Distractions diss action

I keep buying shelves, household organizers, insoles, and black pants.


I bought insoles I have to bake. But I read the instructions and I have to bake them for ONE pair of shoes. My work shoes are ripped. I have to buy new shoes to bake my insoles for.
I used to think I had cute feet. My feet are like no other feet I've seen. My feet are Barbie feet. My arches shock my doctors. They tell me I will have hammer-feet if I don't start yoga. I haven't looked up hammer-feet on the internet, yet, because it scares me. I haven't started yoga either. The insoles I will bake cost $45.00.
I will not finish my big paintings because I have no place to put them when they are done and that thought causes me anxiety and sadness.
I sold 4 paintings at the Sycamore.
They were very small paintings. But still, I'm happy for it.
If I put up the shelves, I can put the books away. Then we will have a floor again, and we can buy a piano.
If we buy a piano, we will be staying here. I like it here most of the time.
If the floor is clear of books, I can put the household organizer on the wall and work at my desk again. It will make me feel free and relaxed, I believe.
There are rods of dead skin going into my feet because of displaced pressure (or misplaced pressure). When the doctor digs them out, they remind me of when I drop colored pencils and the lead breaks all the way up into tiny pieces. Then, when you sharpen them (the pencils), the pieces of lead come out in frustrating succession.
I am frustrated because I lack the energy to become free and relaxed.
There are no broken bones in my feet.

Served

When it comes to art I have always been on the fence about performance and political themed art.  I am sure it is because I generally don't use art to make a statement or enact change. Art doesn't function in this way in my everyday life. However, I do appreciate it and sometimes wish I was brave enough to throw caution to the wind and stand for something bigger than recycling. If I ever become an activist you better believe my protests will be productions, this I promise you.

Below is a still from an unsanctioned performance piece that happened at the Tate London on the one year anniversary of the BP oil spill.  Aside from the indoor piece I've linked to below, the group also set up pieces outside the front of the museum. Although my initial reaction to the big mess the group made was "uhhh maybe less is more, people" I thought about it and decided that this time it was just right. BP, no matter if you place blame on them or the company that built the rig, was the main culprit of the worst environmental disaster in US history and if the Tate wants to take their money and put the BP symbol all over they should have expected backlash from the artistic community.  I mean...almost everyone, myself included, I know has tried not to buy from BP in the past year in silent protest. (Spare me the "but they're locally owned" argument...I've always been a Speedway girl)

So, what I'm trying to get at is that in this case, performance and political art have combined to make something that I have decided is pretty great. If nothing else, the piece performed inside the museum is simple, beautiful, and the artist's are braver than I. Good work.

"Human Cost" Click for an article and video of the piece.

Who wants to get brave with me and put on a show?

Anyone? Anyone? Alllright fiiiiiiine!

Roni!

Eggcellent

Look! Cute eggs! Like, mega cute! They are so cute that we wanted to admire them and left them out on the table.  Soooo, I wouldn't recommend eating them unless you really dig being ill. But, who cares?! They're cute!

Clockwise from the filler flower: Ed the Egg, Fire Garden, Dinosaur Egg, Green Garden, Sunset, Credits, Peg the Whale Egg, Pretty Filigree (3rd place!), Robot Dog Chomper Face (2nd place!), Fleur, and Dugg

  

 

 

AND FIRST PLACE GOES TO.....

PEG! the cutest little Whale Egg

You know you wanna just eat that sideways smile right up. But, again, I don't recommend it...bad news.   

Happy Easter!

Roni!

Mooooo

My parents bought some Breyers Blast! Reese's ice cream and I have not been able to keep away from it. It's infuriating realizing I have no self control when it comes to ice cream. None. Zero.  Oh well!

Crafty:
I've been thinking about painting my kitchen table and chairs. The last few times I did this the pieces looked great but were a little bit sticky when the weather became warm and humid.  I don't really know why it happened, I sanded the furniture down, painted, let it cure for at least 24 hours (sometimes longer), then added a second layer. I didn't put on a varnish or sealer and perhaps that's the problem.  However, I'm not a huge fan of varnishes...a bit toxic for my hobby...so I've been researching alternate methods and stumbled across milk paint. It is exactly what you think it is, milk based paint. Environmentally friendly and ideal for adding a wash of vibrant color.  According to the suppliers I've found, there is no need for a sealer or finish of any kind.  I'm assuming it works like a very saturated stain. If that's the case I'm pretty stoked to try it.  I'm thinking my table would look pretty great teal or kelly green.

