Lisa's Musings

as a lover of all things mini it is my honor and pleasure to be a part of the 7th Enormous Tiny Art Show happening at Nachotta Gallery .

i made 10 new domestic scene pieces for the show.



this is the one i sneak peeked a few posts back. i started this pulling the thread along the outer edges of my work in the pigmentary portraits series.

i'm really fascinated by this process. formally and technically and well... i just am. part of me really wants to get all joseph albers or agnes martin and JUST explore the use of thread in a colorway and structured pattern. get all minimalist. part of me likes the fusing of this process with what i'm already doing. i wonder if i have the guts to drop everything and just rely on the thread to do its magic. i should really just force myself to try it...



the other think i'm trying to do is add even MORE of a 3D element to the work. so i crocheted this doily from a single strand of thread and have pinned it on top of a hand drawn version of the doily...



i'm also pinning felt shapes to things.



from head on it's hard to tell that one chair actually juts out into space.



this whole series is me thinking about our new family dynamic. for example the pattern in the piece above is from slovakian wallpaper - my husband's heritage is part slovakian... there are pieces with japanese elements too.



you can see the whole set of them on my flickr site [where you can enlarge them if you are contact of mine too].

you can also see them - and all the AMAZING WORK by the tremendous list of artists at the ETA website. you can also purchase artwork directly from the site if you are so inclined.

now it's time to go back into the studio to make the next group of work for the next show. big breath. and we begin again.

hope everyone is well!

Labels: art

thank you so much for all the first birthday wishes... oh yes there was cake - homemade poppyseed with buttercream frosting... and there were cucumber sandwiches too. it was a lovely afternoon. and then we ALL got sick. one by one every. single. person. that came to the party. it was not food poisoning, but a really wicked stomach virus. oh dear. [hence no post this last week].



i thought i would share with you my vintage boston egg shaped pencil sharpener. it is my friend and companion in the studio. i think maybe gwen would like it.



it has been raining incessantly here. if we didn't need it so badly i might start complaining. i actually really like rain - the smell, the sound, the feel. but days and days in a row and we get a little stir crazy. the little gets VERY stir crazy. any break and you'll find us wandering around outside with an umbrella bundled up so she can look at some flowers and cars and birds.

this morning, i glanced over at the buddha in our garden and it looked like he had just had a good cry. i like that idea.



and finally some funny art.... i was asked to do a drawing for dogs in school an exhibition. [visit the website to learn about why dogs in school].

i immediately thought of tonka as a dunce. couldn't help myself really. i think he might complain and say he's no dummy, but... he doesn't talk - only snores and snarfles, so he really has no say i'm afraid.

Jan 30-Feb 25, 2010 at Screaming Sky Gallery in Portland OR

art sales benefit project grow

tomorrow i'm driving down to monterey to be interviewed for a video that companions another show i'm in. no idea what to wear. no idea what i'll say. sigh. hopefully my hair will cooperate.....

more soon i have LOTS of new art to share. made 10 pieces for ETA 7 .

Labels: art, colorcolor, life

i knew she wouldn't wear it for more than 2 seconds. but i wanted to make it anyway. maybe it will end up in a box. maybe we'll take it down next year and see if she'll wear it then. maybe it will become part of a celebratory tradition.

maybe not. it doesn't really matter.

detritus from the making.



her first taste of something sweet with gooey icing. carrot cupcake. one candle. i sang happy birthday over and over and she would smile. maybe next year she'll know what it means.

it's hard to believe a whole year has passed.

i can still picture your tiny tiny face, eyes closed, pink and blue striped hat, bunny blanket, wrapped like a papoose, held over my head, hovering - like an angel. your eyes opened for a brief second before they swept you away.

and now you are one. wow. and we celebrate with family this weekend. your second taste of cake.... and more singing.

happy birthday my dear sweet not so little girl.

Labels: colorcolor

first - thanks for all the kind comments about my cat. the little and i spied a creme orange tabby like chini today and it flooded me with love [longing too, but mostly love]....

is it just me or is this year off to some kind of crazy start? only 9 days into january and i'm feeling some strange buzz. i've already started to make color coded lists [kind of sparked by the fact that i'm using this calendar this year], and i'm already kind of overwhelmed. it might be that i'm in 3 group shows in february and i'm trying to juggle finishing the work, framing it, shipping, installation plans, etc. etc. plus there were a couple of studio visits, some work emails to attend to now that the holidays are no longer an excuse not to reply, last minute [late] presents to get and wrap and send and.... and... and....

i'm tired just typing about it.

but you don't want to hear about that. but i got nothing - no good photos, no good stories, no deep thoughts [at least none that i can formulate in a way that makes any sense].

so you get a stuffed giraffe. it's a late holiday gift for a friend's child. pattern from lion brand . i made his neck longer because i wanted him to be goofier. and he is goofy isn't he? there is something inherently relaxing about crocheting for me. i wish i had the time to make a big blanket like jen . someday. what i do need to do is start some doily trees. soon. i may need to get help making some. but that will be another post.

happy weekend to you. it's freezing here [relatively speaking for california]. hubby said indian food for dinner tonight? and i can't wait. drooling already.

