KMA

Brewer and Shipley

New Lee Highway Blues

6/1/2026

The son of a sabra, I am hesitant to condemn Israel. My father was born there, my grandfather's bones are buried there. They live amongst many enemies that have sworn to destroy them.  It is hard for me to tell them how they should react to what they regard as an existential threat to their existence, living so many thousands of miles away.

Having said that, I honestly hate their leader, both for his affinity for an American President that I despise and for his policies towards Palestinians. I hate how they have given impetus to an Israeli right wing and dare I say evangelical settler's movement that treats the people on the West Bank and Gaza like animals, harasses children and uproots olive trees. I have lived through a couple wars there and it has definitely changed in time and become an apartheid state. 

The response to the horrific October seventh attacks was so disproportionate that it was unrecognizable to me that my people could indiscriminately kill their neighbors like they were, in their own words, "mowing the grass."

I love most jews but I don't have a lot of love for Israelis at the moment, especially when I hear them utter things like, destroy ten buildings in Beirut for every Israeli child hurt or fifty to one, I have heard both from them.

I hate that Israel seems to have joined the Trump, Putin, North Korea wing and only paid lip service to Ukraine. It reinforces my belief that I may stand with Jewry but I don't stand in lockstep with Netanyahu and his supporters and I never will.

Two weeks ago Israeli Ambassador Leiter said this in condemning J- Street, the Jewish Pro - Peace organization; 

“But when you come and say in such a two-faced manner, ‘We’re pro-Israel, we’re pro democracy,’ there’s a democratically elected government in Israel,” Leiter continued. “You don’t like Netanyahu, make aliyah, vote in the next election and express yourself. Don’t say you’re ‘pro-democracy’ and decry and defy the position of the democratic government of Israel.”

Leiter is saying something very interesting here. If you are a jew, you can't criticize Israel. Your only option is to become an Israeli and vote if you don't like us but keep your mouth shut.

To this, I say, go fuck yourself. Israel is not my kingdom, Netanyahu is not my king. I find the concept of a Jewish state as unlivable and torturous as a Christian state or muslim state. Israel's orthodox rabbis have recently derided reform jews as monkeys, they can kiss my ass too.

I believe in humanity and people in general, I don't have an overriding tribal fealty although I do have a love for them as I try to love the entire world. But they get no special dispensation. That is what it means for me to be a jew.

And if Israel is committing unspeakable acts it is my duty to condemn them as I condemn Hamas, Hezbollah, Putin and the Iranians. 

Israel, try to be better than that.

Peter Green

Last week...

Well, where do I start? It has been a long tiring week. 

I guess it started off with a car show last Sunday.

 

Ran down Main Ave, more cars than ever.  

I am glad I am no longer judging the Fallbrook Vintage Car Show, this one would have wiped me out.

I saw a lot of friends in both the Shafters and the 5150 Ratrod Clubs. 

This is a picture of the Rat Bastard of the Rat Rod Club, Jim Ramsey, and Tom, another rat rodder, along with Dr. Neon and the legendary Wink Eller. 

Wink is the guy with the long beard, a fascinating character and holder of over 60 Bonneville land speed records that still exist today. 

Spent a long time in the hospital after a crackup. 

More about Wink here.

This is a very rare motorcycle that was parked next to the jewelry store.

Quite beautiful.

*

I got a great call Monday morning that allowed me to buy a really good painting at a really good price. 

I made up my mind that no matter what happened the rest of the week I would be happy and feel blessed. 

Of course, those promises to yourself are tough to keep, especially when you are sitting on your hands at the show and the people around you are raking in money.

Later Monday Leslie and I went to a great Memorial Day barbecue at Dr. Neon's. Saw a lot of old friends and mishpucha.

*

As I mentioned in the last post, Palos Verdes started off with a whimper and then was fairly dead the rest of the way until an old client came by to rescue me from the doldrums.

I did buy a nice early painting of Diamond Head by the National Academy painter Carl Brandien (1886-1965.)

Here are some shots of my booth.

And as always, a lively cast of characters.

I bought a black petunia at the garden sale, will try to keep it alive.

I don't think I have ever seen one.

We all went out to dinner at one of our favorite Chinese seafood joints, Seashore.

