A Thought...

This is from Susan Copper's book, Silver on the Tree. It is the last book in the Dark Is Rising Sequence. It seems timely:

"For remember," he said, "that it is altogether your world now. You and all the rest. We have delivered you from evil, but the evil that is inside men is at the last a matter for men to control. The responsibility and the hope and the promise are in your hands - your hands and the hands of the children of all men on this earth. The future cannot blame the present, just as the present cannot blame the past. The hope is always here, always alive, but only your fierce caring can fan it into a fire to warm the world."

The Golden Age...

Let me first say that I loved the movie, Elizabeth. I am a sucker for period films and even more so about strong women. Cate Blanchett (another actress I have a crush on) reprises her role as the woman warrior queen of England in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I saw the preview for it while waiting for Stardust to start up and it looks good!

Stardust...

Adapted from Neil Gaiman's novel, the movie Stardust has recently hit theaters. CLICK HERE for the trailer. Jenny and I went after work. First and foremost, let me express my great happiness in not being disappointed. I am always leery of books translated onto the screen. In most cases, there's a sense of loss. Almost as if the essence of what made the book powerful was somehow stripped away. However, Stardust was done very well and retrains much of what makes the book magical. I enjoyed it quite a bit and recommend it. GO SEE IT!

(Alas, I missed the Perseids meteor shower. New York City has man advantages, but the only shooting star I've seen was during the Black Out a few years back. And in all places, Time Square. Who will ever be able to say the same, while our electric neon circus remains?)

New Anne Choi Beads...

These are the latest additions to my Anne Choi bead collection. They came in the post today! I have been waiting for a while to get my hands on them, but Anne Choi hasn't made or sold these for a while. So, I was most over-joyed to acquire them. I have been gazing at my sisters' mandrake beads for years now and have coveted them in my heart. Now I have my own to add to my dragon's horde. And although this will mean that I won't get to go out as much for a week or two, these are DEFINITELY worth it. They enrich my existence by ten-fold.

Morning...

Everyday on my way to work, I pass this vacant lot which is home to a variety of shipping containers and freight storage units. It is often times littered with trash and broken bottles. However, I have noticed that beauty is ever subversive and has taken hold of this strong-hold of angular industrial disparity. Along the chain-link fence grows a twisting leafy vine, morning glory. The bright purple and white blooms can only be seen early in the pre-dawn hours, just about the same time as I make my way to work.

BYO Bottle Caps...

Cathy Collison's great bottle cap beads were featured in the latest Fall issue of Stringing Magazine! I just love these beads. They totally pick up on the recycling of something that would have normally been discarded and transforming it into treasure.

A World Within a World...

One of the treasures that we found on the beach earlier today was a knobby, potato-looking shell. When I got home, I proceeded to wash it off. That's when I felt it move. At first I thought it was my imagination. Then I saw another of the little attached shells move and out came a little baby crab. It was ALIVE! Or rather, they were alive. What I held in my hand was a miniature eco-system, a world within a world.

I counted twenty different things that were alive and moving. Probably, countless more on a microscopic level. Only one thing was left to do: return it from whence it came. I thought about dropping it into the East River, but I didn't know if it was salt water and I didn't want to kill the shell community or cause a major environmental catastrophe by adding this new life-form to a different system.

Above: Picture of the shell community submerged in water.

After a long ride during rush hour to Coney Island and having fell asleep on the train a couple times, I found that the beach was vastly different from earlier that morning. For one, the jetties were almost completely submerged and it looked as though a storm was rolling in.

Since it was high-tide, I couldn't put it back exactly where we found it. Instead, I put it as close as possible. I made sure that none of the scavenger seagulls would swoop down at the last second and dash it against the rocks. I watched as the waves carried it away and it disappeared beneath the surf.

Trip to the Beach...

Jenny joined me for one of my weekly excursions to Coney Island. It was a perfect day for the beach. The sun was out, the air was clear, and it wasn't too hot. We planned our trip around low-tide to see what the ocean would leave on the sparkling shore.

Part of the reason why the beaches actually sparkle as if there's silver glitter covering it, is the fact that the boulders that make up the jetties are made up of huge pieces of mica. In one of them, we found the word, "ERGA" carved into it. Neither of us at the time knew what it meant. However, upon research, it seems to mean (in Latin), "towards." Another rock in the jetty had a face carved in it with a tree growing out of its head.

