Lulu Torbet’s “Carma” at Generator Gallery
By Barbara Levine

Art opening
Generator Gallery
Pan American Road Race Celebration
Sat, Oct 13, 5–8pm
Benefits Feed the Hungry
Fábrica la Aurora

Lulu Torbet’s photographs, on view at the Generator Gallery from October 13 to November 28, are hard to resist. Her new body of work, “Carma,” transforms decaying car exteriors into wondrous new worlds.

The lush photographs focus on old and weather-beaten vehicles. The tracks of time on these cars is evidenced by their layers of peeled, chipped and crackled paint and the graffiti-like scratches and rusted patchwork that have scarred their aging steel and fiberglass bodies. In Torbet’s photos, these magnified details become abstract compositions resembling wild and weird landscapes, seascapes or even something that you might imagine seeing in outer space.

For example, in Car #4, the surface is evocative of wetlands, an oil-slicked shoreline, or even the surface of a faraway planet. Like several of these photos, the viewers’ response becomes a kind of Rorschach test of their own inner landscape.

Torbet is captivated by the unexpected beauty found in our everyday environment. “In my two years in San Miguel I’ve been obsessed by the tarpaulins overhanging the stalls at the Tuesday Market, the complex tangles of wires and wash lines, the nets and meshes that hang over the plants in the nurseries. I’m seduced by tricks of light and color-infused shadows, attracted to ambiguity and things that are not as they seem. Now the beautifully deteriorating old cars still cruising the streets of San Miguel grab my attention. I’ve always got my eye out for these rare beauties, hoping to find them in the perfect light, and not moving past me at 30 miles an hour.”

For years, Torbet’s photos were primarily connected to her business interests. In Manhattan, where she lived for nearly 25 years, she owned a graphic design studio and shot photographs, many related to the restaurant and travel business, for her clients. At one point, she began writing craft books, and did table-top photos of the step-by-step instructions, as well as photos of the models wearing her creations. It wasn’t long before Torbet decided to apply her photography skills to making more personal work. Her first series of images was of buildings being renovated or cleaned. These structures were often covered by porous colored netting that, when backlit by the sun, created mysterious reflections and patterns often in contrast to the grave and isolated feel of the building. This series of “shrouded” buildings occupied her for years. When she moved to California she became, as she will tell you, “obsessed” with the wavy abstract reflections of shimmering, sun-scorched beach balls and plastic furniture float
ing on her pool. Luminosity and ambiguity are threads that run throughout all of Torbet’s work. Her eye is now focused on the complex interplay of light, steel, paint and erosion that is particular to the corroding cars of San Miguel.

It is hard not to connect with her new photographs. We see these cars every day and barely give them a glance. Now, as a result of Torbet’s photographs, we will take notice, and see them in an entirely new way.

For more information about other Feed the Hungry events with the Pan American Race, see the article about the Drivers’ Dinner.

Art opening in the Park
By Ingalora Dwyer

Art Opening
AArCoSMA
Magical Places
Sat, Oct 13, 7pm

Casa de Cultura “El Chorro”

AArCoSMA (Amigos de Arte Contemporanéo de San Miguel de Allende) and the artists of “El Jardín del Arte” invite you to visit a juried exhibition of paintings. The show opens on Saturday October 13 at 7pm in the Casa de Cultura “El Chorro.”

The theme is “Magical Places” and there are 32 artists from different parts of México (Mexicans and foreigners) participating in the show. The objective of this event is to stimulate the creativity, the spirit and the economic state of the participants.

The organizers would like to thank all the persons who helped to make this event possible through hard work and donations. They would especially like to thank the Directors of “Cultura y Educación” and La Casa de Cultura “El Chorro.”

Peter Leventhal at Galeria Le Noir
By Terence O’Connor

Art Opening
Peter Leventhal
Fri, Oct 12, 6–9pm
Galeria Le Noir
Jesus 2A

It is an ancient Mariner, And he stoppeth one of three. By thy long beard and glittering eye, Now wherefore stopp’st thou me? He holds him with his skinny hand, There was a ship,’ quoth he

Art openings are usually feasts for the senses and none are more so than Peter Leventhal’s openings. One comes to expect rich opulent colors, sensuality, overt eroticism in his work leavened (excuse the pun) with a sharp sense of humor and penetrating insights into the human condition.

Prepare yourself. In this exhibition, the artist wants more from you, because he is revealing an important part of himself and the nature of his life as an artist. This is more than an invitation to a show or studio. Here the curtain is parted and the viewer has a chance to see the forces that drive the artist.

