Brother, I'm Dying..

Earlier, I headed over to Barnes & Noble for a reading and signing of Edwidge Danticat's latest endeavour, Brother, I'm Dying. I've loved her work since I read, Breath, Eyes, Memory. It was a pleasure meeting her and having her sign my book!

Brooklyn Sunset...

I was walking home from just having gotten off from work when I saw this amazing sunset. The phenomenal thing is that it was only part of the sky. It seems as though only certain clouds reacted to the fading light, making only those particular formations look like some kind of heavenly liquid fire blazing across the sky. The sunset over Brooklyn was breathtaking.

Shoe Garland...

In some places, holiday trees are trimmed with tinsel and decked with holly and mistletoe. However, in my neighborhood there are garlands of old pairs of shoes strung in the trees.

Kinuko Craft...

I am so lucky! To add to my growing collection of books, I got a signed and illustrated copy of The Drawings & Paintings of Kinuko Craft. It even has a couple of extra drawings she drew in the book just for me. I first met her at Faerie Con. Kinuko Craft's work is so romantic; it reminds me of the pre-Raphaelites and she's just so wonderfully Japanese.

Pictures from Rahway...

Almost a month has passed since I helped Kathy Callahan with her 9/11 performance piece out in Rahway. If you CLICK HERE you can finally see a bunch of pictures from the event. Like the one on the left.

Leaves and Roots...

I was walking to a train station in Sunset Park, when I happened across a stretch of sidewalk covered completely in little golden leaves. Sometimes the City can seem so monochrome, the sky and city-scape both varying shades of gray. So, it was particularly nice to have this punch of vivid color!

Lucky Me...

Everyone who knows me, knows that I love classical literature, mythology and magical creatures. Some might even say it's a family thing. Well, I feel like the luckiest guy around. I just received The Book of Imaginary Beings as a present! SCORE! It's signed by the illustrator, Peter Sis, and has a little accompanying sketch just for me! AWESOME! I am totally the most lucky person ever!

Handmade Metal Findings...

I really love the way that handmade findings make any piece unique. But who actually has time to make their own headpins and earwires? I certainly don't. That's why I've started looking on Etsy for those who specialize in crafting handmade jewelry kit staples. Not only do these findings accentuate the individuality of a piece, but they also support the artisans who create them. I recently picked up these wonderful headpins from Earth2Sea Jewelry; they're GREAT! CLICK HERE for their Etsy shop. I got mine in the "eggplant" and "rosey" shades.

Thankful...

I am just about to head to bed. But before I do, I wanted to take a moment to write about what I am thankful for. Firstly, I am ever thankful for my family. They are a beautiful source of creativity and happiness in my life and I am truly blessed to have them. Secondly, I am thankful for my friends. Though this really doesn't come in "second" as my friends are my family as well. We may not be linked by blood or by marriages, but we're rooted deeply to one another with the bonds of trust and loyalty. I may not get to see everyone as much as I would like to, but even still we're linked together. Next, I am thankful for the ever busy muses which keep me constantly inspired with a vast assortment of projects and ideas. Having a life devoted to creative endeavours has been a rich and fulfilling experience. I am recently thankful for a cure to sudden sinus infections.

And last but not least, I am thankful for everyone out there in the blog world who stops by my blog and creates community by reading, sharing, and making it a pleasure to share my little corner of the world. I hope that everyone who reads this has been able to share their holiday with those they love.

Thanksgiving...

After a whirlwind of plans changing and reconfiguring, a friend and I finally decided to host Thanksgiving dinner for all the stragglers at my apartment. It was a warm day and it was very tempting to ditch our hosting obligations for a walk in the park, but we managed to buckle down to begin preparations for our feast. A small gathering of new friends and old friends joined us in our celebration. It was a lot of fun having everyone and sharing in this special holiday. For all the pictures CLICK HERE.

Good Things...

The past week has been fairly busy for me. I haven't had too much time to really update my blog very much. I feel horrible about it as I am used to updating everyday. But lately, life has been too full to really be able to capture it all. Dinners with friends, catching up on Project Runway, discovering new favorite beers, spending time drawing and writing, fixing up and organizing my room, mulling spices and that's just the tip of the ice berg. Everything has been going well though and I'm really happy.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I'm throwing an impromptu Thanksgiving dinner for all the stragglers without plans.

Josh in New York...

Above: Just by looking at this picture, you wouldn't think I was elated to see my good friend Josh again, but I was! He came up from Kentucky for the weekend.

A bunch of the crew from the company met up to celebrate Josh's visit back to the City. It was really great seeing him again and catching up. With everyone from the old store, it felt like old times again. First we all had dinner at a Mexican place called El Cantinero and then went to Continental for drinks, followed by The Beauty Bar. It was so nice having everyone together again. Josh leaves to go back to Kentucky tomorrow. He'll be missed!

