Weekend 5/27/16

May 27, 2016 in Weekend

Art

I'm really excited to see this show. It's been awhile since I've been to an art show with such a strong political statement and this one looks right up my alley. It satirizes capitalism and consumerism in ink. The show opens tonight at Seeing Things Gallery.

Eating

When I'm not making art I love playing chef. This salad consists of arugula with lots of lemon, cherry tomatoes, garbanzo beans, canned salmon (with 1/2 an avocado as mayo, champagne vinegar, dill, salt and pepper) and topped with sunflower seeds, fresh parsley, Parmesan and a soft boiled egg. It was insanely good. And of course, olives and cheese.

Growing

Look at this crazy plant. I have had this one for awhile now, but it wasn't until I put it in the ground that it started growing so huge and bloomed this yellow "flower". My garden is blooming all over the place these last couple months.

Listening

This week I listened to the #Girlboss podcast with Miki Agrawal. Damn. This woman is inspiring. If you aren't familiar with #Girlboss, it was a book and is now a movement created by Sophia Amoruso. I think Sophia is a pretty amazing person. Her story starts with being a rebellious young woman (ahem, sounds familiar) who sells vintage clothes on Ebay and moves on to start a fashion empire with Nasty Gal clothing (this is sort of the edited version). You should read the book. Miki Agrawal's interview displays a woman who is unstoppable. Her ideas and passions drive her and she just makes things happen. Also, her desire for social change for women gave me goosebumps. There is some banter in the beginning that you could skip if you just want to go straight to the interview. I guarantee you'll love it. Makes me want to do more with my life.

It isn't for everyone, but I love the Poundcast podcast. It's super funny, like feeling like a teenager again funny. Recent episodes were recorded in a car while on the road and around the campfire. It was really cool to hear them have a conversation with the sound of bugs in the background. The one with Rock and Roll Gary is hilarious. He tells his old band stories around the campfire.

Seeing

I caught this glimpse of my cat on the fence behind the bamboo screen:)

Sketching

This week's SoFA Sketch was so much fun! We were really feeding off each other and plan to meet down in Monterey this summer to sketch. It feels good to help build the local art community. After being on hiatus for 3 months, I am so glad to have SoFA Sketch back.

Sketching always consists of a combo of me trying to push myself and then drawing my usual old things. Adding the yellow lines behind the plant as well as the dramatic line of the blue tabletop felt a little more exciting, but I do want to push my sketches more and not be so safe.

Watching

Created for Amadeus Magazine, this short documentary profiles Jen Stark, an LA-based visual artist known for her complex paper sculptures and color drip aesthetic. In the video, Jen highlights some of her recent work, including her collaboration with Miley Cyrus for the MTV Video Music Awards. direction, shooting & editing \\ Matthew Kaundart producing \\ Alex Khatchadourian & Nicki Wong music \\ "Kill Switch" by White Rainbow amadeusmag.com

This is a really great video on Jen Stark. Her playful and cool personality really shows through. I love the toys she shows in her studio. It really proves that your art inspirations start early and stay with you. Last year I assisted Jen with her mural at Facebook, so I like to keep up with her work.

Happy Memorial Day weekend all! I know I'll be working through the long weekend preparing for the SubZero Festival next weekend.

What Goes On 11/6/2015

November 06, 2015 in 100 Day Project

This week's What Goes On is actually from the last two weeks. It's been a little crazy around here, but now I am back on schedule.

Arting

Nancy Ahn, Suhita and Claudine so focused on their sketches.

This month's SoFA Sketch was a small but great gathering at SoFA Market. I feel like in the last couple months, it has found its groove. I was a late on promoting it, didn't get around to it until the day of, but that made for an awesome table of artists working intimately.

Nancy Ahn drew Konjoe Tei Ramen & Izakaya

Some of the artists will draw from life and others from their imaginations. I love the mix. It always makes it fun. I am finding the

Suhita Shirodkar's pumpkins. Her sketches are always so loose, yet representative.

Bryan's awesome cats on a dimly lit street.

Another sketch of Suhita's. I love the contrast of the bottles and the dark figures.

The next SoFA Sketch is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday November 25th. Follow me on Instagram @francesmarin to stay in the loop on things.

Designing

No sneak peaks yet, but I have been doing some behind the scenes designing lately and can't wait to share them with you this month. Hint: bags and a calendar.

Eating

I made this Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup this week. It's super good and hearty. You can also toast the seeds afterwards. It turned out killer!

Listening

I listened to the Halloween edition of This American Life, titled And the Call Was Coming From the Basement. I'll just say the segment on the raccoon freaked me out!

Watching

I FINALLY saw How to Draw a Bunny. After years of being recommended this movie by friends and waiting for it to appear for free on YouTube, it surfaced so I could watch it. Lesser known, Ray Johnson was an artist who was friends with a lot of famous friends: Andy Warhol, Chuck Close, James Rosenquist, Christo... He was so prolific and his work was ahead of its time. He hated galleries and museums. He was a also a mystery to many people. Watch it.

I've been pretty into the show The Americans. It takes place during the Cold War and focuses on two KGB spies disguised as a suburban American couple. I think a big part of why I like it is that it takes place in the 80's. I also love that it is pre-cell phone, so they have to figure things out via landlines . It's nice to see them handle things in a fairly low tech way. The acting is pretty good and it is nice and suspenseful.

What Goes On 8/7/15

August 07, 2015

Admiring

One of her smaller pieces that sold at the show

The show looked fantastic on Chromatic's walls.

Nikkea Takagi had an art show at Chromatic Coffee this week. She is a self-taught artist with a gorgeous style. She's also a super great and inspiring person. Nikkea talked about one of the pieces in detail and it made me love her work even more. Go see her nearly sold out show. There are still a few pieces available!

Commissioning

I've been working on some awesome commissions lately. I love working with my clients and making them happy. I've been hiding out and working on a few lately and will be busy with them until mid-month.

P.S. I can take several commissions per month and you can contact me here if you have any questions about them.

Eating and Drinking

I've been eating breakfast for lunch a lot lately. Here, I have white sweet potatoes, sausage, eggs and, of course, olives. It's so good! I found that Verve has a Costa Rican coffee, Finca Salaca. Pretty much the perfect thing midday.

Hiking

The shadow of Mission Peak on the valley.

This morning I hiked Mission Peak with a good friend. It was amazing. We woke up at 4am and headed to Fremont. This was maybe the 4th or 5th time I've done this trail and it just doesn't get old for me. Watching the colors change at sunrise or sunset is really the best way to hike. The golds, the purples, the blues and a little bit of green. It's always great to view the valley from up here because all you hear are birds and not the chaos of down below. We sat up top at the peak eating figs, peaches, cherries, salmon, tomato and avocado. Pretty much the ideal way to start the day.

Installing

My friend Anabella Piñon and I reinstalled String Theory at SoFA Market this week. We stopped in Sunday morning for a couple of hours. The exhibit is part of the South First Fridays art walk August 7th. Don't miss the Ken Davis show across the street at Anno Domini.

Walking

I walk and bike downtown a lot. On my way to Japantown Thursday morning, I noticed this back wall of a restaurant that closed earlier this year due to fire. There is something about the draped fabric, variously hued pink wall and burn marks around the window that was kind of beautiful to me.