As I was pulling out of the driveway today, I saw this robin in my yard pulling up on weeds, and it had collected quite the beakful. It looked like those paintings of old Chinese men with the long beards and whiskers. That put a big smile on my face.
Only problem was, it was not pulling up weeds that were still attached to the ground; it was merely picking up the weeds that I had already pulled.
In the studio, I made some progress with the book that I've been oh-so-slow to mock up. I finally came up with a good envelope look-alike that will be easy to use and will not be a pain in the butt to cut, print, and fold. And in fact, I'm pretty happy with the solution.
The movie tonight was Leatherheads. I think it was meant to be like those old fashioned romantic comedies like It Happened One Night, or something similar. But it was just...boring.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
MiT, 3rd senior, day 1
This was an exciting day. My 3rd senior, I think I mentioned already, is a painter; although she no longer paints. Living in a small apartment limits what you can do. We made a print based on one of her painting (from a photograph), and it worked out REALLY well. I may just have to scan it in and post it.
And I finally came to the conclusion that I want a slightly different design for the folding screens so that the plexis don't stick out from the wooden frame. Mocked up the new design and sent it off to my cabinet maker. We'll see what he says about the cost.
I'm being very distracted right now, listening to different renditions of Una Furtiva Lagrima by various tenors. This all started this weekend when we saw La Fille Du Regiment with Juan Diego Florez. He's been getting raves for his 9 high C's in Ah! Mes Amis. During the opening performance, the audience interrupted the performance with a standing ovation and they repeated it, right in the middle of the opera! When we saw it, the audience was definitely very enthusiastic, although there was no repeat performance.
Not sure if it was the hype or what, but I was somewhat disappointed. A very nice voice, and he certainly can hit the notes, and plus he's VERY cute. But I think I prefer a richer, fuller bodied tenor voice. Anyhow, the Good Prince must've mentioned this to another friend (a huge fan of Florez's), and he sent an mp3 of Rolando Villazon doing Una Furtiva Lagrima, and then there I was, off on youtube, listening all the different renditions of it.
And I found an interview with Florez, who says of himself that he has a lighter voice, not a full bodied voice. So at least I wasn't making it up.
And I finally came to the conclusion that I want a slightly different design for the folding screens so that the plexis don't stick out from the wooden frame. Mocked up the new design and sent it off to my cabinet maker. We'll see what he says about the cost.
I'm being very distracted right now, listening to different renditions of Una Furtiva Lagrima by various tenors. This all started this weekend when we saw La Fille Du Regiment with Juan Diego Florez. He's been getting raves for his 9 high C's in Ah! Mes Amis. During the opening performance, the audience interrupted the performance with a standing ovation and they repeated it, right in the middle of the opera! When we saw it, the audience was definitely very enthusiastic, although there was no repeat performance.
Not sure if it was the hype or what, but I was somewhat disappointed. A very nice voice, and he certainly can hit the notes, and plus he's VERY cute. But I think I prefer a richer, fuller bodied tenor voice. Anyhow, the Good Prince must've mentioned this to another friend (a huge fan of Florez's), and he sent an mp3 of Rolando Villazon doing Una Furtiva Lagrima, and then there I was, off on youtube, listening all the different renditions of it.
And I found an interview with Florez, who says of himself that he has a lighter voice, not a full bodied voice. So at least I wasn't making it up.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Getting ready for more veggies
It's time to deal with the vegetable garden again. All the things that wintered over (there were quite a few) were dug up, either waiting to be replanted (the swiss chard), taken to the neighbor to be traded (swiss chard for mustard), or waiting to be eaten (the rest of the leeks).
Here's how I originally prepared the bed last year, and see also here. There were layers of compost and weeds, and then topped off with clean planting compost.
When I turned the bed today, there was nothing there except for beautiful, crumbly, black soil. I mixed in more freshly dug up weeds (the never ending supply):
Now it's ready for a layer of paper, and topping off with planting compost. In the mean time, the chard and mustard are sitting in pots...I hope they survive for a few days.
Here's how I originally prepared the bed last year, and see also here. There were layers of compost and weeds, and then topped off with clean planting compost.
When I turned the bed today, there was nothing there except for beautiful, crumbly, black soil. I mixed in more freshly dug up weeds (the never ending supply):
Now it's ready for a layer of paper, and topping off with planting compost. In the mean time, the chard and mustard are sitting in pots...I hope they survive for a few days.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Board Retreat
When I told the Good Prince that the board retreat was happening at our house, his response was "I didn't know our house was that rustic."
Rustic or not, it worked out well enough, although 9 people was a bit crowded, and the Good Kitty was hiding downstairs the whole day. But we got a lot done, although I think I got my best idea AFTER the meeting was over and pretty much everyone had gone home. And it was a long day, by the time I cleaned up and returned the house back to normal, it was 7 hours later. I never even got around to washing my face (people arrived a bit early, right before I was about to wash up and change my clothes).
We tried a new restaurant today — Ho Soon Yi, a Korean place on Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy. I really liked my tofu stew, but their kimchee dishes selection wasn't as varied as some other places. Also, they didn't have a hot version of bi bim bop; although for a change, it came with lots of toppings and not so much rice, which is a big plus; but that may just be due to the current rice situation.
And the Random Movie the other night was Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Some movies are very lucky, like Forgetting, which was picked the first time it got on the random selection list. Other movies, like Kite Runner, which has been on the list since it opened, and same with Teeth and also The Other Boleyn Girl, and lots of other movies, never get picked, week after week after week.
Well, I didn't care for Forgetting, it was a bit raunchier that I like.
Rustic or not, it worked out well enough, although 9 people was a bit crowded, and the Good Kitty was hiding downstairs the whole day. But we got a lot done, although I think I got my best idea AFTER the meeting was over and pretty much everyone had gone home. And it was a long day, by the time I cleaned up and returned the house back to normal, it was 7 hours later. I never even got around to washing my face (people arrived a bit early, right before I was about to wash up and change my clothes).
We tried a new restaurant today — Ho Soon Yi, a Korean place on Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy. I really liked my tofu stew, but their kimchee dishes selection wasn't as varied as some other places. Also, they didn't have a hot version of bi bim bop; although for a change, it came with lots of toppings and not so much rice, which is a big plus; but that may just be due to the current rice situation.
