I was a member of Foundry Gallery when membership fee was $100 a month and I had a full time job--not in radio.

Those (above) are from AI/Google search just now.

I met a lot of artists for awhile and had about 2 group shows and a one person show but everyone left and I did too, in 2004. I learned how to price and hang art. You have to gallery sit and if you cannot, you have to hire someone from their list to do so. You have to vacuum floors including the stairs. It was then near Philips Collection on the 2nd floor.

Those are co-op rules; but this was the only time I got a review-with co-artist Harry Callahan,in the City Paper. It was a very positive review which compared my work--then abstracts--to Franz Kline, saying "her palette is lighter than Callahan but not more cheerful." Callahan showed his dark sea-like abstracts painted on canvas--

At one point Callahan, who is younger,helped pull me up from floor where I was sitting.

One of his paintings had machine stitching at the bottom of the about 24 x 36" canvas.

I asked Harry, "Was the canvas you had too small?"

He said, "No, I just wanted to."

I tried painting on raw canvas/staining--like Helen Frankenthaler, but I didn't like the way it was harder to draw my brush over the surface, and it's too much trouble to prime and gesso and stretchcanvas myself.

Now I buy the slimmest 7/8" profile stretched canvas I can. It's lighter to carry around and slimmer to store.

The young couple who lived across the hallway from me, the beautiful young woman wanted to ask me to be her patient and get a massage from her--a legit massage--she wanted to learn massage at a famous Bangkok wat.

However, I don't like people touching me, and shoulder massage is painful.

Her partner was a stock broker, but he painted cartoons like Tweety Bird saying, "I just saw a Tweepublican." He used to carry home stacks of stretchers.

When he got an inheritance in Greece, he wanted to sell me his Mac--but I can't deal with 2 different systems.

I wanted to buy Tweety Bird,but he said he had sold it already.

So it goes. The life of a visual artist, a novelist, short story writer, poet, broadcast journalist, political commentator is never easy.

If you paint on paper,the custom frames can cost up to $100 each-- before 2004.

I left Foundry also because working for the Burmese Exile Gov, my travel schedule picked up.

Now I feel like painting on sewn together canvas. I think my sons took my stapler gun.

Also, my $100 sewing machine is broken.

I'm quite sure a quilting machine will be too expensive and large for me.

Before I left Foundry, an artist from Egypt and I worked out the Gallery expenses per month and saw that ordinary members were subsidizing full members.

We submitted suggestions--I don't remember what rates were decided on.

But $200 a month does not sound unreasonable if you can afford it.

About 3-6 months ago a co-op in VA expressed interest in my needlepoint art--but I did not join as my health is touch and go.

Maybe time to look at e-galleries such as Saachi Art again.

However, I don't intend to give up anything art-wise that I am doing right now.

So I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving and may The Force be with you.

Kyi May Kaung

Black Friday, 11-27-2025

P.S.--I bought no appliances I do not need.