Aesopica + bits

i'm in this show - "aesopica"- curated by the working proof at rare device .

all of us artists were given a choice of an aesop tale to illustrate. i chose the mischievous dog because i felt i could use tonka and garbo to depict it :)



the mischievous dog is given a big bell to wear by his owner. he thinks it's great until a dog at the market tells him he was given the bell because he's naughty. [garbo is saying "duh" to tonka - who would totally be excited by a big shiny bell around his neck!]

the original piece and $20 prints of it are available on rare device's site . part of the proceeds will benefit 826 valencia and 826 national [two great places] - more info on all of that is here

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i'm avoiding all the shopping insanity. i haven't even made a list of people/things i need to get for this year. i know i can't bow out of the gifty part of the season entirely, but i honestly want to keep it VERY simple this year. i just don't have the time or the energy to go nuts. i think our decorating will be low key too.

but i did just order some holiday postcards. last year i had to do new years cards as i couldn't pull them off in time, but this year - well - at least that will get done [hopefully i can get them in the mail]. i'm becoming one of those people that puts a picture of their kid on their holiday card. i LOVE when i get those cards from my friends, but i didn't think that i would end up doing it too... but i am.

i honestly don't know how all you moms out there keep up. with the cooking and the amazing decorating and the making of presents. maybe if i didn't have all these art deadlines and teaching to do i could manage, but i just don't see a way. unless i can clone myself or create a robot to help.

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speaking of holiday stuff, though.... MODify/d is participating in two holiday sales....



holiday land at the compound gallery

AND



we'll be at RENEGADE SF !! this year. with the lovely and talented Mati McDonough

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and random things....



betsy lohrer hall's work is amazing. i fell in love with stuff that isn't even on her website... she's in the drawing show upstairs from my where have all the trees gone show at angel's gate. the mini statement on her home page could be applied to me...

i watched WHIP-IT with the hubby last night. now, i don't think i have what it takes to be a roller derby girl [i'm a wimp in the pain tolerance department]. but i do love a good roller skate. when i was a pre-teen my dad would take me to a roller rink in the valley [surrounding LA] and i LOVED it. so yeah. the movie? it's cute and charming and i think the little needs to watch it when she's like 12. because ellen page is a good role model in it [i wish i was that clever with banter when i was 17].

have a good week. hope everyone that celebrated had a fantastic thanksgiving ! we did. my mom made turkey for the first time and it was totally pro. she's such a good cook.

where have all the trees gone? - a photo tour

hello there. so... here's my show. when i first conceived of the show i envisioned a whole room of doily trees - on the floor that you would have to walk through. i started researching a way to make thousand of doily trees, but even if i paid slave labor wages in china it wasn't really going to work. sigh.

so i started thinking about other ways to depict the beauty and horror of the deforestation. and this is what i came up with. i think i'll just let the pictures talk now.







in the background here is all my vinyl stickers that i weeded. i put them in a "tree ring" - starting with a vital healthy doily in the center - each ring is slightly lighter in color until we get to the brown ring... the death of the forest.



the other thing i came up with is these 2 "quilts" - my interpretation of the nasa images in felt. i made the small one first and then "graduated" to the larger version



this one is 86" tall.....



and then i made a series of paintings based on a black and white image of the tierras bajas deforestation. i basically just copied what i saw... and added a doily [or 2 or 3]



you can see all the images i took of the show here in this pictobrowser viewer/slideshow.... if you are in a reader you might have to click out to view this [you can visit the set of images on flickr esp. if you want to see their size info, etc.]

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

would love to know what you think
and if you get to see the show at angels gate . i'd love to know that too. it's up through january 8th... and then i think a new gallery in SF is going to show it in february..... or a version of it :)

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a quick note - tomorrow night i have a piece in the Aesopica show - curated by the working proof and at rare device . i'm going to try and stop by the opening, but the little is coughing and sick again - so i'm not sure... i'll show you the piece i made next week !!

where have all the trees gone?

hello sad neglected blog. hello sad neglected internets. you know when there are just too many things going on at one time? when you are just pulled to the limit in every extreme and feel like your right arm wants to go south, your left arm north, your right leg east and your left leg west? yeah. and your head - well it's just somewhere else entirely. that's been me.

intellectually i know that everyone has something going on behind the scenes of their life. the stuff that you don't let onto. the stuff that is just there, that you take care of, that piles up and washes in and out like the tide. but sometimes that stuff just takes over. and that's been me too.

in any case - i have spent the last few days in sunny southern california - land of the many burger joints, and bunting flags [they are EVERYWHERE] and as wendy pointed out the land of doughnut shops too. i've been furiously working on my show :: WHERE HAVE ALL THE TREES GONE

Tierras Bajas Deforestation, Bolivia

i saw this image [from nasa] of the deforestation of tierras bajas bolivia and it haunted me. simultaneously beautiful and sad it immediately reminded me of doilies [of course].

the whole show revolves around my interpretation of this image/theme.



there is felt, there are doilies, there is a giant wall piece of vinyl doily stickers, there are ghost doily trees, some black and white paintings with 3D elements, and a topiary doily corner.... all of which i will show you very soon.

tonight i leave you with sneak peeks... and info on the show.



where have all the trees gone
at
ANGELS GATE CULTURAL CENTER
3601 South Gaffey Street, San Pedro, California 90731
Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 10 am - 5 pm

there is an opening tomorrow - Sunday the 7th - from 2-4pm - and i, the little and my folks will be there. if anyone is around it would be great to see you !

there's also a FANTASTIC drawing show upstairs in the main gallery.
this is marshall astor's last curatoral gig with the center - and i've had a wonderful time working with him. thanks marshall!

the show is up through january 8th, 2011 [so there's lots of time to check it out if you are in LA or headed to LA or???]



pics of the whole show will be available soon. i'll post some here and they'll end up in the flickr set too.