Had a great meal and exceptional lobster. 

It is nice to break bread with your comrades once in a while, lots of good vibes flowed at this meal.

Saturday was a brutal three hour packout and drive home. 

Parking at the church is scarce and I was totally whipped.

*

Yesterday I had to get up first thing and judge another car show at Pauma Casino. 

I would have liked to cancel but I was a sponsor.

My sciatica and leg pain was firing at every tendon and joint and I had to sit down a couple times.

Luckily my two judge comrades carried my sorry ass when I petered out. 

The show was cool, first car show I ever judged with shade, the cars fitting nicely under the solar panels. Again a lot of cars. I must be slowing down because it killed me.

Saw my friends Debbie and Harry there.

Paul Randle, Bill, Truman, Wagman, Jeff Waldron, lot of good folks showed up.

Loved this hood mount on a rat rod.

It was a good show but I was too tired and busy judging to take pictures and I went home and slept as soon as I could.

Supposedly I will have this month off but I may need to drive to Oregon to pick up a couple paintings, we will see...

Palos Verdes

The joys of being a show dealer. Opening night preview party, well dressed man walks up, says he is buying three paintings, one quite expensive. Brings two groups of friends over to check out his intended purchases, basks in their approval. Never returns the next four days. No sale. Luckily a repeat customer made a significant purchase and saved my show but I wish people would be more forthright and not engage in this sort of behavior.

But it reminds me of an old joke. An elderly gent hooks up with a very pretty young girl on a dating service, invites her to dinner one Friday. After dinner they walk by a jewelry store and he tells he to pick something out. She picks out a small bracelet and he says no way, get something big. She goes for the expensive necklace and earring combo. He gives the shop owner his check and they proceed to spend the weekend in bed at a nice hotel. Monday morning, the shop owner contacts the man and tells him that his check had bounced. He said, grinning, "I know, but let me tell you about my weekend."

People get a certain amount of energy and validation at shows and auctions for spending or appearing to spend large sums in a public forum. My prospective client received a lot of ego stroking at no cost.

I receive bupkis.

Payback

 

H.P. Lovecraft

Piggies

Fine mess you've gotten us into

The President of the United States is desperate for an Iran deal.  

He needs to get oil prices down before the midterms as his own base is getting pummeled by runaway prices. 

Food, gas and inflation are nearing epic levels. 

Farmers can't buy diesel or fertilizer and bankruptcies are skyrocketing. 

His MAGA stalwarts are starting to turn on each other like something from Lord of the Flies. Is it possible that they have been lied to by the Supreme Leader this whole time? That it was all a big carney act?

So what does he do? He announces a deal even though Iran says not so fast, we didn't agree to any of that.

On Saturday, President Trump said that a deal with Iran was “largely negotiated” and would include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of a phone call with Arab allies in the region.

“Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed and will be announced shortly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “In addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.”

So Donald. So full of shit. He says they can take care of the fine points and details later. Classic. More on the subject here, Iran says Trump remarks are inconsistent with reality.

Interesting that he is finally getting pushback from hawkish GOP asslickers like Cruz and Graham.

My guess is that he goes back to threatening total annihilation in less than ten days. Deal or no deal? I bet on the latter.

*

Shawn sent this over.

*

Ukraine is handing Russia its lunch. The Russians are trapped in Crimea. Now that the tide is turning we surrender like pussies.  Americans are now out of the deal. This changes everything. Trump was betting on a Russian win for his pal and a big land grab. He always had his ugly orange thumb on the scale. Couldn't upset Putin and get those pee tapes distributed, could we? Interesting video here. 

*

Trump suspends weapons sales to Taiwan.

Following a pattern that he has established in his behaviour following meetings with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, he appears to have taken the side of a rival power that is also an enemy of the US’s longstanding allies.

Speaking to Fox News after his two-day visit to Beijing, Trump suggested that enabling the defence of Taiwan and defending its democracy was no longer a priority.

*

Trump's Justice Department scrubs its website of news releases about Jan. 6 defendants.

The dangling conversation

Robsongs

I liked to goof on songs when I was a kid, still do I guess. Somewhere along the line I started coming up with a hybrid of Simon and Garfunkel's Dangling Conversation and the theme from Gilligan's Island.

