New Shoes for Tucson...

My friend got me a gift certificate from DSW for Christmas. I'm just now using it. I thought that I would get a couple of pairs of nice shoes for Tucson. The black pair are from Robert Wayne. (Who knew they made their own brand of shoes? I thought they were just a warehouse distributor.) The "fire-brown" pair are from Steve Madden. Yes, I know. I'm breaking a cardinal rule about trade shows: Never wear new shoes that haven't been broken in. But these shoes are so comfortable and fit perfectly. With the addition of comfy extra insoles added, it'll be like I'm walking on air.

And who doesn't want to feel like they're walking on air when they'll be on their feet 10 to 12 hours (if not more) a day?

Morning...

Sometimes when things become overwhelming, I like to take a moment to reflect. It's not always the most productive of things, but in the end it puts me in a good head-space to work and finish what needs to be done. I can't turn back the clock to yesterday morning and the beautiful sunrise that I saw, but I can look at the photo I quickly took before heading out the door. This is a snap-shot out the window yesterday morning as seen from my apartment in Brooklyn. People are probably getting bored of my pictures from the same vantage-point, but I don't care. I like them and so I'm going to post them.

Wear It Down...

So it's less than a handful of days left until the Tucson fun begins. These past couple of weeks, I've probably slept only a handful of hours. I am exhausted. I hope that I finish all the projects that I've set up for myself. Otherwise I'll think of my time as pretty wasted. All the hours spent on half-finished projects could have been spent sleeping or resting up for the big shows. (This post is being made from my office on my break... just goes to show how cramped for time I am.)

By the way, I'll be either at the Best Bead Show or at the To Bead True Blue show with my family's company, Green Girl Studios. I believe that we'll be in the same spots as last year, in the atrium at the To Bead True Blue show and against the wall on the far right-hand side at the Best Bead Show. This year, I think Tony and Lisa Blackwell of Zoa Art will be our neighbors at the Best Bead Show, which is really exciting. Bob Burkett will also be floating around with goods on our table. I'm really excited.

Okay, now back to work!

Leslie Alfin's New Site...

Another artist friend I met in a painting residency, the incredible Leslie Alfin, just updated and revamped her website. Her site looks GREAT! It seems like a lot of people I know are spending their winters wisely and working towards improvement in this way. I think her new site really allows the viewer to interact with her multi-media pieces, seeing projects from various views and really spotlighting the work without being a distraction and taking away from the work itself. Definitely check it out!

So Good It Hurts...

I just found out who our special guest performer will be this year at the party in Tucson and she's GOOD! Like so good it hurts kind of good. Her name is Leila Lopez and her music is just fabulous. CLICK HERE to check out her MySpace page. She's got a voice that's warm and rich and makes me think of woodgrain. She and Courtney Robbins will be performing together and solo for our little gathering. We're thrilled to have them play for us!

Cinko Studios Website...

My good friend Tommy Cinko of Cinko Studios has recently updated his website and it's KILLER! I've been a fan of his commercial photography for years, but am really impressed with his new fine art photos.

New Anne Choi Bead...

I've been coveting this little beauty for a while now. It's the latest addition to my Anne Choi bead collection and I love it. I've got a plan for it. Most likely when I get back from Tucson and have a bit more time and have restocked my bead stash. Let's just say that it'll incorporate a Green Girl Studios calla lily charm, tons of pearls and of course lots of chain.

Odette New York Blog...

I just found out that my buddy Jennifer Sarkilahti started a blog for her jewelry company, Odette New York. CLICK HERE to check it out. I met Sarkilahti years ago in a painting residency. It's funny how both of us got into jewelry independently of each other but around the same time. She's an accomplished painter, which I think transcends to her jewelry pieces. Her jewelry really captures a sense of the drawn line, and is filled with a powerful combination and contrast of delicate and seemingly ethereal motifs with a rugged craving style. Each piece has a genuine handcrafted vibe to it, which evokes a feeling that each piece was loved.

New Specimen Print...

I just got one of the latest Specimen prints by the talented Amy Walsh. I love them so much! This particular one (Prairie Chicken/Spyroidea) is number 9 out of expected 12 print series entitled, Beastiarium. CLICK HERE to check out her Etsy shop. I can't believe the series is almost complete. I guess I'll have to CLICK HERE to cypher out potential clues of what's to come next.

Hope On The Horizon...

It has been an exhausting few weeks. My day job has been an overwhelmingly dominant force in my life lately. Although I enjoy my co-workers and love the company I work for, I'm simply wearing myself a little thin with all the work demands. Getting ready for Tucson has also put a pinch on my time and is furthering the fraying. However, today I felt help had finally arrived. We had a meeting today and I feel that things are finally going to level out a bit. I don't think the full effect of it will be felt until a week or so after I get back from Tucson, but there is hope on the horizon for the salvation for my mental health and well-being. Perhaps I'll even have a little more time to paint again?

