oh my goodness, i haven't made an illo friday topics in eons, but this image based on lyrics from my friend's band the church animals seems to fit fine. the little owl is on the bottom of the ocean if that's confusing...
Friday, April 28, 2006
under the sea {illustration friday}
oh my goodness, i haven't made an illo friday topics in eons, but this image based on lyrics from my friend's band the church animals seems to fit fine. the little owl is on the bottom of the ocean if that's confusing...
today i'm feeling goal oriented
this is rare, i don't want it to slip away without writing it down.
this summer i want to focus on my kid's book, i have a few in the works for years now (the original reason i wanted to go back to school for illustration). since going back to school my priorities have shifted, but i still want to pursue these books.
one is about growing up with my sister jesse, she's my step-sister exactly 2 weeks younger than me.
another is about the ice cream carts and a girl and a chihuahua.
a 3rd is just a little promo i've been working on with the song lyrics of si & gar's "at the zoo".
i may periodically post updates/illustrations of the works-in-progress for feedback and/or accountability sake. does anyone else have a kid's book in the works? or know of any contacts in the publishing field you'd like to share? ha!
another summer goal is to research MFA programs in painting to apply in this winter, for fall of 2007. yes, more school. sounds perhaps crazy after all the schooling i've been in recently, but why not be as ambitious as i can, with the idea of maybe teaching at the college level someday. i'm extremely interested in affordable options. i hear stanford is a full-ride. dream. does anyone know about SF state? Davis? i would love to continue going to CCA... but financially steep.
side note: we had an interesting/unfortunate convo in my class the other day about how our teacher receives far less requests for recommendations for grad school from girls than boys (even though the school is more girls-- maybe 65/45 % wise). it's not quantifiable necessarily, but a trend she sees. not that schooling is everything, but i would only hope women seek the same opportunities as men these days.
a 3rd summer goal is to paint 15 paintings, about one a week.
if anyone happens to be reading and has related advice about grad school and/or kid's books please email me:
matimcd at hotmail dot com
this summer i want to focus on my kid's book, i have a few in the works for years now (the original reason i wanted to go back to school for illustration). since going back to school my priorities have shifted, but i still want to pursue these books.
one is about growing up with my sister jesse, she's my step-sister exactly 2 weeks younger than me.
another is about the ice cream carts and a girl and a chihuahua.
a 3rd is just a little promo i've been working on with the song lyrics of si & gar's "at the zoo".
i may periodically post updates/illustrations of the works-in-progress for feedback and/or accountability sake. does anyone else have a kid's book in the works? or know of any contacts in the publishing field you'd like to share? ha!
another summer goal is to research MFA programs in painting to apply in this winter, for fall of 2007. yes, more school. sounds perhaps crazy after all the schooling i've been in recently, but why not be as ambitious as i can, with the idea of maybe teaching at the college level someday. i'm extremely interested in affordable options. i hear stanford is a full-ride. dream. does anyone know about SF state? Davis? i would love to continue going to CCA... but financially steep.
side note: we had an interesting/unfortunate convo in my class the other day about how our teacher receives far less requests for recommendations for grad school from girls than boys (even though the school is more girls-- maybe 65/45 % wise). it's not quantifiable necessarily, but a trend she sees. not that schooling is everything, but i would only hope women seek the same opportunities as men these days.
a 3rd summer goal is to paint 15 paintings, about one a week.
if anyone happens to be reading and has related advice about grad school and/or kid's books please email me:
matimcd at hotmail dot com
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
indulge me
thank you for sharing your indulgences with me in your comments! i want to compile a grand list to refer to when i'm in a slump and post on my new website i dream of creating (sketches are in the works and a summertime plan!).
today these are mine:
1. fresh lemonade
2. lunch outside
3. miles davis and john coltrane while painting
4. just putting my hair up with a scarf/ doo rag/ t-shirt sleeve and throwing on painting clothes 3 days in a row
5. snuggling with my on the couch boyfriend who feels under the weather
6. walking to school
7. bloggitty blog
please, if you haven't already take a second and let me know how you treat yourself... (or maybe it's a delicious routine)
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
little indulgences
hello there,
it feels like a while since i've wrote something real... for days now i've been wrought with a dilemma/opportunity to take a job in an arts related field for little pay. i did the math over and over again, but ultimately, even after asking for more $ the job wouldn't pay as much as a restaurant one.
it was such a good exercise in clarifying my current values. i found myself debating what i should be doing with what i want to be doing. i'm sometimes a bit of a goody-goody, or rather, i don't like to dissapoint people and therefore saying no to things is challenging. even if it is a job that doesn't ultimately sustain me financially.
i wish it weren't so, but in the process i realized there were other issues at stake, like time for me alone to paint! it feels so indulgent and delicious.
sweet love of painting... i cannot wait to have a summer of days off (night working at the restaurant-- a new stable Indian one with wonderful interesting people, many of whom are artists too). having made that decision affords me time and renewed energy towards my summer plans.
i am really looking forward to lunchtime with my studiomates. a new one just arrived whom i already adore who does sound documentaries and my friend sab is soon to join:) and a mysterious LA sculptor. i cannot wait for rooftop lunches in the sun with the artists. after 7 months of construction, this is bliss. (ps-lolo, i got the keys if you readin', thank you mucho).
i'm sipping white wine, trader joe's style. the birds are chirping. just made a delicious zucchinni pesto dish. have some chocolate stashed for later. am thinking about a late night bath, but don't want to clean the tub. hugh and i are talking about re-arranging (possibly painting) another room-- measuring coaches and feng shuing is a constant in this house of 2 artists:) am happy and relieved with my decision about the job after many painstaking lists of pros/cons/financials. and excited to return to my studio to add to my recent painting.
how do you define indulgence? i like when i can find the simple answers after clearing away the clutter.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
in too deep
i love visiting blogs to gain perspective.
art school is driving me a bit batty. too many critiques. too much inspiration. too much attitude. too much insecurity. too much bad art. too much amazing art. too much talent. too much immaturity. too much articulateness. too much theory. too much weirdness. too much, i say! and only 2 weeks to go!
somehow visiting blogs (while some make me feel a tad underproductive), most are so earnest and beautiful and made from the heart without all of the above, well some of the above~inspiration included.
really i am lucky to be where i am at in school, but it is a blessing and a curse to be so aware of what's happening. it can become paralyzing of creating for the love of creating, if you let it.
i guess i just wanted to get this off of my chest before i go into my studio and carry these feelings.
i spoke with a fellow student the other day who had been in one of my first classes i took at CCA and she was talking about how when we were in that class together she started making these drawings of all graphite and then white on white and has gotten increasingly minimal, to the point where she is doing nothing now and has no ideas.
i said that maybe she just needed to empty out her basket and then start putting the pieces back in gradually. she seemed in such despair about her work and boxed in. i hope she can find a place to get some distance and start creating again after she graduates this spring.
people deal differently in an environment so intensely creative and charged. i know for myself i need lots of time... by myself and to explore without feedback. i for one cannot wait for the summer! i may not be posting much these next couple weeks due to my workload, but will surely be checking in with others:)
art school is driving me a bit batty. too many critiques. too much inspiration. too much attitude. too much insecurity. too much bad art. too much amazing art. too much talent. too much immaturity. too much articulateness. too much theory. too much weirdness. too much, i say! and only 2 weeks to go!
somehow visiting blogs (while some make me feel a tad underproductive), most are so earnest and beautiful and made from the heart without all of the above, well some of the above~inspiration included.
really i am lucky to be where i am at in school, but it is a blessing and a curse to be so aware of what's happening. it can become paralyzing of creating for the love of creating, if you let it.
i guess i just wanted to get this off of my chest before i go into my studio and carry these feelings.
i spoke with a fellow student the other day who had been in one of my first classes i took at CCA and she was talking about how when we were in that class together she started making these drawings of all graphite and then white on white and has gotten increasingly minimal, to the point where she is doing nothing now and has no ideas.
i said that maybe she just needed to empty out her basket and then start putting the pieces back in gradually. she seemed in such despair about her work and boxed in. i hope she can find a place to get some distance and start creating again after she graduates this spring.
people deal differently in an environment so intensely creative and charged. i know for myself i need lots of time... by myself and to explore without feedback. i for one cannot wait for the summer! i may not be posting much these next couple weeks due to my workload, but will surely be checking in with others:)
Friday, April 14, 2006
grateful friday: you are beautiful
believe it!
~grateful for yesterday and the glorious sun after so many days of miserable rain.
~grateful for my new studio space that makes me feel like a teenager... i am so loving the privacy of my very own space! my studiomates can attest that i have even been bringing in my meals and making the studio smell like hamburgers (which was really BBQ chicken), opps!
~grateful for a wonderful show last night and feeling proud of my friends and artists beth & tom!
