Lisa's Musings

- michael a. salter

that's how the text opens at the show....



here it is... my pile of robots on view at the san jose museum of art . they happen to be having a free event next tuesday in conjunction with the show. getting in for free is nice ....



i guess with this piece i'm talking about broken technology. all these robots just endlessly falling from the sky and ending up piling up. and then trying to make that more palatable, cuter. i guess i believe that you can make someone stop and notice by making them laugh and smile - there isn't necessarily a need to preach... i guess if i roll with the idea that they are stand ins for me as a self portrait this embodies how i feel sometimes. like i can't fly and things just end up piling up. i can only hope that the piles in my mind are this colorful. one of the docents said that lots of kids want to talk about my piece. they talk about recycling and waste and how colorful it is. that made me smile.



we had a pool going. like the jelly bean jar. how many robots are there on the wall. the curator of the show guessed the closest :) she said she was sure that the museum guards would end up counting them.

it was really fun building this piece. i would pick a color and then place a bunch of robots. in the beginning it was kind of hard and random. then the next color would come in. it became a puzzle of which direction and which color had to come next. i think i might be able to draw my version of the thunder robot in my sleep....



this is the ruscha i'm across from. sigh

slideshow of all the shots from the show here



these were the bots that people made during the workshop. that was really fun. if you want the pattern for the bot - it's here .... i made it so you cut one each of each piece since it's hard to fold over felt and cut... and the extra space is for embellishment. you can cut out legs too. i didn't put legs on the pattern since we only had 3 hours in the workshop....

by the way... i did re-do my portfolio .

happy wednesday!

Labels: art

i'm super pleased to announce that jessica of the shiny squirrel has the above pairing as a print available on her website.

aurora and i thought it would be fun to do another print after the tiny showcase one.

the scoop:
these are SIGNED and numbered and in an edition of 50 - with 6AP's. the images are 6"x6" and the paper is 8"x8" [for easy framing]. you get both for $58.

find the print here .

if you are shopping for mother's day how bout a piece by alyson fox or the alice jacket , or this piece by lisa congdon

happy monday to everyone!

Labels: art, links

above is the piece i'm donating to southern exposure's auction - Optic Illusion - this year. their auctions are always really fun events to attend. happening tomorrow night from 6-10pm. i won't be there this year but it's a great great chance to scoop up work by great artists. more info here .

also jan / poppytalk posted a little q/a about my studio on design sponge the other day. it's here . thanks for asking me jan. it's been really fun to read and see all the studios on the guest blog .

have a great weekend. gardening is in my future.

Labels: art, blogland

this is a photo from my trip. which seems like it was 3 years ago not 3 weeks ago. i spend a lot of time just looking for/at things - 1/2 the time i'm not even sure what it is i'm looking for until i spot it. i know i'm not alone in this endeavor. in fact alicia and heather have started a whole blog on noticing . and they are looking for participants next week .

i've been thinking a lot lately about what we notice. what seeps in through all the various filters and barriers that exist. how we process the bombardment of thoughts, images, sounds in our daily lives. what is it that makes us stop for 1/2 a second. or makes us smile.

yesterday i participated in cca's first year final reviews. and here's what stopped me... the idea of PUNCTUATION in art. what constitutes an exclamation point, a period, a question mark - and how do you insert and utilize those to the benefit of you work?

also the idea of intervention and art. or just the idea of intervention in general. like my photo. someone painted those water/gas/electricity mains in rainbow colors. i'm not sure if it's a coding system, or just because, or.... but it intervenes in how i normally look at industrial necessities.

anyway - i also have a question to pose - if any of you are up for answering. it's high time i re-vamp the portfolio section of my website . and i have a lot of work to add to it. right now i just put newer pieces up as i make them - thinking more about making them look nice on the page as a group of 8. but i'm starting to think it might be wise to have categories - at least in the recent work.... something like : tank installations : doily installations : domestic scenes : doily drawings : etc. any opinions?

Labels: art, ramblings

wow you guys are so great. thanks for all the balance sympathy! [but duh you guys are just as crazy busy as i am]



sometimes i feel like i need to tackle a material - something familiar in a new way.

ali and i are working on a trade. i saw an image of hers on her blog and had to have it. she's going to get some tanks and i told her she could hang them as "flowers"....

tonight we are going to see dengue fever . i couldn't be more excited. it's been so long since i've seen a live show....

ok - off to work in the studio. i have a LONG list of things that have to get done in there today.....

happy weekend!

Labels: art, life, music

so... i can't believe this show is opening on friday. is that possible? if you are in the bay area and would like to come to the opening from 7-9pm, let me know - i have a few guest spots available on my list....



this is one of the many positions i've been in trying to get my site specific drawing done .... once again i'm struck by this whole process. still formulating, but here's a wee list

today i noticed/thought::

* my elbows hurt from propping myself up on them to paint
* it's easier for me to paint sideways right then sideways left
* when i show up on friday will the piece no longer seem mine?
* primary colors are good
* one, two, three, four, five, six
* pacman, space invaders, pixels
* repetition really is under-rated
* i really could spend 8 hours a day 5 days a week painting. it would be a privilege
* my wall drawing is across from a mother-f*^ck*n ed ruscha drawing !!! i never in my whole life would have thought that possible
* i really don't like being away from home for 14 hours
* i hate LED billboards
* who decided to call a dongle a dongle? [computer thing that hooks your laptop up to a projector]

and oh! if you weren't already bombarded with my spring newsletter... the san jose museum shot a little video of me.... i haven't really watched it because watching myself gives me the willies, but.... you can watch me seem uncomfortable in my studio.... they shot video of several people in the show - including one of my favorite artists [and former teacher] gail wight . her video is here



there's more info on the show and a link to podcasts of the videos on the san jose museum website

and... i wanted to share this little bunny i made for wendy's new baby.



i could also spend all day making little softies i think.....

happy hump day.

Labels: art, process, ramblings

hi. long time no type. it was getting to the point that if i didn't just post about something, anything, i might not ever post at all.

i came home to a long list of tasks to accomplish... 2 new classes to start [drawing 1 and digital imaging 2] a new segment in the painting class, a host of emails to follow up on, an artist talk to give.... blah blah blah.

my trip was fantastic. i love being transported. it also now feels very far away already....

i have still not had a chance to really catch up w/ everyone although i do know that wendy had her baby [post by "the boy" on the whole thing {get ready to be teary eyed} here ]

i know i missed gwen's trip here... and that she wore green.

above is a photo from the robot install that i started yesterday at the san jose museum of art . there's a 22 foot styrofoam robot already installed. it's amazing... i'm trying to think/document the process of doing this piece. if i can wrap my head around it i might do a bit of writing on that for my friend timothy . that's what i listened to yesterday.... there were so many people buzzing around setting up stuff that i had to block them all out to get my work done.

at one point i took a break and one of the installers said to me... i saw you lying down earlier and i thought - she's taking a nap?? then i realized you were painting while lying down. heh. i found that really funny. can i just say HOW NICE everyone is there? my god. it's like being an art princess. they thank you for everything - they are enthusiastic - they get you a ladder and a chair before you can turn around... they laid a beautiful cardboard tarp for me. a girl could get used to this....

looking forward to seeing what else has been going on. tomorrow i go back to paint on my wall....

thank you guys so much for all the tank and vacation love.... i can't even begin to explain how i appreciate it!!!

Labels: art

1467 tanks.... you take one down pass it around 1466 tanks on the wall



hello hello!
well - not that you were holding your breath - but here it is ! all the tanks in their glory glory.

wanna see some more views?



straight on [don't you love the reflection in the floor?]



detail... so you can see the shadows [and that they really are felt!]

and my favorite view:



standing at both ends you can really see the curve of the wall.... heh heh. this installation's special unplanned bonus. all installations have to have a unplanned bonus... right?

here's a nice shot of marin camille hood's work


embroidered lovelies of not so pretty things. [i don't have to explain why i like these right? and marin and i are both alums of the same grad school!] all the imagery comes from a field book on how to dress your deer. you can see the technique [if you aren't squeemish] here .

i think the absolute best part of this installation was all the help i had. giant thanks to the crew at the gallery :: sophie, daniela [who used a drill and the top step of a ladder for the first time!], laura, sabrina and matt. could not have been done with out you guys. and i'm not used to relying on other folks. it's also been really great to see students come in and react to the work. it's a different audience... and i really like it. also a giant thanks to faith who curated the show and made it all happen.

the show is up through April 16th the SFSU student gallery if you are inclined to take a peek.

i've been up since 5 this morning. why you ask? because tomorrow i go on a holiday. spring break is here and i am literally out of here. but crits, grades, syllabi, packing and cleaning had to be done by tonight.... i'm really looking forward to some time away. a minute to collect my thoughts so that the second i return i can start to work in the studio. 2 big projects in the works.

i won't be posting here - or reading anything online while i'm away - so i will miss you!!! see you in april! [already??]

Labels: art

hi all.
i was away from my computer all day today - so it was a THRILL to find out the tiny showcase print sold out... thank you thank you to all of you that purchased, mentioned, supported, etc. !!! what a thrill!



so... all my green and yellow tanks are up and in a row [imperfect rows - but that's how i like them].

come on down and say hi and see them for yourself on thursday - from 5-8 pm at the Cesar Chavez Student Center Art Gallery..... more info here . it's a bit tricky to find - so be sure and take a gander at their map if you don't know where you are headed....

you should also check out the evan b. harris show at rare device that opens the same night.

hope to see you [please say hi!]

Labels: art

hi friends. hope this monday finds you well.

aurora and i are SO excited to announce this..... the above couplet will be available as a print from tiny showcase tomorrow night at 7pm eastern time. we've chosen the alliance for climate protection as our charity. i've so admired what tiny showcase does for so long.... it feels like a huge honor to join their roster of prints !!

last night while cooking



i noticed that the artichokes were the same color as the tank installation.... which hopefully gets finished today!

Labels: art

tired. crosseyed. curved walls are much harder than straight flat ones. have help. thank god. teach early tomorrow. more soon....

Labels: art

this is the key for my next tank install at SF State. i have a whole folder full of the keys that i've made - some realized, some not.... i really like this kind of busywork. something obsessive that i know has a beginning and an end and that i can sort of meander around while making... you have to pay enough attention so that you don't put the wrong color dot in the wrong space, but there's a method to the madness. it's a nice balance.

so remember the book by michael kimmelman i mentioned? the Accidental Masterpiece. well, i really want to share this passage [this is particularly for shari and maria ]. the set up is that he's talking about a found photo.

It is a fair guess that this man, this woman, and their photographer would be surprised to learn, if they are still alive, that their momento made it to the Met, sharing wall space with Rembrandts and Monets. Whenever the picture was snapped, wherever that was, the man and woman peering into the sun, the photographer maybe fumbling with the shutter before asking them to say "Cheese!" -- none of them were presumably motivated by the desire to create timeless beauty... But the art in the photograph of those strangers and the car is there, plain as day. It is in the reflection of the woman's body on the card door. By some act of divine comic grace, the reflection happens to match up precisely with the head of the man so that he looks like the woman's ghostly, dwarflike double, a funny-surreal coincidence that, by adding a layer of unanticipated meaning to the picture, suddenly elevates it from ordinary snapshot to art.

Sometimes art works that way. It appears unexpectedly. It doesn't arrive through the front door. It senaks in the back, the more startling for being the result of dumb luck. This picture would be less likable, I suspect, if we learned that a professional had planned it, because the amateur's fluke reminds us of a basic fact in life, which is always heartening: the art is out there waiting to be captured, the only question being whether we are prepared to recognize it

um. yeah. need i say more? i almost feel like this is the essence of why we hunt for small moments of beauty. why we look around, take pictures, blog.... it's the line. the line between ordinary and art that i seek. i want to see where it blurs, where it crosses over, where it leans more heavily in one direction. this is why i feel like it's justifiable to call one's art practice research. because research is :: the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.



and because this matches my argyle and shash is holding a textile pattern week.... my laptop bag from brooklyn industries

have a good wednesday

Labels: art, links, ramblings

hi there.

the beholder has just re-launched their website! in addition to some paint chip pieces, i've put up all the inedible cupcake series from the i want sugar show. my plan is to update the beholder with work now and again that is for sale. i'll try to remember to announce here if something new is going up.... here is my info page.

my pal timothy buckwalter curated their first online show - and was nice enough to include me. i love his theme. hint [if you like echo and the bunneymen - click quick]

jen has some work on there too - as do a host of great artists... it's fun to get lost in that site....

one great link. i'm not even sure how i found this - but i'm LOVING wil freeborn/ghostschool. his drawings in his moleskine are so wonderful.

hope your week is off to a good start!

Labels: art, blogland, links

in case you were wondering if i still was an artist... i am trying to be. my drawings for a proposed wall piece for a show all about robots at the san jose museum of art were approved by the curator! yay. the show will open in april and run all summer. [gotta love museums for their schedules]



here's a close up of part of it.... i have to figure out if i want to use colored pencil or gouache on the wall....

i also just arranged to do another tank installation in march at cesar chavez art gallery at San Francisco State. i've got to get a bigger template ready. the wall there is 9 feet by 24 feet and curved... i'm thinking maybe this vinyl that will just stick to the wall

i also want to mention this book : the art of life and visa versa by michael kimmelman , one of the main art critics of the new york times . [you have to click out of bloglines to see the book cover/link below....]



i bought it at SFMOMA when i ran through the olifer eliasson exhibit again. [i swear he's the lovechild of robert smithson and james turrell].

i am LOVING this book. there are moments of divine poetry where kimmelman really describes what it's like to be in the presence of art you love. when something moves from "ordinary" to "art". the introduction alone was inspiring. i've only read two essays, but can't wait to read the rest.

hope you all had a nice week thus far....

Labels: art, books, inspiration

what a whirlwind of a trip. at one point i think aurora , kathleen and i were about to loose all hope. we had 3 celphones going [and one NY caller] - talking to high level supervisors all in the hopes of finding aurora's 2 boxes full of all the art for the show. they couldn't even determine where one was - the last scan was brooklyn. there was talk of labels falling off [have you EVER had a a sticky label come off a box? come on]. GASP. frantic, sad, nervous, and yet still excited to be hanging out together, emotions ran the gamut.

and then. aurora needed a button for her pants. i went and asked the front desk of our hotel saturday morning for a sewing kit. i jokingly said to aurora - ask and ye shall receive - at least sometimes. being who she is....she turned to me and said - i haven't asked for my art... "universe. may i please have my art?"

2 hours later walking around on broadway we get a call from kathleen. aurora's 2 boxes are TOGETHER at the hub in nashville. aurora and i hug :: aurora cries :: kathleen picks boxes up :: we get to the gallery :: hang our show in 2 hours :: rush to our hotel and shower :: the show opens.



i can't believe we are the last show at square ft . but i'd be lying if i didn't say aurora, kathleen and i are scheming a show in a certain someone's native land....



i also can't believe shari and tom and joe all made the trek to say hello. i am so honored and lucky to have such good friends. [more on the sweetness of shari next post]



aurora and i set up the premise for this show over the summer. we picked coordinating colors. she'd pick one [say pink] and i'd pick the other [say gray]. we also determined sizes that would coordinate. those were the parameters. she decided to make junk mail collages. i decided to turn molecular structures of environmental toxins into doily drawings. we loved that we were both turning ugly things into pretty things. we didn't show each other what we were working on until we were done. we had no idea if the pairings would hold up - if they'd talk to one another - if we were crazy....



it was a thrill to see that not only did we name colors the same [our lime greens matched!], but we even occasionally had compositions that were incredibly complementary.



i love that our work is so different and yet also the same. the evidence of hand, the 3D aspects [thread/streams of junk mail jutting into space], the delicacy, the usurping of materials ideas and twisting them into something other.... her work explodes, mine is more quiet but somehow, somehow.... it works. i feel lucky.

we plan on doing more couplets shows. we just need to find venues. and figure out new parameters.

here's a little pictobrowser of all the install shots. you can also go here





p.s.


thanks mom and dad and grandma for sending the flowers. you were virtually at the opening!

