so please pardon the wonkiness! I'm rearranging things a bit.
want to hear a sound I make?
That's the opening line from a children's book I'm currently working on with the lovely Jennifer Coughlin. She describes her inspiration and motivation for writing here. I suggest reading in her own words, because I just spent the last ten minutes trying to summarize and it was a total failure. There's too much to be said about the time we spend in front of a screen, our disconnection with nature, and the damaging psychological effects of all the those trends - how it impacts our happiness and our relationships... not to mention taking care of this beautiful place we live in - but why would we care if we never learn to love or understand it? see? It gets ranty really fast - short breaths and incomplete sentences...
so I'll stick to drawing.
These are pencil drawings that I've been workin' on the past couple weeks. I'll be diving into the color phase very shortly. So excited!
Bada Bop Bop Bandits!
Freshly painted on the wall of Revival Drum Shop. And now every big blank wall I pass is crying out to me: 'Paint me. Paaaaiiiiinnnt meeee. Come on, put a critter on me! ' Uh oh. We may have created a monster.
Revival Raccoons from SleepyVolcano on Vimeo.
If you live in Portland, or you're passing through...go check 'em out! It's the best little corner in town, and of course I'm going to say it's better in person. Plus! you can a) get a delicious pour over from Extracto b) bang on some drums at Revival c) thumb through the super cool record collection at Beacon Sound or d) hang tough with a cocktail outside Tiga. What's not to love?
Seek No Return
...an unlikely friendship blossoms from an act of kindness.
Has it already been two years?
Matthew and I were asked to put some music to this lovely video about two years ago, and for some reason it came up in conversation today...and I just thought I'd share it.
MADE HERE - UPSTATE from Jay Carroll on Vimeo.
I was in New York City in March and had some free time for roaming the city..which of course entails popping into a few clothing stores. Browsing the racks of new and vintage, I came across some lovely shirts made by these ladies...and even though it had been almost two years since the making of this video, and I've never seen their creations in person, I recognized them instantly.
Hmmm...I wonder how this is going to turn out.
3D Bear***
I made some 3D glasses. They are awesome. I look ridiculous. But now I can see in 3D. Flat 3D. Oh, they're called anaglyphs? I knew that. (no i didn't) And the internet has plenty to offer for your 3D viewing pleasure. Something I was not aware of until yesterday.
But seeing is not the goal. Creating is. Because 3D bear wears 3D glasses and he needs to see things in 3D...and I must figure out how to make his dreams real.
So stay tuned. Get your glasses ready. It's going to happen.
***3D Bear was originally a photo of a real bear, a calendar bear who was given glasses by the lovely Mark Robertson, who had to make is own fun while working in the salt mines. 3D Bear is real. He lives in your imagination.
studio clean up
Finally. I spent the last three days doing nothing but going through boxes and piles and shelves and ...sounds fun right? I don't know about fun, but whoa...it sure does feel good.
Donate, sell, toss. Three piles. Nothing is precious. Sentimental value is not enough. Relive the memory and move on. I don't need that. I don't need that. Oh, I definitely don't need that. Of course everything has potential, and I could save it all for the possibility alone...but I need the space for new ideas.
So stay tuned for new work! I'll be at the Kenton Street Fair with new stuff to show. Look for me under the tent right outside of Little Red Press.
I brought you some flowers
...or whatever I could scrounge up along the riverside. Oregon grape and whatnot.
Dreams
I had a lot of flying dreams as a child, and occasionally I'm that lucky as an adult. There were not usually dinosaurs involved, but who's to say there couldn't be?
Little Red Press
Last Thursday was Third Thursday in the Kenton neighborhood...wait, this is starting to sound like an algebra problem.
It's not.
Put more simply, I had an opening at Little Red Press, and the show will be up for two months. There are some new pieces that I'm excited about...like the one below! She's all dressed up for picture day:
So if you're in the area, you can stop by and check it out. Also! Little Red Press is now carrying my note cards. And of course, if you're in need of any screen printing, they are your ladies. For sure.
Build and invisible safety net, and then jump...
The invisible safety net. It's something my dad used to say. I believe it was a concept of parenting he tried with me and my brother, and who's to say what works and what doesn't... but here's the basic idea, as I understand it: Let your child think they are taking risks, but make sure there is a safety net in case they fall. But make it invisible to them. Because when those risks feel real, the rewards are much greater.
