Blogg Love

Thanks to Jena from the fabulous Modish blog for featuring my prints.. rad! Snag one while you can, they are selling fast and I have another totally new batch on the horizon.


I promise to post some new work soon.. I'm in the middle of a tornado of projects! 6 big new paintings for a show in March at the Handforth Gallery, signpainting class (!), scrabble addiction, full body-mind cleanse (a totally boring but healthy way to spend January.. no sugar, alchohol, wheat, soy, fruit, root veggies, etc.), designing a wine label for Deux Punx (SO STOKED FOR THIS ONE!), letterpressing Western Hymn Lps and Cds, playing shows, getting back into the Hot Yoga practice. Whew. I'm exhausted already.

P.S. I finally watched 'Beautiful Losers' streaming online, and it was pretty inspiring.. particularly the Margaret Kilgallen part. Though I still have a lot of questions rolling around about women in the Art scene. I'm glad to see a few up front and center in this doc, but disappointed at the general imbalance.

Paint Paws

My studio is next door to many wonderful things-- the world's best pizza, a plethora of vietnamese restaurants, an all-ages venue-- but I recently discovered a new fave. A cabinet shop, Carras Cabinets, and their infinite recycle bin of thick wood scraps.


This is a piece I just made for my nephew, who lives in Florida. I love working on reclaimed materials that aren't janky; I'm totally really not into pastiche-style assemblages on found cardboard scraps (and believe me, there was once a time when I loved and made that kind of work!). I like a clean edge and nice presentation. I'm thinking of launching a line of these wood mini-paintings after the new year.. so many projects!

By Hand and Machine: A Gift Guide

I made a super limited run of letterpressed gift tags for the shop! They come in packs of ten, all hand-set type on reclaimed paper (a lot of fancy letterpressed goods you see these days are made with polymer plates, which are usually designed on a computer. Don't get me wrong, a lot of this work is beautiful! But I definitely think there's something special about working the old-old-old-fashioned way). Wrap your goods with style and flair!

Now, I'm all for making presents for your loved ones. Most of my special peeps are getting something made by my tiny hands. But, there are also little manufactured treats out there that are what I deem to be SIMPLY THE BEST.. just say no to the obligatory go-to's of yesteryear (candles, a wallet in a box, picture frame, shoeshine kit!) and take a moment to peruse these beauties:


1. RUSSIAN KUSMI TEA
'Prince Vladimir' is the BEST black tea! anyone but a total fool will love this. Bonus = pretty tin.


2. PETZL HEAD LAMP
No one (unless you are a spelunker or night cyclist) thinks they need one of these. Then --poof-- someone gifts you one and your life changes FOREVER!! You could give one of these to your granny and she would be so stoked.


3. HEROES OF THE TORAH GLASSWARE
Jews and gentiles alike find these little juice cups delightful!
I gifted a set to my BF last year and they now live in the 'no touchy' section of our kitchen-- so prized that they may not risk breakage by actually being used. They are display ware. A perfect office gift!


4. ALAFFIA SHEA BUTTER
A snazzy stocking stuffer. Their shea butter is a miracle on craggy gross winter skin, and you can dab it your hair for shine too! Plus awesome points for supporting their company; the founder -- Olowo-n'djo Tchala -- grew up in Africa and works with villagers there to fairly harvest the oil that is then brought to OLYMPIA (!!) where his small company handcrafts each batch of butter.


5. CRAPHOUND
I hate making flyers and other propaganda on the computer, and I have a feeling that copy machines will someday become as hip as that other dinosaur of documentation, the polaroid. My bible is CRAPHOUND. Thank god (Sean Tejaratchi) has made three of these rare beauties available again, with another reissue due any day now. PRINT AND DESTROY!

Dog Bloggin'

My pal Brandi just forwarded me this image titled Unfinanced Love and said 'this reminds me of you and Rosebud'!! SO TRUE. If any of you out there aren't familiar with our saga, Rosebud is my scrappy little feral hound that I rescued while living in LA. Then she came down with an insane freak bacterial infection in her chest cavity and almost died.. but after $10,000 in vet bills, she lived and is currently thriving out here in the paradise of Kamilche. I LOVE THIS PAINTING! Artist: Sara Antoinette Martin. Check out here other work right here.


Rosebud in her body bandage with chest tubes (I only started taking pictures after she turned a corner on day 3 in the doggy ICU.. it was just too brutally sad the first few days):



Truly: Unfinanced Love. She's the sweetest.

Friday Friday Friday

It's happening! Our record release party!! I know, we've only been a band for like a month or something (ok, actually since March) but when you work with seasoned professionals like Craig and Kris, and recording wizard Matt Buscher, you get RESULTS! And so we have in hand 300 full-length Lp vinyl records. All that's missing is the cover art, which i'll be letterpressing today down at Community Print. Come to the party!

Happy Manxgiving!

5 little paintings I just finished for a charity gala thingy in Tacoma.. my mom and her friend are decorating a tree (sponsored by the Humane Society) with 100 tiny paintings of dogs, cats, and bunnies made by Northwest artists, and then the tree will be auctioned off to benefit the Mary Bridge Childrens' Hospital. Happy Howlidays and Merry Catsmas to all!

Good Advice

Lookee! Another new letterpress print available in my shop, right here. Only 20 available, hurry hurry!


Keep On With The Force Don't Stop
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
Keep On With The Force Don't Stop
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
Keep On With The Force Don't Stop
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
Keep On With The Force Don't Stop
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
[Ad-Lib To Fade]

Print Treats

Exciting!! Four of my Song Lyrics series of letterpress prints are now available in my shop! Each is 8.5" x 11", and limited to an edition of 20. Signed and numbered on the back, and packaged w/ a reclaimed LP cover. Oh, and printed on thick cover stock that was slated for the dumpster (extra inventory from a print shop here in town). Choose between the sweet stylings of Neil Young, John Denver, Paul Weller, and Lionel Richie. And there's one more on the way.. hint: sequined glove.

Cyber Shout-Out

I totally missed this!! The lovely Tula (of the even more lovely Whorange blogg) included my one of my Poketo wallets in her Halloween Orange n' Black roundup.. thanks Tula! Visit the page here.

Projects

Here is what I've been working on!


The 26th Annual Olympia Film Festival poster and program. The film lineup looks ruling this year! Meet me in the mezzanine.

I also finished painting this bench for the City, part of the downtown beautification program. It lives on the Franklin side of Dumpster Values, where my studio is.


Western Hymn (the band I play in) is in full effect:


We finished recording our debut album, and I letterpressed fancy recycled cardboard cd packs for a limited release..


Vinyl will be available soon.

And if you're in the Olympia area, please come to the Bike N' Bike benefit this Wednesday, 10/7! We'll be playing w/ the fabulous Broken Water and other bands tba. 1611 4th Ave. Bike to the show!