hello friends. it's time for another installment of shari and my documentary project. we've decided to post it every 2 weeks in this holiday season. speaking of which - have you read all of shari's amazing holiday guide interviews? wow.
our 23rd word was chosen by shari and it's: HAPPY {by the way - we are going to try and write less - use more sound or video or images - not sure if i'll be able to keep my big mouth closed, - or wait should i say hand from typing.... but....}
SHARI'S response::
hApPy
nature: big skies and big trees bring happiness.
a happy accident. i love the unexpected bits of happiness that pop up
during my day.
autumn. my favorite time of the year.
lately, handwriting has made me very happy. i asked t to write happy and then i did the same. handwriting is much like a fingerprint and i like the idea of individual voices being heard through the handwritten word. it is something that is missing from type; everyone's voice looks
the same. this idea of seeing different voices through handwriting makes me very happy. the idea is swirling in my head and i hope to turn it into some sort of project soon.
MY response::
the first thing that popped into my head was a song. so i sang it .... [can't believe i'm letting you hear this]
happy is one of those almost indefinable terms. and so i offer a list - an ever changing always expandable list...
happiness is:: sitting in front of fires, holding hands while sleeping, the sound of purring,
quiet moments of contemplation,
feeling loved, making a leap, trusting, allowing time for oneself, big skies, surprise gifts,
pets,
new shoes that you just have to wear everyday for a week, polaroid film, a really really good latte,
being pampered and treated to amazing meals by my husband
more soon. have a happy monday/tuesday.
our 23rd word was chosen by shari and it's: HAPPY {by the way - we are going to try and write less - use more sound or video or images - not sure if i'll be able to keep my big mouth closed, - or wait should i say hand from typing.... but....}
SHARI'S response::
hApPy
nature: big skies and big trees bring happiness.
a happy accident. i love the unexpected bits of happiness that pop up
during my day.
autumn. my favorite time of the year.
lately, handwriting has made me very happy. i asked t to write happy and then i did the same. handwriting is much like a fingerprint and i like the idea of individual voices being heard through the handwritten word. it is something that is missing from type; everyone's voice looks
the same. this idea of seeing different voices through handwriting makes me very happy. the idea is swirling in my head and i hope to turn it into some sort of project soon.
MY response::
the first thing that popped into my head was a song. so i sang it .... [can't believe i'm letting you hear this]
happy is one of those almost indefinable terms. and so i offer a list - an ever changing always expandable list...
happiness is:: sitting in front of fires, holding hands while sleeping, the sound of purring,
quiet moments of contemplation,
feeling loved, making a leap, trusting, allowing time for oneself, big skies, surprise gifts,
pets,
new shoes that you just have to wear everyday for a week, polaroid film, a really really good latte,
being pampered and treated to amazing meals by my husband
more soon. have a happy monday/tuesday.
Labels: documentary project
barely in time for a monday night posting [thank you pacific time]
today marks the return of shari and my documentary project.
shari chose the word today - cultivate or cultivation.
SHARI'S RESPONSE
cultivation:
i chose the word this week one day as i was sitting in my study looking
out the window at our garden.
note: you may need to click out of a reader to see this video clip::
i love this word. how it rolls off the tongue. how it sounds like hard
work and it is!
walking in the rain.
currently:
am trying to cultivate a playful approach to life. sometimes, i fear i
take things far too seriously.
what are you trying to cultivate in your own life?
MY RESPONSE
this word at first seemed really daunting to me. how do you represent this word in a static image?
of course i thought of planting. getting the soil ready for plants. i started to think about how you can take a garden in various directions. you can cultivate for food, you can cultivate for decoration.
how if you are serious about the idea of growing you actually pay attention to soil, to the sun, to PH, to all of these very small details that can make or break your attempt to foster plants.
or how you can also just wing it and magically things will thrive and grow.
how sometimes if you try too hard it doesn't work..... you can't cultivate.
above is my recent japanese print love. the magazine ku:nel . i think it was bluelines that sparked my interest in it.... it's really a great visual treat.... and made me
start wonder about other things we cultivate - like taste in art, or food, or poetry or??? how exactly do we plow, amend and ready our minds and hearts for cultural cultivation? in my role as an educator i'm constantly wondering how to do this - how do you cultivate a love for art? can you? or do you want/can it be something that spontaneously emerges?
and so i repeat shari's question. what are we all trying to cultivate in our lives??
today marks the return of shari and my documentary project.
shari chose the word today - cultivate or cultivation.
SHARI'S RESPONSE
cultivation:
i chose the word this week one day as i was sitting in my study looking
out the window at our garden.
note: you may need to click out of a reader to see this video clip::
i love this word. how it rolls off the tongue. how it sounds like hard
work and it is!
walking in the rain.
currently:
am trying to cultivate a playful approach to life. sometimes, i fear i
take things far too seriously.
what are you trying to cultivate in your own life?
MY RESPONSE
this word at first seemed really daunting to me. how do you represent this word in a static image?
of course i thought of planting. getting the soil ready for plants. i started to think about how you can take a garden in various directions. you can cultivate for food, you can cultivate for decoration.
how if you are serious about the idea of growing you actually pay attention to soil, to the sun, to PH, to all of these very small details that can make or break your attempt to foster plants.
or how you can also just wing it and magically things will thrive and grow.
how sometimes if you try too hard it doesn't work..... you can't cultivate.
above is my recent japanese print love. the magazine ku:nel . i think it was bluelines that sparked my interest in it.... it's really a great visual treat.... and made me
start wonder about other things we cultivate - like taste in art, or food, or poetry or??? how exactly do we plow, amend and ready our minds and hearts for cultural cultivation? in my role as an educator i'm constantly wondering how to do this - how do you cultivate a love for art? can you? or do you want/can it be something that spontaneously emerges?
and so i repeat shari's question. what are we all trying to cultivate in our lives??
Labels: documentary project
hello all! time for shari and my documentary project.
this weeks work was chosen by shari . UNDONE.
SHARI'S response
things left undone become the stars of our to do list. often i leave things undone until the very last minute. how about you?
our neighbor's house is being painted. the ladder left behind signals that things are still undone.
this photo reminds me that there will always be more thing to do. one thing that is out of place, calling out "what about me?" life has become a neverending list of things left undone.
incomplete, undone, and seeking my true self, my true purpose. can we, as humans, ever be complete? finished? done?
thank you so much for visiting our project.
MY response
[my thread balls always come undone]
when shari told me this word i shuttered a little. i think this is the first word where i could only see a sort of negative side to things. i also associate the word with a more mental state of mind. feeling undone or in a state of things undone does not feel "good" to me.
so i spent the week trying to think about why that is. and how do i feel when i am "undone". lost, confused, wrapped up in something that will later seem unnecessary... what does is mean to be done? finished? and is that really a better state? isn't it sometimes the process of "finishing" that is better than the finished product itself?
things left to do on a list, dishes in piles, weeds to be pulled... all these need to be done and leave me wishing for more time. just more time [or that clone]. i try not to procrastinate as it usually makes me more anxious than if i just tackle one [or two or three] tasks at a time. done done done - that always feels good.
but.... in the studio i often leave a piece slightly undone - something to come back to the next visit. i know where i left off and what needs to happen next - this way i can return and just get to work. it's much harder to enter into an "empty" space with no task at hand. ah - i finally found the positive state of undone.
the very first thing that popped into my mind when i thought of undone was my shoelace being untied. so i drew it.
have a great monday! [by the way - shari - the images you are taking with your new camera are just stunning. i'm so happy for you!!]
this weeks work was chosen by shari . UNDONE.
