Day Two...

Today started off pretty early! Cynthia, Greg, Weasel, and Bob went to the Best Bead Show presented by Crystal Myths to set up for the opening day. Even though I had gotten really late, I couldn't go back to sleep. So instead of just laying there, I wanted to make a couple of samples before I went to the shows.

I was working at the To Bead True Blue show at the Manning House. The day was a pretty relaxed day, full of meeting wonderful customers and other vendors. I had the opportunity to talk to so many amazing people!

The highlight of the second day in Tucson by far was the Beadwork party. Each year in Tucson, Beadwork throws a party for their advertisers. Usually it's at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. This year, they moved the party to the Tucson Museum of Art.

Left: Pam Wynn and Jamie Hogsett. Pam is Heather Wynn's mother and makes amazing polymer beads. Jamie is the editor of Stringing and is the special editor at Beadwork. Jamie is one of my favorite people.

Right: Jamie and I are posing in front of a horse sculpture that had been decorated with iconic imagery at the Tucson Museum of Art.

Left: Lisa Kan with Danielle Fox. Lisa creates finely crafted glass beads. Her work is inspired by Asian art. Danielle works for Beadwork and Stringing. She used to live in New York and actually used to live a couple of blocks away from me when I lived in Gramercy Park, but alas... we never knew it.

Right: Patti Cahill and Kay Seurat unwillingly pose for my camera. Patti is one of my favorite glass-bead makers of all time. She's out of Mars Hill and lived not too far from us when I was in Asheville. I just met Kay this evening.

Left: Lindsay, me, and Katie Wall strike a pose. Lindsay and Katie Wall work for Fusion Beads based out of Seattle. Both of them are truly delightful gems!

Right: This is today's haul! Lots of coral and pearls from one of my favorite bead stores, Talisman Associates! In the middle there's a beaded ring that Dustin Wedekind made for me and also a dichroic glass bead, which are very hard to come by.

Day One...

Today was a travel day. Originally, I had planned to take the subway out to JFK airport. However, due to train delays when I stopped by my studio, I was running a little behind schedule and ended up taking a car service instead.

Above: Inside JFK's American Airlines Terminal, waiting to board the plane.



It didn't really hit me that I'd be leaving New York until we took off and I looked out the window. So much of my life in New York is centered around the routines and daily rituals that I've created for myself. I was leaving all that.

Above: A view of the Harbor from the window-seat.

Below: Sunset at O'Hare.

From JFK, my flight took me to O'Hare in Chicago. The lay-over was pretty long to begin with, 3 or 4 hours. But then there was a delay and that added an extra 2 hours to my time in Chicago. At first I was really upset, as it would mean that I wouldn't get in until really late. But I swung by one of the airport bars, paid my $7.27 for a Sam Adams Draft and ended up talking with this woman named Timeka, who's living in Atlanta and had recently been robbed and had to pull out like 15 different papers to get a beer with her salad. She had grown up in Brooklyn and was absolutely hillarious. I would have taken a picture of her, but we were having such a wonderful time talking that I didn't even think of pulling out my camera. It was funny, because I recognized several different bead people. I think I saw Paula Best. She is pretty hard to miss with her multi-colored shock of hair.

Below: Welcome to Tucson. (The picture is as fuzzy as I felt.)

When we finally boarded the plane, I was looking forward to collapsing into sweet sleep. That did not happen though. What did happen was a pretty hellish ride. My aisle-seat was next to the restroom and people kept bumping into me. Some knocking me in the head with their various over-sized purses and luggage. The guy next to me was intent on finishing his puzzle book and reading his dentistry papers, which meant that even though the rest of the lights in the cabin were off, his weren't. It wouldn't have been quite as bad had he left his shoes on. But, I guess he wanted to air them out or something, because he slipped his shoes off and filled our half of the plane with the sour smell of his feet. And if you think it couldn't have possibly gotten any worse, it did. Behind us was one of the flight attendent stations. One of them was this extremely LOUD and queeny man who kept sqwuaking the entire trip to his co-worker about how they were getting "screwed over. " By the end of the flight (and his diatribe) I felt I had a working knowledge of the current issues plaguing flight attendants and their union.

Eventually, after 1 AM, we all finally arrived in Tucson. I'm beat.

