As the Swirl Turns
Linus Gelber
It's a brilliantly sunny day - hothothot, an early taste of the coming season - and I'm out running errands, the last of which is a trip over to Adorama to pick up a print for a friend in Switzerland.
On the way back I pass through the weekday Union Square Farmers' Market. It's bustling, as always, and it draws, as always, an affable bunch of artists, leafleteers, petitioners, musicians, chess players, passers-by and lookers-on.
At the north end a mandala sand painting is taking shape. A woman stands nearby, reeling in the sun, a smartphone slipping by degrees out of her inattentive hands. "Omigod," she moans, unsteady. "Isso pretty. Lookata colors. Isso pretty. Lookata colors."
Addendum: after a bit of research I can tell you that the sand artist is Joe Mangrum, a regular in Union Square. I'll hope to check out more of his work this season.
View Project:
