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I will again be participating at Tiny Expo 2011 in Ann Arbor on December 10th! From now until December 9th I will be busy making little sculptures to sell at the festival. I also can't wait to eat at this delicious noodle house after. :)
I had today all to myself. I decided I would take advantage of this one day in NYC to go to galleries and finally get to the National History Museum. The day started strong with Breakfast at my hotel.I was pretty hungry but it being NYC everything is freaking overpriced so I just settles on some fruit and sausage to keep me full until lunch.
I then decided to walk to Chelsea to visit the gallery district. It surprisingly wasn't that bad of a walk. I stoped at Starbucks on my way and I pretended that I wasn't just a tourist. I was just a girl on her way to someplace important. I thought about how awesome it might be to actually live in NYC, but I also tought about how tough it would be. I mean even being a mailman or UPS guy looked rough. You had to carry loads of packages and boxes on a cart and hussle. Some mailmen even had horns that they beeped constantly so people got out of the way. Even getting groceries looked like it would be a hassle. So maybe NYC is just a good place to visit for now.
When I finally got into Chelsea I couldn't believe how many galleries there are. Just one after another.Working in a gallery myself, I couldn't even imagine what this would be like. I mean they just had buildings full of galleries and art spaces. It would be so inspiring.It was kind of overwhelming at the same time.
I first went to Joshua Liner gallery and saw Chloe Early's Feathers and Wax and Ryan McLennan's Abominations. Chloe's work was nice but didn't excite or touch me as much as Ryans. His paintings on paper of animals were haunting. The feeling of distress that came across really bothered me. I stared at them for awhile. They were really beautiful and well done.
I then made my way to Lyons Weir gallery for Martin Wittfooths The Passions. His work is amazing. Once again it touched me. Maybe because the subject again was animals in distress and I work with that in my own work. I noticed that a lot of artists I saw are playing a little with this theme. I wanted to go to BOLD HYPE gallery but my timing was off and I got there a half an hour too early.So they were closed. On my way to Jonathan Levine Gallery I happen to stumble upon Marc Dennis's Honey Bunny at Hasted Kraeutler Gallery. WOW! This guy can paint.He wasplaying with the Juxtaposition of guns, fluffy animals, and meat. There was also some frilly lingerie and women's jewelry in there. I was so happy to find this place on accident.
Finally I made my way to Jonathan Levine Gallery. As expected I was amazed. AJ Fosik and Josh Keys were on Exhibition. I could believe the detail that was put into these works. Josh's paintings were amazing. They were so crisp and precise but also playful. Fosik's wooden sculptures blew me away. The way each and every single tiny piece of wood fit and was sculpted...I just stared with my mouth open and maybe drool even came out. He had this one piece where this human, dragon, lion monster thing was chasing this group of rabbits. I could just feel the fear radiating off of the rabbits. Even though they were just made of wood and screws and paint. The way he chose to sculpt them and group them was just perfect.
After my gallery visits I decided it was time for lunch. I had all intentions of just getting a hot dog or piece of pizza but then I saw this restaurant, Cookshop on the corner and I decided to go in. I was not disappointed. i ended up ordering their griddled cheese and their Apple Saused cocktail. Delish! The fries were fresh cut and I think they even made their own ketchup.
After lunch I went down to LULU Cake Bakery. I saw this place on the cooking channel and have been dreaming of it ever since.
I settled on there chocolate covered "twinkie" in yellow cake and red velvet. There was a sign proclaiming that you should wait an hour to eat them right out of the refridgerated case but I ate the yellow cake one right away. It was delish. So at lulu's I found myself standing at 15th and 8th ave. I neede to make it alllll the way to 77th. I thought that'd I'd just walk, I had all day. Oh man. I got hot, then cold while waling. My feet were going to fall off at 55th. but I kept going and finally saw the light at the tunnel when I came to Central Park. I thought what the heck I'll just cut in through there and be fine. Well I wasn't fine. I got turned around twice, I asked a worker for help and he just got mad at me and walked away. I thought I was going to never make it to the History Museum. So when I finally escaped the park, I just caved in and got a cab. It took him like 2 mins. When I finally arrived at the museum it was already 4:30 (I started walking there at 1:30) and it was almost closing. So sadly I was felt rushed but I still got to see the amazing dinosaurs and some awesome animal displays. After the museum I ate at Ocean Grill. It was was great and I even got to sit inside a window and look out over Central Park. After dinner I was about to fall asleep at the table. So I hailed a taxi back to my hotel, What took me 3 hours took him 15 mins. Oh well...I got to see the city!
