A New Treat...

I was running errands near Chinatown when I passed by this cute little hole-in-the-wall place of Layfette Street. It had these interesting machines with molds and tiny little cakes and moving parts. I had never been there, nor had I ever tried these little cakes before, so I was skeptical.

I asked the man for the vanilla cream ones, but he had run out of them. I said, "Oh, okay. Thanks anyway." And proceeded to walk out the door. He handed me a cake and said to try it. I thanked him again and walked out the door. I got about two blocks away when I decided to pop the delicious little cake in the shape of little ear of corn into my mouth to find a wonderful surprise! They were good. Very good! And even though they ran out of vanilla, I went back and got an entire little lunch box of chocolate ones. I was not disappointed.

Bibliophile...

One of my great joys is finding treasures. Whether it's the bargain at the market or a bookshelf on the street or a glass "sculpture" at an empty bar, I have a great deal of satisfaction locating unexpected delights. One of my other happiness is in books. I love looking at them and holding them and pouring myself into the pages. I am especially fond of art books.

Today I stopped in at the Barnes & Noble down the block from my studio and found a wonderful treasure! Occasionally they have used and discounted art books at this particular location. At the bottom of a stack at the last bookshelf in the very corner was Terry Winters: Paintings, Drawings, Prints 1944 - 2004 ! It was in perfect condition and marked well below price. I was amazed at how inexpensive it was. Add to that my 15% off any item discount and my Membership Card and you're talking about a grand prize!

It has truly made my day!

Odette New York...

Tonight I was fortunate enough to make my way over to Bond Street to check out my friend Sarkilahti's jewelry. It was a Launch Cocktail Party and trunk show for Sage New York Showroom. It featured works by Odette New York (Sarkilahti's company), Rebecca Hass, Mother Daughter, Dindy Fisher, Gilbert & Gilbert, and Eric Bonnin at Phurniture. She featured works from her newest line of cast pieces. Her new work, I think has a playful and lighter feeling and really captures a sense of drawing. I am particularly fond of her older work with a very clean and elegant feeling.

Her jewelry work can be seen at: http://www.odetteny.com/

Sarkilahti is also an amazing painter and her paintings can be checked out at: http://www.sarkilahti.com/

I really believe that if she keeps working at it, that much success will come her way!

Another Year...

So today is my birthday. It's funny to look back over this past year. My last birthday was spent packing up and readying myself to leave. This birthday is a home-coming of sorts. I'm back in New York now, making work and loving it.

This past year has been really challenging and very rewarding for me. I spent the year in Asheville and am only now just returning to my life back in New York. Everything still seems so foreign and alien to me. The familiar foot-paths are still not yet what they used to be. Each day I quietly hope that I will fall back into place, but the truth of the matter is that I've changed and can't so easily just be who I was.

I think the biggest thing for me is that I've had a lot of time to forgive myself. That must sound crazy. Why would anyone have to forgive themself? But I think that ultimately I blamed myself and held myself responsible for things that were completely out of my control. That blame was a poison that made it hard for me to enjoy life. It was a bitter that underscored even the sweetest of moments.

I also came to the realization that my artwork is essential to my sanity. It must seem so self-centered to non-artists. But my work I think gives me sanity and that through my growth as a person, my art has always provided the solution and answer to the problems. To look back over the work I've made over the last year, I see that I hid in it. That I created with my many many many collages, a camuflouge that I psychologically and emotionally escaped behind. I resorted to the mechanical and methodical and obsessive cutting and pasting of paper to heal spiritually. It was my mantra.

So here is another year past, with high hopes of much to come.

More Collaborations...

During the party we decided to make some art. We actually did two different processes at the same time. For instance, the first drawing is an exsquisite corpse drawing where each of us had a section and did our own thing. It was funny because we had the person who was drawing the exsquite corpse keep time. Upon finishing, the artist would have to call it out.

Here are some pictures of us ellborating on this idea. It was really fun to work on a collaboration with all the other folks who came to my party.

Party...

Some what at the last minute, we decided to have a birthday party/house-warming party. I've recoiled in my shell a bit since I've moved back and wanted to have an opportunity to connect with a lot of different people from my past. Working and going to school however has spread my time thin and I really haven't had time at all to plan anything out.



Earlier this evening, a rather impromptu celebration happened. Laura Belkin came up from DC and Seth came down from Boston and a couple of other friends made the trek out to our apartment even though the L train, our primary source of mass transit was down and people had to brave the JMZ line and a brisk walk in the dark.

