Tear, Fold, Glue

This week I spent a few hours turning this...


... into this...



It's like hot glue magic!

Is there anybody out there?

I finally added a counter to the bottom of my blog last week. To my surprise, I have so far gotten over 200 visits, almost 190 of them unique hits.

There are so many questions running though my mind at the moment: Who are you people? Why don't you leave comments? What do I have to do to get you to follow this little blog?

Honestly, I don't really care how many visitors I get. I started this blog as a diary of sorts, a way for my family and friends to keep up with what I'm doing, and a way to keep myself accountable for starting (and finishing) projects. The counter was added out of morbid curiosity, and has been quite entertaining thus far.

So "Thank You" to those of you who are reading this, even if it's only once! Please explore my past posts, and comment on anything you like/dislike.

Goodbye, Irving Penn

(Photo from Yahoo! News)

Photographer Irving Penn died today at the age of 92.

I was introduced to Penn's work just a few short weeks ago after attending the Small Trades show at The Getty. Penn has since become one of my favorite artists. I've spent countless hours viewing his lovely black and white photos, which range from high fashion couture to everyday laborers.

I've also been inspired by Penn's amazing work ethic. He worked right up until his death, and was constantly in pursuit of the perfect print. Whenever I feel too tired to work on a project, I remind myself that Penn was 92 and still working hard. Certainly a healthy 25-year-old can do the same.

To honor Penn's memory I'm putting his book A Notebook at Random on my "To Read" list (I use the verb "read" a bit loosely here; the book is more visual than textual), and am planning another Getty trip before his show ends in January.


Autumn Distraction #1: The Getty (9/14/09)

Autumn Distraction #2: Library Books

The first book I borrowed from the San Diego Public Library system. So far, it's been an excellent pick!

Books have always been my biggest love. When I saw Beauty and the Beast as a kid, my most vivid memory of the movie was the Beast's library. I wanted those books. I was jealous of Belle for having unlimited access to that library. The fact that the entire scenario was a cartoon and fictional was irrelevant. (Actually, I'm still a bit jealous of her. How awesome would it be to own dishes that can wash themselves?)

Ever since then I've been assembling my own library. I've bought fiction, non-fiction, instructional books, coffee table books, textbooks... Everything from Harry Potter and biographies of Mark Twain, to writing style manuals and illustrated Renaissance art volumes. (My interests are varied, to say the least.)

Due to guilt and dwindling bank accounts, I've cut way back on my book buying habit. The guilt comes from my environmental streak (Printing new books uses a lot of resources), and the fact that I own books that I've never read. While I've been making a valiant effort at reading books I've already purchased, sometimes I'm in the mood for something different.

How to remedy this? Easy: get a library card. In less than 30 minutes I printed an application from the internet, filled it out, drove to my local branch, and received my first San Diego Public Libraries card. I've since mastered their online catalog, and figured out how to put books on hold. I'm even loving their three week due dates: Long, vaguely defined deadlines cause me to procrastinate. Tell me I have less than a month to read something, and I'll have it done in two weeks flat.

So thus far, my experience with San Diego's libraries has been a positive one. But we'll see how I feel the first time I pay an overdue fine.

Magazine Haul

I found a listing on my local Freecycle group for free magazines:



The bulk of my raw materials usually come from my uncle, but this load will last well into the new year. I foresee a lot of tearing and sorting in my near future...
A big "Thank You" to Lynda and family for being such voracious periodical readers!


And here's a bit of what I've been working on:



This is part of my first order! Paper bowls make lovely Christmas gifts, so please e-mail me ASAP if you'd like a price sheet: sallymackart [at] yahoo [dot] com.
Once I complete these bowls, I plan to start work on more paper animals.

Modern Knight

Another inspiring pod about a great artist. This time it's NYC based Ted Riederer, who makes armor and skulls from records:



As for my own artwork: I've been working, but I haven't been photographing. I hope to have some shots up by the end of the week.

J-E-L-L-O!

This little pod is just delightful! Artist Liz Hickock works in JELL-O, making moulds of San Francisco's Mission District buildings, and casting them in the famous snack food:



I really love how Hickock's choice of medium allows for fun expression of color and light. It reminds me of childhood, though I admit I didn't eat much JELL-O growing up. Maybe I'm reminded of watching The Cosby Show with my grandparents. Still, good memories!

Autumn Distraction #1: The Getty

Summer is finally starting to feel like it's over. It's often hard to tell when summer is finished here in Southern California: We don't have the lovely Fall foliage of the north, and the temperature seems to hit ungodly heights even after Labor Day. However, the temperature has begun to drop, and I'm starting to think about packing up my shorts and breaking out the sweaters.

Even with Autumn weather just around the corner, I still find myself being pulled from my work. So instead of the fun summer distractions I shared over the past months, you can look forward to some Fall ones!

First up: I visited The Getty Museum this Saturday for the first time in about five years. Museums are some of my favorite places. I love the quiet, the dim lighting, and the thrill of discovering a "new" artist or art form. This visit introduced me to photographer Irving Penn, who is famous for his work in Vogue magazine.

The Getty exhibition, Irving Penn: Small Trades, focuses on Penn's work during the early 1950s, documenting the uniforms and work tools of skilled tradespeople in London, Paris, and New York. His photographs are visually stunning, but even more special as they capture a moment in time that is nearly lost. Many of the trades depicted in Penn's photos no longer exist in this modern age (milkman, street sweeper, rag and bone man), and many that have endured are slowly dying.

A Parisian Busboy. (Photo from The Getty website.)

I encourage anyone who can make the trip to Los Angeles to check out this exhibit. It is a very beautiful, interesting, and funny show (I would really like to know how Penn found a deep sea diver in NYC...). The exhibit runs until January 10, 2010, and I may even try for a second visit myself!

Are you serious? [A rare soap box moment]

Friend Ellis G. on Facebook.

Awhile back I linked to a Current TV pod about street artist Ellis G. (a.k.a. Ellis Gallagher). He does some really cool work where he roams the Brooklyn streets and outlines shadows with chalk.

However, it seems the NYPD does not think Ellis' work is awesome at all. His Facebook status recently informed us fans that he was taken into custody for breaking anti-graffiti laws. This isn't the first time Ellis has been arrested for his art, but I sincerely hope it's the last.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for keeping punks and thugs from deliberately defacing/damaging public and private property. This, however, is completely ridiculous. Chalk is water soluble, and is in no way permanent. The point of Ellis' work is that it's temporary, and subject to fading and changing over time. If the NYPD wants to go after Ellis' for covering Brooklyn in chalk, then they better be prepared to arrest or fine every six year old kid who does the same. Oh wait... apparently they do that already.


Current TV Programming + Chalk = Yet another reason I need to visit NYC (7/5/2009)

Know when to fold 'em

Getting geared up for some more projects: