Love these

You know you find these things at the thrift stores, you don't really need them, but you can't leave them there! These beautiful Crate & Barrel porcelain white tea cups and very light blue Japanese plates. Fit perfectly together! The teacups look at little eggs! More to add to my teacup collection!

lilla a

"the little a" is making little chairs.

Bird Songs

When I took the dogs out at first light and listening to one bird song. I aked myself, what is the first bird to sing at dawn? If there is an early bird, singing. I think I heard a Wren or Chipping Sparrow, but almost sure it is a or Song Sparrow. I am curious, what do you hear in the morning?

Japan Quake Map

It makes me have vertigo just watching this Japan Quake Map, and these are significant aftershocks.

Mah Jong Museum

Mah Jong Museum and Traditional Mah Jong Tile Sets, lovely! I am pretty sure I have this style, Pung Chow Style 500 Boxed Set hidden in my studio!

Piercing

Sometimes I take iPhotos of myself while I work, just to prove that still exist somewhere in the universe. ;) Today, Bri took me to get my nose pierced. Something I have wanted to do since I was 20 years old.

CLOUD

Loving Giant Episode 3 : CLOUD, Celine & Yann


Giant Episode 3 : CLOUD from Celine&Yann on Vimeo.

Sunny delight

Have watched so many InDesign video tutorials,  my head is about to explode. My eyes are burning. My computer is smoking hot. Trying to remember what I forgot. Putting a book together for a friend, can't wait to share. It is going to be very special.

Because I fed the birds all winter, I have many, many families nesting. It feels like I have a nest per bush. Wrens in the honeysuckle. Finches in the clematis. Chickadees in the back bushes. It is very busy out there and very exciting. I just need to keep an eye out for the *evil neighbor cat*. Pica is my best weapon.

My computer was getting so hot I decided to clean house and let it sleep. Then mom brought in some grape hyacinths ... and did I mention, the sun is shining?

David Edgar

This makes me very happy! David Edgar's Plastiquarium: recycled plastic art. I might have to buy one for my "wall of fish" ;)

Homemade Vanilla Favors

This looks like a fun project from Style Me Pretty, Homemade Vanilla Favors.

Spring in my house!

I have a new vase for new spring! I have been dying to have some ornamental cherry branches but haven't found any in a location that didn't "belong" to someone else. Then today I passed landscapers heavily pruning ornamental cheery trees and almost caused a wreck just trying to get back to them. I filled up the back of Mom's Jeep with my sweet smelling treasures, so pleased with myself and my luck! Plus I found another delicious vase at the wonderful Goodwill on 145th. I think they must have a pottery school nearby because I find the best hand thrown vases and bowls.







Duncan Campbell Eagle Scout Project - 1971, leaf identification for deciduous trees is really great.

The reason I had left my computer at all today was that my cousin happen to be in Redmond. Mom and I drove over for a quick visit. Great seeing him, feeling very far from Texas and family. My cousin's job is changing projection rooms to digital format. We got a tour of a projection room and explanation of how the enormous reels are moved around and made to *show* the movie. And the ease that the new digital format will be instead of film reel.

I understand the reasoning for going digital but I ranted all the way home (to mom) about what is going to be left in the future for us to have as as tangible link to our past. Film reels, airline tickets (all ready gone), baggage claim tickets, books, catalogs, phonebooks (well, I don't mind those disappearing), receipts, checkbooks, photo albums? Magazines, hence, magazine advertising, newspapers. Someone will discover up a dusty box in someone's attic and find an old cellphone and exclaim, "OMG, a Sprint Samsung phone!". Or look quizzically at a portable cd player, a tape deck, a thumb drive? A debit card, a relic? DVDs? We will watch all of our movies online. The things that will be our past will be metal objects with no personality. They will not be torn, worn or have have coffee stains from a 100 years ago. They will not have a personal message inside as a gift of a book would have. The smells of the past. No photo albums with handwritten notes of whom/date/where, those albums will live on someones computer. It will all be digital. Cold. Hard drives. Chips. SIM cards.

I know, I am ranting. This may never come to be. Just wondering "what will be the antiques of our future?" Just something to think about.

In perspective

Radiation Dose Chart puts things in perspective.

Loving ONEHUNDRED series by kid grandios.