Here are some pictures from the event. It was really mellow and relaxed. Even not that many people got the opportunity to come, it was still nice to see everyone who did get a chance to stop by and enjoy the food, wine, and good company.

Studio Pictures...

Here are some pictures from my new studio. Not too much is going on in it as I'm sort of still settling into it. It has been a couple of weeks, and it feels like time is moving by so quickly. Where does the time go? It slips out and away from me so easily.

In one of the pictures, it's easy to see the large piece that I'm working on right now. It's a different process since I usually work on smaller pieces and in bigger series. It's a nice artistic challenge.

Midnight Collaboration: Modern Art...

After our treasure hunting walk, we stopped at a wine store and picked up a couple of bottles of wine.

We headed back to the apartment, with our loot and our wine, contemporary pirates of the post-post-modern age.

Paper, clay, graphite and charcoal were brought out after we had had our fill of wine and we created a collaborative work. It was a blast to just play and let things flow. Sometimes I miss just making spontaneous works with other people. There's a magic in the process, and although it may not be the most technically strong piece, it was a great exercise.

So from pirates, we became artists of the modern sort. Perhaps it was all inspired from our trip to MoMA the night before.

Treasure...

We have been furnishing our apartment with things that we've found out on the street and have had some real gems. We've found loads of lamps, books, bookshelves, desks, chairs, tables, dressers... all sorts of good things.

I thought that last week I had hit the jackpot with an antique dresser I found. Sheila helped me retrieve it in the rain one night. It was pretty heavy because it was solid wood. BUT Seth, Sheila and I went for a walk and I found the best treasure yet!

We found this beautiful lamp with an etched post, marble base, and lovely cast of a mer-horse. We've fondly called him "George", pronounced the Spanish way!

Eternal Sunshine...

Sheila in front of a Kandinsky.

Sheila and I in front of a Klimt.

Sheila and Seth in front of a Chagall.


Sheila and I in front of the sculpture fountain in Rockerfeller Center.

After our busy morning being fashionable, Sheila's friend Seth from the meditation retreat came to visit from Boston. Although I was pretty tired from an early morning and then working all day, we went out. First, Seth and I took Sheila to her class at the Art Student's League. He's a really nice guy and we spent some time walking around and talking.

Then he and I went to the MoMA while Sheila was in class. As it turns out, she ended up dropping out of the class because of the toxic conditions of the room and joined us walking around the museum. It was a lot of fun!

Afterwards, we walked down to Rockerfeller Center and then went on over to Williamsburg. Even though it was a rather rainy day and a long one, we had a good time and made our own sunshine.

Fashionably Lovely...

Here are a couple more pictures from our adventures at Fashion Week. The first picture is of Sheila and one of the characters from Project Runway, Vincent. The next is of us in the tent. You can't see much behind us, just our big faces. The last is of striking a pose on the steps in Bryant Park. It was rainy.

Round TWO...

Today, before I headed into work, I found out that I was one of the semi-finalists for the Swarovski Create Your Own Style contest. I'm very excited and hopefully I'll make it through the next round.

Project Runway...

Sheila and I were lucky enough to attend the Project Runway final project. It was quite lovely to be able to see these people who we've watched on television for months up close and personal. It was a lot of fun and I could swear that Heidi made eye contact with me. Of course we were pretty much right in front of each other. :-)

Enjoy the photos. I imagine one of the final challenges was to design a bathing suit and the surprise twist was that there were FOUR designers showing their collections. I would have snapped some shots of the dresses, but my camera isn't that great.

Abnormal Psychology...

One of my newest classes is Abnormal Psychology. I think the inherent flaw in this course is that there is so much of a gray area and so many different sources stating absolutes. The way the information has been presented so far is a bit scattered and very much with a heavy bias towards one way as opposed to others. I don't know if I necessarily like it or not.

It's also a bit scary. One part of the class is devoted to watching case studies of individuals who range from mild afflications to severe cases.

The other part is that we're given diagnosis sheets where you evaluate the subject. It is so easy to answer the questions yourself... and sometimes with a "clinically crazy" result.

However, there was a quote that I quite liked.

*In volume two of the 1959 American Handbook of Psychiatry lobotomist Walter Freeman writes:

What the investigator misses the most in the more highly intelligent individuals is the ability to introspect, to speculate, to philosophize, especially in regard to the self... Creativeness seems to be the highest form of human endeavor. It requires imagination, concentration, visualization, self-criticism, and persistence in the face of frustration, as well as trained manual dexterity...

