By:
On:
With: 0 Comments

Looking over my past work reminds me of how much I love creating and have greatly missed being able to work the way I’d like.  I’m getting closer to having more space, which will be nice and I hope to have a permanent solution within the next year that will give me both a lot of space and less chaos in my house.

Getting back to my work feels different this time.  I’ve had a lot of time to consider where I am headed, but I don’t know that I arrived at an answer.  I know where I see myself, but it just doesn’t feel as real as I would like.  Maybe I’m just letting fear do my speaking for me.  There certainly isn’t any reason why I cannot achieve those things I dream about.  And there is certainly no reason my art couldn’t propel me into where I want to be.  When I am open to it, I love my art.

On that note, it is amazing how much my art reflects what is going on in my life.  Over last summer, when life seemed really relaxed, I was able to create very easily and had a lot of fun.  Over the past couple of months, on the other hand, my drawings seem off and I haven’t picked up a paint brush since December.  I don’t feel inspired.  I feel claustrophobic, stuck, pushed down.  And that is easily explained.  I started feeling odd December 15, which developed quickly into the flu, which lasted for a couple of weeks and then turned into pneumonia.  I’ve technically been well for a month now, but I’m still coughing things up, and I have yet to feel as energetic as I did early in December.  It’s so hard to stay positive through that.  Meanwhile, I’m trying to coordinate new flooring in my house.  The boxes of flooring are waiting on my porch and I have to move as much as possible from the house into the shed.

I don’t mean to complain.  I don’t like complaining.  My point is that I’ve just been in such a non-creative headspace.  I am looking forward to a year full of art, life, and family.  I want it to be a productive and successful year.  I’m looking at 2016 as the year that prepares my life to make sense.  2017 is looking like a year when I can just relax.  I’ve been in a state of flux and upheaval for 3 years now.  Settling down is going to be amazing.

I’m interested in so many things that I hope to add to my website.  I’m looking into hand painting plates and glasses, various types of collage, painting canvases, having cards printed, and making ornaments for Christmas.  I’m also super-obsessed with all things fairy garden, but I’m terrible with plants.  I’m brainstorming a way to use the concept of the fairy garden/house to make something more “Brian” in nature.  A few years ago, I made these caged fairy animals as gifts.  That was fairy similar, but I think I can take this idea a little further.  There is just so much to think about and so much to do.  I hope you enjoy this blog.  Feel free to message me with things you’d like me to write about or any suggestions on art to try.

By:
On:
With: 0 Comments

 

I did this drawing as a birthday present for Bradley, my brother.  I like the result.  I might have to try doing more like this.

By:
On:
With: 0 Comments

I’ve been very into Art Journals lately. I’ve started several of my own, but have been most focused on my nature journal. There is always so much I want to capture about Alaska in the summer, but I let it slip past me and by January I wish I had recorded the greenness that I have started to miss. A trip to the zoo recently sparked this particular journal. It wasn’t so much the animals, but the beauty of the zoo itself. If you’ve been the Alaska Zoo, you will understand. Here are the pages I’ve completed so far. Feel free to comment and leave suggestions. I’m new to this and welcome criticism.

By:
On:
With: 0 Comments

I love music. There is just so much wonderful stuff out there, and I’m rarely aware of what is new because I’m off on tangents, discovering artists from several years ago. Here’s what I’m listening to this month:

Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson, Nik & Jay, Spektrum, Scissor Sisters, Fagget Fairys, Electric Six, The Knife, Levi Kreis, Matthew Duffy, Neko Case, They Might Be Giants, Thomas Holm, Nick Cave, Sheena Easton, One eskimO, Sakis Rouvas, Kylie Minogue, Radiohead, Kent, Ari Gold, Muse, Dolores O’Riordan, Jacques Brel, Pomplamoose, Martha Wainwright, Garfunkel & Oates, Rasmus Seebach, Adam Lambert, Jay Brannan

And some videos/songs to match to a few of the names:

Thomas Holm

Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson

Nik & Jay

They Might Be Giants

Nick Cave & Neko Case

By:
On:
With: 1 Comment

anti-discrimination ordinance

Round Three!