Labels: art

hi there.

i'm going to try and get all the self-promotional stuff done in one post here.... :)

here goes::



new stitched letterpress prints are available in my shop



a green and yellow argyle tank installation - not put up by me [gasp!] will be on view at women and their work in their show pattern pattern pattern. it looks like a really nice group of artists.

i hear that kim and alyson might be going. let me know what you think ladies!!



some friends and i are selling some goods!

Please come by on Friday December 7, from 2-7pm or
Saturday December 8 from 10am - 4pm

support and buy handmade!

5528 Dover Street - please enter on 56th street
Oakland, CA 94609

or if you can't make that sale, there will be some stuff at



at blankspace gallery
6608 san pablo avenue, oakland, california 94608 • 510.547.6608

Holidayland «« December 7 - 17th

Holiday First Friday Reception «« December 7, 7-10pm



i'll have some new underdog ink goodies with me. some are already on the website - and new shirts will hopefully be done JUST IN TIME [phew].



and if you want to have some fun in San Francisco....

who : suzanne at the beholder

what : curated a show with some of my paintchips

when: Friday December 7th 6-9pm

where: DISH in Hayes Valley 151 Hayes St
San Francisco, CA

why: It's the Hayes Valley Holiday Block Party


OK - now i have to go back to organizing stuff for all these events.... have a great friday!

Labels: art, me me me

this is what i do when i'm in meetings. the doodling actually helps me concentrate i think. funny how the mind works in that regard.

i've had artist talks on my mind. partially because i've given TWO of them in the last two days. one to my students - they have to give one on their work and so i offered to give them the long version of mine. i showed them work all the way back to right after being an undergrad. it's so funny how i look at that work now and feel so removed from it. i can actually physically remember making it - but it also seems like such a different time.

this morning i talked to another group of students, at a different school, about my work, about working in galleries, about how having a web presence in this day and age is so important....

i'm making my students talk about their own work because i think that saying things out loud really reinforces the premises, parameters, and thematic courses that you are hoping to develop in your work. i find that when i say something out loud it has to really BE TRUE. it also helps me re-evaluate where i've been and where i'm going. all of a sudden i can see connections between bodies of work that i didn't realize were there before. so as much as it's hard - it's also a good thing....

i also got the great opportunity to see julie mehretu speak about her work last week. i've waxed poetic about her work before and seeing her speak was good. very good indeed. she is one of those academically aware and incredibly articulate off the cuff speakers. here's some of the phrases she spoke that i fervently wrote down:

• mark making as an evolution of language [self-language]
  
• patterning as community
  
• markers of behavior
  
• work intuitively first and search for meaning after
  
• a sense of history - a city isn't born, but developed
  
• how to pull the imaginary/personal world into NOW [oh this was big for me]
  
• the idea of an image shattering as you get closer - a grander picture from a distance and the shifting of scale that one can only accomplish in a paiting
  
• erasure as a gesture - as a social gesture [oh this really made me think too]
  

and i had a little thrill. she included the plans of an ando building in one of her pieces... and i've shown in an ando building . i'll take any connection i can get. what most struck, me, though, was what a different league of artist ms. merhretu is. and how she appreciates it. she flies all over the world. all the major art cities, working on major [and physically large] pieces in major museums and institutions. it's such an "other" level of engagement. she is an art rock star and leaves you "awe" struck - and yet she is approachable and direct and everything you would hope....

anyway.... i offer two sneak peaks





i'm working on stuff for my show with aurora robson which will be at sq ft galery in nashville in january. i'm in the thick of it. i think it's working. i hope it's working. oh.....

i'm going to try and post regularly, but with grading [last weeks of classes], and life, and this show, and the holidays and.... i may be a bit behind on visiting you all. please forgive me. i miss you already....

