New kids on the block: Black Linen and Green Chutes

A couple new arts organizations have recently started up in Boise. One is Black Linen Productions, a theater company making its debut production, Closer (a Patrick Marburg black comedy about sexual politics and partner-swapping) in the Linen Building at 1402 Grove St. They're only staging it for three nights, and the last night is tomorrow at 7, so if you want to check it out, that's your last chance.

The second is Green Chutes artist co-op and gallery in the Collister Shopping Center at State Street and Collister. I went to the grand opening last Friday and did a couple sketches:



Green Couple, by Sheila K. Carney.


Dancer in Red, by L. Collins.

Green Chutes is a fantastic space. There are several corrugated shipping containers throughout the building with pictures hung inside. The art there is very eclectic. I was impressed by Carney's use of bold shape and color, and the dramatic pose and silhouette work in Collins' piece, along with some of the photography by Jim Boudan (? I can't quite make out the spelling) and Matthieu Duquette.

Marianne Konvalinka

This is "Soaring" by Marianne Konvalinka. It's mixed-media, so that's an actual piece of sheet music and a real map in the original. It's currently in Art Source Gallery.

Bill Carman at the Basement Gallery

This is my rendering of Bill Carman's picture, "Oh crap, sorry," which was hanging at the Basement Gallery. He's been a longtime favorite at the Basement, so it's nice to see the new owners haven't changed that. I love this little narwhal-headed guy.

2010 Idaho Triennial at BAM

I went to the Boise Art Museum last weekend and sketched a few pieces by Idaho artists for the 2010 Idaho Triennial. This is "Delusions" by Matt Bodett. I like the horrific, detailed mouth on the figure on the right compared to how rough everything else is.


And this is a partial rendition of "Snorkels with Floating Prison" by Garth Claassen, one of my art professors at College of Idaho. I think he'd be pleased that I'm still sketching in galleries.

Ego and Kelly Packer

This exhibit actually just closed at the Basement Gallery. I came in Friday afternoon, the second-to-last day of the exhibit. But I wanted to post these anyhow. Above is A Comparative Reading of the Past by Kelly Packer. I liked the blocky shapes in the background and especially along the spine.


This is Forgotten Monarch by an artist called Ego. I like the kind of ancient, but not deadened look to him.

Noises Off (quick and dirty)

I saw Noises Off at Stage Coach Theatre opening night, and it's very funny. Great cast, great set, great comic timing. It continues Sept. 9-12 and 16-18.

Metapost -- No more formal theater reviews (for now)

When I started this blog, I was unemployed. I had no prospects and a lot of free time. Today, I'm going to school full-time for a computer science degree and working part-time at a software company I really like. I'm taking 300- and 400-level classes, so my homework load is getting bigger and more challenging. This summer I had a full-time internship and a part-time job, and I never said word one on this blog about the show I was directing at the time. My life has gotten much more complex, and I need to scale back some of the ancillary things I'm doing. Theater reviews is one of them.

I might still post my reactions to shows on this blog, but when I do, it's going to be quick and dirty. Like a couple sentences. I'll be posting one of those shortly.

I still enjoy doing the sketching, and I'll keep posting drawings I make of other artists' work in Boise galleries. I may even try to do that more often. I'll be posting one of those Monday morning.

If you see value in formal, long-form theater reviews and would like the chance to do them, let me know in the comments. I could make you an admin for this blog. And if you miss the lists of upcoming shows, check out the link to Larry Dennis' site "Theater in the Boise Valley" in the left column.