And the Random Movie the other night was Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Some movies are very lucky, like Forgetting, which was picked the first time it got on the random selection list. Other movies, like Kite Runner, which has been on the list since it opened, and same with Teeth and also The Other Boleyn Girl, and lots of other movies, never get picked, week after week after week.
Well, I didn't care for Forgetting, it was a bit raunchier that I like.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
MiT, 1st senior, day 12, 3rd senior meet & greet
I met my senior #3 today, and she's a painter. And her husband (who's passed away) was a photographer. She sounded excited to be able combine images from her assortment of photos of her work and his work. We have our first print date next Monday, and sounds like she'll be very prepared...I hope.
My first senior was very lively today. Her family took her to visit the museum, and she must've REALLY enjoyed the exhibits, even though she couldn't remember what exhibits she saw. This was our conversation this afternoon (paraphrased):
She: "Oh, I went to the museum, and it was just wonderful. Have you been there?"
Me: "Not for the last couple of months, but yes, I've been there."
Then we paint, while this conversation repeats a couple of times. Then,
She: "Oh, I went to the museum, and it was just wonderful. You must go see this exhibit."
Me: "Sounds like it, you must've really enjoyed it."
Then we paint, while this conversation repeats a couple of times. Then,
She: "So, when are you going to see this exhibit?"
So now I'm committed to see this exhibit before we meet again next Thursday. Fortunately, I'm already planning to be in town to hang a show next week, and should be able to stop by for a visit.
And here was another funny conversation this afternoon. We were talking about someone she knew, and she was forgetting a word that she was looking for. She drew a circle on the top of her head and said, you know, what men wear on their heads.
Me: "Yarmulke?"
She: "No." And she kept on drawing the circle on her head.
Me: "Bold spot?"
She: "Yes!"
On the art front, I was able to persuade her that her 2nd painting was finished, and to work on the next one. She agreed, and we both thought she should perhaps loosen up a bit and just play and not worry so much about constructing a scene. I think she gets too hung up on that. So she started just putting colors on the paper and for a while, stuck to that. But then 15 minutes later, I looked over, and whoa, there was a tree on the left again! There's something about that tree...
In the evening, met with my critique group and showed them the new 'envelope' like pages I've mocked up, and everyone liked the idea. So more refinement, and I'm going with it.
Tomorrow's my board retreat (at our house!), and I haven't even cleaned up the dining room table yet. So I best get off the computer!
My first senior was very lively today. Her family took her to visit the museum, and she must've REALLY enjoyed the exhibits, even though she couldn't remember what exhibits she saw. This was our conversation this afternoon (paraphrased):
She: "Oh, I went to the museum, and it was just wonderful. Have you been there?"
Me: "Not for the last couple of months, but yes, I've been there."
Then we paint, while this conversation repeats a couple of times. Then,
She: "Oh, I went to the museum, and it was just wonderful. You must go see this exhibit."
Me: "Sounds like it, you must've really enjoyed it."
Then we paint, while this conversation repeats a couple of times. Then,
She: "So, when are you going to see this exhibit?"
So now I'm committed to see this exhibit before we meet again next Thursday. Fortunately, I'm already planning to be in town to hang a show next week, and should be able to stop by for a visit.
And here was another funny conversation this afternoon. We were talking about someone she knew, and she was forgetting a word that she was looking for. She drew a circle on the top of her head and said, you know, what men wear on their heads.
Me: "Yarmulke?"
She: "No." And she kept on drawing the circle on her head.
Me: "Bold spot?"
She: "Yes!"
On the art front, I was able to persuade her that her 2nd painting was finished, and to work on the next one. She agreed, and we both thought she should perhaps loosen up a bit and just play and not worry so much about constructing a scene. I think she gets too hung up on that. So she started just putting colors on the paper and for a while, stuck to that. But then 15 minutes later, I looked over, and whoa, there was a tree on the left again! There's something about that tree...
In the evening, met with my critique group and showed them the new 'envelope' like pages I've mocked up, and everyone liked the idea. So more refinement, and I'm going with it.
Tomorrow's my board retreat (at our house!), and I haven't even cleaned up the dining room table yet. So I best get off the computer!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Making a few changes
Since I started The Last Bedroom, I've written an entry everyday except for when I was away or sick. It's a studio diary, and I obviously don't work in the studio every single day of my life (although I probably do work in the studio 5-6 days out of the week).
Anyhow, the change is that I'll only be writing when I have something significant to document. Otherwise, I'll be combining days into a single entry. This is part of a bigger plan to reduce the amount of time I spend on the computer doing non-work related stuff, which is part of a still bigger plan to conserve. It must be because of Earth Day or something, but I've been thinking about different ways we can reduce and conserve further, and today over at Sundry's, she was talking about the same thing! I have some specific goals, but I'll talk about them some other time. My self-imposed limited amount of computer time is running low now.
Anyhow, after ruminating on Senior #2's book for a few weeks now, I've come to the conclusion of what's bothering me about it, and tried a few things today to see how I can fix it. Things that bother me:
1. I like the envelopes idea, but in practice, it's clumsy. Several problems with it — if I glue down the flaps so they're like real envelopes, removing and inserting the prints can damage the prints; if I don't glue them down, then all those flaps are clumsy to operate; and in either case, the envelope opening flaps can get in the way of turning the pages and closing the book, and they might get damaged themselves. So I explored different ways of making something that only looks like an envelope but is more practical to operate. I haven't quite figured it out yet, but I think I'm on the right track.
2. She's made 18 prints. Instead of making 18 envelopes, I want to combine them into pairs. She's already paired them up, but I have not arrived at a satisfactory method of somehow attaching them to each other. But, depending on what solutions I end up with for 1., I may not have to attach them to each other.
On other fronts, I finished the 2 cameos I brought home to finish for Marie Watt. So that's something off my mind...I've kept them for a while, and she's going to need them back soon.
Anyhow, the change is that I'll only be writing when I have something significant to document. Otherwise, I'll be combining days into a single entry. This is part of a bigger plan to reduce the amount of time I spend on the computer doing non-work related stuff, which is part of a still bigger plan to conserve. It must be because of Earth Day or something, but I've been thinking about different ways we can reduce and conserve further, and today over at Sundry's, she was talking about the same thing! I have some specific goals, but I'll talk about them some other time. My self-imposed limited amount of computer time is running low now.
Anyhow, after ruminating on Senior #2's book for a few weeks now, I've come to the conclusion of what's bothering me about it, and tried a few things today to see how I can fix it. Things that bother me:
1. I like the envelopes idea, but in practice, it's clumsy. Several problems with it — if I glue down the flaps so they're like real envelopes, removing and inserting the prints can damage the prints; if I don't glue them down, then all those flaps are clumsy to operate; and in either case, the envelope opening flaps can get in the way of turning the pages and closing the book, and they might get damaged themselves. So I explored different ways of making something that only looks like an envelope but is more practical to operate. I haven't quite figured it out yet, but I think I'm on the right track.
2. She's made 18 prints. Instead of making 18 envelopes, I want to combine them into pairs. She's already paired them up, but I have not arrived at a satisfactory method of somehow attaching them to each other. But, depending on what solutions I end up with for 1., I may not have to attach them to each other.
On other fronts, I finished the 2 cameos I brought home to finish for Marie Watt. So that's something off my mind...I've kept them for a while, and she's going to need them back soon.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Admin day
Shipped off my boxes to CO for the show at Abecedarian Gallery, and did my secretarial duties for Portland Open Studios and completed the minutes from our last meeting. Now I'm off to work on Marie Watt's cameo for a little bit before heading off to bed.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
The moon is full and lovely, but three days in a row?
My glasses clearly need some adjusting, but I could swear that the moon has been full for 3 nights in a row now.
I'm normally very good at detecting just the teeniest bit of the moon missing, but not this month.
Otherwise, it's a perfectly normal Sunday, a day of chores, the weight room, and a play.
I'm normally very good at detecting just the teeniest bit of the moon missing, but not this month.
Otherwise, it's a perfectly normal Sunday, a day of chores, the weight room, and a play.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Nothing's perfect
I finally finished packing my 3 big boxes for the Abecedarian show. After I sealed everything up, I discovered that I forgot not just one thing, but two — the contract and packing list, and 1 small book. I'll send the packing list and contract separately in the mail, and I'm just going to forget about the extra book (The Belly Dancer's Alphabet). Everything fits really well the way it is, I think I'll leave well enough alone.
Decided to frame up the other 2 pieces I got frames for the other day; one is a piece of my mothers that she gave us, and the other I bought at the PAC fundraiser last December. And wouldn't you know it, the frame for my mother's piece is just a teeny tiny bit too small. It's an oil on stretched canvas, and they measured just from the center in the 2 dimensions, where it's apparently just a smidgen shorter than along the edges.
And No. 3 in the Nothing's Perfect category — we went to see Raiders of the Lost Ark - the Adaptation, at Hollywood, and it was sold out. We even went an hour early. Not too surprising, I suppose, it had gotten such a big write-up in the papers. While I was reading about these 11, 12 year olds making this movie—setting the basement on fire, putting snakes in the basement, being dragged behind a moving truck—I kept on wondering, "did the adults know what they were up to?"
We ended up seeing Forbidden Kingdom, which was rather disappointing.
Decided to frame up the other 2 pieces I got frames for the other day; one is a piece of my mothers that she gave us, and the other I bought at the PAC fundraiser last December. And wouldn't you know it, the frame for my mother's piece is just a teeny tiny bit too small. It's an oil on stretched canvas, and they measured just from the center in the 2 dimensions, where it's apparently just a smidgen shorter than along the edges.
And No. 3 in the Nothing's Perfect category — we went to see Raiders of the Lost Ark - the Adaptation, at Hollywood, and it was sold out. We even went an hour early. Not too surprising, I suppose, it had gotten such a big write-up in the papers. While I was reading about these 11, 12 year olds making this movie—setting the basement on fire, putting snakes in the basement, being dragged behind a moving truck—I kept on wondering, "did the adults know what they were up to?"
We ended up seeing Forbidden Kingdom, which was rather disappointing.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Packing art is hard work, take two
Today was my absolute-must-pack-for-the-Abecedarian show day. The frames were ready late afternoon yesterday, and didn't take very long to put it together. I used plexi for these, instead of glass, and since the plexi comes with the protective covering, I didn't have to clean! Which is so much nicer than framing with glass.
Anyhow, I'm sending 2 framed prints, a bunch of matted/mounted prints, 2 pillow books, and a bunch of smaller artist's books. I had originally figured I could fit everything into 2 big boxes, but no such luck. So after much wrangling, and searching for another box, I wasn't able to ship them out today. But fortunately, shipping out Monday still works, and 3 big boxes it is.
Here's one of the boxes; I took photos so Alicia could pack it all back up again the same way. The other two boxes are straight forward — all prints, or just a single pillow book.
All the smaller artist's books are wrapped and packed on the bottom of this big box:
Then The Dog's Tale is set on top:
Then materials packed around it. Things still have to be taped down, but I'll finish that this weekend.
Looks like the newly updated web site does not render correctly on Windows IE—the padding around the images isn't working. Not sure why. Phooey, but I'm done fiddling with it for now.
Anyhow, I'm sending 2 framed prints, a bunch of matted/mounted prints, 2 pillow books, and a bunch of smaller artist's books. I had originally figured I could fit everything into 2 big boxes, but no such luck. So after much wrangling, and searching for another box, I wasn't able to ship them out today. But fortunately, shipping out Monday still works, and 3 big boxes it is.
Here's one of the boxes; I took photos so Alicia could pack it all back up again the same way. The other two boxes are straight forward — all prints, or just a single pillow book.
All the smaller artist's books are wrapped and packed on the bottom of this big box:
Then The Dog's Tale is set on top:
Then materials packed around it. Things still have to be taped down, but I'll finish that this weekend.
Looks like the newly updated web site does not render correctly on Windows IE—the padding around the images isn't working. Not sure why. Phooey, but I'm done fiddling with it for now.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Continuous improvement?
I've been slowly getting ready for the 3 person exhibit at Alicia Bailey's Abecedarian Gallery in CO. But of course, I always forget that sometimes frames are not available the same day you order them. I must try to put that in a permanent place in my head. Anyhow, my original plan for the day was to mat/mount/frame, but the frames weren't ready until after 3pm this afternoon. By then, I had been sucked into another project (still making changes to my web site), and sucked in good. So I just ended up doing that. (Actually had an appt with my first senior this afternoon, but she cancelled...family gathering for Passover.)
