L I S A ' S - M U S I N G S

a party + an opening in monterey

2012-01-24T21:30:00.000-08:00

i sent out email invitations to the little's party - for some reason i wanted to do something with little flags. and it had to have orange since that is her favorite color [and has been for quite sometime]. this year there were actually KIDS at her party 3 from her daycare and 2 slightly younger friend's kids. it was really fun to see how she interacts with her friends since i don't usually get to see that.

needless to say there was lots of running - and screaming - and fake bath taking in the bathroom as well as some insane jumping together in a crib and on a bed [i joked with one parent that it was grandma and grandpa's house. rules don't count and everything is fine unless we hear a big thunk].

so we needed favors this year! and i was lucky enough to find the "hello" flag stamp at michael's in the bargin bin - along with playdoh and a bunch of pretty cool robot gear [is it bad that i'm pushing my personal likes on my child? i guess we'll know soon enough]. the little bags and yummy gummy candy came from daiso. gosh that place is super dangerous. i'm glad the one near me is smaller unlike the one near school which is huge.

the cake came from virginia bakery - it was strawberry shortcake [chiffon] with REAL whip cream frosting and i swear was one of the best kid's birthday cakes i've ever had. not too sweet - light fluffy - go ba-chan and papa !! [my folks ordered it]. if you are local and need a cake i can definitely say you don't need to look further.

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if you have nothing to do this friday evening [jan 27th] and you live in the south-ish bay i have 2 new really large scale drawings and a new embroidery grouping [pictured above] that will be on view in a show called transcendental vision [the click will take you to the announcement].

the show is at a place called THE INDEPENDENT in Sand City [near Monterey]
600 ortiz ave, sand city, 93955
the opening is from 5-8pm.
the show is up through february 26th [in case you are headed to the aquarium between now and then]
more info on the show including the line up of artsts is here

the embroideries are a family tree of sorts. me and my immediate family portrayed by a stitch and colorway that i feel is reflective of the person and represents their birth or death date as the case may be.

also on view will be 2 large flu drawings. above is the spanish flu - as viewed through a microscope, but rendered by me using doilies... beutify-ing the ugly/scary [yet again].

they are both 47" x 47" so on the big side for me... which i really like. it's good to stretch your arm out when you draw sometimes.....

below is the dreaded h1n1 virus. i'm always struck by how pretty things can look when they are just blobs and shapes. i remember spending a long time looking through microscopes in junior high science class. fascinating.

and classes started this week. needless to say i'm all prepped to jump on the california public education really needs to be restructured and refunded bandwagon. i feel so deeply for students who are paying more for way less and for all the ones i had to turn away from my class. ugh. but now the work can begin..... till next time. if i get to see you on friday i'll be very excited to see you. [and sort of weirded out - first night away from the little by MYSELF and really away. like i can't immediately rush to her if i absolutely need to].

t h r e e + materiality

2012-01-15T13:54:00.000-08:00

i remember, clearly, when i was young and adults would come up and exclaim loudly: how did you get to be so big ?!? [or some other turn of that phrase]. there was often the proclaimed: the last time i saw you, you were only THIS high [with the necessary hand indication of height]. i would stare at them with the ticker tape in my head saying. what do you mean? i'm not very big yet. i want to get bigger faster! and why is my getting big such a big deal for you? [or some other turns of those phrases].

i was raised to be polite so usually i would just stare into said adults eyes and say. i dunno. or simply smile, or look away shyly if i didn't know them too well.

but now. now that i have my own child and she just turned THREE.... well. i'm firmly planted in those adult shoes of wonder at the speed of time. and i did indeed say to her - i remember when your whole body fit in the crook of my forearm - tiny baby that you were. [and then i sort of gasped in horor at myself for doing what i had hoped i would never do - THAT adult nostalgic size reference].

so time - indeed it does it's marching thing - fast and all - leaving in its wake a sea of memories and amazements, some regrets, but mostly a blur of just day to day stuff. stuff that you can't possibly fathom upon recollection. and as i've gotten older i've attempted to wrestle with it, i've begged it for mercy, i've cajoled and yet conclude that ultimately we are powerless. you always hear how children change your sense of time -- and yes - that is one of those cliche things that is just too true - what new perspective could i possibly have to offer? i don't.

so we mark the occasion. with small vanilla strawberry cakes [her request]. a happy birthday banner. and presents. and balloons [also her request]. and a party for friends and family next weekend. and we'll see if anyone says - how did you get to be so big? my little one is less shy than me - so i envision a very very funny answer coming out of her mouth at some point in time. she told her father the other day - dada i'm not BIG enough to do that yet... i fear that she will be sooner than we all think.

i have had a lot of people come through the studio lately. this is nerve wracking as it's always hard to show work in progress w/out feeling a bit awkward. i often hear myself saying - ignore the tape - these aren't finished yet - i'm still figuring out where and how many and if these are done. personally i love seeing work in progress in other people's spaces so that may be why i'm game to share before things are finalized. part of this is just curious folks. [and also my need for some input from other makers to help work through things]. part of this is that my solo show in april is quickly approaching.... shows always mean more visits. more explaining. more more more.

one of the things that keeps coming up is my use of materials. how i combine paper, pins, all manners of embroidery [hand and machine], felt, ink/acrylic, pencil, colored pencil, etc. etc. sydney remarked she was amazed that i could just USE all of them. and that it seemed so natural. she said there was no way she could get away with incorporating so many materials in her work. this made me pause for a moment. how does one acquire their visual vocabulary? what does material choice mean in a work? in contemporary art you can't pretend that your material choices don't have implications. and for a long long time i really thought about what the ramifications of thread/embroidery were. what it meant to use pins and other domestic accoutrements. when you use oil paint in essence you are conversing with THE HISTORY OF PAINTING. even if that isn't your intention that is what is happening. your choice of material can alter the meaning of a work in both subtle and incredibly powerful ways.

then a student came over and she said that she often felt frozen in regards to materials. that one of her professors [not me] had been grilling her so intensely on them that she felt that a mistake or wrong choice in that arena could have devastating ramifications in her work. she said that she noticed a freedom in my use of materials. it was interesting to me to hear this from 2 completely different people/perspectives and it made me think. while i agree that materiality is a choice and has meaning [intended or not] - i told her that i think in some ways it was just that i have been using these materials for so long. that for me it was no longer about if they were "different", or "trendy" [because embroidery is certainly trendy at the moment], but that they were what i knew. i know what they implicate. i like what they do. ultimately how they work and function and look and feel to me is comforting but in no way stale. and while work always has a conceptual component to it - the process of making it has to also be reflective of the maker. and these are my tools.

i liked that. the idea that anything, ANY material, is in the end a tool. something to be used. and how familiarity breeds comfort and then new discoveries to what said tool could do. and i thought about how we don't usually ask why someone uses a pencil. but why do you use thread [or any "crafty" material] is still a common question. i always say my work is rooted in drawing. i can simplify it even more now : for me thread has become a pencil.

phew. that was a lot of typing. if you are still with me... i wrote a post on poppytalk about tara donovan.

till next time....

i still make things !!!

2012-01-07T20:25:00.001-08:00

really ! i do ! sometimes i feel really secretive. like i can't share what i'm making or thinking about because if i do i might just ruin the magic of it. that indescribable space/thing that happens in the studio. and then other times it feels so necessary to share something. wrapped up in that whole idea that art isn't really complete until there is a viewer to interact with it.

the above piece i couldn't post as it was a special holiday time commission. boyfriend to his girlfriend who i guess spoke about my work to him. how sweet and thoughtful is that? to take note - and then to try and get her a "lisa solomon original" - because she had a print. sigh. could my eyes get a little more watery?

he really responded to the redwork pieces i did for nahcotta gallery awhile back [who currently has an amazing jen judd-mcgee show, so made him a smaller sit with you [which by the way is supposed to be me and the little sitting together ]. the white wisteria in the background is taken from my mom's family crest.

i also made this silly crochet donut pillow from the crochet star japanese craft book. it'd be really fun to make a little family of these.... they are also perfect size for toys or little heads. [cool photo filter via pixlr - via lilie melo]

i'm sort of obsessed with little trees. besides making my own versions i've always been totally in love with vintage bottle brush holiday trees. especially the white slightly glittered ones.

i spied some extra ones at michaels and with holiday sales + coupons i bought them. to make my own versions.

first you soak them in bleach for a few hours. you'll see when all the green is out of them.....

then you dip them in glue. i tried to make some areas clumpy and some not so that the glitter would be varied.

i used martha stewart yellow gold glitter to enhance that champagne-y vintage feel.

i didn't glitterize all of them... i like the mix. they are hanging out in the studio with me. i envision a super way more minimal holiday mantel next year. wonder if i can pull it off.....

happy 2012. any big resolutions? none here. except maybe a real desire - i mean need - to do some yoga again. my arms and neck and hips are a bit upset with me lately. i'm getting old. seriously sometimes i have the hardest time putting my socks on in the morning. if it's first thing and it's cold... i can barely bend over to get it done. so sad. so so so sad.

2012 i can almost taste it

2011-12-30T21:17:00.000-08:00

oh it's the end of the year. that time when thoughts and memories and people and places and things from the entire year swirl around in a strange nostalgic brew. small moments poke their heads up, screaming for attention while big things take second fiddle, and in then turn to push their weight around. the joys, the struggles, the entire blur pushing against a membrane stretched taught - hoping to break free - to frolic around as they were in their glorious minutes of actuality. more likely they are destined for refiling and reprocessing and perhaps colorization [slightly off]. ghosts from years past descend too - reminding you how young you once were, how life is so different and yet eerily the same, how they are so missed, and how really. really. you have to try. more than try. shoot for - reach - stretch to pay attention. for just being present. because you will miss it. it will happen when you blink. and you can't recall what you simply just missed.

and what captures that nostalgia for me - holds it, and mirrors it, and reflects it back to me instantly [pun intended] are polaroids. these are from the italy trip earlier this year. definitely one of those things that made a mark on 2011. a permanent mark on me in many ways.

here's all of them - if you are inclined to view them: [and thank you the impossible project for the new film to try]:

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

did you have a good holiday? my grading is DONE. my studio visit for my upcoming spring show - DONE [and work was genuinely liked i think. phew and horrah!]. i can actually ring in the new year without those albatrosses around my neck. i thought i'd share 2 of my favorite gifts this season:

i would be so content if i could make art that just did this. if my art looked like this. these pins make me happy in a way i can't even describe. the colors are perfect. the shapes. everything about them. i would think about making art with them except for that i think they are perfect the way they are.

i also got the agnes martin documentary with my back to the world. if you've been around these parts for awhile you know i mention her now and again. i've been wanting to watch this so much. and now i have a copy !!! my students will most likely be watching this as well. wink.

and so...to this audience of mine... for new readers. old readers. those that comment faithfully. those who no longer do that, but are still here.... to those that have faded away but are really still here in spirit or are forever entombed in comments past... i am grateful. as i get older i'm realizing that it's not necessarily about how much or how long or if things stay the same, but more about what was said, felt, meant, and indeed happened - especially what made me think, change course, and especially made me feel connected to a greater world. i'll take that whenever i can get it. thank you.

may 2012 be all that you hope for [with a few surprises thrown in for good measure]. happy new year.

600

2011-12-18T21:16:00.000-08:00

hey there. did you think i had disappeared? into the rabbit hole that is the end of the year. a multi-faceted mess that consists of intense grading, getting ready for all the crafty fair stuff that i mentioned below, trying to keep on top of deadlines and preparing for my next solo show [in spring !! soon !!], and holiday preparations. [which truth be told is much more fun with the little around].

i was also hoping to have some grand thing to mark my 600th [!!] post. but forget it. let's just talk about stuff i like OK?

above is my new favorite way to make my morning coffee. it's the bialatti muka stovetop cappuccino maker. way easier than a big machine... or a hand held frother - it's the best thing to happen to my morning since i started drinking coffee again. seriously. one big mug latte and i'm a much happier camper. and then if i'm feeling really indulgent i can make a decaf one in the later afternoon. heaven.

it's december on habit. which means any of us that were involved during the year get to post to our hearts content. i could go on and on about what a brilliant idea and how emily and molly are certified geniuses [and amazing photographers to boot]. let's just say it's a beautiful website. and magic seems to happen there in the way all these women post snippets of their day.

do i need to say anything? pantone colored pencils? for real? i went to the art store to get every kind of grid paper i possibly could. [something cooking in the studio] of course i had to get whiteline's perspective paper and their triangle grid, but i still can not quite explain how happy i am to just see the pantone pencils on my desk. and they are actually really nice to draw with. soft, but not too slippery. smooth. you know when you go to the art store for one thing and end up leaving with 20 things. that was me. art supplies are like crack. and i can really really easily justify almost anything in an art store.

so i know there are some stationery fanatics out there. [maybe even as crazy as me? was it sally and tracy, christine and i that had a conversation about potential favorite .25mm pens? ] and i remember when i fell in love with my pilot hi-tec c's.

well - if you know and love office supplies. and you know and love japanese office supplies in particular then you already know about jet pens. which is where i go when i need hi-tecs [pictured above] - or new mechanical pencils - or various leads for said pencils because they actually carry different hardness refills.... and i always drool over their pencil cases....

so how excited was i when they offered to send me a sample pack of goodies ... just because? yeah. the mini envelope template is GREAT ! the index camera stickers are almost too cute to use. the kitty clips? SHUT UP. and the pens... the white and gold [have i mentioned that gold has been growing on me lately?]. happy early holidays to me. they have a twitter feed and facebook page to keep track of their special offers [they basically post the same stuff so you can just pick one]

so yeah. hopefully back to semi-regular posting about here. maybe. but i know better than to promise.

fyi - some places to see crafty stuff - and not just mine

2011-11-30T21:10:00.001-08:00

hey there.

first i just want to thank you for your thoughtful responses to my last post - reading people's heartfelt ideas on their own "useless" degrees made me grin from ear to ear. and thanks to those of you who also took the time to email me privately. to me this is the magic of the internet - the ability to throw something out there - to a likeminded community and to see what sticks - to hear other's thoughts. it's so valuable to me. thank you.

many of you know that i have a little side business with a pal... MODify/d. we upcycle. and we are lucky enough to get to play with cashmere. some of the softest stuff on earth.

excitingly enough we were featured in sunset magazine's gift guide !

those are our pink and purple elephants [thanks to rare device for suggesting us to sunset!]

besides my normal pile of end of semester gradings we've been stuffing elephants and other goodies for several local fairs and venders:

1. you can find us at holidayland [who was featured on local TV promoting plaid friday. you can see the eles in the background of the last shot]

2. we are at rare device - duh

3. we are at park and pond also in SF.

4. this weekend - Dec. 3-4 we'll be at Bazaar Bizarre at the concorse in SF. [i'll be there opening on saturday and from about 3 till closing on sunday]

5. and Dec. 17-18 we'll be at Renegade - also at the concorse [i'll be there saturday from opening till about 3]

anyway - i love these all the above because there is SO MUCH good stuff to look at - and you get to support small... yay.

over and out for now. more soon.

the "value" of art and art education

2011-11-21T15:24:00.001-08:00

sorry i haven't been posting much. this is partially because i've been sick, and partially because i have this concept that has taken over my mind and it's been hard for me to concentrate on blog posts about things i'm doing/making. i hope you'll bear with me here.

i've been trying to write a post on these thoughts for quite some time and it's not developing into anything concrete. i want to enlist the help of YOU. any of you - and of eireann in particular. because i know she'll have some particular ideas that will be backed by an incredibly rich academic and thoughtful way of working/living.

here's the background:

i have my professional practice students read a piece by dave hickey from air guitar called frivolity and unction . you can read it yourself if you are so inclined - but the gist of it is that we as a society are over concerned with the "goodness" of art. that we place too much weight, and believe too earnestly that art is "good" for us. that if we look/interact/are involved with art that it makes us "better" people/societies.

instead of believing that art is for our greater good [meaning if you go to a museum and look at a painting you are automatically a "richer" human being], if we simply dropped that idea entirely artists could make art that was fun, interesting, engaging, heartfelt, out there, invested and earnest or even dumb and stupid and risky. thus, almost by default art would be less elitist, less concerned with itself and "better" for it. meaning that in the end it would indeed be "good", but mostly because it stopped worrying about if it was something so inherently important and significant.

this article usually insights two very emotional responses. one of YES - indeed [and my isn't hickey verbose and a skilled writer - he is after all a macarthur genius] or NO - i'm confused - art should be moving and important.... but i think the crux of it is this: not all art needs to be moving and important - and is it really BAD if we just like something because we do? and isn't that moving enough? i told my students i can sometimes spend my WHOLE DAY looking for one moment of mundane beauty - be it in an arrangement of chairs, or a cloud formation and when i spot it - that makes me a happy girl. the best art can capture that moment - and it's not a big political moving moment. it's one that makes my heart flutter, or my brain pause. not to mention the convergence of "high" and "low" art.... street art now lives in the same big art box with abstract expressionism - and i think we're better for that.

background part 2:

everywhere i turn these days i'm hearing about the "value" of education. the occupy movement has certainly brought this to the forefront, but i hear it from my students too. leaving college with a degree that doesn't set you up for immediate employment and yet simultaneously having a HUGE amount of debt to pay off is something that has become the norm in our society. i heard a talk of the nation where this was discussed. and how students are picking majors and career paths that earn the most money because they have to. so if you are a doctor you might choose plastic surgery over family practice because you have $100K worth of debt to pay off. sure there is a practicality to this, but i find this sad. and potentially dangerous.

and then i watched a real time with bill mahrer where he said something along the lines of: 89,000 students graduate with visual arts degrees which he called useless. OH REALLY? useless? granted not all 89,000 of those students will be amazing artists, but will all students graduating with medical degrees make great doctors? NO. chris matthews said that when churchill was approached by the budget guy about cutting the arts to fight the nazis he told him 'what are we fighting for'.

SO - how do we make this argument - that it isn't useless. i mean really make it. so that it's indisputable?

here are things i've been thinking about in terms of this:

1. i think in some ways it's important to acknowledge that in many ways art is a luxury. i mean this in a general sense - that it isn't like food or water or shelter. but i think that it's also important to point out that professional sports are a luxury and we as a society have no problem justifying their existence. and for many individuals art is more than just a degree - it's a way of living life.

2. not all 89,000 students will use their art degrees to make art. some will work for software companies, some will make pizza.

3. why is it that particularly in economic downturns many humanity degrees are deemed useless: history, english, philosophy... but ART gets labeled faster and harder. in some ways i think it's because people still generally have an idea of what you do as an english major, but the general public thinks that in art classes you can sit around holding hands and doing really FUN stuff... which leads me to

4. i've been told MANY times that my classes are the hardest classes that a student has ever taken [especially by non-art majors]. this is because i don't ever give you a concrete means to an end. i set up parameters. i offer some technical terms/advice/suggestions but in the end you are solely responsible for your creation. when asked should i use X,Y, Z material i shrug and say what do you think? when asked what color to choose i might counter with what effect do you want this piece to have? sure there are lazy art teachers who offer up quick assignments and easy A's - but i counter that there are easy teachers in any subject, no? if i do my job right then you leave my class a better PROBLEM SOLVER - which really in the larger scheme of things is a wonderful skill - not one that is readily taught in other subjects [at least not in the same way. science offers this too, but with more of a method i think].

5. this PROBLEM SOLVING doesn't have to be used to make art. it can be used to launch a multitude of other careers. someone told me that steve jobs said the class that taught him the most and prepared him for his life was a calligraphy course. [i think the fact that many fortune 500 companies now have a MFA on staff is proof of this.]

6. a student suggested that this type of skill - isn't immediate gratification - so that the long term effects of a visual arts degree aren't quantifiable the same way other degrees are. true. it's unclear how your hand coordination skills [using an xacto knife well is definitely a skill] or your creative way of thinking and looking at the world can impact your career path.

7. how often do you walk into a house/office/public place and see NOTHING on the walls. no art. no anything. i'd say rarely. someone is making that stuff. we [as humans] have wanted art to look at since the dawn of time. and art has influenced so many aspects of our culture. who designed your coffee cup. someone. advertising hasn't been the same since pop art.

8. are we done philosophically? i mean really - we quote and refer to socrates, jesus, buddha, leonardo da vinci ETC. ETC. all the time. they are a part of our cultural fabric. do we no longer need people to simply think on and reflect on our human existence? because it is in the "useless" degree areas that this stuff comes from. art is a mirror of society - wrapped up in the idea that the personal is indeed political - are we so beyond the importance of an individual that we only need support students/humans that function in a highly "useful"area of society? and isn't the crux of a liberal arts education to show you the potential and value of knowing a bit about A LOT of things? doesn't that make us more interesting and "valuable" people?

9. being an artist is HARD in our society. it's not easy to land a creative job. you have to work longer and harder and be more invested. here's what i know about working artists: a). we never stop working. really. if we aren't making art we're thinking about it. it's not 9-5 where we are just done at the end of the work day b). we actually do MANY jobs at once because there is usually a day job, your art job, the admin stuff that goes with making art, the promoting of your work, if you have a family or pets there's that too. and i'm not complaining about any of this. we choose our life. i'm grateful for my crazy life, and in essence my "useless" degree is what started to prepare me for this. [although in reality life after school is so much more complicated than can be taught].

10. i don't want to live in a society where aesthetics are completely unimportant. i realize not everyone cares about how everything looks. i also realize sometimes it's not practical at all - dealing with being sick vs. having a nice looking TV-- but still. i do care. and i want people making things that care. and i want options and choices in the color/design of the objects that surround me and that all comes from an artistic place.

AND so... help me. how do we talk about this - or write an op ed - or even just configure a means to present this issue in an airplane conversation. because i really feel that now more than ever i need a way to frame this - to talk about it. i want concrete tangible means to arm my students so that when they encounter this attitude they have a response. a thoughtful, serious, legitimate response.

what has your useless degree done for you? where do you find the necessity for art in your life?

i used mine to make this chevron striped cross stitch iphone case ;)

happy thanksgiving to anyone in the states..... and if you read all of the above and are still here... i made a holiday gift guide on poppytalk... check it out.

for the love of books

2011-11-10T14:42:00.001-08:00

my latest stack of art related books.top two courtesy of wenders

from here to there
if you love maps [and what's not to love] then this book is definitely for you. i've been really thinking hard about migration. have started a couple of drawings. mapping and migration are definitely related, so i'm pouring over all these versions of maps for inspiration.

lists
as a maker of all kinds of lists [even a BOOK of my own lists for goodness sakes].i am really loving this book. as much as handwriting can be challenging to read [and i speak for myself here. sorry students who try to read my comments] there is something just wonderful about seeing other people's hand.what makes it on their lists. why. and the ones that show the cost of things are particularly intriguing....

visual complexity
i spied this book at sydney's and knew i wanted it. again with the mapping and ways and means to collected and more importantly display data. luckily i was able to use some credit card redeem points for this one - so it was pocketbook free purchasing [ok that's not true as i had to spend money to get the points to get it, but oh you know what i'm saying]. kathryn recently posted this book too i think
[i knew i liked her].

isbn978-4-579-11298-2

i spied this on sally's blog . she made herself a dress. and the madeline coat making experience brought back my desire to make clothing. if only i had a multitude of free time - but really i DO want to sew some clothes.

especially these shirts. and because yes asia will give you free shipping if you spend $49 i also got

isbn978-4-579-11368-2

1.because it's geting cold and i like having something to do at the end of the day when i'm too tired to do anything else. [no i do not really ever just SIT STILL. not my nature]. 2. because i CAN'T knit and i really want to make some slippers and mittens... and these are crochet ! [yay for me!]

and.... i'm in a book !my work went off to korea for the cheongju international craft biennale. and gosh they made a nice nice catalogue.

and it's an amazing amazing array of artists in this show. people i never thought i'd be in a book with.

annet couwenberg andyayoi kusama

damien hirst andyinka shonibarembe

books. gotta love them.

by the way i'm sort of astounded that it's already the 2nd week of november. where in the world are the days going?? it's going to be a mad dash run to the end of 2011.

pardee + do not disturb + halloween

2011-10-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

my parents sent me and 3 friends [one, two, three] to the pardee house for a belated birthday tour and tea.

if you are local [or planning to visit], like victorian houses, cabinets of curiosities and strange collections then you should definitely go. the docents and tea-makers are all volunteers - they go ALL out . the tea was really amazing [see image 10 below for JUST the sweets - they even made me a birthday cake with chocolate leaves]. it's $5 for a tour [they have scheduled ones on wednesdays and saturdays, but you can schedule one for a group almost anytime]. a light tea + tour is $15 and a high tea + tour is $25.

the house is frozen in time as the pardee family lived there from generation to generation from the day it was built until the 1980's. they have left almost everything untouched - it can be a bit creepy [like seeing the calendar page of when they died] but also rather cool.

here's a slideshow of some of my photos [you may have to click out of a reader to view this]:

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

sometimes i do really like a task. husband wanted a do not disturb sign for his office door. he works at an animal hospital. sleeping dogs it is ! i used a free font - santo domingo - for the text.

so - costume is done for halloween !
in an old house in paris that was covered in vines
lived 12 little girls in 2 straight lines
in 2 straight lines they broke their bread
and brushed their teeth
and went to bed
the left the house at half past nine
in 2 straight lines
in rain or shine
the smallest one was madeline

the little decided this is who she wanted to be for halloween [from only a question if that's who she might want to me]
we have little black shoes too [which she loves wearing and is calling her madeline shoes]
i wanted to do the all yellow madeline because my favorite pages of the books are the ones in all yellow black and white.

i pulled the pattern from a coat of hers, and just altered it a bit - which having never pulled a pattern before i think i did OK !
here's where i was cutting it out.
felt like i was going back to my costume design roots as an undergrad.

can't wait to go trick-or-treating with her... even if she only wears the hat for 2 seconds.

morran love + silly drawings

2011-10-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

i made a tote for camilla . i had to send her something back and so i thought she should get a little gift too. and inspired by the fact that she's making a book of morran, for which i am part of the jury, i thought i should do something with her likeness.

morran is a superstar dog. in fact so much so that an envelope i sent camilla one christmas went missing

we think it's because morran was on the envelope ;)

anyway - i can't wait to see what people come up with for the morran book. keep an eye out on the blog

lately i feel like there is just something in the air. i keep having these crazy ideas. things i want to do and try out. with out the time to do any of it. the big creative tease.

i was stuck in traffic and 3 ideas hit. i had to grab a scrap of paper and scribble notes on it. of course these ideas may seem moronic upon second thought .... but in the heat of the moment i think ooooohhhhh

it got me thinking about how i'm tying to develop a new body of work for a show and how in the beginning the idea is SO BIG. and then i have to work through all the research and then i have to sketch. and then invariably i have to fail, and then re-configure.

and how sometimes i want to just go back to do what i already know how to do. the familiar. which sometimes is new again after a break, or has a new twist on it in my head, but that's not what i'm talking about. i'm talking about the ease of just doing what comes natural and "easy". and how that really isn't the point, is it? that the fear is really essential in a weird way. but my accident/play/figure it out time is running out. and i'm getting really nervous about if i can pull a new body of work off.... especially with a wall/installational element. and then these new ideas tease me with their potential and possibility, and i wonder if i should just run with one of them. or if they should be the NEXT thing. [and in what order?]

above is just me playing. i donated a drawing for the kearny street workshop's one size fits all sale - because i love them and what they do.

i've always loved architectural templates. and the bathroom ones really crack me up. you can get this drawing:

here. it's using a garden template.

back to my second guessing.... [and grading].

around town

2011-10-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

a few weeks ago tracy [of shutterbean fame] met up with our kiddos at fairyland

it is seriously a throw back. and i'm really glad it's still around.

the first time i went i wished i had brought the polaroid camera. this time i did, but it's still hard to shoot them when there's a little one running around yelling "come mama come mama !! "

i got 3 though. [and i think we rode the train 4 times? maybe five. tracy's kid and my little were stuck on it for sure !]

we also went to the merry-go-round in tilden park with auntie connie

it's really a beautiful merry-go-round - the little is part terrified part fascinated. can't blame her really. and man is it just me or have they shortened the ride time on these things?

my favorite shot. the ceiling in there is this amazing teal-ish blue.

i posted on poppytalk - yuken teruya....

it's midterms in school-land. feeling it. i'm missing my studio in the darndest way. for some reason i'm having this flurry of ideas and projects i want to do. and am a bit bitter about my lack of time to even try them out. i want to make a little book for the little, i had this crazy daily practice art idea i want to explore... and i have a show to plan. oy. but i am working on a very important halloween costume.

if i can pull it off - well- i'll do a little dance in my muno shoes. promise.

oh hello

2011-10-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

right. hi.
it's been awhile. um.
just busy over here.

sent off a big email today with a HUGE project.... it's getting there.... i'll talk about it for reals soon [i did let a hint of it slip out the other day].

i'm a year older. [flowers from hubby]

with some really nice folks remembering my birthday. whimsy & spice cookies from paper monkey press .

pretty gosh darn amazing cookies. really. not too sweet. amazingly packaged. super rich brownies. yum. i really want to try their marshmallows .

and um gorgeous website and photos? yes. indeed.

and a great sushi/sukiyaki dinner at my parents.

it's hard to imagine now [it's raining and really cold as i type this] - but last week we actually had our indian summer. shorter than usual, but lovely.and the little and i caught up with skylite snowballs

i'd been stalking them all summer. trying to find them. not. hoping they'd be out during the day when i could take the little [lots of evening appearances. doesn't work when she's in bed by 7pm]

they make their own syrups.

the little wanted grape. she insisted i have lemon. but if you get a classic you can have 2 flavors so i also sampled watermelon lime.

and adorable truck. of course. i mean i know there is a food cart craze and all, but really when someone does it right - it should be acknowledged.

yum.

i have plans. and things and news of all kinds to share.... i just don't feel like i can yet. these chickens are not quite ready to hatch. in the meantime i'll return to my stack of grading.

more on making it lovely

2011-09-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

it's funny how once an idea gets planted in your mind you start to see it everywhere. been noticing how indeed i sometimes try to make things lovely.

we don't have a doorbell. the house didn't come with one. for awhile we had a wireless one, but that broke too and honestly i kind of like NOT having one. i made a sign which asked people to knock and leave packages when they could if we didn't answer. but it was paper and starting to fade. and i wanted to make something nicer for a long time. finally it hit me - why not put my vinyl plotter to good use and i made the above sign.

ahhh. much better.

when i think about where i learned to make things lovely i have to think about my grandma shirley [pic of her here posts with her here]. she always joked that she had expensive taste. i think for me it was just important to see someone who really saw the value in aesthetics. who asked questions about why things looked they way they did - and who could simply discuss what she liked about something and it's form, color, etc. she would always ask me about what i was making and was fascinated by the "why" behind the work. i remember we lunched once with richard serra drawings and she asked me why the circle was so important - and why people were interested in his interpretation of it versus others. and she told me vividly about her experience with jackson pollock and how she didn't like them at first, but a friend insisted she sit with them and they grew on her...

anyway - she was also instrumental in placing value on my own personal aesthetics. while she never really liked all the crazy things i did with my hair [the streaks, the various dye jobs] she always always told me i should do what i wanted and more importantly what made me feel good. she would encourage splurging on haircuts [she went to the beauty salon to get perfectly coiffed], and anything else that made me feel good.

starting in the 6th grade she took me shopping for clothes. it started as a once a year tradition and grew into an almost every time i visited her routine. the last i don't know how many umpteen years we decided anthropologie was always the way to go - one stop ease [with a great place for lunch across the street]. i adored going through their sale racks, but she would always insist on full price for an item or two. insisting that i looked smashing in it and i should get it - practicality be damned. if it looked good AND it was practical there was no question.

i think almost every day i wear "real clothes" [when i'm not in the studio or on mom duty] i can attribute something on me to one of our excursions. the last time we went she could barely walk. i told her we didn't need to go, but she insisted. we found her a comfy chair in the fitting rooms and i ran around the store and then tried things on and modeled for her. she told me that she didn't think that i would do this for myself once she was gone, but that she hoped i would. and she told me she was leaving me an envelope of cash that i was to take and get new clothes with once the little was born.

when i got the envelope i couldn't do it. spend all the money at once. so i've doled it out to myself little by little. when i got my 15% off birthday card from anthropologie i decided to take an hour and go and find something. without my grandma i never buy things full price. just can't bring myself to do it. except for this time. i spied a dress [top of the picture - creme with green and brown birds] and tried it on and i heard her in my head. you should get it. me: but i don't need it. her: but it really suits you. me: really i don't need it. her: but it's practical. it's not too fancy - it's comfortable - it LOOKS LIKE YOU. it's so cute. we are getting it.

so grandma. i listened. i did something lovely.

i have no idea what i'll do when i spend the last dollar of my stash. maybe i won't ever do it.

finally i played in the studio. i needed to. i need to develop a body of work for a show next year, but first i need to get warmed up. out of practice. time to just make a bit. without a structure - or theme - or whatever. free fall and form where mistakes are ok. where i can slop some materials around and try to make things lovely.

i have a bunch of architectural templates for drafting. so nice to repeat these slightly familiar shapes in the wrong context.

this one is for kearny street workshop's one size fits all fund raiser. i started a few more....
they are lovely objects in and of themselves. i love repeating the shapes and forms.

long post. longer than intended. till next time
[and i was so happy that so many of you enjoyed sydney's work too]

making it ______ [fill in the blank]

2011-09-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

sydney cohen and i met years ago - taught together one summer at CCA in their youth studio program. she is one of those special people that is super generous - and dedicated to her practice - and FUNNY. i value this to no end. as what happens in life we sort of drifted apart and i hadn't spoken to her in eons.since she and i are teaching the same course at this fall - just different sections - we've been chatting a bit about how to develop the course - and she's been helping me make sure i don't make a complete ass out of myself - showing me the ropes [being my buddy at meetings, making sure i have combos for locks and know where stuff is].

we had breakfast a couple of weeks ago to compare notes -- oohing and ahhing over one another's book choices.... and she said something that really struck me. i was saying that i didn't think there was an over-arcing theme to my syllabus... but she disagreed. she said that she thought i was making them look for color and lovliness in their everyday. and then she said - you know - you are just one of those make it lovely people. you make everything lovely - your house, your clothes, your food, your art.... i don't know if i completely agree since i don't always feel like i have the time to make everything as lovely as i would want to - but i was flattered.

[caption: don't you looooovvvveee the sides of her work?]and so i asked - well what "club" are you in? she immediately responded - make it messy. i started thinking - what about this art "club" idea. what club would you fit in? [more than one is OK]. and of course we need T-shirts.

last week we had a breakfast

where she made some LOVELY food. and we chatted a bit about how our classes were going. and then she let me up into her studio. oh how i miss painting the way that she paints. layered. messy [but ultimately also controlled]. that whole build up of a surface with paint where sometimes you don't know where you are going and then you end up there. my work doesn't cater to that really. i'm much more planned and methodical. but i love PROCESS. i really do and sydney's studio/work screams that.

rooted in ideas of architecture [building your own world], and patterning, and colors and how they work with one another. and making space. of course, though, i have to throw in that there is a completely feminine [in the best way] aspect to these. it's like they are pieced together like a quilt. aside : we also chatted about embracing or rejecting the feminine aspects of our work and how there is still this strange stigma with the idea.

it's so exciting to see SO MUCH in progress. haphazard. strewn about. in the MIDST of being made.

if i could have i would have slipped the above blue smile painting under my shirt. so good. of course i'm a the hugest fan of negative space - and that color turquoise is pretty perfect. one of the BEST things, though, about our visit [besides leaving totally inspired] was at some point we were joking about the make it _____ clubs - and somehow we were joking that i also like to f*#k sh^t up. so now my t-shirt will say - making it lovely on the front and f*#king sh^t up on the back. HA ! and that in essence is what i adore about her. too funny.

ok sydney. you just need a real website so that everyone can check out your work....

only semi impossible

2011-09-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

my color theory class started last week. starts at 8am. ends at 11am - i then drive myself to SF state for class no. 2 which starts at 1 and ends at 4. then i spend anywhere from 1-2 hours in the car getting myself home [picking up the little first]. i am SO OUT of teaching/driving shape [driving in traffic is really just the pits. i feel sorry for people who have to deal with it on a daily basis]. it's funny how after a long summer where don't get me wrong i was working hard - but it was in the studio - where i didn't have to talk for hours on end. or think on the fly for hours on end.... it's quieter work. sometimes stressful in it's own way, but the pace is mine. i simply forget how much energy it takes to do the above. i hope this doesn't come across as complaining. it's more observational. it's like each task in your life puts a different drain on your mind body. parenting is one thing, teaching is another, making art is another, design work for clients another, administrating [email, phone calls, etc] yet another....

anyways - i tell you the above, because i was thinking i had NO IDEA what to post about so i thought i'd show some images that i took using silvershade film from the impossible project.

i'd be lying if i said it was easy to use first time around. at first i was getting mostly sepia shots. and really having trouble with the you must cover the picture as it ejects from the camera. but then i talked to my adorable and wonderful friend anne who works there and she set me straight.
you gotta shoot and keep these on the cool side. if it's hot they turn brown. and i got used to the push button, put hand out, cover shot, flip it upside down and let it sit somewhere out of light for a few minutes routine.

so i shot these on a cooler foggy morning and voila.... i kind of like the insane imperfections from the film... and the black border. tricky impossible project you....

here's a few newsy tidbits.... if you aren't on my mailing list but would like to peek at my latest newsletter - it's online here for viewing.

i posted again on poppytalk - lucky 13 of my make believe collection. andrea higgins.

i just got back from a great brunch with jen judd-mcgee, mati mcdonough, and lisa congdon [and the little came too. sometimes i'm just amazed at the creatively and force of my inspiring friends !

happy week to you !

ah - back to school time

2011-08-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

oh yes. we have started. in fact today students gave presentations of their work. i always like this part. i try to think of artists that i think they should look at. my brain fires furiously and i check spelling of artist's names on my iphone. you know i'm grateful for the gadget but really i think my memory has become worse because i know i can always look something up. we are now so uber hooked in. i also blame mommyhood. brain zapping state that it is ! but i do now have eyes in the back of my head, so it's kind of a trade off.

anyway - i digress. [what else is new]. i made the above binders for my gradebook and sketchbook because i'm always hunting for a pen/pencil. i used to have this handy cover i made for my gradebook, but it got filthy dirty and had to go.

the pen/pocket binder thing is not my idea at all. saw it at renegade with super spiffy versions by cleverhands . but i didn't buy one, and by the time i thought of wanting one it was too late to order. so i made a down and dirty not as clever version. so far. so good.

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a bunny in progress. there are SO MANY babies entering the world shortly. i don't know which one of these soon to be babes this is for, but regardless. it's getting made. and i think i'll be making more cutie creatures.

i got the idea of laying out my deconstructed bunny from a former professor of mine gail wight . she did a series of deconstructed toys that i have always loved. she was one of the best things that happened to me in graduate school.

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and some candy as eye candy. straight from japan. too pretty to eat. just amazing. like sculpture.

i say this every time i get sick, but really... really .... really. don't take being healthy for granted. and don't take your healthy kid for granted either. nough said.

til next time.

20 in 2011 and a pencil kit and a sandwich

2011-08-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

i made 2 new glass ball toxin atomic ball sculptures for a show

20/2011 at Richard Levy Gallery

opens aug. 19 up thru oct. 1, 2011 with a closing reception on 10::01::11 [i wish i could go - i'm sort of missing the expansive desert sky]

a celebration of the gallery's 20th year !

above is formaldehyde, 2011, crochet doilies on glass, 2.75 x 7.5 x 7.75 inches.

and below is chloroform m 2011, crochet doilies on glass, 3.5 x 8.5 x 8.75 inches.

and detail:

if you had told me 10 years ago that i would be making sculptures - and ones that are so delicate and breakable i would have said NO WAY. ha. funny how that works.

i wanted these to be more recognizable chemicals. do people still have to dissect some animal in biology while the room reeks of formaldehyde? i had to do a baby pig in AP bio which was really not very pleasant. we all know about the katrina trailers and their formaldehyde sick inducing carpet, etc..... and chloroform... such an "old fashioned" feeling toxin, no? [i can't help but picture some evil kidnapper using it to knock out a victorian lady....]

anyway. congrats to the levy gallery for being around for so long !

while i was gluing these together i kept thinking how great it would be to make really really big versions. but then i would need a glass blowing friend. or a glass blower who wants to work in trade because there's no way i could pay to have so many large scale round glass balls manufactured. wouldn't that make a cool "lobby" sculpture? perfect for some pharmaceutical company....

i digress.

i got this cool build your own pencil from staedtler. and this relates to the levy gallery because richard levy is the one who pointed me to the blog where i was able to email steadtelr and "win" this prize. pencil talk . which really is a fascinating blog. if you at all like pencils/office supplies i recommend a visit.

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i thought i'd show you my lunch. because i was making my sandwich [i think this is my favorite summertime sandwich - if only our tomatoes would RIPEN i could use garden tomatoes -- it's been SO cold here -- and it would be an even better sandwich, but again i digress] and i looked down and i realized i laid the tomatoes out in a pattern. not on purpose. it's just how my brain works. like how i match my clothes in color schemes down to my socks and rings. it's how my brain works. embrace your inner quirks....

i posted on poppytalk again - hannelore baron. a long time fave....

happy weekend !

assorted randomness

2011-08-13T13:16:00.000-07:00

collective conscious.

i bought this book for my upcoming color theory class [trying to find something for the students to read besides straight color theory]:

it's all about pink [how could i not buy it] !

and thumbing thru it i spied this photo:

and i stopped.

my photo.

it made me think about how if i hadn't been to venice i wouldn't have recognized that pink light. but i had. and i did. and so the world becomes that much smaller.

it made me think about why and how we are drawn to certain things. those pink lights in the plaza at venice totally tickled my fancy. made me look up. made me wish i had a pink lamp on our street at home. i wondered why pink? nothing else in the square is really pink. lots of white and gray and golds and mosaics- some off red on the tops of one section of one of the buildings. but those lamps. they are so PINK. frilly pink.

and then i wondered how many hundreds of other people might have this same photo in their archive somewhere. their version of the pink lamps of venice. and how we do all live in a collective conscious in some way.

and how we form groups and bonds to amplify this. just look at all the groups on flicker that have something to do with pink . what does this mean? i won't even try to go there. [can you tell, though, that i'm gearing up to go back to school? my mind is turning academic on me]

if you want another smart book on color and it's implications in our western art world - try chromophobia :

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i made this !
had to show you the cute little pout !
i miss crocheting utilitarian things !
pattern from lion brand - the princess cardi [you may have to sign in to get the link to work?

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in a fit i redesigned the blog.
simpler
with pops of color
wanted more white space
even if chromophobia is making me wary of white space.
even if chromophobia is making me think about color as a drug and a fall from grace.
maybe i should rebel and make the entire background shocking purple.
nah.

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meet millie. our newest family member. needed a home. from the san francisco animal control shelter .

she's a pup. VERY sweet. and playful.
little runs around saying : millie's hyper ! i'm hyper !
so true.
forgot what young dog energy feels like.
it's good. and a lot of work. but mostly good.
i'm sure i'll inundate you with photos as weeks progress.

wow. i didn't think i had anything to share in a blog post. but i guess i did. too much for one post in fact. why i really should try and just post now and again. sigh. like everything else - line up for the juggle dear blog. line up.

galaga and cashmere and documenting do go together

2011-08-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

i haven't done much cross stitch, but when i am 8 bit asked me to be a part of their art show [which is all about 80's pixelated videogameness] i had to give it a whirl.

so when i was a kid my parents were part of a bowling league. every friday night we'd head to the lanes. i'd get to eat a hamburger and french fries made by this portly grumpy old man [who ended up being a good pal] and play video games while the adults bowled.

i was given a very limited allowance to blow on games. so i had to choose my games wisely. centipede was sometimes played. pinball a lot. pac man - and then ms. pac man were definite obsessions [and then later tapper - does anyone remember that game? where you SERVE BEER??? sigh.] - but galaga - galaga was constant. an every weeker.

turns out hubby is a pro at galaga [we found a tabletop version at a mall in japan which he played for quite some time] - so in a way i like to think that galaga is "our" game.

i do love the graphics.
and so i made galaga cross-stitches for the show. all the main characters - and what turned out to be my favorite - the SKY... a beautiful pixelated sky.....

the show opens august 11 from 7-11 pm at
i am 8 bit
- 2147 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026 -
100 artists - 4500 square feet [so mine will be lost in all the video game madness, but that's ok].
i can't wait to see pics....

erin [perhaps one of the sweetest bloganistas out there] of design for mankind fame will be on this coast shortly.

she's giving a workshop at teahouse studios. she asked if i might make something to give to her students in gift baggies. so MODify/d [or rather me and my partner candice who helped sew all the pin backs on these] whipped up these cashmere felt scrap flower pins.

but really this brings up this whole other idea. i've been styling A LOT of photos lately. for a project i'm working on that i'll soon talk about. and i really kind of like it. the professional photographer that i'm working with thought i should consider doing it as a job - for other people. really? could i do that???? hmm. it sort of intrigues me. i know i don't really need another hat to wear, but i wouldn't object if the universe sent me a styling gig. i really wouldn't.

i have more to share, but for now will end with this:

i am honored to be back on habit this month with some incredibly talented and creative women. this blog moves me so much. so much that i've tried to keep up the habit on my own. which has really been an incredible way for me to try try try to stay in touch with photography. something that has definitely slipped by the wayside a bit. and i love this short sentence that acts as a diary. a peek. a day-by-day [or not so daily] peek.

until next time

my papa

2011-07-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

my papa [what i started calling my grandpa when i started talking]. he would have been 95 today. he passed away a few days before his birthday about 5 years ago.

i had a very special relationship with him. i think of him often. especially when i'm fixing things. while my grandmother most certainly nurtured the crafting and making nature in me directly, my grandfather nurtured my curiosity - my ability to problem solve. and if there is one thing that is inherently true about art making - you need to be able to problem solve. [i tell my students this all the time].

i really do wish he could have met the little. i think he would have delighted in her. her humor. her confidence. i wish she could ride around in the car with him and have him teach her how to spell [like he did me]. but i look forward to telling her tales about him. and only a few of them will be tall [which he would approve of].

and in other news. i do have news. and i want to try and re-habit this space. so soon.

in the meantime apparently i'm really into the beauty of summer. i can't stop shooting flowers.

see what i mean??

oh ! another post on poppytalk . my collection grows. [if only it weren't virtual.]

on making [and thinking]

2011-07-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

can i just say how completely and utterly touched i was by everyone's kind kind heartfelt words in regards to garbo. it is so wonderful to know and feel that there are others in the world who understand and feel the same. comforting doesn't quite sum it up, but it's the best word i can muster at the moment. thank you.

been trying to get back to work and back to "normal". the older i get the more i realize that there is no "normal". there is just what needs to get done and the order in which i can manage to accomplish things.

i'm working on 2 47" x 47" drawings [detail above]. versions of H1N1 and spanish influenza. these are for an upcoming exhibition at the monterey art museum . i have to say it's nice working this scale again. and in a limited color palette. i'm overloaded with color in other things i'm working on and so it's quite refreshing to just work in black white and grays.

also made a series of necklaces for a bunch of june babies.
one for gwen .

for wenders

for amisha

for shari

and there was renegade where modify/d shared a booth with diana fayt ....

we were next to migration goods . who were SO NICE. i bought a toast brooch [but the happy version] for the little and she's been carrying it around ever since calling it her toast brother. hee hee.

and now i'm revisiting joesf albers and johannes itten prepping for a color class i'll be teaching at cca in the fall.

oh yeah - i wrote about cy twombly for poppytalk .

and i've been thinking and re-thinking and wanting to verbalize in response to eireann's post on public|private ... but don't know how yet.

ok. so that's my last couple weeks in a nutshell.
you?

here comes the sun

2011-06-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

a few days ago we put garbo to sleep. cancer had invaded her insides - and garbo being garbo she didn't really show it. until the very end she was the most loving, giving and fantastically loyal dog i've ever known. she kissed my tears as i was hugging her and thanking her and wishing her onto a better place.

this. this is the hardest part about owning pets. knowing that their time with you is limited. and really our time with garbo was actually longer than with almost any other pet we had [almost]. we had what 16 years together? i was looking back and found this post about how she came into our lives.

garbo - my baby. while other pets had pieces of my heart, she really belonged to me. and i to her. i can't even count how many days she spent with me in the studio. how many times she wiggled her whole body in glee when she saw me. how many times she squeezed herself into funny positions to sleep next to me in bed or on the couch. [and how lucky to have her put her head in my lap the other night. as if she knew. she hadn't done that in so so long].

and while she mellowed [considerably] as she aged, she was still such a lover. i think she was our official greeter [although lately she sometimes slept through someone's arrival]. she was also completely and totally trusting of us - and so utterly adaptable as long as we were there. she sat calmly once while my husband stapled her toe together [with a medical stapler - he knows what he's doing] - no anesthesia - no whimpering. she adjusted with each new animal that arrived and left. she lost an eye to a painful and awful disease and didn't once seem even slightly bothered by that. every cat we've ever owned has ended up loving her. rubbing into her and snuggling with her.

and when we brought the little home it was if she knew. she knew she had to be second fiddle to this little human and that was OK with her. she didn't resent it. she didn't act out. she simply loved and trusted the little as much as us. the photos i have of the little leaning up against her and hugging her are something i will always treasure.

and the simple yet incredibly poignant way the little is dealing with this makes me both deeply sad and deeply grateful. mama - where is garbo? [she's gone] she died? [yes she did] her body stopped working? [yes it did] where did she go? [i don't know where people and animals go when they die, but i really hope it's a good place] is she playing with other doggies? [i really really hope so] we miss her. [yes. yes. we do]

oh yes. oh yes. we do.

if you own velvet underground's loaded record, play who loves the sun . we always always said that was her song. and right now the lyrics feel particularly right.

goodbye my sweet. i know we'll get another dog. but there will NEVER ever be another you.

chase the tear

2011-06-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

note on the give-a-way: suzy won the rainbow necklace and louise secured the doily sticker. thanks again to everyone who so kindly left comments and words that warmed my heart.

my super smart and talented artist friend timothy buckwalter has curated a show that opens on saturday at NIAD [aside: i once taught a workshop at NIAD's sister location creative growth which was really an amazing experience]

the show opens on saturday from 2-5pm
551 23rd Street in Richmond
i'll be there from about 3:30 on.

a new configuration of doily trees are in the show. 3 shelves. i don't even know how they put them together. it will be a surprise for me too !

if you are local and want to see a really cool smattering of art then come by. and say hello.

more stuff to look at:
video promo

from the press release:
Shattering the conventions that have until now segregated artists with disabilities from their mainstream contemporaries, Chase The Tear blends more than 50 works culled from artists and galleries across the country with those from the National Institute of Art and Disabilities studio program. Organized by artist Timothy Buckwalter, Chase The Tear is on view June 20 through August 19, 2011 at NIAD’s gallery, 551 23rd Street in Richmond. Opening reception is Saturday, June 25 from 2:00 – 5:00 pm. For more information please telephone (510) 620-0326 or visit www.niadart.org.

Chase The Tear is the final installment in a three-part exhibition series, Life of The World To Come, that presents a preview of a future where work from disabled artists is viewed in the same light as pieces and projects from artists who may not have a diagnosis extreme enough to qualify them as “other.” In reality, however, the show is not breaking new ground so much as making visible what is already underway. Artists with disabilities – from Willem De Kooning to Chuck Close – are already a part of the contemporary art world. But Close and De Kooning were already established before becoming disabled. The next logical step in the opening up of the contemporary art world would be the inclusion of artists with disabilities based on the quality of their work, but without the requirement of a prior pedigree.

Composed of paintings, sculptures and works on paper, Chase The Tear is a reflection on Beth Gibbons' alluring croon and fractured lyrical impressionism heard in Portishead’s song of the same name. The exhibition features work from Val Britton, Cederick Brooks, Jeremy Burleson, Kristi Dean, Luis Estrada, Sam Gant, Brent Hallard, James Ham, Heather Hamann, Willie Harris, Shana Harper, Scott Hewicker, Chris Johanson, Jeffrey Cortland Jones, Michael Macfeat, Ann Meade, Philip King, Rosita Pardo, Tony Pedemonte, Dean Smith, Rochelle Peterson, Wendell Singleton, Lisa Solomon, Micke Tong, Rebecca Whipple and Douglas Witmer.

procrastinatory

2011-06-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

Of or pertaining to procrastination; dilatory.

the other day i just wasn't feeling it in the studio. staring at two 46"x46" pieces of duralar on my wall. one blank. one started. no idea what to do next.

so i shot polaroids. a whole pack. because sometimes when i'm feeling stuck - or blue - or confused if i try and do something creative, but more fun and spontaneous i can crack that secret code. or sometimes not. but polaroids always make me feel better.

for some reason lately i've been turning the camera on myself a lot. i've been trying to figure out what that is since i tend to DETEST photos of myself. here's what i've come up with::

1. i'm getting older and want to document what i look like before i don't look like "myself"
2. once you have a child you realize that you sort of become - well - irrelevant. and i don't mean this in a negative way - just in that i no longer see myself as myself first. it's almost like i become this reflection - or a reflector.
3. when i'm knee deep in mental "stuff" the documentor in me thinks it's good to record this. or maybe it's the fact that if i take pictures of me -or try to honestly record something i'll be able to remove myself from the situation a bit. perhaps this is in the hopes of thinking more clearly - or maybe i'm hoping i'll see something in the photo in me that i need to recognize and amplify. [is this getting too philosophical?]

can i just say that you guys who have commented on my 7 year blog-aversary post are the nicest people ever. i want to send everyone something. THANK YOU for taking a moment to tell me why you come here. i'm all farklempt .

there's still time to enter the GiVeAwAy. i'll choose a winner monday night....

not too shabby [7 years and a give-a-way]

2011-06-13T21:10:00.000-07:00

so i got shabby apple's da vinci dress the other day and i could see it becoming a go to dress. it's super soft and i love the pocket front and the cutie pie sleeves. i think i've decided that gray is my replacement for black. i can't wear black since it shows every single pet hair [and tonka's drool - oh and yogurt. sticky little yogurt hands show up really well on black]. plus i love how almost every color goes with gray - and it looks more contemporary to me than colors + black. [watch 5 years from now i'll be singing black's praises, but until then i'm all about gray]. my slippers, by the way, came from seamingly possible

shabby apple in general has some really cute dresses. i especially like their vintage inspired ones... i'm kind of in love with this navy anchor's away dress - but it's totally impractical for me. also adorable is madison ave - but again - the mom in me just knows i'd never wear this now - maybe that's not the point, but.... i wish i had known about their site when i was pregnant because the mama apple stuff is pretty nice [and it would have been fun to wear a cute maternity dress!]. oh well. they have a facebook page where they announce sales/deals, etc. i was really happy, too, to know that they have a program where they share profits with Unitus - to help women worldwide. i like companies that are socially responsible [in any way that they can be]. if you are going to spend some money, why not also support good causes, right?

so yeah. i'm officially obsessed. shrinky dinks have stolen my heart. the little looks at my necklaces and says "mama - you made that? little paintings?". [of course my heart melts as she touches them and says that]. i made a bunch of necklaces that are on their way to various people. i feel like i can justify this new addiction if i'm making gifts at least.

««««««««««««««««

do you know what i realized? i've been blogging for SEVEN YEARS. isn't that crazy? i mean that is a serious chunk of my life, no? i could get all teary eyed and talk about how and what has changed and and and and and....

but i won't. instead let's just say YAY. and say here's to the next 7 [if i can keep it up. if you've been with me since the beginning you know that i don't post like i used to]. and on that note let's give a couple of things away.

ONE

a rainbow pendant for you. because really how many do i need? i'm kind of thinking i need several more, but this one is for you [or you or you].

TWO

a doily decal. sorry - not the whole tree ring pictured above, but a decal. i probably even have a couple of them that you could choose from - different colors, different doilies...

leave a comment. tell me which one you want. if you've never commented before point me to your blog. if you are an old time pal - HELLO. if you only comment now and again - HELLO! tell me a joke. tell me why you come here. ask me a question you want me to answer.... just leave a comment.

i hope these are even things you might want. i want to give them away as a small token of thanks. thanks for being here. thanks for being part of my online community and life. thank you. i have this blog to thank for many of the good things that are in my life. and many many many good friends.

i'll pick winners [randomly of course] next monday the 20th.

would it be wrong

2011-06-04T13:01:00.000-07:00

if i said that all i want to do right now is make necklaces??

i'm half joking. but mostly serious. i've been playing around with making them [using shrinky dinks]. the peace sign one was for a friend's birthday. she's a former new yorker fashionista living in marin county who doesn't NEED anything. and she's very busy working with organizations working towards peace. so she got a peace one.

and then i made myself some rainbow ones out of scraps.

if there was a way for me to make a living doing this i might seriously contemplate dropping everything else. [or if i could land that job naming colors - or color trendcasting].

do you remember shinky dinks? i forgot how absolutely fun they were. i'm using them for a project [this is a top secret project that i'll reveal probably latter this summer?], and am having the best time. it's like a little bit of magic goodness. draw, punch hole, put in oven, ooh and ahh as they shrink. [although you do have to keep an eye on them while they shrink and curl up so the ends don't end up stuck together].

maybe i'm trying to surround myself with rainbow goodness [above my daiso haul]. it feels like there is a funk front that just won't clear offshore. i just can't seem to shake it. maybe it's the endless wintery rainstorms we keep having [you would not think it's JUNE round these parts]. maybe it's the fact the little has reverted to earlier wake ups this last week and a half. i'm hoping it's a phase and she goes back to her former ways. [i'm seriously NO GOOD at 6am. and 5:30. G R O A N].

in sort of amazing press news... i'm in the italian flash art magazine. i can't believe that show will come down in 6 days.

oh ! if you are local i'm teaching a printmaking with out a press class at San Franciso City College Continuing Education... out at Fort Mason - it will start June 11th - 5 weeks.... more info here .

bye. i'm going to go dream about my shrinky dink necklace empire !

shots are no fun

2011-05-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

yesterday when the garbage truck came the little decided that she wanted her robots to watch out the window too. almost every week she stands on her toy chest and waves to the garbage man as he picks up our trash.

she lined them up like this. i left them. because i love things in rows. [i think she's definitely my child]

she had to get 3 shots yesterday and man - that is the WORST. when she was a baby it was quick and her super duper chubby thighs seemed to prevent any long lasting effects. but now. now she can aniticpate - and by the 3rd one she was wailing no more mama no more. i'm so glad i'm not a pediatric nurse. do you think she'll believe me when she's older and i tell her it's just as traumatic for me even though i'm not getting stuck?

8 vinyl stickers
4 hand drawn doilies
9 real doilies
1 framed work of art
4 days at artMRKT in fouladi projects' booth.

i was included in this article on blogging with some really great folks.
genine
simply photo [hi jen !]
make something 365
all the mountains
the blog on the bookshelf
ollibird
you can make it easy
you are my fav
abbytrysagain [hi abby !]
jill wignall
my milk toof
pugly pixel

phew. many of these are new to me [since i don't get around much in the blogsphere - at least not like i used to].

and flow is a really beautiful magazine. i wish i could actually read dutch. but the pictures/projects are fun to look at none the less.

ok. i'm ALMOST done grading [finally]. and i have TWO 42x47 inch pieces of duralar tacked to my wall. time for some bigger work ! scary but hopefully good. and i posted on poppytalk again rivane neuenshwander .

happy friday

Red Work

2011-05-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

my work is currently in an exhibition at nahcotta gallery.

i feel so lucky to be working with a gallery like this [actually i feel really lucky about all the spaces i work with.]

above is abbie hanging my work [kind of a pain - so thanks!]

but really - anyone who would write a post like this deserves a ton of respect in my book. so happy 11 years to nahcotta and thank you to deb for including me in this thread show !

i made all new work. based on the idea/history of redwork embroidery. did you know that so much redwork was done in embroidery because turkey red was one of the first colorfast colors that they made thread out of???

these are combinations of ideas for me. i'm continuing the dot doily paintings that i started with the newness show for artstream . adding them to my furniture explorations.

still thinking about relationships. how i can represent people via furniture. this is me and the little. it's called sit with you because that's what she asks me. mama can i sit with you?

and the clouds? well... i just like how clouds talk about dreams, another space [even heaven?]... also comfort - or an idealized comfort. who wouldn't want to lay on a fluffy cloud?

the whole show w/ complete and detail shots is here . and check out the work from the other artists in the show. i'm in good company indeed !

i'm also working on this:

an installation for fouladi projects at san francisco artMRKT . they'll be in booth #309... i'm installing some kind of vinyl [and perhaps real] doily installation along with drawings. if you are local and want a pass i might be able to finagle one for you - send me an email !

my grandma is on the right. tomorrow would have been her 93rd birthday. so i will be thinking of her. and thinking about how i wouldn't be who i am today without her influence. and how she in so many ways supported my art. probably more than she even knew.

ok. that's all i got. other than grading. but you really don't want to read about that do you?

fleeting beauty

2011-05-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

so the show in italy.
i still find it hard to believe it happened. i mean who would think that a traveling art dealer from italy would come to my studio and then offer me a show? not me.

the show was in tandem w/ Donatella Spaziani [who sadly doesn't have a website]. and i could not be happier with the pairing. in fact my dad looked at her drawings and said - they look like something you might do. so true.

in the main room of the gallery i did a wall toxin phendyldichlorasine AND

3 SCULPTURES. yes sculptures. and this i was most excited about. because really - my work has always skated between 2D and 3D - part of what it is ABOUT is that relationship. but i have always always wanted to make something "in the round" and just could never figure out how.

and finally. i did. they are toxins. doily covered molecular models. [and thanks mom for helping me crochet enough doilies in time to get these done !]

lewistie , 2011, crochet and glass balls, 16 x 11 x 4 inches

dimethyl mercury , 2011, crochet and glass balls, 17 x 9 x 5 inches

carbon tetrachloride , 2011, crochet and glass balls, 16 x 8 x 5 inches

and then i had a small room all to myself. so new drawings of toxins - ALL war nerve agents [yes scary].... and some of the deforestation paintings, and a version of the doily topiary corner installation, and a few doily trees all living together....

i was also really excited by this piece. the gallery had talked to me about doing an installation in this room where strings came from the walls or drawings and connected to other drawings/walls. i loved this idea, but never having been in the space i wondered how i could pull that off. instead i thought about making a doily piece that then connected to some of the drawings. in thinking about toxins and chemistry i thought about how in basic chemistry you could burn elements and find out what they were made of based on the colors you saw in the flame.

i decided to take the doily from each chemical drawing and actually make it [and i soon realized that i could create a rainbow]. it made sense to arrange them in a circle [like a molecule, like a clock, never-ending]. and originally i was going to have the threads that stream from the center of the doilies connect to the doilies in the drawings.

but once in the space i realized i like the thread balls attached - laying on the floor. as if the doilies were generating themselves almost.

one of my favorite drawings. sulfur mustard , 2011, colored pencil, acrylic, graphite, embroidery on duralar, 7 x 7 inches

VE - detail , 2011, colored pencil, acrylic, graphite, embroidery on duralar, 16 x 16 inches

read the press release from the show or read a review [translated]

here's the entire show [slide show - you may have to click out of your reader]

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

also ... there's a new post on poppytalk : christine buckton tillman

happy mother's day weekend to all the moms out there !

venice

2011-04-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

there is always that time - some time - after a vacation where you can recall the sights and the smells and the minutia of details. and you can kind of even re-create a flutter in your head or your heart or the distinct feeling of excitement of when you are someplace OTHER. and then it starts to fade. and you rely on the way that you tell these memories to others to conjure. and you rely on the photos [in my case hundreds of photos] that you take. glad that there are these frozen moments of that time because really? how do you encapsulate an experience? and how do you know the repercussions it will have on your psyche? or the influence it may have on your work? your opinion? your taste?

venice was indeed like a magical wonderland [not unlike disney, but really enchanting because after all it is more than just simulacra - at least i think so]

and i can't even really figure out what to say about it because the whole day was an experience - so instead i'll type what i wrote in my journal that evening. [and keep in mind i no longer journal the way i used to post little]

taxi to train. oh italian trains - after 1/2 hour delay - off we went
2 yo gabba's later and some rollings past cows, horses grapes, some marble, a mine and VERONA [i've heard of that town yes?]. every town has a church or a castle, or both.

V E N I C E

leaving the dingy train station you can only utter 'oh my god'
really?
could it be more fairy tale esque?

narrow streets. the GONDOLAS [real ones]. the sheer beauty of every building. the wrought iron details. the tones.

the small stores. the row after row of tourist shops. oh but the wood turning shop. and that kodak sign [neither of which could photo b/c the little was being "tall" on me]

winding around following the signs for s. marco < > ^ >> just pick a way. any way. you'll get there

a square with pigeons.
and more narrow corridors
and another square.
the dragon light with the umbrella shade [also no photo]

and then

as if the world opens up

the square.
white.
huge.

majestic.
morrocan. mosaic.

it's almost too much to take in.
especially with a toddler who with no nap is on melt-down alert.

thank god for pigeons?

the boat ride.
people live like this? water taxis?
the awnings
the yellow
the melon
the green
the churches
people live like this?

do you ever leave venice if you live here?
what other city would be so captivating? [ok. there are other cool cities, but this feels so unique]

the hordes of people

the well dressed woman on the boat [i did get a photo!]

and the little. eating 6 packages of sembei.
drinking lemonata and saying spicy [hands raised to her face]
gelato
the pigeons eating out of ba-chan's hand !!!!!
and finally collapsing
finally
asleep on my shoulder on the train.

venice. i hope i return.

all the pics are here

milano

2011-04-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

i have so many balls in the air at the moment that this blog and my blog reading has pretty much been thrown up up up in the hope that i can eventually catch it and continue on as if nothing had happened. [wishful thinking?]

OK so milan. it probably wouldn't be the place i would choose if i were going to pick a city of my dreams to travel to in italy [of course you think florence or rome or the vast countryside] - but it's what was chosen for me... and i'm not in the least bit upset about my fortune.

i mean really. how can you go wrong with old buildings, a massive gothic chruch, wrought iron details, red architectural accents, a distinct color yellow for buildings, shutters, cute new fiats and vespas everywhere, big plazas, mosaics, magnolias blooming, fancy shops, fresh mozzarella cheese, well dressed people, gelato, the best cappuccinos and pastries, chandeliers, and a bunch of people talking - no make that singing - around you [and about your art].

we stayed in a loft - this was the courtyard. it was the home of an artist and her son [which i didn't know at all when i first inquired about her space, but we lucked out. toys for the little to play with, and an incredibly kind host]. like many things in italy there was this wonderful duality - a building with SUCH character - and then through this narrow tiny door with a key that you had to turn over and over to lock and unlock it - and you were in a completely modern space - high ceilings, ikea kitchen, tall white walls.... surreal. the director of the gallery [who has lived in many cities in europe and traveled all over the world] told me that she felt like milan was a city of secret gardens - through doors lay courtyards of opulence and beauty if you were able to find them. it seemed true - the building the gallery was in had an amazing garden, and as i walked around i would fervently look through gates and doors to see if i could catch glimpse....

i didn't get a chance to do too many touristy things, 1. because i was installing and 2. because when you are traveling with a two year old you have to attempt to keep a napping schedule :)

but we did walk through this amazing cemetery - the cimetrio monumentale. i've never been to a cemetery like it. row after row of huge mausoleums. amazing grave markers and mosaics....

these photos just about killed me every time i saw them. so amazingly haunting.

we also made it to the castello storzesco . this HUGE castle that houses i don't know how many museums and is one type of architecture built upon another... when you think CASTLE - this could be the huge version that broke the mold.

one of my absolute favorite moments. these stripes. in an alcove on your way through one of the many exists of this castle.

i will remember that the little played with fountains here... and stray cats... and pigeons, and threw her first money into a fountain. and she met a baby - mathilda - they screamed and cooed at one another with glee.

i didn't have a bad cappuccino the entire trip. i mean really - you would think that we could make one just as good in the states. but we don't. really. we don't. at least not consistently.

so milan is the center of fashion and shopping, right? so evident by the windows...

there are MANY MANY more photos - and still a few more to come... you can see them all in my MILANO flickr set . i will try and show you venice - and explain how magical it was there [considering i was there for one afternoon]... and my show... yes. the show. the reason. the why. the how i got to go.... that too... but here's one of the gallery women all dressed up and adorable for the opening

till soon.

where to begin?

2011-04-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

every time i go on a trip i relish it.

even if there are moments that you don't want to remember but know that you will [the little screaming on the plane as it takes off - i don't want to be on broken airplane - want to go home - get off broken airplane ! {{our flight out was delayed by an hour while they fixed the air conditioning. it was hot. we were forced off. put back on. the little did great. until she was supposed to be buckled in her own seat. then the no-nap flip out occurred. luckily it only lasted a few minutes - though it seemed like an eternity}}]

in the end i learned that the little IS actually pretty flexible. and that she's pretty fascinated by things that surround her, especially if i point them out [in the car from the airport: me: wow look at all these old buildings. little: where are the old buildings mama. where are they?]

and it is incredible to see a new land through the eyes of a two year old. i wonder what she will remember of this trip. what i will remember through her eyes are pigeons [feeding them and especially white ones], trams [the number 2 by our apt was orange. we also rode the number 4 which was green], that we all fit on a boat, limonata is spicy bubbly water, gelato spoons would probably be good for oatmeal back home, cream puffs, fountains, hunting for stray cats at the castle.....

it is so fascinating to me how with in a few days the exotic can become normal. it was normal to see the incredible details everywhere. to pass the duomo on my way to work [installing at the gallery] for 3 days in a row. to hear sing songy conversations and not really understand them [except for a few words like importante and bella and bambino]

to eat amazing treats

to spend time with eireann who seamlessly became part of my family. whose generosity, wit, and natural politeness [and by this i mean a very unique way of participating -- she is present and engaged and opinionated, but simultaneously completely aware and attuned to those around her] was more apparent in person than can ever be discerned from her online persona.

milano was full. full of architectural details. full of color. full of well-dressed people [especially older women]. i will try to write a bit about a few of the places we saw. we spent a day in venice which was like a dream.

and the gallery . i can't believe i have a show in milan. that this was the impetus to go. this is their bathroom. of course more on the show to follow.

but for now? i'm still tackling laundry and an inbox and a huge stack of grading.

a bit of color and hope

2011-03-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

it is DREARY and cold and raining here today. there's actually a tornado warning? huh?

i have to admit that i've been feeling a bit out of sorts these days.

with all the stuff going on in the world - japan [thankfully all of our friends and family have been accounted for, but the nuclear issue on top of the immense devastation is just so completely horrific]- oh right there's the mess in libya, and really has hati recovered? i think i'll just stop making this list now -- i've been finding it hard to "be normal". let alone think about the fact that i'm flying to another country next week....

on the other hand - life goes on. dots get painted, classes get taught....

posts about make believe collections get written....

it is impressive how many people are trying to do what they can for japan. here's a short list of things i've seen that i like:

:: corter leather's for japan bracelet

:: diem chau is raffling a crayon family

:: pika books is donating proceeds from the sale of Chotto Omoshiroi

:: sen is offering flowers in the bay area

:: abby is offering a photo print

camilla and i are offering a collaborative collage, and i'm offering a bed/kite drawing in the handmade for japan auction that starts next thurs....

in my attempt to be "normal" i'm going to try and go to lisa congdon's book signing at the curiosity shoppe .

empty studio : time to start over

2011-03-10T14:06:00.000-08:00

my studio feels very empty [and clean. i swept and even mopped the floors today ! yay !] empty walls are inspiring and also kind of scary.

everything - except for one piece that i'm still crocheting doilies for - got packed up and dropped off at fed ex this morning.

i feel both a huge sense of relief - and a huge sense of trepidation.

i still don't feel like i'm going to be there. there are still too many other things to do. grade, work on a proposal, TAXES [ugh]

packing is like a giant puzzle. and i'm a bit worried about the glass ball sculptures. they are wrapped - floating in boxes that are lined w/ foam - but you just never know. i mean it just takes one brute fed-ex guy to toss your box aside or put something really heavy on top to ruin it for everyone. everything passed the shake test [i shake things to make sure you don't hear anything rattling around]. oh art gods please protect my goods as they make passage to milan... pretty pretty please ! i do think, though, that my mom - the MASTER of all packers - would be proud of how i fit everything together.

i was peeling and prepping vinyl wall stickers till the very last minute this morning.... i'm going to do a GIANT version of the above - it's phenyldichloroarsine - a chemical nerve agent developed by the german's in world war I. there are a lot of chemical warfare agents in this show. yup. and the deforestation work is going to be shown too.

title of the show? Fleeting Beauty.... from the curatorial statement {Marinella Paderni is the curator} :
What has become of the image of beauty in contemporary artistic expression? Once the prerogative of art, today beauty is no longer a sublime ideal but has become a social constraint or need. With the cult of the image, its symbolic value has shifted to the fields of marketing, economy and fashion, leaving a new task to art: the denial of beauty, turning it into an aesthetic and spectacular phenomenon that we have to seek in places where we do not usually look — in the inner recesses of the human mind, in memory or in the reality that apparently removes, distorts or corrupts it. Under the ashes of the romantic ideal and utopia, beauty — formerly lost — has only changed its future... the American artist intervenes in our perception of reality by deconstructing it thanks to the invention of ‘beautiful’ images of elements that are, however, threatening (viruses, toxins, arms, disappearing trees) and are represented with childlike forms and settings...

hopefully i can live up to that !

