I {heart} Beyonce!

Sometimes inspiration sneaks up and surprises you. Tonight I was flipping channels and stumbled upon this peek behind the scenes of Beyonce’s new album. I did not expect to be so moved and so inspired by it. Something about Beyonce searching for these guys she’d seen on YouTube and then few them to the US to work with her was mindblowing! Other things moved me too – like her nervousness and risk taking. All of it made me feel like I’m doing the right thing and moving in the right direction as I experience similar things… If you have twenty-two minutes, take a break and watch this.
Leave me a comment and let me know what you thought about it.

inspiration saturday

Inspired by...
art exhibitions focused on fashion
(click the links below and see for yourself)

the Balenciaga exhibit that just ended here in SF


Madame Gres in Paris


Alexander McQueen at The Met in New York City

morning brew

I desperately needed coffee this morning. I must say though – I drink the least amount of coffee I’ve ever consumed in the past 7 years. I usually have a big mug and once it’s done, I’m done. I don’t go out for coffee much anymore or drink it at different times of the day like I used to.
I’ve had a pretty mundane existence lately, that is – if you want my take on things. Today I was surprised to see the cold damp fog, which never burned away, leaving a dull gray day. I worked against the wet fog spray painting parts of a sculpture I am working on. Right now I am creating a few pieces that are different from what I usually create. They are pieces centered around aspects of nature – earth, wind and water. At the moment I am working on earth. Whether the other two will happen, we shall see. I like the freedom of being able to change course at any time.

tuesday potatoes

These were laid out in the kitchen this morning. I don't know why...
Meanwhile I made coffee and smiled - standing in the kitchen looking at two of my sculptures propped against the backdoor. I answered the door in my pajamas and signed for a UPS package. I listened to my mom's reaction on the phone as my sister-in-law updated her about this week. (My mom's reactions are always big, no matter how serious or non-serious the news so you can never tell if something bad has happened until she gets off the phone and tells you...) Later I read about an opportunity I'd lost out on - an opportunity that had so much potential that I felt grieved about having lost out. I allowed myself time to simply mourn and to let the tears flow. I worked all day and watched a few episodes of some Bravo TV shows thinking about reality TV and how sometimes ( well many times) I think other people's reality is more exciting than mine. 'Maybe I should cut back on my reality TV intake' I thought. Then an episode of Flipping Out came on and I sat back and watched forgetting about that last remark.

another week begins...

Can I just say I’m not a fan of Mondays?
I spent the entire day doing tedious little tasks that soaked up all of my time. One such task was sewing cloth bags to cover my sculptures in.

the random thoughts that keep me up

“I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till i drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.” - Jack Kerouac

I have lots of thoughts floating through my head, probably too many. In fact, I know I have too many, which is why as soon as it’s time to lay down and sleep I feel wide awake. Even my daydreams, which usually lull me into a great sleep turn into something serious and I find myself watching the room get brighter until I fall asleep as the sun comes up. Needless to say, I feel a bit thrown off right now.

So if I could spill out some of my life – here goes:
altoids by the tin, art studios, an old friend dancing like James Brown, abstract pieces inspired by nature, braiding my hair, BBQ chicken, clean sheets, dreaming of going away somewhere distant from my life, fairy tales, fireworks startling me, fight the power, feeling too serious, grits and eggs, gold sculptures, gray hairs, hostess cupcakes, interior design, John Coltrane, loud talking, laughter coming from the other room…, menthol rub, my dislike of ‘House’ coffee, need to vacuum, people posting what they eat and drink on Facebook, people watching, questioning the future, rotten fruit, racial tensions in the neighborhood, sunshine waking me up, SF Art Commission Exec quits, spray painting, trust or distrust, the smell of garbage, waterworks, watching reruns, wishing for peace…
How’s that for random??

life

mysterious armor

new work!
For more information go to my website. Look in the portfolio under 'garments'.

sometimes life is more exciting in photos

This weekend I updated some photos for my etsy shop.




After my first sculptural table base did not support the glass as I'd hoped, I went back to work, recreating the whole thing with a stronger foundation. This foundation made it look closer to the photo they gave me originally. I feel like I grew and learned so much from taking on this project. It has made me think a bit differently about how I approach my work.




Downtown in the middle of all of the activity sits a tiny hardware store. I have found that even though the place is tiny, they always have what I need. Last week after going to Lowes twice and not finding what I needed I took the bus downtown to this store and there were the tools I needed and then some! It's wild. It's an independently owned place and they always have such fun window displays. Check out the lighting made out of colanders! The window has a 'curtain' on each side made from yards and yards of chain...




This dress is inspired by the designer Haider Ackermann, a Belgian trained fashion designer who has exploded in the fashion world. He remarked that his clothes were fragile and strong. Something about that moved me.

a slice of Thursday

The sun was out at some point today, before 4 o'clock when the fog began to roll in with its wet dampness and clouds colored the sky gray telling everyone to toss on another layer of clothing and head inside someplace warm.

I saw a girl walking down the street. She was an average girl in her twenties, wearing black skinny jeans and a dark gray hoodie with a t-shirt under it. She wore red converse on her feet. While everything about her was commonplace, what made me notice her was that her big chunky bangs and hair pulled into a high ponytail were the same exact shade of red as her shoes.

While out and about today I noticed all of the colors of the houses. Pepto Bismol pink with a pale pink trim, mint green with dark purple trim, an all blue house with beautiful stained glass windows, a very modern dark forest green two story house with redwood decking, trim and big floor to ceiling windows...

I saw an old episode of Project Runway yesterday. One of the designers said, " I was born to give and offer beauty to the world". I loved that remark and felt like - "Yes, yes - me too."

After three trips to two different hardware stores, 6-8 hours of sculpting for the past 6 days and lots of determination I recreated the sculptural table base. I dropped it off today and am waiting to see if it will be used for a major design project. I feel a strange sense of sadness having dropped it off, even though I was eager to complete it. I feel that sad feeling one gets when a good book comes to an end.

I am developing arthritis in my right knee. I have had it in my left knee for almost three years so I know the pain that comes with it intimately. Yesterday and today have come with extreme pain in my right knee which is difficult because neither leg feels comfortable to stand on. I find myself gently rocking in my seat - something I do when I'm in pain and can't manage it. Life both inside and out feels uncomfortable these days.

wednesday sunshine

The sun was out today and my day was spent in the backyard painting sculptures. I just finished a dress and started brainstorming a new abstract sculpture.
I was totally surprised and excited tonight as I watched the season premiere of "Flipping Out' on BravoTV. On this episode Jeff Lewis was invited to speak at the SF Design Center. The interior designer I have been working with was in the episode at the cocktail party Jeff attended... Wild to simply find yourself chilling out watching TV and see someone you know!

wednesday sunshine

The sun was out today and my day was spent in the backyard painting sculptures. I just finished a dress and started brainstorming a new abstract sculpture.

I was totally surprised and excited tonight as I watched the season premiere of "Flipping Out' on BravoTV. On this episode Jeff Lewis was invited to speak at the SF Design Center. The interior designer I have been working with was in the episode at the cocktail party Jeff attended... Wild to simply find yourself chilling out watching TV and see someone you know!