SHARI'S response
things left undone become the stars of our to do list. often i leave things undone until the very last minute. how about you?
our neighbor's house is being painted. the ladder left behind signals that things are still undone.
this photo reminds me that there will always be more thing to do. one thing that is out of place, calling out "what about me?" life has become a neverending list of things left undone.
incomplete, undone, and seeking my true self, my true purpose. can we, as humans, ever be complete? finished? done?
thank you so much for visiting our project.
MY response
[my thread balls always come undone]
when shari told me this word i shuttered a little. i think this is the first word where i could only see a sort of negative side to things. i also associate the word with a more mental state of mind. feeling undone or in a state of things undone does not feel "good" to me.
so i spent the week trying to think about why that is. and how do i feel when i am "undone". lost, confused, wrapped up in something that will later seem unnecessary... what does is mean to be done? finished? and is that really a better state? isn't it sometimes the process of "finishing" that is better than the finished product itself?
things left to do on a list, dishes in piles, weeds to be pulled... all these need to be done and leave me wishing for more time. just more time [or that clone]. i try not to procrastinate as it usually makes me more anxious than if i just tackle one [or two or three] tasks at a time. done done done - that always feels good.
but.... in the studio i often leave a piece slightly undone - something to come back to the next visit. i know where i left off and what needs to happen next - this way i can return and just get to work. it's much harder to enter into an "empty" space with no task at hand. ah - i finally found the positive state of undone.
the very first thing that popped into my mind when i thought of undone was my shoelace being untied. so i drew it.
have a great monday! [by the way - shari - the images you are taking with your new camera are just stunning. i'm so happy for you!!]
Labels: documentary project
hello friends. after a bit of hiatus, i'm happy to welcome back the documentary project that shari and i collaborate on.
shari actually chose this word a long long time ago. but we are just now getting to it. i dunno about shari - but i sure felt out of practice. i also simultaneously felt very glad to be working on this again. it's a reason to look around - a reason to take photos [something that has been sorely lacking in my life since returning from japan]. so with out further ado -
SHARI's response
i chose the word circle a long while back. at the time, i was thinking of life and how i used to feel it was more linear. high school, college, career, etc. etc. lately, i've been thinking of life more as a circle like a life cycle. the photos i took are from a walk at the eno and at the nc botanic gardens. the cyclical, circular aspect of life is always so much more evident in nature i think. therefore, i was drawn to the natural circles found in my everyday landscape.
circles: repetition, walking in circles, continuing, never ending. around and around we go!
MY response
when shari first said circle i couldn't help but think of circles as a primary shape. how they can be transformed and combined with other primaries to create new shapes. i also thought of the six feet under episode when claire is in art school and is complaining that one of her teachers i making her practice drawing the perfect circle. ha! i've never had that assignment - nor would i give it - but it makes me laugh.
circular tools [thanks gwen! ] on a polka dot fabric [the double circle]. i then thought about how i do love circles in art. how they can represent closure - a sense of "zen" - repeated they start to become something else - they go beyond their one-ness.
as i looked around me circles really popped up everywhere. they are just so handy - jars, buttons, clocks, candles, camera lens, plates, tomatoes, plums. it's funny how you know something, but don't SEE something until you concentrate [why i like this project]
i then started thinking about the duality of the circle. so it can symbolize a closed space - a family [circle of trust] or something eternal [like a wedding ring]. if you leave an end just a tad open it starts to represent something else - a means to escape or a way in - a dragon eating its own tail. it can mean eternity in a good way, but also in a bad way [running in circles - going round and round in an argument]. this fascinates me.
in my life and art things often seem circular. i return again and again to colors, shapes, ideas, thoughts, patterns.... i never seem to be totally finished with them.
lovely sunflowers w/ their deep brown center. planted for my by my husband! :D
where do you see circles in your life???
don't forget that shari also is hosting a week of elements in photos on her blog today. looks like a lot of fun. i'm going to try and participate at least one day. fingers crossed.
shari actually chose this word a long long time ago. but we are just now getting to it. i dunno about shari - but i sure felt out of practice. i also simultaneously felt very glad to be working on this again. it's a reason to look around - a reason to take photos [something that has been sorely lacking in my life since returning from japan]. so with out further ado -
SHARI's response
i chose the word circle a long while back. at the time, i was thinking of life and how i used to feel it was more linear. high school, college, career, etc. etc. lately, i've been thinking of life more as a circle like a life cycle. the photos i took are from a walk at the eno and at the nc botanic gardens. the cyclical, circular aspect of life is always so much more evident in nature i think. therefore, i was drawn to the natural circles found in my everyday landscape.
circles: repetition, walking in circles, continuing, never ending. around and around we go!
MY response
when shari first said circle i couldn't help but think of circles as a primary shape. how they can be transformed and combined with other primaries to create new shapes. i also thought of the six feet under episode when claire is in art school and is complaining that one of her teachers i making her practice drawing the perfect circle. ha! i've never had that assignment - nor would i give it - but it makes me laugh.
circular tools [thanks gwen! ] on a polka dot fabric [the double circle]. i then thought about how i do love circles in art. how they can represent closure - a sense of "zen" - repeated they start to become something else - they go beyond their one-ness.
as i looked around me circles really popped up everywhere. they are just so handy - jars, buttons, clocks, candles, camera lens, plates, tomatoes, plums. it's funny how you know something, but don't SEE something until you concentrate [why i like this project]
i then started thinking about the duality of the circle. so it can symbolize a closed space - a family [circle of trust] or something eternal [like a wedding ring]. if you leave an end just a tad open it starts to represent something else - a means to escape or a way in - a dragon eating its own tail. it can mean eternity in a good way, but also in a bad way [running in circles - going round and round in an argument]. this fascinates me.
in my life and art things often seem circular. i return again and again to colors, shapes, ideas, thoughts, patterns.... i never seem to be totally finished with them.
lovely sunflowers w/ their deep brown center. planted for my by my husband! :D
where do you see circles in your life???
don't forget that shari also is hosting a week of elements in photos on her blog today. looks like a lot of fun. i'm going to try and participate at least one day. fingers crossed.
Labels: documentary project
hellow friends.... sorry this documentary post it a bit late - [but under the east coast wire] - mondays and wednesdays are my long teaching days.... and BTW the claufotis came out good - i'll share the recipie later this week!
shari chose our word this week.
SHARI'S RESPONSE
i decided to stick with lisa's idea of companion words this week so i chose window as we have already documented door.
i'm not sure i could live in a house without windows. there is something about looking outside, having a window to the world so to speak. with windows, there is light but there is also a feeling of expansiveness, a feeling that you are not boxed in. in the spring and summer, we love to open our windows and let in fresh air. maggie loves this too. she is a windowsill hog. poor rilke.
maggie
i think that photographing windows from the outside looking in is so much more interesting than vice versa. the focus immediately shifts from the subject to the point of view. in this photo i snapped of t, one may wonder why the photo was taken outside. the perspective might not be entirely clear. the roof line next door is being reflected in the windowpane but you are also able to see inside of the kitchen.
there is confusion, mystery, questions.
i also enjoy photographing what is immediately outside my windowpanes: the subtle changes of each season, how the colors change depending on the amount of sunshine, how the window acts as a viewfinder and frames the outside just so. it is these photos that never quite seem to capture what i was "seeing". i can take photo after photo after photo but the magic is just not there. i liked this next photo because i was finally able to capture the colors...the intense green outside (best captured it seems in low light) contrasted with the brick red curtains.
i realize this is turning into the photo documentary project so i'm going to try to move outside of my comfort zone next week. :) thanks for reading.
