What Goes On 9/11/15

I missed last week's post since I was so busy with a wedding, birthday and otherwise. Happy to be catching up today!

Arting

A collaboration with Kyle Pellet

Last week, I sketched with Kyle Pellet. He is one of my favorite artists. His work is super funny and original. We collaborated on the above piece, which is available for purchase here. 

Tonight, Empire Seven Studios will be opening their show by Colin Frangicetto and Drew Roulette. 

When I had work for sale at the Oakland Museum of California, I had the pleasure of meeting Dawline-Jane Oni-Eseleh. I loved her work and on Saturday her show at Oxtail Studio in Berkeley opens. 

Rob Sato is an incredible artist with sketchbooks on display at The Arsenal. I can't wait to check this show out. 

Listening

I've mentioned the podcast Death, Sex and Money and I'll mention it again. The latest episode with Maria from Sesame Street is really, really good. 

The latest That's Deep Bro episode, Why Be Good? is really excellent. Christina ponders, "Why bother being a good person when some people seem to opt out?" I consider myself to be someone of pretty good morals and do question humanity a lot so this one was quite excellent to listen to. 

Meeting

On Thursday, I was waiting for Bryan at the SoFA Market when I ran into an old friend, Demone. Demone is someone I worked with at Streetlight Records, many years ago. He is now really involved with arts in San Jose and was there for a meetup for MALI (Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute). It was great to learn that something like this exists in San Jose. Being loosely to extensively involved in the art, blogging, Etsy/maker world, I constantly notice the lack of diversity in it. I had no idea of this organization until last night. I met a new artist who knows my work through a mutual friend and she came over and introduced herself. It was great to meet her and she has a potential new and exciting project happening in San Jose.

Reading

I started the book The Old Patagonian Express by Paul Theroux. My mom had given me a small stack of his books and I've finally gotten around to reading one. So far, so good. I like his writing style. It was written in 1979, so it should be interesting to hear his perspective on travel back then. 

Redesigning

The website got a redesign this week. I have often gone back and forth with this style and a single image on the front page. I do like being able to show all that I do on one page. I have also been thinking about my artistic goals and I want to do a broad range of work, so I think this reflects that. Hopefully sooner than later I will be working on a book and other special projects. There are some things that I need to do like adding all the sizes of the artworks, a new logo and such, but I wanted to let you know about the new look. If you have any feedback for me, please leave it in the comments below. Thanks!

Training

I labored on Labor Day. I trained for 2 hours midday and it was so much fun. I love Heroes Martial Arts. Everyone works so hard and has a great personality. I also couldn't ask for better exercise. I learn so much from everyone when I go. It felt great to go in after a long wedding weekend with a few too many drinks:) I ended up training 3 hours on Tuesday, 2.5 on Wednesday and an hour on Thursday. Somehow, it still feels good to work this hard at something and progress so slowly. 

Hope you have a great weekend!

What Goes On 8/21/15

Admiring

Are you on Pinterest? I have an Art board that I love adding my favorite works to. The art above is by Clare Rojas (you can read an article about her below). She now works in a more abstract style which you can read about here.

Eating

Figs! I have been experimenting more this year with our fig tree. I made jam last week and plan on a new batch this week. I also made a fig salad with prosciutto, arugula, egg and olives and a fig banana shake. Both were so good! Figs taste like juicy candy, are rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and vitamins A, E and K. I can't wait for persimmon season...

Listening

I just listened to the Mystery Show podcast for the first time yesterday and really liked it! Plus, what a great logo, huh? Starlee Kine solves mysteries in this original and fun podcast. I listened to two so far and it reminded me of how much I liked reading mysteries as a kid. Starlee meanders through each episode with a sort of wide-eyed wonder about the cases she needs to solve, while also being creative and not just searching for the answer on the internet. 

Reading

I am now halfway through Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. It was so great to go camping this weekend and read a few pages at the site, but how I really made so much progress was by reading in the car out loud to Bryan. It's about his hike on the Appalachian Trail. He's super funny and he puts you right there with him. 

I found an article on the Mission School artists Claire Rojas, Barry McGee and Margaret Killgalen in the New Yorker. It's an interesting read since I have admired these artists for many years, but didn't know the full story. I highly suggest you read this 'ghostly' love story. 

Tidying

I mentioned ages ago that I have been using the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up to declutter my life. At first, I had a lot of momentum with going through all of my belongings. Then I took a break then I half returned to it and then abandoned it. I went crazy cleaning and tidying on Tuesday. I threw out, recycled and donated a bunch of stuff. Things are feeling so much better. I know I will have a few more days of this before the summer is over, but it will make the rest of the year so much better! Also, maybe I won't need to do any spring cleaning next year??

