Outsider Art

James Estrin/The New York Times

I've been on a bit of a foil tape kick lately. I bought a big box of the stuff for my show at the Saranac and the left over rolls have been used to create Chinese lion costumes and space ships for the boys. Based on my current affinity for the material I was really drawn to these foil sculptures by Dean Millien at the LAND gallery in NY.

The Best

This show is just the best.

A Funny Story

I'm just finishing up Mindy Kaling's book that I finally got from the library (I was the thirtieth person on the waiting list so I was anticipating reading it in 2014). This book is pure gold. She comes across as such a nice, happy person who happens to be funny and intelligent. It's been a relaxing read, which I definitely need at the end of the day, but it's not some chick lit book where you can feel your brain cells shriveling up while reading it. Also she loves her parents and talks about how great they are, which I love. Basically she is my Oprah, if she told me to read a book I would go out to the bookstore and buy it, now that is power.
Here's one of my favorite passages:
A note about me: I do not think stress is a legitimate topic of conversation, in public anyway. No one ever wants to hear how stressed out anyone else is, because most of the time everyone is stressed out. Going on and on in detail about how stressed out I am isn't conversation. It'll never lead anywhere. No one is going to say, "Wow, Mindy, you really have it especially bad. I have heard some stories of stress, but this one just takes the cake."
This was a good-natured reminder to me to keep my stress thoughts to myself.

The Divine DV

I'm just finishing up Eleanor Dwight's biography of Diana Vreeland and I've been really inspired by her interior designs. The thought of having an office with lacquer red walls sounds pretty fantastic. I'm thinking since making art has been so difficult for me due to my complete mental and physical exhaustion at the end of the day, perhaps a nice jolt of red in my studio might be just what I need to get going.

A Little Bit of a Good Thing

I love watching clips of Portlandia on Hulu when I need a quick laugh. However, I've been so impressed with how consistently funny the clips are that I'm afraid to actually watch 30mins and have it not be as funny. This is clearly a life threatening decision that I'm battling with here. So anyone seen the show? is it actually as funny as the promos?

Pricey Eats

I just read this biography of Grant Achatz the chef of Alinea in Chicago. It was a really interesting look inside one of the best restaurants in the US, though reading about incredible food did cause me to constantly bemoan my non dairy and soy diet. I'm sure that delicious vegan food exists, I just don't have much knowledge about it so I've ended up eating a lot of steamed veggies and rice, ie the most boring food known to man.

Wharton's 150

Byron Co. Collection/Museum of the City of New York

Two of my favorite things, Edith Wharton (The House of Mirth is one of my favorite books) and Downton Abbey (the english language version of an addicting telemundo novela) in one article.

Some Friendly Inspiration

In honor of my best friend Suzanne's birthday yesterday here's a link to her incredible attic apartment that she renovated. I have such fond memories of climbing through the window in the living room to sit on the roof and lay out. We would listen to Bob Marley and drink Mountain Dew in one of those cups that can be frozen to keep your drink cool without watering it down, good times! In retrospect it wasn't the healthiest of pastimes but it was great none the less. (And speaking of talented high school friends this photo was taken by my volleyball co-captain Meikel Reece aka Muckaluckaboomboom.)

Straight Shooter

The bounty of Netflix documentaries continues to provide. Last night right before bed I started watching "Bill Cunningham, New York" a documentary about the street photographer for the NYTimes and it was so good I couldn't turn in off. Cameron even joined me for the second half and remarked that he is such an honorable guy (not the typical reaction to a fashion documentary). The scene at the end of the film where he discusses religion is really heart breaking and I came away from the movie completely amazed at what a unique individual Mr. Cunningham is.

Head to Toe Red

I like this monochrome look from Giambattista Valli's Pre fall collection. I also thought the cork heeled wedges with dark tights was a nice unexpected touch.

interact

I love this installation by Yayoi Kusama. The viewer's interaction with the piece seems so natural and produced such a striking result.

1,210,900 pounds of art

I just read an interesting article about the relocation of this giant rock for an installation outside of the LACMA. I can sympathize with Michael Govan since I'm also having a hard time getting my show together in time for the January opening, but in the spirit of getting things done I'll stop posting things on line and get to work.

Art Springs in Arkansas

I just read this interesting article about the new walmart funded art museum that just opened up in Arkansas.

Senna

The nights of Netflix continue. We just finished watching this great documentary about the Brazilian formula one driver Ayrton Senna. The driving footage from inside the cars is incredible to watch and it definitely made race car driving seem like an exhausting physical sport. And as a bonus to all "the office" fans he's a dead ringer for Jim.

Mookie Blaylock

Cam and I just watched Cameron Crowe's documentary about Pearl Jam and loved it. The footage from the early nineties was pretty priceless and it certainly made me feel better about my worries that Hamilton's hair was getting too long (see below).

