pecha kucha night

Last night I attended Pecha Kucha (pronounced pe-SHAW ke-SHAW, i think) at the Sugar Maple bar in Bayview. The idea was formed by an architecture firm in Japan, and has spread all over the world as a way for a variety of people to share ideas following a set format. Eight people are invited to give a presentation on whatever they choose, and they each show 20 slides for 20 seconds each. While a few fumbled with this format, I found it to be really refreshing and interesting. The presenters were writers, artists, musicians, and....I'm not entirely sure but I don't think they all had creative backgrounds. One guy just talked about the CSA farmshare that he uses, and a woman presented the idea of forming an LLC with your partner rather than getting married. that actually made a lot of sense and was hilarious.
Of course my favorite was the lovely katie martin-meurer, who is not only a good friend but a wonderful artist. She spoke about her work as it pertains to a gyre, and i will just let you look that one up on your own. I do recommend spending some time on her website though, because the images of her installations are amazing, especially if you can't see the work in person.

also, have you ever seen this website? It has been a great time-killer/enhancer for me lately. mmmm.....art......
fecalface.com

here's some studio action:

sadly, i like the design better before I actually sew it the the fabric, so I will have to figure that one out.

edit: wtf, Blogger? My images are all getting cut off, so you can't even see what I am talking about because the design is to the far right! you will have to pretend.

edit, again: Here is a link to Katie's presentation, as well as many other Milwaukee presenters on YouTube.

small stuff

hi.
what i have been up to:
- walking around a nature preserve in Grafton, WI
- starting and stopping numerous projects
- not sleeping
- working
- baking cookies
- listening to archives of This American Life
- working on the 2009 calendar

so, the not sleeping part is kind of lame, but everything else is good. I fall to sleep easily at night, it's just the staying asleep part that is a challenge. I wake up frequently, and my mind immediately races. I have ideas for new designs, i have solutions to problems from earlier in the day, i have guilt for not using time well, i have excitement for what's to come. I have anxiety over turning 30 next month.
30. next month. I never thought i would feel crazy over turning thirty, but the time has come, and here i am sitting up straight in bed from a semi-deep sleep, thinking simply "30. 30. 30!"
None of my friends who have turned thirty have expressed any sort of discomfort over this benchmark. I don't think any of my sisters got uppity over any birthday, and when I watch movies where the main character is freaking out over turning 40 or 50, I used to think it was so ridiculous - the notion of measuring oneself against something so common and so unavoidable except by death as to turn a year older. a number. a date.
but here i am, losing sleep over it. examining my face in the mirror for lines and loss of elasticity. wondering if my life as it is is what i thought it would be, what i thought i wanted it to be, when i was 20 or 18.

On another note, things are coming along for November's events. I have not been updating my etsy shop because I want a lot of inventory for both shows, but after December 1 I will add everything to the shop.

more to come soon!

november

good morning!

I just finished the poster for the event I am participating in this November. On November 8, Design Within Reach is hosting myself along with several great local shops for an Art and Design Book Sale. It will be a full day event, where shoppers can come and browse a varied collection of the best books related to art and design and hopefully take a few home. I will be the featured artist, and I hope to have my calendar ready by then.

I am struggling with my first calendar because I started it when I was still technically unemployed, and now that I have been working again I have not touched any of my own work for two weeks. TWO WEEKS! so this weekend will be a buckle down and get some things done sort of weekend, which I am really looking forward to. I also want to make a hearty soup and clean the house this weekend. and go for a long walk. and celebrate our 5 years anniversary with my beau. 5 years of uninterrupted life-sharing and co-habitating and laughing and general relationshipness. so, it should be a good weekend!

OH, I didn't even mention that this Friday is Gallery Night again, and my work is still showing at Urban Outfitters and Blush. If you would like further details on the locations for either store, get in touch!

Time to get ready for work -

Three Lakes, Wisconsin

this was my view as I worked this weekend. I went to Three Lakes, WI with Tom's family, and it was the perfect time to see the colors changing. I brought my laptop to the beach and worked away!



i was also quite taken with the natural pattern of the needles and the leaves, the water, the piers pulled in and stacked until next spring.




I am watching the debate, and my running commentary is always - Why does McCain insist on acting like such an ass? I just don't get it.

more to come soon!

new print

I made a new print for fall - it is a very dark plum with golden orange swirled through.



this one is a little crazy. I'm not sure what is going on here yet, but I'll let you know if I figure it out...

I am working on a lot of different things that will happen in November:

art vs. craft on Saturday, November 29.

Design Within Reach in Milwaukee will be hosting an Art and Design Book Sale on November 8. Several local bookstores will be featured, as well as myself! I will be showing some large scale drawings and prints and whatever else I come up with by then.

new work to be posted on Sunday!