~grateful for a new job and other opportunities that keep abounding.
~grateful for a new baby lily in our family and the hopes of easter-time with the wee one.
~grateful for mail that makes me feel beautiful and music to do my work to. thank you!
~grateful for a clean house and full fridge.
~grateful for a plate of fresh mozzerella, basil and tomatoes on the back steps yesterday.
~grateful for my handmade goodies from the alternative press exp (APE) that line my inspiration board.
~grateful for solid communication with my partner.
~grateful for 2 weeks of sticking to no-carb action with my sister. hello skinny strong sister!
~grateful for running and training for a 10K with 2 of my best friends up north. i'm so excited to see you kara b if you read this!
~grateful for these words, at the risk of sounding like a total self-help geek, i love this idea of choosing your own adventure:
"you are a guardian of your spirit, mind, and body, the curator of your soul and identity, and the keeper of your dreams. The choice is yours. The rights, privileges, and responsibilities of ownership to you because this is Your Life".
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Tom Erikson & Beth Grundvig
I curated another show of fabulous artists and friends at Triptych tomorrow night, maybe if you live close by you can stop by. you're sure to be impressed!
richness
every wednesday when i walk home from school i am delighted and for some reason always surprised by these two scenes:
1) grape crushing at a local winery~ crushpad
2) tango lessons and dancing at a local community art center~ cellspace
i always peek in for a bit and feel like i have my own little magic movie. one of these days i may bring a camera, i guess i just wanted to write it down to cherish it further.
i love my neighborhood. this is the living breathing art. it makes me remember why i create.
1) grape crushing at a local winery~ crushpad
2) tango lessons and dancing at a local community art center~ cellspace
i always peek in for a bit and feel like i have my own little magic movie. one of these days i may bring a camera, i guess i just wanted to write it down to cherish it further.
i love my neighborhood. this is the living breathing art. it makes me remember why i create.
feelings towards painting
sometimes i feel like i want to be alone for 6 months and paint every day with out disturbance, only music, and why is there never enough time to paint more?!
other days i feel like i never want to paint again and that i have nothing more to say (and never will) and don't even know why i ever wanted to in the first place.
today, i'm undecided.
why is this?
gonna try to roll with these feelings and accept them for the highs and lows of creativity.
other days i feel like i never want to paint again and that i have nothing more to say (and never will) and don't even know why i ever wanted to in the first place.
today, i'm undecided.
why is this?
gonna try to roll with these feelings and accept them for the highs and lows of creativity.
Friday, April 07, 2006
orange studio love
1. bird print from the APE {happening this weekend!}
2. pods from our friend's tod & linda's wedding
3. section of one of my new abstract paintings
Thursday, April 06, 2006
to me brown is comforting, organic & crusty
i am loving how much this photo challenge evokes our individual personalities & taste!
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Monday, April 03, 2006
all yellow
me cozy's color challange:
1. mission street lantern
2. vintage dress i've never worn, but keep because i like the pattern
3. meyer lemon curd made from hugh's mom's lemon tree from San Diego
Saturday, April 01, 2006
one can never have too much art, just a bigger house
all week i wanted to participate in mav's show us your art theme, but i have stock-piled it for today!
i love that art represents beauty, but also memories of travels and specific moments and friends. i also like the idea of making art accessible to everyone... for the love of places like etsy! and being creative with what one calls art.
i snapped pictures all over my house and perhaps will do a walk through of select pieces through the rooms of our home, what fun for me!
in the study:
this piece was salvedged from a flowershop that was going out of business when i first moved to SF, before i even had an apartment and was staying with my friend Ben. i remember walking down the streets post bikram yoga {the sweaty kind} in the tenderloin {which is i believe is named such because it was where policemen could make the big bucks to buy the tenderloins... aka bring home the bacon? am i making this up? well that said, it's one of the seediest hoods in the city} and this man was selling everything from the shop, and i asked, "including the sign?", he repllied "come back tomorrow and it's yours". sure enough i did and i bought this treasure of mine for $33 and took it away in a cab, much to my friend Ben's chagrin.
sabrina gave this to me on my big 29th b-day i threw for myself {a first}, complete with live music of friends and delicious food by my chef friend kate. it says, "she came to dream of a home with two, she didn't know how, but she did anyway, as you go. buid. dream. journey. make. pretend. believe. ask for help".
in our living room:
hugh's art, later made into a poster for the pixies. lucky to have an artist boyfriend, for sure.
