Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Log As Sundial


Alert the patent office! LOGDIAL2000 makes it's debut in Kamilche, Washington.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Trust/Balance

Guess what?!


Yesterday I discovered that I am a natural at headstands!


Which amazes me, as I'm not very good at trusting the strength of my own body. I mean, I was a kid that sat underneath trees drawing pictures, instead of climbing them. The only part of myself that I've always counted on to be active and coordinated were my hands. But after a year of practicing bikram yoga I have learned that indeed, I might be STRONG! Next stop: handstands.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Return of the River Rat

Well, look who's back in town, direct from the Grand Canyon..


It's the other half of the Kamilche adventure crew, Justin!

He spent some time here:


...and came back with a deep, dark tan.


We (and when I say 'we' I mean myself, Otis, Rosebud, Olive, and Ringo) missed our fearless comrade.. but we managed to find some things to do. Like absorbing the beauty of blooming poppies:


(Well, Otis and I absorbed while Rosebud tried to eat bumblebees..)


And I started letterpressing all the parts for my 2009 calendar! Exciting!


I also made another flyer for the local watering hole:


...but we sure are happy to have our expedition leader back. I'm looking forward to a summer of canoeing, nature-trekking, painting, dogwalking, camping, swimming, bbq'ing, beachcombing, and Mason County GOOD TIMES! Did I mention that there's a shuffleboard tournament at the casino this week?

Tree Hugs

Bay Area friends! Go to Giant Robot tonight!


This show is going to be CRAZEE! You can check out my latest paintings, 'Owl on a Log' and 'Penguin in the Forest'. Proceeds benefit Friends of the Urban Forest!

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Watchin' Vidz

Tonight I spent some time in that magical era of cinema, the '70's..


..with Jack Nicholson and Karen Black. Five Easy Pieces. These are the things I thought about:

1. Karen Black is extraordinary. I don't think it would be easy to play the dolt, the nincompoop, the airhead. At least to play it well. She makes it a spectacle.

2. What am I doing not playing guitar? This is a ridiculous thought, prompted by a fictional movie where Jack N. is a prolific pianist who can't take it and works on an oil rig. I don't work on an oil rig. I work in my art studio, and I love it. But I shouldn't ignore music completely. (Thank you Jack N., fictional piano-player. And thank you, Jack N.'s stunt hands).

3. Family is family is family (and that's you); there's no use in pretending it's not, even if you run away to Texas and work on an oil rig and go bowling. Eventually you will come back to the San Juans and play music, with your musically dysfunctional family.

4. I have nostalgia for Douglas Firs and logging trucks, and become homesick for these sights when I witness them onscreen. Except that I live here in Washington, and so it makes no sense. Displaced sentimentality?


I think the whole thing made me want to re-watch Love Streams by John Cassavetes. Or maybe Three Women with Shelley Duvall and Sissy Spacek. So good!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Triangulate

In my town there is something of a mass exodus going on. An evacuation of friends, a collective flight of those who have grown out of our sleepy little burg. And with this migration south comes one of life's inevitabilities that I must learn to accept: eventually, everyone moves to Portland. Everyone talented or interesting or productive, from Olympia, that is.. I mean, even Buyolympia.com is moving to PDX next month! I want to make a shirt to sell on Buyoly that says 'DON'T MOVE TO PORTLAND. YOU'LL HATE IT'. ha!

Obviously, I'm just jealous. Not so much of living in the city, because I adore Kamilche and am a woods-dweller at heart. But I envy the energy of living amongst a larger community of artists, writers, and friends. For instance, my pal Heather Treadway.. a former tenant of the Dumpster Values/Phantom City studio hive, and now a thriving Portlander. Her company, Paperdoll Fashion, is debuting their Spring '08 collection! And lookee here, what's this?



It's the Pyramid Triangulator jacket! My dreams of being a textile designer (these are recent dreams, ever since Heather suggested a collaboration) have come to fruition! I drew a bunch of pyramids, Scott made a screen, and Heather built this incredible, pocketed masterpiece. You can find it here.

This is just the beginning of my foray into a heiroglyphic-based obsession, a revival of the time in junior high when I used to wear one of those Egyptian cartouch necklaces from the imports store in Seattle. Yeah, I was that kid.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Art for Trees

If you're in the bay area, check out this exciting show at GRSF!


It's a fundraiser for Friends of the Urban Forest, a non-profit organization that plants over 1,500 trees a year to keep San Francisco communities green. I have two paintings in it, along with a ton of other amazing artists like Rachell Sumpter, Hannah Stoufer, and Ryan Jacob Smith!!

Opening party is Sat. May 17th from 6:30 - 10 pm, 618 Shrader St.

Friday, May 2, 2008

New Ways of Seeing

Well, the bats are out. In front of the big glass door; swooping and fluttering and dashing about. It's good, it's some sort of affirmation that spring is here even if we can't feel it, even if we tie on our woolen scarves extra tight and secretly search the clearance rack for marked-down polar fleeces. The bats are eating the bugs, and the bugs are here for the brand new edibles. If only the sunshine would take a cue.


And yeah, I'm 32. So I do things like this: I brew kombucha. I'm actually ridiculously excited, I have received a good SCOBY (that's Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast for the uninitiated..) from a new friend, Tess. She's from West Texas where everything looks like the intro to that Harry Dean Stanton movie. You know the one.


And what else? Somehow I'm trapped in a rash streak of thumb abuse.. it's wind damage, papercut, papercut, and corkscrew follies. OUCH! I can hardly bear to turn a page.