When I felt like all hope was lost, my feet hurt, my bag was too heavy and I just couldn't get to the museum I stumbled upon this cute old couple that was sleeping on a bench. It was the sweetest thing I had ever seen.
So as I said the main reason I am here in NYC is to be a rep at a college fair and a portfolio day. Last night was the New York City Performing and Visual Arts NACAC fair. I felt that it was basically a selling spree. You set up your table, they opened the doors to a flood of high school students and anyone that even glanced at your table you need to tell them why your art school was the best. It was hard. Even though I went to the school I still felt that I couldn't answer some questions. :( I even got a kids name wrong. I felt like an ass. But I did my best and most kids left my table happy. It was also funny and sad to see people look at my sign and see that CCS is in Detroit and the look on their faces was like absolute horror. It's weird coming from Detroit and seeing what everyone outside thinks. As they say, It was written all over their face.
Here's some pictures of my table and the event.
The Javits center was very close to my hotel. I am also very close to the Lincoln Tunnel. I took a few pictures of my walk back from the fair. Please excuse how boring they are. At least the lights are pretty.
Well today is my free day. I already have it all planned out. Lot's of walking, galleries, food and The American National History Museum Finally! Every time I come to NYC it's always on my list. So the next blog post will be FUUUULLL of pictures!
SO here I find myself alone in NYC. Why am I here? well I get to represent CCS. My college Alma mater. It's a free trip and it's NYC so why would I say no when they asked?? I have to do a little work while I am here. Tonight, for example, I have to make my way to Javits Convention Center and meet with prospective college students. I'll pass out brochures and answer questions. It should be fun. My first day here has been great so far. I still can't believe it is only 2:30 pm when I feel it should be at least 8pm. But maybe that's because I was up this morning at 5:45 am!
My flight in was smooth and I even got to listen to a few songs on the new Florence album. The Taxi ride sucked ass. It took me 45 mins to get to my hotel! I know NYC has awful traffic but the constant start and stop made me feel like I might barf. I did pass through the fashion district and I couldn't believe how many fabric stores their are.
I finally arrived at my hotel, Yotel and was pleasantly surprised. It's pretty nice. It's very small but, It's only me staying here. Not a family of five.
The bed is pretty sweet and perfect for a reader like me. You can move it up and down so you're either sitting or laying. They even have little lights for me to shine down on my book.:)
I arrived to the hotel starving so I was directed by the concierge to somewhere close for lunch. I ended up at this little italian restaurant a few blocks away. I was a little apprehensive to go in because no one was in the place. But as I was glancing at the menu a waiter came out and started telling me about the specials and how the chef will cook me whatever I'd like so I decided to not break this guys heart and I went in. To my surprise it was really, really good.
I have italian at home a lot but it's always good to have when you need something comforting. The bread was good, the salad was amazing and the lasagna made me feel all warm inside. I could have eaten bowls of that salad. So I was feeling good about my choice but then in the window they had a notice saying their food and health inspection grade was pending! I thought " what the hell?" As I walked back to the hotel I noticed that all the restaurants had grades. In Michigan they don't post anything like that on the windows, and maybe they should. I asked the hotel about it when I got back and of course they told me not to worry. It's a new thing NY is doing and I should just stay away from places that have like a C in their window. :)Oh well, I'll let you know if I get sick or not.
Well now I must get ready to talk to High School students. I think I'll take a nap. Tomorrow is my free day. It will be a gallery and museum day!
So I've been feeling uber stressed and pretty blah about the way things have been going in my life. About a year ago I had all these goals of making art everyday, going to school, possibly getting a new awesome, better paying job. But alas, a year later I am still kind of stuck. I have taken a few tiny steps by starting a website, trying to maintain this blog, taking some design classes and I even had an amazing two woman show. But still I am in the same rut. Maybe it's because I don't really know what I want to do. I know I want to make art...I want to be a success...but those are kind of vague and not that solid.I just thought at 27 I'd be something. Something important...I am sure to many peoples eyes I am doing just fine but I still don't feel satisfied.
I guess I really need to do some major journaling and thinking... get things squared away. Otherwise who knows, I might be 37 and feeling this way and that will be no fun.
Until then I will be busy in the studio preparing for Tiny Expo 2011 in Ann Arbor. It is a fun relaxing one day event and I am very excited. (Even if I am only really excited to eat at this great Chinese noodle house after :) )
Well this weekend was the weekend of the Woodward Dream Cruise. OOOOOO, AHHHHHH. Nope, it was awful. On Saturday during the peak of the Cruise I decided to take Missy for a walk. As I was walking I realized that the Cruise is nothing more than another excuse for people to gather and get wasted. It's kind of scary because this getting trashed involves cars. I don't think Missy liked it as well because when I sat on the grass with her to people watch she decided to back up just enough so her butt was on my legs.
