loaded hips

Slowly But Surely

2011-11-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

The sun is out so it's time to document and reflect. The process starts with staring at the wall....

then pencil transfer...

Getting out the canary yellow tracing paper:

Nothing like ink on a block!

Test print. Time for more staring!

This reminds me of how much I dream of being in France.

The diamond shapes I hand stamped just to test out a pattern idea. I have since decided to use something else for the background, and added more detail to the butterflies.

More blocks. Got my work cut out for me heheh:

Thanks to Rhoda, Nona, and Biscuit for being my artmaking companions today:

They appear docile but they can be a tough crowd.

OCD

2011-05-19T16:02:00.000-07:00

Memorizing every current moment before this time ends. They call it terrible twos, but so far this has been the amazing phase.

Spending every day with plants -- reading about plants, drawing plants, cultivating plants.

They say the rapture is coming this weekend. Since we're pagan, I think that means we still have to take the recycling out.

Sun sun sun here it comes

2011-05-18T14:29:00.001-07:00

This is my reading list:

My soundtrack is KMHD, as their artist spotlight this week is Nina Simone

Gotta run and catch a bus....

Being Present

2011-04-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

Where are you? I have never been "here." I'm thinking of what I should be doing, the clock ticking, where's the baby, what's for dinner, what have I not accomplished and why. Stop! Slow down. Breathe....

One

Two

Three....

Mmmmmmmm....

I thought it would be hard, but it's so simple.

What did we like today?

Easy peasy fun simple things, like painting over magazine pages.

These would be good folded into envelopes. Now you make them... It's called recycling!

My laundry list of favorites:

I would like to emphasize Ranunculus and Artichokes. I'm really into overlapping slivers of leaves/petals. I just planted two different varieties of artichokes in the garden, only to discover there's snow in the forecast. Boo!

Our soundtrack today, the album is peeking through the sumac shadows:

Sweet Souvenirs of Mireille Mathieu

What we disliked today:

polyurethane fumes
forecast of snow
squirrels

sugar ants
finger pointing

Let's end on a good note.

It's so fun when you have time to make an Etsy Treasury,
it's a good time to celebrate all the wonderful talented amazing Etsy artists!

Making Do

2011-03-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

Money is tight these days. This is when we really get creative. Reusing, recycling, repurposing.

Ephemera and rejected prints are my new materials.

The studio smells of beeswax.

These paper garlands are now available at these fine stores in Portland, Ore:

Powells Books on Hawthorne
3747 SE Hawthorne Blvd

Lulu's Vintage
916 W Burnside

Mag-Big
3279 SE Hawthorne Blvd

Learning about foraging. I called them weeds and I pulled them out of our yard. They are edible wild plants and I will bring them into the kitchen.

Hello Crocus!

2011-02-16T14:29:00.000-08:00

The crocuses are little purple elves that pop out of the ground every February in unexpected places. They are the first to awaken from the cold, wet soil of winter. When they appear, there is a sense that we, too, can prepare to reawaken and leave our dark caverns. It certainly inspires me to start up production once again.

Hello Etsians -- I'm slowly finishing up new items for sale -- like these buttons, for example...

Working on a new series of paintings....

... and starting some new printing/paper projects...

What are you working on?

Paper Bag Sketches

2010-12-20T14:59:00.000-08:00

Golly... another bunch of craft sales come and gone. Now it's time to wind down and get some gifts wrapped and under the tree. Once again I am amazed by the comradery and support of the crafty world. We live on and on, finding our income... somehow!

I generally try and stay focused on smiling and socializing at these events but with a lot of hours spent sitting on a metal folding chair at a booth for hours one does need to do something with one's hands. Most crafters I spy with crochet hooks in hand but I am usually doodling the ceiling rafters and lighting fixtures. If I am lucky I can do some portraits but I try not to creep anyone out with my constant glances for too long. That said, I did manage to turn out a series of sketches at the Art Department. I had to draw on the paper bags I use as shopping bags because I forgot my sketchbook.

With the first drawings, my mind was very much on other things...

Daydreaming about who knows what, I guess you could say my head was in the clouds.

At some point my gaze turned towards some of the interesting footwear of the shoppers...

And then back towards the fixtures in my booth....

I was seated near an awesome vintage trailer, I fantasized about running away and living in the woods in this thing ... could you imagine the gas money? Having this thing hitched to the back of you? Look out, summer....

As the sale drew to a close I felt a little more cavalier and decided to sketch my booth neighbor, who happened to be the fabulous Girl With a Hook....

She has many awesome armless, torso-less mannequins....

and here she is crocheting another masterpiece, I'm sure....

Thank you for being a willing and accommodating subject!

Gettin' Ready!

2010-12-09T14:40:00.000-08:00

In the studio, I've been rockin' out to the collection Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968 and getting everything together for the Crafty Wonderland sale this weekend. So giddy! I'm very pleased to say that I will have wares on hand that are not available anywhere else... including these letterpressed gift tags I printed with a simple yummy blue snowflake linocut...

Package of 5 letterpressed gift tags for $3. Please note my work is always discounted in person at holiday sales... I'm also open to trades (gotta get my Christmas gifts somehow!)

I will also have some 1" buttons for sale. These are actual hand-printed linocuts on rice paper with collage elements. Buttons were assembled by Small World Buttons. Only available in person at the Crafty Wonderland sale!

Come find me at booth #169

Yesterday we remembered the life of John Lennon on the anniversary of his death. George was always my favorite, personally, but lately I've really reflected on the amazing presence this man had on our world with his words:

Imagine all the people living life in peace

Now I find his later years to be the most inspirational, his devotion to being a father and his desire to amend his relationship with his beautiful muse. In Yoko's words:

"John was an artist. Why would anyone want to kill an artist?"

Word.

Crafty Wonderland Holiday Sale

2010-11-26T14:15:00.001-08:00

We will be there ... yippee!

Treasuries and mushrooms

2010-11-12T20:26:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been awhile but I finally had some time to spend messing around on Etsy and curating a Treasury. It used to be this amazing feat of luck to land a Treasury spot because only 300 or so were allowed at one time but now there is no limit to them and I believe the current count is over 10,400. The Etsy Treasury feature allows one to choose a theme and hand pick 12 items with alternates whose thumbnails become a virtual gallery collection of that theme. The hope is that Etsy will pick your collection as the front page. The items on the front page of Etsy stay there for but fleeting moments but yet it is still a really BIG DEAL.

I originally wanted to select from my favorite Etsy sellers or from local Portland sellers but soon found that I still had some room to fill. Trying to look for more items was like clicking for a virtual needle in a cascading haystack! I hadn't used Etsy as a buyer in a long time (I'm on a limited income over here) so I had no idea how tedious the process has become. No wonder I haven't sold a &*#$ing thing in a long time.... not all of the search categories appear! And after sifting through poorly photographed non-related items I almost succumbed to defeat... yet I somehow prevailed. The whole process has confirmed my suspicions that Etsy truly is the BLACK HOLE OF ART AND CRAFT.

Here it is --- my little beauty --- my Treasury, inspired by the chanterelles that I brought home, attempted to dry in a dehydrator, packaged in a sealed plastic bag ... only to find them the next week covered in fuzz and mold.

The chanterelles before their sad demise

This may seem like a sad tale, but I like to think it's really about the triumph of the human spirit. That is to say, my Etsy shop still exists, my bookmark to Etsy remains in my toolbar, and my Treasury is full of some really cool items from some very talented artists and crafters. It is alive and kicking... somewhere ... I looked for it, but gave up after page 34. Sigh.

Oh, and next time... I put the dehydrated chanterelles in the freezer.

Announcing!

2010-11-08T20:09:00.001-08:00

Totally true confessions: I LOATHE blogging! I long suspected this, and now I know it's true. Nevertheless, I am TRYING. Bear with me.

Announcement numero uno: Website is super brand spankin' new. All revised and revamped and ready for ogling. Many thanks to my really cute Webmaster for making it happen (HTML code and java scripts give me hives.) Making it real right here.

Also! Kudos are in order to my dear friend Anne, who I consider to be the Premier Queen of All Vintage. She really has the finest taste. And she now has a new new new brick and mortar storefront diagonal from Powells Books downtown. She just had her Grand Opening a little over a week ago. Here are some pics I took of the interior -- please note all shop fixtures were designed and built by her skilled husband Chris. I'm very proud and excited for the two of them.