Laundry...

It's almost 5 AM and I'm on my second load of laundry. Luckily this laundromat has handy-dandy internet access to make this post possible.

Leaving on a Jet-Plane...

Tomorrow, I'm heading off to Tucson, Arizona. Let me just say that getting everything ready for my departure has been no easy feat! I'm exhausted already. Lots of little errands to run and I'm still not finished yet. Still have laundry to do and lots of packing.

Everything seems to be taking twice as long since everything is either coated in ice or snow.

I'll start documenting the trip tomorrow on my way to the airport.

Connections...

In this week's issue of the Village Voice, Jerry Saltz writes an article titled, Seeing Dollar Signs.

Here is an exerpt from the text that I think is of interest:
Yet we can't ignore the market or just lay back and drink the Kool-Aid. Maybe we should be asking questions such as: Are we sometimes liking things because we know the market likes them or are we really liking them? Do people really believe the kitschy pictures of naked girls with pussy cats by German painter Martin Eder are any good or are buyers simply jumping on the bandwagon because his prices have reached $500,000? When we learn that a newish painting by the second-rate latter-day Neo-Expressionist Marlene Dumas sold for over three million dollars, does it alter how we think of her work? Does it alter the ways magazine editors or curators think about it? One of the organizers of Dumas's upcoming MOMA exhibition, the otherwise excellent Connie Butler, recently responded to one of my public hissy fits about the overestimation of this artist by saying, "Dumas has been making portraits of terrorists," as if to suggest that certain subject matter exempts art from criticism. In fact, this subject matter is not only predictable and generic, and in that sense utterly conservative, its perfect fodder for a culture in disconnect.

Where Saltz sees the comment from Connie Butler as an exemption from criticism, it is most likely a direct answer to the economic roots of his question. Why is Marlene Dumas' work going for such large prices these days?

The possible answer could be found in the latest issue of FRIEZE.

Nancy Spector wrote an article called, Culture Vultures. In it she describes the new "Global Cultural Initiative" and how government funding is being specially allocated to artists that are patriotic and create work in support of the American image or against American foes. She even cites the CIA-backed Congress for Cultural Freedom and how it pushed the non-objective, Abstract Expressionists to the forefront of the art world with financial backing.

It stands to reason that artists who make patriotic/ anti-terrorist work under the Global Cultural Initiative will be elevated quicker both in price and prestige. Perhaps this is why Dumas' work has seen a recent boost.

Kiki Smith Interview...

I'm really enjoying this great Kiki Smith interview with Phong Bui and Susan Harris in The Brooklyn Rail. It can be viewed online by CLICKING HERE.

Globalization and the Artist...

Earlier this evening, I attended the Artists Talk On Art panel discussion entitled, Globalization and the Artist. The moderator was Robert C. Morgan, with panelists, Phong Bui of The Brooklyn Rail, Jungwook (Grace) Rim, and Natvar Bhavsar.

I have mixed feelings about the panel discussion.

For one, I don't feel the panelists covered the topic directly. Many of them went on long tangents about their own artistic, political, and spiritual standpoints ad nauseum. As much as a panel discussion is about juxtaposing various stances, it's also about bringing each member's specific experience and expertise to addressing the question at hand.

The idea of globalization and how it effects the arts and vice versa was hardly covered. The panel discussion would have been more appropriately titled, "Cultural Identity in a Globalized World." Some point during the introductions, it became apparent (to the panelists and the audience) that each panelist represented a different culture or country. This shifted the topic away from globalization and more towards cultural and ethnic identity.

Phong Bui is brilliant. However, he has a way of foot-noting himself while speaking that not only draws out a response, but adds unnecessary information that distracts from the point he's trying to make. The same goes with Robert C. Morgan. Both of them seem to write out their responses, making it less like a panel discussion and more like the reading of art history papers.

Jungwook (Grace) Rim and Natvar Bhavsar seemed to suffer a different malady. All of their responses were completely personal and much without art historical basis. This didn't mean that their responses were any more terse, but instead often times repeated and/or completely off topic.

It may sound like I was disappointed, but I am thankful that this sort of event takes place. I believe firmly in artists creating dialogues, especially ones that relate directly to this time and place. These discussions shouldn't end when the lights go off in the auditorium, but should remain as lingering question marks for each artist and individual to ask of themselves and others.