Labels: art, artists, inspiration

i had to draw them .

today i made a list of things i need to get done [funny that one thing on the list was make a gift list. a list contained. why do i find that so funny? i'm a dork]. i got scared and had to bury said list in the bottom of my purse. i might have to micro manage my lists. that seems pathetic [dork, again]. but then again derek and lauren make it [multi-listing] look so so good .

i fell in love with this little camera. it's so darn cute. it would make me feel like agent 99 from get smart. do i need another electronic gadget? no. but i have such a love of mini mini things. hmmmm.



i went and saw my friend Nathan's show at johansson projects on friday. it was stunning. these sad and comical minimal birds wearing fake beaks. who are they trying to be? the subtle contrasts in textures and colors and the absurdity just hit me in the right spot....

funky finds just posted a stitch re-cap [so many great crafty things! i have to go back to finish clicking to all the stuff] and she's offering a a giveaway just comment on the post!

lastly hannah asked me about what offset printer i used... answer is in the comments of the last post....

Labels: art, artists, blogland, links, wish list

the last three drawings to show you.

i am overwhelmed by your kind words on the work. THANK YOU. it's so daunting and scary to put work out there. it's like you hold your breath for the response. and so i really really appreciate the time that you have taken to look and respond. it means a lot.

chair drawing :: from the vine, 2007 watercolor, colored pencil, thread/embroidery on duralar, 12”X23 1/2”

the one above was my attempt to meld the chair and the wallpaper - it's like the design grew from the chair [which is an anthropologie chair by the way]



this one was also a hope of mine....

bed drawing :: a green bed in green grass, 2007 water color, colored pencil, thread/embroidery on duralar, 9”X12”




can't see the doilies through the trees, 2007 acrylic paint, watercolor, colored pencil, thread/Embroidery on durarlar, 40” X 25”


shari hosted the documentary project yesterday. i was so excited by her take on our word :: squished.

have a good tuesday!

Labels: art

bed drawing :: beds in poppyland, 2007, watercolor, colored pencil, thread/embroidery on Duralar, 18” x 8”


as promised. here are some drawings from my show. i'll show the other 1/2 next week..... thank you SO much for your enthusiasm about the show.... and your willingness to help me with trees. that brought such a smile to my face. i hope i can take you up on your offers of help !!

the drawings for the show also all dealt in some way with the "natural world". i looked for wallpaper or patterns that exemplify our desire to bring the outside in. and since i imagine the beds and chairs as representations of people.... our longing to be outside and one with nature... and connected to one another. the whole if chairs had a memory idea.... i also decided to represent nature with the doily so there are clouds and trees that are made up of doilies.... you get the idea.


chair drawing :: fly me away, 2007, watercolor, colored pencil, thread/embroidery on Duralar, 8” x 8”


i thought of myself as the chair in this one.


a small doily tree forest, 2007, watercolor, colored pencil, thread/embroidery on Duralar, 17” x 11”


doily drawing :: clouds, 2007, acrylic paint, watercolor, colored pencil, thread/embroidery on Durarlar, 25” x 40”


chair drawing :: once there was a yellow chair, 2007, acrylic paint, watercolor, colored pencil, thread/embroidery on Durarlar, 25” x 40”

i just got back from a lovely excursion to Heath Ceramics with amy . it was so much fun. it's so close to me. this is dangerous. photos next week....

i also posted on ship today.

finally - i'll be at blanksapce tonight for a few hours for oakland art murmur

have a good weekend!