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

have you seen Sally Shim's [of SHIM + SONS ] new venture ?

my friend : artist + curator : Timothy Buckwalter is about to open part two of a series of shows. [i'm going to be in part 3] here comes the darkness . it's a great concept and a cool show [with work by my pal kate bingam burt amongst others.

ok. off to start to tackle other things on my to-do list [more like to-do pile]

despite

2011-03-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

what you may have heard [or not seen] i'm still here. and semi-functioning. there has been a trifecta of illness to hit the house. 1.me, 2. little, 3. dada. i have to say that in comparison to the 12 times we were sick last winter this winter is so much better. but being sick is basically for the birds. no wait - i wouldn't wish it on birds. why is it that you really only appreciate being well when you are sick. i think when i finally do feel better [because it's already been a week] i'm going to wake up every morning and wiggle my toes and say to myself - at the very least you are not INSERT FAVORITE SYMPTOM HERE [snot filled/nauseous/sore-throated/hacking up lung]

and can i just get all mommyville and say that NOTHING breaks your heart more than a kid slumped on your chest all fevered and sad and barely audibly tearfully whimpering mama as she coughs.

oh ! and i'm completely anxious about getting all my work boxed and shipped of to italy by next week. i seriously have no concept that i'm GOING TO ITALY [where i've never been] because i'm too wrapped up in making sure that the uber fragile work that i'm making [see above - those are glass spheres] is packaged and boxed safely enough to get there. but wait - i'm going to ITALY !! [although i wonder how much i'll actually see since i'm going to be installing a bulk of the time - but who cares. i'm going - there will be old buildings, and a different language being spoken, and a show, and food to eat, and hopefully a day trip to venice and and and]

i just wanted to pop in to say hello. i miss everyone/everything.... i did manage to post on poppytalk - another piece i want for my collection

bye for now.

please excuse the silence

2011-02-17T21:54:00.000-08:00

a little overwhelmed here at casa lisa. 2 classes, a 2 year old, and oh yeah - my show in italy.... that has to be packed and ready to go in weeks [yikes. my heart pounds as i type that]... i am really really enjoying my classes, but i forget how much time it takes to grade and how tired i get at the end of a teaching day. it's a different kind of tired than other types of work creates. sometimes i feel like my head is just spinning - spinning from trying to relate to the students, from thinking non-stop about what sort of information they should have - and how to dole it out - each one needs a different approach - say one thing to one and the doors bust down - say the same thing to their neighbor and their drawings will stiffen up and they'll be set back for weeks. it's this dance. and i love that it makes me think. and it's SO exciting to see their wheels turning and watch their drawings improve, but after driving through crappy traffic all i want to do is [really want to do] is get in a bath and watch a movie - and that just isn't possible.

yes - play your tiny violin for me now. i'm not complaining. i'm really not. i'm damn lucky in every possible way. and thank you chickens for hatching. but i'd be lying if i didn't say that i sometimes wish for an itty bitty tiny amount of down time....

above is our little bird friend. he [and his twins] come and eat peanut butter and bird seed from a feeder my parents gave us every day. we now have to replenish the feeder every couple of days. the little helps. she stands on a chair next to me and gets to eat spoonfuls of peanut butter while i replenish. [i ignore the fact that she also munches on bird seed. eew. and whatever. not fighting that battle]

hubby supplied me AND the little with flowers on valentines. aaaawwwwweee. it was sweet. he made us valentines too. the little kept asking "what's that say", "what's that say" trying to figure out which was HERS and which was mine.... then came "VA-len-tine" over and over and over....

wenders also sent the cutest bunting flags ever. don't you want to make them for every holiday in every color? i do. i really do. [have i said lately that i miss crafting? - i miss crafting].

Source: purlbee.com via Lisa on Pinterest

speaking of crafting.... found these on the purl bee . i have meant to figure out how to crochet a pair of fingerless arm warmer things for like EVER... and now i don't have to count and figure it out - because the numbers are all there - pattern supplied. thank you molly and your sketchbook . i want to make plain ones, striped ones, two tone ones... yeah. when i find that crafting time. [where did i put it? under the bed? at the bottom of my purse w/ all the smushed crackers? it's somewhere. i swear].

and oh ! i did another post on poppytalk - this time on louise bourgeois . [could my job be finding art for people. seriously. anyone want to start an art collection? have a million dollars you want to invest?].

so... you'll have to forgive me if i'm not around here - or internet land in general - very much the next few weeks. i might have to just put my head down and plow ahead to make sure everything gets done as it's supposed to. it doesn't help that i just finally had a brilliant idea that i'm super excited about for the show. thankfully i don't have to pack it up and send it - i can take it with me on the plane [which means i have a few more weeks to make it, but that isn't a heck of a lot of time to execute it. i'm not 22 anymore. i don't like working until the VERY LAST MINUTE [that leaves very little room for error. which makes me so nervous].

anyway - that's my exit cue.
see you all soon. [i hope].

layering

2011-02-08T19:44:00.000-08:00

i fear that from now on my posts are simply going to be lists of things that have been knocking around my head since my last post. perhaps long gone are the days of unified posts on single subjects.

and so it goes....

a-- [see above] i'm trying to figure out a new way to overlap the stitching in my work. it feels like it's the next step in a natural progression, but it also feels strange. sometimes i want to go back to the way i know and used to do things. sometimes i think it's only artists that can get so obsessed with these sort of very minute milestones.

b-- i posted part two in my make believe collection on poppytalk . this time on the work of jen starkweather .

c-- i'm a bit obsessed with this ring i have. i can't honestly remember where it came from. but i keep wearing it over and over. and i want to make my own. i found this tutorial on how to do it. now i just need the TIME. curse you time. i also want to make a stuffed toy out of an old pair of the little's pj's. but that isn't going to happen either.

d-- i can't make any softies for fun b/c we were busy stuffing and closing the above stuffies for MODify/d . i think they look funny in a box together. what color would you choose?

e-- our weather is in a complete freak out. it was like summer on sunday. and today it is bright and sunny and windy cold. the plum trees everywhere are blooming like mad. it's beautiful. but the timing is so off. they shouldn't be flowering for a few more weeks... [not that i'm really complaining, just confused]

f-- i'm such a dork. while teaching i told my students that blind contour is like vegetables in art. they are good for you.... i've also said other completely silly things lately in class. am i turning into that totally ridiculous cliche of an eccentric art teacher? sigh. on a more serious note: i'm always surprised at how strongly students grab onto "rules" and wanting to do things "right". in my experience it is the drawings that don't look "right" that are the best. i love being able to see how they improve over the span of 3 hours.

g-- 3 bodies of work- targets, pigmentary portraits, domestic scenes - oh! and a few vinyl doilies on windows for good measure are on view at the clayman institute for gender research [how much do i like that?!?] on the stanford campus. there's a very sweet article on the show in their paper . i love shows on campuses because the academic nature and inquisitiveness of everyone involved is just so refreshing. i know we can live in a bubble where we can over analyze and theorize, but it's nice to have small ideas appreciated...

h-- the little is frantically trying to string multiple sentences together. sometimes they end up making very little sense, but it's so cute to see her trying so hard [and anytime she sees two adults talking she asks: what's xxx and yyy talking about?]. the other night she asked: where dada go tomorrow? i said: to work. dada said: yeah. work. who wants to go to work? poor dada. i said: poor dada. this morning she said: where'd dada go? i said: to work. she said: poor dada! [i'm keeping track daily of some little snippets she says - it's amazing to watch her process how language works. it really is]

some observations in no discernible order

2011-01-29T12:08:00.000-08:00

[the polaroids really have nothing to do with this post - they are just ones that i took that day when i couldn't stop shooting them]

it's a good thing i'm drinking coffee again. and frankly the smell and the taste and the almost sheer enjoyment of it makes me surprised that i was able to abstain for so long. i sort of want to treat myself to this but it doesn't have stellar reviews.... so i'm waffling.

every morning this past week i have woken up and thought that there was no possible way our amazing weather could continue. and then it does. thank you weather gods for this incredible gift. and even though the fog and the cold returned this morning, i put on my warm socks and 2 sweaters quietly. i will try and remember not to curse you when we get our notorious winter this summer in july.

i cut my bangs the other day since i don't know when i'll be able to get a haircut. [who has time for a haircut?]. i logged onto my bank account and i think i look like the woman in this ad.

the first week of school is always tumultuous. i have to say, though, it feels like we are coming to the crux of a crisis. there are simply too many students for too few classes. at some point continuing to ask for things to be status quo while pulling the financial rug out from under the system is going to make everything collapse. and they are cutting more money in the fall. it simply does not seem fair - for anyone involved. the students, the staff, the faculty.

returning to school is like jumping in a very cold pool. it's shocking. my mind has to readjust to the inquisitiveness - to the setting up of parameters that have to flex and mold as i start to understand the needs and nuances of this particular group of students. to the seriousness and frankly plain old amount of WORK that it takes to run a class. but there's also the anticipation of a good swim. of floating in water and letting it lead you where it may. of opening your eyes under water and being excited by the altered view. the reflection of the sun and knowing that you simply just get to BE IN THE POOL. and once you've been in for 10 minutes it's not icy anymore.

work work work work work work work. i see a lot of work work work work work in my future. sometimes i wonder if this is just the state of being an artist in this society. if it's the state of being a mother in this society. or if perhaps i help to generate these whirlwinds - maybe in a state of denial. or in a state of defiance [how dare you say i can/or can't do XYZ]. or is it a state of i can't say no to many things because i don't think they'll come around again as opportunities [and believe me i have learned to say NO. i am saying no. i say no more and more]. as with all things, i bet the truth lies somewhere in between. but really i should get back to work work work work.

can i just tell you this silly story? in the car... i turn around and make a dumb face at the little when we are headed back home from the post office [where she patiently waited for me by sitting under the glass counter with her best pink bunny friend]
little: mama funny
me: you're funny
little: mama funny !!
me: you're silly
little: mama goofball ! [they have been lovingly and jokingly calling each other goofball and wingnut at daycare]
me: who else is a goofball?
little: garbo ! tonka !
me: papa? ba-chan?
little: yeah !!!!!
me: dada?
little: actually, dada is wingnut.

i almost fell over laughing. the actually came out of her mouth so perfectly... emphasized the way we've been reading it in this book.... yeah. it's pretty great to have her commentary running in my head as i walk around the world. fresh perspective is an understatement.

happy weekend !

playing with others

2011-01-17T13:35:00.000-08:00

poppytalk is hosting winter color week. today is red . i remember when i used to play along with color weeks ... ahh.... but i can play today - as i have this fresh stack of polaroids that i took ... i spent a whole morning shooting shot after shot. i probably should have been doing a million other things, but i have a fridge full of expired 600 film and it has to get used. and i had the itch.

the other news is that i started a guest column over there... on poppytalk. i've decided to start a "make believe collection" . my own little self-indulgent posts about what art i would like to collect if i could have whatever i wanted. [price, scale, availability be damned]. i'm going to keep images of all my wants on pinterest for now - eventually i'd like to put them into dream rooms in my dream house... i'd love to know what you would collect. or if you agree/disagree with my choices as time goes on....

more polaroid goodness. i so missed taking them. really i did.

and in other collaborating news. jen of sprout studio asked me to come up with a necklace design for her artist of the month necklace series . i really kind of want one of each, but that seems a bit impractical. here's me .

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and in other news... it's finally sunny. and not ultra freezing cold. and the little's birthday was full of pancakes and park and presents. she's having a party this weekend. i wonder if she'll wear a hat... [my money is on no]. we got to meet karen and baby lola and dada stefan yesterday... tartine and dolores park.... i wish more of my blog mom friends lived closer....

happy week to you!

h e l l o 2011 - better late than never

2011-01-09T12:51:00.000-08:00

um. should i just pretend that it hasn't been over 2 weeks since i posted?
[and that photo has nothing to do with anything other than i like the fact that i have a thimble that says home on it]

perhaps that's the best handle on this situation. oh i had fleeting hopes of putting up a year in review post - or a happy new year post - or any other slightly commemorative, introspective, and nuanced piece of congratulatory happy happy merry merry wow we made it posting.

i admit it got easy to simply not post. to just cocoon and to enjoy the little's excitement over her new gifts - at the wonder of santa eating her christmas cookie. to go to bed ridiculously early on new year's eve mistily remembering the days that i found it thrilling to great the new year at the stroke of midnight. to succumb to hat wearing indoors and the loss of and subsequent return of studio time.

when i look over my flickr account over the last year there is very little to report. there are my weekly mostly private little photos. some habit shots, the making of art and very little else. long gone are the days of photographing, or for that matter doodling, idling, randomly searching and meandering on the internet for fun. perhaps this is in some ways why i continue to hold onto this space - long after many a good friend has given up blogging, i still feel compelled. perhaps it's also because my mailbox was filled this holiday with very REAL treats - cards, cookies, jams, books, and more from many people who i am fortunate to call friend that i have met from this space.

and so... here we are again. in a new year. and what, pray tell, am i up to?

furiously i work on an exhibition that will open at gallerie nicoletta rusconi in milan in april. i normally wouldn't discuss this, but tickets have been bought and so i'm fairly certain that this is beyond jinxing.

i'm planning on a large large wall piece, and a room full of drawings... and some sculpture. [insert trepidation here - because afterall, my work is usually somehow tied to the wall - literally and figuratively speaking]. and so i really should be working on those things instead of typing here, but...

the little turns TWO this week on wed. cliche it may be, but i am beyond amazed that 2 years have passed. when i think of her 5 pounds and tiny and blinking under a silly blue and white striped baby hat compared to her now - a very independent and ever talkative [yesterday in the car she decided to point out every dirty road sign and what shape and color they were. when i said oh really is it dirty? what should we do? she would claim loudly - yes mama ! dirty sign ! clean it ! i clean it ! mama wash it ! more dirty signs mama ! i find dirty signs !] bundle of toddlerhood... well... i think i can hold it together, but man - she'll be what - 10 before i can blink?

speaking of being a mommy : you can actually read a interview of me by dana on her blog leililaloo. "balancing" - a series of questions she posed about being creative and being a mother. truth be told it took me MONTHS to actually get her my responses - i blame not being able to balance everything as much as i wish i could.

and with that - i think i'll bid you adieu... i do have a couple of tricks up my sleeve to share with you soon. i'm going to be guest posting now and again on another blog this year... my last post here holds a clue to that... should be fun.

hope 2011 brings health and happiness, good surprises, and moments of sublime sweetness to you.

out of the loop and a figment of an art collection

2010-12-20T21:41:00.000-08:00

hello.

it's been quite awhile. i haven't been here and i've barely been around internetland... hello hello... let's see. what occupied my time these last few weeks? getting ready for renegade for one... which i have to say was pretty invigorating and fun ! [although truth be told i was only there on sat]. in my quick walk around there were some amazing vedors .[i'll try to point out a couple favs in the coming weeks]. sharing a booth with mati and being next door to jen and katrina was the best. see more of our booth....

otherwise - there's been the whole end of the semester grade-a-thon, the frantic attempt to get holiday cards out, a bit of decorating... some habit forming, and general panic in the studio as i try to get another show off the ground !

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but in other news.... i prayed at the alter of post-impressionist painting the other day at the de young's part 2 of selections from the musee d'orsay. these are paintings that generally don't leave france - but since the orsay is being renovated - they let them out. yes there are the whoppingly famous images - renoir's dance in the country, van gough's bedroom, or the STARRY NIGHT, monet's -check, seraut's - check [one that really looked like a pre-cursor to roy lichtenstein], a really lovely john singer sargeant [god i love how he paints fabric.]

and i really really forgot how good Edouard Vuillard was/is. way ahead of his time for sure... looking at these historic paintings it really struck me how connected paintings are to one another. how one student in a university somewhere struggling to figure out how to make a "plain" field of paint interesting with texture, or squinting to make a painting read from multiple vantage points, is in DIRECT conversation with these masters.

the other thing that really hit home... when you walk through an art show of any kind, any scope... you know that moment - where you spy something across the room and every fiber in your being reacts. where you stop. approach - maybe it's quick because you want to get there fast to see it, or maybe it's slow so that you can soak in every moment of the walk there... but you see it. and it sees you. and you want to take it home. sure - you've appreciated the technique of the surrounding works, perhaps you've even unconsciously sighed in wonder, or thought - wow - that is a great painting. but THIS - this is the one. this is the one you want to slip off the wall and steal. or if you have the money pay for. this is the one you want to live with forever - look at everyday in your home...

for me that happened with this maurice denis piece. why? [this image doesn't do it justice at all] this painting is small - i could have easily slipped it into my purse - but it packed a punch as i turned into the room. the vibrancy of the colors is amazing. i talk to my students about the power of complementary colors and this is a perfect example. the red and the green and the orange and teal hum against one another - the slight hint of outline - of white - peeking through - acts like a beautiful reminder of the artist's hand. it holds that act of drawing - to me it enhances the "innocence" of the piece. the sheer weirdness of the organic shapes that make up the landscape seem in perfect proportion to me. the slightly layered effect of quicker dry paint allowing hints of different shades and values though adds to the drama of the paint itself. but it's that figure... the lone cute but also somehow incredibly sad girl that almost disappears into that sea of red that does it for me. shoulders slumped, arms at her sides, feet melding into the ground....

in looking at the rest of denis' work - nothing else moved me the way this painting did. there were some great [and very strange] moments, but this painting... this was the ONE.

coming home i started to wonder - what would it be like to be able to collect images from any artist - any period - any price - and put them together in a collection. an imaginary collection - the best of the bests for me. what would this look like? would people agree with my taste? why or why not? would i divide them into rooms? what i'd hang i my living room, my kitchen, my bedroom. what would your collection look like? how would they compare?

[i may just have to continue w/ this imaginary collection of mine. we'll see, huh?]

if anyone is curious about the massive orsay collection i recommend this book [thanks mom!].

see you soon. i'm going to try and catch up with everyone out there this week....

newness + ira glass

2010-12-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

so... saturday night "newness" opened. i'm so thrilled to be in the company of heather smith jones and jen garrido . plus it's always a joy to work with susan and art stream studios . i made 10 new pieces for the show. looking back now - i think i've been really busy in the art department this year !

Newness, shiny, tangle, holding, reflection, needle, white

These were the “guidelines” in the making of these paintings.

Tangle / holding / newness :: I turned to my Japanese crochet books – because doilies are tangled and because you hold them. Plus if you make them you get a chance to create something new. I see diagrams in these crochet books as road maps – they are so clearly delineated. I love that you don’t need to read a language in order to understand them. If you understand the mark making then you can decipher them bit by bit.

Newness :: I chose to use the doilies that represented Winter and Spring in the books [they illustrate doilies for the 4 seasons]. Winter for the new year and Spring for new beginnings.

Reflection :: Using Duralar, I drew the diagrams for the doilies on one side and then methodically painted the dots and areas in on the other side. Depending on the results I use either side as the front. The act of painting these reflected the act of crocheting doilies. Stitch by stitch – dot by dot. In both actions there is an exploration of time, of ideas, via a physical activity. Each stitch and each dot is a marker of time – and the accumulation of these small gestures – the repetition of them begins to reflect on work ethic, work that never gets done, time spent…. How do very small gestures communicate and accumulate to generate a larger picture – or affect change in some way?

Shiny/ white :: In many of these paintings I used shiny pigment – silver, gold, and interference paint. I also sometimes used silken threads which are shinier than regular thread. I also used a color and mixed it with whites to create various tints. I also left a lot of white space….