I am looking forward to some of their up-coming programming. Especially with Melissa Meyer on April 13th, and Cindy Nemser on April 27th.

Illustration Friday: Red...

Above: Seeing Red.

It's been a while since I've made anything for Illustration Friday, but I couldn't pass up this theme for the week.

I tend to recycle a lot of my older work to create new work. When I was making this piece, I ended up putting together three different pieces. All of them had the color red as their dominant color choice, and I think went well with one another visually. I like the process of cannibalizing former pieces, as it really changes the way in which the work is read. Individually, these collages and paintings mean something completely different. However, together, the meanings have been altered yet again.

Instead of attaching the parts with glue, I've bound them to each other by sewing them. Using green thread on one of the layers really makes the red pop out more, I think.

Stew...

I haven't written much on what's going on in my studio lately. Mainly because I'm in a planning phase. When I go to the studio, I call my visits "stew sessions." Right now I'm proverbially chopping the carrots, slicing the potatoes, and cutting up the meat. Let's just say that this latest stew is heavy on the meat.

I will be opening the kitchen for visitors sometime at the end of March for a small open studio.

"Mixing It Up"...

The new postcard came out for the group show I'll be in this February. It's in a series of exhibitions called, Tomorrow's Artists Today and will be at the Visual Arts Gallery. The opening is on the 13th. I will be in the front room in a show called "Mixing it Up" that was curated by Jeanne Siegel.

Wicked Deception...

So, twice a year the restaurants of New York host an event called Restaurant Week. During these week long sessions, the restaurants offer a prix fixe meal options or reduce already fixed prices for either lunch or dinner. It's a great deal as it allows many folks who can't afford $60 lunch plates or $150 dinner plates to sample the restaurant for only a fraction of the price. This year, the price was $24.07 for lunch and $35 for dinner.

I had a reservation for Del Posto, Mario Batali, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, and Joseph V. Bastianich's new restaurant across the street from Chelsea Market for today. However, I got a horrible migraine and had to cancel my lunch reservation! It makes me sad. I guess I'll have to wait until the summer.

Postcard...

Above: 5026 miles/8089 km from New York City to Istanbul.

Moon and Stars Project is hosting an open call for submissions to their postcard project/exhibition called, PERCEPTIONS. Creative types were asked to create an original postcard, illustrating their perception of the other country. For example, being an American, I did mine on what I thought of Turkey.

The show of postcards will travel throughout the United States and Turkey, and is designed to create a dialogue between artists of both countries and how they see each other.

I will post more information on where to see the show as it becomes available.

Looking At...

Amy Wilson proposed a simple challenge to the artists who read her blog: As an artist, say who you're "looking at" right now. You can read the original post and the comments by CLICKING HERE.

Responding to the post, I wrote firstly that I was looking at the work of Danica Phelps who shows at Zach Feuer (LFL) Gallery.

I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to work with Danica twice through the Summer Residency program in Painting and Mixed Media at SVA. I had already been acquainted with her art when we began working together. I had seen one of the shows she was in where she transformed the gallery into her living space and lived there in the gallery space. She lived there for a month with her partner, Debi and even her dog. Danica is an incredibly sensitive, intelligent, and aware artist who creates delicate autobiographical drawings and financially diaristic charts and graphs. As a mentor, she really focuses her energy on listening and letting you develop the answers. She never told me what to do, but instead allowed me to come to realize what I needed to do, and supported my decisions with constructive and helpful feedback.

Today, her book, Every Day Life, came in the mail! I was very excited to get it and have been looking through it non-stop as much as I can spare. (Mostly on the train because that's one of the only times that I have a bit of free time that's not already scheduled to death.) The title explains it all. The book chronicles the life of the artist through meticulous record-keeping, illustrated with drawings, collage charts, and essays from people familiar with Danica's work.

I ordered her other book as well, A Book of D's, but Amazon messed the order up and ended up sending me a book by Jules de Balincourt, who oddly enough also shows at Zach Feuer (LFL) Gallery.

Her work is definitely worthy of consideration.

Desert Bound...

