Snow Garden...

Believe it or not, it was in the high 60's a few days ago. Flowers were blooming, trees were budding, and birds were flying around. It snowed all night, last night and all day today. Everything is covered in a blanket of whiteness now.

ArtLab23...

The latest issue of ArtLab23 has been released! Unfortunately, I was in class and missed the launch party. As an online publication, it is really shaping up. I particularly enjoy Amy Wilson's writings on a thing called Second Life and the visual essay by Tim Maul.

The Forlorn...

My class with Monroe Denton was held at the Audubon Terrace in upper Manhattan. It was quite a trek from my adventure in Flushing, but it too was a delightful trip! The Audubon Terrace museum complex is home to the Hispanic Society of America, American Academy of Arts and Letters, and Boricua College. It used to be the home of the American Geographical Society, the Museum of the American Indian (which moved to Bowling Green and Washington D.C.) and the American Numismatic Society (now in downtown).

Our mission was to see the show at the American Academy of Arts and Letters. This beautiful venue is only open for two months out of the year for two shows. The show up right now is the Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Art and is an annual exhibition that spotlights candidates for the Academy art awards. It is an interesting mix of painting, photography, and sculpture. The show closes April 1st.

We also dropped in the Hispanic Society of America, another amazingly beautiful venue. The collection is pretty diverse. Everything from neolithic stone tools, to Roman glass, to Medieval ceramic tiles, to El Greco, to contemporary work. Two pieces struck me, a small sculpture called, The Death of Saint Mary Magdalene, and a little perfume bottle made out of jet.

Although this place is a bit off the beaten path and carries a sense of being forlorn, it is imbued with an energy of being somewhere else. Every detail transports the visitor to another time and place. The Audubon Terrace is a definite MUST SEE!

Flushing...

During my break, I went out to Flushing, Queens to drop off my grad school application. It was a surprising treat. I've never really gone out there and didn't know what to expect. The area is so rich with diversity and bustling activity!

Jackhammer...

Seems like all I have been writing about are my migraines. I guess the jackhammer in my head didn't want to disappoint, because today I got a WHOPPER! My neighbors must think they live next to the Exorcist or something. Not only is there searing PAIN and partial blindness, but there's nausea for kicks and giggles. I threw up so hard that a capillary must have busted under one of my eyes. Looks like someone punched me. Oh well. I feel a little better now, just very tired and achy.

Chelsea Art Galleries...

I just found out that I'm an artist on the Chelsea Art Galleries website! It's for the show that I had up in February. Even though it's nothing huge, it still makes me happy.

Working Hard...

Since returning to New York, I've thrown myself fully back into my routine. Lots and lots of work. Parts of it are nice, but there are unsavory bits that must be dealt with as well.

I have been working hard in the studio. I took the night off tonight to do a little Spring Cleaning.

The open studio/show "The Rays of God" is set for March 25th! It'll be from 6:30PM to 9PM. Most likely there will be an after-party. If you think you'll be in New York and want to attend, please send me an email directly or leave a comment and I will add you to the guest list. Security for my studio building is SUPER tight, so make sure to include the (first and last) names of everyone in your party and that they bring a valid ID.

I will reply with the location and the directions.

Time-Lapse...

For someone who doesn't have a strong sense of time, the recent time change has really messed me up. I feel completely and totally exhausted. Ugh. Everything feels hazy and out of sorts. I don't like this feeling.

A Bronx Birthday...

My co-worker and friend, Jasmin, celebrated her 22nd birthday last night. She was hosting a house party. So, I got on the train and an hour and a half later, I was up in the Bronx. It was so much fun and I am honored to have attended. Here are some pictures from the evening:

Left: Josh, Jasmin and Gisselle (a.k.a. Double J and G) sing, "Don't Cha" with the big blow-up microphone.

Right: Gisselle and Jasmin pose for the camera. Happy Birthday Jasmin!

Left: Double J and G take the stage again with friends to rock out.

Right: Another group shot. Jasmin and Gisselle pose with the winners of the special party favours.

Above Left: Jasmin opens her gifts. Above Right: A little girl has a crush on Josh and tells him a secret. I think she said, "I think you look like Justin Timberlake."

Right: Josh poses with Jasmin and her mom.

Left: I'm with Jasmin and Gisselle. And no, I did not sing. Not that I remember, anyway. Hopefully no one else remembers either if I did.

Antony and the Johnsons...

After I finished unpacking, I headed over to BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) to see Antony and the Johnsons perform with the Brooklyn Philharmonic. Firstly, what a beautiful venue! The concert was held in the Howard Gilman Opera House. It was such a treat to see the show there.

It was truly haunting and emotive. Antony has a power over projecting pure heartbreak with his voice and his words. Accompanied with members of the Johnsons and the Brooklyn Philharmonic, it was utterly breath-taking.

