Why Does My Food Co-Op Hate Me?

As everyone knows, the purpose of a blog is to make any slight, affront or incident which happens to the blogger a matter of global significance. To that end, I am going to relate a shocking expose of a situation happening at my local community food co-op and perhaps at yours.

I am referring to the practice of buying certain products in bulk, or, more specifically, buying dish soap in bulk. A couple of years ago, I decided that it made more sense to buy a soap bottle once, and refill it from the bulk dish soap bin at the co-op. Cuts down on the plastic in the world, and would save money in the long run, right? Better for everybody, and creates the illusion that I am "part of the solution", right?

So, I've been doing this for a while and feeling pretty good about myself, and yesterday I decided to see just how much I was saving by reducing waste, cutting down on the production costs of the dish soap manufacturer and the store, and trying to determine exactly how much dish soap I'll have to buy to get myself out of debt.

A lot more than I thought, it turns out.

Buying 32 ounces of dish soap from the bulk bin, using my own bottle (bought from the co-op, by the way) runs about $6.20. The same amount of dish soap in a plastic bottle sitting on the shelf costs $4.69. So, if I understand, I am paying 25% more to reduce the production costs of a dish soap manufacturer. Cool.

I'm certainly no expert when it comes to capitalism, but it would seem that if you wanted to encourage recycling, re-using, reducing plastic waste, bulk purchasing, and all the other things that make shopping at community markets so great, wouldn't you want to incentivize, as they say, your customers to buy from the bulk bins? Long, long ago, when Patti Smith was new, and I first began to shop at these kinds of stores, you actually SAVED money by buying in bulk. Peanut butter was cheaper. Granola, too. I'm sure of it. Or, goddess help us, perhaps the entire thing has been one giant holistic scam.

On the other hand, maybe somebody should talk to Costco.

Fishy Go Swim Swim (studio version)

TALISMAN 1, (2009), oil on canvas, 24" x 24".

The long gap in posts here results in some part from working in my new Graton studio. In April I moved into #28 at Atelier One. This was the space formerly occupied by Adela Akers, who had added sheetrock, track lighting and other details to make it seem as much a gallery as a studio. It is a beautiful, inspiring space, and one that encouraged me to open it up to show my work.

In May, I began a series of paintings which were based on an encounter I had a few years ago with a feng shui consultant. While in our old home in Albany, she commented on my paintings and suggested I make one with eight red fish and one black one, as that would encourage prosperity. I was one to other things at that point, and sort of forgot about it (which probably explains my finances, I suppose).

My wife reminded me of the idea as I was unpacking into the new space, and I began to contemplate the idea of "chi" being able to recognize fish on a painting, let alone the "correct" number and color of those fish. That led to wondering how recognizable the fish had to be, and to whom (or to what). What are the cognitive functions of chi and what does it mean to create artwork for the pleasure of some kind of energy. If the existing depictions of these arrangements are any indication, chi favors fish that anyone can see are fish.

Or so one would believe.

Some additional research showed me that in actuality the fish (as well as their surrounding water, also a wealth attractant) only need to be understood by the owners of the art to be nine fish in order to be "effective". Freeing up the sensibilities of the human involved is a relief to all concerned, however more questions began to pop up.

The artwork now functions as an intermediary between the spiritual and material realms, and, wrapped in the mystical "other", takes on a new value aside from its intrinsic properties. Imbued with alleged powers from both ancient beliefs and a current agreement with its owner, the painting works as an object more inline with a fetish object or charm.

So, I decided to create a small group of paintings exploring these ideas. They are all identical in size and shape, though they use varying levels of representation of the nine fish. As they are finished I'll post them up here and on my website. I certainly can't make any claims as to their ability to generate prosperity, at least not yet, but I invite you to come by and check them out.

My studio will be open Saturday and Sunday July 25th and 26th from 1 to 6 p.m.

Its located at 2860 Bowen Street in Graton. Discount refreshments will be served, and know that there are plenty of other great things to do in the area should you want to make a day of it.

Fishy go swim swim

Well now, today's Press-Democrat has an interesting story about the "battle" between Sonoma County farmers and coho salmon.   Low water levels in the Russian River, coupled with spring frosts threatening crops, created a situation where using the remaining river water to spray crops (the traditional method to save them from freezing) ended up killing off salmon fingerlings stranded in the dried out river.