Honest to god, I can't hear the original now without singing the minnow would be lost... 

Here's something close:

It was a three hour tour

On a now late afternoon

With Ginger, Skip and Maryanne

The Howells and Professor too

And I wonder at all the luggage

For a little trip around the bay, Gilligan you can’t fly

You can hear the Skipper roar

In the dangling conversation

dreams of lovey's thighs

Across night time's ocean skies

And you read your Emily Dickinson

And I my Robert Frost

And to this deserted island

The Minnow would be lost…

Catchy, huh?

I won't belabor it right now but I did a similar thing with the Flintstones and When I paint my Masterpiece and the sitcom Alice with the Jam's Town called malice. A show called Alice...Too much time on my brain I guess, or too much television.

In the town of Bedrock lives Barney Rubble...

I took a tramadol last night, see what happens? 

Scarborough Faire

I posted this a long while back. In my 19th year, there will be some repeats. I asked for voices of the angels the other day and got interesting responses.  Rox Ann included Ronstadt and although powerful, her voice is not as evocative for me as the others I picked.

Pat in England said Joni and I would include her except she seems like a pissy person. My blog, my rules. He also said Annie Lennox and she can certainly nail it. He rounded it out with Aldous Harding who I don't know and Gillian Welch. I don't think Gillian has an angelic voice but I like her stuff. I thought about K.D. Laing and she is certainly up there.

But you will notice I never said just women and if any man has a heavenly voice it is Art Garfunkel.  And he may not be hip but listen to this and you can see that Andy Williams could hang with anybody in this department too.

Rib shot

I went out to my freezer, which is located in my utility room the night before last. Going to get an ice cream bar. Tripped on the last concrete step, wrenched my knee and hit the ground flush on the upper right side of my body.

I felt stupid but pretty good, considering.

All day yesterday I still felt pretty good. And then last night my right side started aching fiercely. Was it my only remaining kidney? That would be no good. This morning the pain became excruciating. I think I either fractured a rib or tore connective tissue. Hurts like hell.

I took ibuprofen and felt better this afternoon but now it is back. Took two more ibuprofen and cracked open the tramadol, which I have had on reserve but have never used. 

Hopefully whatever I have screwed up will heal soon because I feel miserable.

This is the way?

Leslie and I went out and saw a movie this afternoon, the Mandalorian and Grogu. 

We had followed the television series and thought, might as well. It was a fairly entertaining diversion, not great in any way and probably a slight step back for the whole enterprise.

Of course, Andor set the bar so high for writing and character development that anything this fluffy was destined to fail.

We had three choices of viewing, standard, 3d and something I had never heard of before called 4xd. 

We went with the last one at Cinepolis in Vista.

Let me tell you, talk about a wild ride. 

4xd, also known as 4DX, accentuates every violent movement in your seat, you get wind, you get rain, you get smell. 

Totally immersive.

And several times we both thought we would get thrown out of our seat. 

A real roller coaster.

After a while that stops being fun.

But do it one time in your life. I had no idea this type of thing even existed.

Laura Nyro

Save the Country

You want to respect the government. But they just don't let you. 

Here's today's story, workers in Yellowstone getting lead poisoning for following their bosses dictates and the Feds wash their hands of it.

*

From parks to oil fields: Plan to open California lands to drilling sparks backlash

*

California oil fight tests state's right to push back against Washington during war

*

Trump Eases Restrictions on Climate ‘Super Pollutants’

*

Kentucky has numerous coal ash sites. The U.S. EPA is weakening pollution protections for them.

*

AOC Confronts Trump Official With Effects Of Data Centers On Local Water Supplies

Palos Verdes Antique Show

 

Zappa - Joe's Garage

 

The singer and guitar player on this track, Ike Willis, died recently. Interesting story.

Red Shouldered Hawk

Here is a shot of a red shouldered hawk in the Santa Margarita River valley. It was taken a little before seven in the morning. There was no alteration to this shot, no exposure, no clarity, vibrance or color adjustment, no contrast, no shadow adjustment, no texture, no sharpening, right out of the can except for a small crop and a bit of noise reduction. Iso 2500 f 2.8 ss- 1600 nikkor 400mm 2.8e Nikon D850

Goodbye Jim.