Needle :: this was perhaps the easiest parameter to achieve. In almost all my work I incorporate some aspect of thread – embroidery or stitching – as well as the making of needle holes/marks. These works are no exception. To highlight certain areas, to mimic the act of crochet, and to illuminate the act of process I have embroidered over areas of these pieces. Pulling the work from 2D into 3D and reinforcing the notion of the original intent of the diagrams

you can see all the images from the show here in this pictobrowser [click out of your reader for the slideshow]. all the work is available in artstream's shop . [all the work is framed, by the way].

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

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last night i was lucky lucky lucky enough [thanks to victoria from sf girl by the bay for snagging tix] to see ira glass [from this american life ] interviewed by dave eggers .

he is just as smart and funny in person as he is on the radio. anyone who is that inspired and honest about what they do is simply put amazing. [oh the AESTHETICS of radio? yes yes. the AESTHETICS of anything? i'm so there. let's talk aesthetics all day shall we?]. plus he can quote buffy the vampire slayer [ah back when i could still watch TV]...

there is nothing like being able to see someone inspiring like that. it's just so motivating. i wanted to change the world. change how i make things, change what i photograph, change how i blog, change i interact with people - all for better aesthetics.... and a greater good too.

the above photo was from last night - and i posted it on habit . this month they have asked the contributors from 2010 to participate .... i've been trying to keep up the habit with some success see here .

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p/s - did anyone make it to the aqua art fair in miami? i had some work in fouladi projects room.

Aesopica + bits

2010-11-28T13:07:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-18T21:52:00.000-08:00

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?

2010-11-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

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.

trees, lists, meet ups and placebos

2010-10-17T11:17:00.000-07:00

i'm in the thick of finalizing everything for my show at angels gate . it's quickly approaching. i have to get ready to pack and ship the bulk of the work there. and i'm working on some ghost doily trees.

here they are drying [i glue them to stabilize them and then sand down the tops so that the wooden dowel is as flush with the first doily as it can be]. i'm not even sure how these are going to end up being configured. i'm having them build a pedestal for me there and i'll place them when i get there. [nothing like winging it right?]

huge thanks to my mom and my former student jennifer who helped make doilies. i am no longer afraid of relying on the kindness of those around me to help complete my projects.

this is the first solo exhibition i've worked on since the little. it will be the little's first plane ride.... while we've been away from home, it's always been by car... i'm hoping she's as adaptable as i think she is and won't have too much trouble.

i was on the hunt for the perfect calendar for 2011. i adored my start here planner, but they haven't made one in a few years, and it didn't look like one for 2011 was on the horizon. and now that i've started a daily list i was thinking it might be easier to incorporate the calendar and list into one package. and along comes moleskine to read my mind.

a 12 month planner broken into monthly books... in a RAINBOW of colors. what could be more perfect for me?? of course i bought on [on ebay] immediately and can't wait for it to arrive. it's kind of ridiculous how giddy office supplies make me.

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i was really lucky to meet susie ghahremani the other day. she was in town to sign copies of the exquisite book at rare device . we had lunch at universal cafe .

i don't get out much. so it's always nice to have a thoughtful conversation with another working artist about what that means exactly. she asked me what it was like to have a child in terms of my artistic process. i've been asked about how to balance everything, or how to manage it, but this was a different angle. what came to me was the idea that as an artist your work tends to sit in your brain 24/7. it just doesn't turn off... even if you aren't physically working on it - it's sort of always THERE. hovering. what should you do next? what needs to get done? how can you fix what you just messed up? what color needs to go where? once you are done w/ a body of work what will you do now?? it's just a ticker tape under the surface of your day to day activities. well... since the little that ticker tape stops for me when i'm with her. she takes all of my engagement. [not ALL the time, but for much of it] it takes all of my mind to participate and be present with her. it's not like teaching where i have to call on my own art work or art experiences to be with the students. and that's kind of an interesting thing when i think about it really.

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and one more thing because i think this is so interesting ::

the behring institue for medical research is having a call for art placebos . i read the call, and i can't even start to imagine what a "placebo" in art would be ??? how do you make the equivalent of a sugar pill in art ???? [if anyone has an idea for that i'd love to hear it].

working your own doily installation - proof !

2010-10-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

have you heard of the working proof ? they are a cool organization bringing affordable art to the masses by some of my favorite artists and donating part of the proceeds to worthy causes.

remember when i had my sol lewitt moment and got to cover a building with doilies? and remember when i bought my own vinyl cutting machine? i thought it would be cool if i could generate a print that allowed people to put doilies wherever THEY wanted. so here it is.

you get 3 doilies in the "print" - they come with a certificate of authenticity and instructions on how to install them. you can also see how to install them on my website .

the print launches today [tuesday :: october 5th] at 1:30pm eastern time.

i put a set up in my studio. i think they are going to stay ... but i'm hoping that people try them on windows, or furniture, or the floor even. that would be so cool....

there's a little interview of me that the working proof conducted. i think it will be viewable from my page on their site... or you check out their newsletter to read it.

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i'm really enjoying this drawing series by james mcmullan . [thanks dad for the tip!]

i wish i knew i could pull off sewing this toddler backpack . cause i really want to make one

i'm super duper excited about stephanie syjuco's upcoming project shadow shop

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she's become very interested in "brellas" and rain. i have these rice paper umbrellas that she likes to open and carry around, but they are a bit cumbersome and hard for her to navigate through the house with. i had a lightbulb moment and remembered i had a couple of cocktail umbrellas stashed in my desk. she was so excited that it was little and she could carry it all over by her "self".

i've always liked cocktail umbrellas, but now i have a whole new love for them.

happy week.

lists and things

2010-09-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

the other day i was feeling entirely overwhelmed with what i had to accomplish in one day [and on this topic have you seen frecklewonder's post on busy?]. i've given up trying to think about what needs to get done in any other increment than daily. i've been dabbling with keeping a to do list in my calendar book, or using teux deux but neither of those were working really.

so i decided to make a book of lists. my to-do list. daily. so i could cross things out [so satisfying] or carry things over to the next day. also a place where i could record silly events that happened that day - or places i went - or things that the little said to me [because she is SO funny with her talking these days].

it's not anything fancy. sometimes i doodle. sometimes i don't. those of you who have known me for long enough know i like parameters and daily routines [ drawing a day anyone? i'm actually using the pens pictured at the end of that post for the book - a lot].

i guess i'll see if i can keep it up till the book is full? in general i love seeing lists and other people's ways/means of organizing or getting through their day.

there's this great book on lists [from an exhibition at the smithsonian] that i spied at sfmoma when i was there....

there's also this flickr group on lists, but it doesn't seem very active. i wonder if lists are going to go by the wayside as we get more and more integrated with our hand held technological devices.....

and in the studio ::::::::::::::::

i finished this very small variegated doily to "float" above a painting i'm working on. it's crocheted with a 1.55mm hook and sewing thread. i guess i should be thankful that my eyes still work fairly well ! sometimes i wonder if there's a way to make them even smaller and more delicate.....

while making this doily i immediately thought of anne wilson's work.

i love her table top installations of weird interconnected thread like worlds. i was really sad a few years back when i had to miss her speaking on her work. i would have loved to hear what she had to say.

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and in other news. i turn a year older this week. i don't have anything planned other than the hopes of getting more things crossed off my list. maybe some cake.

calder, hearts, and haircuts

2010-09-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

first off thanks for the MODify/d love. very kind of you all. i hope this turns out to be a fruitful venture that we get to keep working on. fingers crossed.

so i finally made it to sfmoma to see the calder to warhol fisher collection before it closes [tomorrow]. it's been embarrassingly too long since i've gone to that museum. i have to say i was kind of dying with curiosity over the fisher collection [founder of the gap] - knew it was huge. knew it had to have some good pieces in it.... i'm always wondering how people go about amassing a collection like that anyway. how does it reflect their taste, art trends, etc. etc?

as i wandered around i started thinking - why did they collect so many chuck closes and warhols [who i think is a genius, but they didn't have the best pieces] and only one figurative thiebaud ? where in the world did they house the stellas and polkes that are just SO LARGE [i this moment of panic when i realized that i haven't made any BIG work in awhile. it's not that i think bigger is better, but bigger does have a different impact]?

i just about DIED in the agnes martin room.... and the gustons killed me too. [i have to wonder, though - did they show them all together as the museum did? or were they scattered around in different buildings/areas]. and then this itty bitty calder made my heart stop. i'm not usually a huge fan of calder. i think he's fine, but he never gets me all teary eyed or excited. until now. this little wall mounted piece just really got to me. i wanted to take it home in the worst way. i can't find a photo of it anywhere online [darn you sfmoma], so i came home and did a really dorky sketch of it. it doesn't look like the above at all, but the above reminds me of it... so that will have to do...

what else happened this week?

i finished a doily heart commission for a cardiac nurse ....

my mom celebrated her birthday [we went to the palace hotel for lunch. oooh fancy.] and stopped at the japanese sweet store across the street minamoto kitchen . if you want to pretend you are in japan for 15 minutes. go there. everything feels HYPER japanese.... i got this little treat to eat. [oh how i love mochi]

and.... i got my haircut [finally]. this is an out-take photo from the one i posted on flickr [the top of my head is cut off, so it doesn't really show the HAIR]. but i haven't said HI here in awhile so HI!

see you soon!

MODify/d

2010-09-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

so here it is! the new biz i hinted to last week is..... [drum roll please!] MODify/d

my latest venture with my friend and partner Candice Gold. Candice worked in the high stakes NY fashion industry for years. we met over 10 years ago and consistently talked about doing something together that encompassed our values. she always hated all the waste that she saw in the garment business.... and i've definitely been on board with trying to re/use and be as eco-conscious as i can.... soooo.... last year we started thinking about how we could re/purpose and re/cycle damages, leftovers and samples - things that would normally be thrown away. we get oodles of stuff from white and warren and isda & co to turn into new stuff.

we've been making hats, fingerless gloves, pillows and endangered species stuffies ever since.... it's really fun to try and give new life to things. oh and i can mention that so much of what we work with is CASHMERE. ooohh ahhh soft and lovely.....

here's some other pics of what we do:

this bed isn't listed yet, but it will be soon.

so there you have it....
visit our site : MODify/d
our etsy store : etsy

if you want to know when we upload new stuff to our shop please follow us on twitter ! we'll be uploading new goodies to the shop the rest of the week !

releasing held breath now!

observations

2010-08-31T14:02:00.000-07:00

{this piece is for september's art in a box ! .}

O B S E R V A T I O N S

:: i'm still loving playing off of a reject letterpress print. the difference in texture between my hand the and the press still leaves me giddy. i don't think i'll ever tire of it.

:: everyone on a college campus walks w/ their phone in their hand either texting or reading email or more rarely talking on the phone. i'm surprised more people don't bump heads.

:: i forgot how excited i can get talking about line. i forgot how excited i get when students seem excited about how excited i am about line.

:: people are in a better mood when the sun is out like it should be in summer.

:: my exacto knife is one of my dearest friends right now.

:: i think i have given up entirely on procrastination. or at least almost given up on it. there simply isn't time.

:: i miss listening to music. more specifically:: we had the national on while cleaning this weekend and it made me realize how much i miss listening to entire records from beginning to end.

:: in class last week when i had finished touring the room i suddenly realized that might have been the most engaged with the most amount of people in the longest time. AKA part of my mind was not thinking about my own artwork or my daughter for the most amount of time in months.

:: going back to teaching as re-awakened the part of me that notices small details for other people, not just myself - and i like this. a lot.

:: i need to read some non-fiction again.

:: walking with the little has advantages like spotting cool things on the side of the road under signs labeled free. no idea what the above is, but we brought it home [and by we i mean the little on my shoulders and me carrying it]

:: launching big projects still gives me the butterflies. next tuesday. big project. launches.... me and a friend. we've been working on it almost a year. and tuesday we get to see if anyone cares. or is interested.

happy labor-less day and week to you and yours

bits :: funny hats and design projects

2010-08-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

the little put this hat on. it's a hat for a doll. and she refuses to wear any hat that i put on her head. but this hat - she just pulled it on and then went about her business in her room [her business is pulling things out of drawers and onto the floor. then attempting to fit into the drawer. then telling me the contents of the drawer and then putting the objects back into the drawer]. it just looked so funny on her head. kind of ska/rude boy-ish don'tcha think?

can i just tell you that she is really really funny? and as she gets older it seems like her personality gets bigger and bigger. she calls red fruits apples. and she knows they aren't apples. she just calls them that to be funny. she points with a big grin on her face at a strawberry or raspberry or grape and says "ahhh-pulll". and waits for us to say nooooooo that's not an apple.

and then there's the purple factor. she knows when something is purple. but purple is also the color she names when she's trying to figure out another color - or just because i think she likes saying purple. the last few days she smiles at me when she wakes up -points at my hand- and says mama - purple??? and i say no... i'm not purple. so she says yeh-low? and i say no... mama isn't really yellow - it's hard to say what color people are... so i point to her and say are you purple? and then she just giggles.

oh and then she's always on poop patrol in the backyard. POOP!!!! touch touch [waving her hands furiously no no] - clean ! - oi ya yoi yoi yoi ! [i say this to her when i clean her diaper]

i'm loving this age. i'm loving that her language skills are exploding - there are new words and new combos of words fast and furious. i love that she can actually tell me what she's thinking now - not always explicitly, but much more than even 2 weeks ago. i love that i can tell her what we are going to do and say OK? and she'll nod her head and say "kay!"

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for some reason i've been working on more graphic design projects lately. and i'm really happy with how they are coming out... so here's a peek:

a business card for a life coach/drama teacher who needed a dual sided card - english and her native german. she also wanted to use a fiddle head - but then we talked about how it might be nice to have a mature leaf too -

and then there's this logo [still working on collateral and a website]

for a new gallery space in SF. i'm super excited because the idea for that burst around the O came to me while brushing my teeth. and the client went for it ! i love when that happens.

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i picked up my keys and parking permit and chatted with the office staff at school today. i kept seeing all these freshman with their parents wandering around - like deer in headlights. i was trying to remember what it felt like to go away to college. how liberating and exciting and overwhelming it all was. i am excited to teach painting again. it's been awhile since i taught that so it will feel very fresh. i wonder who will show up to class. what my students will be like.

and now i'm wondering what i should wear.....

have a great friday!

in the weeds

2010-08-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

i think it was karen who wanted to see a picture of my vinyl cutting machine... above it is. it doesn't have a name... maybe it should. suggestions?

i'm using it for 2 purposes at the moment. i'm making an edition which i'll talk more about soon... and i'm making a series of doilies for the show i'm having in november at angels gate . the one all about deforrestation.

in one way this machine is saving me a ton of time/energy. it takes me so long to paint doilies on the wall and with decals i just get to stick them wherever i want. but there's been a learning curve with the machine.

trying to figure out the thickness that the doilies need to be so that they still look delicate but aren't a complete pain to weed has been a challenge. WEEDING - that's a whole thing too. weeding is the technical term for removing all the parts of the sticker so that the image is how you want it to be. it basically means sitting w/ an exacto knife and lifting all these areas off. in the end as far as for an installation - i'll save time in the space not having to paint all the doilies one by one. instead of having to be in the space for a week, i'm spending weeks prepping the stickers. it's a trade off. [the other good thing is that someone else can potentially do a doily installation for me now! woo hoo!]

it's also been a challenge figuring out how to set up the machine to cut at the right depth. too shallow and weeding is torture. too deep and it cuts through the design, not to mention the backing of the vinyl - which is no good.

i sit at night w/ my exacto on the floor [on a pillow] at the coffee table making doilies emerge. in a way it's a good metaphor for a lot of what is happening in my mind and in the studio. i've been thinking a lot lately about what i edit or remove and what i leave behind. in a sense it's basic composition, right? and everyone has their compositional tendencies. there's sort of a subtle difference for me in the trajectories of these actions. i can leave behind something that i'm not completely sure of - maybe in the end i'll remove it, but often if i let it sit it might make the cut. the process of editing for me, though, is much more cut throat. if i feel like something needs to be removed i often have this very strong impulse - like it MUST be gone now. fundamentally, though, i like this vinyl cutting process because it is about REMOVAL - what you take away ends up giving you an image. so often art making is about ADDITION - what you put down or add in order to make a final piece. it's nice to think about things from an opposite point of view.

when i sit there doing this mindless busy work my mind wanders. what do i "weed" out of my thoughts... which memories make the cut, which do i try to weed out, or allow to fade because they are hurtful or not as interesting? these days i feel like my brain is a jumble of plans, lists, obligations - i need someone to come in with the exacto knife and leave behind a pretty organized picture.

i am, though, really pleased at how i can make these look like they are hand generated. i did DRAW and scan them into the computer, but it's gratifying to see that the feeling translates. at least i think it does.

what else is going on in the studio?

i've been playing some more with the discards/leftovers of print runs. above is a piece for an upcoming auction that benefits the Rock Paper Scissors collective .

it's really freeing to "rescue" these. for whatever reason [not straight, off center, bad print, or simply an extra] they didn't make it into the edition, and i simply didn't have the heart to throw them away. i like just adding imagery on a whim. the kite... just because.... and little glowing clouds [thanks to interference paint, they do really have a sheen].

the countdown to the end of summer starts over here.... 2 weeks? yikes. shhhhh

if they were me

2010-07-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

if they were me, and i was you, and i was you... would you want a present too?
happy birthday happy birthday ! [name that band?]

my papa [grandpa] would have been 94 today. it's kind of ironic that my husband's birthday and his birthday are a mere 2 days apart. they have many similar characteristics.... one of my favorite being their sharp wit.

above is a little line drawing i did of him from a photo... it sits in my studio above my desk. pinned to a beautiful board made for me by sally shim .

anyway - when shanna asked me to write a memory about my grandparents a bunch of them came to mind. so i thought i'd share a bit more about papa on this his birthday.

so... he was big into safety [there were always signs in the car - fasten your seat belt!] and big big into teaching me things. he would always present me with some kind of puzzle or challenge to figure out. he was also always trying to get me to learn something in a fun way. as we used to drive around los angeles he would sing and have me spell out the names of street. P-I-C-O that spells pico! he'd mispronounce names to be funny [but still have me learn to spell them correctly] sep-pull-veeda for Sepulveda - al-U-min-eeum for aluminum.

he was a big whistler too. you could almost always hear him coming before you saw him. i don't remember him actually whistling too many tunes that you recognized, but it was just this constant sound. it was usually an upbeat rif... with some good gaps for wetting the lips and filling the lungs....

there was one song he created, that has stuck with me [with my whole family]. it's so simple, but it was so much fun to sing with him in the car. and i can't wait to sing it to the little in the car. i wish i could sing it to you here so you could hear the tune, but here are the words. it's all about stop lights:

when it's red on top it means STOP STOP STOP
when it's green below it means GO GO GO
when it's yellow in the middle means WAIT A LITTLE
and that's how the stoplights go.

happy birthday papa. i miss you.....

