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Chau and B.J.'s notes from Space City

Archive for July, 2009

(updated: I first used photos, but B suggested I do illustrations. Genius. I was so excited to a paint. They’re a bit rough around the edges because I made myself not use a pencil and eraser, but who likes perfect right?)

I love it when my family from France brings over sweet. These biscuits are one of my favorites, but I almost ate the entire thing. Not feeling so great right now. Should of shared.

lu_biscuit

Most regretted purchase this week on the left. Yuck. So I went out and bought snack size Sour Patch Kids thinking the smaller sizes would slow down my daily candy intake. Not  working! I’ve been eating 4 bags a day. 

candy1

I’ve been craving this since last night! Reminds me of South Bend, Providence, & mostly BJ

ramen

I have a dentist appointment tomorrow and I’m already dreading it! No cavities for me!

mom_aunt2My mom was cleaning out some of her boxes last week and found this photo of her sister and her (on the right). I immediately claimed it before my other sisters could. muhaha.I love the colors especially the sky.

photoboothchicago_all

On our first night in Chicago, we stayed with Mairead in Pilsen and grabbed food at Skylark, a kinda dive bar with yummy inexpensive food. So delicious that we ate there twice during our trip. I mean they serve a different creme brulee each night, come on! Another plus, they had a photobooth and I made both of them take pics with me. I think it’ll have to be a definitely stop anytime we’re in town. Thanks Mairead for bringing us there!

 

galveston_all

Last sunday we drove down to Galveston to spend time with some of our family friends. Bj and I took turns with the polaroid, which I think was exposed to x-rays from the Chicago airport screening even though they assured me that it won’t effect the film. This has happened before, but I kind of like the desaturated look. Click here for bigger pics.

We swam for a bit, spotted a portugese man o’ war, ate bbq, and went downtown to the strand to eat homemade icecream. It was really relaxing. Oh, and we tracked down a Fazoli on the way home. I love summer!

me_up_a_tree_nytimes_web

holder_webWe’ve accumulated a few illustration books/magazines lately, and I haven’t had the time to go look at them more throughly. A few pieces from American Illustration 27 that caught my  eye tonight- looks like color blast is the theme.

Top: Me Up A Tree for the column “On Language” for the New York Times. I’ve been using a lot of cut paper recently & I love the look of the “D” & “A”

Bottom: Both by Andrew Holder. (r) Two Bears. Reversible 6 color silk-screen (l) Untitled. Installation for Neon Frontier Show.

g’night. ZzZz

workspace

I’m not very good with small spaces. More room please!

neal_3x3

Christopher Silas Neal in the recent 3×3.
Always good to have him close by for inspiration.

We booked the chapel we wanted! Now I’m at Rice working on back to school things while B works. My goal was to have the entire month for all 3 classes laid out by today, but it’s been more time consuming than I thought. It feels like a million years since I spent hours in a library. Ah, I miss it, especially the one at RISD-such a cool space. Is it weird to feel anxious and nervous for the school year to begin? I wonder when that feeling will go away.

We’re looking forward to collaborating on a zine with our Riley friends!

Chau and I saw a lot of posters over in the little village of Flatstock tents on the far end of the Pitchfork festival.

And here are the posters we bought:

Here are some of the impressive talents we stumbled across, including links to old favorites:

Aesthetic Apparatus
The Small Stakes
Alana Bailey
Boss Construction
Landland
My Associate Cornelius
Weathermaker Press
Spike Press
Doublenaut
The Half & Half
Delicious Design League
Vahalla: did the Feist poster, in something like 6 or 7 passes
Hero Design Studio: did the Grizzly Bear poster
Diana Sudyka
Strawberryluna
Crosshair: uncannily mimic photos
Mat Daly: the wizard behind two of our prints
Decoder Ring
Methane

While browsing for the list of poster artists, I found some other American Poster Institute members. Makes us want to silkscreen. Maybe we need to pick up equipment.

Oh, this Chicago vacation was so good for the both of us! We walked around everywhere and enjoyed the beautiful weather. These sore legs are so worth it. 

lego_heart_webThe next day, I grabbed lunch Nina and Vanessa, and we stopped by the Lego Store on Michigan Avenue. I only filled a small container with legos, but BJ bought a big box that needed to be shipped back to Texas. Now that I think about it, he could’ve brought it here!

jen_jackie_harlem_webJackie and Jen arrived from their long drive. It has been way too long since I’ve seen them, and we picked up where we left off, minus the Gilmore Girls marathons and floating down St. Joseph River :) I miss them all the time.

chicago_sculpturesChicago is a feast for the eyes, and we ate it up. I love the flowers that lined the street and all the sculptures. While waiting for Catherine and Trevor to eat brunch, we killed some time at the park near the Art Institute. (Shoes: cheap saltwater sandals that were super-comfortable to walk in. Shorts: Richard Chai for Target Go International. My mom thinks they’re too bright, but that’s kinda why I love them.)

yolk_catherinetrevor We ate  at Yolk, and it was so delicious that we went one more time with Vanessa before flying out. Catherine & Trevor are getting married very soon, and we talked a little about wedding plans and ways to save money. It’s very nice to have friends who are going through something similar. I mean, who wants to talk to me about deals on caterers and seasonal flowers? I wish we got to see all of our friends for longer, but we enjoyed every moment of our trip with them. That has got to be the highlight!