it's feeling a bit more holiday-ish around these parts. i managed to get the mantle decorated during a naptime. after all it's our first christmas as a family of 5 [i'm including the dogs and cats]. surprisingly i even have the urge to listen to some sappy holiday music. so i downloaded some. i tried to find versions by bands/people i like [sufjan stevens, mew, arcade fire] if i like what i found i'll share.... i'll try and share some photos of holiday trimmings soon too.
i was poking around the studio the other day working working working when i opened up one of my doily books and the above envelope/article slipped out. i stopped in my tracks - seeing my grandmother's writing brought a tear to my eye. she used to send me clippings from the LA times, or just random things that she thought i'd be interested in. this article was about an art fair in LA. i know i took it to the studio and read it, and then placed it the book. and then years later here it was. i'm glad i found it. it made me feel as though i was sitting with her for a moment. in the studio she helped me build. it was a nice feeling.
so what am i working on, you ask?
there's a sneak peek. i'm working on some small pieces for the enormous tiny art show in february.
i'm excited. trying out some new stuff mixed with some old ideas. the small format is perfect for experimenting. somehow i feel like i can "see" easier when i work small. these are 5"x5" squares. oh so cute.
[this photo has nothing to do with what i'm about to say. taken on a walk with the little. cold almost winter day. made me think of shari and her pond. ]
so here i am waiting for a studio visit. i'm hungry. get my plate ready. turn on the TV [oh what a luxury]. switch on charlie rose. hello jeff bridges. hello maggie gyllenhaal. oh you have a new movie.
i am convinced charlie rose is a prophet. why you ask? well there was the time in a late night stupor cate blanchet got me started on atrophy [read the post - also around the holidays? here . when i re-read it i realized that i used to write longer and more philosophical posts. hmmm] OK - so maybe it's not mr. rose per se - but i watch the show and somehow things get discussed in a way that shoots to the core of my being. i immediately think - i was JUST pondering that.
today? jeff bridges mentioned fear. fear as the equivalent of fire. how you can warm your feet by the fire and it can simultaneously burn your house down. indeed. feeling a bit fearful about work in the studio and lack of work for money this resonated. then maggie gyllenhaal talked about how her role in this film [ crazy heart ] made her feel vulnerable. how she used to think that you had to be strong and fierce as a woman, but that now she thinks that being vulnerable is OK and is a place you can learn from. um yeah. that would be me. and then the director scott cooper talked about getting back to zero. how you have to start and end a scene at zero. and then jeff and maggie wax poetic about how that's true. you can't recreate a great moment that just happened. you have to re-live - do it again - make anew. that is exactly what i was struggling with in the studio. how to do what i know how to do but also try something new. to meld the two together and see where it takes me instead of trying to force out pieces. or re-make pieces that i already have. that just never works. GET BACK TO ZERO is a good way to think about it.
the lesson here is that if i watch charlie rose in december with actors that i like i have to be careful. or i have to really pay attention because it may just be a mirror of my mind/life. you can watch the show online on charlie rose's website. it was aired 12/16. or search for jeff bridges. [today it's on their home page, but it will move to the archive soon enough].
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ok. if you are in need of a last minute gift idea? under $10? check out what some of us moms have listed on cafe mom
there's a $20 version too
eireann is featuring a month by month re-cap of her year with a photo from her archive. it's a really nice thing.
have a great weekend!
i just got some install shots from the APAture show that was at space 180 in San Francisco in sept.
i loved how the curator suggested i bring in green to relate to all the other work in the show. they also were pretty much in charge of the installation and did a phenomenal job. the whole show really flowed together. the green ended up being the thread that tied the whole room together.
i love how the flowers trail off... it's like the are exploding from the main radial formation
the other weekend i went to pick up a bunch of stuff from my grandmother's house. it's interesting to think about someone's presence within an object. i spent a lot of time with my grandparents when i was young. so there are a lot of stories in the "stuff" that they had around the house. it's hard not to get sentimental. it's also hard not to sneeze. so much dust! [even though her house was clean!]
even though there were so many treasures - and funny things [drawings that i did when i was very small] - we threw out or prepared to donate so much stuff too. it really made me think about what you want to surround yourself with. why have things just to have them? sure there are things we need - but in terms of objects - i want to be surrounded by things that have an aesthetic or personal value to me [even if in the end no one else cares or understands why i had such things].
anyway - the photo above is of my grandmother when she was a child. it's from either the 20's or the early 30's... in it's original frame [which i had to do a little repair job to]. i feel so honored to have this photo. even though it was before i ever could have known her for some reason it really embodies her personality to me. i re-arranged our bedroom this weekend and found the perfect spot for it.
hope you had a good monday. i'm holding my breath for our momentous election. it's hard to believe it's finally here. if you haven't done it already - don't forget to vote. i'll be back on wed. with an announcement about a show that opens thurs.
hello friends. i just wanted to let you all know that i'm going to be a bit absent from internet land for awhile.
my grandmother - who was one of the biggest influences in my life and my art - finally gave up her battle with lung cancer last night.
i'm going to spend some time thinking about her and all the amazing things she taught me over the years. i am blessed to have had her in my life for as long as i did. i will miss her, but know that she is with me. i hope to share more about her sometime soon.
xoxoxo
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