amazing andrew schoultz's art that i bought at a benefit for another amazing artist ray patlan who was raising $ for heart surgery. i bought this when i worked at an art law firm on balmy alley and andrew was always in front of the office painting on this mural.
from a favorite japanese book i picked up for $1 and always refer to called "Little Pictures of Japan". it says:
The Skyrockets
The voice of the rockets,
Then the flash!
we like pairing vintage toys, mexican skulls, old letters... plus all of our art books to make an art shelf:
an old architectural drawing of the brooklyn bridge that is long enought to stretch the distance of our small olive couch. found at the thrift:
in the kitchen:
hugh did this design for louie barletta's skateboard and shoes! it hangs high above our kitchen door.
my friend amanda herman's triptych of mexican fair pictures high above our cupboards... i love the cotton candy. amanda and i traveled in mexico when in college and visited her brother/my ex chris in the Yucutan. my own pictures from that time are SO good because i had her along with her photographer's eye.
in the bathroom:
a poster from my whim of a trip to my favorite city in the world Barcelona, my first tix purchased with frequent flyer miles! i was living in Boston and had just begun dating my ex Eliot and asked him if he wanted to take a trip with me and he was game! he was also a great traveling companion because he was an architect and interested in Gaudi and we went up to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim
Mexican skeletons from when hugh and i lived in oaxaca, mexico for a few months... i love these:
for my bedroom go here!
thank you for letting me indulge in these rich memories... i feel like i just traveled back in time and to all of those beautiful places and moments and re-met ex-loves and friends.
i am grateful for this journey.
xoxo
i love that art represents beauty, but also memories of travels and specific moments and friends. i also like the idea of making art accessible to everyone... for the love of places like etsy! and being creative with what one calls art.
i snapped pictures all over my house and perhaps will do a walk through of select pieces through the rooms of our home, what fun for me!
in the study:
this piece was salvedged from a flowershop that was going out of business when i first moved to SF, before i even had an apartment and was staying with my friend Ben. i remember walking down the streets post bikram yoga {the sweaty kind} in the tenderloin {which is i believe is named such because it was where policemen could make the big bucks to buy the tenderloins... aka bring home the bacon? am i making this up? well that said, it's one of the seediest hoods in the city} and this man was selling everything from the shop, and i asked, "including the sign?", he repllied "come back tomorrow and it's yours". sure enough i did and i bought this treasure of mine for $33 and took it away in a cab, much to my friend Ben's chagrin.
sabrina gave this to me on my big 29th b-day i threw for myself {a first}, complete with live music of friends and delicious food by my chef friend kate. it says, "she came to dream of a home with two, she didn't know how, but she did anyway, as you go. buid. dream. journey. make. pretend. believe. ask for help".
in our living room:
hugh's art, later made into a poster for the pixies. lucky to have an artist boyfriend, for sure.
amazing andrew schoultz's art that i bought at a benefit for another amazing artist ray patlan who was raising $ for heart surgery. i bought this when i worked at an art law firm on balmy alley and andrew was always in front of the office painting on this mural.
from a favorite japanese book i picked up for $1 and always refer to called "Little Pictures of Japan". it says:
The Skyrockets
The voice of the rockets,
Then the flash!
we like pairing vintage toys, mexican skulls, old letters... plus all of our art books to make an art shelf:
an old architectural drawing of the brooklyn bridge that is long enought to stretch the distance of our small olive couch. found at the thrift:
in the kitchen:
hugh did this design for louie barletta's skateboard and shoes! it hangs high above our kitchen door.
my friend amanda herman's triptych of mexican fair pictures high above our cupboards... i love the cotton candy. amanda and i traveled in mexico when in college and visited her brother/my ex chris in the Yucutan. my own pictures from that time are SO good because i had her along with her photographer's eye.
in the bathroom:
a poster from my whim of a trip to my favorite city in the world Barcelona, my first tix purchased with frequent flyer miles! i was living in Boston and had just begun dating my ex Eliot and asked him if he wanted to take a trip with me and he was game! he was also a great traveling companion because he was an architect and interested in Gaudi and we went up to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim
Mexican skeletons from when hugh and i lived in oaxaca, mexico for a few months... i love these:
for my bedroom go here!
thank you for letting me indulge in these rich memories... i feel like i just traveled back in time and to all of those beautiful places and moments and re-met ex-loves and friends.
i am grateful for this journey.
xoxo
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