Eliette

 

She showed up in my sketchbook today. I imagine she hates eating bread crusts, keeps a pet snail in a jam jar and believes (correctly) that the neighbors are really spies.

The Golden State






A long weekend visiting my youngest sister in Los Angeles was just what the doctor ordered. We managed to pack a colossal amount into just a couple days, but some highlights:

* Andy Warhol (!) inside LACMA and gourmet hot dogs outside LACMA.

* Visiting the Reform School store in Silverlake.

* Riding bikes along the beach in Santa Monica

* A Back to the Future screening at the Silent Movie Theatre, which would have been cool enough in its own right, but combined with Aziz Ansari's commentary, downright epic.

* Sunshine. Eighty degree temps. A renewed belief that Spring isn't just a figment of my imagination.

Lethal Beauty

 
I saw the Samurai exhibit, "Lethal Beauty" at the Currier Museum of Art this week. It's definitely not the sort of show I would have pictured myself enjoying (guns! knives! mayhem!), but I walked out of the museum really inspired. The level of craftsmanship in a samurai's armor is just mind-boggling, an amazing example of the utilitarian becoming art.

And don't tell me you wouldn't run screaming if this guy came hurtling towards you on a battle field.

The Saga of the Spark Plug

 
Reason #297 why you should carry a sketchbook with you everywhere: because you never known when your plain jane oil change will suddenly turn disastrous. And by disastrous I mean, your car is having a midlife crisis ($) and you'll be spending 2 1/2 hours (!) catering to its whims.

In non-automative news, I didn't know until today that a group of peacocks is known as an Ostentation. And if that isn't the most perfect name for a gathering of creatures, I don't know what is.

Symbiosis






This week:

* New shelves in the studio (thanks, Dad!). You guys, laser levels are the best. I'm already filling up the shelves with art supplies and assorted ephemera. In case you're curious, my sister made the bird.

* I'm still trying to make peace with oil paints. I don't think I've quite hit my stride yet, but I like the change of speed and (if I am being brutally honest) making a mess.

*I brought Natalie Chanin's Alabama Studio Style home from the library the other week -- the book has completely blown my mind. The way she combines sustainability with creativity is really something else and it's well-worth the gander if you're the slightest bit crafty. So when Favorite Sweater started sporting a hole this week, it got a makeover, in no small part due to the aforementioned book. And lemme' tell you, from henceforth, NO beleaguered garment shall be safe in my presence (insert: Vincent Price style-laughter).