the barber lounge

Luggage carts filled with art, my mom and I rode the bus across town so I could drop off work for the latest show I’m in. It’s at a high-end salon called ‘The Barber Lounge’. It is an incredible space – I was blown away when we walked in! What I did not know is that this show is to celebrate their 5th year anniversary. The opening will be a huge party with a DJ and cocktails and from what I hear it should be pretty big. As you can see by the photos, it's a pretty cool place!

five senses

SEE - Nurse Jackie. I have been watching past episodes of Nurse Jackie. I made it through season 1 and I am hooked. I love Edie Falco. - A bedroom that looks like a factory… You’d think I never moved into the studio by the look of this room. I have been working from home all week. I must say my life is boring in general – sculpting and watching cable tv. I was feeling guilty about this (like I need to be more exciting and adventurous) and then I saw an interview with the comedian Chris Rock and he said he spent 10 years or his life going to the comedy club almost every night. When the interviewer questioned him further he said – “Yeah that means no social life really and no dating because it was always a priority to get on stage on a Friday and Saturday night. I was dedicated to being the best comedian I could be.” Somehow that makes me feel better about my introversion and focus (although I don’t plan to be a hermit for 10 years...) HEAR - Thunder so loud last night that it shook the house. It scared me and made me want to get in bed and hide under the covers. Thunder usually doesn’t have this effect on me. It was so powerful though that the rumbling made me think of earthquakes – so unnerving. Plus it kept setting off car alarms because it was so strong. FEEL - an overall feeling of crappiness – I tend to get in a funk before every open studios event. I start doubting myself and worry that the work is boring or not good before events like these. I feel restless and grumpy and very, very unsettled. SMELL - coffee … I have been prepping the coffee pot at night so I can wake up in the morning and just press the button, get in the shower and have a cup when I get out - a stale menthol smell from using a minty rub on my knees and hips before bed. TASTE Foods I should not be eating – breads, soda, sweets I was doing well and then Easter arrived and it was all about chocolate and bread. {Sigh} I will get back to good eating though.

the big C

This weekend I watched the full first season of ‘The Big C’. It’s a dark comedy (I guess) about a woman who finds out she has stage four melanoma. It is SUCH a great show. It made me think about what I’d do if I found out I had a life threatening disease. The main character is a type A personality and yet when she finds out she’s sick she changes her perspective and flips out a bit in a way that makes others think she’s losing it. They see her suddenly taking risks and having fun and doing things she normally wouldn’t do. Plus she doesn’t tell anyone she has cancer so they really don’t know what’s going on (In the first season). It’s a wild show with really great writing and character development. It made me laugh and cry. It also made me think about how I choose to live my days.

making a difference

I saw this on Facebook and wanted to share it here. It involves two of my favorites and until I heard this story today, I didn't know how they were connected... Check it out---

Marilyn was a big supporter of the Civil Rights Movement. Ella Fitzgerald was one of Marilyn’s idols and a major inspiration. However, the Mocambo nightclub in West Hollywood, the most popular dance spot at the time, refused to let Ella perform there because she was black. Outraged, Marilyn told the owners that if they would let Ella perform, she would be there in the front row every time Ella was onstage. She did, and the two became friends.

According to the great Ella Fitzgerald:
“I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt…it was because of her that I played the Mocambo, a very popular nightclub in the ’50s. She personally called the owner of the Mocambo, and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night. She told him - and it was true, due to Marilyn’s superstar status - that the press would go wild. The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard. After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. She was an unusual woman - a little ahead of her times. And she didn’t know it.” ~ Ella Fitzgerald

What I’ve been working on

The sculpture above - 'bathing beauties' was a part of a designer showcase house I was a part of last month. It was in the cabana area of a 45 million dollar mansion and it sold. Not only did the piece sell but someone commissioned one just like it so this is the second bathing suit I sculpted.


This piece 'the bombshell' was picked up the other day. It will be auctioned off to raise money for AIDS research and medical services for individuals living with AIDS as a part of a fundraiser with UCSF Medical Health.


This set is called 'accessories make the man'. I just created it in the past two weeks. It will go into a gentlemen's parlor as a part of another designer showcase house here in San Francisco (the one I was in last month was in Marin...) This photo is of the work unpainted. I ended up painting the bowtie, neck tie, pocket square and cuff links a muted metallic color - a mixture of gold and silver overlapped on one another.

I spent this weekend working on more new work- two pieces for a show I'm in next month. I'm also working on wire dresses for my upcoming open studios show.

s-l-o-w down

A week ago today I went to the ER and discovered I have biliary colic (the very beginning of gallstone formation and problems with my gallbladder). It has been a rough week. Besides the gallbladder issues I also had a flare up with my hernia. I’ve known about this hernia for a year now. It was a small tear yet last week I did more damage to it by lifting boxes that were too heavy. I was told in emergency that I needed to rest – to watch what I eat so that my gallbladder attack would subside and not to lift anything heavy.
What a struggle this past week has been! My health has called me to slow down – my life has not. Therefore it’s been a week of tug of war. Sometimes I have bumped my head (metaphorically speaking) because of my unwillingness to surrender.

Do you remember that game Operation? The game requires that you use these special tweezers to grab parts out of the body yet if the tweezers touch the metal edge of the opening during the attempt, a buzzer sounds. As I child I remember paying this game and I remember how quiet we were as we concentrated on the game. If by some chance the buzzer went off I was always startled. It had a zapping sound that was unnerving. Well – this came to mind this week as I attempted to eat. My body told me right away if something was or was not ok to eat. If the food didn’t agree a searing pain would shoot through my side (like a buzzer) as soon as I chewed and swallowed. It did not take long to get the message about what to stay away from. Bland foods - good. Spicy bad. White bread, starches, sugars –bad. If anything, I have learned that I need to be aware- conscious of what I do. I need to be in the moment. As soon as I’ve gone into ‘auto-pilot’ or tried to multi-task, the buzzer goes off as I hurt my stomach either on the inside (gallbladder) or the outside (hernia).

I’ve spent the week in the house and even though I am home, I have continued to sculpt. Although I know I need to stop I found myself thinking, “Yeah- but I can’t right now…” Then yesterday I got what I will see as a another message to stop (beyond getting sick –since that didn’t seem to be message enough). I was in the middle of working when my metal pliers snapped. My only pair of pliers broke. My main tool is broken and they broke in such a way that I laughed knowing it’s God’s way of telling me to slow down.

Life lessons…

life...

It's really quite beautiful if we slow down and look around.







There is beauty in the world...
selections from my tumblr page

wake up call

I went to the ER on Wednesday evening doubled over in pain. I had massive pain on my right side and thought it might be my appendix. Turns out it's gallbladder issues. I was told I have biliary colic - which is the beginning stages of gallbladder disease and the formation of gallstones. Therefore life has been disrupted this week as I try to slow down a bit and need to be incredibly conscious of what I eat (right now almost every thing aggravates my stomach).

pretend I’m sitting across from you and we are drinking coffee

I’m still putting the last coat of paint on my dress that I created for the art auction. I love the staff over at UCSF Health! Can I just gush about these people a little more? They are so cool and their attitudes make me want to give to the art for AIDs auction. They are just really hardworking and accommodating. When I contacted them to say that my piece was still in the stages of being painted they reassured me that I had time and then offered to pick it up. This gesture makes a world of difference to me! Now I don’t have to struggle to get it to them. I really like when people treat you with a sense of appreciation.

Every time I have an open studio event my work tends to take on some sort of theme. This time my focus is on wind. I am fixated on this idea of wind blown clothes. I want to create a sense of wonder for the people who come into the studio. I hope I can make that happen. Right now I don’t even know if my new pieces convey wind blowing. We shall see…

My studio does not look much different than it did when I moved in. Pieces are propped against the wall and the place looks sterile. I think the most put together it’ll look will be when I prep the place for open studios next month. I still have a lot of work to do both in making art and in decorating.

random chit-chat

I sat in silence today while on the computer looking at photos and listening to the rain.