MY RESPONSE
ah windows. window of opportunity.... windows to the soul.... when a door closes a window opens.
what i noticed while observing windows this week :: i like old ones more than new ones [the wavy glass always gets to me]. odd shaped ones [circle, skinny] rather than "standard size" ones. it's not as easy to find stained glass windows as you might think/hope. i like windows with little decorative elements.
ultimately, though, i feel like in all my looking what i was most drawn to was the idea of the window as a framing device. a way to peek out into the world.and as a means to let light in.
i kept taking really minimal shots of windows. the window pared down to it's essential. i'm not sure why this is, but....
a peek at some clouds
diffuse bright light
closed shades
if you stand on my stairway just right you can see the neighbor's house like this. you can also see that this window is VERY dirty. it's too high to reach [either inside or outside]. really it's a funny place for a window to be - but i love the light it lets onto our stairs.
then i got inspired and wanted to do a very mini version of a drawing like Toba Khedoori . her drawings of windows take my breath away. mine is lame and retarded in comparison, but i like the idea of repeatative drawing - what happens when you repeat a window over and over....
and finally.... close your eyes and imagine the sound of rain on your window panes. i love that sound. always have... always will
until next week.... documentary project signing off. thanks for reading!
shari chose our word this week.
SHARI'S RESPONSE
i decided to stick with lisa's idea of companion words this week so i chose window as we have already documented door.
i'm not sure i could live in a house without windows. there is something about looking outside, having a window to the world so to speak. with windows, there is light but there is also a feeling of expansiveness, a feeling that you are not boxed in. in the spring and summer, we love to open our windows and let in fresh air. maggie loves this too. she is a windowsill hog. poor rilke.
maggie
i think that photographing windows from the outside looking in is so much more interesting than vice versa. the focus immediately shifts from the subject to the point of view. in this photo i snapped of t, one may wonder why the photo was taken outside. the perspective might not be entirely clear. the roof line next door is being reflected in the windowpane but you are also able to see inside of the kitchen.
there is confusion, mystery, questions.
i also enjoy photographing what is immediately outside my windowpanes: the subtle changes of each season, how the colors change depending on the amount of sunshine, how the window acts as a viewfinder and frames the outside just so. it is these photos that never quite seem to capture what i was "seeing". i can take photo after photo after photo but the magic is just not there. i liked this next photo because i was finally able to capture the colors...the intense green outside (best captured it seems in low light) contrasted with the brick red curtains.
i realize this is turning into the photo documentary project so i'm going to try to move outside of my comfort zone next week. :) thanks for reading.
MY RESPONSE
ah windows. window of opportunity.... windows to the soul.... when a door closes a window opens.
what i noticed while observing windows this week :: i like old ones more than new ones [the wavy glass always gets to me]. odd shaped ones [circle, skinny] rather than "standard size" ones. it's not as easy to find stained glass windows as you might think/hope. i like windows with little decorative elements.
ultimately, though, i feel like in all my looking what i was most drawn to was the idea of the window as a framing device. a way to peek out into the world.and as a means to let light in.
i kept taking really minimal shots of windows. the window pared down to it's essential. i'm not sure why this is, but....
a peek at some clouds
diffuse bright light
closed shades
if you stand on my stairway just right you can see the neighbor's house like this. you can also see that this window is VERY dirty. it's too high to reach [either inside or outside]. really it's a funny place for a window to be - but i love the light it lets onto our stairs.
then i got inspired and wanted to do a very mini version of a drawing like Toba Khedoori . her drawings of windows take my breath away. mine is lame and retarded in comparison, but i like the idea of repeatative drawing - what happens when you repeat a window over and over....
and finally.... close your eyes and imagine the sound of rain on your window panes. i love that sound. always have... always will
until next week.... documentary project signing off. thanks for reading!
Labels: documentary project
this week's word chosen by shari
SHARI'S response
when i was a little girl, i collected stamps. this was in my eyes a true "hobby collection". it didn't last long. i just wasn't very interested in stamps but i've always enjoyed having some kind of collection. in college i began a teapot collection but have since given most of these away to friends or goodwill.
the latest in my mary jane shoe collection.
now, i have some smaller collections that i really treasure:
vintage tablecloths (preferably from the fifties)
heart shaped rocks
found paper for collages
tiny showcase art (but only by my favorite artists)
mary jane style shoes
optic nerve comic books
art made by blogger friends such as a p2p card collection, an underdog
ink ring collection, and a small collection of abigail percy jewelry.
just a few heart shaped rocks from my collection
music (cds and vinyl) + instruments (tom's collection)
what is it about collections? why do we have the urge to collect objects, images? i think my three biggest collections are my book, music, and photograph collection. i am really interested in the similarity in collecting material objects and collecting images via photography. in thinking about why we collect, i turned to alain de botton's the art of travel, he states, "a dominant impulse on encountering beauty is to wish to hold on to it, to possess it and give it weight in one's life." we collect what we love, what speaks to us in some way. we collect things that help define us.
my newest collection is a collection of handmade white tea/coffee cups. i have two by karin eriksson, one from white forest pottery , and one from diana fayt . i love that they are mismatched and i look forward to serving guests beverages in these beautiful, beautiful vessels. last night when i was asking tom to build a shelf for these cups, he asked if i was intending to have a four cup collection. i said no, i wanted one of paula's raku cups. so he said five then? and then i said six, a nice even number.
that's the trouble with collections. there's always room for just one more. :)
what do you collect and do your collections change?
one final note. see if you can name the band who wrote these lyrics:
"you've got a great collection of things cause that's the best you can do."
MY response
collection. i am a bonified pack rat. maybe i inherited this trait from my mother or my grandmother [or heck - maybe my grandfather. you should have seen the tin of miscellanios nails, screws, nuts, , washers i inherited from him]. i definitely didn't get it from my dad. he's of the if you don't use it throw it out or get rid of it philosophy. the anti-collector. sometimes i'm envious of this.
if i think back to the first collection that i was really ga-ga over as a kid [i also had a stamp collection which i liked, but didn't get deeply into] was STICKERS. how many photo albums did i have full of them? i liked the scratch and sniff kind, the rainbow kind, the sanrio kind, the foil kind, the puffy and soft ones. i pretty much liked them all. i loved trading my friends for the one i needed to round out my collection [oh little twin stars. i have none of those!!!].
{aside :: as we go along in this project i am more and more amazed at how shari and my lives intersect and cross over. the stamps, the mary janes [oh i have those too].... this happens every week!}
when shari picked this word i was a tinsy bit scared. do i really reveal all the different wacky collections i have? what will they in turn reveal about me? which are the most interesting? what do i have the most of? [clothes? shoes? bags? rings? and then there's the books, notions, vintage fans]. what actually constitutes a "collection"?
i pretty much concluded that you must have at least 2 of something for it to be a baby collection. over 10 and you are a "serious" collector. over 50 and my goodness... well... i'm a fan of obsessiveness so there will be no jugement here. there are some things that are life-long hunts, no? and there are some collections that we grow weary of and stop. i wonder what pushes those desires. [i once vicariously fell in love with a friend's collection of vintage typing ribbon tins. THANK GOODNESS i didn't actually get that bug - but it was close].
i think a big part of the fun of collections is the hunt for the objects. that moment of glee when you find something for a price that is unheard of [or is at least in your budget]... or where you find the one missing piece to your collection that you have been searching for.... there is something joyous about coveting... about wanting about dispalying things grouped together.
just for fun i did a search on the word collection on martha stewart's website . 315 entries. [granted not all relevant, but still].
so now i present to you some collections from my casa.
japanese craft books
if you are a long time reader of mine you've seen these before... my vintage bottle collection [large and small]
vintage lunch boxes [i had to stop at 3 as we have no room]
glass beakers
my mini jello tins
one of my favorites... nests.... [3 from my yard - one from grad school]
and risa asked me what i did with all my polaroids. they live in a metal box... like this
i can't believe i didn't even touch on the art... or the vinyl that my husband has... shari maybe we should devote two weeks to this word??