Missed Connections...

My good friend, Josh, just came into town this afternoon from Kentucky. Unfortunately, I got caught up in doing errands and got stuck on the train and missed Jasmin, Gisselle, and Josh and their bowling trip to Yonkers. Originally we had plans of ice skating, but the weather wasn't conducive for me falling repeatedly... I mean... for ice skating.

Instead, I decided to attend a panel discussion at the School of Visual Arts called, This is D.I.Y. The discussion was presented by the honors program and organized by faculty member and artist Amy Wilson. The panel was made up of Vanessa Bertozzi of Etsy, Steve Englander of ABC No Rio, David Reinfurt and Stuart Bailey of Dexter Sinister, and John Strausbaugh of The New York Times.

It was an interesting cross-section of various approaches to the concept of D.I.Y. However, where I would have preferred something more practical, most of the panel discussion was geared towards ethics and "ethnos". What I would have wanted was a more direct application of how the D.I.Y. has a role in the life of an artist and what ways in which one could readily use it for their own benefit. I would have also liked to have seen the panelists interact with each other a little more with one another. It came close to being a really engaging discussion, but I think it ultimately missed the mark for me.

But it was great to see Amy. I made her sign a copy of the book that she self-published called, Postcards from Second Life.

After the panel discussion, I met up with a friend for an extreme craft night at someone's loft. The loft turned out to be in the middle of the ghetto and when we got there no one was there except for a drunk girl in her underwear who had no intention of making crafts with us and continued to drink her vodka beverage from her mason jar.

Amy Beecher at PAGEANT...

Mumbles...

William and I decided to meet up and play our dinner plans by ear. Which meant that we wandered around in the cold looking for a place to go that wasn't ridiculously over-priced or packed for quite a while. Foraging for food in Manhattan can be like that sometimes. We eventually ended up at Mumbles in Gramercy Park. The food was good and I had a wonderful time hanging out.

Chelsea Art Museum Anniversary...

A friend and I met up at the Chelsea Art Museum to celebrate their 5th year Anniversary. It was an interesting evening filled with lots of conversation. We met a wonderful multi-disciplinary conceptual artist named Barbara Rosenthal, who makes very provocative work involving the examination of self and life. It's funny how small the world is. She happens to also be the mother of an old friend, named Sena Clara Creston. Sena is an amazing photographer who participated in the first Art Monster show.

Above Left: Barge Peniche (1975), an oil on canvas piece by Joan Mitchell from the permanent collection of the museum.

We were also surprised to run into our new friend Mickey Western, (from Thomas Beale's studio/gallery) who was performing for the museum. We were fortunate enough to catch another set of highly guttural and melodic folksy ballads before he heads out West.

After looking around the current exhibition, The Incomplete, we headed over to my friend Tommy's apartment for a bottle of rosé and more good conversation. Tommy is also a very talented photographer who focuses primarily on still-life. We were privileged with taking advanced sneak peeks of his new Williamsburg and East Village series of photographs. Good stuff.

I was starving by the time we left. So, we dropped in The Alligator Lounge for a quick Blue Moon and free pizza before bed.

Out of This World...

After a long day at work, Jenny and I went to Park Bar off of Union Square for an emergency after-work drink. Oh, what a crazy day! Then, I met up with William for some tea at Push Cafe and for dinner at Galaxy Global Eatery. It was a much needed break and it was nice to relax a little after such a frustrating and horrendously busy day. The Galaxy Global Eatery has quite an interesting menu, filled with all sorts of culinary curiosities and ingredients from far-flung corners of the planet. I had such a good time, I almost forgot how tired I was.

The evening ended perfectly and I can't say that there were any sudden sinus infections to report.

Bead Romantique by Lisa Kan...

My friend and fellow beadmaker, Lisa Kan has a new Interweave Press book, Bead Romantique: Elegant Beadweaving Designs, that is now available for pre-order. Her pieces are decadent and dazzling. They even tempt me, a steadfast stringer, to attempt finally dabbling in seedbeads.

Ivette Zighelboim at Patrick Painter...

If you're in L.A. next weekend, check out the darkly rich and seemingly phosphorescent paintings of Ivette Zighelboim at Patrick Painter Inc.'s East Gallery. I met Ivette years ago during one of my residencies at the School of Visual Arts. She's a talented painter and delightful person! The opening reception is Saturday, November 17th from 6PM to 8PM.

Barcade...

An hour or so ago, I got a text from Jenny to meet up at a bar around the corner called Barcade. It was good to stretch my legs and walk down to the bar with an amazing selection of craft beers (my favorite is the Blue Pointe Oatmeal Stout) and arcade games.