Don’t read your alumni newsletter (especially if you went to a particularly academic school full of overachievers) when you are feeling low, otherwise you will feel like a total loser! If you don’t believe me just read some of what I found in the newsletter that came in today’s mail. These are alumni updates :
- Married with two children – one boy, one girl. Working as a professor of Neurosurgery
- Working at NASA on air traffic control modernation projects and looking for an elementary school for my adorable daughter. My son still has a few years before he's begins school.
- My wife and I just recently relocated to Singapore. We are looking forward to the adventure!
- I’m married with two kids. Working as the Director of Engineering at a Solar Manufacturing plant. Wish you all well!
- My husband got a promotion and we are relocating to Hong Kong. Any other alumni in Hong Kong? Email me!
- I’m in a private practice in San Francisco and busy with two growing boys!
- Hello fellow alumni! I am still working at the Space Science Lab at UC Berkeley as an aerospace engineer and living in the East Bay. Life is good.
- I’ve been busy with my medical physics consulting practice. I cannot believe so many years have passed since high school!
- I’m a feature animation editor at Dreamworks. Our son is almost 2 and adored by his 3 female siblings. Sending our best to everyone!
- Just moved to Washington DC to get my Masters in Government and MBA at John Hopkins University.
{Sigh!} Anyway...

I got really excited yesterday after being out of regular coffee for a few days and trying to make due with decaf when my mom came in with four bags of fully caffeinated coffee. She volunteers at the food bank and it was being given out. It’s a crazy Starbucks cinnamon flavored coffee but I am so glad to have the caffeine that I don’t care that it’s flavored. It will work until I get more Sumatra!

I’m in that restless period of time where I am waiting for payment for art sold while sitting looking at a pile of bills and counting every dollar in my wallet. I have $12 to be exact.

I was contemplating taking my last few bucks and buying blue paint to finish my commissioned piece. Then yesterday in the garage I bumped into a pile of junk and what fell off a chair? A can of blue spray paint. Thank you God.

The dryer broke a few days ago… Well today I washed a handful of items thinking I’d hang them up to dry in the bathroom. On a fluke I decided to turn on the dryer to see what would happen. It worked! I’ve gone back to washing clothes but drying them in small batches while holding my breath and praying the dryer keeps working.

My faith in God began as a child. I remember hearing my mom talking out loud to God like He was in the room. She’d be cooking something on the stove and she’s say something like, “Oh Lord, we need your help. We need some groceries in this house.” She’d say it in a matter of fact way like God was sitting at the kitchen table watching her cook or something. A few days later something would happen and we were provided for. God was always faithful. So all of these little things I mentioned – the coffee, the paint, the dryer --- they make me think back to those days of my mom talking to God in the kitchen.

checking in...

I bought roses last week– beautiful pale pink roses at the supermarket. They were discounted. There’s something about discounted flowers that gets me. I think it’s cool that you can buy flowers for only two or three dollars and yet feel happiness from them that is priceless.

I get these moments where I feel like I have lost my way. I don’t mean that in a spiritual sense by any means, but rather I feel like I should have some master plan and I don’t. I forget what I’m working towards. For instance, when I locked the door on my studio the other day as I got ready to leave I said, “Whatever that was about…”. I said those words out loud because in that moment I felt like I didn’t know why I was there. In that moment I could not see the big picture. I guess that’s why you can’t trust your feelings as your sole source of understanding.

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods...

five senses

SEE
- a woman get her iPad snatched on the train
- a man selling bootleg movies in front of Walgreens
- a guy in workout clothes bandaging his hands like he's preparing to get in a boxing ring

HEAR
- three teenagers laughing really loud on the bus
- two women talking about a dark skinned woman with a gold tooth named Sharon. Apparently Sharon accused one of the ladies of stealing a case of soda from her church so to retaliate Sharon took an ice pick out of her purse and punctured the tires on a woman's car.

TASTE
- sumatra coffee from Peets
- turkey sandwiches on barley sunflower wheat bread
- kettle chips

SMELL
- a man on the bus in front of me who smells strongly of onions
- an overpowering smell of garlic each time I walk into my studio building (the bottom floor is full of kitchens used for food trucks to prepare their food

TOUCH/FEEL
- lonely and restless
- easily annoyed
- frustrated that I caused heat damage to my hair by flat ironing it and had to cut off 1.5-2 inches all over...