I don’t know the outcome of tonight’s assembly meeting, but the testimonies and the images of people with signs has me thinking.

One of the most striking things — and the most obvious — is the separation of folks into blue shirts (those supporting the anti-discrimination ordinance) and red shirts (those opposing the ordinance). For some reason, my mind keeps going back to the time two of my closest friends chose ignorance over me. At the time, there was a day on campus when those in support of the GLBT community were told to wear jeans. My friends, fearing what others might think, wore khakis that day. They did at least feel guilty enough to confess to me that they had done that, but I’m sure they didn’t realize how hurtful it was for me to hear. I’ve never been able to get past that event. It is clearly one of the things that has pushed us apart as friends.

Seeing large groups of people whose agenda is to spread intolerance is difficult enough, but when they involve their children it is even worse. These kids should not be spending their time protesting people they’ve been taught to not understand. They appear bored, or in the case of the ones who are young enough, excited to be a part of something that seems so important. It is unfortunate that they don’t understand what it is they are doing. It saddens me that we live in this world.

I know far too many people from the “red shirt” side of things. These folks are family or have been close friends of mine over the years and I suppose it never dawned on me to be offended by this behavior. I guess I thought knowing me would eventually be enough, but it isn’t anymore. Those whose ignorance taints our relationship aren’t as welcome in my life as they used to be.

John’s blog — including blogging as the assembly meeting took place Wednesday evening
Heather’s blog — including blogging from the previous assembly meetings as well as transcripts.

reading

It has slowed a little, but I’m still on my reading kick. Today I read The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life by Steve Leveen. This little book was pretty helpful for learning how to read and when. It makes a lot of points in a small amount of time. I especially liked the idea of organizing your bookshelves into “book candidates,” “books I’ve read very recently,” and “books I’ve read.” It seems obvious, but I have a tendency to arrange my shelves by genre. I then have to scan my shelves for a new book to read, waiting for one to jump out at me. He also talks about having many more books than you will ever read at home, an idea that has always seemed natural to me, but for which I guess I needed permission.

I’m still making my way through the 4th Harry Potter book, my friends having finished the series already. I find myself easily distracted, reading other things at the same time. My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon has been somewhat interesting too.

I’d like to be a part of a book group again. Maybe I’ll start one up if I can’t find one I like.

By:
On:
With: 2 Comments

Well, probably not. But I did like these paper ornaments that I made. I think I’ll make sets of them to sell, but I’m not sure if I should make them and require that the person buying them put together the top part or if I should sell them already assembled and just charge the extra shipping. I’d like to assume people aren’t stupid, but… hmm.

I have been searching the corners of the earth for seahorse stamps. So far, I’ve purchased two. I will stop after 2 or 3 more. I really need a variety and a variety of sizes to really make the most use of them. My search brought several really great sites into my radar too. In the spirit of sharing (which I hear is a good thing), here’s a little list of the craft sites I like:

}}starlit studio :: all my favorite companies on one site. tim holtz is my new favorite person.
}}purl soho :: if you need yarn or fabric, go here first.
}}scrap your trip :: there is so much more to it than that! good deals and reasonable shipping rates to alaska
}}gorey details :: i’m not into most of the stuff on this site, but they have some really different rubber stamps. i bought 2. lots of fun edward gorey stuff.
}}river city rubber works :: some really beautiful stamps. a bit pricey, but if they’ve got what you want, they are probably the only ones who do.
}}rubber stamp plantation :: for all your hawaiian needs. okay, i don’t need much from this site. they have a really amazing seahorse and many many many…. MANY turtles to choose from.

