So, today was the first Fathers Day following my Father’s death last December. I realized the day had the potential to be very depressing, so I decided I would not do the very thing that could make that worse – staying at home all day, vegging out on the couch. Today was a day I had to get out of the house.
Now, at first I was going to do things that my Father specifically enjoyed. I thought about it for a while, but of course all my most recent memories are of my father as a much older man and primarily what he enjoyed doing in his later years was work. Well, no way was I going to work today. I thought further and remembered he loved traveling, but short notice and funding got in the way of that. Then I remembered he really enjoyed going to museums. Well, there was the David Hockney Portraits exhibit happening at the LA County Museum of Art that I read about and since I was a fan of his photography work and knew very little about his painted work, I figured I should go and educate myself.
If you have any interest in modern art, it’s an exhibit that’s worth your going to. Hell, even if you’ve only ever seen Hockney’s Pearblossom Highway photo montage and enjoyed it, then you should probably check out this exhibit. It’s fascinating to see how his early portrait work informed his photography and, ultimately, how his photography ended up informing his more recent portrait work. It’s always fun seeing 40 years of work in one place from a single artist’s life and seeing the changes, experimentation and evolution of the artist.
His portraits seem to fall into three categories – the mostly sketch work type, watercolors and finally the oils. My favorites were the oil pieces, particularly “Mum” from 1989. The thumbnail here does not do it justice. The colors in the original are far brighter, particularly the blues. The painting itself – in large part due to the blue background it’s painted – evokes a surprisingly three-dimensional feel. Standing in front of it, as well as to the side, the image seems to have real depth and dimension. I thought it was just me, so I pointed it out to my friend and neighbor Dawn as well as another couple that was looking at it and they all saw what I saw. I’m glad, too, because I was really beginning to think the 15 tabs of acid I popped right before the exhibit were beginning to affect me in a very odd way.
The exhibit took only about two hours to go through, so it left me with extra time Sunday afternoon. While driving back to the house, I got to thinking about other things my Father liked doing. When I was a kid my father loved being outdoors. No, he wasn’t much of a hiker or athlete due to the fact his many bodily ailments prohibited such activity, but during the summer we usually spent the entirety of each weekend by the pool, with my father always sporting quite the tan for six months of the year. He loved the sun, of course as long as it didn’t make him too hot as he was not much a fan of the heat (I take after him in that regard). So, what could I do that was outdoors? I asked Dawn about Runyon Canyon, which she hikes somewhat regularly. I’ve had a number of people tell me that Runyon Canyon was a great place to go hiking in Los Angeles, but I’d never been there. We decided we’d give a hike a try after 4:00, when Los Angeles was a little cooler. No, my Dad wasn’t exactly a hiker, but as my Mom pointed out to me Sunday evening, he probably would have been had his body not said, “No!” My Dad was the kind of guy who would and did do anything, as long as there was even a remote chance of him being able to accomplish it.
Instead of entering Runyon Canyon at the bottom through Hollywood, we entered through the Mulholland Drive entrance at the top. We parked and made our way to the trails, where I was struck by the amazing views of the Hollywood basin, Downtown LA and Culver City. The smog was kinda thick today, so you couldn’t see all the way to the ocean, but apparently you can on a clear day. Really a very beautiful and a perfect place to hike. It was pretty crowded, but not so much that it was annoying. If you don’t like dogs, this is not your place as dogs are allowed on the hiking trails freely and man do they look like they’re having a good time.
Did I have a good time? Absolutely, but Runyon Canyon kicked my lazy fucking ass. No doubt, I’m out of shape and going on a 3.5 mile hike that includes a 700 foot incline helps prove that. Yes, it was difficult at times, but I really enjoyed it. The scenery was nice – both the nature and the many sweaty ladies hiking up and down the mountain – and the view of Los Angeles is something I’ll never tire of. Oh, and for you tourists out there, apparently Runyon Canyon is a good place to do some celebrity watching, although all I saw were a bunch of sweaty fucks running up and down the mountain.
Today could have been a depressing day, but it really wasn’t. My mind and body were stimulated constantly, which is something I know my Father would be in favor of.
Happy Father’s Day, Dad. I miss you.