Watching

I watched the documentary Supermensch this week and I thought it was really fascinating. Shep Gordon has lead a life extraordinaire. He has managed many famous acts including Alice Cooper and Debbie Harry. I love that he just decided to become a manager. The decisiveness and self assuredness is pretty inspiring. The movie also covers his interest in cooking and Buddhism. 

What Goes On 8/14/15

It's summer so I have to spend as much time in nature as possible. This weekend I am headed off to the Mammoth Lakes area. I haven't been so I can't wait to see what it looks like. I'll be bringing art to work on and intermittently swimming and eating. Sounds ideal, right??

In the meantime, here's what I've been...

Admiring

A fave from Ken Davis's show at Anno Domini

I went out for South First Fridays and even though I was super tired from being up at 4am, I had to see Ken Davis's show at Anno Domini. His skills with lettering and sign making are unparalleled in my book. The above Black Eye Specialist uses abalone for the eye, mixed with hand painting and gold foil. 

Noise Furniture's space at South First Fridays

Noise Furniture always puts together a striking display. This one in particular stopped me in my tracks wit that super cool lighting. After being out for South First Fridays, I yet again realized that San Jose has really come into its own in the last year or so. The creativity and innovation around here has been pretty astounding lately. 

Commissioning

I was so happy to get this frame in the mail this week. I am working on a sailboat commission for someone special. I had used a similar frame for a painting before and when this customer asked if I could paint something similar, I had the idea that I could look on eBay and Etsy for a frame. After scouring through both sites and sending the customer links, she selected this frame. I think it will work fantastically with the painting. 

The small stack of unfinished paintings are near the top of my list of things to do. I look forward to finishing them and getting them out there in the world soon. Hopefully at our late September pop-up!

Jamming

Er... I mean canning. Our fig tree has been going crazy so I decided to make jam this year. It's nice to hand out fresh figs to people but I thought this would be a good way to handle all that fruit too. The first batch is going to family members and a couple of neighbors. I hope there's enough for another batch for friends. It is sooo easy to do. I want to start pickling too. The ingredients are figs, honey, lemon juice, walnuts, cinnamon, vanilla and 4 of the jars also included some orange liqueur just for fun. 

Reading

It was funny that I got this horoscope this week. This is something I have been feeling. That I could be going in a different direction, but I'm just not sure what that direction is. I feel like it's important to not do the same thing again and again. It's also important to try new things artistically, experiment and push yourself. Sometimes you just need a 180!

The blog, A Cup of Joe, had a post with 20 Career Tips From Entrepreneurs. Some good tips here. 

Did you hear about these balls to help California's water situation?

Watching

It's the end of an era with The Daily Show finishing up. Luckily, Documentary Now! seems to be the perfect thing to fill the void. I've been a fan of Vice for a long time and I look forward to more episodes of this spoof. 

And of course, still working my way through the amazing Human Planet series. 

That's all for now! Hope you have an awesome weekend. 

What Goes On 7/24/15

Admiring

Jeremiah Harada's art show at Chromatic Coffee blew my mind. I have known Jeremiah for some years now and this was my favorite show of his yet. His colors, line and humor are so relatable. Kicking myself for not getting to the opening since the show is 99% sold out. Good job Jeremiah!

Camping

I camped in the Armstrong Redwoods with my friend Kelli. So needed and more on this later.

Eating

I returned to Yeganeh Bakery and Cafe on Sunday after trying it last Monday. Again, it did not disappoint. I painted our meal of a spinach/ feta/ sausage omelette, eggplant and the Persian plate of cream, honey and jam, all eaten with the sangak bread. We also had the lavender lattes. I really love this place!

Following

An image from the Daily Overview

On Instagram, I love following Daily Overview. The abstracted images capture the manmade structures and topography of our world. There's something about an overhead perspective that well, changes your perspective.

Growing 

First fig!

Our first fig is ripe! We split it right after I took this picture. We are good about eating a lot of them and giving some out to friends, but this year we are going to be really diligent about making jam and drying the ones we can't quite eat. If you look away for a couple days, they end up on the ground for the ants (or squirrels or rats or raccoons) so I am determined to get every last one!

Listening

Vincent Seritella

Art For Your Ears is one of my favorite podcasts. Danielle Krysa's (The Jealous Curator) interview with Vincent Serritella really resonated with me since the artist is doing a 365 project and giving all the art away. While I think that is awesome, I am not giving away my 100 Day Project, but offering them in batches of 20 for $20 each. This fun price point feels so freeing! It let's go of any ego around pricing, allows people to be a part of this special project and for them to purchase art for a low price. While I don't necessarily condone art always being this cheap, it has been super fun! His work reminds me a little of James Rosenquist, an artist I was influenced by in art school when I painted large oils. Vincent's interview proves time and again, that you can teach yourself just about anything and be whatever you want if you are determined. Good stuff.