By:
On:
With: 2 Comments

Many paper companies released Valentine’s Day collections last summer. Those who didn’t only waited until October to do so. That was smart. Now, when Valentine’s is finally on everyone’s minds, those collections can easily be found at many retailers. Maybe it is because I am so bitter over never having had a Valentine of my own, but I hate this holiday. I do more to celebrate Groundhog Day than Valentine’s Day. Because of that, most of the products make me a little bit ill. The ones I put on here do not. In fact, several companies did a really nice job this year with making the day of love more tolerable.

Cosmo Cricket
Chemistry
I love Cosmo Cricket. With Chemistry, they are getting even closer to a Valentine’s line I can stomach. I basically like the colors and the idea behind this one, but it falls on the too-funky-for-me side of things. I may need some for some cardmaking, but I can generally skip this one. I’d still recommend it for Valentine’s that are just a little different. Next time, I’d like to see something edgier from the fantastic people at Cosmo Cricket.
B+

SEI
Lovebirds
I love the bird theme of this V-Day collection. I especially liked the “Love Nest” paper. Great idea. I am not wild about the shade of pink used in this collection though. Even worse, I don’t think the collection coordinates all that well. Since each paper is so unique, they needed to be unified with color and I don’t find that they really are here. These will make great individual sheets to be used on projects, but really don’t do great together, which I feel they really should. SEI paper is always great to work with, so still might be worth your time.
B

Basic Grey
Bittersweet
These are beautiful papers! Browns and pinks still look fresh together and the candy theme is delicious.. hehe. This is a very sophisticated collection that will make Valentine’s layouts really pop. Basic Grey keep getting better at putting together these collections. Negative note: I don’t like the names of the papers, which is rather insignificant to using them.
A-

K & Co.
Brenda Walton’s Sweet Talk
Quintessential Valentine’s Day! This collection is so perfect. It reminds me of being a kid and checking my white paper bag to see if I had received any Valentines that day. If you want to do it traditionally, this is the way to go! Quite likely my favorite of the Valentine’s Day paper collections this year, if only for the nostalgia.
A

Making Memories
Love Notes
Like Valentine’s Day at great-grandma’s house, but not necessarily in a bad way. I actually quite like the “Doily Hearts” paper and the “Sampler” paper. It is a nice collection that goes very well together and makes great use of kraft paper, which is one of my weaknesses. I love kraft paper! I think this is a solid collection from MM. They may not make me jump up and down, but the never disappoint me either.
B

By:
On:
With: 1 Comment

I’ve been digging through websites in an attempt to catch previews of the upcoming releases from various craft companies. CHA is at the end of this month and I haven’t been able to hold out. Tim Holtz is clearly not offering any previews. I was hoping, but I’m hardly surprised. 7gypsies has a preview coming soon and I’m very curious.

I did see the new releases from Cosmo Cricket and I’m really excited to get my hands on some of it! They did a great job of creating some new collections. I’d really like to see another Wanted or Gretel come out during the Summer CHA, but these new ones will look great in my crafting for a while.

Snorkel
This new collection is bright a fun, but with far more depth than the releases a year ago. It is vintage Cosmo Cricket, with weathered edged papers and beautifully coordinating colors. I’m not a fan of the beach myself, but I can’t help loving this. I was immediately drawn to the claw brackets journaling tag and the “Current” paper. I’m going to make a lot of use of this paper for punches of color in my projects.
A

Everafter
I love the Everafter collection. Not only will it make for beautiful wedding themed cards and layouts, but would be great as a framed group of papers. They have a smaller pattern than I would normally use, but I still really like the patterns they do have. The best part is that Cosmo Cricket released a collection that is in the colors I am currently using in my home. Greys, whites, oranges, and blues are beautiful together. I look forward to picking up a lot of this paper as soon as it is available.
A+

Lil’ Man
This collection is really just an expansion and revision of Lil’ Boys from the Biography 101 collection. I like its simplicity; it has a wonderfully vintage feel and doesn’t beat you over the head with masculinity. Since Lil’ Boys is an 8×8 paper pad, this 12×12 collection will go really well with it or will look nice by itself. I’m really taken with “Dapper Dan” and “Handsome Henry.”
B