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the month of anyone being a guest on habit is almost up. i'm going to try to keep it up as i have been.

above is a shot from the studio yesterday. i looked down sort of shocked as normally there is so much color in my work. and here was all this black and white.... the drawings of tonka are for a show that's all about aesop fables - curated by the working proof - it will be at rare device in november. i'm trying to figure how big to make him, and if i want to embroider all or some of him... but i had to find the right pose first.... the other stuff is de-forestation based imagery [i think i hinted about this in another post awhile back?]. more on this soon.

enjoy your week everyone!

the rainbow connection

2010-07-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

the amazing project hereby to be referred to as the GREAT OFFICE CLEAN-UP or GOC has begun. it's in it's infancy, but it's happening. old anthropologie catalogs recycled, papers are being shuffled, re-organized, re-stacked. boxes are being moved into the studio where they will have to be shuffled, re-organized and absorbed into other boxes and the like. this phase 1 of cleaning resulted in 2 things. a bunch of sneezing, and the re-discovery of above.... plexi plastic samples that i garnered from somewhere. i love them. i think they'll have to go on the wall as art.

i have a thing for objects arranged by color [or in color scheme]. or things that are just plain colorful. i do. if it was considered an addiction i might need to seek professional help. hello my name is lisa and i'm a color-aholic. [miniature-aholic too].

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i just finished my piece for august's art in a box .

i have to say - art in a box has inspired me and allowed me to be a bit free in the studio. it's a singular piece [although sometimes i dig something out of my flat files or archives to put in] - it can be kind of quick, and whimsical, and doesn't have to fit into what i've been doing otherwise in the studio.

i dug out some of the letterpress prints that didn't make it into the edition . and just had fun on top of it. thanks to paper monkey press for the lovely letterpress work. [i always rub my finger over these prints with respectful glee].

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the rainbow here is on the right.... in the GOC i ended up recycling many a anthropoligie catalog, but not before tearing out a few sheets first.

how much would i love to just enter the scene on the left? so calm. so reflective. the detail of blue striping on the sides/front of that sofa slay me. and i still love birdcages. they haven't been overused for me ... at least not yet.... and that necklace? something about how wild and sophisticated it is simultaneously appeals to me.....

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and one last good thing:

shanna's garland decal in my studio. a sneak peek of my studio for you. a corner of it. more to come soon. i promise. the architect who built it was here the other day and took photo after photo of the outside... and i promised that come jan when all my shows are complete i will do a massive clean-up organization and photo the inside properly. that will be the GREAT STUDIO CLEAN UP .... in the meantime - get your own decal

13 minutes and counting

2010-07-06T14:54:00.001-07:00

oh mr. warhol, how did you know? how could you have possibly guessed that in the not too distant future with you tube and vimeo and all of the insane reality tv that we would all indeed have our 15 minutes of fame?

some of my domestic scene drawings are hanging in Kearny Street Workshop's office at the moment. they are calling it the KSW artist gallery. my work will be up through the end of august - so if you are wandering around folsom street you can visit them.

they also asked if i would answer some questions on camera for them. and i reluctantly said yes.... and now you can see me [purposefully NOT looking at the camera] blabbling away about the work in the show. i think if you read here regularly i won't be saying anything new, but hey.

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let's just look at more images of me shall we???

actually, though, this image was taken by katrina - the dress was made by her as well. she's exhibiting her amazing dresses project at theatre artaud in SF and i was lucky enough to catch it. you can too. read more about it on her blog and go before the show closes !

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thankfully there are no more pictures of me to show you

the other day i took some polaroids. and that felt SO good. it was like hanging out with an old lost friend.

this whole summer has felt a bit disjointed. it feels like there's a funk. i've chatted about it with a couple other people. it's not that anything is wrong or bad - for me it's just this rather odd feeling of uncomfortableness. and then the occasional feeling of malcontent [which is no where near as severe as unhappy]. it comes and goes as it pleases ill regard of the weather or what i'm actually doing.

maybe i should just give into it. maybe it's about all the stuff that's about to happen this fall. maybe it's about figuring out how to balance all this stuff. maybe it's because i'm worried about making sure all the i's get dotted and t's get crossed. maybe it's that i hate uploading things to sell on etsy [this is for a project i'm working on - more about this in another post]. maybe i'm too tied to my computer. maybe i'm missing the studio more than i want to admit. maybe i'm tired of cramming too many things into small chunks of time.

i'm thinking i should just stop worrying about it [ha!]. or maybe i should make a a good list like heather.

ok - here's a go :: how the little says K now when you ask her OK, cucumbers growing in the garden, rhubarb compote, homemade japanese curry, kittens that purr on your lap, the smell of cut grass, meet-ups with cute internet pals and their cuter children [hi christine hi sally ], dreaming of seeing alice neel paintings with julie , figuring out and working on a piece of art that is bigger than me, treats brought over by my parents, how the little says PA-PA and BA-BA with the biggest smile on her face... better now... happy weekend.....

the halfway mark

2010-07-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

i'm always a little befuddled when we make it through 1/2 of the year. this year i'm particularly remiss that i have YET to clean up the 2009 files from my office. cough. embarrassing but true. [the office continually ends up at the bottom of my list of things i must accomplish. maybe if i talk about it here i'll actually get to cleaning it].

last week was also no fun in the studio department. i just didn't get very much done. let's be honest and say almost NOTHING got done. this makes for a cranky me. it also stresses me out as i feel like i have that much more to catch up on.

i don't see deadlines the same way i used to. i can't pull all nighters right before one to finish everything up. i've become the the turtle. slow and steady. and so when i'm not on "pace" the butterflies start to gather.

i did make these necklaces for a couple of friend's birthdays.

sometimes making jewelry is just so much more rewarding and instantly gratifying than making anything else.

in another life i wish i was a jeweler - or a flower arranger. if you could have any occupation what might it be????????

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fun things in internet land:

ONE: whip up is doing a mini quilt-a-thon - and giving more copies of the mini quilts book away [see it on chronicle books].

TWO: my dear friend shanna is hosting a remember your granparents week on her blog. i was today's guest. read here

THREE: sadly i did not play along this year, but poppytalk just finished her summer color week . if you have time to kill go look at the flickr pool . such gorgeousness

FOUR:

i've been trying to keep up the habit on flickr.... but this month you can play along with habit . for all of july post your photos/words [30 or less] in the habit pool . molly and emily will pick participants. [this pool is another great way to waste some time]

hope everyone is well....

disbelief

2010-06-23T15:57:00.000-07:00

I CAN'T BELIEVE ::

:: it's almost july

:: the little is practically 1 1/2

:: i've been in my backyard studio for over a year [and have yet to show you the inside - sorry]

:: i return to teaching at the end of august

:: i've been good and haven't bought ANY SHOES in over a year

:: we harvested our own potatoes

:: i have to start researching preschools

:: that the little's vocabulary is basically growing by the day [heavy, try, cook, book, draw, car, key, cracker, apple, potato, pepper, juice, baby, shoe, sock, up, down, out, beep beep, cheese, noodle, pop [for toast], ball, block, purple, two, help, ouch, teeth, eyes, nose, ears, bubble, quack, e-i-e-i-o, ro-ro [for dog], mama, dada, papa [grandpa], ba-ba [ba-chan - japanese for grandma], tonka, ga-bo, nu-nu, muno [yo gabba gabba], dirty, trash, bird, byeee/bye bye, hi, spoon, bowl, more, please, hot, paper, pla toh [playdoh], diududududu [music], tall, hat, zo [for zo-san -elephant in japanese], sit, paw, food, tushie, feet, toes, night night, weeeee, row row [row row row your boat], poop, pee, happy....]

:: i can't remember the last time i went swimming

:: that i might get to go on 2 trips out of the country next year

:: that i have a big installation to figure out for november

:: i own my own vinyl cutting machine

:: i have no real desire to own an ipad

:: i've been able to mostly stay away from caffeine for over 2 years

:: that as of this month i've been blogging for SIX YEARS

:: that we once again have a 3 legged cat in our lives [and that i forgot how cute and rambunctious a kitten can be]

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notes on the images :: the beds on doilies are new drawings done on out takes of the print i did for artstream studios [see the print here ]. they are going to the compound gallery to be put in their art in a box subscription service.

the felt "pie" is something i'm working on for that november installation.

and meet lulu - our new kitten. she is incredibly sweet. and has 3 legs - just like chinaski

on my mind [what's left of it]

2010-06-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

i didn't mean to not post last week. but it was just one of those weeks - things just didn't seem to click into place and even though i knew it wasn't going to fit i kept trying to put that round peg in the square hole.

sometimes i think that it's when you get relief from something that you really realize how challenging something has been. for example the little has been sleeping through the night for months now and yet i still can't seem to catch up on sleep. it's almost as if my body now that it is getting some decent sleep is letting me know how bad the deficit actually was. and is.

people sometimes ask me what it's like to be an artist and a mom. this was something that i thought about - A LOT - before deciding to have a child. i knew that being a mom would become the most important thing and that i would have to learn how to juggle and struggle in new ways. in all honesty - it wasn't even possible for me to fathom how this would all work - even on my best days of guessing. there is no way to know what temperament your child will have [on a day to day basis let alone overall] - there is no way to know how you will respond to demands of parenthood. i was determined from the get go that i would still make art. and i'm managing to do that, but it feels like it's by the seat of my pants and the skin of my teeth.

this parenting thing is such a wonderful, heart wrenching, impossible, amazing, laughter inducing, tear generating [both the joyous and upset kind] most rewarding and difficult thing i've ever even attempted. and i think about the millions - the billions - of people out there who are parents. about the generations of people who have done this. how in some strange way we are genetically wired to do this. and it just boggles my brain. [what's left of it anyway. it's a known fact that you loose gray matter during pregnancy. you are supposed to get it back, but i think my brain cells are still missing].

my friend eireann sent along this incredible essay by Sara Vap on her son Oskar [and his cars]. it sort of says much of how i feel in a much more eloquent way. it's part essay, part poem, dense and authentic in a way that riveted me. this paragraph in particular really got to me:

What I could try to tell you is that in mothering, I’ve lost the mind that I had before. I’ve lost my solitude, my body, my privacy, my time, my concentration. Mothering, I have lost my seriousness, my access, my connection to, my inclusion. Mothering, I have lost my sleep, my dreams, my mornings, my nights, my money, my job, and my time with other adults and other poets. As a pregnant woman, as a nursing woman, as a mothering woman, I have lost nearly all of the ways and props and yearnings and communities that defined who I previously understood myself to be. What I mean is, I no longer remember or recognize myself, mothering as I am.

and so i think i am re-defining who i am. which is a weird thing to confront at this moment in my life. before the little i have to say i was pretty comfortable with my life, with my decisions, with my "place" in the world. and now that's all shifting and changing in ways i can't really describe. this isn't a good or a bad thing. it's just how it is. sometimes it's lonely. sometimes it's thrilling. sometimes it's tragically funny. and it certainly alters how i look at an interact with the world. it's interesting for me to think about how this is what i expect from the art that i engage with. i want it to change me, my view, my body, my heart somehow and in someway. and so life is art and visa versa [i know i know not a new statement it's just funny how it's so true]

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let's leave on a crafty note, shall we? a friend's wife is due any minute. they have decided not to know the sex of their wee one. so i made a sweater for the babe, and a matching sweater for the big sis [because i think the big kids sometimes get left out of the gift giving when a little one arrives]. hopefully they will fit. [if the big one is too little i guess it's a double baby present!].

the pattern came from lion brand [free as long as you give them your email address - but they don't send out solicitations unless you ask for them].

my first crocheted sweater. i made one for my little too. 3 green sweaters. i'm trying another one for the little in yellow. different pattern. we'll see how it goes.

have a lovely week.

art show... we're all going to the art show

2010-06-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

the little is a little obsessed with yo gabba gabba . i can't really blame her - cute characters, catchy songs [just watch party in my tummy ] - much hipper than sesame street. i know i know - she shouldn't even be watching TV - but... well... i'm not even going to try and excuse. i'm just going to admit that after watching the episode "art" like 5 times the song "art show" follows me around all day. i've woken up dreaming this tune [and other yo gabba gabba songs to be frank]. but i digress. i actually went to an art show today.

i knew there was a Louise Bourgeois show at gallery paule anglim . and then the news hit that she died [at 98] a couple of days ago. so i really really had to go.

LB [as she signed all the works in the show] is certainly one of my all time favorite artists [along with agnes martin , eva hesse , ruth asawa and too many others to list, but these ladies are always near the top].

i'd be stupid not to acknowledge her influence in my own work.

the show? not some of my most favorite LB work i've seen. called "mother and child" the show was fully of birthing imagery - lots of red [blood]. lots of multiples [interesting print techniques and embroidered signatures - which i loved] - but not really anything that really sang to me like THIS WORK . but....

this piece i really liked.

and am i glad i went? of course. LB's line quality is always nice to behold. the paring down to the bare minimum of what you need to present a face. to express really raw, powerful, tangible emotions through minimal marks is always inspiring.

plus i kind of walked around saying goodbye. bye new work. we'll only get to visit your legacy now. and for that incredible legacy i'm grateful.

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i broke down and bought myself the digital harinezumi . i just needed to give in and do something nice for myself and have a new toy to play with. so far pretty fun.

it's so nice to have the sun back here. we had a couple of very odd winter storms [in MAY?] which were rather depressing. the weather doesn't usually get to me, but this did. does weather effect you?

happy week.

whip-up mini quilt book + * gIvEAwaY !! *

2010-05-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

edit:: hello hello -- #17 - robayre . you won! yay. thanks for playing along everyone. i'll be back later this week with a post

so of course you all know kathreen the supreme editor extraordinaire of whip-up [your one stop site for all things crafty]. well she asked if i would come up with a mini-quilt design for her book. and so i did.

and somehow my target pillow design ended up on the cover [not sure how that happened. i think it's the pug]. i'm especially excited because i've been the hugest fan of chronicle books forever. and to be IN one? well.... it's as nicely designed as all chronicle books tend to be.

see - spiral bound to lay flat and a cute pocket to hold all your patterns.

my quilt/pillow is in the "punk" section. tee hee !

my project is double sided. this is the colorful orange side. and a HUGE shout out goes to lara cameron for the fantastic fabrics !

they don't really show this side in the book:

this is the side that looks more like the target art that i made

kathreen said she really wanted me to try and make some of my art into a quilt. she mentioned she liked the target pieces - and so... i tried it ! i'm no expert sewer - so... i'm kind of amazed it all worked out. you can garner more info on the book [and more on all the fantastic contributors] at whipup.net

you can purchase the book through chronicle books

or on amazon

BUT.... chronicle has graciously given me a book to GIVEAWAY. so comment here if you are inclined to win one. i'll draw a winner at random on june 1st..... happy sewing!

viruses and toxins and art fairs

2010-05-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

would this post title ever be a google search? hmmm

i drove to san francisco in our bizarre may winter rainstorm today to drop off some work for the san francisco fine art fair that is happening this weekend.

above in a new doily toxin piece. [remember the other doily toxins i did with aurora robson for our show in jan 2008 ?].

when gwen wrote about imidacloprid i knew i had to draw it. so i finally did. and i decided it was time to start adding some other 3D elements to my work. so i busted out the felt stash and the pins.i was really excited because the molecular structure included a hexagon - so it's a direct visual correlation to a honeycomb. i love coincidences like that.

i'm actually kind of excited about this piece. often i end up liking, not liking, rejecting, liking again and then ultimately being unsure about a piece. but this one i just like. even as time has passed and it's been hanging in my studio. i still like it. that's a rare thing.

i also took some new virus drawings. same idea - but instead of toxins i'm representing the viruses with doilies. [after the little got RSV this winter i had viruses on the brain.] i can't seem to shake this thing that i do - representing something ugly/scary/unyielding in a hopefully beautiful way. i wonder if this is my shtick. what i will continue to research and do my entire art life. i guess we'll see huh?

anyway - here are the drawings. my work can be seen in richard levy's booth and in walter maciel's booth at the fair [which is at Fort Mason in San Francisco]. if anyone wants free passes i might be able to garner you some. send me an email....

[this one i'm particularly fascinated by - mostly because i had to configure the doily into a strange shape -- and because of the dots. it makes the doily harder to "read" - i'm interested in this idea].

when i was dropping off the work i had flashbacks to my gallery working days. it was always really fun, but also stressful, to do a fair. so much work. so little time. so much standing. by hour 3 i would have all the prices to all the pieces hanging in the booth flying out of my mouth rapid fire. by hour 6 you knew which pieces would garner the most questions - and you stopped counting how many times you answered the same question. my old bosses girlfriend and i would count THE fashion item of the season opening night [or the outdated faux paux]. 46 fendi bagette bags [12 pashima's with fringe]. there are aspects i miss about that life, but there are also things i don't !

have a good week!

this art + behold

2010-05-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

hello there. the other day heather posted this on her flickr ... hey did you know i make art? it's true. i feel the same way. not sure why. but it feels like i haven't talked about or posted any art "for reals" in a while. i'm not feeling really chatty, but i can show you some stuff i've been up to.

these are sketches that i worked on a few weeks back. you can see them in their entirety and read more about me/them on this joy + ride

i was a bit apprehensive about showing them. but then sheri and shari were so nice about them. thanks ladies. i'm honored to amongst a list of such inspiring folks.

i also decided to put them up on the beholder . i did a bit of cleaning up around there too. old sold stuff gone.... more changes to come hopefully in the next few weeks.

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my grandma would have been 92 today. every morning i look at her picture . and today i'm thinking about all she gave me . both physically and mentally. i miss her [in a really good way].

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next week i have to deliver some work to galleries for the san francisco art fair . some new work ! show you soon.....

happy mother's day

2010-05-09T09:52:00.000-07:00

to all the moms - moms to be, moms of pets, and anyone who just feels like a mom :)
enjoy today. i hope someone is doing something special for you.

i get cupcakes :)

l o v i n g

2010-05-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

i discovered a hummingbird nest right outside our front door. it is the most amazing thing ever! it's so small and cute. i keep checking on it all the time. today mama bird was out of the nest a lot. sitting right next to it. but she didn't really leave it. i don't want to check and see if there are any eggs in it because i don't want to wreck it. so i don't know if the eggs are there, if they are going to be there or if she's scoping out the scene and will be mad that i'm always looking at her. there's a male bird that hovers around occasionally and it looked like today he brought a snack to the female.

i was trying to point it out to the little - she LOVES birds... and i think she spied it... we'll see if she remembers it tomorrow.

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and now - things that i'm coveting.... just because....

japanese sugar molds [kashiga]

this one is courtesy of this etsy shop. i can't remember where i first spied these, but i'm totally smitten. i really like the plainer more abstract ones - or the simple floral ones like this

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i need another camera like i need a.... hole in my head?? yeah. but i do want this one. digital. toy. japan. takes videos. need i say more? go look at what it can do here's a flickr group .

i think freestylephoto has the best price i've found....

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lag scarf detail, originally uploaded by UNIFORM natural.

i got this scarf for hubby's mom for mother's day. martha is a genius. see her store for yourself.

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the shop has been updated!, originally uploaded by house on hill road.

someday i will get a camera strap made by erin. 1. because they are beautiful. 2. because i hate my boring black camera strap with NIKON plastered all over it 3. because i never will get around to making my own. 4. because even if i did make my own it wouldn't turn out as nice.

but you have to be quick because they sell out of her shop fast !

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i got a new piece of equipment for the studio today. but i didn't have enough time to set it up. hopefully i can get it running in the next few days. i'm so excited about it. but i'm not saying anything else. not yet.....

have a great week!

this is a pubilc service announcement [without guitars]

2010-04-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

[name that band?]

so liam is lynn's [of satsuma press] son. and he needs a new bathroom. and a whole bunch of creative folks are giving away stuff to help make it happen. [i'm donating an underdog tote and T] so go.... read more about it - and donate. and then spread the word.

happy belated birthday liam.

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this last week was one in which a lot and nothing seemed to happen simultaneously. have you had one of those weeks? where there is HUGE news - good news - good times - and somehow you are simultaneously befuddled and tired and so not as much got done as it should. yup. it was that.

the REALLY good news?? my folks have moved to my hood to be closer to their one and only granddaughter. i'm so thrilled about this - for her ! - for me ! - for them ! this is so utterly cliche, but, having a child has given me a new found respect and frankly a healthy dose of AWE for my own parents. my heart melts every time i hear the little say "ba-ba" and "pa-pa" with a big smile on her face....

and in the studio? i'm starting to feel some pressure. i have a couple of shows looming in the not to distant future and i really have to get working on those. one of the shows is going to be my take on deforestation. which means i have a lot of doily trees to crochet. i was giving myself the last few weeks "off" to try and gear up - but honestly i can't procrastinate anymore.... here we go, here we go, here we go.

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and i just have to show you these. hubby grew them. fava beans are so good. especially these young "new" ones. no need to shell the inner pod. some olive oil, some garlic. oh good. just the right hint of bitter.....

happy last week of april to you [yikes]

unexpected

2010-04-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

i was the unexpected guest today on sf girl by the bay .

i'm blushing a bit at the nice things that victoria had to say. and then i'm blushing at some of my silly answers to her questions. especially when i read martha's UE post or elisabeth's UE post or many of the other unexpected guests .

i do like seeing how someone else puts my life/photos together, though. and victoria is a master stylist....

above is an image of the japanese buddha souvenir i talked about. i can't believe it's from 2 years ago. i can almost still feel the burn from climbing all the stairs to see the nihonji daibutsu .

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i've been keeping up the habit ! over on flickr . thank you habit blog . i'm really going to try and keep it up.

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i've been thinking a lot about language. the little is really really trying to communicate. her vocabulary is slowly growing. i've told you about "out out". she also says "up up" a lot. almost everything with her comes in doubles. she's just starting to say more - "mo mo" and of course there is no - "no no" - complete with waving hand gesture. what is fascinating to me, though, is how many ways she can use her limited vocabulary to make me understand what she wants. "up up" - she says this while climbing up stairs : when she wants to GO upstairs because she's tired and ready for sleep : when she lifts something off the ground : when she wants the lid off of a jar or tupperware : when she wants me to pick her up or put her on the couch... i really wish i could understand her "gibberish" - she says "bye-bye" and then a whole slew of "words" when we say goodbye to the park, or to buses, or the outside - it sounds like the same sentence to me - i wonder what it means to her.....

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p/s thanks for the tiny showcase support. in these economic times i'm happy that people find room in their budgets to support art. if you are interested, there are some prints left ....

happy week to everyone.

2 things + this spring

2010-04-06T11:53:00.000-07:00

OK. so i'm busy blasting this news all over the place - so one more time !!
one down 2 to go.... the lungs launched last april and now....

either the heart or the brain will be on Tiny Showcase TONIGHT as this week's print.

launch is scheduled for approx. 7:30pm eastern / 4:30 pm pacific time.

i've chosen the San Francisco SPCA as the charity - so they will receive $250 from the proceeds of the sale.

[something is compelling me to say in my best TV salesman voice - "collect all 3 ! " - or if you missed out on the lungs - collect 2 !]

tiny showcase is such a cool organization - they are always a joy to work with. thanks for having me again guys.

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promo: Rare & Unreleased from timothy buckwalter on Vimeo.

opening on Saturday is "rare + unreleased". i was asked to help go through these amazing archives of work. several hours and sneezes [archives are dusty] later we pulled together a show. all i can say is there were over a dozen pieces that i wanted to buy and take home personally. there were a lot of oh oh ohs and oh my gods being uttered as we went through stacks and stacks of work. come check it out if you can ! [i plan on being at the opening for a short spell after the little's nap on saturday]

from the PR:
more  than  80  works  culled  from  the  National  Institute  of  Art  and  Disabilities' (NIAD)  extensive  archives  by  12  Bay  Area  artists,  writers,  gallery  owners  and  curators.  Organized  by Timothy Buckwalter , "Rare & Unreleased" is on view from April 5 through June 4 at NIAD, 551  23rd  Street  in  Richmond.  Opening  reception  is  Saturday,  April  10  from  2:00  –  5:00  pm.  More information is at www.niad.org

other curators:

John Casey
Heidi De Vries
Cliff Hengst
Kimberly Johansson
Helena Keefe
Phil Linhares
Mike Monteiro
Josue Rojas
Brian Stetchschulte
Canan Tolon
Mark Taylor
John Zurier

i can't wait to see how they installed all the art we picked

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it's definitely feeling springy. although we had a bit of winter come back with some very very cold and rainy [and hail!] weather.

but i wanted to write a spring manifesto - inspired by

"52" + a new home

2010-03-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

so - this blog has a new home. after 5 years hosting it on an outside server blogger no will no longer support FTP. so i migrated the blog here : lisasolomon-musings.blogspot.com . the upside? you can now "follow" me if you are so inclined. and i can monkey with a new template if i ever put my mind to it. the downside? thousands of comments lost. gone. woosh. they exist on the old blog - which i'm keeping up for posterity's sake - and i have copies of all the comments - but it does kind of suck to have them missing here. oh well. technology. it's never perfect.

above is an image of one of the works i recently sent off.

i'm in a show across the pond - hello England ! :)

it's curated by calm air all ice - which is the lovely claire [with whom i share a thing for planes] and the ever wonderful camilla .

"52" [it's a show of 52 of their favorite artists - like a deck of cards !]
at
room 212 gallery
Gloucester Road
Bristol

opens march 31 with a special preview opening 6-8 pm

gallery open:
12-4pm Wed- Fri and from 12-5.30pm on Saturday April 2

i admit - i'm a little obsessed with 3 at the moment. i can't help it. these were started way back when, but only recently finalized and finished. they were actually started in my old studio.... ah memories.

they are small - 4x6 in size.... i was testing some ideas out. those ideas have kind of fallen by the wayside, but who knows. maybe they'll make a resurgence.

anyway -- i'm sure there will be great photos of the show, but if anyone lives in bristol and can make it... well... i'm jealous. i wish i could skip over there. be sure and check out calm air all ice for a full list of artists. and interviews from many of us.

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it's my last week on habit . above is an out-take. to blur or not to blur? i've been playing more with my camera - using more of the manual settings. trying different f-stops. different ISO's. blurring, not blurring..... it's been really great. thank you habit. i think i might have to keep up the idea of habit - a photo - a day - 30 words or less... i'll just do it on flickr . i used to do that more often, but with the little photo taking has definitely lost placement on the priority list. but perhaps that needs to change.....

we're supposed to have more rain this week. today there are big puffy white clouds. so pretty.

spring has sprung

2010-03-22T14:46:00.001-07:00

i apologize for my lack of a post last week....we are having some pretty glorious weather round here. makes up for the 7th round of sickness that we've been dealing with. to say that this winter has been brutal in the sick department would be an understatement. it might be safe to say that i have intimately known almost every virus that has floated around this winter. i'm happy it's spring because i'm hopeful that it means the end to the cold season. i'm not holding my breath because if a spring cold comes around chances are we'll get it, but it's nice to be hopeful.

with all this great weather the little is frantically using her favorite word - out. she says it double time. out out. and with a canadian accent. [not sure why but it's true]. basically from the minute she wakes up until the end of her day she'll go to any exit or window and emphatically request out out - out out. it's really cute - except for when you have to tell her - i'm sorry we just came in from out out - or no - we have to stay in in now. what a pathetic and sad face she sometimes makes. occasionally she'll even whimper "out out" "out out". if she could figure out a way to stay outside all the time i think she would.

last week i had the immense pleasure and treat to spend the afternoon with martha of uniform natural . she came out to my studio and we sat and chatted. my parents were here and so our visit was peppered with interruptions from the little, but mostly we were able to discuss art and process and making in a really lovely way. martha is incredibly astute and sincere in her observations and questions and responses [as if you had any doubt about that]. i could feel my body and mind viscerally responding - reverting to familiar territory - thinking more academically and speaking about one's intentions and ways of making in a meaningful and purposeful way.

highlights from our talk: the differences between architecture and art [some of them anyway - revolving around the idea that architects must be more concerned aware of public safety and more concerned about "client satisfaction"] ann hamilton , tara donovan , my desire to visit the walker , and how architects have an incredible ability to accurately access situations/people, and how they are so aesthetically put together [best clothes and glasses. always].

i am so grateful to the internet for providing the means for this to happen.

and so - i have to get cracking. i have a statement to concoct, a website to update, artwork to tackle, dishes to wash, a studio visit to prepare for.... i'm still hoping to write a spring manifesto . happy tuesday!

a WINNER ** and a habit

2010-03-11T08:46:00.000-08:00

the random.org number generator picked 44. which turns out to be this is yellow .

please contact me and i'll get your doily shipped out to you!

i just want to say how LOVELY it was to read the enthusiasm about this project. and how great it was to see and "meet" some new to this blog peeps. and i wish i had enough doilies to give to everyone because i loved the thoughts on where everyone would put them. i think i'm going to work on making a limited edition set of small vinyl doilies so hopefully anyone who wants them can have them. doilies all over the world in all sorts of places is a daydream i'd love to make a reality. it's a matter of production - where, how much, etc. but i am starting to research. if anyone has any ideas/thoughts/leads on this, i'd love to hear them.

i've been working on a new idea in the studio. here's a first sketch of said idea. well actually it's the backside of said sketch. i always love the backside of embroidery. so much that sometimes i show it as the front. in this case that probably wouldn't make sense, but out of habit i always turn something over when i'm done working on it to see what it looks like. almost every time i like it just as much or MORE than the front.

i don't know if it's the surprise, if it's just that there's so much evidence of process, if it's the random mess...

the problem with this idea of mine is that one piece will most likely not stand alone. and i'm not sure what kind of fabric to use. this idea stems from my desire to actually do something SUPREMELY minimal with thread - simple. clean - but with a hidden meaning/agenda if you choose to look for it. i just don't know if it's going to translate yet.

on that note. i should try and sketch out another one. maybe on another fabric just to try it out....

have a great weekend !

my sol lewitt moment + a give-a-way

2010-03-03T20:45:00.000-08:00

so.... i didn't really want to talk about this beforehand because i had NO IDEA how it was going to turn out. i got to have a sol lewitt experience. when i was asked to be in depth of surface at san francisco state the gallery director asked me to have a visionary moment outside of the building.

he said : we have a vinyl cutting machine. you make doilies. we'd love to make vinyl doilies and stick them all over the entrance doors. we have tons of students who can work on this. game?

heart racing as i had wanted to do this for years - in fact i researched getting vinyl doilies but couldn't afford to get them cut... i quickly said yes.

so several emails and an map i generated in illustrator later.... voila. they did it. and not only did they do it - they did it ALL over the building.

including the bathroom [that's me in the ladies room up top]. god i love enthusiastic students. so much. i feel blessed. i want to do this again and again in a big way. how to fund it? find the buildings to do it to? i don't know. but i want it. i could get used to being sol ... giving directions .... having it come together .... mmm hmmmm

and the other piece? i added wall drawings and crochet and felt bits around it ....
[sorry it's just not as exciting as the vinyl, huh?]

here are all the install shots [this is a pictobrowser image viewer - so it might not show up in a feedreader?]

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

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and the give-a-way? well - they gave me some extra doilies. so comment here with where you'd want to put one if you had one and i'll pick a winner next thursday :: 3/11.

an installation and other stuffs

2010-02-24T13:55:00.000-08:00

i'm a bit tired of being sick. i'm battling illness number 5 this winter. more accurately WE'RE battling illness number 5 as the little has been super ill. this one was kind of a doosy - i won't go into details - but let's just say that some things make you realize that there is no place like home - even if there are piles of laundry and taxes to do. [never in a million years would i have guessed i'd be happy to see tax paperwork]

so... last year this 7' drawing was on exhibition at a gallery. this year i've taken this drawing and added some more wall elements to create an installation for a show opening this Saturday - the 27th - at the fine arts gallery at San Francisco State University.

the opening is from 1-3 and i'll be there ! come say hi - if you are around. the other artists in the show are really great : Julie Chang, Victor De La Rosa, Jennifer Ferré, Dustin Fosnot, Taraneh Hemami, Andrea Higgins, Ernest Jolly, Katie Lewis, Mung Lar Lam, Victoria May, Ali Naschke-Messing, Francesca Pastine, Anthony Ryan, Jeremy Chase Sanders, and Jina Valentine. [you'll notice some cross pollination with the by a thread show at the ICA in San Jose]

this is the drawing that was all about me being pregnant - here's the skinny on it.

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this is just because it's too cute not to share....

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this is the outfit that i wore to the ICA talk on feb. 11th. gwen said she wanted to see it. so here it is. vintage dress....

and i also have to thank gwen as she sent a fantastic box [she always sends lovely packages].

in it was a valentine robot for the little. who immediately said ooh ooh and hugged it.... how cute is that?? gwen was kind enough to post a tutorial on how she made it so you can make one too. nothing like robot love . i'm happy that even though it's not mine, i get to hug it too !

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and one more thing to note: on saturday i start a month long stint over at habit .

if you have yet to see habit then you really should take a gander. the brain child of emily and molly it's a lovely place to stop and behold.

i'm so honored to be asked and be amongst such amazing company

i have to dust off my camera and try to take some good pictures. nothing like a bit of pressure, no?

see you soon.

art crushes and a poem [not by me]

2010-02-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

so... the by a thread art talk?? well.... i got to sit in between two art crushes of mine -

lauren dicioccio

i really love all her work, but these hand embroidered organza "plastic bags" are just SO delightful.

AND

victoria may

none of the images on her site do her work justice. i particularly love the concrete and thread/organza pieces - like this one .

it's always a treat to meet artists that you have admired and have them be as wonderful as their work. it doesn't ALWAYS work that way - so when it does - well - it's icing on the cake.

a lot of familiar words were batted around: fragility, domestic, mundane, mending, nostalgia, lineage, notion... we all answered why we use thread in our work. i was next to last and really had very little to add on the topic after so many thoughtful responses [which were all interesting to hear]. the dreaded "c" word came up - yet again. i'm talking of CRAFT, of course. i'm not going to extensively rant about this here as i think this topic has been covered numerous times by folks far more intelligent than me, but... here's the short version of what i think....

i'm always disheartened when people continue to want to push a hierarchical divide between art + craft. one artist in particular was speaking about it's all about intention. in essence i can agree to that since ever since duchamp pointed his magic art wand and declared things art - you can "intend" almost anything into art. but i also feel that art can be born even where it WASN'T intended - in some ways it's art even if someone else intends it. this artist also spoke about how they felt that you discover "truth" and "something about yourself" while making something as an artist that you don't while making "craft" [i'm really generalizing here but you get the idea]. honestly - i think that's a load of bull. i think there is "art" that is fantastic/horrid and "craft" that is fantastic/horrid and that you can have an "art moment" [aka epiphany] in front of anything that you please - be it art/craft/utilitarian item. trying to separate them into these meaningful and ultimately elitist categories seems so 20th century [i'm being facetious here - kind of]. i always want my art to be well crafted and my craft to be artful. to me it's not about if macaroni art is "art" or gees bend quilts are "craft" - it's about what moves you in some way in any given moment [and that movement doesn't need to be like or love either]. enough said.

but speaking of said... lindsay sent me a poem that she said was inspired by my work. she writes a poem a day as an exercise [ah how i love daily rituals] and she sent it to me....

She ties the tightest knots,
practices first with her sister
who calls it cat's cradle,
but it's too easy diving her fingers in, out and through,
so she moves on to the living room,
tying the arm of a chair to its leg,
then a chair to another chair,
then a loveseat, a table, a lamp, a book shelf,
the thread like spider silk
that threatens to tangle in ankles
and the cuffs of unlooking pants.

Eventually,
she slips a needle through the patterned wallpaper,
and ties the chairs to the walls,
holding the room to itself.

i loved cat's cradle when i was a child - although i didn't have a sister to play with... how much do i love that last thought... holding the room to itself? so much. thank you thank you lindsay.

her website
her blog

i will blab + a wee bit of spring

2010-02-09T20:12:00.000-08:00

this piece is in an exhibition called by a thread which opened friday at the san jose institute for contemporary art .

there is an artist talk on thursday night and i will be there. first standing by my piece to answer any questions about it [they mandate this!] and then as part of a panel talking about the exhibition. if anyone is in the south bay and wants to see me wiggle and squirm in front of my piece - i'll be there!

this is an older piece of mine. they are all self-portraits - the images of me i collected when i went to visit my parents. they were all wallet sized photos - and thus the title of the piece is "wallet sized me". i'm showing the wrong side [back] of the embroidery. the side you don't see is actually neatly stitched. there are a couple reasons for this - one of which is just to reveal what is normally hidden.

this was my passport photo when i was 2.

and some press :: i'm the blog beautiful feature in uppercase magazine issue 4 - thanks martha . uppercase is really really really a beautiful publication. they do a bang up job.

and just because :: the plum trees are blossoming all over the place. i brought a few branches in to make it feel like spring.

i took this photo using my iphone and the hipstamatic app . man is that a fun app to play with.

hope everyone is having a good week. today there were blue skies and big fluffy clouds. fluffy clouds always make me happy.