Might as well
I did a drawing. Well actually I did a lot of drawings, but for the sake of simplicity...I did a drawing. Then I refined it to the point where it felt complete. But it wasn't. And I didn't want to go any further....cause then it would be...*insert really dramatic musical swell*... ruined. So I scanned it. Then I made some prints, mounted them to wooden boards, gathered sand paper, pastels, paint....anything I could get my hands on that made me excited or curious.
And I went to town. I messed them up...and I kept going. I wasn't afraid of ruining a drawing I had spent hours on...because I had built myself a safety net. And while it's not quite the pure Buddhist approach, it's progress. I was able to be wreckless and free, and each piece now has that expressive hand quality and energy I was missing from the original drawing...the one I was so afraid to destroy.
Like there's no tomorrow
Little Dreamers
Headed for the skies
I'm taking these over to Black Wagon today. They'll be up until the beginning of March, or until they find a new home.
1..2..3...
JUMP!
...because they're just like you.
The show that is currently up at Black Wagon will be up for another month! yay! If you haven't been able to swing by there and check it out, now you have until March 6th.
With this extra time, I've decided to freshen things up a bit. I'll be taking down some pieces and replacing them with new work.
This may or may not get included, but it's new:
These girls got in a fight, and they said some things they didn't mean. They are here to remind us: Be nice. And say you're sorry.
I don't often remember lyrics. It's a real problem, actually. But for some reason this line from a Typhoon song stuck with me, and continues to pop into my head at random: Be kind to all of your neighbors, because they're just like you.
Up to no good
...or not really. But I wish I was! I would love to paint these on an exterior wall, and I thought all day about doing this secretly, but I'm horrible at secrets. Not built for the street life apparently.
so uh..ahem...um... will someone please let me paint these on their wall? Just some little guys sneakin by with some drums. So harmless!
clouds, snow, and a note from mom
It's over cast and a light snow is falling, a very light snow. Small and insignificant flakes, lacking real purpose and direction. I'm two cups of coffee in, and about the same, surfing the internet, mulling over hair cut ideas....chop it all off? Dye it a strange shade of pastel pink? Stop it. Get back to work. No, read the news. No, check the mail...the real mail.
Thanks, mom. The thought alone makes it feel brighter.
All-ears / Purrrfect-tone
A series has begun...currently referred to as the Worthy Opponent series. Up to this point, many of my drawings have had a single character, or a central object, not much background, not much scene setting. While that simplicity remains in tact, I'm finding a lot of interesting dynamics in the space between two people....or beings. Something in the silence...or the noise.
This is the most recent, well, the second pair, and I can't wait to dive deeper. I'm printing an edition of 100...and that's it. They're up in the ol' shop, if yer interested.
lonely winters in the north
ice skating, making shapes, missing you.
This weekend!
I will be at the Cleaners at the Ace Hotel for the Fall Together Handmade Market this Saturday and Sunday. There are 15 vendors, all with different and wonderful handmade things perfect for giving. Or keeping. And! If you're one of the first 100 shoppers, you get a swag bag. I have no idea what's in it, but it seems worth it to me.
So I'll see you there?
Holiday Season is here
...and never in my life have I ever been this on top of it. No, there are not inflatables in my front yard, or decorations hanging about, or gifts wrapped or anything like that. What I mean by on top of it is that I did a drawing... of squirrels hanging some holly....and now you can send it....if you happen to be among those who are actually on top of it in a real way. I'm more of an enabler.
I noticed the branches shaking in the 3-story tall laurel in my backyard. (yes i know. it's huge for a laurel...) So I looked a little closer and saw this one little squirrel running up and down the 'tree'. He would break a branch off, run it to the top, come back down, and repeat. Sometimes he took one that was too big and struggled to wrangle it through the still attached branches. Sometimes he would drop it half way up. But mostly he was successful. I'm pretty sure there was another little guy up at the top putting things in order. The worst part was that I couldn't see way up there to see what they were making. Well, maybe it's the best part....because I just got to wonder. Clearly I spend too much time with my dog, and am adapting her obsessive habits.