Labels: art

so here it is. my show - the overview of it at least....



because little bird gallery has great storefront windows, i thought i should use them. i painted doilies on the windows and the walls behind the glass so that you'd really get a 2/D 3/D effect upon viewing.

somehow i never tire of the difference between what is hand done, what is replicated, what is real, what is dimensional, what is flat.... i think i am always toying with these ideas in what i make. and the longer i tinker the more i realize i don't know anything and there is always room to find out more.






so the premise for this show you ask? i actually have an answer to this.

i decided to think about the idea of the "natural world" represented by the doily. how we are constantly bringing the "outside" in and the "inside" out in our lives. how do we force these two places to intersect? and how do our instincts to nest/make the domestic come into play with these longings? the doily, while human made, beckons and calls to imagery in nature [snowflakes, floral patterns, etc] and so it seemed to me that we could indeed go over the river and through the woods.... and end up at a version of grandma's house. but i am hoping that i am updating our relationship to the tradition of craft. in someway giving tribute to the small- and decorative- and made with love items that often go unnoticed or under appreciated.




trying to be a bit literal i thought i'd have the doilies start brown near the floor [earth], get green in the middle [land/grass/trees], and blue near the ceiling [sky]

and thus i hope the relationship of the title [and your finishing of the nursery song] makes more sense?

here are some small moments:



this one is about 3-4 inches - you might miss him if you didn't look down.





so then i made a bunch of drawings as well [also all tied to the natural world somehow]





and then there was the "real" sculptural element. the ghost doily trees

inspired by paper architectural trees [which when flat looked like doilies to me] i loved the idea of a natural object made from domestic ones.

and of course there are the shadows. my ultimate silent partner in making. if only i could give you your proper due.....





i want to make a thousand. i want to do these again and again in different ways. i just wonder how. and if i can. and if i can enlist help. and who would? and why? and how could i repay them? [i'm not ann hamilton who can recruit a bevy of volunteers to assist in the magic making. but i can dream, yes? oh i can dream of thousands of trees]

i am so lucky to have a studio mate who made me the most perfect floating shelves. and allowed me to use his drill press to get the holes into the shelves....

and i am so lucky to have had the help and support that i did from friends and family and art lookers....

i'll show close ups of the drawings through the week.

over the river and through the woods is up at little bird gallery in los angeles through november 8th.

Labels: art

rare device opened on thursday night with a big shabang. the store looks absolutely amazing. big congrats to lisa and rena. their store is so full of handmade and lovely goodness i can't believe i escaped empty handed. it was just too crowded for me to buy anything, but i shall return i know.

some great photos from shash are here .

also a HUGE congrats to kelly lynn jones of little paper planes for her beautiful show. i'm excited as we are going to trade work! lucky me!

on monday - a very late post here will mark the return of shari and my documentary project... and then all next week i'll show pictures from over the river and through the woods as it draws to a close at little bird gallery . time flies....



have a good weekend!

Labels: art, blogland

better at the original size
from left to right:

jonn herschend
michele theberge
lauren davies
connie begg
lorene anderson who was my co-curator
robert ortball



yes - if you want to see anything original is better

from right to left :
me
tracey cockrell
sylvia min
freddy chandra
james sterling pit
cynthia innis

so lets work backwards [mostly because i was able to get through these images first! i'm still working on the over the river shots. it's hard to figure out how to represent an installation accurately].

the workAday opening was really fun. practically all of us know each other in this show - i chose people mostly i went to grad school with and lorene chose people that both of us knew [i even taught with one recently]... so it was a chance to see friends if nothing else.

both lori and i had done daily projects in our studio. we wondered what it'd be like if we proposed that parameter to artists we knew. there is something about the pressure and also complete lack of pressure of making a work in a day that is daunting and freeing. i kept hearing over and over that this project really changed an artist's approach to something else they were working on. i guess what i'm saying is that if you've thought about setting up a project like this for yourself ... DO. i don't think you'll regret it.



i showed week 5, 3, 45 and 52 of the drawing a day series.

there's another opening for the show on Friday Nov. 2nd from 7-10pm - so if you feel like coming out..... the show is up at Blankspace Gallery through Nov. 19th. if you want to learn a bit more about jonn, james and tracey's pieces [and see an HORRIBLE picture of me] go here . timothy buckwalter also wrote a little something on the show....

i'd really like to thank a bunch of folks for talking about my show at little bird gallery. i was thrilled, honored, and touched by the mentions.... so in no particular order.... and if i forgot someone please forgive me [and/or let me know] my brain is still ridiculously fried from the last 2 weeks..... apartment therapy LA , daily candy LA , whip-up , diesel art which was due to poppytalk's jan! , marshall astor , design*, and hopping for happy accidents [and because of k.c. i'm thinking lindesy adelman and i should have a show together??] hmmmm

so shari i think i'm finally ready to return to the documentary project next week... game???

have a great tuesday!