There is a convention in literature for the artist to afford the reader a glimpse into the creative process and the arduous nature of the task he must perform in order to retrieve meaning from the endless sea of existence. Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner is probably the most famous. James Joyce, in his flawless short story, The Dead, and Ernest Hemingway used the form as a way to skewer their critics. Hemingway went so far as to pay homage to Coleridge directly by calling his novella on the subject, The Old Man and the Sea. In this show, Leventhal follows on in this tradition. The difference being, his narrative is visual.

In this exhibition, Peter places us in familiar surroundings. He uses a device, the artist surrounded by models, to draw us in. Women, the very coin of the realm, lay for the taking before Leventhal’s alter ego. But the canvases are nearly devoid of color. The models sketched in charcoal give only hints of their sexual power. Moreover, the artist figure in the series is detached from them. That being so, Leventhal names the exhibition, “In the Sculpture’s Studio; Models and Artists; Towards Mythology.”

All of this has been done deliberately, with a clear purpose in mind. Leventhal wants the viewer to see the world behind the world. He wants us not only to observe the artist at work but also to show us the aesthetic landscape as it appears to him in his mind’s eye as he is pursuing his calling. Here we see the artist, driven and masculine in his pursuit, tools in hand focused not on the model, but on the work.

Peter is extremely well read, intelligent and diligent in his professional and personal affairs. Over the years, I have been privileged to have innumerable conversations with him concerning his work. He has characterized his work as a “narrative of his existence”, and that, “It is a mythology where I try to make my literal life, epic.”

He has also told me that “in trying to give history a semblance of reality, we only build mythologies” and, “In the end, there are only mythologies and it is the artist who creates these mythologies. I want to explore the reality that is embedded in the myth.” This is exactly what Leventhal is doing in these canvases.

It is readily apparent that Leventhal agrees that openings are always akin to a wedding feast, alive as they are with the promise of beautiful women, wine, food, stylish clothing and behavior, a feast for the senses. But on this particular night he has chosen to show us the reality behind it. He has chosen to show us the artist at his labors, physical, emotional and aesthetic.

The artist in these drawings on canvas is doing what he is compelled to do. He’s surrounded by naked women and scrutinizes them intensely. He knows, even more than they, how alluring is the curve of their shoulder or the gesture in the turn of their hand. Yet, here we see the artist refusing to be defeated by his materials, suppressing his natural urges, navigating the narrow straits between the Scylla and Charybdis of fatigue and desire. Much to Peter’s credit, he does not couch this in terms of professionalism or nobility, but in terms of simply depicting the effort that is necessary in pursuit of his aesthetic vision.

The Sea has always been a metaphor for the unconscious, the archetype of the realm where art lies and where it must be sought after. So it is not surprising that Coleridge or Hemingway after contemplating the sea would use it to help them understand their lives as artists. They are by no means the only artists who have done this. I would think that my old friend Peter might have done this nearly a half a century ago when he shipped out as a merchant seaman. But that is another story.

Terence O’Connor is a San Miguel resident and a friend of Peter Leventhal’s for over 40 years.

Contemporary icons exhibit opening in Pozos
By Nick Hamblen


Art Opening
Contemporary Icons by Mary Jane Miller
Sat, October 27, 6–8pm
galeria6
Plaza de Pozos 6
Mineral de Pozos
01-422-205-0811

Mary Jane Miller exhibits contemporary icons October 27 through November 15 at galeria6 in Mineral de Pozos. An artist for 30 years, she has worked as an iconographer for the past 10 years, both creating her own works and teaching icon painting in the US and Mexico. She believes that this discipline allows her to make contact with something deeper that the painting itself.

Inspired by early Byzantine icons, Miller has developed her own style of the classic egg tempura technique to achieve luminous color and brilliance, which she augments with 23-karat gold, part of the symbolic language of the iconographer.

Valetin Gomez, Miller’s husband, creates the repousse (hand-tooled pewter). Originally, the metal served as protection for the icon. Today, this added embellishment, designed by Miller, gives the icons additional beauty, form and a sense of preciousness. Gomez has perfected this technique and makes the classic icon art form a true contemporary tribute to the original image.

Traditional images and icons—from antiquity to modern times—portray a mystery that provokes the viewer. This exhibit hopes to engage the viewer in a dialogue of his or her understanding of contemporary icons. Says Miller, “The intent here is not to communicate human ideas about humans or spiritual concepts about truth but rather to ask the question: Who are we?”

Located on the main plaza, galeria6 is next door to Casa Montana. The largest gallery, housed in one of the original casas in Mineral de Pozos, is entering its third year of operation and is well known for its lush and tranquil gardens. Bird lovers enjoy the large collection of birds making this garden their home. Gallery hours are Mon–Fri, 11am–6pm or by appointment.