Farmers say they don't want a "water master" telling them what to do, or at least being unable to protect their crops, yet the already threatened salmon are as vital a food source as agriculture, so they may not have a choice but to be "dictated to" by the state.    They want to "solve the problem locally".    

Okay, but I get the sneaking suspicion this will turn into one of those "you can't tell private property owners what to do with their land" routines all too common with agriculture issues.  You know, the thing where whatever I do on my land is my business, not the gummints, and screw anyone downstream or next door.   It is never pretty, as examples of extremes are held up by all sides as what will inevitably happen if things go this way or that. 

And let's be honest here.  "Agriculture" in this part of the world usually means vineyards growing grapes, a crop infamous for requiring massive amounts of water to prosper.  The powerful wine industry will have quite a task convincing the rubes that Syrah should take precedence over salmon, but if they can figure out a way to bring the regions organic farmers onto their side, who knows?

Water is ultimately its own master, and once its gone frost on the pumpkins will be the least of our worries.

World Water Day

Today is World Water Day (and frankly, this was the first I'd heard of it, too), so designated to help us think and act to promote awareness of the importance of clean water.  The Charity Water Institute funds freshwater projects in developing countries.  This video is about the Central African Republic.

Closer to home, I'm learning more about the attempt by well-meaning folks to use wastewater to irrigate crops and vineyards in Sonoma County.  One of the main problems is that the plan requires storing the wastewater directly above the Dry Creek Aquifer.  This aquifer is the source from which much of Sonoma and Marin Counties get their fresh water.   Adding a twist is the continuing removal of the gravel over the aquifer by commercial gravel companies.   If you've been following along in your study guides, you know that gravel is the way groundwater is purified on its way down to replenish the aquifer.

It is a tricky, complicated issue here, tainted with politics, greed and ambition.   Details to follow very soon.

Happy Water Day!

My birthday is in October.

But it's never too early to shop.   Just sayin'.

Here and there.

Last Thursday night was the opening of the "Weather Report" show in Petaluma, and I got a chance to meet three more artists whose work I really like.  For a long time I've been pretty reluctant to try and meet other artists, but now that I'm actually producing a bit more work and showing it, connecting with other people has become a bit less intimidating.  Amazing what getting off your ass can do.

Two paintings in the show really stood out to me (in that sort of "damn!  that's what I want to do" way), and it turns out they were both done by the same artist, Kathryn St. Clair.  She really knows her stuff. A great sense of color, light and form, and technically her work is captivating to look at, as pretty much everyone in attendance could attest to.  I got a chance to briefly talk/gush to her, and was pleasantly surprised to find out we seemed share a couple of similar ideas about landscape and metaphor.  

And, it turns out she made up some postcards like I did, announcing the group show(s) she was in.  When I did it, I didn't know if it made sense to put out your own media, the same way you would if you were having a solo show, but, there you go.  Turns out, it does.

Later, Tony Spiers and his wife, Lisa Beerntsen introduced themselves and said very nice things about my painting.   This meant a lot, as I've been fans of both their work for some time now.  We first encountered Tony's paintings all around Graton, and thought his way of combining nostalgia and humor with a lovely whiff of malice was really interesting.  Lisa does beautiful things with layered organic shapes that seem to create a calm out of chaos.

Though their work is dramatically different visually, all three of these artists have a solid foundation in the fundamentals of art-making: drawing skills, a real understanding of light, color, form and design, but most of all discipline.  They have painted a lot.   And, not surprisingly, have gotten good in the process.

I remember my time in art school as spent in serious distrust of notions of craft, technique and proficiency.  Infatuated with the aura of mechanical and electronic production processes, and juiced up on theories of Walter Benjamin and John Berger, not to mention the work of Robert Heinecken, I was much more interested in what these modern mediums did to and for the nature of art as communication.    I loved the graphic quality of image degradation, the layers of meaning inherent in such, and what could be said about culture and politics using the current processes.  

Sure I loved to draw.  I loved color, and what paint looked like on various surfaces.  I had a great appreciation for painters like El Greco, Toulouse-Lautrec, Matisse, Turner, and DeKooning, but any attempt to "emulate" them seemed like a total waste of time.  Painting and drawing classes were quickly abandoned for video, photography, printmaking and a number of independent studies in sculpture and event production.  Fast and cheap was the order of my day.  Saying something about perception, experience and media was what was important, and  even if exactly what couldn't always be deciphered, the work was rooted in improvisation, immediacy,  chance and fun.  I associated myself with various groups and individuals with similar ideas, and by the end of my time in college, I had taken part in enough exhibitions, events and publications, and received just enough encouragement to believe I was on the right track.