SHARI'S response
when i was a little girl, i collected stamps. this was in my eyes a true "hobby collection". it didn't last long. i just wasn't very interested in stamps but i've always enjoyed having some kind of collection. in college i began a teapot collection but have since given most of these away to friends or goodwill.
the latest in my mary jane shoe collection.
now, i have some smaller collections that i really treasure:
vintage tablecloths (preferably from the fifties)
heart shaped rocks
found paper for collages
tiny showcase art (but only by my favorite artists)
mary jane style shoes
optic nerve comic books
art made by blogger friends such as a p2p card collection, an underdog
ink ring collection, and a small collection of abigail percy jewelry.
just a few heart shaped rocks from my collection
music (cds and vinyl) + instruments (tom's collection)
what is it about collections? why do we have the urge to collect objects, images? i think my three biggest collections are my book, music, and photograph collection. i am really interested in the similarity in collecting material objects and collecting images via photography. in thinking about why we collect, i turned to alain de botton's the art of travel, he states, "a dominant impulse on encountering beauty is to wish to hold on to it, to possess it and give it weight in one's life." we collect what we love, what speaks to us in some way. we collect things that help define us.
my newest collection is a collection of handmade white tea/coffee cups. i have two by karin eriksson, one from white forest pottery , and one from diana fayt . i love that they are mismatched and i look forward to serving guests beverages in these beautiful, beautiful vessels. last night when i was asking tom to build a shelf for these cups, he asked if i was intending to have a four cup collection. i said no, i wanted one of paula's raku cups. so he said five then? and then i said six, a nice even number.
that's the trouble with collections. there's always room for just one more. :)
what do you collect and do your collections change?
one final note. see if you can name the band who wrote these lyrics:
"you've got a great collection of things cause that's the best you can do."
MY response
collection. i am a bonified pack rat. maybe i inherited this trait from my mother or my grandmother [or heck - maybe my grandfather. you should have seen the tin of miscellanios nails, screws, nuts, , washers i inherited from him]. i definitely didn't get it from my dad. he's of the if you don't use it throw it out or get rid of it philosophy. the anti-collector. sometimes i'm envious of this.
if i think back to the first collection that i was really ga-ga over as a kid [i also had a stamp collection which i liked, but didn't get deeply into] was STICKERS. how many photo albums did i have full of them? i liked the scratch and sniff kind, the rainbow kind, the sanrio kind, the foil kind, the puffy and soft ones. i pretty much liked them all. i loved trading my friends for the one i needed to round out my collection [oh little twin stars. i have none of those!!!].
{aside :: as we go along in this project i am more and more amazed at how shari and my lives intersect and cross over. the stamps, the mary janes [oh i have those too].... this happens every week!}
when shari picked this word i was a tinsy bit scared. do i really reveal all the different wacky collections i have? what will they in turn reveal about me? which are the most interesting? what do i have the most of? [clothes? shoes? bags? rings? and then there's the books, notions, vintage fans]. what actually constitutes a "collection"?
i pretty much concluded that you must have at least 2 of something for it to be a baby collection. over 10 and you are a "serious" collector. over 50 and my goodness... well... i'm a fan of obsessiveness so there will be no jugement here. there are some things that are life-long hunts, no? and there are some collections that we grow weary of and stop. i wonder what pushes those desires. [i once vicariously fell in love with a friend's collection of vintage typing ribbon tins. THANK GOODNESS i didn't actually get that bug - but it was close].
i think a big part of the fun of collections is the hunt for the objects. that moment of glee when you find something for a price that is unheard of [or is at least in your budget]... or where you find the one missing piece to your collection that you have been searching for.... there is something joyous about coveting... about wanting about dispalying things grouped together.
just for fun i did a search on the word collection on martha stewart's website . 315 entries. [granted not all relevant, but still].
so now i present to you some collections from my casa.
japanese craft books
if you are a long time reader of mine you've seen these before... my vintage bottle collection [large and small]
vintage lunch boxes [i had to stop at 3 as we have no room]
glass beakers
my mini jello tins
one of my favorites... nests.... [3 from my yard - one from grad school]
and risa asked me what i did with all my polaroids. they live in a metal box... like this
i can't believe i didn't even touch on the art... or the vinyl that my husband has... shari maybe we should devote two weeks to this word??
Labels: documentary project
hello there. i'm sorry for such a late post... but i bring you shari and my documentary project today. the word this week was ROUTINE and picked by shari .
SHARI's response:
routine: a part of the everyday, ordinary, a schedule.
i started thinking about this word several months ago when i thought up the idea of dishwashing portraits. i wanted to take an activity that was routine and occurred everyday and create art. i wanted to document this part of my daily routine because i spend so much time cleaning the kitchen each day. what interests me about this idea is that there are so many everyday activities that go completely undocumented, unexamined and are often thought of as tedious, boring, uninteresting. i'm thinking of doing a series of these for other routine activities, specifically involving household chores.
a part of my daily routine now is taking a few photos of my backyard. this started as the backyard challenge as i wanted to see my yard with new eyes. each day, i take my camera outside to my backyard and try to see my world differently. i choose to make this activity part of my daily routine.
the word routine also conjures up something that it a regular part of my weekly schedule. one such thing is volunteer work at the co-op.
capturing a moment from my everyday life, one that is routine but is often left undocumented....traveling as a passenger in the car. i wanted to think of parts of my life that often go undocumented because they are so routine that i don't even really think about them. traveling as a passenger is one of those things, though i do often
document this when i travel.
finally, coffee and a book. these two things are without a doubt a part of my everyday routine. this particular image captures my daily ritual in another place (wrightsville beach). i like that these 2 elements of my day are the same no matter if i'm home or traveling. coffee and a good book can turn any day around. :)
i loved examining my daily and weekly routine with this project. what stands out in your mind about your routine?
MY response:
shari must have had e.s.p. when she picked this week's word. i fixated on the thought that i'd be out of my element - away from my routine for a part of this past week. there is nothing like being away from home - from your day to day to make you reflect on your personal routines.
the first thing i thought of was routine :: repetition :: daily :: ritual :: a practice of some sort.
i then started thinking about how you can have several "brands" of routine: the ordinary - get up, shower, get dressed, brush teeth. in the ordinary it's the order - the subtle that differentiates you from me. perhaps your order is hit snooze, get up, brush teeth, get coffee, workout, shower, get dressed. [work out is NEVER part of my routine]
then there's the weekend routine, a mon. wed. fri. routine... i have a studio/art making routine [which always involves leaving something slightly unfinished so i can pick up where i left off]. for awhile i had a daily drawing routine [remember?]....
you can get superstitious about your routine - if you don't follow the precise order at the precise time it's all over. or you feel unsure/shakey. you can be loosey goosey with it - not have it, defy it.
in my life my routine changes every 10 to 15 weeks. depending on what i'm teaching, where i'm teaching it, and what time i'm supposed to be at school. with me - the grass always seems greener regarding routine. if i don't have it i crave it, if i have too much of it - too many responsibilities - i want less.
my favorite routine? sunday morning. sleep in a bit. make a big big latte with foamy milk, get the new york times, read the styles section first, then the week in review, then the arts & leisure, and then thumb through the rest of the paper for things of interest.
i also really was interested in thinking about the mundane.... how normalcy and habits can feed into it. how you can play with yourself by altering your routine... shifting small things [start with putting your right shoe on instead of your left]. how being stuck in a routine can be both good and bad.
and so photos you ask? here are things that are not part of my routine, but were part of my life this weekend:
not my dog [having pets/kids exposes you to all kinds of routines - time to be walked, time to be fed...]
not my bathroom or my shampoo
not my bed
and that my friends is it for now. i have photos of my show, and a million polaroids - that was part of my routine this trip [i took 3 packs worth!!] all of this i hope to start to share later this week....
be well....