My favorite song performed was a cover of a Beyonce song, Crazy In Love. It took on a wholly different and unique feel divorced from its origins and made anew.

Home...

After an early morning ride from Asheville to Knoxville and much sleeping on planes, I'm finally back in New York. Part of me already misses being in the mountains. I know that I'll miss Baby One. She's the light of my life. The other part of me is glad to be back in the City. I've got so much to do and so many things going on here, that it's nice to jump back in after a little break.

Newsletter...

I just finished up the newsletter for Green Girl Studios. It's called, From the Beach of All Things Lost. It was a lot of fun making it! It's loaded with fun projects and various updates about the family and the company.

ALSO, there's a chance of winning a hand-crafted polymer piece!

To see the newsletter, CLICK HERE.

Chocolate Fetish...

One of my other favorite shops in Asheville is The Chocolate Fetish. What amazing treats they have in there! Unfortunately, when Cynthia, Girl, and I swung by, they were closed. I didn't get my spicy chocolate fix. Next time I will!

Quick Trip...

We made a quick trip to Amazing Savings to stock up before I had to leave. What a WONDERFUL store! Everything is so cheap and is organic/name-brand quality foods. It's one of my favorite places to go grocery shopping.

Last Day...

Haven't slept yet tonight/today. I've been super busy making projects and trying to finish up various crafts. I've been working really hard on trying to get this newsletter done for Green Girl Studios. I should finish it some time tonight if all goes well.

It is still pretty early in the morning right now. Everyone else is still asleep except for Azalea. Girl Wonder is making me "breakfast" in her play kitchen. She is particularly sweet and loving this morning.

Memory...

When my grandfather died, my grandmother let us borrow one of her photo albums. One of my projects for this week was to scan in pictures, so that we could send back the album to Grandma. It evoked several different feelings. Nostalgia. Sentimentality. Confusion. Sadness. Happiness.

Going through the albums, I saw pictures of people whom I didn't know or saw pictures of people whose names were long forgotten by me. Will people go back through my photo albums and wonder who I was? One day, will my anonymous picture be used in someone's vintage collage depicting life in the "olden days?" Will they know that I had a brother? What will they take away when they see these images? Will my memory persist long after I am gone?

Left: Sheila (my sister) and I stand outside in our front yard for a picture. Weren't we the most fashionable kids ever? I almost wish I could find a pair of sunglasses like that again. They're very hip!


Right: My dad and I were relaxing on the couch. Decades later, my parents still have that same brown sectional sofa. It is as soft, comfortable, and plush as it was then. I remember drawing pictures on the back of it by running my finger against the grain of the fabric.

Left: This is my family. My mom, my dad, me (in his arms), and my sisters, Cynthia and Sheila. At this time period, my brother was most likely the one behind the camera. We are all dressed up for Easter Sunday.

Right: My brother, Dwayne, holds me, as my sisters stare at us. He is the one that named me. I only discovered this recently. I had always thought that I had been named after crappy presidents.

Above Left: Sheila, Cynthia, me, and Babyin/Natalie playing out in the yard. Above Right: Me as the Number 1 Champ!

Right: Again in the yard, Sheila and I were playing outside.

Left: Here we are again on the brown sectional with mom. The funny thing about this picture is that years and years later, we all kiss on Baby One's hand just like Sheila is doing to mine in the picture.

Right: Not so different than a few days ago, here is a picture of me collecting treasure. In the picture, I'm with my cousin, James. My grandparents used to have a mobile home and would park next to this huge tree that would drop these amazing seed pods that would rattle when you shook them.

Above Left: When I was younger, I used to be an award-winning Tae Kwon Doe champ. The funny thing about this picture, besides the super hot special effect is that the photographer asked me to kick lower, as I could kick straight up. I actually could kick so high that I would hit myself in the face. Above Right: Even up until the time that my brother left, I used to look up to him and idolize him. It has been over sixteen years since he went missing.

Right: This is what late autumn used to look like in Florida. Here Sheila and I pose outside our old house on Howell Branch Road.

Waterfalls...

Above: Baby One and I pose in front of Triple Falls.

What a wonderful day today! We went to DuPont State Forest and had an amazing adventure! It was so beautiful. We went hiking and saw some pretty incredible waterfalls. It was such a nice treat. Since it was a weekday, it wasn't very crowded and everyone we did run into was really nice. We got a great work-out from walking up and down the paths and crawling all over the rocks. Very invigorating! I definitely recommend this destination.

Here are some pictures from our trip:

Left: Triple Falls up close. Right: What an amazing view right from the road!

Left: Azalea playing at the picnic area. Right: Another shot of Triple Falls.

Left and Right: Pictures taken from the path of High Falls.

From Great Heights...