Hooray for Lulu!

You can find her store at 916 W Burnside, next Billy Galaxy's.
In the virtual world you can find her here.

And, last but not least.... one last photo from her shop....

The two postcards in in the foreground read: "For every girl who has the curves there's a guy who has the angles" and "The road to success is filled with women pushing their husbands along." Ha!

Can you spot the Head of the Class screenprints on wood? I'm starting to think that since these items have more of a response in person, well it's time to focus on local Portland retail and less on getting trampled on in the mega-saturated Etsy world. So for a limited time, these gals are on sale 25% off in my Etsy shop. It's time to make room for new creations. You can find my Etsy sale items here

Phew! Well that just about wraps it up. Time to check on my sleepin' little babe and make some hot chai. Hope you and yours are keepin' warm and cozy as the air starts to turn chilly and the sky darkens early.

Oh! One more thing. My laundry list of faves this time around is simply one thing:

RUCHING!

(Image courtesy of Burdastyle.)

What are your favorite things about Fall?

2010-09-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

Today as I came inside and stood in the kitchen there was a little click like the sound of an M&M dropping to the floor. When I looked down, there was a red ladybug crawling on the tile. It must be good luck to bring in a ladybug with you. As the days get darker sooner, the air smells like campfire, and the flowers start to rot, I think about the insects and how this is the last time we see them before the cold kicks in.

At the playground, Desmond and I collect these:

... and the night sky struggles to turn pink amid the dark Portland rain clouds. Everyone has their scarves on.

Petals rot off rosehips, the dahlias have one last bloom, and we get to harvest our goodies from the garden.

The autumnal equinox always bring new creativity.

What are your favorite things about this time of year?

Why loaded hips?

2010-09-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

I can't escape it. I started it for very specific reasons and since then I've grown up so much but I can't change the name loaded hips. Sometimes I resent it. It's too in your face and sexual and charged and my work isn't about that. Well, at least the work that sells isn't about that. And how can I sell more work to a wider audience with such a charged name?

Lately I've been reading Proust and the Squid. It's something about the journey our brains make to connect words on a page with our memories and associations to make the narrative work and how we don't fully know the repercussions of losing that mental activity. That's just my assessment thusfar. It is reminding me of a time when I had all the time in the world to lose myself in a book. To spend all day reading. I miss it, but I feel lucky to have been able to devote any time of my life at all to it. I haven't read far enough into it to understand what loaded phrases do to our brains.

Really I'm getting at something much bigger. Diving into the unknown. Accepting that things have come and gone and can never be the same again. So now, let's do it. Let's jump in!

I'm revamping my website. Baby steps, because... well ... I have a baby and he takes up most of my time and energy. But soon, this is it! We're gonna put the nose the grindstone.

Oh --- and loaded hips started from something that annoyed me terribly, so how apt that it annoys me still. A billboard that said "Watch out boys, these hips are loaded."

Please have faith in me. Check back for changes.

Where is Our Sun

2010-05-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

"Classy" dreadlocks
Tim's Cascade bar-b-que potato chips
Coconut peanut sauce and noodles
"Uh-oh" and sippy cups
French flash cards
Buy this expensive - I mean super awesome - print!
Frances Farmer

Stop Spamming My Blog You Jerks

2010-05-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

You know who you are.

In the Vein of Tastemaker's Choice

2010-04-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

My friend Emily no longer writes her blog but when she did, each entry was a laundry list of all her favorite things. Her taste of course was impeccable and her blog a joy to read. I've been thinking lately that this is the way to go these days when most of my time is spent chasing after a mobile toddler. So here's to you, Tastemaker's Choice...

Elliott Erwitt.
Wooden spoons.
Fat quarters.
The edge of the blanket.
Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods.
Julia and Jacques.
Yma Sumac.

**Some of these things are what baby likes

Sometimes We Make Spring Happen For Ourselves

2010-03-11T09:58:00.001-08:00

I made little tags for each seedling starts

We're trying here...

Excited about Fabric

2010-02-10T19:27:00.001-08:00

Excited about fabric and zakka and quilting and my new walking foot, if only I could figure out how it works.

Not excited about the jerks who keep spamming my blog comments.

Time For Lovin Again

2010-01-25T13:13:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year, ladies and gents. Time for hard candy, whispers, sweetness, huggin' and lovin'. And the Reading Frenzy's valentine show. In Chloe's words:

Almost every year we organize this event to benefit a small, local non-profit. This year's recipient is the Special Education PTA of Portland* (SEPTAP). SEPTAP is a network of parents, educators and community members working together to improve the education and well being of students with disabilities in their schools, homes and communities. http://www.septap.org

Thanks!

xChloe

*Full disclosure -- I helped start this organization in 2008, serve on the Executive Committee, and am a member.

Please help support Chloe's Reading Frenzy, such a vital small bookstore in our community. I've been cleaning out my stuff and going through all my old Acme Novelty Library books, many of which I purchased at Reading Frenzy when I first moved to Portland over ten years ago! Ah such fond memories. Chloe is always there to support local artists by organizing events such as this one.

There's a First Thursday opening and you are welcome to bid on any artwork. 50% of the sale will go towards Special Education PTA this year. Golly! It's like supporting three causes in one.

Here's a little sneak peek at my entry:

I Found A Reason

2009-12-25T09:31:00.000-08:00

It all makes sense now. There's a reason to be excited, a reason to give in. A reason to believe in magic.

Dear Readers, may you find that reason this new year.

Bonnes Fêtes to you and yours love loaded hips.

Before the Darkest Days

2009-11-05T13:10:00.000-08:00

October is my favorite month. Maybe it's because growing up in the South we were deprived of anything resembling Autumn, and now that I live in a place that has actual trees I'm in awe of the colorful transformations that take place during this time of the year. It's the magical colors that happen before everything turns dark and spindly, before the rains come.

This is our last chance to take walks. This is our chance to crush leaves underfoot.

I love watching everything in the garden die. It's cathartic.

It's not abandoning us...

it's not suffering...

...it's composting!

My favorite painting instructor, Laura Ross Paul, always said to squint your eyes when looking at the subject of your painting, and blur the rods and cones in the retina of your eyes so that you can see the shadows and highlights.

This is the best time of year to blur your rods and cones.

This is the spiders' last chance to catch any kind of food.

The squirrels are running around with bulging cheeks. I've got a fussy baby tied around my middle who's about to crash hard any minute now... I'm walking to Safeway where I'm going to cave in and buy Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls in a can.

Donating to Wheels For Henry

2009-10-19T11:32:00.000-07:00

For the next two weeks --- Sun 10/18 through Sat 10/31, 15% of all loaded hips press purchases will be donated to Wheels For Henry, a fundraising event to support Chloe of Reading Frenzy acquire a new set of wheels for her son Henry.

Henry is an awesome little dude who happens to get around in a wheelchair, and he's quickly outgrowing their 20 year old car.

Please help Chloe & Henry purchase a new converted van by purchasing work by loaded hips press for you and yours.

For more info about Wheels For Henry, including a complete list of participating vendors, check out their website.

I don't understand how anyone with a baby can get anything done or stand to be away from their baby

2009-10-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

There.

I've said it.

Missing the American Amateur Press Picnic

2009-09-13T11:13:00.001-07:00

This is me last year using a beautiful Chandler and Price letterpress at the American Amateur Press picnic in Eugene Oregon. Being that I am so nerdy about printmaking, I was ecstatic to meet letterpress printers who have been at it for decades, to hear their stories of printing before the Digital Age. One gentleman told his tale of saving up money when he was 8 years old to buy a small tabletop printing press from the Sears and Roebuck catalog and starting his own newspaper with news of the neighborhood. He's now in his seventies. Still printing! It also reminded me of how little the general public knows about the how the images we see and the words we read are created.

A couple of days ago someone contacted me about my Savannah linocut.

It's listed on Etsy for $30. Really quite a steal for an original hand pulled print! I priced it as such because I never created an edition of this print. I printed the block using a proofing press and while I intended it to be an open edition, I was only happy with about 8 of the prints, and haven't printed it again. Well anyways this person was confused because I included a photo of the actual carved linoleum block. Was the listing for the block, he asked, so he could print in whatever color he wanted.

I don't fault him for asking. Why not try at least? But I know this person couldn't possibly have a press, or he would have valued my carved 11 by 14 inch linoleum block at more than $30. Sigh.

