what are the odds?

The more you get out into the world, the more you realize how small it really is. Especially the art world. Take this afternoon for example:

After reading about artist Evan Blackwell's sculptures at the Benham Gallery and realizing that the show closed tomorrow, I decided to check it out. I was initially drawn to the descriptions of his work: "Plastic cups, forks, hangers are transformed into sculpture—with a nod to the excesses and "detritus" of American consumerism" (Seattle Weekly, June 28), and thought, hey, there's someone else like me and he's making a living at it! I was drawn to the repetition in his work and creative forms that emerged (though, at times it seemed a bit too much, almost wasteful. Like he was creating more trash instead of recycling discarded materials). Still, it's exciting to see someone with a similar creative voice.

As I left, I grabbed the show description and discovered that he attended Alfred University as a ceramics major, graduating in 1999. My good friend Kim West graduated also from Alfred in ceramics and a professor of mine, Nick Tobier, also taught there. I'm excited to see if either of them know of Evan (who is now an MFA candidate at UW) and would love to meet him at some point. Knowing the art world, I'm sure our paths will cross soon.

PS. It's freakin hot right now.