At long last, a Richard Estes retrospective

Times Square (2004), a painting by Richard Estes, is on exhibit now at the Portland Museum of Art in Maine.

Richard Estes might be the most neglected major American artist working today. So says Sebastian Smee of the Boston Globe, and I agree. For more than 30 years I have been waiting to see the art of Richard Estes featured in a major exhibition. The time has finally come.

EPHEMERAL ART: Fruit

Whatta melon carving!

Mom will tell you not to play with your food. But even the most persnickety parent wouldn’t complain if their kids made these gorgeous creations with their fruit. Here is a taste of some cool carvings and whimsical arrangements.

Ink Master

One of the many cool tattoos created on season 4 of Ink Master.

I don’t have a tattoo and I don’t ever intend on getting one. I don’t even like the tattoos I’ve seen on most people, usually military ones with an eagle or snake or something. It’s often hard to tell because over time the greenish tattoos become faded or smudgy.

Ephemeral Art: $11,000 Chocolate Egg

Jacques Torres is hoping to get $11,000 for his New York City themed chocolate Easter egg.

Would you spend $10,000 for a chocolate Easter egg? How about $11,000? Pastry chef Jacques Torres, aka Mr. Chocolate, is hoping to get at least that much for a 120-pound chocolate egg he decorated to look like the New York City skyline at night.

Ephemeral Art: Cookies

Pastry Chef Julia Usher is renowned for her 3D cookie creations. What’s nicer than a beautiful cookie box filled with cookies?

You have to have a special character to make ephemeral art from cookie dough. Unlike fancy dancy decorated wedding cakes which couples will pay thousands of dollars for, cookies, not so much. They’re smaller, generally simpler and not on the radar as “must have” edible artwork. There are cake decorating competitions on the Food Network, and another show on cable called Amazing Wedding Cakes, but no shows devoted to cookie decorating.

Bathroom humor?

Free art exhibit! How long will these porcelain thrones be on display in El Paso County, Colorado? —News Channel 13 photo

When homeowners in El Paso County, Colorado put two toilets and a sink on the property line in their front yard, neighbor Angela Johnson got upset. She didn’t want to look at those crappy old things. The homeowners wouldn’t remove them, so Angela built a fence so she wouldn’t have to look at them.

Richard Estes: Keeping it real

TKTS Line, a 2005 painting, yes painting, by Richard Estes.

Richard Estes is not a photographer, he just plays one in the art world. His paintings are so amazingly real, I dare you not to think they’re snapshots at first glance.

EPHEMERAL ART: Pet creations

Bailey, my sister-in-law’s misunderstood pet, was interrupted before she could finish creating an amazing art collage. —Kris Vallon photo

Sometimes human beings just can’t appreciate the fine art produced by members of the animal kingdom. Like many struggling artists, the work of Bailey and other wanna be canine artistes is misunderstood. Look at Bailey’s sad, pained look. Her Jackson Pollock-esque work now destined for the dustbin. Don’t worry Bailey, true art can not be denied. I suspect you’ll get another chance to express your doggone creativity.

Kitchen Artist: Charles Draghi of Erbaluce

Chef Charles Draghi, an artist in the kitchen of Erbaluce in Boston.

Fine dining is a rare splurge on my meager salary, so when I go out to eat, it needs to be worth it. I’m sorry to say that quite often I’m disappointed with fancy restaurants and “haute cuisine.” Their menus are often pretentious, with artfully arranged pieces of stuff, and overpriced wine lists ($85 for a bottle that retails for $19.99 at the local wine shop), served in a room as quiet as a morgue.

My husband and I recently dined at a highly-touted fine dining restaurant in New York City, left hungry, and stopped for a slice of pizza at Patsy’s in East Harlem on our way home.

EPHEMERAL ART: Snow Sculptures

Snow Sculpture Eagle at the Navy Pier in Chicago. —Carol Kuhrt Brewer photo

A great way to beat the winter doldrums, Chicago hosts an annual snow sculpting competition at Navy Pier. Not the same as ice carving, snow sculpting involves three person teams carving 6 ft x 6ft x 10 ft tall blocks of snow. Professional teams from Illinois to China participated, as well as local high schools.