Next week, I'm headed for Tucson, Arizona to work at the annual spring bead shows there with my family and their company, Green Girl Studios. I will be at the To Bead True Blue Show hosted at the Manning House Estate. Stop by and say, "hello," if you're in the area! I'm really excited to take a little break and go out to the desert. I was born in that part of the country and I think that a little part of me is still connected to it. Plus, the sunsets are simply amazing.

It's a great chance to see people, whom I only get to see once or twice a year and catch up with them. To me it is the equivalent to summer camp. When we were growing up, we were too poor to go to camp, so this is our chance to make up for lost time. I miss all my Tucson friends. I can't wait to see them!

Green Girl Studios is hosting a small party for their closest friends who will be out in the desert during the bead shows. Anne Mitchell has graciously opened her home/studio to host the party! They are amazing and their place sounds absolutely beautiful! I'm looking forward to this so much.

We are having the wonderfully talented Courtney Robbins play for us. She is a Tucson-based singer/songwriter who really knows how to handle a guitar. Her playing is immediate, passionate and vibrant; her lyrics direct and stirring. Courtney will be promoting her new, recently-released album, Red Sky In Morning. Her album is definitely a worthy addition to anyone's music collection. Pick up a copy via iTunes or through CDBaby (or at the party!)

War Is Over "Again"...

My friend, Linda Nicholas, an artist I met in the Summer Residency at SVA a few years ago was participating in a show entitled, War is Over "Again" at Sideshow Gallery in Williamsburg.

Since I've returned to New York, I've been meaning to catch up with her. So even though it was bitterly cold out, I fashionably bundled up and headed out to see her at the opening. I stopped by the bodega and picked up some flowers -irises, one of my favorites and set out to see her.

Last night, just before I went out to see Sleepwalkers at MoMA, I dropped in on the gallery by mistake. For some reason, I had thought that the opening was on Friday night and not Saturday. I had even bought flowers (orchids) on Friday night to give to Linda, but eventually gave them away to Josh's friend whom we briefly ran into after visiting MoMA.

When I stopped by on Friday, it was pretty empty. I am fairly certain that it was empty because only the gallery staff was there for the installation of the show. The idea that the gallery would be empty kind of stuck with me. I imagined that when I showed up on the actual date of the opening, it would be easy to find her.

Upon entering the gallery earlier this evening, I was shocked! At any given time, there was easily over a hundred people in the relatively small space. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more than that. Needless to say, I saw everyone except for Linda. I even spotted Elizabeth Harris, of the Elizabeth Harris Gallery in Chelsea.

It was funny, because one of the members of the gallery who I had seen the night before recognized me and saw that I had brought flowers... again. She was very sweet about trying to help me locate Linda.

The irises are now sitting in a vase in my living room and I have yet to meet up with Linda, but am hopeful that we will soon be able to catch up!

Dancing with Strangers...

After viewing Sleepwalkers, the plan was to find a quiet place to warm up and discuss our thoughts on the projections. The frigid temperatures must have befuddled our senses, because somehow we ended up wandering in the cold for like 45 minutes. Most of the places that we passed were some variation of a drunken -LOUD- sports bar.

We finally ended up at a place called Rendez-vous on Time Square, which was this weird hybrid of a hookah bar, falafel house, watering hole, and Top 40's remix dance party. It felt almost like one of those projections we had just seen.

It seemed like this place was a crossroads for travelers and visitors. In the murmured over-heard conversations, exotic foreign accents could be made out. Scanning the room revealed a diverse group of people. I can only imagine that our fellow patrons did not know where to go either. They ended up, like us, at this strange amalgamation.

Josh and I went with the flow and after a few beers, joined the small crowd on the dance-floor. Discussions on art were temporarily abandoned and gave way to more immediate conversations on "who was dropping it like it was hot" or "if the drinks had been somehow watered down" or if the couple next to us going to erupt into sluggish booty-dancing or sharp blows to the head. We knew no one except each other, but that didn't stop us from making fast and friendly dance partners of anyone willing to participate. It was a lot of fun and great to dance.

Above: Josh and his new (smitten) acquaintance, Jill, get their dance on for the camera.

Sleepwalkers...

Josh and I braved the bone-chilling weather to check out the new Doug Aitken piece entitled, Sleepwalkers. It's being projected onto the exterior of the Museum of Modern Art in the evenings from 5PM to 10PM.