Beautiful ONAO paper products via So-Mee.

I was required to download the newest version of Firefox the other day and having nothing but trouble! I have to view half in Chrome, where I lose images, and half in Firefox 3.6.15, which I can't type or blog in. It is about the drive me nuts!

Generously free

Spent most of my day working on Friendly Foam website. First, we are focusing on just telling folks the site is under construction because all information on existing site is not current.

I notice that actions and changing the mood/color of photos has reached a fever pitch. I love the results, but I think because I manipulated photos for so long in my job, that the joy of taking a real photograph was such a treat for me. Getting the color correct. And a sharp image was my challenge. Today, I started messing around with some actions I found at Karin a fotografi and at Maria's, just to experiment and have some fun. And make some of my own actions.

Also found some great textures on Flickr (I think I have blogged this before) by entre les mots et l'image. Very generous!

And even more at Lost & Taken's Free High Resolution Textures.

Wonderful old air mail envelopes graciously offered by fuzzimo (and lots more goodies!) via Pinterest.

I spent a few minutes re-exploring textures and actions with some old photos.

 

 

 

 

Andrew Myers

Loving Andrew Myers' screw art using screws, really! Via @Vynl.

Help for Japan

I know we are all feeling horrible and helpless about the catastrophe in Japan. What are so many homeless families going to do to survive? How long will it take to rebuild? 

I found this on Utterly Engaged a plea for to help however you can. I did yesterday, can you donate today?

Corner Studio and Gallery

Don't forget the Artist’s reception during Art Walk March 19th, 4-8PM in Everett today. Thank you, Janet!

Vintage travel

So beautiful it makes my heart ache, vintage travel posters on Boston Library Flickr stream. The Boston Public Library's Print Department is home to more than 350 vintage travel posters, most dating from the 1920s-1940s, the “Golden Age of Travel.” Via Veerle's inspiration board.

I am totally in love with vintage travel posters. Have totally used them for inspiration!

Ranunculus

Is there anything more refreshing than Ranunculus in the Spring? Oh my, Ranunculus asiaticus, pink with a green center? Why, yes. Ranunculus Grimaldi.

Eleanor McCain

Eleanor McCain's art quilts make my heart race! Via Anakin Anakku on Pinterest.

My treat

I treated myself with Ranunculas and English Daisies at Top Food 5/$10. I am so ready for sun and spring.

Woody Biggs

Paper assemblage art by Woody Biggs makes me smile. Via matchbook magazine.

Thank you!

For all the wonderful wishes. It made my day very special!

Birthday wishes

I thought I would forget this birthday, but wonderful friends on Facebook are not allowing that. You guys are making me cry. ;)

This wonderful wish from Kariann, thank you!

55

Money seems be to the center of your world. You're going to revolutionize the way you earn it and rebel against too many financial limitations. Spending seems to be your focus. There isn't too much emphasis on saving. If you want it, you will buy it whether you can afford to or not. Mars in your sign encourages you to question your values. Ask yourself what makes you happy. What do you really want to do? The answers may surprise you.

This is my horoscope for the week. Well, money is my focus right now but more holding onto it rather than spending in my current unemployment status. But I found this interesting because last night I was cleaning out my newspaper portfolios and decided to throw most of my old work in the trash. I looked around my studio and thought, I need to decide what I really want to do in terms of art. Focus on one or two things instead of too many. It was sobering to sit and think about that. Scary because I love to do it all but I feel like my feet are in concrete right now and I can't move forward.

Graphic design might not be my future. Web design? If so, I would need to go back to school in order to get hired, color my hair again and call myself  "40". Maybe return to painting? Clean up my garage of the assemblage mess and give that up? Go ahead with the Brantlers, plexy sculptures and rings? I have lots to think about but I do feel that I am moving in the right direction in questioning how I want to fill my hours and days. I was talking to a friend the other night about why we love the small Texas town of San Angelo. I concluded it reminds us of when were young, learning, the future was full of promise. I want to feel like that now.

Today I turn 55. It is the year to find out what I want to do with the rest of my life. My heart is breaking for Japan and it doesn't feel like a day to celebrate anything. This year so far, has been the year of non-celebration. We decided to have an all-inclusive birthday party in the summer when the rain has subsided. Dig out the lanterns, decorate the backyard, make one cake for all of us. We all liked that idea.