In the labyrinth of arcades and carnival rides, buried in a shadowy corner, there is an old fortune-telling game called, "Grandmother's Prophesies." For a quarter, the mannequin seer comes to life over her bottle of Bacardi and imparts all the mysteries of the universe with this handy little card.

Back on the beach, we discovered a few things, but not much beach glass. One of them was this horseshoe crab that had recently died. Jenny laughed when I picked it up and its sloshy entrails started spilling out all over the beach and partly on my foot. Yuck! We also found part of a human bone that was probably left over from a Russian Mob hit, some horned seedpods, and a weird knobby potato-looking encrusted shell.

All-in-all it was a lovely morning spent out at Coney Island.

Paper...

After a harrowing day at work, I finally opened up my origami paper I ordered from a great little Etsy shop called, Bibi Creation. It is based out of Garden Grove, California. I'm loving the vivid colors and patterns that came in this stack, and can't wait to work with it.

Flooded...

Late last night, it began to rain. It was a torrential downpour. I woke up to the sound of thunder and flashes of lightning around 5 AM. Since it had been so hot all week long, I left the windows open. The cooling cross-breeze pulled in what seemed like gallons of water. Needless to say, there was much mopping to do early in the morning before I had to go to work. But this was just the beginning...

After I mopped the kitchen, bathroom, and my roommate's room (he hasn't moved in yet), I got ready for work and with my trusty umbrella attempted to go to work. The L train was flooded, so all underground train services were suspended between Brooklyn and Manhattan. So, I took a bus to the bus depot. When the bus passed over the BQE (Brooklyn/Queens Expressway), we saw HUGE lines of traffic stretching back for miles as parts of the highway were completely submerged in water. Then when we finally got to the bus station, we saw hundreds of people in line for already packed buses.

The Williamsburg bus station in near the JMZ line, which is a raised train. I thought perhaps that I could catch a train there.

Left: Line of weary morning commuters waiting to get on the stairs of JMZ platform.

The trains that did come into the station were filled far beyond capacity. The spare trains were delayed from people trying to crowd into them and from signal delays.

Right: Commuters waiting for the next train.

Eventually, I gave up on public transportation and decided to just walk to work. The heat and humidity were sickeningly oppressive, making the air hazy and thick.

Left: Shot of the Williamsburg Bridge, with the now defunct Domino Sugar Factory in the background.

Several hours having passed, many miles walked, and even more stories from the shuttle bus to 14th Street, I finally made it to work in a sweat-drenched heap already ready to go home.

Stringing Fall 2007...

I'm so excited that the latest issue of Stringing has finally hit the stands! It's my first cover and am just thrilled! (Mine is the one with the copper chain, rubies, and rose-gold leaves.) Everything looks really great. They've really done a spectacular job selecting inspirational designers and their work. I really believe in the magazine! CLICK HERE to get your own copy and find out more.

The (Changing) Face of My Neighborhood...

I wanted to do a photo-essay on the changing face of my neighborhood and document the rapid gentrification process that has taken hold here. All of the buildings are of new construction (within the past year) and in many cases, have not been finished yet. I wanted to portray the rise of the luxury condo in my neighborhood. All of the buildings are also from the direct surrounding area, some as close as one door down from my apartment (as in the first photo).

Each time I thought I was done, I would spot another one. Eventually I had to concede that there were just too many new developments within the neighborhood to capture them all. In a year, I doubt I'll be able to afford to live here anymore. These new buildings, which continue to spread, are driving up the rental prices. When looking at the photographs, also pay keen attention to the fact that many of the buildings along side these super condos are condemned or have already been demolished, making way for even more of these new buildings.

Bottle-cap Reminder...

As the summer pushes onward, I hope that everyone is remembering to save their bottle-caps! I've made it a quest to collect as many as possible this summer for one of my friends who recycles them into stunning and humorous beads. They're really awesome and I hope everyone is still collecting!

Movie Time...

Part of my lazy day off was to catch up on a few films. I should have been working or catching up on rest, but watching some movies was just too seductive to pass up. I got 300 and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.