I was laughing so hard at this butt on my legs. Overall I just thought the cruise was noisy but the old muscle cars are pretty sexy.
In February I will be goig on a cruise. Since most of my family is involved I need to find someone to watch my little Muffin for 5 days. I thought Dan's mom would be a good choice because she has a dog. Well, we had them meet yesterday and it wasn't fun. My dog is the biggest brat. I think the anger stemed from the fact that the other dog stole her bone but still, why can't my dog just be friends with other dogs. I am begining to realize that I may need to find someone who can stay at the house with her or off to a Doggy Hotel she goes. :(
Since I have started school I feel that my little dog Missy hasn't been getting enough attention. Well, she probably gets more attention than any dog in the world but, I know I have been slacking on the walks and on Mondays the poor thing is left home pretty much all day.So Sunday I decided I would spend it with her. We went on three walks and one of those walks was to the Rust Belt in Ferndale. Ferndale is an AWESOME place to live, we have a lot of mom and pop bars, restaurants and bakeries. We even have started to see an influx of Food trucks! It's easy and fun to walk anywhere too.
If you don't know what the Rust Belt is, it's basically a indoor art fair! It's awesome because it's all local artists and they come together every weekend and sell their awesome wares. It's also DOG FRIENDLY, like many place in Ferndale. So I had a date with Missy there.
Here is the Rust Belt!
Missy walking with me :)
Inside the Rust Belt.
Missy was surprisingly good inside. She walked slowly with me and sniffed at the floor a bit. She always surprises me. On our walk back home we found this awesome tree with a hole in it. No critter was living inside, but I kind of wish I could.
For all you computer wizards out there this image probably isn't the greatest but I am pretty proud of myself. Right now I am taking some beginning photoshop/computer design classes at a local community college. This was our first big assignment where we had to use all the skills we learned from the past 5 weeks. I have only dabbled in photoshop but am beginning to realize all the amazing this I can now do with it. I can now make this blog look better and even my website look awesome, only now I have to find time.
Last weekend Dan and I went and saw the final Harry Potter at the IMAX Theater in Historical Greenfield Village. The movie was amazing.Being such a huge fan of the books and movies I thought it was a great finale. I did cry, quite hard at times,over the deaths of characters. I knew it was going to happen but actually seeing it was sad. It is a bittersweet ending but now I can run out and buy all the movies and watch them any time I like. They won't be on a ginormous screen or in 3D but at least I can cry alone instead of next to complete strangers.
Last Sunday we had Audrey and her husband over for lunch and we went to the flea market. I didn't find much but Dan bought an old gun and was super happy. :) I also got to go roller skating!!! Such a blast.
This weekend was just as fun! Saturday Katie Kutthroat visited and we just hung out with my dog Missy. During conversation we saw Missy rolling in the grass, sniffing something, then rolling again. Turns out it was this...
A disgusting half rotted mouse. I don't understand dogs!!! She was smelling good from a bath but she decided maggot mouse smelled better.
That evening Dan and I rode our bikes to Pig and Whiskey. It's a new BBQ festival that is held just blocks away from our house. We ate delicious BBQ and drank too much. We had to move Audrey out of her studio the next day so maybe pounding back 6 beers before bed wasn't a good idea. Look at the size of this polish sausage...
I was a little embarassed to try and eat this thing.
Cheers to the summer weekends and friends. It really is the best.
So here in Michigan it has been in the upper 90's allllllll week. Not only is it hot but the humidity has made it quite unbearable. The grass and plants are turning an ugly shade of burnt yellow. To make matters worse I came home to no power! So with all the candles burning, I laid on the floor and tried to sleep. It was awful. It was midnight and still 85 degrees in my house.
Thankfully at about 4 am the power kicked back on and all was back to being good. I don't even think I have to throw away all the contents of my fridge and freezer like I thought.
Great view from our hike...
This weekend was by far the best weekend I've had in awhile. It was a delightful balance of alone time, time with my boyfriend, time with old friends and I even met a few new friends.
Friday night was a great dinner and some great conversation with my love Dan. Nothing beats time with him anyday.
Saturday I was brave and went on my first true Meetup. For those of you who don't know about meetup. Basically it's a online site where you join groups and these groups post things to do.This group is all about going outside and hiking, boating, etc. So I went to REI and bought myself a little hiking pack and went on my first hike.It felt more like a great walk in the woods.The two guys I met up with (yes only two other people showed) really made sure I had a great time. They both shared in my love of food, art and the outdoors. We ended the hike at this cute restaurant that used to be a church. You actually sit in the old pews. It was great. I am not a big beer person but they convinced me to try this beersampler, I was not disappointed.
wild rasberries from the trail..