Arty:
I've been slowly making progress on my piece for "Local Terrain."  I'm on my third? version and I'm sort of stumbling my way through it. It's alright though, sometimes stumbling through a project is the best thing.  Knowing exactly what to do all the time can get boring and you're probably not challenging yourself enough anyway.  Without suffering there is no real progress.  That's what my aerobics instructor says :)  In the end, my highest hope is to see something complete and relatively cohesive.  Now, if it comes out awesome that will be a bonus and a miracle!

11 down, 5 to go. Go. Go! GO!

This was pretty boring. If you made it this far, thanks bunches!
- Roni!

"I'M GONNA LIVE FOREVER!"

I realized that in late 2010 I wrote a lot about grad school and all that shtuff and I hadn't posted any sort of update on that. Basically, after a lot of research, phone calls, and soul searching I realized that graduate school was not the best choice for me right now.  Without getting into too much detail, I simply was hellbent on proving that I could do it and once I started the process I was too far in to give up...plus I wanted to see how it played out!  Anna wisely suggested that I pick 2 favorites of the 7 I applied to. If I were accepted into either of those I promised myself to research it further. As fate would have it, I was accepted into all but my number 1, 2, and 4. So, I put it behind me with a new found sense of pride that I finally, after 3 years of applying to school, was accepted to some really great programs.  Even bigger self esteem boost? It was all for a program that I was a complete stranger to! w00t!

I immediately began to focus my attention on landing a dream job.  For the last month and a half I've been slowly trying to get my foot, leg, torso, and noggin in the proverbial door. Yesterday, I went in for a third interview.  For it, I presented my answer to a project prompt...which I found out means I made it to the top three (what!?!)  "Make a box that represents the company's aesthetic"   Here's what I made.  They seemed excited about it...definitely pleased that it wasn't just a literal box. But, of course, only time will tell :) I made the boxes out of a disassembled coffee table and found everything else. Total price tag: $3.17

My Apothecary

Here's to not taking no for an answer!

-Roni!

Two in one day?! Who do I think I am?!

I've been asked before what my design style is. I always waffled between bohemian, shabby chic, Scandinavian (they're good at everything design related), an the occasional French country (kitchen exclusive).  I learned a new term today while listening to Secrets of a Stylist on HGTV (my go to ignore the TV channel for when I'm working on something).    I AM! druuuummmmrollllll


Organic Modern!  OOooooooo! Aaaahhhhhhhh!

I know, don't tell me, you're all super relieved that I've FINALLY found some words to describe my sensibility.  No worries though, I'm sure I'll resort back to Eclectic Childish in a month or so...I did just hang this above my bed nook:

 

 

 

 

 

 

AWESOME. (the bent poster is a No Doubt tour poster that I can't keep secure)

It makes me so happy, it's like I'm sleeping in a circus tent. Yessssss.

So far, today has been productive. Nevertheless, I gotta get BACK TO WORK!

Ronaldo!

Fekus

Hiiiiii.  So far this morning, despite the huge amount of work I have to finish, I've ate, finished a book, and now I'm writing this. Foooocus, Ronald. It's still early, after this I'll have at least 10 hours to be productive.  Maybe even up to 12 hours if I can get past my 10:30 bedtime (that's a big maybe though). 