Thirty years later the belief in content over ability had somewhat played itself out.  Combined with self-doubt and a lousy work ethic, I found myself at something of a dead-end.  Having made video that looked like photographs, photographs that looked like xeroxes (and in many cases, were xeroxes), paintings that looked like cartoons, and drawings that looked like mistakes, there was nowhere to go but up.

Having spent the last few years attempting to re-learn painting has been the jump-start for a lot of things, not the least of which is a return to regular art-making.  My attitude towards the work is that I'd like it to be more contemplative than eyeball-gouging.  A sign of advanced age, I suppose, but also the recognition that there are plenty of artists out there using the techniques of illustration, shock and spectacle with better results that I could.  Or did.

That's why its such a pleasure to see artists right here in my area who are able to convey personal, complex ideas about themselves and the world in interesting, seductive ways.  They are extremely accomplished, passionate and determined, if not household names, and they make me very happy.

Save The Sandpiper!

One of the great places to eat in Sonoma County is a little dockside spot in Bodega Bay called "The Sandpiper".  It gently plays to our memories of authentic seafood joints from the past, with good, fresh food, inspiring views of a working harbor and a minimum of nautical kitsch.   A place where a cup of clam chowder is mandatory and the fried seafood platter is offered without shame or irony.   Where you can become a member of their frequent customer club, earning points for various entrees.  My wife and I registered our birthdays with them, and every year we get cards in the mail awarding us a free dinner (offer valid for the entire month).  This is the kind utterly charming, small town sort of, well, marketing seems too crass a word, and community-building seems too geekspeak, but it certainly makes you feel like eating there more often than you would. 

And before or after dinner its always nice to take a stroll around the marina, looking at the boats and the funky little community of single and doublewides that make up the village of Porto Bodega.  The RV park next door is full of interesting folks in their various encampments, fire rings and grills blazing, satellite tvs glowing inside.  We've seen everyone from hipsters in a vintage Airstream pulled by an old DeSoto to Pentecostal families in  tour buses worthy of Willie Nelson.  

All of this makes for a lovely glimpse of what a working fishing community is like.

So why does Richard Battaglia want to destroy it?  Good question.  Only Richard Battaglia knows for sure, but if his past achievements are any indicator, it is so he can replace it with a theme park reflecting the charms of a traditional California fishing village chock full of thrill rides, entertainment complexes, unique characters, specialty shops and restaurants.

Wow.

Usually one has to go to Orlando for a clean, exciting, family-friendly simulacrum like that.  Or, in a pinch, Vallejo.

Two years ago, Mr. Battaglia bought 15 acres of Porto Bodega, including the land where the Sandpiper sits. He has, according to sources, been engaged in a campaign of harassment and intimidation to force the owners of The Sandpiper to walk away from their seven-year lease and get the hell off his property.   Nice.

Perhaps Mr. Battaglia is actually envisioning an upmarket, nautically-themed complex more in tune with the tastes of wine country tourists.  Something like Nick's Cove.  

God help us all.

Joe's Crab Shack for people who would not be caught dead in Joe's Crab Shack, Nick's is a  former fishing community turned resort where meals are delicious as only Pat Kuleto can serve them, and a stay in a "rustic" cabin goes for over $600 a night.   Art directed to the tits by professionals (and you know what that means), I stepped into the restaurant and felt like something in me had died.  And not in a good way.   What Paris must be like at Disney World. In other words, a fish camp for people who don't fish, but love the experience of being where that sort of thing might have happened.  Tasteful, clean and modern.   

And those are the hallmarks of Battaglia, Inc. projects.  Exciting re-creations of reality.   Better reality, if you will.   The reality they've torn down to build the new reality.   The Truman Show comes to mind.

Admittedly, you'd be hard pressed to stop or even slow the wheels of this kind of  "progress", but in this case Mr. Battaglia does not have the law on his side.   Still, the citizens of Porto Bodega and Sonoma County are outraged by this, uh, outrage.   Anyone who has been to this area understands that its appeal lies in what is is now, not what it could be with just a little more development.   Real estate goons never seem to understand that.  

I encourage you to SIGN THE PETITION and do what you can to HELP KEEP SONOMA COUNTY REAL!