(Bill’s photos from over 10 years ago)
Happy Birthday, BJ! Wish I was spending your birthday with you.
Right now he’s driving down from Seattle with his brother. I bet the view was been amazing, they even passed through some snow. The next few days are going to be crazy around here as we attempt to pack up and move into our next place in one day. Cross your fingers!
My cousin Mai is getting married next year (My first time to be a bridesmaid!) and she asked me to come with her to BHLDN to try on dresses. I had fun seeing her dress up, and the sales girl were super sweet- not pushy and very relaxed (made all the difference). She had me try on some silver Repetto flats and I was so tempted, but I left with a hair pin by Jennifer Behr to wear on the big day. Can’t wait, Mai!
Yay! So happy that Soixante Neuf, a comics inspired by Serge Gainsbourg and written by our dear friend Mairead (drawn by David Lansky) was included in this year’s Best American Comics. It got a nice review here. Congrats & happy birthday :)
Cover by Jillian Tamaki.
some of my favorite spots around town
Bill gave me a roll of slide film to test and the lab finally sent it back after two months! I had forgotten what was on it, but here are some random shots from a while back …
Thanks, Bill!
You know what? I need to make some more time to have fun. Lately, I’ve been bogged down by work, our impending move, commuting, chores, etc. and somewhere along the way, I forgot to make time to make things, draw, watch movies… I guess I’m still trying to find a way to balance everything out. Some things are going to have to change, and I need to find a way not to bring so much work home everyday. But after next week, when we are officially in our new place and BJ is back from his road trip from Yakima, you can give me a good scolding if I have not posted any new work- even doodles will do.
Back to grading…
Not doing well with packing or grading. Only doing well eating sweets. Can’t stop …
At the end of the summer, I had the opportunity to work on 4 portraits of NYU doctors for the school’s fall medical issue. Each face is filled with imagery related to research and studies over obesity in young children. One of the challenges was to capture all the information without overcrowding the space- the final size was only a few inches. This was one of my first freelance pieces and definitely a learning experience!
Crossing my fingers for a calmer week than last. The weekend hopefully set the tone…
BJ made chicken soup and grilled scallions with almond pesto (From M. Batali. definitely will be a repeat), going through clothes to donate, quick trip to the Menil, coffee outside Inversion, toting around this bag from Mairead, brunch at Empire Cafe with friends, browsed antiques and books along Westheimer. Hope everyone has a good week!
We took a break from cleaning to view Seeing Stars at the Menil this weekend. I thought this section from the exhibit catalog was a good intro to the show:
The exhibition’s title, taken from the familiar experience of “seeing stars†refers to the physiological anomaly in which the stimulation of the retina by the brain creates the illusion of flashes of light, colors and shapes. Evoking this phenomenon, the works on view suggest that creative vision is perhaps most interesting when one’s eyes are shut to the outside world and inspiration is allowed to well from within.
The room was dimly lit, I’m guessing because with a lot of outsider work they wasn’t archival? Upon entering, I was excited to see a Henry Darger piece in person (a huge 9-foot scroll), but around the wall was the highlight for me, works by Charles A.A. Dellschau, an outsiders artist whose work was discovered in a landfill by a furniture dealer, lost under carpets, and then found by a student at St. Thomas. His combined so much of my favorite things: circus-inspired letter and imagery, watercolor and collage, secret societies, and a fascination with early flight. Read more here.
My other favorite pieces were tattoo drawings by I.E. Requier that also had a touch of circus imagery. Unfortunately, I can’t find anything about the artist online and photos were prohibited at the Menil. I need to remember to go back a few more times before the show ends!