Labels: life, softie, zakka

there is something really satisfying about eating home grown vegetables. my hubby is doing such an amazing job with the garden. we have carrots to last us all winter. they will only get bigger and sweeter as the weeks pass.

i think that the garden is my first metaphor for 2010. it needs tending, it produces amazing things if you care for it properly [or sometimes even if you don't], it changes - day by day, season by season, it is fulfilling and hard work....

we had a bit of a sad ending to our year.



we had to say goodbye to our kitty chinaski [you can read about him in this old post]. the above photo kind of sums him up. even sick he would purr and talk back if you talked to him [and his purr was this motor, luscious, vibration]. he would always outstretch his paw to touch you if you came near.

all pets are special to their owners. but chini - he was also special to our neighborhood. everyone knew the three-legged cat. he was best friends to major [i hope they are hanging out together now eating popeye's chicken]. people would come and talk to me about how much they loved him. the mayor of our block. a once in a lifetime cat.... such a trooper. such a good good soul.

at the end and beginning of years we reflect so much... i keep reading wonderful summations of the year past. i can't seem to package each of my months nicely in a few memories. in some ways the days and weeks and months have become one long blur - and yet in other ways there are distinct and clear moments of joy, excitement, sadness, newness, fear - of being ALIVE. i can't help but think that it is these extremes that keep us spinning, and as we see saw from one to the other we get to dance a little in the space between - reflect in moments of calm, and catch our breath for the next bit.

a happiest of new years to everyone. may 2010 bring exactly what you want and need and are capable of handling.

Labels: pets, ramblings

hello everyone ! quick post as we've all come down with a cold here at casa lisa. sigh. it's not a bad one, but we've got the munchkin squeek sneeze/cough from the little, the soprano cough/snot noises from me and the bass snot/cough from hubby covered.

i just wanted to pop in and say hope that you and yours have a wonderful holiday and the best new years possible. i think i'm going to take a break from posting here until 2010 [but will hopefully have a minute to catch up with you all out there]. and while we did not get holiday cards done in time this year, there IS a new years card. and it will definitely go out to anyone who sent us a card :).

this year has been an incredible whirlwind with so much shifting and changing. i'm forever grateful to all my friends and family. and to everyone here. to everyone that reads, stops by, says hello, never comments, emails, stands on their heads, whatever. thank you for being a part of this community in any way shape or form.





for more on my holidays [and a host of other artist's holiday ideas too] see stephanie levy's advent calendar


see you soon.

Labels: holiday

it's feeling a bit more holiday-ish around these parts. i managed to get the mantle decorated during a naptime. after all it's our first christmas as a family of 5 [i'm including the dogs and cats]. surprisingly i even have the urge to listen to some sappy holiday music. so i downloaded some. i tried to find versions by bands/people i like [sufjan stevens, mew, arcade fire] if i like what i found i'll share.... i'll try and share some photos of holiday trimmings soon too.

i was poking around the studio the other day working working working when i opened up one of my doily books and the above envelope/article slipped out. i stopped in my tracks - seeing my grandmother's writing brought a tear to my eye. she used to send me clippings from the LA times, or just random things that she thought i'd be interested in. this article was about an art fair in LA. i know i took it to the studio and read it, and then placed it the book. and then years later here it was. i'm glad i found it. it made me feel as though i was sitting with her for a moment. in the studio she helped me build. it was a nice feeling.

so what am i working on, you ask?



there's a sneak peek. i'm working on some small pieces for the enormous tiny art show in february.

i'm excited. trying out some new stuff mixed with some old ideas. the small format is perfect for experimenting. somehow i feel like i can "see" easier when i work small. these are 5"x5" squares. oh so cute.



[this photo has nothing to do with what i'm about to say. taken on a walk with the little. cold almost winter day. made me think of shari and her pond. ]

so here i am waiting for a studio visit. i'm hungry. get my plate ready. turn on the TV [oh what a luxury]. switch on charlie rose. hello jeff bridges. hello maggie gyllenhaal. oh you have a new movie.

i am convinced charlie rose is a prophet. why you ask? well there was the time in a late night stupor cate blanchet got me started on atrophy [read the post - also around the holidays? here . when i re-read it i realized that i used to write longer and more philosophical posts. hmmm] OK - so maybe it's not mr. rose per se - but i watch the show and somehow things get discussed in a way that shoots to the core of my being. i immediately think - i was JUST pondering that.

today? jeff bridges mentioned fear. fear as the equivalent of fire. how you can warm your feet by the fire and it can simultaneously burn your house down. indeed. feeling a bit fearful about work in the studio and lack of work for money this resonated. then maggie gyllenhaal talked about how her role in this film [ crazy heart ] made her feel vulnerable. how she used to think that you had to be strong and fierce as a woman, but that now she thinks that being vulnerable is OK and is a place you can learn from. um yeah. that would be me. and then the director scott cooper talked about getting back to zero. how you have to start and end a scene at zero. and then jeff and maggie wax poetic about how that's true. you can't recreate a great moment that just happened. you have to re-live - do it again - make anew. that is exactly what i was struggling with in the studio. how to do what i know how to do but also try something new. to meld the two together and see where it takes me instead of trying to force out pieces. or re-make pieces that i already have. that just never works. GET BACK TO ZERO is a good way to think about it.

the lesson here is that if i watch charlie rose in december with actors that i like i have to be careful. or i have to really pay attention because it may just be a mirror of my mind/life. you can watch the show online on charlie rose's website. it was aired 12/16. or search for jeff bridges. [today it's on their home page, but it will move to the archive soon enough].

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ok. if you are in need of a last minute gift idea? under $10? check out what some of us moms have listed on cafe mom

there's a $20 version too

eireann is featuring a month by month re-cap of her year with a photo from her archive. it's a really nice thing.

have a great weekend!

Labels: gram, holiday, links, studio