Maybe the misconception begins with scrapbooking. Maybe mass produced rubber stamps are the only connection the general public has to printmaking, and that might confuse someone into thinking a linocut is printed by merely squishing the block onto paper. It's not that I want to be an elitist, or that I can really explain the printing process in one blog post, but more that I wish to encourage anyone who cares to take a printmaking workshop, and discover for themselves the thrills ... and heartaches ... of printmaking.

I regret that this year I can't make it the AAPA picnic. Mostly I regret that a lot of it's members are starting to pass away one by one, and I fear that their printing experiences will die with them. Granted, there's good reasons why say the linotype machine has gone the way of the dodo --- the melting and casting of lead, for example, or washing one's hands with turpentine --- we now know better. But mostly it's the knowledge, being less dependent on computers, or even electricity for that matter. Just the appreciation of a lost art.

Note: While the AAPA's mission statement is "the promotion of amateur journalism and fellowship of amateur writers, editors, printers, and publishers" it includes a group of letterpress printers, which I consider these days to be part of the printmaking world. Back in the day, these were the folks who printed our newspapers! Find out more.

Finished Softies

2009-09-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

Finished three new soft and furry friends. Well... finished them about a month ago, but just now getting around to writing about it.

The patterns for these little guys can be found in Softies Only a Mother Could Love. This book is great because it has a variety of projects for any kind of crafter. I am more of an occasional lazy seamstress, and I was able to finish these without too much heartache while entertaining a newborn.

The monkey friend is made from an old stripey turtleneck. One of my favorites, which suffered from an accidental trip to the dryer. The pants are removable.

This little friend is made from scraps from my mom's collection of fabric. He was the first softie I attempted, and I'm a little embarrassed by some of the careless stitching.

Well now doesn't this donkey make you all warm and fuzzy inside? The green fabric is an argyle sweater of mine that shrank to ill conceived proportions. The yellow and orange floral print is another scrap from my mom's sewing basket.

Sometimes Your Babe Falls Asleep and You Get to Collage

2009-09-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

Never mind that the house is a disaster area.
I call this piece "Espionage."

Children's Clothes with Round-the-Clock Novelty

2009-08-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

Japanese baby clothes pattern book. Emphasis on "novelty."

Aaack! Proof that little boys clothes are always a little wonky. Don't worry Desi, momma's not making you wear any kind of matching checkered print pantsuit. Not unless you really want to... We mostly like non-gender specific items. But now those dresses and matching headscarves are pretty fetching.

Other highlights include "Pretty Frocks for Outing," "Special Wear with Trimming," "Blouses for Boys," and "Subteen's Dressy Styles."

Thank you!

2009-08-17T15:46:00.001-07:00

Some of the prints I received in exchange for the free loaded hips press print offer:

Three Owls from Flight Industries

Small Girl by Janice in Eugene

Aww shucks thanks y'all. We love new art over here.

A Time For Figs

2009-07-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

It's 11 am and already 87, supposed to get to 105 degrees today. That's a little warm for Puddletown. So I plan on staying inside in my pajamas, no shower, as long as possible.

The only reason I have to go outside is to pick another bowl full of fresh juicy ripe figs. You know they're ready when they fall right off the branch into your hand, the bottom of the fig opens up like a belly button, and the skin is so thin it feels like the fruit is seconds from bursting. Or, according to the Italians, the fruit hangs from the tree like a man's testicles. Yeah well anyway there's two large fig trees in our neighbor's yard and the branches hang over the fence into our yard and we reap the benefits, as long as we pick 'em before the raccoons and birds get to them.

So I declare this to be FIG WEEK. Fig week officially started on Sunday when we picked the first batch. Monday I made a fig jam which will be eaten later in the week once we have baguette and goat cheese.

QUICK FIG JAM:

1 pound ripe green figs, diced, stems trimmed
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water

Place figs in a saucepan or skillet. Add sugar and water and heat, stirring to a boil. I'm horrible at following directions and I just poured sugar in without measuring. It was a little more than the suggested amount. Cook uncovered over medium heat until the figs have softened and the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. I used a potato masher to squish any unbroken pieces of skin apart.

Transfer jam to a bowl and set aside until ready to serve - can be made a couple of days ahead of time, just cover and refrigerate til it's time.

Serve jam on toasted baguette with warmed goat cheese. Yum yum!

(recipe is from Fig Heaven by Marie Simmons)

Some paintings in a web show thing

2009-07-20T21:20:00.000-07:00

Hey -- what happened to June? And is July almost over? Greetings from the sleep deprived. I've been watering this little seedling and he's almost ready to hold his head and sit up on his own. It's thrilling. And since I've abandoned the art studio, and most detail oriented tasks, I'm gonna try and post links to other places and call that a blog post. Is that cheating?

Check out this new web series Wage Slaves. It's like a tv show just only on the internets. It's the latest thing. It's a comedy situated in a coffee shop --- and my paintings are in the background! Right now my computer speakers aren't hooked up, so I haven't actually heard a whole episode, but I'm sure it's good.

One of the paintings in Wage Slaves. It's a mausoleum in the Pioneer Cemetery on Morrison. I used to live across the street from this.

The show has even garnered attention from the Oregonian feature writer Margie Boulé. Read her comments here. Good job, guys!

Birthdays!

2009-06-26T15:53:00.000-07:00

Everybody's talking about the death of pop culture icons. But around here we're celebrating birthdays, like the Cancer homebodies that we are.

Happy birthday mom! This is a sketch of my mom when she was in high school, which will soon be a linocut once I start printing again.

Isn't she beautiful? I love you, mom.

Wednesday was my birthday. I spent a nice quiet day with my favorite little guy, who wasn't fussy or nothin'. Nathan came home with a big beautiful bouquet. Sigh!

Here's our Rob Brezny horoscope for this week, fellow Cancerians:

"His heart was growing full of broken wings and artificial flowers," wrote Federico García Lorca. "In his mouth, just one small word was left." There were times during the first half of June when I was tempted to borrow those words to describe you. Now, you're moving into a much brighter phase. The buds that are about to bloom in your heart are very much alive, and your wings, while not fully restored to strength, are healing. Meanwhile, your mouth is even now being replenished with a fresh supply of many vivid words..."

I believe it -- healing from childbirth; new artwork instead of words. Here are the latest linoleum blocks waiting for a fresh coat of ink. Til then Desmond is my number one priority.

(these are rubbings made with crayons on rice paper)

It's in the mail. And it's free.

2009-06-18T13:22:00.001-07:00

For a limited time!

Become a fan of loaded hips press on facebook and receive a FREE linocut of my choosing in the mail!

Yes, it's true, and I am insane.

Just click on that little "find us on facebook" button on the right and become a fan of loaded hips press. Then send me a message with your mailing address and within a week I will send you a FREE linocut of my choosing. You can send the message to me either through a convo on Etsy or by email at shannon@loadedhipspress.com.

Daytime TV

2009-06-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Carye Bye's visit and watercolor sketches, it felt like time to start making some art again. My subject matter: the horrible daytime tv I've subjected myself to while tending to little Desmond.

Here's Martha; she was the easiest to capture as she often stands very still like this in front of the camera:

Regis and Kelly -- I had to get over this new relationship, as I grew up with Regis and Kathy Lee. Regis likes to stare straight into the camera with a feigned look of concern and Kelly has a puckered Botox expression.

The View -- this was a weird bird's eye view camera angle. Do they really need cranes for a daytime talk show? I guess so. Well anyways Whoopi is the best thing that happened to daytime tv.

Desmond loves visitors

2009-06-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

Thank you friends and family who have stopped by with food and love for our new little family member, proving once again how lucky we are to have such special people in our lives. Mwah!

On Monday Carye Bye stopped by with our freshly printed baby announcements, with original woodcut design, printed and designed at Red Bat Press:

Carye looked really cute on her bike. I just had to take a picture -- what can I say I'm a sucker for stripes.

She stayed long enough to have dinner with us and go for a walk with me down scenic Sacramento street, with it's view of Mt Tabor. She also brought her watercolors and did some very cute quick sketches of us, inspired by her recent watercolors up on display at Reading Frenzy (so sad I missed the opening but I plan to go down there before the month is over.) Check out her works and recently finished publication Hidden Portland, also available at Reading Frenzy.