John Fillmore told us that his great friend Jim McGorty has died. Jim was a very colorful character, a brilliant builder and designer in Santa Fe. Leslie and I spent several wonderful Christmas's celebrating with Jim and his wife Elizabeth at their beautiful home in Santa Fe.

Jim was an original Hog Farmer and brought the teepees to the Woodstock Festival for our friend John Morris.

An incredible fellow! We extend our condolences to his friends and family.

Knocking on heaven's door

 

I think of most heavenly voices and for me the list is pretty short, Laura Nyro, Eva Cassidy and Sandy Denny are right at the top. Not sure where Karen Carpenter fits in but she is up there close too. All of their lives had tragic ends. For some reason they seemed to have deeper emotional reserves than their peers or at least were able to convey those emotions in a profound and beautiful way.

 

All taken from us too soon. Who is your favorite? Who have I missed?

Morning light

I left my home early this morning. 

The yucca rostrata bloom is continuing to open and the floral scent is strong and intoxicating.

The blossom is well over three feet tall.

But what really captivated me was the lovely light on Gavilan Mountain, which climbs to the west just beyond the Santa Margarita River and serves as a backdrop to our home.

I love my view.

I may not be a wealthy man but I have the most beautiful and secluded private vantage and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Looks so pretty in the hazy morning light.

Love my home.

Bad Avenue

A violin dealer entered into an agreement to buy an old master painting from me in a quick sale and never paid me. He has had the painting for four years. It was a family piece.

I've been trying to get it back for over a year. 

Always another story.

I found out it was hanging in a Beverly Hills gallery for sale. 

Never got my permission, no idea if they even had insurance. My lawyer wrote a letter and called the owner, a Paul Sykes, and made arrangements for me to pick it up the day I left for Utah. 

The gallery owner said I could pick it up at ten last Monday morning. I left at five in the morning to make sure I was on time. Six hours out of my way back and forth on an already long drive to Utah.

I got there and the gallery was dark and shuttered. No phone number on the door. No note. I looked into a dark window.

It was one of those bad Warhol, Peter Max galleries, the kind of awful shiny art that you might find on a cruise ship with bad certificates of authenticity. Guess he has another place in Florida. Turns out he handed my painting off to another gallery and never told us. I was incredibly pissed.

My lawyer tracked it down and a friend finally picked it up the other day.

I despise people like this. No calls, no respect, no accountability. They give art dealers a bad name.

Tibetan Bells

Utah Trip

Utah sunset through a dirty front window.

I got back from my Utah trip yesterday afternoon. I exhibited at the inaugural Salt Lake Art Fair at the Mountain America Expo Center, sharing a booth once again with my friend Steve Stoops from Phoenix.

The drive to Sandy, Utah was pretty uneventful. My van, with its new coolant reservoir installed, made it with no issues. Always so beautiful driving through the Virgin River gorge, been so long since I had been up there.

It has been a long while, since my last trip with photo buddy Ken. I stopped in Beaver, Utah, trying to buy a t-shirt. Last time we were in Beaver, I was driving him to the hospital after he had a bad spider bite.

I had seen a Beaver Liquor t-shirt before and thought I would get one. 

There is only one state owned liquor store and I guess they had enough of the juvenile tomfoolery and changed the name to Beaver Spirits. No more salacious t-shirts.

Damn, I mean darn. I was in Utah. I get it. Time to grow up, I suppose.

It was hard to drive so close to Zion and Escalante and not stop.

I stayed in St. George the first night, had a four or five hour drive to my destination the next day. 

The Wasatch mountains still had a good amount of snow for mid May.

I checked into my hotel and ordered DoorDash for the first time in my life.

I had incredibly good Neapolitan pizza from a place called Pizza Limone, a mushroom that I added prosciutto to.

So good, I was quite surprised. 

Incredible flavor.

But it turns out we ate a lot of great food in Utah.

Steve showed up a few hours later and ate his slices.

Next day we started setting our booth up in the massive hall.

The set up crew was at least a day behind and were still setting up lighting trusses and fixing electrical.

Did not seem like it would be finished in time. 

The promoter was painting wall panels when we walked in.