Both of them were visually stunning. I enjoyed watching both very much. However, there were things about 300, which I simply couldn't forgive. It was so overtly pro-war propaganda. It was constantly being screamed in your face. Did you notice that around the same time the movie was in theaters, that the U.S. Army and Navy introduced recruitment campaigns that were stylized around 300? I also picked up an air of homophobia on behalf of the Spartans, which is just historically inaccurate. With that being said, 300 is what it is, and expecting anything more is out of place. It's like going to see French Neo-Avant-Garde Experimental Film and looking for a solid narrative.

Lazy Day...

I know that I have lots of work to do, but alas, I'm taking a lazy day today.

I had plans to wake up at 5 A.M. to take a train out to Coney Island and walk along the beach at low-tide. Alas, I did not get in until just before 5 A.M., so in the interests of not exhausting myself, I went to sleep instead. I braved the thunderstorms and visited my friend Brian Mills and Acid Betty at their new party, Acid Disko. Let's just say that I'm getting too old for this. At one point I would have had a blast, dressing up and being a club kid again, but those moons have since risen and long since set. I used to be a go-go dancer and a fierce "style-consultant" back in the day. Perhaps, one day I'll dig up some old photos and old magazine articles and post them.

On the way home, I picked up some strawberries. I was going to take a picture of them, but ate them too quickly. I am hooked on balsamic vinegar and strawberries. It's a wonderful combination. It gives the strawberries a real ZING!

I also had plans to go to Central Park and to swing by the Museum of Natural History for their new exhibit on Mythic Creatures, but it'll just have to wait. Today is a lazy day.

I don't really feel like going out tonight, but my friend and fellow artist, Riva Arnold, is having her birthday party and going away party. It'll probably be the last time I see her in a long time as she's going to London. I made her a simple and delicate necklace of chain, moonstones, a garnet, and a sterling silver heart from Candice Wakumoto. I'll post pictures of it later.

To The Island...

I made another trip to Coney Island today. I wanted to come during a weekday and not during a music festival to avoid the throngs of people. A few others had this idea as well and were out and about at the beach. I did a lot of walking and thinking and watching. I'm also VERY RED right now. I also have a small collection of items that I found, but I don't think I'll take pictures of them until after I clean them up.

My camera's battery gave out and the above picture is the only picture that marks the trip. It's a close-up of one of the rocks that make up one of the jetties. I love the texture of it.

At the Open Studios...

Last night I had the pleasure of going to the July Session Open Studios at the School of Visual Arts for their Summer Residency Program. It was a little over-whelming trying to see everything, as there was quite a bit of work being shown (all spread out over different floors and different buildings). However, I did my best. I ran into one of my idols, Danica Phelps. It was so nice to see her again. I got her books a few months ago and look at them often, as they are so sensuous and beautiful. I also ran into Donald Sheridan and a gaggle of others.

It was a lot of fun. I just wish I had more time to see everything and investigate more.

I haven't seen Mary Murphy in quite some time. I first met her when I did the residency four or five yeas ago. It was good to see her again and catch up. She's making very provocative and sexy paintings these days. They feel very fleshy and very pink.

Left: Mary talking with her husband, Richard and a passerby in front of her new paintings.

At the last Open Studio event, I saw George Towne's work. Unfortunately, I didn't see him. So I made a point of meeting up with him this go. While I was there, I ran into Andy Stone.

Right: Andy Stone, Editor-in-Chief of L.A. Confidential Magazine, and George Towne in front of George's new lithographs.

I stopped by Karina Contreras' studio, but I didn't see her. Jen Tong, my lovely companion for part of the evening, told me that Kar was out at dinner with someone. (Oh, Jen just released a new page of her comic, Orifice. CLICK HERE to see page 28.)

Left: An unfinished self-portrait by Karina. Her new work looks really great!

After I finished up at the painting studios, I high-tailed it on over to the Sculpture center to see Christy Zucarelli and her new work.

Right: Christy Zucarelli with two of her black paintings on dry-wall.

Left: An installation view of Christy's new white works. She's using a subtle and minimal vocabulary, but I think with maximum effect. So much of it ressonates as evidence and actions.

Afterwards, Christy and artist Cyriaco Lopes went to the Wai Cafe for a drink and discussion. On the way home, I introduced Christy to a bar called the Wreck Room and to the Brooklyn Life Cafe across the way.