Some sketches of me by Carye Bye:

Introducing...

2009-05-26T23:34:00.001-07:00

Desmond Abraham Ruckman! Born 1:01 am Saturday, May 2 2009

Nautilus

2009-04-23T19:23:00.001-07:00

Today I peddled my wares around to stores downtown. I talked to Chloe at Reading Frenzy, who was a bit glum about the state of things. I met up with my friend Allison, who made this really amazing stuffed nautilus for the baby:

We also commiserated over the economy, and jobs. And we discovered a new gallery, which is somewhat encouraging considering all the other galleries closing up shop. These are strange times.

Dump Score!

2009-04-20T19:40:00.001-07:00

The all new Love Diary! Sadly, the rockin guitar chick on the cover is no where to be found inside the pages. There's no artist credit within the publication but some say on the internets it's the work of Art Cappello. Tales of love, smooching on beaches, nails to be done, neat and tidy endings with marriage proposals. Swoon.

Also strange advertisements, like this coupon for FIVE TOWELS....

and...

Why keep depriving yourself of the thrill of making your own music?

Old and New

2009-04-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

Today I was going through some old prints in a box and I uncovered several linocuts I must have printed several years ago. The image is from a Japanese cancellation stamp that I carved into linoleum and printed in blue and lime green.

I added some copper flowers to the side and listed this on Etsy.

I'm really looking forward to printing with presses and solvents again. Just five more weeks of taking care of myself and sharing my belly with my little friend.

Belly Update

2009-03-23T21:03:00.001-07:00

After being absolutely blown away by the generosity of my friends during our baby shower, where we accumulated baby's entire wardrobe, and enough food to turn our fridge into a gourmet Mexican restaurant, I can only think now of my belly and await our new family member (who is currently taking a break from jabbing my ribs.)

Hooray for mommy blogs! I found this really simple tutorial from See Mommy Sew on turning a regular skirt pattern into a maternity skirt. Using some old fabric from my mom, this was the first skirt I turned out:

That was my belly in January. It's quite a bit bigger now, and the skirt is still fitting rather nicely. I've since realized that the tutorial works well with pre-existing skirts too. So slowly my old skirts are turning "maternity." I used to be afraid of elastic waistbands but now I understand their comfort. Just get the sweatpants image out of your head and everything will be ok. Although the ladies at the fabric store were curious as to what exactly I was going to do with 5 yards of 3" elastic. As if my belly didn't tell the story.

Not to keep going on and on about my belly (but well, this is the Belly Update) here's a funny little picture my friend Carye of Red Bat Press took of me messing around with my friend the Chandler & Price letterpress. As you can see, belly + feeding board don't work well.

mental note: no goofy faces when someone has a camera.

Ok, here's the latest belly picture. It's still actually from a month ago so we're even bigger now.

Can I just add that things I never knew could be sore are sore right now? And um more sore things to come. I know. And my belly button is doing some really crazy things.

Happy spring everybody. The narcissus here are a bit stunted. I look forward to the cherry blossoms, which are slowly awakening, and my new friend to emerge, who will hopefully not trash my body when he makes his appearance.

Visit to Vintage/Collectibles Show at Portland Expo Center

2009-03-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a chance to visit my sweet friend Lulu at the Vintage & Collectible show at the Portland Expo Center. I rode the Max and marveled at the public art (pssst -- hey Trimet, I heard you're getting $44 million dollars from the stimulus package, so you don't have to cut my 33 Fremont busline, CAPEESH?) I got on the Max at a stop that is really close the warehouse where my old art studio used to be. They had just built the max line right before I moved out. I felt a little nostalgic to be there.

Some of the public art at the Albina/Mississippi stop:

It's just a short ride to the Expo Center, and the Max takes you around the Vanport wetlands area, a protected marsh that I had never seen before. It's home to over a 100 species of birds.

The vintage show itself was a bit overwhelming. Even though I had my friend's booth number with me, I got a little mixed-up with the way the aisles were marked, and I ended up walking up and down the wrong aisle. And there was soo much to look at, it was hard to stay focused. Perhaps the most amazing thing I saw (and really, there were so many amazing things to see, but the one thing that I can distinctly remember in particular) --- a vintage Steiff bear, with castors on its feet, poised on all four feet and of proportions so that a child could ride it. Steiff stuffed animals are pretty remarkable to begin with, as they are handsewn, jointed, and have real animal fur. But to see a vintage Steiff, and to see it so large, was really kind of special. There was some wear and tear on the back of the bear, where its original owner had used the bear for its intended purpose. I imagine a turn of the century well-to-do little boy in a sailor suit posing on top. You can fulfill this fantasy for a mere $400 (although based on other vintage Steiff prices now I'm wondering if this bear is just a replica.)

Eventually I found my friend Lulu's booth, and as usual she looked adorable and her space was full of really cool vintage clothing and accessories:

I thought I might walk away from the show with some vintage children items for my baby room, (quick, before the CPSIA sends it all the LANDFILL!!) but instead my only purchases were some very cool French postcards from the early 1900s. Of course I have to share them with you:

translation:

He: And the height from the knee to the hip proves that you are an adorably made little lady...

translation:
He: And you know, if I get married, my uncle will give me a good dowry!
She: Oh really! ... how much?

Printmaking Article in Etsy's Storque

2009-03-06T20:32:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone check out this really wonderful article written by the fabulous Etsy seller Magic Jelly. It's a clear and succinct intro of sorts to printmaking.

Printmaking is something that doesn't get much attention on Etsy too often, so it's nice to see some really great work featured, including - ahem - moi!

Read the article here

blah blah blah blah

2009-03-02T20:18:00.000-08:00

We're fighting a really bad cold and overall depression/winter malaise brought on by rainy darkness, pregnant hormones, and lack of real exercise other than occasional prenatal yoga. I don't have any pictures to share with you of the new paintings (hello sun, could you help us out over here?) but I can share with you this:

mars black
cobalt teal
quinacridone crimson
naphthol red medium
hansa yellow medium

and of course

titanium white

and floating lochness-like ladies, ladies with no legs, pink galloping horses, and multi-colored feathers.

You'll just have to picture it in your mind for now until I can take some photos.

PS. Thank you commenters! I used to reply to every comment but now I wonder if anyone would ever check back to read a reply. Because I don't ever when I comment on some else's blog.

So Cute We Can't Stand It!

2009-02-12T15:30:00.001-08:00

If Etsy had a baby registry, this is what I would want:

Angel Wings Baby Blue Onesie by Cloud 9 Design Studio

Black High Top Sneaker Booties by Krafty Lady Kreations

Juicy Jungle Blanket by Whynott Sewn

SOCK MONKEY bib and burp set by Coco + Milkweed

Harper the Hippo Maple Wood Teether by Little Alouette

Blue Polka Dot Whale Bib by Hip Violet

*Sigh* the list could go on forever...

Baby Things

2009-01-31T16:19:00.000-08:00

Suddenly I find myself desiring things I never imagined I could.

Like miniature shoes:

And onesies with hip sayings:

(thanks Emily!!)

And um... $260 high chairs:

Wait...you've got to see the demo to really understand how cool this is.

We Do Not Want to Lose Our Awesome Mayor

2009-01-23T17:30:00.000-08:00

over some stupid overinflated scandal whipped up by the local media.

SHAME ON YOU, Oregonian and WW for sensationalism and shame on you Just Out for turning your backs on him.

Sam Adams has served our city for 20 years. He has supported the arts in so many important ways. The arts community would suffer greatly if we lose him! Don't let this happen!

http://www.samisstillmymayor.blogspot.com/

Charms are Up

2009-01-22T10:30:00.000-08:00

This way to my Etsy shop charm section!

PS. The other day I had to have a fetal echocardiogram because the baby has an irregular heartbeat. It was a mind blowing testimony to our achievements in the ultrasound field. I was not really looking forward to the procedure since I hate having my belly messed with but it ended up being ok, since I could see the baby in full detail, which made me swoon. Results are that baby's heart is functioning properly. Probably just nerves, it runs in the family.

PPS. I'm a little bit excited over scoring the Etsy co-op Bust magazine ad.

Happy MLK Jr Day, America

2009-01-19T12:54:00.000-08:00

May this day be a reminder of how far we've come, and the long journey we have yet to go.

Those back up dancers aren't making it any easier.

