Wintry Mix

K,
Your 10x10 looks great! Nice lighting effect on the word-ball. Reminds me of Ann Hamilton's Lineament. I'm sure you know of it, but it's featured in the ART21 series: video clip. Or a critique of it here, touches on some of the same concepts you are working with in your very tactile work.

Welp, not much to report on my end. Winter has officially hit, and we're trying to stay warm and cozy inside.I had a little surprise the other morning, though. The tiny cactus on my window sill opened up the most curious flower---it's really hairy and has the coolest pattern on it. C is sort of afraid of it. ;) I had no idea this little plant had such a big show to reveal.Just working on a few Christmas gifts in the studio these days. Chris and I made this for my brother Scotty--he needs something for his new apartment. His GF is living with him, too. She is a hairdresser, so we thought "Hair Metal" would be fitting for both of them. Okay. This is my last post before the big trip. Hope you have a wonderful break with lots of friend and family time. Love you!

k

P.S. The title of this post is a popular weather phrase used around these parts. Brother says it sounds like a party snack. However, it is not fun at all.

Basel it!

Dear K,

Thanks for your studio, net and home update. Love that you have been slowly stitching together another winter. Perfect for this time of year... we are on opposite production schedules based on our geography, I think. I am slammed in winter and basically stop to a screeching, sweaty halt for the summer... you wind down and cozy up for winter. At least the wheels are spinning! I really love your soft geography... interested to see where it goes. Also love your new mid-century chair (aka "K's guest bed" for the next time I visit) ;)

Here's my update:

Studio: Finished 3 exhibits in 4 weeks... whew. Really looking forward to that holiday break, but full of ideas. I thought I would post pics of my 10x10 installation, "cutting words".

around town: Continued art exhaustion at Art Basel this past weekend. Always full of inspiration and fun fashions. Here are some snippets.

Just a quick post today.

Miss and love, k.

On my mind:

K,
Congrats on all your art busy-ness lately; it's fantastic! I've been in a slow-making, kinda-researching, mostly-nesting sort of period. But a few ideas are planted, getting me pumped for future projects.

In the studio: Working out some details for C's and my collabo, mainly building prototypes and laying out the ground. I'm considering other ways to use this soft geography. Perhaps it will become a set for a tiny film?

On the net: After watching this really cool TV special on the history of Chicago's theaters, I've gained a renewed interest in early 20th century American entertainment. A few weeks ago, C and I visited one of the historical theaters still operating. These old buildings are architecturally inspiring, but more intriguing is the idea of a mass audience (from rich to poor alike) filling these temperature-controlled spaces for hours of varied entertainment. Having the vaudevillian era already in mind (Mabel's), the early movie shows--including a night of live comedy acts, orchestras, and silent films--seem a natural progression for me. And as plans often collide, work life is fueling the fire a bit. I'm researching the history of the moving picture and animation for a class I will teach in January, discovering beautiful hand-drawn and nostalgic framing devices to play on visually (examples at top and bottom of this post).

All of this leads to...well, the wheels are spinning. What better way to get my hands in all sorts of making than recreating this "night at the movies?"

"The Chicago Theater, a film palace, can be described only in superlatives." Check out this 1921 article about the then new theater: http://chicago.urban-history.org/ven/ths/th_ar23.shtml
Wow! And just stumbled on these hauntingly powerful photos of abandoned theaters: http://www.michaeljohngrist.com/2009/10/awesome-abandoned-theaters-in-the-usa/

At home: Settling in from the cold outside, I'm baking warm bread, practicing Mandarin, and rearranging things. C and I recently picked up this fabulous chair for our living room. It was a craigslist find. The woman that refurbished it, has a house full of amazing mid-century pieces. You can see some of her past work here: http://www.reformobjects.blogspot.com/Anyway, I've got more to post on recent art/design faves.
Love you!
k

Color me happy...

Dearest K,

Your sock monkey painting is not only loved by me and the hubs every time we snuggle up on the couch - but now its featured as part of our lovely family room on Apartment Therapy's inspirational Room for Color contest 2010. Vote for us ;) I love looking at the interiors of personal spaces and seeing what people do with style, color, texture and light. We spend a lot of time back here, so cool to see that we made the contest.

Spread the good house word!

xoxo, K.

p.s. apparently I'm back to blogging ;) missing you.

cutting words

Dear K,

I've had a burst of energy lately and wanting to show you things. . . Above are pics from my newest project, "Cutting Words". Also thought I'd share a fun pic of me flying my kite on my birthday, a tradition of mine. Was a fun weekend of laughter and love from friends and family, followed by romantic walks and kite flying on the beach before a fancy dinner at hub's restaurant. What a treat! (and thanks for the awesome book of lists!)

There is a bit of a cool breeze in my studio today, along with beautiful light gracing and informing my x-acto blade. How are you?

Love, K

it's sew you.

Dearest K,

Well.. so we aren't so big on posts these days, sew what! Love your deer with antlers image.

Seems like after a whirlwind summer, things have evened out - and I've sewn out some aggression. Here are some images from my piece, "Gender/Gentle Reminders" that is included in the "Myth of Power" exhibit at 1310 Gallery in Fort Lauderdale this weekend. The evening of art, Art Fallout, should be fun. Check out Girls Club Collection - think you'll like it, plus they have an awesome new website.