First, we started off viewing the piece, which is made up of five separate films that correspond to one another, from the very front of the building on 53rd Street. Only one film was being played at a time there. Then we moved around to the side, where two of the films were being shown. And finally we went into the sculpture garden to see three films were being projected, with peripheral imagery projected in between.

Even though it was freezing cold, I enjoyed myself quite a bit. I could relate to the movies and understand how even though these individuals were separate, their lives were interconnected and woven together. It made perfect sense having lived in a major City. There is this desperate loneliness, even though you are surrounded by millions of others and that you are not the only one feeling this vacancy. It is shared, yet individual; communal, yet private.
Also, Tilda was in it... which pretty much assures that it's going to be good.

Winter...

Many people say that the first day of Winter is the Winter Solstice on or around December 21st, and for all intensive purposes, they would be right. I, however, have a different take on what winter means, especially after having lived in New York for a few years now.

For me, the first day of winter is the first real snow. It's when the snow falls and it lands on your jacket and it sticks there for a few minutes before it melts away and leaves a dark wet spot.

Today it snowed and the snow stuck to my jacket.

I think that when it snows for the first time and the flurries are coming down, it's truly magical. Before the crowded streets of New York transform the crystaline whiteness into puddles of semi-frozen sludge, there is an intense beauty that is almost primal and basic in its simplicity.

So, today, for me, it is finally winter.

Dreamscapes...

Before I headed out to the reading of Inheritance by Natalie Danford, I stopped in the Westside Gallery for the opening reception of Dreamscapes, a show curated by Richard Brooks. The exhibit features the work of three current students, James Farias, Toby Klinger, and Michaela Murphy. It runs till February 10th.

The reception started off pretty quietly, so I had ample access to view all the works. I actually liked the show quite a bit, especially the work of Toby Klinger. The illustrative works on clayboard boxes were really seductive in their detailed neo-surrealist style.

My only reservation about the show was the GIANT empty spot on one of the walls. In such an intimate venue, the vaccancy was actually really distracting.

Inheritance...

Working one Saturday a few years ago, I met a couple who became regulars named Natalie and Paulo. They would usually come in, their brows damp from a bike ride around the City, and order their usual. Natalie had these really distinctive and unusal earrings of chairs. I commented on how nice they looked and suggested that she look into the work of Lucas Samaras, who has done a lot of art pieces with chairs.

Fast forward to two weeks ago: I open an issue of Time Out New York and see a picture of a woman who looks vaguely familiar. I notice her earrings, and see that it is Natalie Danford and she has written a book entitled, Inheritance. This past weekend, after not seeing them for a long time, she and her husband stopped in for a bite to eat.

Earlier this evening, despite massive amounts of work, I had the pleasure of stopping in at the Barnes and Noble at Astor Place to hear a reading from her debut novel. The book is about a woman named Olivia who discovers a deed after her father's death. This mysterious link to her father's past, takes her to Italy to uncover the truth behind a long-buried family secret.

From what she read, it sounds pretty darn awesome! I'm definitely going to check it out (and perhaps get Natalie to sign my copy) when my course-load lightens up a bit. Maybe it'll make good reading for the flight down to Tucson later this month!

I also think that it is a confirmation sign for my plans for the trip to Italy this summer.

Talisman...

I had a critique with artist, Amy Wilson, back in October. Since then, she started her own blog and I have been keeping up with her via it. I really like how she isn't afraid to share her process and her thoughts. After reading her blog, I usually feel very inspired.

Lately, her posts have been about her being sick or about pulling muscles or other unforunate circumstances. I thought about what I could do to help. So, I created an "urban" talisman for her. When I had first met her, I noticed that she was wearing a bee charm. I had a bee coin from my family's company, Green Girl Studios, and decided to incorporate this charm into the talisman necklace.

Making this necklace, with various stones and different kinds of chain was a lot of fun, and a small gesture to show my appreciation for her thoughts and comments, as well as a way to express my well-wishes.

Amy even made her own posting about it. Which can be viewed by CLICKING HERE.

Pinkalicious...

One of my mentors and friends, Victoria Kann, who is a talented artist and illustrator, has taken her latest project to the stage!

She and her sister created the childrens' book, Pinkalicious. It's the story of a young girl who has a fondness for pink cupcakes and contracts, Pinkititis - which turns her completely PINK! Only she can find a way to remedy this new development.