I also think that Tucson is just what I need right about now. Taking in the desert and being around some of my favorite people in all the world will be good medicine for the soul. I am most excited about seeing my Girl Wonder! She's getting so big and I feel like I've missed so much time with her. Hearing her laugh instantly makes things so much better. After having become so close with my family, being away from them for such a long stretch of time and not celebrating the holidays with them has been particularly hard. All that is about to be remedied in a week's time. I've been scrimping and saving and got some extra special gifts for them!

Sunday Morning...

I've been trying to be good about budgeting. Tucson is just around the corner and I want to pick up some goodies without breaking the bank. (Not to mention pay off all those nasty student loans I've got.) I've done away with a lot of the little luxuries that I used to pamper myself with. One of them is taking cabs or a car service. It adds up quickly and I have a monthly MetroCard - so, taking a car really isn't logical or environmentally-friendly. However, every now and then, I like to splurge on a car ride across the bridge on a Sunday morning. The streets are still and quiet, and the view from the Williamsburg bridge zipping by is invigorating. (On any other given day or at any other particular time, the traffic gets rather burdensome and completely undoes the magic.) It's also a quick trip to work via car, which allows me to steal a couple of extra minutes of much needed sleep. When I'm exhausted, every little thing to make me happy is welcome and appreciated greatly.

Red Sky In Morning...

I am so excited about Tucson! It should be awesome. Last year we were fortunate enough to be graced by performances by Courtney Robbins and Coyote Grace! They were AMAZING! This year we're inviting Courtney back to perform again! Make sure to stop by her WEBSITE and check out her album, Red Sky In Morning.

All That Glitters...

I went out after a very long day at work to meet co-workers for a drink at Daddy's (the one in BROOKLYN) where one of them was the DJ for the evening. It was nice seeing everyone out and about, but I wasn't feeling particularly social and I noticed that there wasn't too terribly much for me to talk about besides work. What can I say? My life hasn't been too terribly interesting lately.

This kind of bummed me out a little bit. I used to go out and do a lot of things, from symposiums and concerts, to art openings and book readings, to all sorts of things. I remember when I had time to read books and watch movies. And when I wasn't doing these things, I was making art and making jewelry. I think the core of my happiness is the making of things and I haven't been making nearly as much as I would like.

And to help alleviate my distress I stopped at a deli on the way home and made a surprising discovery. I had heard tell of the new Limited Edition Häagen-Dazs flavor, but had not seen it myself until last night. Caramelized Pear and Toasted Pecan. Yum!

It has temporarily worked its sweet magic on me to feel content for the moment. Now I must go out and buy every single container I can get my sticky fingers on so that I never run out. And being that it is something that I enjoy, it is naturally made as a limited edition item and won't be available forever. I have made a comparably tasty gelato with pears, but I have a hard time finding twenty minutes for myself let alone the four or five hours it takes to make said gelato.

Art Bead Scene: Ice Storm...

This is my submission for this month's Art Bead Scene Challenge, Ice Storm. I haven't had a lot of time lately, but I wanted to squeeze the project in. Even if it's difficult, sometimes it's important to make time for artistic pursuits that invite your attention. My submission includes a bird toggle from my family at Green Girl Studios, twig charms from Scattered Light, Swarovski crystals from Fusion Beads, different kinds of quartz crystals from Talisman Associates Inc., and cornerless cubes from Saki Silver.

The Salt Mines...

This is a photograph of one of my new pieces that I've made within the past couple of days. CLICK HERE to go to my Jewelry photo set on Flickr and see the other necklaces that I've been making recently. (You can tell that they're new because they're all shot "artfully" on the windowsill with driftwood and a red onion that's been hanging around my kitchen growing sprouts since Thanksgiving.)

At the determent of my blog, I've been tremendously busy lately. I've been working like crazy and haven't had much time to sleep, let alone blog. Though I've making lots of goodies for Tucson, which I'll take pictures of when they're all finished up. I can't wait to go out to the desert. I've been missing my family and bead show buddies something fierce. I also need to restock on chain. I do go through it rather quickly.

Crying Eye Bead from Anne Choi...

I've been trying to save my pennies to pay back the enormous student loans I've wracked up. However, sometimes I see something that I have to have and have to make a concession. This Anne Choi bead was one of those items! I photographed it on a stool decorated with a painting my sister (Cynthia) did for me. This new piece has inspired me to go into my dragon's horde and use some of my treasures for new designs.

Daybreak...

This is a photo I took before I had to be in at work this morning. (Yes, I do get up at the crack of dawn.) And no, I didn't alter it in Photoshop. It's a view outside my kitchen window and in it you can see a beautiful contrast of fiery oranges and deep blues. It is punctuated by a single star. Seeing this made me very happy.

The Good Fight...

Oh, will this never end? I hate being sick. It always seems to be so inconvenient. I've been trying hard to fight off this little bug I've got. Every time I think I'm gaining some ground in my recovery, there's another battle in which I must painfully expel great amounts of yellow-green mucus from my nasal passages. All this clearing of blocked sinus passages has given me frightful headaches. It doesn't help much that I haven't got much time to rest. Always working nowadays. But I'm happy for the distraction. It's odd, but when I'm sick and wallowing in bed, it seems to last longer. Though when I have things to do and work that needs to be done, work that can't be delayed by illness... it seems to be much shorter in length. Perhaps it's my imagination... or maybe it's the headache talking.