One of the things that I've missed a lot from living here is when we'd go on drives. It is a nice way to pass time, soaking up the scenery and spending quality time talking and catching up.


Today our adventures took us to some really high places! We drove up some scenic mountain roads and stopped every now and then to bask in the warm sunshine. It was a little scary going around those STEEP STEEP roads, but ultimately rewarding.

We also went hiking in the woods. At first we started off on some paths next to the French Broad River. But the banks were muddy and slippery and not really conducive to finding treasures. So we went off on our own. It was surely an adventure. Lots of brambles and steep inclines, but it was a nice trip.

When we got back to the house, I made a variation of my spicy carrot cake. I added dried pineapple and un-crystalized ginger. Also, instead of a regular cream cheese frosting, I mixed in a little bit of Dulce De Leche, maple syrup, and brown sugar. Very tasty indeed.

Almost Wasted...

Most of the day was spent in bed. After making a quick breakfast and getting ready for some adventures, my head started hurting and I had to lay down. Ugh. I hate not feeling well in general, let alone when I'm on holiday. So today was almost wasted.

Later, after I got up from resting and snuggling the family cat (Frick), we started some new projects. I started on a piece that'll debut at my show at the end of March. The guest list is still open. To get on the guest list, one must RSVP either by emailing me directly or leaving a comment. Very excited about this new piece. Conceptually, it'll go really well with the other pieces. To the left is a snippet of my inspiration.

I was also helping Azalea with her own crafting project. That Baby was rolling out some polymer clay. I don't exactly know what she's going to do with it, but she sure took her job seriously. She kept saying, "Annu, I'm working."

Although the day started off with the prospect of not being so productive, it turned out to be quite interesting and very active.

Craft Central...

Busy day today in Asheville. Most of it was spent indoors crafting. Cynthia and I have been having fun working on various projects all day. We've been spending time on everything from our Illustration Friday pieces - to our reliquaries. When we're together, we're always coming up with new ideas and projects and crafty things to do. This house has become Craft Central! It has been wonderfully delightful.

Oh yes, and of course I'm loving spending time with Baby One. She is always trying to get me to go into her room to play dolls or to sit in her kitchen so that she can make me a "snack." She's so adorable! I've missed her so much. I'm having a blast playing with her as much as possible.

Illustration Friday: Hide...

"From the world, she hid her heart - an organ of fire and feeling."

I wanted to try something a little different for this week's submission. I usually work extensively with collage. So, for the theme of "hide," I drifted away from it and work outside my comfort zone. I'm doing a lot of readings about the Middle Ages and I think that that came through with this illustration.

Riverbed...

Azalea, always eager to be helpful, was doing the dishes with Cynthia. Our plan for the day was to go out for a nature walk and to collect things for a future project. Before we could leave, however, the kitchen had to be cleaned. Girl Wonder volunteered to help so that we could go on our walk. She's a good helper.


Life here in Asheville is so different from the life I lead back in New York. Instead of meetings and critiques, it's play dates and tea times. In New York, my backdrop consists of skyscrapers and billboards; here, it's mountains and lots of trees.

It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed combing the banks of the creek and the woodland paths for treasures. During the walk, we found a small stone bench that Girl got on top of and laid down upon. She said that she was, "relaxing."

Flight Patterns...

Early this morning, I went to the airport and began my trip south. My flights were relatively smooth and without too much hassle. I slept the entire time, both legs of the journey. However, the connecting flights were scheduled back-to-back and at opposite ends of the airport, which made for some animated power walking. I caught my plane, so didn't mind too much.

Cynthia and Azalea picked me up at the airport in Knoxville. I sent one of my co-workers a postcard from the airport before we left, because I have a feeling that he's a little home-sick for Eastern Tennessee.

The three of us stopped at a Playland and I broke the rules by going up and playing in the tunnels with Girl. It was a little scary. Those things go up pretty high!

So far the trip has been really relaxing. Girl Wonder has been showing me her room a lot and playing games with me. My favorite! Tomorrow we've planned many adventures, but for now, I must rest.

"The Rays of God"...

Today I was under the weather with a migraine. I managed to go to my mid-day class, but started throwing up when it finished, so I decided to go home to rest instead of going to my evening class.

Tomorrow I'm heading south and visiting my family in Asheville. I'm very excited and looking forward to taking a little break.

When I return I will be mounting a small show in my studio, tentatively titled, "The Rays of God." If all goes well and I get everything done that I want, it'll be scheduled for March 25th. If you're familiar with the case of the Psychotic Dr. Schreber, then you know where the title comes from. Here's a LINK that has a lot of information on Dr. Schreber. To sum it up though, the show is about gender identity and transformation.

Leave a comment or send me an email if you'll be in New York then and want to RSVP for the invitation list.