Saturday night ended with Dan and I going to a "We're getting Married" party with some old friends at a tiny bar. This bar features Karaoke and let me tell you, Dan and I were peeing our pants from laughter. After a few drinks I was convinced to sing and I sang Cher's Dark Lady. Dan said I did pretty good but I think he was just being nice.
Sunday was hot but relaxing. I was home most of the day with my pup Missy. I had photoshop homework and housework to keep me occupied. The night ended with a great phone call from Audrey and dinner with Dan.
So last Saturday was the opening for Beautiful Monstrosities! All of Audrey and my planning paid off! The show was set up in two days and could not have been any better. The opening was fun and pieces sold. There is nothing better to have people come to your show and tell you how great everything is. It makes all the sleepless nights, not eating, going crazy feel worth it. There is this adorable family that lives just around the corner from the gallery. The saw My Child and asked me if I liked Coaraline. Well of course I told them. It was amazing how they could make that connection because during the process of making this show I must have watched that movie a million times. I even listened to the soundtrack.
But now that is all said and done I am kind of sad. But here are some pictures for you to enjoy
I'm not calling you a liar, just don't lie to me.
I'm not call you a thief, just don't steal from me.
I'm not calling you a ghost, so stop haunting me.
I love you so much, I'm going to let you kill me.
This past weekend my love and I went up north. It was a great retreat and I got some much needed rest and relaxation before this busy week starts up again.
Today is back to reality and back to putting the final touches on all my work for Beautiful Monstrosities. I probably won't check back with you until after the show.
Until then enjoy summer.
LOOK AT THIS!!! This cute little bulldog was handmade with amazingness by the Lovely, Whendi Meagher. This is an artist I wish I could spend the day with in the studio so i could pick up some tips and tricks!!!
Today Audrey and I will be working on the finishing touches for our show. I was in the studio all morning yesterday finishing as much as I could for her arrival. I felt confidant enough with my progress that I was even able to attend Dans cousins Graduation part where I stuffed myself with these flaky, sugar cookies. It was so bad that I was finding excuses to go inside and secretly stuff my face with more! Audrey and I will also be taking a trip with Dan, Jesse (the owner of 323East)and Camilo (another 323East Artist) to an art Collectors house. He has a giant red Rocking Horse on his front lawn! Should be interesting. I am excited to see the art but I may be more excited that there will be pizza, cheese, olives and wine. ;)
I'm sorry that I haven't been keeping up on this blog. Somedays it is just so hard.The past 2 weeks have been a rollercoaster ride. I was called in to interview for a position that I have wanted for awhile. I was so excited and happy at the same time. I was even more thrilled that they called me back for the second interview. The day before the second interview my Grandpa passed away. So that really threw a cruve ball at me. But instead of sitting at home or going to see my dad I sucked it up and went to work and continued preparing for my interview. Again even though I was sad I felt I rocked the second interview. But sadly I didn't get the position and I allowed myself to shed a few tears. I think Dan was more upset that I was.;)
This past weekend was the usual sitting at the funeral home, going to my grandmas, going to church, the cemetary.. etc etc. I have never been so drained. Even though I was exhausted I still had to tidy up my house and entertain guests on Fathers day.Thankfully Dan was awesome this weekend and was there with me the whole time.
To top it all off since I have been so bad about keeping on top of things lately, I won't be able to get my dress made. :( It would've only given the dressmaker 2 weeks to make something from scratch. I felt that was unfair. So thankfully I id find something that wasn't as amazing but still great. It was also a lot cheaper too. It's ordered and on it's way!
Thanks to my show partner, Audrey, here is another sneak peek for our up coming show, Beautiful Monstrosities.
This is, Betty Rose, in her ribbons and bows....
This creature still doesn't have a title. Usually the titles or names for my animals come to me pretty fast but not so much for this show.
Hopefully while I sleep they will come to life and whisper to me what they want to be called.
I have started to follow Amanda only a few months ago and I have grown to become such a fan. Her hard work inspires me. Each creature is always better than the one before. Looking at her work always makes me excited to go back into the studio and work on my own.
Here is one of her newest pieces. I really wish i could sneak a peek at her processes and techniques!!! Even just a conversation over coffee would be amazing..
This creature is called, Epitaph. I am in love. To view more of Amandas work visit her blog here.
