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Here is a commissioned piece I completed at the studio this weekend. These are my first peacocks, and I am quite pleased with them. I used photos to get them as true as I could.
In other news, Eric and I are leaving on Wednesday to spend five days on a friend's private island in the San Juans. Ooh!
OK, I only saw one of them, but one day this week, there was quite a lot of celebrity action around my office.
First, they were shooting a Fruit of the Loom commercial down the street. Evany and I went down, and waved at the purple grapes guy (also the WaMu guy, he's the actor Wayne Wilderson) until he waved back at us with a big smile.
Then later, Haila comes in all excited because she had spotted Kevin McKidd right outside our building. NBC was shooting an episode of Journeyman. She got a picture with him too, and it sounded like they had quite a flirty exchange, although she claimed he was just being friendly. I loved him in the HBO show Rome, and I also loved him in my favorite movie of 1996, Trainspotting, where he played poor Tommy, the junkie who came to a sad end.
Then, shortly after that, Jennifer gets a call from her friend, who is right that minute riding a cable car with the gorgeous new Bond, Daniel Craig. Yum!
Quite a day for celeb-spotters in SF. It's not that common either, because it's so expensive to shoot here. I love this city!
My all-time favorite band was The Eurythmics. I loved everything they did. I saw them in concert twice and had every album. In fact, one of the reasons I changed my name from "Anne" to "Annie" when I moved to America was Annie Lennox. (The other two reasons were Annie Hall - my favorite movie, and the fact that I had always wanted more than one syllable.)
This song, "It's alright, baby's coming back," is not one of their biggest hits, but it's my favorite Eurythmics song ever.
This is the album it's on:
I love YouTube. I can get lost digging up obscure '80s music and reliving the days of my youth when I was wild about Top of the Pops.
This was my favorite song in 1984 and I still love it: "Love and Pride" by British one-hit-wonder King, led by Paul King. They had a couple of other minor hits, but this was the biggest, and it's a GREAT song. Look past the spray-painted Doc Martens, mullets, and cheesy production values. Why has no one covered this song?
Needless to say, I had a mad crush on Paul King. Look how cute he is, in that femme-y New Wave way.
Aw, Amy wrote such sweet things about Eric and me in her new blog. Can't wait to see your new studio Amy!
So as the recipient of the Thinking Blogger award, ahem! here are six (supposed to be five but I'm breaking the rules) blogs that make me think:
Crafty Synergy: With her informative, in-depth interviews, Patricia never fails to introduce me to someone new, or provide new insight on an artist I'm familiar with. Here's how she puts it:
Crafty Synergy is a collection of interviews with inspiring artists. We learn a little about each of the creative businesses they own. My hope is that you find reading this as interesting as I do and that it will give some of you the inspiration to follow your dreams as well.
Sfgirlbybay: Victoria is a fellow San Francisco girl, and she's exposed me to great resources, artists, and shops in my city that are new to me. We have both gone to stitch/art nights at Leigh Wells's house, but never the same ones, so I haven't met her yet. One day soon I hope to.
Superhero: I've been reading Andrea's journal for years. Her photos are astounding, and she's a wonderful thoughtful writer. And if you need a beautiful juicy necklace, she's the ticket.
Hoping for Happy Accidents: K. Cooper Kordylewski is an artist and writer living in Brooklyn, and her blog makes me think alright; it makes me think , "I want this." Here are some of the things she likes: vintage teak bowls, Heath ceramics, grapefruit, navy blue, grey, pony hair, cape coats, Shaker design, hardware stores, Abraham Lincoln. I love this blog.
A Browner Brown: I've hung out with Elizabeth a few times and I love her energy and her aesthetic. She and T came to our first Lure gathering at the studio, and she was there taking great pictures at my Candy Store opening. She loves beautiful things and finding the perfect paint color.
One Black Bird: Another San Francisco artist. I love Diana Fayt. Her work is stunningly gorgeous, and she has written wise words on developing a business, pricing artwork, and standing up for yourself as an artist. I also think she has the best shiniest hair ever!
An earthquake of 4.2 magnitude woke me up last night about 4:30 am. But like a good little San Franciscan, I went right back to sleep.
I dream a lot. I don't often remember who was with me or what I did in the dreams, but I clearly remember the settings: a bar with a sunken lounge area and orange carpet on a hill; The village my dad grew up in, but with treacherous cliffside paths; a white house on a lonely road with a roomful of rain boots and dog leashes; a little shop where I can put my hand through a hole in a glass case and finger priceless books and artifacts; the library in my home town, but now next to a sinister lumber yard.
I can grasp one of these places from the deep pool of my mind anytime I want, and then it becomes a chain of images; my mind involuntarily leapfrogs from place to place, dream to dream. Perhaps the reason is that these memory synapses are adjacent to each other and trip the wires of the next image. It's like a little fireworks display of dream memories. (Wow, that paragraph has a lot of metaphors.)
During one of these daydreamy leapfrog episodes, I often uncover a dreamplace I had not been conscious of before, but I immediately recognize it. I love that, It's like a little deja vu of places I have visited in my sleep.
It's one of my favorite things to do, evoke this chain of dream images. It's easiest when I am quiet and sleepy, but it's always easy; just writing this post and pulling the descriptions above, my mind was flooded with places that don't exist.
And now that you think I'm completely bonkers, here are two dreamy drawings: a woman wearing her pet beastie as a fur stole, and a woman walking her strange evolved fish-like creature.
Check out the photos of the baby shower Elizabeth had for her best friend. She put so much work into it, and everything looks so thoughtful and beautifully designed - the food, setting, and all the little touches. Elizabeth, it's so clear; this is what you should do for a living.
Photo by Elizabeth.
This weekend we have Corey, our 12-year-old nephew staying with us. We'll have to maintain our standing as the cool aunt and uncle. He's a great kid, sweet and smart, and shooting up like a beanpole. I think we'll have fun. Harry Potter is definitely part of the plan.
Another part of the weekend is the studio tomorrow, Sunday. We'll be there from 10:00 a.m. approx. Pop by if you're in the hood!
Here's a pic of Hetch Hetchy, where our delicious San Francisco water comes from. Seriously, when was the last time you tasted what comes out of the tap? It's really good, and the mayor agrees.
My sister-in-law Lindy recently sent me a letter with a lovely story about answering, "yes, I'm an artist," when she was asked if she was by a gallery owner who noticed her enthusiasm talking about art. She is a wonderful glass artist and it is so obvious to me that she is an artist, but it does take a little leap of faith and confidence to describe yourself that way. Having the studio has made me feel like I am an artist. I am more confident in pursuing opportunities for shows, and getting better about pricing my work.
We've had this place now for about six months and I'm loving it more and more. It has has allowed me to expand - creatively and literally. I have ideas and dreams about what I want to do next and where I want my art to go, and I have certainly had the room to paint bigger, now that I am not confined to the dining room table.
Paying for the studio has not been beyond our reach exactly, but there have been months where we realize we're pretty skint after paying the bills. Our work is bringing in a little money, and that will grow. But this isn't a luxury for us; we need it. I would far prefer to give up almost anything else than give this up. Does that mean I'm an artist?
This is what we see outside the studio window. I have a special love for PG&E trucks now:
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