climb on!

I bought new shoes...


...so I can do this!

dinnertime

Chopped veggie extravaganza for dinner.


I call it "Beethenge".

fyi

who does she think she is?

In light of my post on Claudette Schreuders, I wanted to bring up this new documentary I've been hearing about, called Who Does She Think She Is. It's the story of five woman artists, and their struggles to be taken seriously as creators while also maintaining partnerships and raising children. It's a quandary that men simply do not have to face; no one would claim a man working late in the studio on a painting is neglecting his duties to his child or lover. I haven't seen the film yet, but the trailer alone almost brings me to tears. One of the artists, Angela Williams, who is a dancer, says of following her creative vision,

"I feel like I am in the middle of a forest. There are no paths. I have no companions. And I hear wolves."

Just hearing her speak such a powerful truth out loud is like having an electric current run through me. Yes, I think, yes. One of the other women relates that a museum director was in her studio, and told her point blank that she would never be taken seriously because she is a woman and a mom.
In another clip, a couple on the street is asked to name 5 female artists between them. They can't. I think I'm going to sit down some time and see how many I can name. I am pretty sure it's more than 20. I'll probably post my list. And I hope to see this film as soon as possible.

today's project

Knitting blood! With hot pink yarn!


For those out there who would ask why would you knit that, it's for a sculptural installation involving roadkill, feminine archetypes, and emotional disconnection. (I know, I don't get it either. Yet.)

Now that it's made, I'm totally loving how the knit pattern looks unexpectedly like cell structure.

Claudette Schreuders

I was just reminded of the sculpture of Claudette Schreuders the other day when I came across a booklet of her work that was in a pile of random stuff. Her artwork is so amazing; perfect craftsmanship, first of all. She carves all of her sculptures herself out of jacaranda wood, and she also hand-draws lithography based on her sculpted figures. The proportions and personality of the people she creates are childlike and quite serious at the same time. A lot of her conceptual ideas focus around her South African upbringing post-Apartheid. I hope someone publishes a full catalogue of her artwork soon; These are just what I found on a Google Image search.

thrift store finds

I used to suck at finding good things at thrift stores, and I was perpetually jealous of those who could. Recently, I decided to never browse the clothing section ever again. Not that there aren't some amazing treasures hidden there, but something about digging through rack after rack of mostly unappealing garments puts my aesthetic radar on the fritz. I always felt a little icky afterwards, and I was in a hurry to leave. That meant I skipped over the framed artwork, home goods, shoes, etc, which have now become my most successful sections.

Erik and I went to Savers (like Goodwill) the other night, and I found these amazing little bowls from Mexico. They're hand-painted, so each little bird on the side has a unique personality. Someone must have gotten rid of a huge collection, because we found lots of other pieces; a pitcher, some little snack plates with sauce partitions. But everything else was cracked or chipped, or glued back together. So I only went for the tiny bowls.

And I got some shoes. These are considerably more femmey than I generally go for, as I am usually glued to my Converse, accessorized with jeans, plain tank tops, and buzzed hair. First of all, I needed dancing shoes for the Ballroom Dance class that Erik and I are taking. I had been using some flat sandals, but we're learning the rumba now and I did not feel appropriately vixeny in them. So I found these shoes with totally great colored straps, and they have smooth soles, perfect for the dance floor.

And my main stroke of luck ends up being a pair of Ferragamos, and they are in pristine condition except for a bit of wear on the bottom. I am not fashionable in a label kind of way, Erik even less so, and he's like, "You have to get them." Ding! They are mine, for $9.99. Oh yes. And they fit me perfectly.

mortal enemies

I made this illustration for the blog header, as you can probably tell. But I only used half of it. (p.s. clicking makes it bigger)

sedona right now

I live here now. Yes it looks like this, no photoshop necessary. My favorite thing about the landscape here is not how red the rocks are, but how green all of the plants look in comparison. (yes, there are green things in Arizona.)