, few comment in public, actually more send me "off the record" emails.
I guess if you are going to visit then I might as well do you the honor of playing host to what I am really thinking about.
On the right side of the page and wrapping around to the bottom is almost exclusively politics, a social construct.
On the left, here, is what I am thinking about. I have changed the format to allow a larger video window. That is where the world is going, I hope to retrieve some clips for you.
The color change was selected with the King County Metro buses in mind, and the late 20th century Supersonics, and the early 20th century Metropolitans
I hope that one day soon I can wear a green Seattle sweater everyday during Winter, tip off, or dropping the puck.

I hope you find some use in the news feeds on this page, and my musings. When I go too far just exclaim "JOEL CONELLY!" in the comments section (anonymously).

Have a fantastic day,
Mr. Baker

Crosscut.com: Costco will make enemies as it goes after liquor sales

Crosscut.com: Costco will make enemies as it goes after liquor sales. This may be the case for those making money off the monopoly. For those of us that have a cocktail once in a blue moon, retaining the monopoly will be a tough sell.
I say, FREE BOOZE NOW!