Exploring creativity with Jimmy Ray
By Carol Wheeler
 

Lecture The Creative Journey Anado McLauchlin Tues, Oct 16, 5pm Teatro Santa Ana Insurgentes 25

A rare but always appreciated glimpse of the elusive Jimmy Ray

On Tuesday October 16, at 5 pm, Agnes Olive presents a further installment of “The Creative Journey” at the Teatro Santa Ana. These popular presentations invite local artists to answer the question, “What inspires us to create?” This presentation invites La Cieneguita artist Anado McLauchlin to shed light on his particular daliance with the creative process.

Anado presents the film Old Ways by New York cinematographer Joe Gutowski. Gutowski is a feature film editor and documentary director who divides his time between New York and Los Angeles. Last April, Gutowski filmed the goings between Anado McLauchlin and his mysterious muse Jimmy Ray at Casa las Ranas in La Cieneguita. The film divulges the playful creative meanderings at McLauchlin’s studio compound. This is the San Miguel premier of Old Ways and features many local San Miguel residents who attended the groundbreaking of Anado’s gallery, “The Chapel of Jimmy Ray” last April Fools Day. 

Anado will be present to answer questions after the presentation of the film. It should be fun and revealing. There is speculation that Jimmy Ray may also be in attendance.

An interview with Anado McLauchlin in Colonia San Antonio, as told to Carol Wheeler.

Interviewer: We’ve heard over the years of your relationship with this supposed muse Jimmy Ray. When did you meet him?

Anado: I take offense that you would use the word “supposed” or at least that Jimmy Ray would. Jimmy Ray is a licensed muse and you can check in the Akashic records which are located supposedly on the astral plane, under J. There you will find Jimmy Ray listed. To get back to your question, however, I met Jimmy Ray in 1972 in the courtyard of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Interviewer: Could you tell us a little bit about that encounter?

A: I was a young artist living in New York and supporting myself as a taxicab driver. Often times I would go to the courtyard of MOMA to have a cup of coffee before starting my shift. That particular March day a somewhat recognizable figure appeared. (At this time I can’t divulge how recognizable.) However he offered me the opportunity to work with a muse and being a young artist I felt flattered.

I: That’s interesting. Did you start working with him immediately?

A: At first it was difficult on my part because I thought male artists were supposed to work with female muses, but due to both Jimmy Ray’s and my ambiguous sexuality, after some negotiation it was a good fit.

I: Could you tell us a little bit about those early days with Jimmy Ray?

A: It was the seventies in New York, a very rarified and fertile time to be creating down in Soho, before The Gap and all the other box stores moved in. We were a wild crowd of poets, painters, dancers and actors. Jimmy Ray more or less was my chaperone and guide through these turbulent times and saved my life as many of my friends passed on due to overdoses, leaping from buildings and the AIDS epidemic. He introduced me to the intricate process of pointillism, which pretty much kept me off the streets and I’m very grateful.

I: So you’ve continued working with him all these years.

A: For a brief period during the late seventies and to the mid-eighties, Jimmy Ray’s role in the relationship was more of an observer and collector of ideas while I meandered and questioned my way through the high plateau outside of Bombay.

I: When did Jimmy Ray became more active in your creativity?

A: During the height of the AIDS crisis in the eighties, he encouraged me to volunteer as a caregiver at the Zen Hospice in San Francisco. His instructions were to be with the patients in a present, loving and listening way. Because of this relationship with mostly young, artistic gay men at the bedside, I was encouraged to live my life as creatively as possible.

I: What do you mean as creatively as possible?

A: What I’ve learned is that leading a creative life is not limited to making art. It’s important that all aspects of my life all the way down to the spoons I use, the glasses I drink from, my relationship with animals, my relationship with people, to the way I dress, is an opportunity to bask in the creative juices of celebration.

I: So you and Jimmy Ray continue to work here in Mexico together?

A: More and more, Jimmy Ray and I are becoming more public about our relationship. Recently at the groundbreaking for our gallery, “The Chapel of Jimmy Ray,” Jimmy Ray appeared on a burro to an awestruck crowd of ex-pats and local Chichimecas and brought down the house with his rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” This moment was captured on film by Joe Gutowski, a cinematographer from New York, and he has included it in his documentary Old Ways, which is about Jimmy Ray and me.

I: What does the future hold for you and Jimmy Ray?

A: After all these years, I’ve come to know that it is moment to moment with Jimmy Ray. Because of our close physical proximity I have learned to listen and be available. That listening and availability is a true gift from a quite peculiar friend. I can always be assured that Jimmy Ray holds me in a sacred and loving way and that he will push, provoke and encourage me to remain fluid and evocative in my funkadelic, gumbo-like excursion into the source of my creativity.

Before Anado McLauchlin was speaking through Carol Wheeler, she was a book and magazine publisher in New York City.i