Comment: I got nowhere fast tonight. First up, Juice Design showing "Time to Play B Sides," new works by Philadelphia artist Thom Lessner who, judging from his art, embraces eighties music large. I'm there early; a few people mill about, none near the art. It's one of those shows where I'm on the fence-- should I engage the camera or let it go? The art's decent enough, certainly affordable; that's about it. I'll compromise, find the artist, and take a picture or two of him next to his art. I ask where he is; he's not there, he'll be back soon. Oh well.

Next up, RX Gallery for "Interlaced," paintings by Chinese artist Alan Caomin Xie made to look like fuzzy pictures on old TV's or early computer monitors. The artist achieves this effect by painting really skinny stripes, hundreds of them, over blurry painted backgrounds. There's maybe 15 people in the gallery, none near the art; not much in the way of atmosphere to catch on camera. The art's good enough, but pricey, so I'm on the fence here too. I'll compromise, find the artist, and take a picture or two of him next to his art. I ask where he is; he's not there, he's in China. Oh well.

So it's down Eddy and up Market to California Modern Gallery for their group show "Canvas & Steel." But the doors are locked and the show's over. It's 9:05 and the invitation says the show goes 'til 9:30. Lame.

By now you're probably wondering why I'm even writing this. Well, glad you asked. On the way to California Modern from RX, I luck into artist Paul Hayes working on an installation for Red Ink Studios at 989 Market, the show to open Saturday from 6-9. Hayes is transforming a large high-ceilinged vacant retail space with thousands of folded sheets of white paper attached to hundreds of lengths of black string-- about one sheet of paper per foot of string-- the string/paper chains then attached and hung from the ceiling. The result is a dreamy fantasy effect of perhaps floating in a snowstorm, flying among birds, or maybe even heavenly suspension. The environmental whiplash, fully immersive, flips me right out of reality and straight into artland. Dud-shrugging and perseverance pay off with this stroke of good fortune-- an installation well worth seeing. And everybody lived happily ever after.