Change of Plans

2009-01-17T19:53:00.001-08:00

After running into my friend Carye Bye in the letterpress room, and having much needed catching up time with her, we decided to take down our show at the IPRC without having a closing party. We originally wanted to have an artists talk and closing party since our opening was upstaged by the VP debates everyone was so hungry to see. Since then we've decided we're ready to take the work down and be done. And after making a discovery that Justin the IPRC director erroneously referred to me as "Broken Hips Press" in several publications - which really kinda makes me giggle -- I think I'm ready to end the show without any fanfare.

So! You have until Friday, January 30th to check out the show if you haven't already done so. And it's a good excuse for you to check out the Independent Publishing Resource, hang out in the zine library in the cozy chairs with unbathed hipsters and other random sorts. I guarantee you will be entertained in some fashion.

photos by Emily...

me holding a sketch by Patrick entitled "Buck vs. Bye"

That's me on the right. Note my pre-preg belly in the sketch - I can no longer fit into that plaid skirt.

Quote of the Day

2009-01-12T18:17:00.000-08:00

Someone forwarded this quote to me today:

"Mother-love is not inevitable. The good mother is a great artist ever creating beauty out of chaos."

- Alice Randall, The Wind Done Gone

just some things I've been working on...

2009-01-11T19:57:00.000-08:00

I'm very excited about these little trinkets. I'm hoping to get these posted on Etsy soon. First a trial test, wearing the charms for a day to see if I break out or not. I have the world's most sensitive skin, so I should make a good guinea pig. I'm also waiting for more ribbon. I bought all the black 3/8" ribbon they had at Fabric Depot.

I'm not sure what these are about, but they're in front of my temporarily decommissioned press.

And... last but not least...

I've been collecting champagne corks the past month to build this small army. Good thing all my co-workers are such lushes. Just kidding. The idea came from the September issue of the French Marie Claire Idées.

I'm going to assemble these guys into a mobile for the baby's room. And there's going to be a Barack Obama, in cork form.

PS. Happy 2009 everybody! Any resolutions? C'mon you guys! Here's mine: 1. Call that sales rep 2. update my website with checkout 3. Have a healthy, happy baby.

But Oscar Wilde supposedly said, "Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account."

Charmed

2008-12-29T21:48:00.000-08:00

I'm 21 weeks pregnant now and have accepted the fact that I need to take a break from using the letterpress. I can no longer reach the lever, as there is a clash between my belly and the feeder board. I've been really in tune with my body, more so than ever before. Now I listen and accept what my body tells me. Usually, it tells me to eat more bacon. And drink water. So I do. It's been working out, the baby is growing just fine. I can finally feel the baby, which really helps validate this idea that I'm not crazy, there really is something growing in there.

So, letterpress printing, historically, has been a male dominated field. That's obviously not the case nowadays but originally it was. The men were printers and the wives did the copy editing. Most old school printers will tell you things like use kerosene to clean your rollers and wash your hands with turpentine. And when they say "Ink is in my veins" they're talking about the best printer's ink -- which contained lead. And then there's the type, which is all lead.

So back to my body. Suddenly the 6 years of letterpress printing has got me wondering. What toxic home have I made for my baby? But I'm not going to dwell too much on this ... it couldn't possibly do me any good. The point is, I'm taking an indefinite break from the letterpress and focusing on other little things, like these:

They're still in the production phase, but I just wanted to share. It's because I feel charmed to have a baby in my belly. Especially considering all the wrong things I've done to my body, it's nice to be given a second chance to do things right.

We Survived Arctic Blast 2008

2008-12-28T20:19:00.000-08:00

We really wanted something to commemorate the 2 weeks of unbelievable snow that shut our city of Portland down. And now we have it:

Sweet Little Print Trade with All Things Grow

2008-12-17T16:42:00.000-08:00

Today, sticking out of our mail slot was a cute little brown paper package from All Things Grow. We traded some prints and I got these two lovely little woodblocks on rice paper. They will look really nice in little baby's room. Thanks, Marcy! Visit her Etsy shop here.

PS If you're a printmaker, I love trading prints. I've traded with Big Headed Robot, mLee, Yummihouse and, well, so many others.

Weird Vintage Christmas Cards!

2008-12-11T11:31:00.001-08:00

They're ... after us.....

You've been baaaaad....

Mommy... Daddy... where are you?

I don't think there's enough going on here. I think we better add a floating pretzel and donut. That'll really drive it on home.

Portland friends - Handmade Bazaar this Sunday

2008-12-10T20:20:00.001-08:00

They say there might be snow this weekend.
How magical - don't you want to be downtown when it's snowing?
And looking at handmade treasures? I can't think of a better weekend.

Opening tonight and through the month of December

2008-12-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

I won't personally be there for the opening, but these ladies will, and they're available for purchase:

Also I have brand spankin new letterpress prints available. Je préfère le mots "pas trés cher" mais c'est la vie! As always there will be so many great works available. Go to Reading Frenzy for a complete list of participating artists.

Things I Am Thankful For:

2008-11-27T10:42:00.000-08:00

- sleeping in
- the sun on a cold crisp day
- my healthy body
- my husband
- the sound of dry leaves under my feet
- new pens
- the smell of good coffee
- key lime pie
- my neurotic kitty cat
- my family, especially my mom, my brother, and my 90 year old grandma still kickin
- my record player
- people who get dressed up, especially with hats and gloves
- my favorite scarf of 7 years
- my friends, my second family, who I don't see enough of
- dark chocolate
- my new belly
- people who value art and music
- old movie theaters
- Portland, Oregon - where else could I possibly live now that I'm here
- Etsy
- fried chicken
- our new president

Things I Am Not Thankful For:
- violent people
- squirrels in my bird feeders
- Proposition 8 and the hate

What are you thankful for?

Finished

2008-11-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

Thus marks the end of another wonderful weekend, full of swimming, basketball games, dear friends, pie-making, and a trip to Crafty Wonderland. Hope your weekend was also fabulous!

Finished two new linocuts, Prom queen and Homecoming Queen. They're not quite ready for sale, the ink is still a little inky...

It's Over. It's the Beginning!

2008-11-04T20:33:00.000-08:00

We spent the past 4 hours watching the numbers.
We can't believe it, that it was over so quickly.

And now, we can wake up tomorrow in a new world. A new relationship with other nations.

And for Obama to win by a landslide -- to know that everyone else really wanted this too, that our nation isn't split in two -- and to hear John McCain so graciously concede, to know that dignities remain in tact.

And that I can afford the health care for my baby, and baby can enter into this world with a historic president who brought with him a campaign of hope. I thank you, voters, and my baby thanks you.

Can You Spot The Terrorist ?

2008-11-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

This one's easy. The one below on the right is none other than Ted Nugent, the Nuge, everyone's favorite liberal-hater and NRA "enthusiast."

Since anti-war activists are now known as "terrorists" (I'm thinking about William Ayers) it's fun to see that the Nuge would turn to dear old 60s "radical" Abbie Hoffman for his ensemble, but there you have it. I think we all know what would really tie this outfit together....

Brief Jerky! Available from Mixed Species!! These would really keep the Nuge all snuggly-wuggly while he's on stage threatening the lives of Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton.

****You might know less than you think about spotting "terrorists" or those who are of interest to the FBI. Naomi Wolf as always has some interesting things to say about the matter.

I'll get off my soapbox when it's Wednesday night and I can get some sleep.

Three New Drawings

2008-10-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

May I introduce.... Debate Team Captain, French Club Treasurer, and Teacher's Aide!

I'm carving the linoleum blocks as we speak. They will be joining Prom Queen, Homecoming Queen, and Student President, eventually to be part of a bigger collection of 15 to 20 portraits. Once the printing is done, they will be compiled into a book (hopefully!).

Here's to hope.

Bits of Weirdness, thank you You Tube

2008-10-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

Hope

2008-10-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased a lovely print from Ms. Starry Art. It's a linoleum block portrait in two colors with letterpress type. It's so lovely! These beautiful cards are $5 each and 100% of the sales go to Obama for America. Hurry, so she can get the donations in before October 30th! And, well, I don't know about you, but I'd rather remember this time as hopeful and not angry and vengeful. Ahem!

Here is my print, sitting on my desk at work:

You can read about the printing process here, on her blog. Cards are available for sale in her Etsy shop.

