From pool to shining pool

In John Cheever's 1964 story "The Swimmer," a man swims through surreal suburbia, splashing across his neighbors' pools one after another. Dennis Sopczynski found this inspiring (the story, not the Burt Lancaster movie). Last year he took a lengthy swim up the coast of California, pool-hopping from Pasadena to Burlingame for eight days.

He took some 200 photographs along the way and called them performance art. Several of the photos are now hanging upstairs at the Books Inc. cafe in Mountain View, through Nov. 1.

Even though a swimming pool is a swimming pool to me, I salute the artistic enterprise. If everyone who recorded their travels made the same effort to find beauty and coherence in the experience, there'd be a lot less babble on YouTube.

Pictured: My photo of one of Dennis Sopczynski's pictures, with the windows of the Books Inc. cafe in the background.

Frank Faulkner

I'm a new found fan of New York artist and designer Frank Faulkner. I love the classical feel and neutrality of color in his Hudson, New York home. It also doubles as his studio and show case. Faulkner designed the spaces with classical pieces and objects. There are very refined pieces on display next to vintage flea market finds. Line , color and period bring dissimilar pieces together and they work well against the gallery style white walls.

Source: NY Spaces

Products - Native Tile

I have a great appreciation for hand crafted products made using traditional methods. They have a strong rustic aesthetic and an accompanying refinement. That's why I love the work of Native Tile. The southern California based ceramic tile artisans bring a freshness in color and design to the custom tile market, yet maintain the old world Spanish and Mexican influence. Tile patterns and colors are chosen by clients to reflect their personal style and taste. Colors are rich and vibrant and maintain their integrity over time. Native Tiles are used in residential and commercial projects alike with a library of more than 800 patterns to consider. These beautiful pieces can be used in kitchens, baths and spas, and work especially well in long halls and common areas to create visual interest.

I especially love the two styles chosen for the stair risers.

What a perfect accent to a lap pool!

Any table top will be transformed when tiled with these colorful designs.

Large tiles mounted on a kitchen wall tie in the colors of the counter.

Source: LA Times

Guest posting: 'Radio Golf' in Pittsburgh

August Wilson’s “Radio Golf” is playing at TheatreWorks, with a review in tomorrow’s Weekly. But it’s also just opened in Pittsburgh, where the play takes place. Weekly reader Ron Evans (my significant other) was at the Pittsburgh Public Theater production on opening night. He writes a guest posting about what it was like to be in the enthusiastic audience:

It's been said that one of the best ways to understand a foreign place is to experience its food. From Chicago's deep-dish pizza to the war between Gino's and Pat's cheesesteak establishments in Philadelphia, you can really get the flavor of a city (pun intended) from the local menu. But I think the pulse of a city is in the arts. While in Pittsburgh, Penn., last weekend for a conference, I was invited to attend a production of August Wilson's play “Radio Golf.”

I wasn't particularly a fan of August Wilson, not by choice, but just from a lack of experience with his work. I didn't know that he wrote a series of 10 plays on the African-American experience in the 20th century. And I certainly wasn't sure if I wanted to pay $50 to see a play I didn't know. I was on the edge. It was either this or an art gallery reception. It was the enthusiasm of my friend Brendan that got me to buy my ticket.

Boy, was I glad I did.

It was opening night, and we got a couple of seats in the balcony, stage right. The theater was gorgeous: not a bad seat in the house (as you can see from my iPhone snapshot), and the set was amazing. The curtain announcer quieted the house down and told us that we were about to see August Wilson's last play in the series, in one of only four theaters in the world to do all 10 of his works. The crowd, an equal mixture of blacks and whites, applauded approvingly, and the tale began.

The story centers on Harmond Wilks, candidate to be the first African-American mayor of Pittsburgh. His candidacy is strong, and his spirits are high that he'll be able to make changes in the lives of the city's people. But events make him question his own beliefs, and he ultimately is forced to decide what he is willing to give up to hold true to them.

Set in Pittsburgh, the play is full of local callouts to various neighborhoods and icons. The audience loved it. They were occasionally vocal, voicing agreement along with the actors as they said their lines ("Isn't that the truth!"), and I felt a love and pride for the work of the playwright flow from the audience. It must have felt incredible to the actors. As an actor, I know you can't ask for a better audience. They are proud of August Wilson there, and for good reason. As I sat in my seat and looked around at the audience, I appreciated that many have fought and died just to make such diversity in a theater possible. Mr. Wilson helped to make it possible with his pen.

In the end, a standing ovation well deserved. And a new fan of August Wilson, a touch of the flavor of Pittsburgh, and a better understanding of one playwright's view on the African-American experience. Mr. Wilson passed away in 2005, so this is the last play in the series. In the lobby afterwards, I heard sadness that there wouldn't be any more new plays. It made me appreciate the work even more.

So I have two new goals. One, to see all 10 plays in the series. The second, to inspire somebody else to experience their first August Wilson play. Thanks, Brendan; I'll "pay it forward."You have your chance here at TheatreWorks. And you can drive to Berkeley Rep and see one of the other nine works, “Joe Turner's Come And Gone.” Perhaps I'll see you in line.

Food class: 'Everyone's a Critic'

Isn't it delightful to read those online restaurant reviews that are so blatantly written by the restaurant owners? (Tip: No one else will call your mutton pot stickers "transcendent.")

For a more realistic change of pace, Weekly food writer Sheila Himmel is co-hosting a class next Thursday called "Everyone's a Critic" at the San Mateo Draeger's. She and former Merc food editor Carolyn Jung will give students the lowdown on what it's really like to be a critic, and help people learn how to be a more discriminating reviewer.

I have never asked Sheila if she wears disguises when she goes a-reviewing. Note to self.

Anyway, the class is set for 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 23. It costs $55 per person, which gets better when you learn that it includes a Draeger's-cooked dinner of mixed green salad, Vietnamese shrimp and rice noodle summer rolls, chicken involtini with roasted potatoes, and creme brulee. Preferably not made with mutton.

Pictured: This chef probably doesn't write his own reviews. Photo by Mary R. Vogt, from morgueFile.com.