It took me a long time to decide which way to go. I tried a bunch of different things and stared at each one for a long time. I took out a lot of the explanatory text on the home page, and grouped the labels for the images together at the bottom. I also decided to switch to Garamond which is not as dense as Baskerville (what I had before), so it doesn't look like there's so much stuff there. We'll see how this works.
The reason why I wanted to make the change—I notice that some people come to my web site after googling for variations of 'gocco'. Then they probably just promptly click on the Portfolio link without looking around first, and that defaults to the painting page. I'm guessing that since they don't see any gocco related stuff there, many of them just bail out and leave at that point. So I'm hoping that, without all the explanatory text, the home page will actually be easier to navigate. We'll see.
The Random Movie this week, which we saw a couple of nights ago, was Under The Same Moon. A bit of a melodrama, but very sweet. The boy was phenomenal.
It took me a long time to decide which way to go. I tried a bunch of different things and stared at each one for a long time. I took out a lot of the explanatory text on the home page, and grouped the labels for the images together at the bottom. I also decided to switch to Garamond which is not as dense as Baskerville (what I had before), so it doesn't look like there's so much stuff there. We'll see how this works.
The reason why I wanted to make the change—I notice that some people come to my web site after googling for variations of 'gocco'. Then they probably just promptly click on the Portfolio link without looking around first, and that defaults to the painting page. I'm guessing that since they don't see any gocco related stuff there, many of them just bail out and leave at that point. So I'm hoping that, without all the explanatory text, the home page will actually be easier to navigate. We'll see.
The Random Movie this week, which we saw a couple of nights ago, was Under The Same Moon. A bit of a melodrama, but very sweet. The boy was phenomenal.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
An Engineer's Guide to Cats
And it was why I did not document my action filled day yesterday. I got so sidetracked by watching this guy's cat videos, and then somehow went from there to a video of a cat with 2 faces, and from there, videos of deformed babies.
Both today and yesterday were mostly computer work. Updated fingerstothebone.com with new photos; updated the paintings section with the new format (now same as the prints and books section). Put the new issue of Pudding up, put the new painting up. I'm thinking that I'm too wordy on the home page, so I'll probably change that sometime.
And on the good news front, 2008 is shaping up to be the Year of Long Lost Friends! Earlier this year, I heard from a college friend who googled me after the NYT article came out. This morning, I heard from a very dear friend from graduate school (and we lost contact after a couple of moves). Needless to say, I'm thrilled!
And it was why I did not document my action filled day yesterday. I got so sidetracked by watching this guy's cat videos, and then somehow went from there to a video of a cat with 2 faces, and from there, videos of deformed babies.
Both today and yesterday were mostly computer work. Updated fingerstothebone.com with new photos; updated the paintings section with the new format (now same as the prints and books section). Put the new issue of Pudding up, put the new painting up. I'm thinking that I'm too wordy on the home page, so I'll probably change that sometime.
And on the good news front, 2008 is shaping up to be the Year of Long Lost Friends! Earlier this year, I heard from a college friend who googled me after the NYT article came out. This morning, I heard from a very dear friend from graduate school (and we lost contact after a couple of moves). Needless to say, I'm thrilled!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Portland Open Studios web site update, continues
I'm still trucking along on the Portland Open Studios web site. All of the main pages are up (although some don't have a lot of contents yet), none of the artists images/links are there yet, and a few of the detail pages (which bring up a 2nd, smaller window) are up.
Made a new banner; put in the 'always on the 2nd & 3rd weekend', using zapfino, thinking that would jazz it up a bit; but now I"m thinking it's too much. I'll probably do something a bit more sedate.
Not sure about the rest of Portland, but after our sunny 70+ degrees weather this weekend, we had hail here in SW PDX. And it was pretty cold and wet. Glad I did my yard work yesterday.
Made a new banner; put in the 'always on the 2nd & 3rd weekend', using zapfino, thinking that would jazz it up a bit; but now I"m thinking it's too much. I'll probably do something a bit more sedate.
Not sure about the rest of Portland, but after our sunny 70+ degrees weather this weekend, we had hail here in SW PDX. And it was pretty cold and wet. Glad I did my yard work yesterday.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
A million little annoyances, take two
Since gl expressed interest in actually hearing about the million little annoyances, rather than the meta-annoyances, I shall enumerate them. Although now that it's been a few days, they don't seem so annoying anymore, which probably greatly reduces the entertainment value of the whole venture.
So lets see, last Tuesday was my usual volunteer day at Print Arts and at the library. And it just so happened that the GBW was meeting that night too at 23 Sandy Gallery which is, of course, located on Sandy Blvd east of the Willamette River.
And it also just so happens that we live very close to Barbur Blvd, west of the Willamette River; and fortuitously, Trimet has seen fit to have one bus route that goes on Barbur all the way across town directly onto Sandy. I thought, hey, providence! Easy commute and no parking fees. A very happy coincidence indeed and a Very Clever Commute Plan.
Well, as we all know, great happiness quite often leads to great unhappiness.
Annoyance #1 — the Barbur Transit Center does not have enough parking. The transit center is not so far away that I can not walk there (takes exactly 25 minutes), but since I'd be returning home late in the evening, I drove to the transit center. And wouldn't you know it, I drove around and around and around the parking lot so many times that I probably used up more gas than I would've had I just driven into town in the first place, and I still didn't find a parking space.
I finally gave up on my Very Clever Commute Plan and just drove into town, all the while hatching a Much Less Clever Plan, but still easier than driving all over town.
I decided I'd just park at the garage in front of the library and walk over to Print Arts, stopping at my usual Half and Half Cafe to get a sandwich to go; eat the sandwich while I walk the rest of the way to Print Arts (which is what I normally do when I successfully bus in).
Not as good as Very Clever Commute Plan, but it will have to do.
Coming into town on Barbur means that you get dumped on 1. Naito Parkway, 2. bus mall, or 3. PSU campus on 6th. I chose PSU campus on 6th, and I chose poorly. Major poorly. As in POORLY.
Annoyance #2-#999,997 — there's MAX construction on 6th; there are streets that don't go through; there are 999,994 pedestrians known as college students. But worst of all, there are traffic lights that NEVER. TURN. GREEN!
Yes, the light is red, then flashing yellow while the entire PSU student body crosses the street, and then it's red again, and then flashing yellow while the entire PSU student body crosses back to the other side, and then it's red, and then it's flashing yellow...
After 20 minutes, I was finally pointing in the correct direction, on a street without construction. Hey, that rhymes!
So now I'm late for my volunteer gig at Print Arts, but I continue with my Much Less Clever Plan and proceed to the parking garage.
Annoyance #999,998 — I enter the garage, then I see the sign that says $1.25/hour for the first 4 hours, but $3/hour after that. Too late to nix the garage, so I'd just have to move the car in the middle of the afternoon. Plan is now Even Less Clever Than Before.
Since I was already late, I decided to delay my lunch until later, which only makes me even grumpier. That was probably poor planning on my part, but by now, I really wasn't thinking straight.
Did my thing at Print Arts, had a lunch break, and proceeded to the library. And it was a fun afternoon.
Part way through the afternoon, I went to move the car. The Even Less Clever Than Before Plan called for me to leave the garage, pay for my 4 hours, drive around the block, and get back in the garage to start the clock anew.
Annoyance #999,999 — I was 10 minutes late, and they charged me the full $3 for my extra 10 minute. I protested, and she didn't care, not even one little bit. Needless to say, I did not return to the garage.
The rest of the day...it did go better.
Yes, I realize that I'm 1 annoyance short of the million promised. But now that I'm all worked up again, maybe I'll make up the shortfall before the night is out...
So lets see, last Tuesday was my usual volunteer day at Print Arts and at the library. And it just so happened that the GBW was meeting that night too at 23 Sandy Gallery which is, of course, located on Sandy Blvd east of the Willamette River.
And it also just so happens that we live very close to Barbur Blvd, west of the Willamette River; and fortuitously, Trimet has seen fit to have one bus route that goes on Barbur all the way across town directly onto Sandy. I thought, hey, providence! Easy commute and no parking fees. A very happy coincidence indeed and a Very Clever Commute Plan.
Well, as we all know, great happiness quite often leads to great unhappiness.
Annoyance #1 — the Barbur Transit Center does not have enough parking. The transit center is not so far away that I can not walk there (takes exactly 25 minutes), but since I'd be returning home late in the evening, I drove to the transit center. And wouldn't you know it, I drove around and around and around the parking lot so many times that I probably used up more gas than I would've had I just driven into town in the first place, and I still didn't find a parking space.
I finally gave up on my Very Clever Commute Plan and just drove into town, all the while hatching a Much Less Clever Plan, but still easier than driving all over town.
I decided I'd just park at the garage in front of the library and walk over to Print Arts, stopping at my usual Half and Half Cafe to get a sandwich to go; eat the sandwich while I walk the rest of the way to Print Arts (which is what I normally do when I successfully bus in).
Not as good as Very Clever Commute Plan, but it will have to do.
Coming into town on Barbur means that you get dumped on 1. Naito Parkway, 2. bus mall, or 3. PSU campus on 6th. I chose PSU campus on 6th, and I chose poorly. Major poorly. As in POORLY.
Annoyance #2-#999,997 — there's MAX construction on 6th; there are streets that don't go through; there are 999,994 pedestrians known as college students. But worst of all, there are traffic lights that NEVER. TURN. GREEN!
Yes, the light is red, then flashing yellow while the entire PSU student body crosses the street, and then it's red again, and then flashing yellow while the entire PSU student body crosses back to the other side, and then it's red, and then it's flashing yellow...
After 20 minutes, I was finally pointing in the correct direction, on a street without construction. Hey, that rhymes!
So now I'm late for my volunteer gig at Print Arts, but I continue with my Much Less Clever Plan and proceed to the parking garage.
Annoyance #999,998 — I enter the garage, then I see the sign that says $1.25/hour for the first 4 hours, but $3/hour after that. Too late to nix the garage, so I'd just have to move the car in the middle of the afternoon. Plan is now Even Less Clever Than Before.
Since I was already late, I decided to delay my lunch until later, which only makes me even grumpier. That was probably poor planning on my part, but by now, I really wasn't thinking straight.
Did my thing at Print Arts, had a lunch break, and proceeded to the library. And it was a fun afternoon.
Part way through the afternoon, I went to move the car. The Even Less Clever Than Before Plan called for me to leave the garage, pay for my 4 hours, drive around the block, and get back in the garage to start the clock anew.
Annoyance #999,999 — I was 10 minutes late, and they charged me the full $3 for my extra 10 minute. I protested, and she didn't care, not even one little bit. Needless to say, I did not return to the garage.
The rest of the day...it did go better.
Yes, I realize that I'm 1 annoyance short of the million promised. But now that I'm all worked up again, maybe I'll make up the shortfall before the night is out...
Saturday, April 12, 2008
The art tour
I decided to take the day off and go visit the Buckman Art Show and Saturday Market. Mostly, I just wanted to have a little R&R, which I haven't had for a couple of weeks now, between taxes, my regular projects, and yard work. Also, I was hoping to find a night light for the guest bedroom, and maybe anything else that might suit my fancy.
I didn't find a night light, and didn't spend much money. Bought a small print from Theo Ellsworth, whose work I saw at the Everett Station Lofts a few months back and really liked; he's at Saturday Market, which really surprised me. Bought a little card for the Good Prince (it's our anniversary!) from Carye of Red Bat Press, and a pack of mice cards drawn by the students at Buckman Elementary. (And I did sneak in a little work on the Portland Open Studios web site.)
The Random Movie (from a few nights ago) was Married Life. A rather different take on friendship, love, and marriage. Not sure that it's for everyone, but I kind of liked it.
I didn't find a night light, and didn't spend much money. Bought a small print from Theo Ellsworth, whose work I saw at the Everett Station Lofts a few months back and really liked; he's at Saturday Market, which really surprised me. Bought a little card for the Good Prince (it's our anniversary!) from Carye of Red Bat Press, and a pack of mice cards drawn by the students at Buckman Elementary. (And I did sneak in a little work on the Portland Open Studios web site.)
The Random Movie (from a few nights ago) was Married Life. A rather different take on friendship, love, and marriage. Not sure that it's for everyone, but I kind of liked it.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Inter-generational, Inter-racial groupings
Michael5000's bus stories reminded me of this little story, from a whole different era, and a whole different cultural setting.
Around 1976-77, I was a high school student living with a white American family (and if you didn't know already, I'm Asian). I don't notice it so much any more, but back then, it was the norm that kids helped with chores like yard work, or they worked for a neighbor for extra pocket money.
So I helped in the yard. Mostly I mowed the lawn, and I also helped my American mom with her gardening. This was in central Jersey, with very few Asian families. In fact, my high school had 3 other Asian kids. Two of them from the same Chinese family, and the 3rd one completely denied that she was Asian at all; instead, she wholly and completely identified only with the cultural and racial identify of her adoptive parents. We were once at a party for AFS students and host families where I overheard a conversation between her and a confused foreign student, who kept on asking Sue what her ethnic background was, and Sue's answer during that entire interrogation was 'Jewish, Jewish, and which part of Jewish don't you understand?!'
But I digress. Anyhow, I was helping my American mom in the yard, when this lady pulled up and asked my mom, pointing at me, "where can I get one of those?"
Not "can I hire her too?" If she misunderstood the relationship. Or "how much does she charge/how much do you pay her?" But "where can I get one of those?"
My American mom was livid. I don't remember being angry; being 16, 17, I probably just thought it was dumb. Our different reactions were perhaps not too different from the reactions of Michael5000 and his niece. I should note that I went everywhere with my American parents, and not once did anyone question the legitimacy of my being with them. Back then, child abduction was probably not on people's radars. I suppose it was both a more AND less innocent time, it just depends on which side of the tracks you were on.
Nowadays, if I seem to be having a marathon day in the garden, the Good Prince will sometimes come out, admire the yard, and tell me that for sure someone's going to ask him where they can get one of those. [Its now Saturday morning, I should add that here, in my own house, my own garden, I was once mistaken for hired garden help. And that wasn't so long ago.]
On other happier (or maybe not, since I seem to have injured myself), I took advantage of our good weather today and got a lot of yard work done. The dandelions are doing just fine, thank you very much. (And I worked on the Portland Open Studios web site too.)
Around 1976-77, I was a high school student living with a white American family (and if you didn't know already, I'm Asian). I don't notice it so much any more, but back then, it was the norm that kids helped with chores like yard work, or they worked for a neighbor for extra pocket money.
So I helped in the yard. Mostly I mowed the lawn, and I also helped my American mom with her gardening. This was in central Jersey, with very few Asian families. In fact, my high school had 3 other Asian kids. Two of them from the same Chinese family, and the 3rd one completely denied that she was Asian at all; instead, she wholly and completely identified only with the cultural and racial identify of her adoptive parents. We were once at a party for AFS students and host families where I overheard a conversation between her and a confused foreign student, who kept on asking Sue what her ethnic background was, and Sue's answer during that entire interrogation was 'Jewish, Jewish, and which part of Jewish don't you understand?!'
But I digress. Anyhow, I was helping my American mom in the yard, when this lady pulled up and asked my mom, pointing at me, "where can I get one of those?"
Not "can I hire her too?" If she misunderstood the relationship. Or "how much does she charge/how much do you pay her?" But "where can I get one of those?"
My American mom was livid. I don't remember being angry; being 16, 17, I probably just thought it was dumb. Our different reactions were perhaps not too different from the reactions of Michael5000 and his niece. I should note that I went everywhere with my American parents, and not once did anyone question the legitimacy of my being with them. Back then, child abduction was probably not on people's radars. I suppose it was both a more AND less innocent time, it just depends on which side of the tracks you were on.
Nowadays, if I seem to be having a marathon day in the garden, the Good Prince will sometimes come out, admire the yard, and tell me that for sure someone's going to ask him where they can get one of those. [Its now Saturday morning, I should add that here, in my own house, my own garden, I was once mistaken for hired garden help. And that wasn't so long ago.]
On other happier (or maybe not, since I seem to have injured myself), I took advantage of our good weather today and got a lot of yard work done. The dandelions are doing just fine, thank you very much. (And I worked on the Portland Open Studios web site too.)
Thursday, April 10, 2008
MiT, 1st senior, day 11, 2nd senior day 13
Things are winding down for my Rock Star senior (#2). We finished hand coloring the violin print, and she decided how she wanted her 18 prints paired up, and that was it. I'm going to stick with the same book model, but we're putting 2 prints in each envelope (the 2 prints will be bound together), which is why we're pairing them up.
Senior #1 is definitely getting in the groove with doing her watercolors. She finally made some progress with the piece that she's been working on, on and off, for the past 3 weeks or so. It's not necessarily 'progress' in that it's getting more 'beautiful' in the traditional sense, but I was happy that she was able to break through and decide what it was that she was after. She's been so indecisive. She's talkative again today, just like our last afternoon session. Either she just does better in the afternoon, or she's getting more comfortable with me.
On other fronts, made a lot of progress with the Portland Open Studios web site adding new content.
Senior #1 is definitely getting in the groove with doing her watercolors. She finally made some progress with the piece that she's been working on, on and off, for the past 3 weeks or so. It's not necessarily 'progress' in that it's getting more 'beautiful' in the traditional sense, but I was happy that she was able to break through and decide what it was that she was after. She's been so indecisive. She's talkative again today, just like our last afternoon session. Either she just does better in the afternoon, or she's getting more comfortable with me.
On other fronts, made a lot of progress with the Portland Open Studios web site adding new content.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Lake Oswego Chronicles piece, day 13
Last and final revision. Photograph taken, shipped off to the Chronicles folks; I'm also using it for the Portland Open Studios tour guide.
It's not too different from when I last worked on it, I just reworked the bird's nest. It was way too bowl like before which was really bugging me. This image is also correctly white balanced so the colors are true. The last image was way more orangy than it really is. (Although your mileage on your monitor would vary.)
On other fronts, started back on the Portland Open Studios web site update, and started on my 2nd Marie Watt cameo.
It's not too different from when I last worked on it, I just reworked the bird's nest. It was way too bowl like before which was really bugging me. This image is also correctly white balanced so the colors are true. The last image was way more orangy than it really is. (Although your mileage on your monitor would vary.)
On other fronts, started back on the Portland Open Studios web site update, and started on my 2nd Marie Watt cameo.