Not Art Related

2008-10-15T21:45:00.000-07:00

Ahhh Autumn, a transitional season. We are preparing for nesting. One last final task in the garden was to harvest the hops. We have three rhizomes in the ground and every year they happily climb along the shed wall.

Mother Nature is so wonderful. These little guys will eventually make their way into Nathan's next batch of beer. If you were here, we would share some with you.

And since we're getting ready for winter it's time to get rid of this hair. I don't normally like taking photos of myself but this occasion calls for a "before" and "after." We'll have to wait for tomorrow for the "after."

You can see that I want this scraggly mess off of my head, yes?

Change is good.

Here's the Show

2008-10-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

My goodness, I've forgotten to blog again! Really there's just been so much frettin and fussin over here ... who wants to blog? I just can't write about all the worrying I've been trying not to do. About the you-know-what. You know, that thing. That stuff that happens in November. See, there goes my stomach again. We're not going to think about it right now. I'm tired of the ugly comments all over the internets. Shame on y'all.

Instead I'd like to say thank you to my dear friend Emily who was wonderful and brought a camera to our opening that took place on Oct 2... You can find the pictures here in her flickr account (thank you Emily!)

This way to the pictures...

Carye and I spent a lot of time putting this show together, outlining the process that both of us use to make our prints. It was fun trying to dig through all my old photos and sketchbooks to find all the materials. I'm the kind of person who will doodle on anything and then store it all in boxes in no particular order. Which makes sorting through it much like opening a time capsule.

The show is up til the end of Jan. So there's plenty of time to visit the IPRC if you live in the Northwest.

Art Opening Thursday Oct 2 !!

2008-10-01T21:35:00.001-07:00

Boys School For Printing

2008-09-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days. The flowers were heavy with rain, the air was crisp, the sky remained dark. One of those days to stay inside with a pile of books and some comfort food. It's time to become a hermit again. Oh wait I'm always a hermit...

Looking for inspiration in a British graphic design catalog from 1965, I came across this fascinating article about a typesetting school in Jerusalem.

The Hadassah Apprentice School of Printing was founded in 1946 and trained boys ages 14 to 18 in typesetting and printing. (Girls had to go to school for cooking, arts and crafts, and nursing. Bummer.) The school was a four year program that allowed students to work on real print jobs from commercial clients four days a week. Boys who participated in the school were granted a postponement of their mandatory military service at age 17 1/2. If they completed the training, they were offered a journeyman's certificate, which allowed them the option to return to printing after their military term was served.

Students collaborated with instructors with the design work but for the most part they were encouraged to do their own layouts. Most of the composing was done in Hebrew, one-third of it in English, and there was additional training in Greek, Russian, and Arabic. Advanced students were trained in setting Hebrew and English in linotype. The jobs included the usual print work - wedding announcements, invitations, letterhead, forms, books etc. Somehow the clients were willing to entrust apprentices with their business.

As someone who can work with a 26 letter alphabet, I am totally amazed at the thought of setting type in Hebrew -- a case contains 400 different signs!

The article was written by Henri Friedlaender, who designed the first modern Hebrew typeface, "Hebrew Hadassah" which is now a part of Dartmouth's Graphic Arts collection of type.

Random Visits to the Public Library

2008-09-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Our downtown public library has the most amazing marble staircase with etched detailing, but it's absolutely dizzying trying to make it all the way up to where the art books are. I'm not a smoker (mostly), I'm happy on my bike or the cross trainer, but there's something about those stairs that leaves me light-headed by the time I get to the room with the art books.

I like to visit the library randomly. Most people find what they want online at home and have things reserved, but I never know when my path will lead me to the library. Growing up I was conditioned to bring a list of titles and scribble down call numbers with an itty bitty pencil but since they got rid of the card catalog the process isn't as fun. I know where my kind of books are shelved and I like to see what's there.

My last visit to the library I found these two lovely books:

The Cutting Edge Of Modernity: Linocuts of the Grosvenor School 769.922S193c2002

It's a thin paperback of linocuts. Nice large illustrations. Book was published in the UK, about a 20th century British school of art, that also included Australian artists, and is compared to the Futurist movement. A briefly popular movement that unfortunately lost demand after WWII, for obvious reasons I guess. I am completely ignorant of any linocut movement and since it's one of my favorite mediums, I was of course thrilled to come across this book.

The goal of the founding member of the school was to produce pieces of original art that could be purchased for the price of a pint of beer. You get a sense of brightness and optimism from this collection of prints. I guess that's what I like so much about this medium. So simple and direct and genuine.

Art of the Japanese Postcard 741.683M986a2004

It's important for an art book to have lots of quality color illustrations. This book has over 360 of them, but it's an exhibition catalog published by the MFA in Boston, so I guess that's not surprising. Their city must have people with money who actually care about art. Anyways the book is hardcover and weighs about 3 lbs, so it sits flat on the table and opens very nicely. There are lots of enlarged detail illustrations, which is really great for getting a sense of the printing process and quality of the postcards.

The text is a series of essays by several different authors, who provide a brief bio of each artist as well as details on their printing methods, and explanations of the imagery.

I was mostly excited about the printing information. They often combined traditional and commercial techniques. The most common processes were lithography, collotype, and woodblock, and later photographic transfer/halftone screens. The postcards that were considered to be of higher quality were those that were produced with woodblocks and hand-colored on fine paper. Ooooh I hope to one day see the collection with my own eyes, if it's possible. The collection was on exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. You can take a virtual tour here.

Sumimasen!

2008-09-16T20:23:00.001-07:00

My apologies.

I've neglected my blog.

It's shameful, I know. I bet my 5 faithful readers have abandoned ship, and I don't blame them. I'll cross my fingers that we can move on from this experience and I'll try my best to recap some highlights from the past month as best I can remember, but it may take several posts.

I finally acquired my very own letterpress. After years of working with shared community presses I finally have this big beast, the Craftsmen Monarch. Here it is with my linoleum block carving of some swifts:

The first disappointment came when I realized the beautifully custom-made feed board wasn't going to work --- it was too big and my little arm couldn't reach the lever with it on. The feed board is a little shelf that allows you to keep your prints in order. So we removed the feed board and the two metal arms that extended out to hold it in place --- only to discover one of the arms holds the spring for the grippers that allows them to move forward from the platen. Are you still with me here? I made a little diagram for some help. Ok so we had to put the metal arm back on. Now I have to keep myself from walking into the extended metal arm and injuring my torso every two seconds. This is a minor problem as we think we can fabricate something out of wood to take its place and connect the spring to the press and keep the grippers in tact and functional. Phew!

However, the major set back is that I don't have a proper chase. The chase is crucial, it's a metal frame that holds the stuff you're printing all neat and tidy with quoins and furniture so that the rollers can easily pass over it all and you can be a happy printer. The chase I'm currently borrowing is a Chandler & Price 8x12" sized chase and it's just a wee bit too wide. I was able to print, however it's murder trying to get the thing in and out of the press. I think maybe a machinist could sand down the sides and make it fit, but for now I stare at my press with sad puppy dog eyes. We're so close...

Speaking of letterpress, I have an upcoming show with my fellow printing friend Carye Bye of Red Bat Press at the Independent Publishing Resource Center, the place that we call home for printing. Please find details to the right --- more info coming!

Japanese Blocks

2008-08-26T22:40:00.001-07:00

Japanese blocks, originally uploaded by loaded hips.

Currently I'm trying to learn Japanese. We're off to a slow start really, I can say some formalities... but my goal is to learn so I can travel to Japan in two years and visit my friend Naoko (hi Naoko! Hey Anne, wanna come too?)

Right now I'm reading Mishima's short stories. Already a fan of Murakami and the horror graphic novels of Uzumaki... and well Japanese fashion and design in general. Sad, I guess, but what can you say when you live in Portland and you're dreaming of visiting Japan...

These blocks I'm told are for children learning romanji. Let's learn together...

Print Exchange and Fungus Update

2008-08-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

Recently I volunteered to participate in a print exchange with other Etsy printmakers. The theme is "Seasons" which we don't have very many of here in the Pacific Northwest, nor did I really experience growing up in the South. But my garden is always an inspiration and at the time, the Rudbeckia had just woken up and there was suddenly these amazing yellows and ambers and vertical contours in the yard. Here's the print from beginning to end, starting with my silly little still life and simple drawing to my make-shift registration system:

I normally use a C&P clam-shell table-top letterpress to print my linoleum blocks, but for this series, I thought I'd try the masochistic way of hand printing. I rigged up a very primitive registeration system consisting of cardboard corners to hold the paper in place and used a barren given to me by a dear friend.