Next exhibit.. . cuttings. Will post images of my cut paper words this weekend. I'm loving all this meticulous handiwork - a nice compliment to design/computer work for galleries and classes. I know you know.

Happy fall. Miss you. xo, K.

sewing too!

Patience, K, yes, we all need to remember. Sewing certainly takes it. With your handiwork, it seems you have more than me. I did a little amateur machine sewing this week. Here is my attempt at flag-making. It was for a friend, originally from Texas, who participated in the Chicago triathlon today. The Texas Pronghorn Antelope is fast on both land and water, so I thought an appropriate mascot for her race.Post up some of your power embroidery---I wanna see!
Nice chatting with you today!
k

Things I need to remember...

Oh, Louise!

Hey K,

Happy holiday weekend... hope it was a good one. I spent the weekend doing house things with the Hubs and Brother, M.d.... fixed some electrical things, hung up a pendant light in the dining room and cleaned the house for a Memorial Day BBQ with friends. Equal parts sun and fun.

Not so fun news this morning regarding the death of one of my favorite artists, Louise Bourgeois. A longtime favorite, her constant wondering and wandering has always inspired me. I love her sense of exploration of self, ability to experiment with materials from bronze to graphite and layered textiles.

She will be missed in my memories of feisty, powerful, female sculptors.

Love,

K.

Happy summer!

Dearest newly Mrs. K,

Love your recent posts... and our new burst of springtime energy.

I've had a weekend of smiles, sun and various productivity. I wanted to share with you the garden made by many hands (mostly me + Kelly, but also Elise, Tina and of course, the hubs). As you can see, we put herbs and butterfly-flocking flowers in the planters, then totally revamped the area along the fence with plants, mulch in a fav color and a cutie little white picket fence (which we found in the garage from the previous owner - score!)

Mom gave me these sweet lil birds with herb indicators.. love them

These wispy purple flowers, "society garlic" are my favorite.. delicate and soft and I can watch them move in the wind while washing dishes.

After a "bookshelf explosion" and months of trying to figure out a solution for my studio getting baked by the summertime sun - we put up a new shelf and I made these wallpaper panels to block out the sun out of old wallpaper that I had hanging around. (so now when you and C come to visit, you won't get blinded by the morning sun!)

Went to an art fair and actually bought something! This amazing print by local artist Ashlee Walters. Its mixed media, drawing and silkscreen and I totally love it. Gonna frame it for our "saloon" as S says. (He meant "salon"-style dining room - but now we just call it "The Saloon" ;) It was a great weekend of art.. even went to an amazing opening at a new gallery, Rabbit 18.

Your succulents look amazing (I need your secrets!), sea babies intriguing and thanks for sharing new love gifts. Talk soon, you!

xoxo, K

home goodies

K,
As a carryover from my last post, I wanted to share some details from my post-wedding gift nesting. Here are a few adorable new items for our home. Flower measuring spoon set from Natalie---so pretty! Gorgeous blue colander from C&B. And sweet footed dessert bowls from my parents' friends.I reorganized our growing collection of finger puppets, displaying some new ones we got in Florida. Armadillo is cutest!Yesterday, we walked next door to our neighbor's back yard sale, that really happened in the basement. We learned a little gossip on the street and history of the house--ghosts and biases and all. I'm really looking forward to getting outside and meeting the neighborhood now that it's almost summer. We bought 2 things: this little birdhouse and a funny ceramic toilet that Robin's (neighbor) sister had made. My mom gave Chris this backbone (I think from a cow or other large animal) for his drawing class. In the meantime, it's a favorite knick-knack of mine.Trying to display more things that remind me of Florida, I put out some tiny shells on our bookshelf. And the cutie heart dish you gave us, now holds all the shells we collected in the 2 days after the wedding--yay!That's all for now from the homestead. We're trekking to the Home Depot today for tomatoes + herbs to plant outside. Chat soon!
k

green stories

K,
I almost forgot our password...

Here's my post for our new plan.

Before the outdoor gardening begins, I've been giving some special care to all of my indoor babies, (and learning a little too).

Here are the highlights:I got the little Jade from Chinatown last time we ate Dim Sum---now that she's in terra cotta, she's lookin' mighty fine! The light green one in the middle was a gift from Kim (she and Matt got it as a clipping from the Garfield Park Conservatory). He's an Aeonium, and now that I know how to water properly, Aeo's growing tall!I finally learned that this lovely droopy lady is an Ornithogalum Caudatum (sometimes called Sea Onion), and she has multiple pregnancies!--something I have never seen before. Her baby bulbs grow right on her bulb under a few layers of skin. Once they have matured, the skin peels away and they fall off and plant themselves right next to her. So cool! I gathered a few of her pups and put them in a new pot. So...I'm breeding sea onions!My African Violet has been blooming consistently since we moved to the new house. She must really like it here. Chris's friend Kim gave her to us a year ago when we had that "Keep the C in Country" Event. The leaves are like velvet earlobes.Jefferson gave us this mini Orchid in Florida at the beach house. I brought her on the flight home, protected her by my feet on the plane. Surprisingly, she made it!My other succulents are goin' strong as well!Share your succulents, too!
Love,
k