Tidal Waves...

It has been quite a while since I last posted.

I thought about making an entry for each specific thing that has happened since I last wrote, but decided against doing that in the efforts to save some time.

I've been very busy now that school has started and I'm working in my studio. Most of my classes seem interesting. I'm particularly curious how the children's literature class will turn out. Sounds like a lot of fun. I got my own studio by myself. I picked a very strategic location and now I have an entire studio! I'm excited about all the work that I'll be able to make there.

I've also been quite busy with work still. I am no longer at the Bryant Park location, but instead have been transferred to another location downtown. I've seen a lot of old faces and it is nice to reconnect with them. Though I am still not quite in my element just yet.

It hasn't helped that I've been under the weather lately. I've really been pushing myself so hard lately and I'm not used to it and it is certainly taking its toll on me.

An unexpected thing happened. I went with a friend to visit a jewelry store and was offered a job there. I'm not certain if it will work out or not, but it seems like a really great opportunity. I just hope that the position hasn't been filled yet. I met the owner and got a really great vibe from him. Well see how it develops.

Ope, Sheila, Emily, and I have started Project Runway nights at Ope and Emily's apartment. They've got cable and TiVo, so we go over there to watch it. It's a lot of fun. We try to make an event out of it by having food. It's a good thing that the apartment that she's in has TiVo... otherwise, I doubt we'd be able to have our infrequent gatherings.

Heather Wynn came to visit and it was great having her. I felt really bad that we couldn't entertain her more. Both Sheila and I have crazy schedules and it would have impossible to stay with her the whole trip. It was sad to see her go, but I'm glad to be able to get into my new schedule without distraction. Maybe I'll be able to update my blog more regularly once I'm more accustomed to the work-load.

It feels as though I've been swept away by a tidal wave. It is an unsure feeling, but a good one. There's a freedom in this floating. But it is hard since you have to keep paddling and paddling to get anywhere.

Coney Island...

Sheila and I both had today off. It was a rare treat. Both of us work quite a lot. She had to go to the DMV to get a new license and we decided to make it a field trip day and go to the one in Coney Island. I would have taken pictures of the lines and the various people we saw there, but photos inside the DMV are prohibited and I didn't want my camera to get taken away.

When we finished up at the DMV, we explored the boardwalk and pier. Lots of interesting characters there. We treated ourselves to a Coney Island lunch of salsa cheese hot dogs and chili cheese fries. All of these foods have particular arts to eating them without making a huge mess. I'm not so much a hot dog fan, but since Sheila had one, I went along and it wasn't so bad.

The weather was perfect in my book. It was slightly chilly and very windy with a sea breeze off the water. It was nice because there weren't massive crowds and it gave the whole area a slightly forlorn and creepy feeling which was really interesting.

The First Leaf Falls...

Although it is not quite September yet, already the autumn breeze blows in. This morning, before work, I sat by the window and watched an amazing flock of birds flying in spiraling cloud formations. They made their swoops and dives during a minor reprieve from the gusts of wind and heavy rain. I imagine that after the storms pass, they will soon begin their migration south.

Already, the leaves are changing. It is a subtle thing. The greens aren't quite as green as they once were - they are seemingly more dull and less vibrant. Already, autumn rolls in.

I am looking forward to it. Autumn is one of my favorite seasons and I truly enjoy it here in New York. I associate so many positive experiences with this season. It's simple things that really enchant me.

- The first taste of freshly pressed apple cider in the Green Market in Union Square.

- Sitting in Central Park as the leaves swirl down from the canopy and fall gracefully to the color-laden ground.

- The fact that my birthday is in Autumn and each year I feel a little bit older and a little wiser.

- Seeing the electric blue of the sky against the city skyline of Manhattan from a rooftop in Brooklyn.

- Feeling the cool breezes brush against the warmth of your skin in Battery Park.

- Walking down Fifth Avenue and window-shopping all the new Fall Fashions.

- Hot chocolate season begins!

- School starts during this season and with its arrival comes the potential to learn new things and meet new people.

And the Tent Goes Up...

Since I've been working in Bryant Park, I've been privy to certain events and stages of events that I normally wouldn't be involved with. Before now, I hardly ever ventured north of 23rd Street unless it was a special occasion. Now I come up almost every day!

Today they started building the tent for Fashion Week. I was surprised that they were able to begin work since it has been raining pretty much non-stop. But they were out in the rain, cranes and all. I've gone to various Fashion Week events in the past, however, I never was in midtown to see them erect the bones of the beast! It's interesting to be apart of these behind the scenes phases.


