Pills!Pills!Pills!...I mean...Girls!Girls!Girls!

In case you're a craigslist junkie....this is from me, not some copycat:

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/ats/1386712345.html

I'm serious, though. I need your pills. I'm addicted.

Custom Bookplate

So a few years ago I was commissioned by my good friend, Bret Bowie Hays, to design and produce a bookplate. He was entering seminary at the time, and wanted his bookplate to reflect his new devotion to his church.

Serious Casualty!

So I am humming as I ride my bicycle across Girard Avenue, wearing my helmet and a hoodie and looking like a total dweeb, when Flandria, aka not so much the best bike ever, decides that it's time to fail. Pop! goes the chain. Off! flies my shoe. And down she goes. but not before the chain and/or cog teeth gouge the hell out of my right foot.

So on my way to execute the studio revelation outlined here:

which I am ridiculously eager to do and excited about (I know you can't read it. That's part of the suspense.)

I instead end up creating this beauty:

And ruined the one decent hoodie I own:

And now perched on the couch unable to wear shoes so I can't go anywhere. Dirty Dirty City.

And I swear, that's after I've been cleaned up...those wounds are nice and deep.

And I'm attending a fancy wedding on Sunday. Thank you awesome timing!

At least I can use up some of the sick days I've been accumulating at work.

P.S. I'll bet that Flandria is getting revenge on me for the graffiti.

Pearls and Piano Stools

This piece hung in the Kimmel Center last year for a while.

Old Work

I've always loved this photograph.

Sundays at the Studio

I enjoyed a nice morning and early afternoon working diligently in my studio this Sunday. I left the building at 3pm only to find that two young North Philly boys had tagged up my bicycle, (who I caught because they were right down the block tagging a mailbox) which was locked to the bike rack at Richmond Mills.

Stupid me for leaving it outside, but I expected it to be stolen in the evening before it was tagged in the middle of the afternoon.

Sadly, the sparkly white seat is no longer so perfect, as it is currently adorned with a penis and other writing. Luckily, there are no other unwelcomed appendages on the handlebars, but the new mint green bar tape is also tagged. Maybe I will recover the bike seat with another kind of vinyl, if I can't get the marker off.

Le sigh.

Anyway, works in progress:

Revelations, Fashion, Weddings.

Well, it feels like it's been quite a while since the last post...but only two weeks. Since then, I've been interviewed and photographed by the folks at the Inquirer, finally gone down to Rohobeth Beach for the weekend, had a revelation in the studio, started to paint my living room, uninstalled everything at the Art Shop and rehung fresh artwork for the season, and replaced my bike saddle, all while trudging through the madness at Moore that always comes with the beginning of the fall semester.

~Look for an article covering the Bike Part Art Show this Friday in Inquirer (print and online I think) that will, hopefully, feature me with the work from previous post as well as other super Philly bike-loving artists.

~Brought back a nice stash of shells and other dead-stuff from the beach...will post photos soon. Pretended to swim in deep waters in the bay, swam and fought waves in deep waters in the ocean, shucked crabs, rode bikes, went out on a boat, traipsed uninhabited islands...a very nice weekend! You can find some unflattering photos of me chowing down on crabs on Facebook, but I won't say where.

~The day before leaving for Delaware, I was photographing the sculptures I've been making all summer, only to be filled with an intense disappointment. They were BORING! The little bits, while lovely when you can hold them and peer around different parts and squint and see tiny things, etc, were pretty boring in a photograph. How will I win over the jury at CFEVA that way? I don't have any pictures to share. I was that disappointed.
HOWEVER, I've decided to make big drawings on wood, along the lines of this guy:
So far, I have three in the works, with three sculptures featured, but I think more will come. The sculptures tend towards whimsical dollhouse accessories, and the drawings are elaborating on that notion, while also being navigational tools into lunar lady calendars! Lots of pearls and birth control pills and tea and mirrors, oh my!

Here's a sneak peek....this was the first drawing session (shitty phone photo):

More about that later.

~Painted the long wall from my front door up the stairs very dark brown...almost black. Many more walls, and several cans of paint are left to be tackled.

~Not much to say about the Art Shop rehang, except that it feels nice in here, and I'm looking forward to a greater transformation once the wonderful woodworker, Jayme Guokas, builds me a new desk! During the rehang, I don't think I sat down at the computer at all.
The plan for the new desk:
~The steel under-structure of my vintage Italian saddle finally snapped...I was biking around Fishtown wondering why the right side of my ass was falling down as I peddled....rode standing up over to The Bike Stable and splurged on a fancy white seat with sparkles, and mint green grip tape. For real. See?

~I didn't mention it before, but I also went shopping....took advantage of an awesome sale on Monday. Half off already clearanced clothes at Urban? Yes, please! After all, needed a new dress for a fancy wedding next weekend! (Note: my Aunt B, my mom's youngest sister, is getting married, and I'm so happy for her!)
I scored a bunch of stuff....within my budget, including this sleeveless 50's house-dress style:This dress has three pockets...the re-domestication of women, via fashion & utility, is upon us. I'm working on this thesis.

And a shirt in the same print, reversed:
Now, I know it's silly, but so often I think, oh! If I just had this shirt in a dress, then I'd be set! or, Damn, it's cold out, I wish this dress were a top so I could wear jeans instead of three pairs of leggings....

I did get a dress for the wedding too, only after leaving the store and realizing I hadn't, and went back. Oops. I'll save that for post-party photos. Sam and I will be driving to New Jersey with my brother and his girlfriend for the festivities...so it should prove to be a crazy day.

P.S. The large drawing on wood featured above now resides in a lovely home somewhere in Vancouver. Thanks Memphis Taproom for featuring my work, and facilitating sales!