I want to write about Kara Walker.  You may remember when my studio sprung a leak in November.  Some of my artist books fell victim to the leak and unfortunately, After the Deluge by Kara Walker was the hardest hit.  This was particularly upsetting because I rarely buy artist books...they can get pricey.  But, she's so good I couldn't resist.  Fortunately, I've recently received a new copy of the book! Thanks! So, with my new book in hand, I want to share Walker's work with the two, maybe three, people that read this blog!  I saw her work for the first time in November 2007 at the Whitney Museum of American Art.  This show was entitled My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love and it was fantastic.  I am really foggy on the details of the exhibition but I do remember feeling overwhelmed by the stories she tells.  More importantly, I was taken aback by her execution. Black paper cut and pasted to white walls. So simple, extremely effective.  Her work is about racism (and so so much more).  She combines racial stereotypes with all too true stories from before the abolition of slavery.  By eliminating definition with line work, the silhouettes throw the stories in the viewer's face by forcing them to decipher the imagery.   For me, the fact that I realize I am looking at stereotyped silhouettes of African and Caucasian people is enough to make me uneasy.  Without ever consciously encouraging the use or perpetuation of these stereotypes, I am still highly aware of their distinctions.  Additionally, I am thankful that I have been introduced to the upsetting situations being illustrated.  I felt simultaneously embarrassed (that I could pick out the race of the individual characters) and relieved that I felt embarrassed (my parents raised me right)!  The silhouettes work flawlessly to heighten this awareness. By the time you realize what you're seeing (which for most people is seconds later), you've already been staring too long.  This is how her work affected me, I'd be interested in knowing how it affected others. If you ever get the opportunity to see her work in person, please do. If nothing else, the scale of the work is hard to portray in a book or on the internet. Enjoy!

Camptown Ladies, 2007

Gone, An Historical Romance of a Civil War as it Occurred between the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her Heart (detail) 1994

Roni!

ANNA! Do you want my damaged but still usable copy of After the Deluge? I can't remember if you bought one too.

SHIRTS

I really like my brother's drawings, but it is awkward to thrust a half dozen sketchbooks into somebody's hand and tell them "LOOK HOW COOL". So I made t-shirts of them. One a month, for a year, 15 prints of each: JimCity!
xo
uu

"Umm y'all? She is not okaaaaayyyy"

CHARLESTON!
It's cute, super cute and quaint with lots of colorful buildings and warm breezes.  It is so breezy, in fact, that I ended up chasing my straw sun hat down the road until a kind stranger finally stopped it for me. Thanks! Anywho, I went down with my old college roommate Sophie and her friend Abby because they are thinking of moving there. PARTY BONUS, my other college roommate Kaitlyn already lives there with two lovely ladies. So, it was a girl's trip. In fact, it was my first ever girl's only trip...at the ripe age of 24...  Since Kait and her roomies had to work and Soph was apartment searching I spent most of Thursday and Friday exploring the city by foot, stopping in cute shops, took a nap in the park, found a pier and sketched, ate foods nom nom nom!

Many miles, sore feet, and two hat wranglings later I wandered into Robert Lange Studios. At this point I had already checked out many galleries and was largely unimpressed by the typical, sellable, tourist aimed art. But, I had high expectations for the gallery that had won "Best of Charleston" for a few years. Thankfully, my expectations were met and exceeded. First, the owner Robert Lange is like 30 and according to his bio some kind of math genius.  So, yah there's that.  Second, I liked almost every artist that was displayed. SO RARE. If I remember correctly, I saw eight artists that day.  The first lady I want to talk about is Ali Cavanaugh.  She was my favorite because her work is a similar medium to what I used for my senior BFA exhibition, watercolor on clay board.  Cavanaugh, however, is much better at it that I am. She has clearly honed her craft.  I suppose that's what focus will get you, too bad I am crazy-brained!  She has her own website but I'm linking to Lange's site because it's actually better. Plus, you can peruse some of the other artists. Durfee, Collins, and Lind are all worth a quick peek.  I may elaborate on them in the future.

"Segment of a past revelation"- Cavanaugh

The moral of the story is this. Robert Lange may be some prodigy child but, I want to start a gallery. I'm smart enough (at least I am on weekdays).  I did just buy a book on how to start a gallery, after all. Maybe I should stop reading Harry Potter and try to learn something. Because, let's be honest, no matter how many spatula wands I practice with I will never master wingardium leviosa.  But, I could maybe possibly sort of start a gallery.

I think I'll wait until after I finish HP.

Yah. That's the best idea.

Kay bye!  Roni!

P.S. ANNA-  Look at Jen Lisa's blog, she posted some boss doodles. Sometimes I want to live in her brain. kayloveyoubye!