A million little annoyances
As I sat in the Marjane Satrapi talk last night, I realized how funny all these talented artists are. She was funny, as was James Turrell; Orhan Pamuk was very, very funny. Not silly funny, but smart funny. I wonder if there's a relationship between their humor and sensibilities and their creativity. And I also realized that I'm not funny. I don't mean that I'm not funny in any way, shape, or form, I'm just not funny when it comes to talking about my work. Which is how these other artists are, they're funny when they talk about their work. Here, on this blog, where I talk about my work, I write in fingerstothebone dry style; and my artist statements and blurbs are pretty humorless, too.
Just in case that there's a connection between funny and creativity, I'd like to try for some funny. Maybe funny and creativity feed each other. Today was a perfect day for me to practice funny. As the title suggests, it was a day of a million little annoyances. No accidents, no illnesses, but lots of those annoyances that, in the hands of a funny person, could make a really funny post.
I realize that it would still not be funny about my work, but it would be good funny practice. All day I've been thinking about this, thinking how I could phrase things, present things, or highlight certain things. And I came up with...nothing.
And now I'm just too darned tired to think about funny. I think sleep trumps funny.
Just in case that there's a connection between funny and creativity, I'd like to try for some funny. Maybe funny and creativity feed each other. Today was a perfect day for me to practice funny. As the title suggests, it was a day of a million little annoyances. No accidents, no illnesses, but lots of those annoyances that, in the hands of a funny person, could make a really funny post.
I realize that it would still not be funny about my work, but it would be good funny practice. All day I've been thinking about this, thinking how I could phrase things, present things, or highlight certain things. And I came up with...nothing.
And now I'm just too darned tired to think about funny. I think sleep trumps funny.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
MiT, 1st senior, day 10, 2nd senior day 12
In my last few morning meetings with senior #1, she had not been ready; I usually found her in her bathrobe when I'd knock on her door at our appointed time. The activities coordinator suggested that we switch that around, so today I met with my second senior in the morning and my first senior in the afternoon.
That, worked out very well. In fact, my first senior was 15 minutes early this afternoon!
In the morning, my Rock Star senior and I looked at all the prints that she'd made so far (18 of them!) and picked out the ones that she wants to work on some more. There was the one verse with the spelling error that she wanted to correct (she decided to handwrite in the correction). There were two that she wanted to add watercolors to, so we hand colored 30 prints today. The rest we'll finish next time.
In the afternoon, my mercury senior was very talkative today. She's usually not so talkative, at least not in the morning; so she probably is more of an afternoon person. She clearly is very fond of the first watercolor she finished, and is lamenting that she hasn't been able to complete another one since. So we talked about what she could add to one of her unfinished pieces, and one of my suggestions was to add some ducks or geese to the water. We practiced making ducks and geese most of the afternoon, and I think she had a good time; although I think in the end, that's not how she'd want to finish the piece. But that's ok.
The highlight of the evening was the Marjane Satrapi (author of Persepolis) talk. Time goes by so quickly, it seemed like just a few weeks ago that I bought tickets to the Orhan Pamuk and the Satrapi talks, but these 2 talks bracket the 2007-2008 Literary Arts lecture series, so I know it's been a while.
One thing she mentioned — the book is not an autobiography, rather it's the telling of the events around her, as observed by her. By framing it in the first person's view point, it's much easier for people to relate to.
I don't know if that's the reason or not, but when I was watching the movie, I did feel as if it was telling my story. There are a lot of superficial similarities between our lives—I left home at 15 to go to school in another country, she at 14; we both grew up under repressive governments (although she had more awareness of that early on than I did); we both grew up with wars (hers was much more physically real, mine was more rhetorical); we both had to live within a dominant culture that knew nothing about our own cultures; we both went to live with strangers (my situation worked out very well, hers did not); we both had grandmothers who were strong presence in our lives; we both fell in love with guys who cheated on us (she was smarter, it took me a bit longer...what can I say).
She is much more of a rebel than I am though. I've never been a rebel, and I'm not sure if I'm sorry or happy about it. Exactly what does it mean to NOT be a rebel?
That, worked out very well. In fact, my first senior was 15 minutes early this afternoon!
In the morning, my Rock Star senior and I looked at all the prints that she'd made so far (18 of them!) and picked out the ones that she wants to work on some more. There was the one verse with the spelling error that she wanted to correct (she decided to handwrite in the correction). There were two that she wanted to add watercolors to, so we hand colored 30 prints today. The rest we'll finish next time.
In the afternoon, my mercury senior was very talkative today. She's usually not so talkative, at least not in the morning; so she probably is more of an afternoon person. She clearly is very fond of the first watercolor she finished, and is lamenting that she hasn't been able to complete another one since. So we talked about what she could add to one of her unfinished pieces, and one of my suggestions was to add some ducks or geese to the water. We practiced making ducks and geese most of the afternoon, and I think she had a good time; although I think in the end, that's not how she'd want to finish the piece. But that's ok.
The highlight of the evening was the Marjane Satrapi (author of Persepolis) talk. Time goes by so quickly, it seemed like just a few weeks ago that I bought tickets to the Orhan Pamuk and the Satrapi talks, but these 2 talks bracket the 2007-2008 Literary Arts lecture series, so I know it's been a while.
One thing she mentioned — the book is not an autobiography, rather it's the telling of the events around her, as observed by her. By framing it in the first person's view point, it's much easier for people to relate to.
I don't know if that's the reason or not, but when I was watching the movie, I did feel as if it was telling my story. There are a lot of superficial similarities between our lives—I left home at 15 to go to school in another country, she at 14; we both grew up under repressive governments (although she had more awareness of that early on than I did); we both grew up with wars (hers was much more physically real, mine was more rhetorical); we both had to live within a dominant culture that knew nothing about our own cultures; we both went to live with strangers (my situation worked out very well, hers did not); we both had grandmothers who were strong presence in our lives; we both fell in love with guys who cheated on us (she was smarter, it took me a bit longer...what can I say).
She is much more of a rebel than I am though. I've never been a rebel, and I'm not sure if I'm sorry or happy about it. Exactly what does it mean to NOT be a rebel?
Sunday, April 06, 2008
POS minutes and 23 Sandy show prep
OK, two more things off my list (almost), and I'm practically done with my list for the weekend. I'm still double checking the board meeting minutes against the recording. Since that was a 3 hour meeting, it's taking a while (I'm writing this while listening to the recording). Also wrote up the little blurb for the June show at the SideShow Gallery at 23 Sandy and sent in the image.
The only thing I didn't do was to photo the piece for the LO Chronicles show, and I still have another week to do that, so it's not an emergency. I do need to prepare for my meetings with the seniors tomorrow still, and we're staring early, at 10am!
Otherwise, it is a pretty typical Sunday.
The only thing I didn't do was to photo the piece for the LO Chronicles show, and I still have another week to do that, so it's not an emergency. I do need to prepare for my meetings with the seniors tomorrow still, and we're staring early, at 10am!
Otherwise, it is a pretty typical Sunday.
April newsletter and web site update
I finally put together the newsletter (with class announcements and such) and sent it out. And I sent images of Fatherland to Karen. That's only two of the five things on my list for the weekend, not good. The reason—I got really sidetracked and started updating the Prints & Artists Books section of my web site, which really needed updating. I also reorganized how each of the sub pages linked to the other pages. Hopefully, it's easier to use. Eventually, I'll do the same thing to the Paintings and Design sections.
Here are a couple of screenshots. Before, I was using arrow keys, which gave no indication of where you are in the collection of items. Even though you can't really see the content of the tiny squares, I think this is clearer. I thought about adding popup text when you mouseover the tiny boxes, but I think learning DHTML will have to wait for another day.
Here are a couple of screenshots. Before, I was using arrow keys, which gave no indication of where you are in the collection of items. Even though you can't really see the content of the tiny squares, I think this is clearer. I thought about adding popup text when you mouseover the tiny boxes, but I think learning DHTML will have to wait for another day.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Ticking things off my list!
I'm done with MY part of the taxes! Yay!
AND I got my gocco class description done, updated the web site Classes page, sent Jeremy the information (which is now only 2 weeks late).
And, I'm sitting in front of the computer, doing paperwork all day, so yes, I was listening to Andreas Scholl all day. Although, now I've switched to Deborah Voight.
What's left for the weekend: images of Fatherland to Karen; image of the LO Chronicles piece to LO; contract for June show to Laura; write and send out newsletter; minutes for POS meeting, which is now 2-3 weeks ago! And of course, get ready to meet with my seniors again on Monday.
AND I got my gocco class description done, updated the web site Classes page, sent Jeremy the information (which is now only 2 weeks late).
And, I'm sitting in front of the computer, doing paperwork all day, so yes, I was listening to Andreas Scholl all day. Although, now I've switched to Deborah Voight.
What's left for the weekend: images of Fatherland to Karen; image of the LO Chronicles piece to LO; contract for June show to Laura; write and send out newsletter; minutes for POS meeting, which is now 2-3 weeks ago! And of course, get ready to meet with my seniors again on Monday.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Sewing Circle
Portland artist Marie Watt occasionally holds sewing circles to work on one of her projects. They're a great way to get a behind the scenes look at her work and to meet other artists. There was one today, to work on her piece for the Portland Art Museum's Contemporary Northwest Art Awards exhibit (this was what replaced the Oregon Biennial).
I almost decided to not go. I got a late start for the day, and didn't get to the taxes at all. And after lunch, I really waffled between the two; but in the end, indulged myself and went to the sewing circle. And I'm glad I did. I finished one of the 'cameos', which are not cameo sized but more like the size of a sheet of paper, and brought another one home to work on. Met Marie's assistants and Lisa, a friend and an arts consultant/administrator, who is very funny. So the afternoon passed quickly and with much good humor.
So much for taxes. (And yes, I'm still listening to Andreas Scholl...must get more CD's.)
I almost decided to not go. I got a late start for the day, and didn't get to the taxes at all. And after lunch, I really waffled between the two; but in the end, indulged myself and went to the sewing circle. And I'm glad I did. I finished one of the 'cameos', which are not cameo sized but more like the size of a sheet of paper, and brought another one home to work on. Met Marie's assistants and Lisa, a friend and an arts consultant/administrator, who is very funny. So the afternoon passed quickly and with much good humor.
So much for taxes. (And yes, I'm still listening to Andreas Scholl...must get more CD's.)
Taxes!
Yes, I did what I said I would do today! What a change. I'm not quite finished yet, but looks like I did better than last year, which isn't very hard, since I netted all of $500 in 2006. That was my worst year in all the years since I went full time with my art.
The Random Movie tonight was The Year My Parents Went on Vacation, a touching story about a young boy who suddenly found himself in the care of strangers, set against the 1970 World Cup games and political turmoil in Brazil.
The Random Movie tonight was The Year My Parents Went on Vacation, a touching story about a young boy who suddenly found himself in the care of strangers, set against the 1970 World Cup games and political turmoil in Brazil.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Week of chores, catch up, and taxes
As always, we've left taxes until the last moment. So this week has been set aside to do taxes, plus I have a ton of loose ends to catch up on, emails to respond to. U. of Wisconsin is buying a copy of Fatherland, that was shipped out today; plus the AU copies of Pudding went out too; Portland Open Studios stuff; much needed errands.
And, I went looking for a small stereo or a nice boombox, so I can listen to Andreas Scholl in all the rooms I frequent. Otherwise, I'm sitting in front of the computer all the time just so I can listen to the music (like right now, repeatedly checking to see if I have more email coming in just so I can keep listening). The boombox in my studio doesn't do it justice, which is of course true of the Deborah Voight CD I just got too, and pretty much everything else I play in the studio.
OK, this will be the 3rd time that I've mentioned Andreas Scholl, so any time now, one of you could jump in and say, "yes, yes, he's an amazing singer! I'm in love too!"
And, I went looking for a small stereo or a nice boombox, so I can listen to Andreas Scholl in all the rooms I frequent. Otherwise, I'm sitting in front of the computer all the time just so I can listen to the music (like right now, repeatedly checking to see if I have more email coming in just so I can keep listening). The boombox in my studio doesn't do it justice, which is of course true of the Deborah Voight CD I just got too, and pretty much everything else I play in the studio.
OK, this will be the 3rd time that I've mentioned Andreas Scholl, so any time now, one of you could jump in and say, "yes, yes, he's an amazing singer! I'm in love too!"
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