Girl Friday
My least favorite of the new Cosmo Cricket releases, this collection ain’t too shabby. School girls are such an easy scrapbooking subject and this group of papers works well for that very purpose. Whereas Lil’ Man is an expansion of an existing collection, Girl Friday is an entirely new collection. While I doubt I make use of any of the papers in this collection, the Girl Friday Elements are a must-have for my scrapbooks. I will overbuy these as soon as I can.
B-

Along with these new full collections, Cosmo Cricket also is releasing spinner cards, which are kinda fun, and two new blackboard albums. Scarlet is great, but the shape has been done by Basic Grey very recently. The Flirt album is pretty much useless to me. It has a very small surface area and its shape is too funky for me.

There is so much coming in the crafting world. I’m much more excited by what I see than I was during most of 2008. It seems cool is coming back again!

By:
On:
With: 1 Comment

I am really into chandeliers recently. I can’t decide if they are overly ornate or just beautiful. I suppose I don’t really need a reason to like something, but some things feel like they need to be defended. Chandeliers are one of those things.

I should clarify that it isn’t all of them that I enjoy. I seem to only love those dripping with crystals and scroll after scroll of iron. They need to be heavily ornamented and richly detailed to catch my eye, but there can’t be a bit of practicality in their design. The recent resurgence of traditional design in chandeliers has been a welcome relief from the recent decades of horrid lighting pieces. The brass & glass monstrosities that earned a place in some of the nicest homes of the 70s and 80s are painful to look at and the shaded country cousin of the real thing is only marginally better.

If you’d asked me a few years ago, I would never have thought that I could love such a thing as a chandelier. Perhaps it is the fact that despite its hugeness, the chandelier transcends social boundaries. They seem as welcome in the dusty homes of the famously wealthy as they do in run down apartments of struggling, albeit stylish, artists. They appeal to the nouveau riche and to those just trying to make ends meet.

And maybe, I like them just because they are deliciously tacky.

Great chandeliers to check out:
http://www.insideavenue.com/89500.html
http://www.insideavenue.com/kechbyar.html
http://www.insideavenue.com/89551.html
http://www.insideavenue.com/cachbyar.html
http://www.insideavenue.com/trchbycuco.html

I tried to make chandeliers my theme for this past Christmas. Unfortunately, finding chandelier items was rather difficult. As soon as Christmas had ended, we received a lot of chandelier themed items at work. Hopefully, my love can last until next year, when I will be all set. If you like things that are a little extravagant and a bit tacky, check out Michaels.

Images: photo by Monty Lov (via Unsplash); design sketches for various chandeliers

Featured Image Art: photo by William Krause (via Unsplash)

By:
On:
With: 1 Comment

If anyone has a clue as to how I should do my circuit training at the gym, let me know. I am currently doing 2 sets of 12 reps on every machine (broken up by a 10 minute aerobic workout between)… to get used to working out and using the muscles. I’m not sure if reps are more important or if I should spend a certain amount of time on each machine. It is all so foreign to me.

By:
On:
With: 1 Comment

My newest obsession. Amy Butler is a designer with some amazing lines of fabric and paper craft supplies. I discovered her designs last week (though I had seen them before — I just didn’t know that they were designed by her). I’ve been working on some art for my wall. I want to wrap a canvas in fabric and add a large letter in the center. There are three of them, which will spell out the word “sly.”

All parts of this took a long time to decide on. The longest part was the fabric. I was browsing through magazines on my lunch break during one of my last days at Borders. On the cover of one was a tablecloth in a great damask pattern. I thought it would look great, but assumed that it would be difficult to find something like it. I purchased the magazine anyway.