Watching

I just watched another episode of Chef's Table. This one looked at Ben Shewry, a New Zealand chef with a restaurant called Attica in Australia. I can't tell you much every artist working in every media should watch this. I think it's somewhere around halfway or 3/4 of the way through he talks about being true to yourself and how hard it is for those you love around you. Also, his near death experience made such a beautiful impact on his life. 

Until next week...

What Goes On - A Good Week

This week I've been...

Clarifying

A basket recently found on my doorstep delivered from a good friend 

Wow. Have I had some clarity this week. Petty things don't deserve your time. Keep going. Good friends (old and new) should be cherished. I am amazed by my friends and artistic community. There is a an incredible sense of spirit and support as I have been catching up with my buds lately. Thanks to all of you. I am excited for what's to come.

Doing

Ramona and I. Friends por vida!

I went to the beach with my good friend Ramona who was visiting from Ireland this week. I can't tell you how much I cherish this incredible woman. She is the most open, down-to-earth, funny and fantastic person. She's raised two incredible boys and helps families get back on their feet in Ireland. We worked together at Streetlight Records where we went on champagne lunches, listened to Françoise Hardy and dreamed of visiting Morocco. We had the best time eating at the Crow's Nest, getting our feet wet in the ocean and desserting at Kelly's.

Eating

Ramona at Yeganeh Bakery

I wanted to take Ramona somewhere special for her last day with me so I found Yeganeh Bakery, a Persian cafe in San Jose. IT IS THE BEST! We had the eggplant dish and the spinach with eggs, along with some Persian cookies. They are the friendliest people with the best food. And those are LAVENDER LATTE's sitting there! Delish. 

Buying

My first test with Holbein Acryla Gouache

I finally got myself some Holbein Acryla Gouache paint and tried it out in #37 of the 100 Day Project. I had been in Santa Cruz on Monday and picked paint and a pad of paper up at Palace Arts in Santa Cruz.

Admiring

Dawline with her art at OMCA

I met artist Dawline-Jane Oni-Eseleh at Friday Nights at the Oakland Museum of California (which, by the way, are so much fun). Whoa, did I love her work! Linocut houses were a big theme, as were linocut moons hanging on the wall in the background. This picture really doesn't do her work justice, since you can't see all the details or close-ups so be sure to check out her website. I was amazed at the breadth of her work. She uses a variety of materials, yet her style and theme is evident throughout. I am often drawn to architecture and the feeling of memory in art, so it makes perfect sense that I would like her work so much. I look forward to attending one of her future openings!

Visiting

A Charles James gown from 1953

I went with a couple of my artist friends, Laura and Kelly, to the High Style exhibit at the Legion of Honor. This was my second visit to the museum in a couple weeks since I bought a membership. I will be sharing a longer blog post on this hopefully next week. 

Moving

I have to say Thursday was a great way to end my 11th week training in jiu jitsu. It was only a little intimidating that I was the only girl in the class of many men (where were my ladies at?!). Although I am a beginner and far behind everyone else, the guys were super supportive and helpful in teaching me new things (while I was getting my butt kicked).

It has been an extremely humbling experience.

Listening

Oscar is digging the analog sounds of Octopus Arms

My friend Damien put out an awesome compilation called Octopus Arms. There are just so many talented people in San Jose. Click on Marigold Side A or B to give it a listen! 

Sometimes I feel like I need to be discovering more new bands! In the meantime, here are some smooth old favorites on my Your Beautiful Heart Spotify Playlist. You can also listen on YouTube. I was sad to hear the news of Nick Cave's son passing so he's included in this mix. Best for the mellower part of your weekend.

Watching

If you haven't seen John Waters's commencement speech, you really must. I actually watched it a few weeks back and forgot to share it. I know these can be a little heavy handed, but this one is good stuff. Here's a couple snippets of what he has to say:

"'But how can you be so disciplined?' friends always ask when I tell them my job is to get up everyday at 6am Monday through Friday and think up insane stuff. Easy! If I didn't work this hard for myself, I would have to work for somebody else!"

"I'm rich! I don't mean money-wise, I mean that I have figured out how to never be around assholes at any time in my personal and professional life. That's rich. And not being around assholes should be the goal of every single graduate here today."

One of my other favorite parts was about the "youth spies." He's hilarious. 

Until next week...