Mind/Mirror is a Jasper Johns retrospective that is opening this fall at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. You just might run into me there, haha.

This morning, I purchased the catalog. I’m excited! I sort of collect writings and catalogs on the work of Jasper Johns.

When it comes to my visual work, I have always considered Johns to be one of my biggest influences. I have always been drawn to his work, his methodology and ideas. And I have appreciated his reluctance to go into very much depth about it all. I am looking forward to receiving the book.

Also, I cherish every opportunity I have ever had to experience and study Jasper Johns’ paintings up close in museums in New York and Chicago and D.C.

Scroll down for a poem I wrote about meeting one’s heroes. I have mixed feelings on the subject.

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Nice to Meet You (the Targets, the Numbers, the Flags)

I don’t paint anything like Jasper Johns

but by mentioning his name I have started you

up a tree with many branches, each branch

representing a certain move

as if this were a game of chess—

a painting by Jasper Johns

like Cicada or Between the Clock and the Bed

the canvas filled with crosshatches

each crosshatch representing an idea

a certain gesture of the mind

as if the mind were a hand that could point

in five different directions

at once.

_

I once beat          a woman

in a chess match          in twelve moves

She lost her queen

It could’ve gone on        a lot longer

but she          resigned.

_

There are people & occupations

the person & the occupation

& I’m working on sorting this

out, separating the person from the

occupation, who someone is from

what they do

as if I were a saint—

as if I’m not interested in what one

does, as if I were not interested

in the fact that

Jasper Johns is an artist, as if it were false

that I’m still interested in the targets

the numbers, the flags.

_

With everything

to lose

& nothing

to gain

my friend

Blake

would only

play chess

against me

if

we were

drunk

_

It’s probably a good thing

that it’s highly unlikely

I will ever meet the artist

Jasper Johns

I don’t think I’d have

that much to say

other than

Hi,

nice to meet you.

I’ve always admired

your work.