The best things in life are free

Chuck Close, "Self-portrait," 2009. Jacquard tapestry, 103" x 79".
Blue Sky Gallery (by permission). (SOOC)

MONEY is the challenge topic.
I have already covered the topic of money here and here.
Today's exploration of money, like yesterday's reflection, is from a different angle.

This image appears to be a black-and-white photograph. It is, however, a very large (8-1/2 feet high) tapestry intricately woven of subtly colored threads. It is based, like much of Chuck Close's art, on a photograph he took. Often the same photographic image is used again and again, reproduced in a variety of techniques. This description of his art includes a section on the tapestries.

Chuck Close usually photographs and works with images of other artists and close friends. Among these is the renowned composer Philip Glass, whose portrait was also in today's exhibit: "Phil, State II" by Chuck Close, 2006. I've posted a detail of this huge tapestry in my blipfolio (it's the dark area on Phil's neck just to the right of his chin) so you can see the many colors that this "monochrome" weaving contains.

If I had the money, I would be a Chuck Close collector. I think he's one of the giants of the 20th and 21st centuries in art. Once a football player, he has been in a wheelchair for some years, yet he continues to be creative and productive. These tapestries, produced in very small quantities by Magnolia Editions, sell for between $120,000 and $150,000 each. Since I'm short of the asking price by a buck or two, it's a treat to be able to visit a show like this, free of charge.

Thanks to Blue Sky Gallery for the many resources it makes available to photographers and lovers of art.

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Miscellaneous news:

• I bought a coffee grinder today. Haven't even had time to take it out of the box.

• I posted a selfie in my blipfolio today that was taken last June at the Blue Sky Gallery during the Julio Mitchel photography exhibit, "Do You Love Me?" Mitchel's photos are often very dark, and I used one of them as a mirror for this shot. There's more on my response to the Mitchel show here.

• Tomorrow is the memorial service for my friend M, whom I wrote about when she was dying. Thanks once again to all who sent kind comments and loving thoughts.

• Heads up! Blip vocabulary tomorrow.