Inside, I found that the cover story was not only about the fabric used on the tablecloth, but about Amy Butler herself. All the projects were based on designs in her fabric line for Rowan fabrics. As soon as I got home, I searched for the fabrics online. Of course, the ones I liked the most were very difficult to find. But I eventually did. I found Duck Egg Acanthus (the one from the tablecloth) and Teal Acanthus on one site and Olive Acanthus on a different site. I ordered plenty of each to make sure I would be able to use the extra length for pillows, curtains, etc to bring everything in the room together.

The other day, I received the Duck Egg & Teal. These are the softest cotton fabrics I have ever felt. Although they are not nearly as wide as most other fabrics, they are of such great quality and beauty that they are totally worth buying. I am reserving quite a bit of each for use later, but still using some for accents in the living room.

Now, I am on the search for Amy Butler papers for scrapbooking. At Michaels, we sell the album in the Olive Acanthus pattern. I don’t really want a busy patterned album though. I would rather have the paper to use inside.

amy butler’s website
purl’s amy butler collection
crafty planet’s amy butler collection

Images & Featured Image Art: designs from Amy Butler’s “New Belle” collection

By:
On:
With: 0 Comments

“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.”
— François de La Rochefoucauld

I have spent many years being overweight and sluggish. I look in the mirror, wondering who the fat kid looking back at me is. Somehow, though, I feel that I am internally skinny and would like to let that person out for the world. I am making some headway in this area, but I still have a long way to go.

I’ll make this as brief as possible; there are plenty of books on the subject and my views are not going to make any difference.

As Americans, we need to change the way we think about food and health. As Michael Pollan points out in his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, it should be the most natural thing for us to know what to eat. Sadly, though, it is difficult for people to decide what they are going to eat, and often the wrong choices are made. Until very recently, I happily consumed sythetic foods & caged animals, not wanting to know much more about it — especially that what I was eating could potentially harm me. I was blissfully unaware of the problems I was causing for myself.

I hope I am starting to change that about myself. Although I don’t feel it is right for everyone, vegetarianism has changed my perception of almost everything. A common reason among vegetarians and vegans for not eating meat/using animal products is to reduce suffering. By cutting down on those things that cause great suffering, the world is a better place. I appreciate those individuals, but the issue is deeper for me. I simply don’t want to consume thinking beings. It is that shift in mindset that has forced me to read the label of everything I purchase, from tortilla chips to vitamins (many multivitamins contain fish), seeking out the hidden animal products in seemingly benign products. Who knew I would be giving up Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix (it contains lard) or canned black-eyed peas (most are canned with pork products).

It is this label reading that has forced me to deal with something else. Artifice in my food. Primarily, I don’t have the energy to read through long lists of ingredients. I’d rather put the item back than sort through everything. But I also find that I can reduce the amount of other items too. HFCS generally keeps a food item from coming home with me. As does anything claiming to be “enriched” or “whitened.”

I don’t think a little knowledge about what you are chosing to put in your body is a bad thing. And that isn’t to say I don’t still have the occasional orange soda (loaded with lots of yummy HFCS) or buy some fresh bread, even though I know it is made of white flour. Sometimes the moment dictates that you throw these convictions out. But I am able to make more informed decisions about what I eat on a regular basis.

I’m shrinking. Without exercise, I have been losing weight quickly. I have tons of energy and feel mentally more alert than I have in a long time. I can really only attribute this change in myself to the change in my eating habits. I am just generally eating a more healthy diet than I used to. Now, I will be adding exercise to the mix. I hope I only continue to get healthier. I need to.

Life is sometimes all about the small victories. I recently found myself not out of breath after walking up the stairs at work. It has only happened a few times, but it is something!

Suggested reading:
The Omnivore’s Dilemma : Michael Pollan
Plenty : Alisa Smith & JB Mackinnon
Becoming Vegetarian : Vesanto Melina & Brenda Davis
Fast Food Nation : Eric Schlosser

Featured Image Art: Andrea Landini, The Pie

By:
On:
With: 1 Comment

As promised, this should explain my feelings on my recent switch to a vegetarian diet. I would like to preface this briefly. This is my personal belief and I am not preaching this way of life as right for everyone. Each person brings their own set of beliefs with them through life, and they are just as valid as mine. I offer this as explanation for my own actions. I do not judge others for making different choices with their lives.