A Goodreads Flake

I have a goodreads account but I've come to accept that I just don't have the time to update multiple sites at the moment (much to the sadness of twitter readers everywhere it may be quite a while before I jump on that bandwagon).

So here is my latest reading update! I just read two books this week, which upon further consideration makes me think I must actually have more free time than I think I do. Anywho, today I finished up Half Broke Horses which I really enjoyed. Nothing beats a no nonsense female protagonist who knows how to get things done. I enjoyed this book so much that I promptly went out and bought a copy for my mother in law for a Christmas present. She is the epitome of a no nonsense, get things done kind of lady and she is a horse lover to boot so it was a perfect match!

The other book I finished up was Tina Fey's bio, Bossypants, which deserved to be read on the merits of the title alone. It was funny though not quite the laugh fest that I was expecting. I mainly came away thinking, "man she has such a completely jam packed hectic life" and also "I'll never write anything bad about her online because she may spend an entire chapter of a book verbally taking me down to size." Being a mother and having a successful career is tough or so I gathered since alas I have not had my retrospective at the MOMA yet.

motherboard

is the title of my upcoming show

and below is the material i'll be using for the installation. wish me luck because I'm definitely going to need it on this one!

winter wear

I love these coats by Christopher Raeburn. All his fabrics are re-purposed British military uniforms and parachutes.

Daytime Talk

I just read an article on Oprah in the Atlantic. The title was "What's so great about Oprah?" so I was expecting a bit of snark. Surprisingly though I came away feeling a little misty, even though I really never watched her show much growing up so don't have many personal tv connections with her (if there is such a thing). I didn't know about her impoverished childhood and I was so impressed by how far she has come and how much she has given back.

Interview

I really enjoyed listening to this interview with David Brooks of the NYTimes. I thought his assessment of Romney and Obama were right on and it was also interesting to hear his comments on what fiscal change needs to occur within US government.

American Masters

Last night Cameron and I watched Part 2 of the new Woody Allen documentary on PBS.org. It was such a great mix of interviews with Allen as well as friends and family and clips from his films. I definitely came away with an admiration for his constant dedication to his creative process and as a bonus I've never laughed so much watching a documentary.

Night of a Thousand Laughs

Mindy Kaling is my new internet obsession. I've been reading her articles and blogs quite a bit lately and tonight's new yorker article was a true gem. There is something so therapeutic about guffawing out loud to yourself while staring at a computer screen.

Foodie

This new simpson's episode is a classic and a must view for all top chef fans.

The time has come...

If the nations truckers are starting to get in shape I suppose the time has come for me to start exercising again as well.

MWP

I read a few profiles from the Mormon Women Project every Sunday while I'm getting ready for church. I love to start the week being inspired by these unique and talented women. Today I read a great interview with a woman who started a business selling artisnal crafts from various developing countries. I found a few items on the site that were really beautiful and even looked perfect for my little boys (wooden puzzles from India).

Bernhard Lang

Again the only art I seem to be looking at these days is photography since my main outlet to the art word is the internet. Phaidon sends me emails almost everyday which should be annoying but I so long to buy overpriced art books. Today I got a link to this great slide show of aerial images by Bernhard Lang.

Laughs with the BBC

Tonight I'm going to strong arm Cameron into watching some Bertie and Jeeves with me since I have a soft spot for everything PG Woodhouse. My mom read his books during my junior high and high school days and I'd often find them around the house and crack them open for a good laugh.

Speaking of a good British laugh I need to borrow my moms VHS series of Fawlty Towers again, just looking at this photo makes me smile, ah good ol' Manuel.

Judge Judy

Yesterday we had a great lesson in church about the mistakes we make in judging others and then I ran across this article which was another great reminder to look past appearances. As a side note I can't believe I now visit a website called HelloGiggles, bizarre!

Year of 4

As I no longer go to clubs or listen to top 40 radio anymore, Beyonce has been off my radar for a while (Full disclosure one of my programmed car radio stations uses John Tesh for their evening DJ, who provides a variety of hilariously obvious helpful tips to his listeners ). But this morning I found a link from Mindy Kaling's blog to this documentary of Beyonce's last album and by the end I was totally inspired to turn up the volume a bit in my current adult-contemporary life.

ajicao

I remember my first visit to Colombia when I was around 13 years old. My father had a beautiful modern home full of some great art, (I seem to remember a two story tall nude painting confronting me as I walked in the door) and surrounded by beautiful countryside. The only meal I remember from that trip was a delicious soup prepared by my father's lovely wife Marcela. I remember distinctly all the flavors of soup, the corn, potatoes, cilantro, avocado, which came together to create one wonderful meal. I tried to recreate this soup from a recipe online when I first got married and was met with quite poor results, so I was delighted to find this article in the NYTimes addressing the joy of a good bowl of ajicao.

Right to Life?

Well this is quite a departure from my last post but here goes. I just read an interesting blog post about the assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki written by the son of our Stake President in Carpinteria.