Becoming...

Above: Wooden sculpture of Daphne by Thomas Beale.

I was leaving work when I ran into a friend. It's funny how that now she's back, I'll run into her in the strangest places. We live on the same block now, but often times the places we cross paths are in Manhattan or some random place in Brooklyn.

In any event, we decided to head over to Chelsea to take a look at some of the galleries, with the eventual goal of landing at Gagosian for the Georg Baselitz show. On our way there, we passed a building on 11th Avenue between 21st and 22nd Street that had a unique wood facade. Within it was a guy who gestured for us to come and take a look.

That guy turned out to be an artist named Thomas Beale. Inside, we took a look at his wooden sculptures and drawings.

Apparently he made a deal with the owner of the building who has plans to level it and turn it into condos to use the space until that time as studio space and during warmer weather, a gallery in exchange for work. What a great deal!

Most of his sculptures were composed of tiny pieces of wood that were fitted and shaped together. Some of them were made of shell. His hollow structures were luminous and his solid constructions weighty and massive. All of the pieces felt warm and organic, almost as though they were living and growing - becoming.

Before we headed over to the gallery, Thomas made us this really great toasted and aged green tea from Japan and he and his friend Mickey Western played us some music. My friend and I had an amazing time sipping on tea, looking at work, and listening to great music. Such great people! Make sure to check out the show before it closes on the 17th.

Galleries and Dumplings...

A friend and I made plans to meet up with Jen Tong in Chelsea to go to some gallery openings. Not having thought to bring my bag, I forgot the list of galleries and openings at home. The list was ample, so we thought we'd just play it by ear and follow the crowds of art-goers that roam the streets in search of discussions on art over cheap wine. Alas, we met several empty and lonely streets. Where were all the openings? Were there crickets, we were sure to hear them.

Eventually we stumbled upon Heidi Cho Gallery, where there was an opening reception for Ronnie Landfield and his show, Toward Monochrome. The show was comprised of his colorist paintings, all dominated with a bar of a single solid color resting at the bottom of each composition. This hard geometric structure was used in contrast to seemingly ephemeral washes and watery brushstrokes. The effect generated a distinct feeling of landscapes, the horizon line against a panorama of color.

Above Left: Forest: Green, 2006. Acrylic on canvas by Ronnie Landfield.

After we left the Ronnie Landfield show, we walked over to Max Protetch for the David Reed show. These abstract compositions are built from undulating liquid ribbons, moving and writhing in and out of focus. As these are large format paintings, the strokes reference the body - the reach of the arm, the bend of the wrist, the rotation of the socket in the shoulder. One can't help but get the sense of calligraphy. With calligraphy however, the writing scrolls across a page. Reed's paintings are much more concerned with the illusion of visual space, crafted by wet, woven marks.

Above Left: #572, 2005- 2007. Oil and alkyd on polyester by David Reed.
While Jen Tong, a friend, and I were there, we ran into some cronies from college! It was so nice to see them again. I had seen Essye in New Jersey at Kathy Callahan's performance at the 1st Thursdays at the Edge Gallery in Rahway, but some of the others I hadn't seen in several months if not years.

Above Left and Right: Reunion of former students from the School of Visual Arts at the David Reed show at Max Protetch.

When we had finished up at the gallery, Jen Tong, a friend, and I went to Chinatown for dinner. We stopped in at Joe's Shanghai, which is home of these amazing soup dumplings. They are so incredibly tasty. In order not to burn your mouth (which I think I did anyway), you bite off the little doughy top, suck out the broth, and then enjoy the filling. To end the evening, we dropped by The SKINnY in the Lower East Side for a beer and a game of pool. Let's just say that none of us have a career in playing professional pool.

A Flock of Blackbirds...

I was having a pot of tea when I looked out the window and saw a flock of blackbirds settled in the dead tree outside my kitchen window. It brought home that this was in fact autumn and that the birds were in migration and that soon the cold weather would come.

Dream Come True...

I saw this on a couple of other blogs. This guy named Patrick Moberg saw this girl on the train whom he fell for. Instead of asking her out or posting a Missed Connections post on Craigs List, he started a website with the drawing to the right. Apparently, IT WORKED! And they'll be going out. That's so sweet! I wonder if things don't work out, will he post revenge drawings?

10 Second Pass...

As we were driven from the hordes at the Lost Film Festival, we went back to the apartment. A bottle of wine, an Ebony pencil, a sheet of Archer's, and a six-pack or two later... we produced this 10 Second Pass drawing. Basically each participant has only ten seconds to draw, making new content and reacting to the other artist's. Each takes turns until the drawing is "complete."

Lost Film Festival...

