Well, Valentine's Day is little more than a week away and some of my friends are scrambling and wracking their gray cells for gift ideas.  This blog is for them.  Here's some books that I have and want to have and will be sending this blog to my significant other to give him some ideas.  Here we go!  For the book artists out there I have two favorites:  Doug Beube: Breaking the Codex, and Bookwork: Medium to Object to Concept to Art by Garrett Stewart.  Doug Beube's monograph is a beautiful book showcasing the artist's work from book installations to book sculptures.  I just received this and I'm trying to keep my drool marks to a minimum.  The second listing includes work by Buzz Spector and many other book artists who use the book in installation, performance and more!  For the photography book lovers, try Larry Fink: The Vanities: Hollywood Parties 2000-2009...this is a sumptuous celebration of black and white photography from a contemporary master.  Sure to please everyone who loves Hollywood icons and photography.  For the purist in landscape and pastels and painting, try Wolf Kahn by Justin Spring.  Wolf Kahn's work is lyrical and exquisite in its essence of capturing light and atmosphere in a contemporary mode.  Just beautiful.  For the contemporary art lover and portrait painter, try Unprecedented Ego: Self Portraits of Lucas Samara by Marla Prather.  Also, check out Pinnochio by Carlo Collodi.  This catalog of the prints by Jim Dine of Pinnochio is a great gift for the printmaker and contemporary art lover...Enjoy and here's sending some love your way!  Happy V Day!

There is nothing like greeting Spring with a beautiful weekend in New York City.  Trees are beginning to bud and everyone is out and about enjoying the first spring-like days after a long, cold winter.  This weekend was stellar in weather and art exhibits...although, not for everyone, the Times Discovery Center at 44th between 7th and 8th Avenues just opened "Pompei:  The Exhibit".  Real real artifacts and plaster casts of bodies cast in the vulcanic ash, this exhibit promises beauty and tragedy.  Although somewhat dramatic, no one can deny that the frescoes displayed here look as if they were painted yesterday; the artifacts are exquisite and the body casts very eery.  It reminds one all too much of the recent quake in Japan and the power of Mother Nature.  After that, a walk up to 54th and 6th Ave., took us to MOMA.  Some of the exhibits we wanted to see were the "Guitars of Pablo Picasso", "Counter Space", "Women of Photography" and "Performance in Photography".  All are outstanding shows, but my favorite was "Counter Space" with its recently acquired German designed efficiency kitchen by a female architect...forget her name at the moment...but, check out the 1975 performance video of Martha Rosler entitled "Semiotics of the Kitchen" and be prepared to laugh...it's right next to the Bob Watts vinyl case...a very Fluxus statement on kitchen utensils.  Another museum to check out is the American Folk Art Museum right next to MOMA's Gift Store.  Currently, they have an exquisite exhibit of quilts from their permanent collectin.  After leaving MOMA, shoot on up to 57th Street to check out the Pace Gallery at 32 East 57th Street to see the new paintings of Jim Dine.  The exhibit continues upstairs with his prints on the 3rd and 7th floors and it's well worth waiting for the elevator or taking the steps.  Doubling back check out the Marlborough Galleries with their exhibit of Tom Otterness's new sculptures.  They are wonderful.  Some great galleries at 24 W. 57th St., and 41 E. 57th Street as well.  Have fun and enjoy the balmy weather...Only a week and a half until Spring arrives.  In the meantime, don't forget to turn your clocks ahead!!