| “San Francisco tower, United 88 heavy, ready for departure runway 28 right.” “United 88 Heavy, cleared for takeoff runway 28 right.”Having heard that on my headphones, I adjusted my belt and positioned myself for the massive force accelerating me forward. I looked out the window and watched what were moments before “droopy” wings start bending aggressively towards the sky. Goodbye North America, hello (ni hao) China. Twelve hours is a lot of time to stare out the window and think. I’m not into the movies, but I will take a glass of that Chardonnay. What is going to happen in China? | 
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“San Francisco tower, United 88 heavy, ready for departure runway 28 right.”
“United 88 Heavy, cleared for takeoff runway 28 right.”
Having heard that on my headphones, I adjusted my belt and positioned myself for the massive force accelerating me forward. I looked out the window and watched what were moments before “droopy” wings start bending aggressively towards the sky. Goodbye North America, hello (ni hao) China.
Twelve hours is a lot of time to stare out the window and think. I’m not into the movies, but I will take a glass of that Chardonnay. What is going to happen in China? How am I going to produce a show in such a short time? Where will I get the materials? How will we hang it? Who will show up? What the hell am I doing going to China?
“Thank you” said the stewardess as we got off the plane. Then, at the airport exit, our beacon “ARTineering” sign bobbed up and down amongst a sea of other white 8” x 11” signs on sticks. But, ours had a big smile behind it by the name Xiao Yan. She would be our life support for the duration of our stay, and she answered one of my first questions by helping get my materials. Five large canvases to be exact, five large canvases staring me down from around the huge, volumetric gallery space of NY Arts Beijing Gallery. Double intimidation.
Nonetheless, I found the proverbial detached door and placed it on the proverbial sawhorses, opened up my Sears toolbox full of art supplies, and got going. From there it was non-stop, no looking back, for me and my help who was bravely walking and “bussing” around in the Beijing heat and dust to find whatever supplies or tools I needed. The days were long and exhausting, and I was physically sore from the bending, leaning, stretching and crawling around these five “beasts” that I was having battle with. But I ended up beating them with this approach: if the parts and pieces used in the production didn’t fit the bill, I did not contemplate for hours about their placement, position or any other role in the artwork—they were gone! I would talk to the piece and say, “this is your only chance, if you give me any %@&$ whatsoever! Actually, I did a lot of talking to these pieces, and to myself, during our mutual mutations. But in the end, and I literally mean the end… where the people are showing up for the show; those five large paintings were being hung on the walls. I look back now and think of one particular painting that might not have been “100% finished.” Maybe there is one little part, still sitting in my toolbox, that didn’t even get a chance.
After all was said and done, I found myself staring out the window again. Another twelve or so hours to think about all the wonderful people, experiences, challenges, and accomplishments as we took the direct “Pan Pacific” route over lots and lots of water back to San Francisco. “United 88 heavy, cleared to land runway 28 right.” Full circle, right down to the rubber skid marks on the runway.