Mom just read my horoscope from the paper. It says, "your head is full of danger, you need to go outside and get some fresh air". ;0

Otis Lumpkin

The internet can be a magical place of connection. I feel so fortunate to have so many teachers who saw something in me that I did not and they nurtured, encouraged me to be better than I thought I could be. One person can make a difference in student's lives as seen below in the testimonials.

Rick Smith from the San Angelo Standard Times connected with me Thursday after he found something on my blog I had written about Otis Lumpkin and ask me to write something about him as a teacher. Otis is having his last art show in San Angelo tonight. I really wish I could be there to take it all in! Here is Rick's piece about the art exhibit in San Angelo: A master of canvas and guidance.

This was my submission:

I don’t know where to begin when remembering Otis Lumpkin, my art teacher at Angelo State University in the late 1970’s. I know one thing to be true; he is the reason I graduated from ASU through his constant lecturing me on the virtues on closing a door and moving towards another, more exciting door called LIFE. Encouraging me daily to look past the student poverty I was living in at the moment, push myself to reach my artistic potential. Commit myself! Finish projects! Come to class! Be an artist! Admittedly, I wasn’t his best student when it came to attendance. He would greet me by saying “glad you could join us today, Ms. Carney”.

When you have professors who inspire you through their humor, talent, knowledge, passion and of course, incredible artwork … it makes going to class everyday a treat, not a chore. Aspiring to be a producing artist as Otis was. I was fortunate to have had so many professors who made learning a joy. Otis is on the top of that list.

In a smaller, student art community, many of us were also friends with Otis, his wonderful wife, JoAnne and his family. He made all of his students feel like they were a part of his family. Advising us as if we were his children when we needed direction. He wasn’t just a professor, he was a magic wand guiding us to make sound decisions about our lives.

I have stayed in touch with Otis and his family since graduating. I feel lucky and privileged to call him a mentor and friend for all of these years.

This was Ben Garrison's memory of Otis:

An artist colleague of mine recently saw Mr. Lumpkin's paintings on the internet. I had sent him a link. He replied, "Ben, you sure were lucky to have an art professor as talented as him!" Yes, I was lucky. I was even more fortunate to have had a teacher with great kindness, patience, humor and keen insight. His thoughtful advice was always on target and encouraging. In my spare time I still paint--using sound methods I learned from him.

I landed an editorial artist job at the San Angelo Standard-Times more than three decades ago. The key was Mr. Lumpkin's recommendation. That job led to a career as a graphic artist. I can't remember if I ever thanked him for that -- and for all those wonderful classes that still resonate in my brain. So Mr. Lumpkin, if you're reading this, "Thank you."

And Faith Ray's paragraph of how Otis changed her life as an artist:

I would like to put my impressions of Otis Lumpkin into a perspective befitting West Texas. San Angelo Texas is a quiet little desert town; not much going on in the 70's, especially for a group of misfit art students who could barely tie their own shoes. Our exposure to art consisted of tacky avant-garde posters and some poorly reproduced pictures of skinny, big-eyed models. Otis Lumpkin graciously overlooked our artistic illiteracy and went to work on each of us. He trained our eyes and our hands to see and capture the sublime and odd; to defy convention and dig deeper. He mentored, fathered, loved and patiently brought us all along. In the midst of a crazy conservative university, Otis was a classically trained, brilliant artist and gentleman, with stories and wisdom that still sing in my heart 31 years later. I cannot remember my first art museum or my first works, but I do remember his exquisite laughter, his keen eye, and hour after hour sitting in his office hearing tales of his life and exploits. He gave me so much out of the grace of his wide open heart. The world would simply not be the same without my friend and mentor, Otis Lumpkin.

8.9

Phones calls coming in from Texas in the middle of the night with questions about potential tsunami in our area which alerted me to what is going on in Japan. I was asleep during the event and had no idea!

The footage of what is going on in Japan is heartbreaking. My sympathies and prayers go out to all the people of Japan! CNN's Japan Earthquake blog video. Associated Press live feeds footage is unbelievable!