SHARI's response:
routine: a part of the everyday, ordinary, a schedule.
i started thinking about this word several months ago when i thought up the idea of dishwashing portraits. i wanted to take an activity that was routine and occurred everyday and create art. i wanted to document this part of my daily routine because i spend so much time cleaning the kitchen each day. what interests me about this idea is that there are so many everyday activities that go completely undocumented, unexamined and are often thought of as tedious, boring, uninteresting. i'm thinking of doing a series of these for other routine activities, specifically involving household chores.
a part of my daily routine now is taking a few photos of my backyard. this started as the backyard challenge as i wanted to see my yard with new eyes. each day, i take my camera outside to my backyard and try to see my world differently. i choose to make this activity part of my daily routine.
the word routine also conjures up something that it a regular part of my weekly schedule. one such thing is volunteer work at the co-op.
capturing a moment from my everyday life, one that is routine but is often left undocumented....traveling as a passenger in the car. i wanted to think of parts of my life that often go undocumented because they are so routine that i don't even really think about them. traveling as a passenger is one of those things, though i do often
document this when i travel.
finally, coffee and a book. these two things are without a doubt a part of my everyday routine. this particular image captures my daily ritual in another place (wrightsville beach). i like that these 2 elements of my day are the same no matter if i'm home or traveling. coffee and a good book can turn any day around. :)
i loved examining my daily and weekly routine with this project. what stands out in your mind about your routine?
MY response:
shari must have had e.s.p. when she picked this week's word. i fixated on the thought that i'd be out of my element - away from my routine for a part of this past week. there is nothing like being away from home - from your day to day to make you reflect on your personal routines.
the first thing i thought of was routine :: repetition :: daily :: ritual :: a practice of some sort.
i then started thinking about how you can have several "brands" of routine: the ordinary - get up, shower, get dressed, brush teeth. in the ordinary it's the order - the subtle that differentiates you from me. perhaps your order is hit snooze, get up, brush teeth, get coffee, workout, shower, get dressed. [work out is NEVER part of my routine]
then there's the weekend routine, a mon. wed. fri. routine... i have a studio/art making routine [which always involves leaving something slightly unfinished so i can pick up where i left off]. for awhile i had a daily drawing routine [remember?]....
you can get superstitious about your routine - if you don't follow the precise order at the precise time it's all over. or you feel unsure/shakey. you can be loosey goosey with it - not have it, defy it.
in my life my routine changes every 10 to 15 weeks. depending on what i'm teaching, where i'm teaching it, and what time i'm supposed to be at school. with me - the grass always seems greener regarding routine. if i don't have it i crave it, if i have too much of it - too many responsibilities - i want less.
my favorite routine? sunday morning. sleep in a bit. make a big big latte with foamy milk, get the new york times, read the styles section first, then the week in review, then the arts & leisure, and then thumb through the rest of the paper for things of interest.
i also really was interested in thinking about the mundane.... how normalcy and habits can feed into it. how you can play with yourself by altering your routine... shifting small things [start with putting your right shoe on instead of your left]. how being stuck in a routine can be both good and bad.
and so photos you ask? here are things that are not part of my routine, but were part of my life this weekend:
not my dog [having pets/kids exposes you to all kinds of routines - time to be walked, time to be fed...]
not my bathroom or my shampoo
not my bed
and that my friends is it for now. i have photos of my show, and a million polaroids - that was part of my routine this trip [i took 3 packs worth!!] all of this i hope to start to share later this week....
be well....
Labels: documentary project
hello there. shari [who has a great interview with eireann today] and i return today with our documentary project. this week's word was chosen by shari.
SHARI'S RESPONSE
progression:
moving ahead, making progress, steps in a sequence. this week's word was a difficult one for me, and i chose it! i struggled to find this word in my everyday existence and learned that often progression is taking two steps back and one step forward. my first inclination was to follow the progression of a collage i was working on, to photograph it daily and to watch the progress, noticing the changes. yet i am a bit unsure of myself in this medium and i felt paralyzed. i left this piece on the floor in my study and continued to visit it every day but could not bring myself to keep working on it.
this week i thought a bit more about the word and suddenly realized that progressions are a big part of my everyday life. chord progressions! i am in a creative period where i love playing the guitar and writing music. click the link below to hear more.
link to song
progression for your ears but also for your eyes. i did a quick little watercolor piece recording the major chord progression for my song plums. this visual representation seems a bit like a secret code yet it means so much to other musicians. t picked it up and immediately recognized it as the chords for one of my songs.
what does the word progression mean to you?
MY RESPONSE
progression felt like a $10 word for some reason. i don't think i would say that in thinking about it's "normal" usage... but in terms of documenting it in my life it seemed a bit daunting.
i found that i was immediately drawn to nature - especially since it's spring and things seem to be "progressing". buds appearing, flowers popping, plants sprouting. you can't hold back mother nature..... or stop time from it's proverbial march forward.
i also thought about how progression in it's most literal sense means moving forward - or counting up. but as the word rolled around in my brain i wondered if that was really true. does progress fundamentally mean you have to go forward? can't things sometimes improve if you go "backward"? like the idea of living more simply. it's counter-intuitive to the notion of progress because it means to let go... of you gadgets, your crazy chock-full life, your desire to get a promotion [same word root] - but then again - couldn't just being more satisfied with what you have and letting go of cultural, social, self-imposed ideas potentially be PROGRESS?
in art it seems like sometimes the desire to move a thought process forward can actually impede the final outcome. i often feel like i am making progress when i re-visit an idea over and over and over - that upon reflection and not moving on i gain a better understanding of my materials, my vocabulary, my concept. i like this idea of progression in a multi-dimensional way. as if you can side-step, or crawl, or jump, or get to your progress how ever you wish.
then again - there's something sexy about progress isn't there? the future... technology... robots [hee hee].
what i did notice is that i like to place things in progressive order around me:
i like arranging things from big to small, or in numerical order, or in color order. it makes me happy - it makes me understand my surroundings. does anyone else do this?
i actually also thought about singing you a scale of notes... do-re-me-fa-so-la-ti-do... but i am shyer than shari and so you'll just have to pretend i did it.
finally i want to share this image because i had to show a client how you can change the stitch length on a sewing machine. we were talking about how to create a sense of depth with stitches and she didn't know you could alter the individual length of the stitch. it fits so perfectly with the word for this week. [and red on white is always a good thing]
hope your monday is progressing nicely!
