Monday, May 19, 2008

art show catch-up

I've been to a handful of art shows recently and am majorly slacking on posting about it, so I'm going to do a quick and dirty run through of a couple of highlights (although I think most if not all of these shows are over now! Sorry!)

I caught the tail end of the Monica Canilao and Swoon show entitled Feral at The Luggage Store which was totally amazing and quite inspirational. I'll just post the pics and shut my yap because it was SO full of SUCH amazing stuff, I wouldn't even know where to begin to talk about it.













That same day we rode our little bicycles over to get another quick peek at the Ruth Laskey show entitled 7 weavings at Ratio 3. I know, I know, I've already talked about this show but I love Ruth's work and now I have a couple pictures (albeit out of focus) of the actual show and some close-ups of her amazing weavings. Plus, you know I love the floor at Ratio 3.











Then just last week was the CCA graduate exhibition, which I forgot to take pictures at, but I did help my friend Jason Kalogiros hang his photos the night before, so I have a couple (fuzzy) shots of his work being installed, and his sweetheart Maggie Preston's work. The whole show was pretty good although I have my gripes about cramming everyone into that awkward space along with the baccalaureate exhibition. I think they could come up with a better plan and that gives a little bit more respect and breathing room to everyone's hard work. But don't get me started with my griping...


Jason Kalogiros


Jason Kalogiros


Jason Kalogiros


Maggie Preston


Maggie Preston

Monday, May 12, 2008

Geez.

i meant to do all my catch up today about art shows that have, at this point, long passed and fun things that have happened. Maybe I'd throw in a picture of lemons or old furniture or something lovely and uplifting. Yes, I had such good and positive intentions.

Alas. The happy posts will come, I know they will, but not yet, not today. Today I went to move my truck, my ugly, beat-up disaster of a truck (which I love despite it's flaws and overly apparent bad karma) and when I started it up it roared like thunder rolling down from the mountains. I drove it the two blocks back to my house, looked under, and realized someone had sawed through the pipe to steal my catalytic converter. wonderful. I'm not sure how I manage to always be driving the hottest cars to steal parts off of (someone broke my honda radiator trying to steal it on my birthday in boston a few years back), but apparently this is a common occurrence around here. At least I found a place to take it to that will also do my brake and lamp adjustments for my salvage title (don't even ask), and I'm giving myself at least until noon to not deal with it.

On a lighter note, Bisbee's back. I didn't write about it, or write anything last week because I was devastated when Bisbee was missing for five days and I was convinced that the coyote from bernal hill had eaten him. But no, he was apparently just on a vision quest and is now back and snuggled up getting his eighteen hours a day of beauty rest.

I'm also in the middle of rearranging my room and studio, which makes me want to get rid of everything I own and live in a one person backpacking tent in the desert. I'm not actually sure if I've made anything in the last few years but I sure have gotten a lot of stuff out and then eventually put it away. Yep.

I won't be back today but I'll be more positive tomorrow. Maybe even later today I'll be more positive, but I still won't be back. I'll be drinking my weight in yerba mate to try to keep from pulling the covers over my head, or staring at the wall in my studio, or walking back from the mechanic. You should have a lovely day though, and if you've got a sec, leave me a comment about something really good that's happened to you recently. I would love that.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

kitchen love



there's been a surplus of lemons in the house lately between our tiny meyer tree and my friend jason's two trees (one of his is a meyer also and much more abundant than our little scraggly fella).



I've been swiping rosemary and lavender from people's gardens and making simple syrup with the herbs, then straining it and making lemonade with all the lemons. quite yummy and perfect for the lovely weather lately.



and a beautiful salad from our garden!

Saturday, May 3, 2008

sf victory gardens is accepting applications



Last year bay area artist Amy Franceschini teamed up with Garden for the Environment to start this amazing Victory Gardens project where they deliver kits (via modified tricycle) around San Francisco to start your own food producing garden plot. Here's the blurb from the GFE newsletter:

The Victory Gardens 2008+ Program is now accepting applications to particpate in the Victory Gardening Program. Victory Gardens 2008+ is a pilot project funded by the City of San Francisco to support the transition of backyard, front yard, window boxes, rooftops, and unused land into organic food production areas. As a participant, you will work with the Victory Gardens team to install a garden in your outdoor space. Although you will be the primary caretaker of the garden, the Victory Garden team will provide ongoing support. For more information, please visit www.sfvictorygardens.org.



(image via design 21)

free bird



it's day two of my new unemployed life and so far, so good. i've got some catch up to do on here about good stuff i've seen recently, but that will come, today i'm going to start from today, or rather from yesterday, because, you know, today has yet to happen. yesterday was really productive, I crossed two things off my major things to get done in the next few months list. two things- in one day- off that list. for me, that's major. that list has been haunting me for months and threatens to haunt me for several more months and several big blows to my bank book.



but at least now the cats have been to the vet and are in perfect health (although, in true pickle form, pickle has at some point managed to knock all but one of his front teeth out, and the one that remains is hanging on by a thread, and bisbee couldn't help but pee a river into the cat carrier about a block and a half from the house on the way TO the vet. I adore my little dirtballs).



And I finally got lenses put in the most beautiful vintage 50s frames that I got in Amsterdam last summer, and I am totally thrilled with them and so happy to not be wearing my ill fitting old glasses from about 6 years ago. If you find yourself in Amsterdam, and you've got a thing for vintage and antique eyeglass frames, you seriously can't miss the Brilmuseum. It is this tiny little shop full of glasses frames, sectioned by decade and style, and I think a lot of them haven't been worn (mine hadn't). If you don't have any intentions to buy, I'm not sure if I'd ask to try things on just for a lark. When I was there it was manned by a somewhat surly (I guess this is relative, and maybe curt is a better word than surly), but super knowledgeable woman who refused me even to try on a few pair of frames either because they wouldn't fit my head, or they would look bad on me, and then when we got to the pair I ended up buying, said "these are the ones", set them on the counter and sat down. What can I say though, she was spot on.

I also finally made it to the Oakland art murmur, which I've been meaning to do forever. My favorite stop was at Johansson Projects where they had the Propagations show in the front gallery and I'm not sure what the show was called in the little back gallery. I especially liked these drawings by Evan B. Harris in the back gallery, and the paintings by Alexis Amann, and Kiersten Essenpreis in the front gallery. It was really great just walking around there, the art vibe in oakland feels really visceral and celebratory, and I like that. It reminds me of how we get to this place where we're toiling away in isolation, but the when all pop our heads up for a second and look around, it's really amazing just to see that there's so much going on.


Evan B. Harris


Evan B. Harris


Alexis Amann


Kiersten Essenpreis

that's it for yesterday. off to today.