Illustration Friday: Stitch...

This is my submission for this week's theme (Stitch) for Illustration Friday. I've been really busy with work and haven't had much time to make anything new. So here is an old favorite of mine I did a couple of years ago. It was for a series called, Subtle Seduction. I took old images of geisha and wove them together with scans of vintage kimono fabrics. I then went over the pieces with a sewing machine and did several washes of paint and applied various layers of silver-leaf. I wanted to create a body of work that was about the objectification of artists, shown mainly through the presentation of the artifice of their craft. For the geisha, their costuming and artfulness.

Hopefully I'll be able to make more time to make new pieces for Illustration Friday, because I think that's half the fun - having a deadline and a weekly prompt to work with.

Chinese Harry Potter...

Now that the final Harry Potter book has come and gone, there has been a hole in my life. I've desperately been searching for a replacement to fill the void that has been left. Along my searches, I came upon the Chinese Harry Potter books. Although they seem like they might fill the niche, unfortunately they are just other fantasy stories (like The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings) that have been rehashed together. I guess the search continues...

Here are some of the covers and titles of the fake Harry Potter books:

(Left): Harry Potter and Leopard-Walk-Up-to-Dragon. (Right): Harry Potter and Filler of Big.

(Left): Harry Potter and the Golden Armor. (Right): Harry Potter and the Water-Repelling Pearl.

New Specimen Prints...

I ordered these Specimen prints by Amy Walsh quite some time ago. They just arrived! Apparently, they were delayed after getting caught up in a postal service nightmare. I am so happy to add them to my collection. Having been under the weather, this was a perfect little treat to brighten my day. CLICK HERE to get your very own by visiting her Etsy shop. These are truly special.

Under the Weather...

I haven't been feeling very well lately. Everyone has been pretty sick around me and for a while I thought that I was invincible to malady. However, I've succumb to the germs and fallen a little ill myself. Eek! I've got so much to do and I feel just horrible. Luckily I have a few days off and I can focus on taking care of myself and getting better.

Tucson Skies Up Ahead...

It just dawned on me today that Tucson is coming up and is less than a month away. I've got some interesting projects lined up for this year's shows. All I need now, is time to complete them. It looks like it's going to be a busy month.

The Nixie's Song...

I just finished The Nixie's Song, which is the first installment of the Beyond The Spiderwick Chronicles. I just love Holly Black and her work! She's such a lovely person and there's a part in this book that just made me chuckle out loud. The new book is set in Florida. I couldn't help but think of my childhood there and all the magic we had running through the orange groves and playing under the sun.

Contemplate the Goat...

A few years ago, I stumbled across this shaving lotion from Sharps and thought it was manna from heaven for grooming. After using this product, my face was so smooth, my five o'clock shadow minimal, and I smelled great (though not too frou frou). But something happened in my mind and I thought that Kiehl's made it. I pined for it, (without success) and would often times go into Kiehl's stores across the country and demand that they re-make their fabulous "kid glove soft shaving stuff". They would all look at me mystified and confused.

And now, after five years, I have found it again! All it took was the right words in Google. Not only is this wonderful company a manufacturer of amazing products made specifically with men in mind, but they are all reasonably priced and provide tons of samples and free music and all sorts of goodies. They do all this with a sense of humor and fun!

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian...

I loved reading C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia when I was a kid. I also enjoyed the first film (The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe) quite a bit. So, I was very pleased when I saw that the new trailer for the upcoming sequel was released. You can go to the site and see it by CLICKING HERE. It looks good and full of action. It also looks like Tilda Swinton might have a cameo, which makes me happy.

Catch a Falling Star...

Tonight was supposedly the best time to see the Quadrantid meteor shower. I found out about the meteor shower from THIS news article and thought that the weather conditions and my location would be optimal. However, after waiting in the cold for about half an hour in the blistering cold, I sadly gave up. The image to the left is NOT one I took, but one I found on the net.

All Things Are Labor: Stories...

My friend, Katherine Arnoldi will be having a reading from her new book, All Things Are Labor: Stories, Wednesday, January 9th at 7 PM at KGB Bar. KGB Bar, if you're not familiar with it, is located at 85 East 4th Street, between 2nd Avenue and Bowery on the second floor. Katherine is a very talented author who also penned the very moving graphic novel, The Amazing True Story of a Teenage Single Mom. I can't wait to get a copy of her latest project.

Breakfast for Dinner...

After settling in for the evening, I realized that I was famished. Everything was pretty much closed, so I had to take the time I normally wouldn't have to make something for myself. I ended up making this egg dish with caramelized onions, sun-dried tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, white cheddar and smoked salmon. With this very breakfasty dish, I had some left-over champagne. It hit the spot in a way I can't fully describe.

Quiet...

This New Year's Eve was a quiet one. No crazy dressing up. No midnight kisses. No champagne count-downs. It was spent with friends and I think that's what is important. Sometimes the pretense of what things are supposed to be over-shadow what really is. I don't know what is to come down the road. I can only hope for more genuine moments.