Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/184563
"I never want to forget how lucky I have been to know the greatest artists of my generation and to have been with them for their breakthrough moments. I because she was on the board of White Columns and donated it to raise money for the space ... show at CAMH. I recently got a chance to tell her that I landed here, and she congratulated me for ending up at such a cool — Bill Arning Gary Simmons, at the same museum. I did his first large show a few decades back at White Columns, "Disinformation Schoolroom," that had a live white cockatoo teaching an empty classroom. THREE ON YOUR FAST TRACK. Arning: We're working on a big painting project for CAMH, so I'm thinking a lot about abstraction, and painters like Keltie Ferris, Charline Von Heyl and Tauba Auerbach are keeping me busy puzzling out their complex relationships to historical models and how wild their practice seems in relation. McCray: Jim Hodges. I saw a piece of his at a gallery in New York that had a disco ball that descended from the ceiling into a black pool in the ground as four small spotlights tracked its path providing the familiar disco ball lighting effect. But there was no sound. It was a really powerful piece for me. FAVORITE HOUSTON TABLES. Arning: Power lunch is Cinq at La Colombe d'Or, great food and very quiet. As a hotel restaurant, it's always serving, and the Caesar salad with oysters is a perfect lunch. I love Canopy because it's so charmingly social; I feel like I often know someone at over half the tables — that means no real business gets done, but fun is always had. I am also now a huge fan of lunch at L'Olivier. They have an inventive menu and really good art on the walls. McCray: Canopy: The food is consistently good and they're dogfriendly. L'Olivier has turned out wonderfully. I'm really excited for them. [Brasserie] Max & Julie: beef Filet with Béarnaise sauce and pommes frites. Da Marco has the best panna cotta I've ever seen or tasted. Lucky Burger is a guilty pleasure. Black Hole is my coffee house of choice. LATEST ART ACQUISITION. Arning: I have loved Elijah Burgher's mystical drawings since I first saw them in a show at a funky Chicago alternative space in Wicker Park. Mark and I went to see the great Roy Lichtenstein survey at the Chicago Art Institute this summer, so I visited his studio and finally bought one. It's at the framers now. Also I could not resist the Geoff Hippenstiel show Devin Borden mounted at the Houston Fine Art Fair, and we got one of those jewel-like beauties. McCray: A Joyce Pensato. I had not planned on spending any money at the last CAMH Gala, even though I was salivating over the Pensato. I think towards the end of the night, there might have been one other bid. So I threw Bill's number on it minutes before the auction was ending, and it was mine. I really love it. FIVE FAVE BLOGS. McCray: Engadget.com is a great place to see all kinds of information related to emerging technologies from various fields. The writing is always a bit snarky, but it's always interesting and it's always inspiring me to approach tech projects differently. Macrumors.com, to find out the next big thing with Apple. Nytimes.com to find out what's going on in the world and in NYC. Facebook.com because I enjoy the news-sharing aspect of the site. Kcrw.com for Morning Becomes Eclectic, NPR, and Radiolab. TRAJECTORY. Arning: I went to New York University in Greenwich Village mainly because it was near CBGBs rock club, where my band played and where I saw the most incredible live shows: Talking Heads, Television and the Ramones doing two sets a night for a $3 cover charge and, for dinner, a $2 bowl of punk rock chili made in the back of the club. CBGBs was where I learned that art should be edgy, vivacious and smart. I thought my future career was going to be "rock star," ignoring the fact that I was technically challenged as a musician. For more dish with Arning and McCray, tap papercitymag.com. Top: Come and stay awhile. The guest house stands on the former site of a dilapidated carport and crumbling shed that were torn down to make way for this gleaming modernist building designed by Michael Landrum and Philip Paratore, who also designed the floor-to-ceiling home redux. The sleek landscape reflects the vision of San Antonio-based Sarah Lake. A haven for visiting artists and friend, the welcoming space is filled most weekends with out-oftowners, including recent overnighters Jonathan Horowitz and Klara Liden. Left: Dining room art-a-rama. The taxidermy-inspired chandelier by Virgil Marti sets the tone for art trophies, which abound on the Joe Colombo modular shelf unit. On the first shelf, beneath lamp, a Cindy Sherman Doctor/Nurse edition stands out for its wonderful oddness. Above the door, a doll leg painting by Houston provocateur and pal, Thedra Cullar-Ledford.