It has been a great week of catching up with family and friends and making new work. Here's what I've been...
Doing
We went to Capitola for Father's Day. It's basically a perfect little beach town near better-known Santa Cruz. It was super crowded but we had the best time! See that blue and green tent? That's ours. My 6-week old niece came to the beach too so of course we needed some shade for her. I've found these tents enable you to hang out longer at the beach without getting blasted by the sun constantly.
I had a blast at the Glasshouse event in San Jose with Freya Seeburger and other artists. Freya's spirit is really incredible and I love being around her. I had my art displayed up on this outdoor wall and I really liked seeing my work among the vines. I would love to return to this space and create an installation. The event was a benefit for a coffee cart at St. James Park where all proceeds would benefit the homeless. Such a brilliant idea!
I installed my watercolor Gotas (which I made on my art residency in Spain) on this outdoor light fixture at The Glasshouse. It was fun to see it in a different setting and country!
Listening to
Steve Reich just gets me in a good mindset for working. The variating repetitiveness takes my brain to where it needs to be.
I also made this perfect summer Spotify playlist if you want to give it a listen. Recommended for driving, the pool or work.
Reading
I just started reading Trying Not to Try by Edward Slingerland. This book is amazing so far. It covers the Chinese concept of Wu-Wei, "not trying" or "not doing". He states:
"We have been taught to believe that the best way to achieve our goals is to reason about them carefully and strive consciously to reach them. Unfortunately, in many areas of life this is terrible advice. Many desirable states - happiness, attractiveness, spontaneity - are best pursued indirectly, and conscious thought and effortful striving can actually interfere with their attainment."
Tell me that this isn't insanely insightful!!
Watching
I loved the documentary Antarctica: A Year on Ice. As much as I think I would love to head down and experience Antarctica, it's cold, the food isn't fresh and it's a harsh living environment so it was good to watch it from the couch with a cup of coffee. Though I kind of still want to go...
Although a little over my head, I watched Particle Fever, a documentary about the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. This is the biggest and most expensive machine in the world, which is basically trying to figure out the origin of all matter. Heavy stuff.
Dreaming of
It's been ages since I've done a road trip. I really want to head up to the Pacific Northwest soon and also see Zion and Bryce National Parks.
I've been checking out all these beautiful murals popping up in downtown San Jose thanks to The Exhibition District and Phantom Galleries.
Eating
I have always been a healthy eater, but I'm finding myself eating almost all real food these days. This is a sweet potato hash with Italian zucchini, carrots, rainbow chard, chicken, parsley, egg and of course cherries and nectarine for dessert.
Growing
I got these two Echeveria 'Lady Aquarius' plants last year at The Garden Company nursery in Santa Cruz. The prettiness of the dusty green and pink is not justified on a screen. Their beauty caught my eye immediately, plus my astrological sign is Aquarius, so we were destined to be together. The base looks like cabbage outlined with bright pink and when it blooms, you get these flowers at the end of a long stem.
Now, I'm off to backpack the Ohlone Wilderness Trail this weekend. I'm looking forward to the views, wildlife and grueling hiking.