Sunday, March 30, 2008

Pigs, Bookbinding & More


Lots of stuff and I'm not sure where to start…

A friend of my mom's Pat sent Tom and I the sweetest bridal pig couple ever. Total surpise and really fun. We couldn't stop talking about them. Really thoughtful gift.

I finished two blank books this weekend and submitted them to the Frank Bette Center for the Arts for the Alameda on Camera show opening April 4. I'm really happy with them. I went through all kinds of emotion ranging from disgust to elation and everything that lives in between. In the end, they're so much better than I expected. (It's best when you don't have expectations or they're quite low.) They're for sale but it's as if I almost don't want to sell them. I'd like to enjoy them for a little bit longer. I'll have photos of them hopefully this week to put up here or they'll be at Frank Bette for viewing this Friday.

I learned a new binding, the Long Stitch Link Stitch from Keith A. Smith's Volume I Non-Adhesive Binding Booking Without Paste or Glue. It's an excellent book. Another great source for journal making is Teesha Moore's site where she gives a great description on how she makes her journals.

I had a really nice weekend with Tom. He helped me a lot and gave me lots of space so that I could work on my art. He cooked and did laundry and mowed the lawns and went food shopping. I'm very lucky to be with him. We worked on solvent photo transfers together in our backyard. It was really fun to watch him get excited about ideas. I want to stay up all night and finish and he helps me by suggesting ways I might get my work done and get to bed early.

We found a sewing machine for $10 at a garage sale this weekend. That was really fun. I need to get a manual but it has all kinds of different stitches that I'm looking forward to using. Now, I get to focus on last minute wedding planning details, cleaning up the garage/studio space and planning a honeymoon. So much I want to do…

I really enjoy Holly Becker's: decor8.blogspot.com and she has great links to lots of other great places. Through her site I found Michele Maule's blog. I really enjoy reading about Michele's process plus I'm really enjoying her artwork. I'm always wanting to check out her blog to see what she's posted next. She's a definite inspiration for me to post on a more regular basis. Thanks Michele!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Appreciation

Look at all I've done. I mean really. I make these lists every once in a while to see how far I've come and to see my progress. No list at the moment but I'm gently reminded by Tom how important the process is. I had an idea that I could have the great relationship that I have with him. I also have the idea in my head that I could have the great job that I picture in my head. It's actually happening… I'm doing the work, I come home to framed art pieces in the living room… I'm working on fun stuff in my studio garage…

Anyway… I'm excited about this woman's work right now: Erin Zam. I found her through Decor8
at this great shop: Three Potato Four.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Wedding Invites




We finally sent out the wedding invites and it was such a relief to finish them. I made them extra complicated and I'm very grateful to Tom for helping me assemble them without complaint. My dear, father-in-law (almost) took this photo of them for me.

So what's the lesson here in being extra complicated? I went to four different places searching for ribbon and we met a very accommodating woman who helped us decide on the ribbon that we ultimately used at Needle in a Haystack. She really took her time and gave us exceptional customer service. She made a comment about choosing the ribbon, about it being a detail and not so important in the long-term aspect of a marriage, even though we might think it important now. I understand her point and appreciated it then too. I find at times that I focus on things with ever tightness and control and they're not so important. Choose your battles I think. Her advice applies to life so well. I think when we broaden our focus it can give us more space, we can see more things, more possibilities…

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Flavorpill.com

I'm such a voyeur. But I imagine other people are as well. Do you know about Flavorpill.com? It's a great website of things to do in certain areas like San Francisco, New York, etc. but I what I love about it most is the artwork it features. Here's this week artist for the San Francisco edition. Her heart drawings are great: Ashlee Nicolle Ferlito.

My friend Maria started her own blog! I'm excited, this blog stuff is pretty catchy and fun and might I add incredibly easy. So if you were looking for the impetus to start your own blog, I recommend it.

I read the most fabulous book last year called: Crossing the Unknown Sea, Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity by David Whyte. I've linked it here to Amazon but you might be able to find it at your library. Basically, it's the author's story of his journey to heartfelt work. It's beautifully written. Bill Say, my therapist, who can get to the heart of a matter really quickly and effectively, recommended it to me.

I'm thinking of the book now because I'm feeling a little low. I have a goal of supporting myself with my art and my vision of that is clear and fuzzy. I'd like it be more clear. I think basically, I want to give myself some self some permission to let myself get other things done that will make my art more productive when I get back to my artmaking. Permission granted.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Gallery Outing

I went to the Oakland Art Gallery opening show tonight after work. They have a really interesting show of RISD Northern California Alumuni. Oh, and what a great spread of food!

A couple of women's work really stood out for me: Jane Kim who can also be found on, theshinysquirrel.com and Donna M. Castro. Very inspiring.

I was reading through the artist's bios and one in particular made a difference for me. The artist answered three phrases in what could have been his handwriting. The phrases were: Everytime I design something…, I'm inspired by…, I get excited when… and I get even more excited when… It seems really important to make your bio stand out in a book of many other bios. How can you make your bio stand out? What makes yours different? What do you want to say in 30 seconds or less so that someone flipping through doesn't pass your page by?

I'm putting together wedding invitations. I owe much gratitude to my boss who let me use his paper cutter. I don't know what I was thinking when I thought I was going to hand cut all of these. Eventually, when they're done, I'll put up a photo.