SHARI'S RESPONSE
progression:
moving ahead, making progress, steps in a sequence. this week's word was a difficult one for me, and i chose it! i struggled to find this word in my everyday existence and learned that often progression is taking two steps back and one step forward. my first inclination was to follow the progression of a collage i was working on, to photograph it daily and to watch the progress, noticing the changes. yet i am a bit unsure of myself in this medium and i felt paralyzed. i left this piece on the floor in my study and continued to visit it every day but could not bring myself to keep working on it.
this week i thought a bit more about the word and suddenly realized that progressions are a big part of my everyday life. chord progressions! i am in a creative period where i love playing the guitar and writing music. click the link below to hear more.
link to song
progression for your ears but also for your eyes. i did a quick little watercolor piece recording the major chord progression for my song plums. this visual representation seems a bit like a secret code yet it means so much to other musicians. t picked it up and immediately recognized it as the chords for one of my songs.
what does the word progression mean to you?
MY RESPONSE
progression felt like a $10 word for some reason. i don't think i would say that in thinking about it's "normal" usage... but in terms of documenting it in my life it seemed a bit daunting.
i found that i was immediately drawn to nature - especially since it's spring and things seem to be "progressing". buds appearing, flowers popping, plants sprouting. you can't hold back mother nature..... or stop time from it's proverbial march forward.
i also thought about how progression in it's most literal sense means moving forward - or counting up. but as the word rolled around in my brain i wondered if that was really true. does progress fundamentally mean you have to go forward? can't things sometimes improve if you go "backward"? like the idea of living more simply. it's counter-intuitive to the notion of progress because it means to let go... of you gadgets, your crazy chock-full life, your desire to get a promotion [same word root] - but then again - couldn't just being more satisfied with what you have and letting go of cultural, social, self-imposed ideas potentially be PROGRESS?
in art it seems like sometimes the desire to move a thought process forward can actually impede the final outcome. i often feel like i am making progress when i re-visit an idea over and over and over - that upon reflection and not moving on i gain a better understanding of my materials, my vocabulary, my concept. i like this idea of progression in a multi-dimensional way. as if you can side-step, or crawl, or jump, or get to your progress how ever you wish.
then again - there's something sexy about progress isn't there? the future... technology... robots [hee hee].
what i did notice is that i like to place things in progressive order around me:
i like arranging things from big to small, or in numerical order, or in color order. it makes me happy - it makes me understand my surroundings. does anyone else do this?
i actually also thought about singing you a scale of notes... do-re-me-fa-so-la-ti-do... but i am shyer than shari and so you'll just have to pretend i did it.
finally i want to share this image because i had to show a client how you can change the stitch length on a sewing machine. we were talking about how to create a sense of depth with stitches and she didn't know you could alter the individual length of the stitch. it fits so perfectly with the word for this week. [and red on white is always a good thing]
hope your monday is progressing nicely!
Labels: documentary project
a new blog! a bunch of us crafty gals put our heads together and came up with sew green. it was really sparked by shash , and then as these things do - it's organically grown into this whole other idea.... i'm really excited and hope that you all go to check it out ....
also - don't forget that shari is hosting the documentary project today - i can't wait until i have a moment to see how she responded to last week's word :: delicate
we've been having glorious weather here... many hours were spent in the yard the last few days [i took my computer and grading outside!] we also had our first official BBQ. yum.
and i had to show you this:
tilda learned from garbo that eating grass can be fun in the sun.
happy monday!
Labels: documentary project, pets, sew green
man you guys are so swell. thanks for all the new look love [and for being glad i stayed. i'm going to get teary eyed so that's all i'm going to say]...
so - today we continue with shari and my documentary project. shari picked the word this week : HANDS
SHARI'S response
i chose the words hands because they have been frustrating me lately. i have so many ideas in my head but my hands are unable to create what i envision. they irritate me when i try to draw. they drove me crazy when i took a ceramics class.
at the same time, i love my hands and receive so much happiness from them. i use them all of the time. if you have a conversation with me, you will notice that i constantly talk with my hands. i gesture, i motion, i wave them wildly. i can type, write, knit, play guitar, and bake with them. i can hold tom's hand. i can pet my cats and feel so many wonderful textures with my fingertips. i can't imagine my life
without them. i love everything handmade.
many years ago i became interested in sign language and took five classes in signed english. this is a bit different from ASL because you are taught to sign every word in a grammatically correct sentence. i think sign language is beautiful, expressive, creative and fun. i am a little out of practice but sometimes i sign along to songs on the radio. i can sign "these are days" by the ten thousand maniacs.
recently, i have been drawn to the practice of mudras in yoga. thinking about where this interest came from, i realized it is so similar to sign language. this is a picture of me with my hand in jnana mudra. jnana means wisdom or knowledge. this is one of the mudras that we regularly practice in my yoga class. i think they are so beautiful too and i feel more graceful and at peace when i practice them.
my hands are not perfect but they are a great gift. they teach me patience, they remind me to slow down, they remind me to persevere, and they allow me to express myself.
a special thanks to t for taking these photos.
MY RESPONSE
when shari chose the word hands i immediately thought of how much i depend on my hands. how many times a day do i need them - as tools themselves - to open something, to pry, to gesture when i'm speaking [i do talk with my hands]. they also function as the mediary between me and something [pencil to paper, fingers on a keyboard typing, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, petting one of the furry creatures].
making things is such a tactile experience. i want to feel the paper, i want to tug on the string for tension, i want to touch the t-shirt before i print on it, i need to hold the fabric as it moves thru a sewing machine. i really started thinking about how much i take my hands - and the sense of touch for granted. you know how you sometimes think about what it might be like to be blind, or to be deaf? i very rarely think about what it might be like to loose the use of an arm or hand. i can't help but think of my friend and mentor katherine sherwood who had to learn how to paint with her left hand after a cerebral hemorrhage.
i also really thought about how i decorate my hands. when i was younger i put a ring on practically every finger. [my grandma has a friend that still does this - we call her the ring lady. when i was a kid she showed me all her drawers and drawers of jewelery and my eyes opened up like saucers]. i couldn't get enough. i piled them on. as i've gotten older i don't want to wear quite as many jewels. and i now have a wedding band on my left hand [and i hate it competing with another ring - so it's always on it's own]. i now just change the ring on my right hand daily. it usually matches what i'm wearing. i like mixing up plastic and funny rings with more delicate and finer jewelry [gorgeous pearl ring set above created by abigail ].
it was funny that shari mentioned hands right after i had been making my students draw contour studies of their hands. i have them do both blind and looking contour - and i also make them draw with their wrong hands. i talk alot about not lifting your pencil/pen/etc. about showing the search for the line [and how that process can be beautiful] , about varying the line, about how hands are great subjects because you can alter their orientation and gesture. sometimes it's good for the teacher to do what their students are doing. so i took this word as a sign i was supposed to contour study my hands ::
my right hand drawing my left
my left hand drawing my right [i'm right handed - and that's another thing - how does having a dominant hand effect you???]. i like the squirrely nature of these lines... the unfamiliarity of using my left hand really makes it onto the page no?
so what are your hands doing today??
so - today we continue with shari and my documentary project. shari picked the word this week : HANDS
SHARI'S response
i chose the words hands because they have been frustrating me lately. i have so many ideas in my head but my hands are unable to create what i envision. they irritate me when i try to draw. they drove me crazy when i took a ceramics class.
at the same time, i love my hands and receive so much happiness from them. i use them all of the time. if you have a conversation with me, you will notice that i constantly talk with my hands. i gesture, i motion, i wave them wildly. i can type, write, knit, play guitar, and bake with them. i can hold tom's hand. i can pet my cats and feel so many wonderful textures with my fingertips. i can't imagine my life
without them. i love everything handmade.
many years ago i became interested in sign language and took five classes in signed english. this is a bit different from ASL because you are taught to sign every word in a grammatically correct sentence. i think sign language is beautiful, expressive, creative and fun. i am a little out of practice but sometimes i sign along to songs on the radio. i can sign "these are days" by the ten thousand maniacs.
recently, i have been drawn to the practice of mudras in yoga. thinking about where this interest came from, i realized it is so similar to sign language. this is a picture of me with my hand in jnana mudra. jnana means wisdom or knowledge. this is one of the mudras that we regularly practice in my yoga class. i think they are so beautiful too and i feel more graceful and at peace when i practice them.
my hands are not perfect but they are a great gift. they teach me patience, they remind me to slow down, they remind me to persevere, and they allow me to express myself.
a special thanks to t for taking these photos.
MY RESPONSE
when shari chose the word hands i immediately thought of how much i depend on my hands. how many times a day do i need them - as tools themselves - to open something, to pry, to gesture when i'm speaking [i do talk with my hands]. they also function as the mediary between me and something [pencil to paper, fingers on a keyboard typing, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, petting one of the furry creatures].
making things is such a tactile experience. i want to feel the paper, i want to tug on the string for tension, i want to touch the t-shirt before i print on it, i need to hold the fabric as it moves thru a sewing machine. i really started thinking about how much i take my hands - and the sense of touch for granted. you know how you sometimes think about what it might be like to be blind, or to be deaf? i very rarely think about what it might be like to loose the use of an arm or hand. i can't help but think of my friend and mentor katherine sherwood who had to learn how to paint with her left hand after a cerebral hemorrhage.
i also really thought about how i decorate my hands. when i was younger i put a ring on practically every finger. [my grandma has a friend that still does this - we call her the ring lady. when i was a kid she showed me all her drawers and drawers of jewelery and my eyes opened up like saucers]. i couldn't get enough. i piled them on. as i've gotten older i don't want to wear quite as many jewels. and i now have a wedding band on my left hand [and i hate it competing with another ring - so it's always on it's own]. i now just change the ring on my right hand daily. it usually matches what i'm wearing. i like mixing up plastic and funny rings with more delicate and finer jewelry [gorgeous pearl ring set above created by abigail ].
it was funny that shari mentioned hands right after i had been making my students draw contour studies of their hands. i have them do both blind and looking contour - and i also make them draw with their wrong hands. i talk alot about not lifting your pencil/pen/etc. about showing the search for the line [and how that process can be beautiful] , about varying the line, about how hands are great subjects because you can alter their orientation and gesture. sometimes it's good for the teacher to do what their students are doing. so i took this word as a sign i was supposed to contour study my hands ::
my right hand drawing my left
my left hand drawing my right [i'm right handed - and that's another thing - how does having a dominant hand effect you???]. i like the squirrely nature of these lines... the unfamiliarity of using my left hand really makes it onto the page no?
so what are your hands doing today??
Labels: art, documentary project
hello friends. this week's word was picked by shari . it was DOOR.
SHARI'S response
a paper mockup of my front door (as seen from the inside). polka dot
paper from marieke + the inside of a security envelope.
i find myself constantly drawn to photographing doors. doors seem to be
a metaphor for one's path in life. doors open, doors close. doors can
be a barrier, yet they can provide protection or a buffer against the
outside world. open doors provide possibility, invite new things into
one's life.
i love door hardware: door knockers, doorknobs, obviously. :) i think
doors can have such unique character. i'd love to have a bright blue
door.
view my flickr set
here
finally, a little series of photos taken through the peephole.
MY response
when shari suggested the word door the first thing i thought of is how there are drastic differences in doors. i mean - i, like shari, LOVE doors. and i guess we both also like to photograph them. whenever i go on a trip i am drawn to capture a door or two. i have doors of seattle, new york, santa fe.... [maybe this should be a coffee table book - maybe it is already?] it's funny to think of a "door" creating a "place" but in fact it can. so above i captured my 2 institutional doors. my office doors at school. don't they just scream workplace/school??
then i thought about the front door of our house and how i really really loved it from the moment i saw it. it was big - [you can fit a fridge through it EASY] it had charm and character and detail.... i wish it was a different color, but that's another story.
so of course i also thought of the metaphors of doors and windows... opening and closing.... how many doors do you pass through a day? do you lock your doors [both physically and metaphorically] - why or why not? doors are gateways. they provide or deny access... and i too [jeez shari we are so alike] love the details of doors... here are some of my favorites from around my house - obviously the glass doorknob is specifically for your shari [and it's the only one in my house - at least for now]
and don't you just LOVE shari's peephole photographs. sigh. i don't have any doors w/ peepholes... wish i did....
hope your week is starting off well!
SHARI'S response
a paper mockup of my front door (as seen from the inside). polka dot
paper from marieke + the inside of a security envelope.
i find myself constantly drawn to photographing doors. doors seem to be
a metaphor for one's path in life. doors open, doors close. doors can
be a barrier, yet they can provide protection or a buffer against the
outside world. open doors provide possibility, invite new things into
one's life.
i love door hardware: door knockers, doorknobs, obviously. :) i think
doors can have such unique character. i'd love to have a bright blue
door.
view my flickr set
here
finally, a little series of photos taken through the peephole.
MY response
when shari suggested the word door the first thing i thought of is how there are drastic differences in doors. i mean - i, like shari, LOVE doors. and i guess we both also like to photograph them. whenever i go on a trip i am drawn to capture a door or two. i have doors of seattle, new york, santa fe.... [maybe this should be a coffee table book - maybe it is already?] it's funny to think of a "door" creating a "place" but in fact it can. so above i captured my 2 institutional doors. my office doors at school. don't they just scream workplace/school??
then i thought about the front door of our house and how i really really loved it from the moment i saw it. it was big - [you can fit a fridge through it EASY] it had charm and character and detail.... i wish it was a different color, but that's another story.
so of course i also thought of the metaphors of doors and windows... opening and closing.... how many doors do you pass through a day? do you lock your doors [both physically and metaphorically] - why or why not? doors are gateways. they provide or deny access... and i too [jeez shari we are so alike] love the details of doors... here are some of my favorites from around my house - obviously the glass doorknob is specifically for your shari [and it's the only one in my house - at least for now]
and don't you just LOVE shari's peephole photographs. sigh. i don't have any doors w/ peepholes... wish i did....
hope your week is starting off well!
Labels: documentary project
if you haven't stopped by - be sure and go to shari's blog to see the latest installment of the documentary project. the word today was proximity and i'm sort of excited by the proximity of our responses.
so i uploaded a few of the inedible cupcake drawings to flickr.... you can see them all here . above is the poisonous virgins bower. i had never heard of the flower before - but it's really a pretty flower. i'm sure it'd be perfect in buttercream icing.... yum. thanks for all the cupcake love out there... it's been so fun to share this project and get all of the reactions.
hands down my favorite comment was something along the lines of cupcakes? that's such an a-political thing. oh contraire mon fraire [it was a guy who said this]. cupcakes are gender loaded i believe. esp. if they are cute and deadly. it reminds me that sometimes it takes a second look to really "get" something. ever quick to judge myself i need to be reminded of this. [besides the fact that thankfully it has been established that the personal is political and by golly i was taking those cupcakes personally :} ]
as i was looking at the cupcake drawings i was realizing how small they actually are. some of them are on 6" doilies.... totally inspired by risa's post on the mini a few days back i promised her some images of work of mine that included very small pieces of clothing. the idea for these stemmed from an amazing collection of old house keeping books called Cassell's Household Guide. The books had great illustrations [many were inspiration in the drawings a day] and details on how to maintain a household circa 1850-1900 [guessing on the dates]. article titles included "domestic surgery", "the rearing of farm animals", "topiary construction".... i did these pieces based on sections called "shirtmaking" and the "management and rearing of children : clothing for an 8 year old girl". i made the patterns and drawings and piece of clothing to the scale of the book. there was something about translating it so directly that i really liked - esp. since they were meant to be human sized. i made everything... including the hangers.