At home

I am thinking of something like this for my dining room. The room feels very empty since I removed the branches from the ceiling. Handmade Home: Affordable Branch Pendant at Decor 8 post by Anna-Malin Lindgren, her beautiful blog full of inspiration.

Manson Jar Chandelier

I wonder if IKEA has something like these pendant lights? I would like to use the antlers I have hidden in a box in the basement. D wants to use some old ladder. He has an elaborate idea with an old ladder, lights so we can also hang additional stuff on the ladder when the mood hits me. We have talked about building out some grid system off the ceiling for paper lanterns, branches, stringing leaves and such. Maybe this is the year?

D and I bought some new paint for the dining room the other day, need to start tackling that project.

Reading DwellStudio blog ...
Undecorate by Christiane Lemieux - Excerpt

THE CREATIVE METHOD

I ran across THE CREATIVE METHOD and was so impressed with their work. Here are a couple of examples.

Local Art News

A video about ArtWorks – A Gathering Place for Artist in Edmonds.

And soon in Everett - Corner Studio and Gallery and Janet Wold Art present their first group show of the season.

"The new March Show is appropriately titled, “Spring” with the show emphasis on the return of our favorite birds. The show will feature songbirds, lovebirds, small pond & field birds, and backyard squawkers. With more then 25 regional artists participating, the mediums and styles run the gauntlet. There are paintings in oils, acrylics and watercolors, as well as mono prints, hand colored etchings, and encaustics. For those who love 3 dimensional works, there are sculptures of birds in enamel, wire & glass nests, ceramic mixed media forms, and various birdhouses. We have jewelry artists in the show who have created special pieces for the spring theme: welded metal nests and winged pendants /pins, miniature wire nests filled with pearls and beads, necklaces and rings, and creations in natural stones, minerals and gems in bird designs and spring colors. There will also be beautiful cards, yard art, miniature birds and Janet’s little peckers."

The show opens March 9th, and will run through April 6th.

2831 Wetmore Ave, Everett, WA.

The gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday 11- 3 PM, and Fridays 11- 5 PM

Artist’s reception during Art Walk March 19th, 4-8PM.

David Hockney

I have been in love with David Hockney's work for a long, long time. his Big Trees Painting is really stunning.

The sun is shining

With the sun shining so brightly, it is hard not to think about gardening. D and I are pruning grapes out of control. Hydrangeas are pruned. A little garden clean-up.

Mr. Brown Thumb is a wonderful and informational garden site, how to collect Allium seeds and how to save seeds

Mom told me lettuce was $3.99 the other day and we were talking about growing some, somewhere in the backyard, Farm in a Box is an interesting idea. Really loving Urban Gardens, getting hung up on wood.

How to make a Moss Chair and this A chair made of moss! I am going to make a couple these this summer.

I love A Way to Garden

Flowers outdoors by Mandy Schoch Photography

Mom brought in Andromeda Bush blooming right now.

Jane Eyre

Another reason to be happy this month, Jane Eyre.

Magical Creatures

The cutest paper animals from Mibo via little Willow.

I think I might need Magical Menagerie by artist Junzo Terada, 20 Punch-Out Animals for Play and Display.

Peonies, inside and out

I really can't wait to see what peonies bloom this year! But in the meantime -

Peony Duvet cover at Target. One little problem is they are calling it a Gardenia Duvet when it is obviously a Peony.

Mikasa Peony China



Andrea by Sadek Chinese Peony Blue & White Floral Bowls



Peony Floret (Armless) with clear lucite back and legs, high gloss white wood finish frame, white faux leather upholstery. Via Material Girls.







Dried Peony Wreath from Williams-Sonoma.

Can you imagine having Wallace sterling silver Peony pattern flatware?

Game of Thrones

I can't wait to see HBO's Game of Thrones. Looks right up my viewing alley. The official journal.

The Game Begins

I Hate Perfume

I get so caught up reading the descriptions of CB I Hate Perfume collections! Go see if you can read just one!

After my last week, I woke up this morning saying I am not going to worry about my future anymore. Whatever happens will happen. Whatever my future, may not be in the graphic arts and that will be fine. And I feel completely released from my grief.

Live the Sheen Dream

I know I can't watch this train wreck much longer, but Live the Sheen Dream is pretty funny, uh, sad?