I feel obligated to explain myself. Let me try to make sense of what is going on in my head, but don’t be surprised if contradictions arise, as my brain is rarely at peace with itself. This will also be a bit longwinded.

In January, I made the decision to stop eating meat. So, I stopped. I failed to take into account that so few people make this life choice. I forgot that there would be plenty who would not understand and who would forget that I no longer consume animals. I had not planned out what I would say to those who questioned me. I had no speech prepared. What’s worse, I didn’t even have a clear sense of purpose.

It actually all started about twelve years ago. I had become interested in adopting a vegetarian diet back when I was in high school, but had great fears of alienation from my friends. A minor medical problem helped prompt me to follow through with my plans, since I was not supposed to eat fried foods or red meat. I slowly phased poultry, pork, & red meat out, opting for fish or non-meat choices. Slowly, I changed my diet, but never officially (or fully) eliminated meat from my diet. I simply repressed my reasons for cutting back and found that not thinking about it was easier than dealing with the moral dilemma.

Several years later, my convictions gone, I was once again eating beef. And I didn’t give any more thought to it. So much was happening in my life, and I was not the center of my existence for many years. This made it easy to not focus on what I felt or believed, worrying too often about how my decisions would affect my friends and family.

As long as two years ago, I was reevaluating my life and again considering cutting meat out of my diet. I think I needed to grow up to understand how right I believed that decision would be. Over the past year, I have tried varying degrees of not eating meat, trying to stop, but failing.

I was eating lamb when it dawned on me. I had an overwhelming need to purge the animal from my body — to remove it’s masticated carcass from within me. It made me cry. I couldn’t believe how barbaric it now seemed to have actually ordered slabs of an animal with thoughts and feelings. It just seemed so simple a solution too — don’t eat anything possessing intelligence.

I really was unsure of what I meant by this and how this would play out. I honestly expected to revert back to not giving my burgers a second thought. I considered eating fish, but couldn’t justify that until I had sorted out what my feelings were. I knew what I wasn’t willing to eat any longer: cattle, pigs, chickens, moose, sheep, turkeys, deer, cephalopods, etc. If it was having thoughts about something, it was off my menu.

So, that is the reason. I believe that it is wrong to continue eating meat when you believe that the animals you are eating can think and feel. I also feel that it is wrong to keep animals in buildings, feeding them genetically manipulated “food,” just for the convenience of having prey when we want it. I believe that we have evolved as a species to a point that renders the eating of meat archaic, barbaric, & unnecessary.

I welcome comments or messages on this subject. It is still a loose mass of barely solid concepts for me. It is coming together slowly and it just feels right. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Here are a few quotes from others who got it:

One farmer says to me, “You cannot live on vegetable food solely, for it furnishes nothing to make the bones with;” and so he religiously devotes a part of his day to supplying himself with the raw material of bones; walking all the while he talks behind his oxen, which, with vegetable-made bones, jerk him and his lumbering plow along in spite of every obstacle. ~Henry David Thoreau

I did not become a vegetarian for my health; I did it for the health of the chickens. ~Isaac Bashevis Singer, quoted in You Said a Mouthful edited by Ronald D. Fuchs

I have no doubt that it is a part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals, as surely as the savage tribes have left off eating each other…. ~Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854

A man of my spiritual intensity does not eat corpses. ~George Bernard Shaw

I have always eaten animal flesh with a somewhat guilty conscience. ~Albert Einstein

My refusing to eat meat occasioned inconveniency, and I have been frequently chided for my singularity. But my light repast allows for greater progress, for greater clearness of head and quicker comprehension. ~Benjamin Franklin

Images: vintage illustration of cauliflower; AI Image of sheep (created using Wonder AI)

Featured Image Art: Eileen Hood, “Sheep & Lambs” (1917)