i actually have these back in the studio. i showed them at the mira costa show a few months back. it was nice to have them see the light of day.
ok risa... hope it was worth the wait!!
have a great tuesday friends
so i uploaded a few of the inedible cupcake drawings to flickr.... you can see them all here . above is the poisonous virgins bower. i had never heard of the flower before - but it's really a pretty flower. i'm sure it'd be perfect in buttercream icing.... yum. thanks for all the cupcake love out there... it's been so fun to share this project and get all of the reactions.
hands down my favorite comment was something along the lines of cupcakes? that's such an a-political thing. oh contraire mon fraire [it was a guy who said this]. cupcakes are gender loaded i believe. esp. if they are cute and deadly. it reminds me that sometimes it takes a second look to really "get" something. ever quick to judge myself i need to be reminded of this. [besides the fact that thankfully it has been established that the personal is political and by golly i was taking those cupcakes personally :} ]
as i was looking at the cupcake drawings i was realizing how small they actually are. some of them are on 6" doilies.... totally inspired by risa's post on the mini a few days back i promised her some images of work of mine that included very small pieces of clothing. the idea for these stemmed from an amazing collection of old house keeping books called Cassell's Household Guide. The books had great illustrations [many were inspiration in the drawings a day] and details on how to maintain a household circa 1850-1900 [guessing on the dates]. article titles included "domestic surgery", "the rearing of farm animals", "topiary construction".... i did these pieces based on sections called "shirtmaking" and the "management and rearing of children : clothing for an 8 year old girl". i made the patterns and drawings and piece of clothing to the scale of the book. there was something about translating it so directly that i really liked - esp. since they were meant to be human sized. i made everything... including the hangers.
i actually have these back in the studio. i showed them at the mira costa show a few months back. it was nice to have them see the light of day.
ok risa... hope it was worth the wait!!
have a great tuesday friends
Labels: art, documentary project
edit :: i'm so sorry shari - i put her 3rd image in the wrong direction.... it is hopefully fixed now
hello friends.... it's time for THREE :: LIGHT - the third installment of shari and my project.
SHARI'S images and sound
{to hear shari's thoughts on light and these photos, click here.}
ME ::
i have been noticing lately how much i am affected by light so when shari suggested the word it seemed to fit. getting up early 4 days of the week and watching how rapidly the light and sun moves in the sky in the morning... from gray haze to light pink to more intense pink orange to finally morning light.... on my drive to hayward the sun is low in the sky and practically blinding.
light :: bright :: natural :: flourescent [yuck] :: candle :: moonlight :: starlight :: tungsten :: opposite : dark/shadow :: basking in light :: red light district :: the SAD disorder [which i think i'd have if i lived further north] :: emitting light :: spiritual light ::
and i couldn't help but think of : light as a feather stiff as a board - did you ever play??
but what i really wanted to document with light was how fleeting it is.... slight changes make the world of difference....
the light from the window at the top of my stairs - i took the photo each morning right before i left. notice how on friday i didn't leave the house until 11am and the light is yellow - unlike any of the other ones....
i also thought of these older pictures of mine that seemed to fit light...look here, and here .
next week our project will be back on shari's space.
thanks for all the cupcake/studio love. i'll have pics of the show and i'll talk about the opening next time....
happy monday!
hello friends.... it's time for THREE :: LIGHT - the third installment of shari and my project.
SHARI'S images and sound
{to hear shari's thoughts on light and these photos, click here.}
ME ::
i have been noticing lately how much i am affected by light so when shari suggested the word it seemed to fit. getting up early 4 days of the week and watching how rapidly the light and sun moves in the sky in the morning... from gray haze to light pink to more intense pink orange to finally morning light.... on my drive to hayward the sun is low in the sky and practically blinding.
light :: bright :: natural :: flourescent [yuck] :: candle :: moonlight :: starlight :: tungsten :: opposite : dark/shadow :: basking in light :: red light district :: the SAD disorder [which i think i'd have if i lived further north] :: emitting light :: spiritual light ::
and i couldn't help but think of : light as a feather stiff as a board - did you ever play??
but what i really wanted to document with light was how fleeting it is.... slight changes make the world of difference....
the light from the window at the top of my stairs - i took the photo each morning right before i left. notice how on friday i didn't leave the house until 11am and the light is yellow - unlike any of the other ones....
i also thought of these older pictures of mine that seemed to fit light...look here, and here .
next week our project will be back on shari's space.
thanks for all the cupcake/studio love. i'll have pics of the show and i'll talk about the opening next time....
happy monday!
Labels: documentary project
if you missed it and/or are intersted - the 2nd installment of shari and my documentary project was hosted on her blog yesterday . the word was sweet and you can read all about it....
this is my friend rori's new cocktail monkey card. she used the design i came up with a couple of years ago for the front page of her website. what is it about cocktail monkeys that is so appealing? the colors? the plastic? the fact that they hang by their tails? anyway - you can buy your own monkey cards in her shop .
last night tara and i were painting in mama buzz until 11:30pm. the walls are now pink and the floor has an alice in wonderland black and white checkerboard. it's going to be dirty by the opening on friday, but we don't care. you should have seen us hopping from black sqare to black square to move around the room. why is that paint ends up in the weirdest places [side of your neck.... behind your knee]... i'm off to install some more.....
have a good tuesday!
Labels: documentary project, polaroids
update... i just got to see shari's take on record and she's done an amazing job verbalizing the process. puts me to shame... if you haven't already you should definitely check out her take!!
so.... today shari and i reveal our project together. perhaps you'd like to know a bit of history? basically when i finished the drawing a day series i knew that i wanted to do something else on a weekly basis and i thought it would be more fun to do it with a friend. through that project i discovered that the guideline and discipline of doing something regularly is really rewarding [oh look! i alliterated!]. i kept returning to the idea of what's around me and how i choose to really "see" it or not. then i started thinking about how language can really influence what you pay attention to - or how you interpret [or re-interpret] something. thinking that i wanted to "document" who better to start a project with than someone in documentary studies? so i approached shari.
the premise of the project is this. each week one of us picks a word. and then we both interpret that word in any visual means we want. drawings, photos, mind maps, etc. perhaps shari will even bust out with some sound [hope so!]. we reveal the fruits of our labor on mondays. it may be a single image - it may be multiple.... there are no limits or guidelines on that end.
this week's word was :: record. a great word since it can be interpreted more that one way... dictionary definition here . immediately i thought of my husband's record collection... and then the red "record" button on stereo equipment... and then i thought to do this:
making a record... [on my favorite type of graph paper]. anyone want to venture a guess as to what i was counting??
what i love about this project is how open the interpretation is.... you can go anywhere. it's funny what words pop into my head as possibilities. the word for this week is mine - but you'll have to wait until next monday to learn what it is.... thank you shari - for doing this with me... i can't wait to see how this unfolds and develops week by week. [it's sort of like the compound word project but longer.... :)]
it has been so so cold here [for us calif wimps it's cold]. here's proof. all the pets huddled together:
and i leave you with a poloaroid - which could relate to record.... recording the light thru my studio windows in the way only expired poloaroid film can:
Labels: documentary project, pets, polaroids