Victoria and Elizabeth bring Pinkalicious to life in this all-new musical with the aid of music by John Gregor at Vital Theatre here in New York City.

The show runs from January 13th to February 25th, Saturdays and Sundays at 11AM and 1PM. There are additional shows on Wednesday, February 21st and Friday, February 23rd. To purchase tickets, CLICK HERE.

Little Miss Sunshine...

Ever since I saw the first trailer for Little Miss Sunshine, I knew that I had to go out and see it. Sheila and I would both stalk the video stores, like jungle predators looking their prey. Unfortunately, we were never able to find it while she was still in New York. And since then, I've seen it at the Blockbuster by my work. Or more aptly, I have seen the empty shelves designated for where the movie lives when it's actually in the store.

As luck would have it, on a recent browsing trip I found the last copy and snatched it up before the Korean couple with the DaVinci Code in hand could.

I had wildly different expectations for the film, but was pleasantly surprised. The depth of character was remarkably crafted from the cast, portraying the best and worst of family dynamics. Little Miss Sunshine is a darkly funny film where the laughs are earned, and are counter-balanced by somber addictions and real human hurt. Many of the scenes are easy to relate to if one were to reflect on their own family.

Endings of films, can either make or break a film for me. The great thing about this particular movie is that it doesn't end all neat and tidy. Although there is closure, deux ex machina doesn't swoop in and grant everyone a pair of ruby red slippers to click out their wishes. I recommend this film.

Objective: Italy Summer 2007...

Earlier this evening, I hung out with a friend. It was so nice to relax and spend time catching up with one of my good friends. We shared a bottle of wine over beads and ended up going to the Wreck Room to play pool (very badly) on the way back to her apartment. Through the course of our conversation, I've come to realize that I really want to go to Italy this summer.

I found a catalogue at my school for the Study Abroad Program. Painting in Florence for three weeks sounds wonderful! I really haven't done any international traveling, and I would like to do a bit of exploring before I enter into grad school. The study abroad program, although expensive, seems like the perfect opportunity to do this!

The Venice Biennial is also this summer and seems like an event not to miss.

My friend has an international plane ticket burning in her pocket and said that we should meet up after the program is finished and pal around Italy. Sounds good to me!

I'm coming up with a plan to make this objective a reality!

Work(s) on Paper...

Unfortunately, most of the work that I've been doing on paper lately isn't artwork at all, but just massive amounts of paperwork. In between grad school applications, writing recommendations for other people, writing papers and filling out forms for school, completing scholarship and grant requests, to side writing projects... it's been pretty hectic around here. At a certain point, all of this was overwhelming, but now the throbbing behind my eyes has dulled to a numb sense of dutiful obligation. Oh well, I think I'll take a break later this evening.

What's in a Name...

I have recently been informed that one of my pieces has been selected for a group show in Chelsea at the Visual Arts Gallery run through the school! I'm very excited for this great opportunity to share my art work. The date of the opening is February 13th and I will post more details as they come.

Right now, I'm trying to figure out a title for the piece that was chosen. The curator calls it Bloody Crosses. However, I think it puts a different slant on the work than what I want. I thought about calling it Plagues or Internal Reformations, but I don't like being as obvious. Perhaps something in Latin. I will think on it.

A Woman's World...

Earlier this evening, I had the pleasure of watching two documentaries that are being screened back-to-back at Film Forum. The great thing about Film Forum is that they show a lot of smaller movies that are specifically geared towards the arts and academia. The first of the films was called, With My Back to The World, which is about the artist Agnes Martin who passed away in 2004.

The movie is a quiet movie, full of the ideologies and insights of the artist renouned for her lengthy career crafting horizontal line and grid paintings.

Agnes Martin is one of my personal inspirations. In my studio, pinned to the wall, there is an essay entitled Beauty Is the Mystery of Life. This essay has fueled me onward to continue my artistic practices, even on those dark and doubtful days. It can be found in a book called, Uncontrollable Beauty: Toward a New Aesthetics.