Labels: art, artists, inspiration

and into the fire...



i'm back from LA. more on the show as soon as i can get all the photos organized and cropped but....

HUGE thanks to everyone who came out... it's such a joy to put faces with names and to see friends old and new. also thanks again to my very special assistants... and to all the folks involved with the little bird gallery . they made me feel so welcome, and went so out of their way.... high fives all around [even if you don't high five!]. i feel so lucky.

this week i'm installing a show i co-curated with lorene anderson entitled workAday.

after creating a drawing a day with thread for a year i was really curious what other artists would do if they had to create a complete work in a day. so we asked 10 others besides ourselves to give it a try for a minimum of three weeks. the results are actually really varied and really cool.

four weeks of my drawing a day series will be shown

the show is at BLANKSPACE GALLERY
6608 san pablo avenue, oakland, california 94608 • 510.547.6608

there's a reception this Saturday from 6-9pm and a reception on Friday Nov. 2 from 7-10pm. if you are in the Bay Area - come on by!

more info is available on blankspace gallery's website

Labels: art

i am that otherworldly tired. that so tired that you can't quite sleep. that nervous, excited, anxious tired. how will it work tomorrow? after dealing with some technical difficulties today [the paint dried too quick at first... and then i pushed too hard and then at last it started to flow] and tomorrow will there be a night in shining armor who rescues me with new supplies? oh please fairy godmother. i only have 3 more days.

this morning i was pegged. nailed. the bay porter shuttle guy unloaded my box and said - oh - are you going to install an art show? and i wasn't even wearing my paint clothes. how did he know? am i that much of a walking stereotype? like the aging jazz musician in the hawaiin shirt that insists on talking to everyone and in explaining he moved to hollywood when he was 16 and now he gets to play the cool stuff? oh yeah man - that's such a good name for you kid... wow.... i named my kid odalesque... he's such a good drummer.... [this is where i turn up my ipod].



wendy is a dream. i am so grateful for any and all help..... shari did an interview with her today. [which i have to read when i have more brain cells].

shari also hosted the documentary project yesterday

ok... of to sleep. my belly is blissfully full from a lovely meal [shared with my most favorite grandma].... think good thoughts, please..... i probably should not be hitting the publish post button now, but i think the blog has been a little bland of late [oh so sorry] so perhaps tis good to just throw caution into the wind and....

Labels: art

almost there, almost there, almost there! been packing and wrapping and thinking

tuesday i leave for LA where i will have the amazing assistance of the lovely wenders and alyssa - who i'm so excited to meet - plus all the incredible help of the ultra fantastic staff at little bird gallery .

i'll share more about my thoughts on the show when it's actually up. [no counting chickens before they hatch]

just in case you thought i wasn't making crafty things anymore i thought i'd share my gradebook. i didn't like the plain black cover - so



i used moonstitches really great book cover tutorial as my starting point. i also used some trim and fabric i brought back from japan. what i realized while making this is that i'm no sally or martha or blair or all the hordes of amazing crafters out there. i am a lazy sewer. especially when i feel under the gun. i know how to be neat and perfect, but i just rarely do it. sigh. by the way - check out moonstitches owl tutorial too - those owls are SO CUTE.

so i'll be on ship tomorrow and shari and i resume our documentary project on monday - her blog - but i may be a little absent the rest of this week and all of next as i get my show up.... wish me luck!

Labels: art, me me me, zakka

these chairs will be in richard levy gallery's room at the jupiter hotel art fair in portland this weekend. i wish i could visit them in person, but alas.... if someone makes it to the fair i'd love to know what it was like. there's a great list of participating galleries.

more polaroids from japan for you::



i saw this a lot. for some reason people seem to pile rock on rock sculptures and around shrines.





a collection of shoes hanging from a shrine gate