If you don't know about Printsy, you can find a link somewhere over there on the right to the Printsy blog. It's a street team and flickr group of Etsy printmakers who specialize in hand-printed works of art. If you'd like to join, I think there's contact info on the blog. There are so many amazing printmakers on Etsy it just blows my mind.

Now here's a fungus update. The little nubs have opened to form these fluffy mushrooms:

Quick Draw

2008-08-19T23:19:00.000-07:00

Carye Bye, workshop coordinator for the Independent Publishing Resource Center, asked me to create an illustration for the IPRC's events and workshops brochure today. By tomorrow.

I'm happy to say I finished it *and* got to watch Shawn Johnson win the gold medal on the balance beam. Gotta go, there's some more Bela Karolyi commentary to watch....

The theme is "Creative Business."

Feral and Fungi

2008-08-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been really inspired by my garden, artistically and spiritually. So many fascinating things are going on in this little world. New things are constantly blooming and dying and transforming.

So I shouldn't have been too amazed when my little lemon tree that hasn't really been doing so well suddenly took a turn for the worse.... flowers were dropping off like flies, leaving me disappointed that we wouldn't have any lemons this year, but then ... even worse... I realized there were little ... tiny ... um ... things ... growing...

that resemble ...

....a Louise Bourgeois sculpture....

and the leaves on the azalea plant starting turning brown and falling... and suddenly this weird meringue-like substance appeared at the base of the plant.

Were we just egged by gourmet cooks?

And there's been a little feral kitten running through our yard, living in the neighbor's fig tree. It's made appearances for the past two weeks, but won't let us come near him... until yesterday. We were making strides in our relationship, I was down on the ground and he actually let me touch him. I thought his purring meant "I'm ready for you to pick me up now" but he let me know right away of our communication breakdown. Here's my battle scars.

Off to go put some ointment on my arms.

Melting....

2008-08-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

Whew it's h - o - t over here. We're about to try this, because it's c - o - l - d and we're curious how flan and ice cream might work out:

After working on abstract paintings, I've gone back to drawing little ladies with arm braces, and I've been doing a lot of this lately:

Now I'm going to dip my toes in the kiddie pool again.

Four Things I Saw Recently That I have Never Seen In Person Before

2008-08-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

1. Sandollars

Where I grew up, sandollars are white, brittle as bones, and can only be found whole in gift shops. Did you know they are in fact a darkish brown color when alive and are really quite soft and spongy to the touch? I didn't, until this weekend, when I had to keep from stepping on them in the sand.

2. Clams

Really I never had a clue what a clam actually looked like, besides a tiny chewy bit in my clam chowder. Well, the mystery of the clam was unveiled to my eyes more than I cared to see. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you... the clam:

Eww!

3. the Canadian border

It has always been so easy to cross into Canada. You just get on a bus from Seattle and they whisk you into a customs office where they politely ask you why you want to visit Canada and then they send you on your merry way. Well, not anymore. Canada has changed its stance on us American riffraff and I can't say I blame them. So while we skipped along the beautiful gardens in Blaine Washington, the Canadian border officers were quick to notice us slinking our way past the border. "You, over there, you need to check in with customs...." they yelled to us. Without our passports, we retreated back to America...

and, speaking of America.... number 4 is...

the bald eagle

Nope, I've never seen a bald eagle with my own eyes until now. It is really a remarkable creature. It was like a flying dog, it was huge. Those talons are as big as my head. It just sat there, perched and turning its head around and around, and I was completely in awe. And now I can finally replace in my mind the image of the bald eagle -- no longer will I see a monster truck and a gun rack and a furling American flag behind it. Now I will think of the bald eagle as a silent, graceful flying dog. Thank goodness.

Sometimes, I Get Hung Up

2008-07-24T20:50:00.001-07:00

Today, on the bus, the five people sitting around me were simultaneously talking on their cell phones.

I closed my eyes and made it so that they were talking to each other but they kept interrupting one another.

Today's Card is The Fool

2008-07-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

Today, my card is the Fool.

Maybe the satire of the Fool's journey will somehow commiserate the lackluster sales of Loaded Hips Press.

It's funny how these things work. Since my attention to painting, and the focus of my energy on the show in the Basil Hallward gallery, (and, well, my family, my garden, being outside in the sun) perhaps I've self-sabotaged the printmaking endeavors. It's been hard to focus on new work, when there's a nagging feeling that I should just close my Etsy shop all together and start on something entirely new... and the inability to "brand" my work, since that seems to be the special secret that leads to success.

I like to think that my work is like Sybil, with thirteen or so different characters batting around inside the same head, and branding seems like herding them all into a straight-jacket.

Which probably sounds really naive.

Which leads us back to the Fool.

I don't even have any Hollywood Babylon post-it note drawings to share with you.

I started a Frances Farmer, but she's just a face, smiling slyly, waiting for her straight-jacket

Plastics!

2008-07-02T22:14:00.001-07:00

This past week I acquired some new loot of the plastic variety that I'm very excited about. The first of which was given to me as a birthday gift by my dear friend Emily. Behold...

Campus Cuties!!

No longer will I marvel at these little ladies from afar. I now have a starter set, which sadly means I might be swayed into abandoning what little social life I have to obsessively collecting these plastic/stylized wonders on *gasp* Ebay...

I would like to add, as Emily points out, they have no derrier to speak of! (Sorry, no picture to illustrate this point.)

My next wonderful new plastic article is ....

From a previous show at the Basil Hallward Gallery. The theme was items from the dollar store, re-purposed and priced at $1. I'm feeling a little grumpy with the internet right now so I'm slacking off on finding any further info on the group of artists from Seattle who came up with the whole brilliant idea. Let's just say there was lots of packaging and expressive use of pipe cleaners and googly eyes. A ++, guys! Here's my new magical horse, braving the rocky terrain with a little extra special hindquarter magic!

Announcing....

2008-06-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

My upcoming show at the Basil Hallward Gallery inside Powells City of Books in downtown Portland Oregon!

I have new paintings and drawings and they will be paired with the lovely, mysterious works of the talented artist Hayley Barker.

Oh, I'm so nervous and excited. The paintings aren't like anything else I've done before. Usually I'm so wrapped up in figures and imagery, but in my latest works I really made an effort to delve deeper and abandon all the characters that normally populate my drawings. I'll spare you the drama, but I really wanted to tap into the loss and sadness I've experienced over the past year, and also the wonderful events, and try to make sense of it all. Geez, I know, it sounds so hokey... that's why I'm an artist, not a writer! I guess there's a desire to connect and heal within all of this. I'm sure you know what I mean...

Well, anyways, here's part of an artist statement I've made, but abandoned:

I'm normally a printmaker, so my head is full of multiples.
When unchecked, these multiples float and collect like serendipitous moments amidst doubt and sorrow...

We're Not Used To That and My Upcoming Show

2008-06-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

Here in Portland, we're not used to that big bright ball in the sky you might call the sun, and yesterday it was in the 90s. I rode my bike around town and burst into flames. I meet a friend in Southeast and it was the nice folks at Jace Gace who cooled us down with an ice cold glass of mint & fennel iced tea and some scrumptious wonderful waffles. Yes, waffles. We had the curry asparagus savory waffle (the curry was more like gravy) and the tiramisu waffle oozing with mascarpone and espresso syrup... mmmmmmmm! This is my new favorite place to be. And across the street in Colonel Sumner Park we happened upon the Multnomah County Bike Fair where my friend (who was riding sans helmet, and making me really nervous!) bought an awesome new bike helmet for only $10, and they lovingly fit it to her head. Thank goodness!

That said I need to get to the point and write about my upcoming show... well how about just some little teasers, first:

Hello Summer!

2008-06-28T12:16:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful time of year.
I've been a little absent in the blogosphere lately. I've been preparing for my art opening this coming Thursday (more on that later!) and basking in the glow of the sun, and running around in flip flops. Mother Nature is working magical things in our world....

Some Things are Too Special Not to Share....

2008-06-22T21:13:00.001-07:00

Our Family, originally uploaded by loaded hips.

This really is my family, and this has to be the best drawing I've seen in awhile. And it was made by someone very special. Sigh.

