Arts DEVO

Not too caliente to party Arts DEVO’s pale skin was not made to come in contact with the sun’s rays. What would have been minimal exposure for most mortals has turned into more than one trip to the hospital over the years of my life. (Like the time I thought I didn’t need sunscreen while snorkeling for an hour at the lake and two days later had to lie in a bathtub filled with ice to keep from going insane from pain.)

Poor me. Pass the SPF 500.

It’s too bad, too, because I really do love the hot weather. It reminds me of the long Redding summers of my childhood, riding my bike for days across town, or driving out to the rope swing at Whiskeytown Lake, sticking to the red vinyl in my uncle’s black Dodge Rambler.

I especially enjoy it when everyone is out in the heat together, and this past 90-plus Saturday, after a morning of yard-sale hopping, Mrs. DEVO and I braved the mid-afternoon brightness with a few hundred locals gathered at the old Matador Motel for the second annual Arts Fiesta. It was the perfect pre-summer shindig, browsing a big collection of local arts and crafts spread out across the grounds. Especially fun were the individual artist galleries that took up residence in the funky motel’s rooms (out of the path of the sun’s poison), many with intricately tiled showers that were as impressive as any art on display. Favorite stops included Pat Collentine and Susan Larsen’s room with its plants and critters laser-etched onto wood, and Sea Monster’s fantasyland of paintings, photos, tiny motel beds, and interactive typewriting and label-making.

Dispensing proper recognitions It is about time I printed kudos to some locals who are making things happen, both inside and outside the Chico bubble:

• Way to go, Vanessa Larsen, for representing Chico as one of the 100 amateur chefs on MasterChef, the Fox reality show where Gordon Ramsey runs contestants through various cooking challenges. See how she does during the season premiere: Monday, June 4, at 9 p.m.

• Big ups to tattoo artist Zac Black of Red Room Tattoo for selling his handmade tattoo machines all over the country. Check out his Z Machines at www.facebook.com/zmachines and contact the Z himself at zmachines13@live.com for info on ordering one of his badass designs for yourself.

• A hearty “Hell yes!” to local writer/performer/mortician Kyle Bowen for reading his work on National Public Radio during what have become regular appearances on the storytelling program Snap Judgment. Search “Kyle Bowen” at www.snapjudgment.org to hear his stories, like the one about the apprentice embalmer’s first time spending the night alone with a dead body. (And, hear him live at The Last Stand—May 25-26.)

• Congrats and good luck to some new/newish businesses being creative for Chico: “Metaphysical/New Age books” at 100th Monkey Bookstore (830 Broadway). Yoga and art (yog-art?) at the Rise Yoga Movement studio (1441-C Park Ave.)—visit www.facebook.com/riseyogamovement movement for yoga info. Used clothing boutique and local art at the new home of Boho, in the Garden Walk. (And that’s not to forget the already repped new thrift/consignment shop Funky Trunk at First and Mangrove avenues and the should’ve-been-more-repped-long-ago Cocoon resale boutique at 1431 Park Ave.)

• A huge “Yeah!” and heartfelt thank you to Shigemi Minetaka and CN&R colleague Christine LaPado for their soulful, keyboard-and-standup-bass, sundown, jazz duet in the City Plaza last Thursday—from the shadows of the barely lit plaza stage, providing the perfect transitional soundtrack from the winding-down Thursday Night Market to the encroaching downtown nightlife.