Little Miss Sunshine

Remember the munchkin room makeover that I began but *AHEM* never finished? That's right. I'm a sucky mama. Since taking the above snapshot, I've had curtains installed and her crib moved in, but I never did get around to hanging artwork or light fixtures up. Lucky for Olive, I've spent these past two weeks swimming in a sea of fixtures and finishes for other projects, and ooh, I came across this lovely being:

Feast your eyes, folks. Isn't this Cord Pendant lovely? Simple, but luxe. My incredibly talented friend, Brendan Ravenhill, designed it, and I think it'd look crazy-sexy-cool hanging in the middle of the nugget's room.

Miss Olive has a photo session with THIS too-cool-for-school photographer on Sunday, and I'm hoping I can pull my poop together by then. Miracles happen, you know.

Abstract-expressionist work I'm looking to frame and display by my nugget.

Isn't the bite mark bananas?

The bashful artist.

Little by Little One Travels Far

Untitled works of Olive Huang. 2013. Crayon. 

Abstract expressionist in the making. I love it.

For as long as I could remember, I've had but three big hopes and dreams. They are, and have always been, in no particular, as follows: (1) To have a dog, (2) To have a baby, and (3) To write and illustrate a children's book. I've got one and two of my seemingly feasible list ticked off, my number three has proven more difficult than I imagined. When inspired, I go nuts scribbling and jotting down everything that comes to mind. When done with my brain dump, I feel proud and accomplished. Days later, I revisit these same notes, and more often than not, I find problems with each and every idea I'd come up with. "It's not new. It's not fresh. I don't love it. Moving on." I've got a problem. I'm SEWIOUS. (If you have a moment, watch this.) I'm suffering from a crippling creative block. I'm in dire need of inspiration. And so, I turn to Olive.

All I have to do is listen to this toddler and I'll have an unlimited supply of fodder for children's books, right? Having her is like having a factory! Um, yeah, NO. The little nut isn't speaking yet - at least not in proper English - so I'm just going to have to remain patient. Everything has its own time. But it's coming... First words will soon become first sentences. And Mama's going to make the most of it all. 

Blog post title is a quote by J. R. R. Tolkien

Masterpiece

A highly accurate rendering of our pooch by Olive and the sitter.

Others

Salon of Beauty from Mark & Angela Walley on Vimeo.

Tah-dah! A look at Rice University Art Gallery's current exhibition "Salon of Beauty".
LA-raised artist Ana Serrano loves cardboard more than I do!
Love her charming color combos.

Bow Wow Wow, Yippee Yo, Yippee Yay

Commissioned the uber-talented illustrator Happy Menocal to paint a portrait of my cousin's "puppy" Max for her birthday, and look how great it turned out! So whimsical! So cheerful! So EVERYTHING WONDERFUL! (Um, Max is a Rhodesian Ridgeback with a sprinkling of Dane. Just in case you were wondering. And if you weren't, disregard the line you just read.) Imagine this baby framed...

Patience

drop-dead-gorgeous embroidery by jazminberakha

My Kind of Art

Yoshitomo Nara's "Long Long Time Ago" (acrylic on canvas, 1991)


Yoshitomo Nara's "Kaputt Pup" (acrylic and wax crayon on formica wood panel, 2000)

I want it all.

Because He Can

Swiss Cheese Elevator Doors by Roy Litchenstein (circa 1985). Dude. Why?!? Because he can, folks... because he can.

Sweet

the stitch work of LOUISE BOURGEOIS.

photos by jordan provost.

A Whole Lot of Naughty...

and a teensy bit of nice...

Christmas 2010 was all sorts of wonderful. Le cub and I baked and ate buttery chocolate-chip cookies and watched Banksy's "Exit Through the Gift Shop". It's the first movie I've watched utilizing my brand new Netflix subscription. (Thank you, cub!) A clever lil' documentary or mockumentary that I'm just going to assume is "authentic" - at least until someone (Banksy) admists otherwise.

Pictured: Morons (2006) by Banksy

The Time Has Come

For me to start editing my very last paper... YAY!

Pictured: One of my commissions. Yes, those are hula-hoops. And yes, that is pit-hair. I'm obsessed.

So Close and Yet So Far

Working on the last term paper I will ever have to write. Believe me. It hurts.

Pictured: Yue Minjun's Grassland Series - Crouching Man

I'm in Heaven

Alex Katz is so fuckin' awesome that he can get away with entire exhibitions of self-portraits. Seriously. Who does that? Alex Katz, that's who. Self-indulgent work available via www.artnet.com.

Artsy Fartsy

'Meter Exposition' by Tolzislow Turkiewicz, 1974 available on 1stdibs.com
Mmm... op art.


Scala dei Turchi Island, Sicily, Massimo Vitali, 2009
where's waldo?


can't recall where i found this, but i'm digging the humor.

It Feels Like a Monday

... but it's actually a Tuesday.

Woke up looking like these guys from Mourlot Cover IV by ol' Pablo (as in Picasso).
Oh gawd...

So Much in Store

Working on a mini project that involved me buying out Aaron Brother's miniature frame display and *gasp* DRAWING again. Want a sneak-peek? What? You DO?! How superb. Here you are.

Buddy System Studios. I think the Buddies should start their own male, Old-Spice-infused and facial-hair-equipped Martha Stewart and show. They can build everything out anything!

Finally, the work of another doodler, ginettesqulette. I found it via drawn and I love it. (Reminds me of my in-class doodles. Psychedlelic and totally random!) Flickr account here.

Buns Galore

... is the title of this piece. My gal pal Jen showered me with this gift this past weekend in New Orleans. I love my lil' burlesque bunny but do plan on renaming him. (It looks like a he to me!) "Buns Galore" is cute, but "Tits McGee" is better. Inspired by Ethan, Buddy at Buddy System Studios.

Buns Galore is available via etsy...

One Man's Trash... Is Another Man's Treasure

I LOVE the artist, Marie Laurencin. I was first exposed to her charming work in Paris at the Musee de l'Orangerie... some people fall in love with Monet's Water Lilies... Me? I fell in love with Laurencin's Portrait of Miss Chanel - a portrait which Mademoiselle Chanel rejected.

Anyhow, I'm a frequent supporter of Housing Works, a community-based AIDS service organization in the United States that runs multiple social enterprises that help pay for services they provide, spread awareness of their mission, and provide jobs to graduates of their Job Training Program. One of their social enterprises is a chain of upscale thrift shops located throughout New York City. When you make a donation to or purchase from a Housing Works shop, you're giving a second chance to the more than 2,500 homeless HIV-positive New Yorkers the group serves each year... Guilt-free shopping. My favorite kind.

My latest find? A real score. A signed Marie Laurencin lithograph of the portrait "Juliette" (1920). SO FREAKIN' LUCKY!!! Am eagerly awaiting its arrival and will take better photos of it when it arrives.

How big a deal is this? This exact litho is currently hanging at the MoMA in New York City. Click HERE to see.

Ugly Cute

My best friend, Pam, draws kinda' like Francis Upritchard! Ugly to the point of charming... LOVE.

Keep Calm and Carry On

As I stare at this. Oh my, Marc Johns' work kills me.