Playdate with Zeb

So after years of talking about it Zeb Bennett and I finally had an art playdate. He's in Nantucket High School and really into art. He was thinkin about taking some of my classes before I decided not to teach them thru the Dreamland. So we're starting to organize some times when we can meet up and make some art. Today we mostly swapped cool images and websites and talked about some ideas. Zeb started to sketch some things out and ...

It turned into this.... a lot of layers in oil pastel, scraped down with a serrated butter knife. I was digging it.

I was working on a watercolor example to show the girls in my costume design class. I gave them all a few sketches from What People Wore... a great book for costume reference. I told them to trace them if they want to practice drawing clothes on the figure. Plus, this way on Monday we can practice watercoloring without them fussing over drawing people and clothes.

this is the image I copied and traced...

So I could have a watercolor example to show them.

I missed the day but better late than never...

happy belated birthday Louis Carroll. it was wednesday by the way

Rolling on the River

Yesterday was Jeanne's fella's 60th birthday party. Happy Birthday Jeffrey! It was a fantastic brunch... Jeffrey has wheat allergies so everything was gluten free, but you'd never know it. Plenty of libations and treats and Jeanne even made goody bags for everyone. How sweet is that?!

Zeb Bennett, an upcoming stencil artist, was also in attendance and we were fleshing out some plans to get together and make art. He filled me in on the Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea by Swoon. Here's the video he sent me...

also this one, a different project. From the quick exploration I conducted, it's sponsored by Mass MOCA... Not sure if this one does but, I think it would be amazing to travel down the river and have a theatrical performance each place you docked.

thanks Zeb. can't wait to have the art play date.

Haiti Benefit

Come Tonight... 7pm-1am, The Muse. A benefit for relief in Haiti... raffles, caribbean food, live music, rum punch plus we're at the bar. It's the most fun you'll ever have building good karma!

Valentine sweet sweet Valentine

I took some valentines to Bookworks the other day. I used some old playing cards my Grandpa gave me while I was home for x-mas... if you're around come check 'em out. If you're not around and would like some, let me know.

I'd planned on making my love notes but with a little revision... I started a few but they just weren't doing it for me. (Here's an example of the ones I made last year...)

I'd already printed up some cards with the definition of love for the insides of love notes so I worked them into another card design.
and of course the kiss cards made an appearance. The patterned strips around them are wine bottles from a food magazine I had. I put half a card (a heart, of course) on the inside.

These guys are large blank cards... not for any specific occasion... just flippin sweet for any day of the year. The ones on the left are from a book about The Illiad that had some cool illustrations I used to collage with, so I thought why not use the other pages too. And the ones on the right are from some great atlases I found at the Take-it-or-Leave-it.

Ultimate Flip Book

Holy Crap! This is Amazing!

parkour motion reel from saggyarmpit on Vimeo.

Another Birthday Boy

Edgar Allan Poe would have been 201 today. To celebrate, I listened to a few dramatized versions of his stories at the bookstore while I was working. No lie.... it was spooky. It was pretty slow tonight so it was just me and a lot of books on a dark and rainy night. I'm so glad Simon let me drive the van today... no walking alone... in the rain... on a dark night... super creeped out. Just proof that great writing is never dated.

also... check out this great article about a very dedicated Poe fan.