A Good Laugh

In my defense I discovered this video as it was linked to from a NYTimes article, ah early MTV, enjoy!

Beatrice Wood

When I'm 90 I hope I too can live the life of Beatrice Wood, living in beautiful Ojai, CA, being an accomplished artist and sculpting all day with occasional breaks to work in the garden and of course owning one awesome jewelry collection.

Bathroom Decor

I would never have thought to put postcards in a bathroom but I love the look of it covering the walls and floors. Plus as someone who also has a closet sized bathroom it adds so much interest to a small space. Check out the rest of the casa here.

Patti's Photos

Here's a nice little article about Patti Smith and her upcoming show of photography. She is quite the renaissance woman.

cool casa

I love the playfulness of this apartment. The stumps of wood in the kids room and the sheep grazing on the carpet are my fav.

The City Museum

I just read an obit for the founder of the City Museum in St. Louis (who oddly enough died in a bulldozer accident). It's inspiring to see what an amazing space can be created through one person's vision. The museum describes itself as "an eclectic mixture of children’s playground, fun house, surrealistic pavilion, and architectural marvel made out of unique, found objects." Spokane is renown for it many odd items strewn around the city and parked on people's lawns, if I'm still around in 30 years perhaps I'll start collecting and build a space of my own.

Crafty

I love these looks from the Burberry Spring 2012 show last week. The skirts are positively wholesome.

Eva

"My interest is in finding my own way."
—Eva Hesse, 1970

Another show, another far away location. I would love to fly to Boston and check out this show of the studio work of Eva Hesse, one of my favorite artists. But to avoid feeling sorry for myself, I'll settle for going downstairs and reading about her instead.

Mormon Identities

Here's a great interview with the founder of the Mormon Women Project. Reading about these various women who are each leading exemplary lives in their own unique way was so inspiring to me. In the interview they describe a modern pioneer women as someone who asks themselves what is possible and then has the strength to follow through and magnify their potential.

My kind of hand made

I love this slideshow of images from the home of a carpenter living in Maine. The idea of having random pieces of driftwood in your house is a little hippie for my taste but this guy has changed my mind. His driftwood collages have a great minimalist quality to them and his floor lamp is to die for.

Where Children Sleep

Here's an interesting slideshow from James Mollison's new book of documentary photography.

Dress Up

Perhaps it's due to the fact that I now have three children and a lovely post-pregnancy body but I'm in love with this dress which reminds me of something an old Italian woman would wear. Don't ask me what I was thinking looking on netapoter.com since a t-shirt from Target constitutes a splurge at the moment, but should I win the lottery tomorrow this dress would be my uniform of choice. And as for accessories I'm not catholic but in my opinion this dress seems to need a nice little crucifix around the neck to complete the look.

What's your type?

While waiting around until I go into labor (serenity now!) I found this interesting little video about typeface designers on PBS's web series Off Book.

Playhouse

Discover where the children of oil executives and their playboy playmate turned blogger wives play. The structures described in the article are pretty amazing and also slightly disturbing at the same time. And as a bonus the article inspired me to start referring to my profession as an artist turned blogger since browsing the internet and posting the occasional thought seem to be about all the creative output I can muster at the moment.

Mormon in the City

I just read this article about Neylan McBaine's experience growing up and gaining a testimony in NYC. It reminded me of all the wonderful cultural experiences I had as a result of going to college near Boston and I am renewed in my determination to seek out as much as I can in Spokane to enrich my family. I am also filled with gratitude to my mother for taking me to museums, helping me take a trip to Europe as a junior high student when she had never been herself (the extreme generosity of this was shockingly only apparent to me in hindsight), and for encouraging me to dream big and helping me to go after those dreams (my Olympic bobsledding dreams notwithstanding).

Booked

And my amazon wish list of books continues to grow. It sure would be nice to fly to NYC and see the Alexander McQueen show at the Met for myself but alas 29$ on amazon for the exhibition catalogue will have to do.

The Night Out

Cameron and I had an early anniversary night out last week while my madre was in town. We saw the new Woody Allen movie and it was the perfect escapist entertainment. Every frazzled housewife and one time artist needs to imagine themselves in Paris in the 1920's now and then.

Magdelena's Weaving

I'm currently in the middle of reading Nicholas Weber's 'The Bauhaus Group: Six Masters of Modernism' (which apparently doesn't have the most attractive cover as my ob-gyn queried, "why would you want to read that?" when she found me flipping through it in the waiting room.) Well here's my answer, It's a really fascinating look inside the Bauhaus and the European art scene between the wars. I just finished up the chapter on Paul Klee, the painter who taught the intro weaving courses at the Bauhaus. This chapter got me thinking about the use of thread and fabric in my own work and I took a little trip down memory lane looking at the work of Magdelena Abacanowicz online last night. I feel such a kinship to her work, the material and subject matter she explores and now I'm thinking I might like to begin doing a little weaving myself if I can track down a good teacher in Spokane.