A friend and I trekked out to The Change You Want To See in Williamsburg to check out the Lost Film Festival. This traveling festival focuses both on humor and social change, mixing live performance with videos exploring extreme left wing opinions. Unfortunately, when we got there, the room was too crowded and no one wanted to make room for us. Was it that I was wearing a leather coat?

Chelsea Art Museum 5th Anniversary...

Tuesday, November 13th the Chelsea Art Museum will be celebrating their 5th Anniversary! All day admission will be free and there will also be programming for children and adults alike. Right now, the current exhibition up is called, The Incomplete. The show pulls works from four different generations of artists within the Neumann family collection. Alex Beard Studio will host an art class for children during the day, there will be a cocktail party starting at 6PM, and the Wendy Osserman Dance Troupe will perform with violinist Rosie Hertlein. It looks like it'll be a good time!

Asian Contemporary Art Fair...

I just found out about the inaugural Asian Contemporary Art Fair that will be happening at Pier 92 here in New York City. It'll be open from Thursday, November 8th to Monday November 12th. It'll be interesting to see the direct and indirect influences of Western culture on what will be shown and how they show it. It'll be interesting to explore the fair and really get a vibe for what is considered "Asian Contemporary Art." I am also very curious to see the relationship of this new art fair to the art market. Recently Asian art has been a hot commodity. Is this fair a product of the recent boom? Will this show compliment or compete with The International Asian Art Fair that is also held in New York during Asia Week? CLICK HERE for an article in TIME that specifically deals with Chinese art and the market. It'll also be interesting to see what the ratio is of artists and galleries from various Asian cultures that are represented. I'm definitely going to check this out!

Unpacking...

I am just now getting to unpacking from my trip down to Asheville and Philadelphia. Things are still in boxes and bags and I've been far too distracted to actually dig into anything yet. Tonight I've made a little progress. The goal is to have my studio and bedroom organized before Thanksgiving (ambitious for me). I discovered on Halloween when attempting to make costume pieces just how disorganized things have become and that everything is scattered throughout a series of jumbled and cluttered taped up boxes.

Above are two prints that I discovered in one of my suitcases from Faerie Con in Philadelphia. They are both done by an artist named Stephanie Pui-Mun Law. She's based out of Oakland, California and owns Shadowscapes. Stephanie primarily works in watercolors and uses fantasy art as a vehicle to explore the tarot. The two images above are from her forth-coming deck; the one of the left being "The Phoenix - Death" card and the one of the right being, "Ace of Wands" card.

Left: Photo of Stephanie Pui-Mun Law in front of her booth before it was relocated.

It was really great meeting her! She's very talented and I enjoyed talking with her throughout the show when it was slow. I'm really glad that she decided at the last minute to do the show. Cynthia also picked up a couple of her prints as well, one of which can be seen by CLICKING HERE. I definitely look forward to her deck when it comes out.

Between Here And Then...

I haven't updated in a while now. It seems like the only reason I have time to do it now is that I am not feeling well and had to take the day off of work. But the past few days have been very busy.

The next night I went out to New Jersey to help Kathy Callahan with her performance piece. It was a lot of fun. It was good to see a bunch of my college cronies and do something artsy. I liked how the piece sort of just happened in the middle of the opening. No announcement was made. We just started walking in circles around this platform and related our stories about 9/11. We got up on the platform two-by-two and told our stories. All the while, there was an opera singer going, a video piece playing, and this audio tape of background noise on. It was completely chaotic, but ultimately everything sort of just... gel together and made sense. That too was a lot of fun and a very different direction for me. I was happy to be involved.

On Friday, I started back working at the restaurant and it was pretty extreme. A book and editions fair was going on outside and it seemed like there was a never ending line of people streaming in. Needless to say, I was worn out pretty quickly. Even still, we went out to dinner at Motto and went to Bembe to dance a little. I think we're going to try and take salsa lessons or something. Afterwards we went around to a bunch of different bars and local joints to hang out and celebrate.

I called it much earlier night than our previous ones, as I had to be up at Bryant Park for an hour or so before heading over to a different location. Again, it was a lot of work, but I think I helped and that was good. When I finally got out of work, I went over to Neil's apartment on the Upper West Side to celebrate his birthday. He's such a wonderful person and good friend. I got to meet so many fabulous people at the party; it was amazing. I definitely foresee many new wonderful friendships stemming from this event.

However, I got something that didn't agree with my stomach or perhaps a combination of things that together didn't agree with my stomach and... well... let's just say it hasn't been good times. My stomach is still pretty tore up.

I've been working on a lot of projects. Some of them are jewelry related and others deal with my work and curating. Two of the projects that I'm working on right now are coming along pretty nicely and I'm just about ready to pitch them. Hopefully everything will work out.

Right now I'm going to go find some candied ginger for my stomach.