The following movie was called, Squatting The Palace: An Installation by Kiki Smith in Venice. In an almost manic pace, the film traces the preparation of the exhibition, Homespun Tales: Stories of Domestic Occupation, held in the Fondazione Querini Stamplia in Italy. Smith is shown easily vascilating between media, sculpting, drawing, painting, and planning. I too am moved by Kiki Smith and her investigations into fairy tales and classical mythology.

Shown together, there is an interesting comparison and contrast between both female artists, examining the multi-facets of what it means to be an artist - particularly a woman artist. Each of the artists is vastly different from one another in style, practice, and generation, but in their disparity a common ground can be hammered out.

The screenings began tonight and will run for another two weeks. On Friday, January 12th, there will be a book signing for Smith and the directors for the Smith movie and a Q & A with the director of the Martin film. The activities begin at 7:30 PM in the main lobby of Film Forum.

Modern Alchemy...

The other day, I saw a posting on the Notcot blog about D.L. & Co. and fell in love with their work. Specifically, I was drawn to the Modern Alchemy collection. Not only are these high-quality products both fragrant and pleasingly aromatic, but they are also stylishly packaged. They reference Edwardian and Victorian motiffs to successfully pump up the nostalgic vibe. One of the product-lines produced by Modern Alchemy is the Timeless Pocket Watch series, which was featured in the December 2006 issue of Lucky. They were sold exclusively through Anthropologie.

Unfortunately, Anthropologie no longer carries this product on their website. HOWEVER, a few of the store locations still have these pocket-ready solid perfumes at 75% the original price. (Sale heaven!) I just happened to be walking by the 5th Avenue location and picked up the Yuzu Flower and Cassis Bud blends. Sadly, all of the Lilly of the Valley ones were damaged and I couldn't open them, so I passed. But I'm very pleased with the other two at bargain prices!

Day of Rest...

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the new semester which is often times very chaotic and utterly hectic. School itself isn't so bad, but in combination with work, my own art time, and keeping up various obligations, it's pretty killer. So, I decided to take the day off to sleep. Sounds silly, but when you average 3 to 4 hours of sleep a night, sleeps becomes a luxury sorely lost.

When I wasn't resting, I was surfing blogs. I discovered Design*Sponge through the blog of an artist, who was featured on a gallery listed on Re-Title. It is completely addictive and I've been satisfying my nester urges by checking out all the links. I'm thinking about starting to collect limited edition silk-screen prints. They are affordable, supportable, and appeal to my graphic side.

Ouch...

Apparently, I stepped on a glass seedbead this morning when I got out of bed. I didn't really notice anything until after I had been standing all day at work. I examined my foot, but couldn't really find the source of the little hurt, besides a small blood-stain on my sock!

Later, after walking on it all day and experiencing even more discomfort, I sat down for a more intensive examination. I found the small, tiny glass fragments embedded in the sole of my left foot! Eek!

It is still pretty tender, but I imagine that it will mend soon.

From the Shores of Hawii...

My favorite holiday gift was an early one sent to me by the talented Candice Wakumoto. In fact, it was my only holiday gift this year, but what a gift to get! It's a custom, hand-crafted PMC amphora with a blessing on the back.

In order to receive such an amazing gift, I had to encourage my sister, Cynthia, to finish her end of a bargain she struck with Candice a few years prior.

Candice sent it all the way from Hawii. Unfortunately it arrived in Asheville the day that Sheila and I left. We used to joke around that it was probably sitting in the mailbox while we were pulling out of the driveway.

Luckily I have retrieved it and added it to its rightful home amongst my other treasures.

Happy New Year...

Last night, I went to a small gathering of friends to welcome in the new year. The motto of the evening: "Just drink some more."

I have discovered the very real flaw in that motto - the morning after. Even though I didn't have too terribly much to drink, it made opening the store in the morning down right horrible. I had to take, what I like to call, "moments to myself" often.

I personally don't like the idea of resolutions. I think that all they do is set one's self up for disappointment and failure. For years, I would tell myself - I'm going to do this, or I'm not going to do that... and all it would do is make me sad when I couldn't fulfill this new obligation set upon myself.

I know no one delivered of motherless perfection. Each individual is imperfect and flawed, but these "problems" are lessons. They are a road-map to real self-improvement. New Years Resolutions are usually temporary quick-fixes that result in more damage than good. To know one's self, seeing clearly both virtue and vice is liberating and ideal.