Since I've been watching Project Runway, it'll especially be interesting this year to be involved with Fashion Week. Perhaps I can bring Tim Gunn and the designers some coffee!

Art Supply Sale...

Sheila had a really great idea about selling off the art supplies that she no longer used on eBay. So I decided to attempt to do the same. It's a good idea on so many different levels. For one, we clear out and get rid of stuff we no longer use (for example: neither of us paint with oils anymore and we have quite a few). Secondly, it'll enable those who don't want or can't spend a fortune on art supplies to get them at a discounted price. Thirdly, it'll make us some extra cash. Both of us work a lot, but a little padding to our incomes would be GREATLY appreciated and is much needed.



Hopefully this will work out and will be a success for everyone involved.

So here are the links to our eBay auctions:

OIL PAINTS-WILLIAMSBURG, OLD HOLLAND, PERMALBA, RESNGEL

PAINT BRUSHES: SABLE-BRISTLE: ESCODA-RAPHAEL-DA VINCI

Oil Paint: Winsor Newton, Holbein, and Daler-Rowney

Oil Paints: Winsor Newton, Grumbacher, Holbein, Reeves)

Dead Batteries...

It rained today and it rained yesterday. I feel bad for the DesignStar competitors. They had to work out in the nasty weather!

Here is the link to their site: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_star_2006

The actual finale doesn't air until September 10th.

I was going to take pictures of the last two rooms, but the batteries in my camera were dead. Also, I think they were stopping folks from taking any pictures that might be leaked out.

Here is what I gathered: The finalist David's room was a stylish, Asian-inspired, modern bedroom. Alice's room was a shared children's bedroom. I liked the former MUCH better. The lines were clean, he incorporated lots of different textures, and gave the room a real elegant and sophisticated personality. It had beautiful pieces and it looked expensive. Alice's room left a little bit to be desired. If she decided to do this room on purpose, I think she failed horribly. My biggest problem begins with a common ideological dilemma with rooms designed for children. Most are designed so that they become a cliche stereotype. If you put lots of bright colors and bad, poorly done art on the walls and repurposed furniture, then it becomes a children's room. It lacked any kind of depth and all of it looked cheap. I could tell that some of the pieces were indeed expensive, HOWEVER, the combination made the room look tacky and filmsy. A lot of the final touches looked like after-thoughts in her room. David's room had these really cool planter boxes filled with riverstone rocks and glass, and two of them were positioned inside the glass room and two of them were put outside and in such a way that it looked as though it was either two giant boxes, or that there was a mirrored effect. Either way, it looked really thought out and GOOD. In Alice's room, she slapped down two baroque potted plants that didn't go with the room.

I hope that David wins. I haven't seen the show and don't know anything about the folks on it, but on design alone... I definitely know how I'd cast my vote.

A Little Too Much Information...

Due to someone going on vacation at the Tribeca store, I was asked to fill in. I was really excited about the opportunity since I've been in the park since I started back and the format is a bit different. I prefer a setting in which you can get to know the customers a little bit better.

The L train was down again today! It made getting to Tribeca very difficult. The directions that were given to me were a little less than stellar as well, so it made it a bit hard to find. Eventually though I made it over and started working. It reminded me of the old store that I used to work at and made me miss it quite a bit. (The old store is now a luxury condo building.)

A woman came in with her son, who was maybe a year and a half old. She was blonde and her son had BRIGHT red hair. Fire engine red. We were chatting about various things, mostly about taking care of a small child and I commented on her son's hair, saying, "Does the red hair run on your side? The daddy must have red hair." She said, "No. No. Well... yes, actually he does." I didn't really know she meant and gave her a slightly confused look. The first thing that jumped into my mind was that maybe her husband shaved his head or dyed his hair. But she went on to explain saying, "Yeah, I had an affair and my lover had bright red hair like my son."

My jaw dropped a little and my eyes got wide.

At that moment, the door of the restaurant swung open and a balding man with dark brown hair came in. The woman looked at me, raised a finger to her lips and made a "hush" signal, and then winked at me. Apparently the man was her husband. My eyes just got bigger and I found I couldn't really look at him directly in the face. She then went on to say, "I was just telling this nice young man about how my Granny had the most beautiful red hair." The customer winked at me again.