Anyway, this is sort of how our booth turned out.

I had called the promoter earlier and told her I was bringing extra paintings and she kindly gifted me another free wall up front, by the half a million dollar Aston Martin the local dealer had brought over to display.

They brought a beautiful Bentley convertible and a Lamborghini too.

There is obviously a lot of new tech money in the area and in Park City over the hill.

The show was interesting. Lots of buzz, lots of music a real celebration of all kinds of art. Dance, what have you. In terms of art the great majority was contemporary. I had not done such a contemporary show since FADA in Los Angeles and that was a while back. There were maybe five vintage dealers total.

I think most of us did rather well.

Unfortunately some of the modern people did not or at least many of the ones I talked to. Three dealers packed up and left in the middle of the show, something you almost never see.

It was tough on a lot of these artists who incurred considerable expense traveling to the show and setting up beautiful booths. Dreams got crushed. I thought about a new name for my business, tested by time, much easier than being a new flavor.

Much of the work was not exactly to my taste but that is beside the point, they were trying.  And reaffirms my position that I can't do living artists and contemporary.

Too emotionally debilitating. For all concerned.

Not too sure about neo-emotionalism, honey, you are getting neo emotional again...

They had craft people and painting people, Utah artists, sculpture artists and a Native American wing.

A cool guy from Minneapolis named Bruce Shapiro had some pretty incredible kinetic sculptures, Medusa and Sisyphus.

*

I sold fairly well, considering, also had major interest in things that people thought long and hard on and then passed. The ones that got away.

I think the economy and gas prices are hurting expendable purchases greatly. The local people don't have a lot of experience forking over money for expensive artwork.

Steve did well too and sold a big collection of Utah paintings that he owned with John and Nat to a local dealer.

I had a cool idea for a bumper sticker that I will probably just forget.

Please remember I came up with it first.

So what else?

My odometer turned 100k miles on the van this trip. Great vehicle.

We ate great, Chinese, Nepali and Italian. 

Found a joint in Midvale with xiao long bao, rock sugar roasted duck, dungpo pork, bok choi and more. 

Delicious. Next day we had delicious hot pot.

Incredible.

We used some pull from a local merchant and managed to get a reservation at Valter's Osteria, one of the finest Italian meals I have had in years.

I had a veal scaloppine with wild mushroom ragu, Steve had a fruta de mare. Phenomenal trio appetizer, homemade biscotti and chocolate for dessert. If you are ever in Salt Lake City and want an expensive but great meal, this is the place!

What else?

Met some fun people. This guy was handcuffed to his briefcase.

Steve is part Pawnee. 

An older native fellow from his native area of Oklahoma recognized that Steve was close tribal, that was cool.

I got a no caller id phone call from somebody named Billy Bob that I almost didn't answer. 

I did.

Guy asked if I still had the shop and then told me to go fuck myself. Older gent. And not a go fuck yourself in a nice way.

Palpable hatred.

I think I know who it was but I am not sure. 

Started going through my enemies list.

Won't be taking any more calls from cowards like this, hopefully.

Anyhow, another successful trip. I like Utah, people could not have been any nicer. The Wasatch range is the most pretty backdrop any city could ever desire short of maybe Ouray or somewhere in Switzerland.

Would I do the show again?

Sure I would. I hope the promoters feel good and proud regarding their efforts. Just needs a few tweaks and a collector base that hopefully will be getting more educated every show.

We went into an antique mall on a setup day and they had tape over the nipples of a nude painting. I enquired regarding their motivations and they said that they were merely guarding against temptation. 

Funny.

A cold front came in hard our last day. It just started to sprinkle on us at the end of packout.

Steve hit the road early and ran into major snow and rain.

In May.

I left the next morning, rain and remnants of the night's snow all the way to Cedar City.

 Here is another picture through my van window.

I actually didn't mind, forced some of the speeders down to my normal sluggish traveling speed and I enjoyed the scenery.

I had to pick up a painting in Los Angeles yesterday morning and spent the night in a dump in Barstow. 

Got home yesterday afternoon, the yucca rostrata in my front yard is just starting to bloom, not full strength yet but gorgeous still.

I'm a travelin man, 'nother show next week.