Wednesday, June 06, 2012

My Mother's Red Shawl - El Rebozo Colorado
Celia Duthie - Gallerist



What else could there be to do after ‘books’? Not that this is after books, I read as much as ever, and as new as I can afford. Alex teases me about not wanting to pay full price for a book, even to ‘buy’ a book. (I bought the new HiIlary Mantel at Ivy’s in Oak Bay at full price!) It’s been a long conditioning; I’ve grown up with all the books I could ever want, free! Advance reading copies, new hardcover fiction, art books, everything and surrounded by a culture of seasoned readers with endless excellent recommendations:


Ivy, of Ivy’s Books, still extant in Oak Bay, Victoria, worked at Duthies in the 50’s and early 60’s. She suggested Flowers for Hitler. Don Lewis recommended Le Grandes Meulnes by Alain Fournier, and several Heinrich Boll. Jane Flick got me gobbling up Virginia Woolf, and Michael Varty: Kapuscinski and Tony Judt. Nick’s, almost the last recommendation before the last 4th Ave store closed, was Geoff Dyer, the current darling of my reading heart.

Alex doesn’t like Geoff Dyer, or at least not his photography criticism. I adore (almost) all his writing, admire his mastery of so many literary forms, even among his novels such a range of different structures and themes, and his critical essays cover an amazing breadth of interests and passions with brilliance originality and humour. There’s a recommendation!

Now, we do art. We show it and recommend it. Duthie Gallery - Sculpture Park, fine art and studio furniture. Michael Dennis, Brent Comber, David Robinson, Judith Currelly and others. Tangibles.

Alex has (very kindly) come and photographed the art. He refrains from any art criticism when he is taking pictures, but then adds cheeky titles to the jpgs. Next year we’re planning a show of Alex’s Erotica, his Balthus series, with collaborative paintings by Stefanie Denz.

Alex always calls me Napoleon, but he is much more fundamentally Napoleonic than I am (watch him taking pictures or selecting plants). Mostly he is referencing the books by Arthur Upfield (which I had recommended) whose main character is named Bonaparte, Bony for short). Alex, for years after we left town, thought we would come back, but I don’t think so. I love Elba.

Duthie Gallery

Linda Lorenzo Mother
Katheryn Petersen Accordionist
Stefanie Denz Artist
Ivette Hernández Actress
Byron Chief-Moon Actor/Dancer
Colin Horricks Doctor
Ian Mulgrew Vancouver Sun Columnist
Jocelyn Morlock Composer
Corinne McConchie Librarian
Rachel Ditor Dramaturg
Patrick Reid Statesman, Flag Designer
Michael Varga CBC Cameraman
Bronwen Marsden Playwright/Actress/Director
David Baines Vancouver Sun Columnist
Alex Waterhouse-Hayward Photographer
Lauren Elizabeth Stewart Student
Sandrine Cassini Dancer/Choreographer
Meredith Kalaman Dancer/Choreographer
Juliya Kate Dominatrix