I don't know what it is, but people seem to want to confess all their darkest secrets to me. I think it's very flattering that this stranger decided to include me in her circle of confidants, but it was an extremely awkward position. It was definitely a smile and nod sort of situation.

Design Star...

After a harrowing detour of three different trains (the L train is down), I noticed an addition of two glass houses to the park when I finally came in. Apparently they are filming the final challenge for a show called DesignStar on HGTV. It looks like a show that I would probably watch if I had cable. From the few previews I saw, it appears to be pretty good. I absolutely adore home improvement shows, and I am very fond of the reality tv format.

I snapped a couple of photos of them installing the flooring of the little rooms. It shall be interesting to see what they pull together. I feel bad for them though, as the weather is turning and it'll probably be rainy all weekend long.

In other news, Sheila is supposed to be returning from Rockville this afternoon.

Illustration Friday: Run

She could claim that she ran from monsters and fiends, but instead she ran onwards, towards the future. Albeit an uncertain future, it was a future nonetheless.

This week, I drew from several different sources of inspiration. You can see some influences from early Picasso, to Eskimo print-making. I started off building up the background in a band of vertical stripes. Then I drew and painted the central figure, which was later collaged on top of the background that had different colored washes. Afterwards, the twisting shadows and shades were drawn and cut out and they too were incorporated. When the piece was dry, I added some shading with charcoal and some different textural elements with opaque resin.

Happenstance...

I have been focused on my work and not much else. The new series is coming along and I am happy with the progression.

Earlier today, I was in a strange mood. I felt a sudden anxiety and mild panic. All I could think about was how I wasn't on the right track. It was like I was making all this work and doing my day-job and it all just wasn't meeting up. I felt tired and worn down and like it would only continue to be this way. I reached out for a sign.

I decided to walk to work. The walk, for me, is a relaxing one and forces me to take time to think. My heart and mind kept reaching out for something. Anything to hold on to. I ended up getting to work a little bit early. I got ready and started to help make the qued drinks. I turned around and saw my friend Nate ordering coffee.

It was such a nice surprise to see him! I shouted his name and ran out of the kiosk and gave him a big hug. Arnoldo, his partner came around and we all made plans to get together. It's been such a long time since I've seen them. The last time I saw them was my going away/birthday party last year.

The chance meeting was just what I needed. It was an injection of mirth that I had needed. That and perhaps I will show the new work in Arnoldo's restaurant. It has been about two years since I showed there. It's funny, because had I took the train to work, I would have gotten there ten or fifteen minutes later and would have missed Nate and Arnoldo completely.

Illustration Friday: Match

For this week's theme, I wanted to do something much more simple and direct. Visually there are a lot fewer elements, so I wanted to focus on the subtle things like texture. I built up a surface of plaster and charcoal and then collaged the central figure of the match. I then took gesso and absorbant ground and created the matching shapes. The shapes remind me of that game small children play with different shaped blocks where they have to try and find a matching hole to put them in. Afterwards I did scratchy drawings with graphite and then covered them with white. I alternated between washes and pencil strokes, broke pieces of charcoal, and even actual matchestick heads.

Across the Bridge...

Today Sheila left with Laura Belkin. She's going to be down there to work a bit before her job starts to raise some cash. It's funny how even though we live together, I hardly see her. Part of me really likes having the apartment to myself and the other part of me misses having someone to come home to. It reminds me of the days when I lived all alone in a little apartment on the 14th floor, seemingly floating in a bubble of isolation.

Earlier this evening, I walked home from work. I got a bit turned around and I was so much in my thoughts that I ended up in Battery Park before I realized that I had missed my bridge by like 20 or 30 blocks. I thought that the walk would only be a mile or two, but it turns out to be seven. I like it a lot and will do it as often as I can.

Gulp...

Yesterday, Sheila sent in her resume to a gallery in Brooklyn. It's funny because she was looking on Craig's List and was like, "Hey Andrew, do you know about a gallery called, 'Swallow...'" and I cut her off with a "YES!" I don't have many bookmarks, but I showed her the one I had to the gallery. Earlier in the year, I had bought a present for Cynthia of a cast iron wing box from the gallery. Funny how things come full-circle.

In any event, she went in for an interview and got the job! It sounds like a really great opportunity and it seems perfectly tailored to Sheila's strengths and recent professional experiences.

Illuminations...

On our walk back to the apartment from the bridge, Laura Belkin, Sheila and I found a bus stop where the advertisement had fallen out and had a little fun posing in front of it. We took some really dramatically lit silhouette photos!