PS. Testing out the blogging feature on flickr....

Drawing on Post-It Notes

2008-06-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

I often find myself drawing at work. On work materials. In a timely manner that does not conflict with my work ethic, nor in a way that expends said work materials in any way (*ahem* Hi Beth and Serra, my supervisors!) Take for example this new series I like to call Hollywood Babylon on Post-Its. Since I often need to write the date on post-it notes, and recently I devoured Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger (the scrumptious tabloid of yesteryear) it was only natural the two would co-exist via the highlighter in my hand (btw it's impossible to properly scan the highlighter colors!) Please enjoy, and do send me your work art, if you have any to share. I would love to see it, and add to the collection.

Blue Dahlia

Heroin Chic

Jean Harlow with Big Teeth

Big Bottle o' Poison

Same random paper ephemera

2008-06-04T21:13:00.001-07:00

Things I've been meaning to blog about --

This beautiful library card:

I like that it says "fee will be charged if ... mutilated."

This drawing of Marjane Satrapi, which I made while sitting in the front row of her Portland lecture in April, completely enamored:

Since it's been a couple of months since the lecture, I can only share my chicken-scratch notes, which read:

"Short knit black dress
black tights
button down
collared shirt
movie = passivity
she said "melancholy" funny
leads to exile
solitary
drawing = human being/God in his image
Not Without My Daughter barf
Umberto Eco
culture clash
east vs. west
guns = (?can't read my writing) her country
Flaubert Dostoevsky
Iran/Iraq war 1988 end"

There was so much more to her talk of course but I think I was just giggling too much to write it all down, and pinching myself...for more concise information about her life and work please visit here

My apologies for the random nature of this post. Both items were recently discovered when I cleaned out my bag.

Rosalind Franklin, I'm thinking of you

2008-06-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking of you, because James Watson is under fire for his comments about race and genetics (read the interview with Henry Gates Jr and Watson here)

I'm thinking about you, because I want to feel confident that your contributions to the genetics model will yet enter into the debate. But you are no longer here and you're an unwilling/unknowing voice to the Double Helix.

I dedicate this painting to you. Your reading is the 7 of swords.

I'm no chemist and I'm trying to teeter off this soapbox... I'll meet you at the bar stool...

It's Fun to Quote People

2008-05-27T22:32:00.000-07:00

I come from a circle of introverts, and sometimes it's just too hard not to break that personal creed...

and expose something...

like this...

That would be something my husband said to me tonight.

And, well, it's true, that sometimes I get a little excited about Etsy.

Please note that the "golf" referred to in this quote is actually the Tiger Woods PGA golf tournament game for the Nintendo Wii. And, yes, sadly, that is a Vegas Hilton notepad.

Sigh.

Are we multi-media nerds, or what?

But ... stay with me here...

I finished a wood block tonight, and I'm wondering if I ruined the whole thing by adding some hand coloring with Caran d'ache water-soluble crayons. I couldn't help myself, they just have the perfect colors .... so yummy and candy-like:

l - l - l - l - letterpress!

2008-05-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

Do you live in the Great Pacific Northwest? Do you know about the Independent Publishing Resource Center? It has been a little office room that has meant a lot to me for the past five years or so.

And now you can find me there every other Thursday (starting tomorrow) as I help out with open print shop hours! Meaning if you're there to print tomorrow, you'll see my smiling face, ready to assist with your printing needs. Ready for anything, really. Cupcakes encouraged.

So, here's the deal: the IPRC, in addition to all the awesome outreach programs, workshops, and extensive zine library, they also offer the best letterpress workshop ANYWHERE. It's $45 for a one day, 6 hour class. You do need to be a member, which I believe is about $40 (yikes, I probably need to renew my membership!) And the workshop is in high demand, so chances are you'll be placed on a waiting list. But, as we all know, good things come to those who wait. This is how I learned letterpress. It wasn't in art school, where the letterpress (nicknamed The Mangler!) was kept under lock and key, alluded to like a ghost in the attic.

Here's a picture of one of my block prints, locked down and ready for printing, at the IPRC:

Okay, now go and check out the IPRC!

Summer?

2008-05-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

Oh my, has it really been ten days since we last blogged? It has something to do with the sun... a rare sight for us here in Portland. We're overcome with the sudden urgency to stay outside at all costs, far away from computers or desks.

So, there's nothing new to share today, besides the killer bar-b-que we just had and my garden which is blowing up right now. My Etsy shop, perhaps sensing my negligence and carefree ways, is a little *ahem* slow... right... now....

I did come across these old art cards I made a couple of years ago, which are fun and perhaps will inspire. Enjoy! Oh, and if you live in the Portland area, scroll down on the right hand side over there, you'll find a link that leads to info on the Portland artist trading cards meetings.

Today = New Schedule

2008-05-08T18:24:00.000-07:00

I have a new schedule.
Thursdays = art days. And business errand days.
Like going to the bank and post office and stuff.

And calling my mom. (Hi mom!)

Here's a new drawing I made today. I don't know what it means, or what it could be.
But it's nice to have the time to draw again.
I call this drawing "Oven Mitts" as in "Get your oven-mitts offa me!" :

She Has Arrived!

2008-05-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

Oh boy oh boy oh boy!
I've finally got the newest project up for sale on Etsy.

Silkscreen is something I never considered doing before, being mostly an etching and relief print fan, but I've been temporarily converted! I highly encourage anyone with a spray attachment on their sink to explore the world of screen printing. There was time to throw a print on an old t-shirt:

Shazam! I feel like a magician.

Old Man Winter Overstayed His Welcome

2008-04-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

The cherry blossoms are confused. The forecast is snow. We're just staying in and drawing:

Listening to Nico : Desert Shore very LOUD.

How do you like the new layout? A little bit Modern and a little bit bubbly corners over here.

How Could I Resist

2008-04-14T16:10:00.001-07:00

It's the CLEVER LEVER MEGA CRAFT PUNCH by Marvy Uchida, in the scalloped oval shape. I found it at the Paper Zone. I tried to look away, but it called to me and whispered in my ear. It cuts so smoothly. It makes a satisfying "ca-chunk" sound. So soothing. What would I want with a scalloped oval shape, you say? Gift tags. Photo frames. You can do this:

And this:

Blah Blah Blah

2008-03-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

It's still dark and cold here.

Waiting to emerge.

Waiting.

The bulbs have flowered, but they're lonely bursts of yellow narcissus, purple hyacinths, and pink tulips fragrant but slimy underneath the torrential rain. I've been so absent-minded and ornery I almost missed the trip to the Hat Museum! ( Please see Lulu's Vintage blog for a little peek at the Hat Museum....)

Here's a little bit more of collage fun. I can't share with you the new project I'm working on because it's still in fragmented stages, so it must remain a mystery for now!

SCRAP part deux

2008-03-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness the SCRAP bag is finished!! My sewing machine and I are not always the best of friends. Now to let the little bag out into the wild, for someone else to get good use out of it. I mean who wouldn't want this adorable funky bag?

Do you know about SCRAP?

2008-03-12T22:59:00.000-07:00

The School and Community Reuse Action Project is a Portland non-profit committed to the environmentally sustainable and creative reuse of materials in the community. Check out their website for more info, they offer tons of outreach programs, workshops, and volunteer opportunities: http://www.scrapaction.org

How cool is that?

I've been taking a short break from printing and dusted off my sewing machine to help contribute this reusable shopping bag to sell in the store as a fundraiser. Holy crap it's due by Saturday! Time to get off the internets and get back to work!!

Silk Screenin'

2008-03-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

First silk screen run ever. This is really addictive!
I used a $6 work lamp from the hardware store and the Speedball Photo-Emulsion kit and I found a screen at a thrift store.

This is cheaper than gocco, kids! Although it does involve using lots of water and strange chemicals.

Worth the Wait

2008-03-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

Finished this print:

two new prints and one block finished:

and hello snap peas....

Look At These Little Worlds I Created

2008-02-27T22:28:00.001-08:00

If I'm a little obsessive compulsive/manic depressive, I'll take this over pharmaceuticals any old day.

New Collage Prints on Etsy

2008-02-18T20:39:00.001-08:00

Just a little bit of fun available in my Etsy shop...

Nancy Drew, 80s Style

2008-02-17T20:19:00.000-08:00

Todays post is brought to you by Tastemakers Choice. Enjoy!