Family, Fire and Fine Art

So much happened this week.

The Government Agency that hires us went insane. They were teetering for a while -- years perhaps. But this week they finally toppled over the precipice. The head dude has had his head God knows where and now is being a demanding monster person and my coworkers have been jumping through hoops re-preparing information that they have re-prepared and re-presented 100 times before. This time the monster may actually listen. He'll have guests in the room. But, it made for a trying and exhausting week for those around me.

My sister is in town! Yay! She is here visiting for a few weeks. It has been wonderful and delightful to have her around. It is far better to have your sister near than not. I truly believe it. For the first few days, she was very jet lagged and I was working, so our interaction was primarily over dinner at my parents' house. Friday night we went to see the Garrison Keiller movie with my Mom and our Auntie. Very fun. And that night she came home with me to stay. We sat up and talked about heart break and had a wonderful time. In the morning I carmelized her egg (unintentional) and we had yet more nice chatting. Next weekend I get her more all to myself and I very much look forward to it.

Yesterday, the family went down the Cherry Creek Art Festival for the day. Now, there are plenty around who find this festival over-priced and exclusionary and all about "sofa" art. These people are wankers. The Cherry Creek Art Festival is far far better than that. It is about being really good at your craft. Everything is really really well done. No matter what the style of work, the craftsmanship is extraordinary. Not everything there will match a sofa, I guarantee you.

My family gets excited for this festival. We all grab out sun hats, and barrel downtown so we are there when it first opens. We walk up the streets, excited and giddy to explore all the booths and see beautiful, beautiful things. This year, the first booth we came to really caught my father's eye. We stopped. My mother chatted with the artist. My father admired all the paintings, and we came upon the bin for cheaper work . . . the prints of some of the paintings. When I looked down at the prices, I thought for sure I saw a $200 tag. Turns out, it was $20.00. My father bought two. At that moment, I knew we were on to a fantastic show!

My favorite artists were there again this year. A guy from MA who paints the most wonderful long, thin landscapes. I have wanted one for years. The egg tempera dude from AL who paints chalkboards with weird little words on them, and light coming through darkened doors. Bill Amundson, my local hero, who draws my landscapes -- flat nothings featuring track houses with stupid names and Walmarts flying through the sky. He's a genius of epic proportions. I own five of his. I will own more. The glass work was gorgeous -- really really gorgeous this year. There was a dude from Chicago that photographed REALLY minimal scenes -- like the barest sliver of the top of a milvan with a white sky. #6. He has taken minimalism to a new extreme.

My favorite was a painter who painted storms. He had a "tempest" and a "storm" and a "tornado." What made these works so beautiful was the artist's ability to capture a rather painterly representation of a tornado and make it feel absolutely soundless and still. If I had several thousand dollars, this is the piece I would buy.

There were so many amazing things. We may be going back tonight. The family is definitely going back tomorrow while I'm at work.

The thing about the Festival is that it's a celebration of everything great about living. They have bands playing. They have restaurants serving food in booths. They have a whole street for kids to go and make stuff and get their hands dirty. They have bike parking. They have acrobats. And they have art. The best art in the nation. The best crafted art they can find.

As my sister said yesterday when I asked why this festival made me so very happy, "Well, it's the pinnacle of human achievement."

Simple as that.

By now you may be thinking, "Fire. What about the fire part of your title, Beth?" Well, to all great pinnacles of human achievement there will be counter balance. The arsonist is back in my neighborhood. It hit the other end of the townhouse row this time. The fire started in the garage and lapped up the side of two of the units . . . burned through the outside wall of their bedrooms. I don't know if anyone was hurt. The houses are most probably unlivable. God knows the damage.

And so with greatness comes destruction. Always in balance. Appearing in two's. Amazing how one weekend will bring you both extremes . . . the glory and the evil that humans do.

At least my sister is around.