ARTEMIS

Last year I drew a series of Greek goddesses for Studio &'s Myth show. It was fun perusing Greek mythology for characters that would be fun to illustrate. Artemis was my first choice. If you haven't yet, you really should pay Studio & a visit. There are some very delicious arts in there. 

BOHEMIAS // PART TWO

This is Amy. Amy can do just about anything. She is an artist, a writer, and garden magician, and an absolutely remarkable professional photographer. I believe this shoot was her idea. Amy doesn't really have bad ideas, not that I know of, anyways. For this shoot, she is wearing a Martha Stewart pillowcase, and you've got to applaud a girl who can make Martha Steward look that fierce. 

HARES

Meet Francois and Babette. I made them out of wool and magic. Francois' vest and Babette's boots are made out of a vintage leather glove, and I made Babette's headpiece out of clay. They both come with their own bag, and a scroll on which I've written about their eclectic interests, eventful pasts, and intriguing bloodlines. They are terribly interesting hares. But their stories are too much to write here. 

WINTER TROMPER

This is Winter Tromper. I drew her, and her stoic rabbit, last year. Besides the fact that she wears shoes that are not quite pointy enough, I like her very much. Her hood is made of faux fur, so you needn't be disturbed. She's nearly outgrown her coat, so perhaps I'll fashion her a new one soon. She is made from pencil, micron pens, and a bit of colored pencil.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY

In case you had plans to be crotchety, cantankerous, or cross today...

P.S. If you'd like to meet him, he lives in Madison, and he's a real gentleman. 

ZURICH

An eames chair draped in a wool blanket, a bit of moss growing out of a busy sidewalk, the nod to Black Forest in the architecture, and a meticulous attention to detail. This is the land of Helvetica! Zurich is a designers utopia. The clean and careful brushstroke of contemporary design paints nearly every storefront and building in some way, whether it be a tasteful suggestion of the 1960s, a splash of rustic wood, a heathy helping of chrome, or overtones of wool, cowhide and warm blankets. This place makes me look like a frump-wad, and I am too delighted to care. Some day I will revisit Zurich, and perhaps purchase a dramatic-collared peacoat and ride around the clean, uncongested streets on a black vespa. Oh, and I'll eat too much chocolate. But no one will know. That's what the oversized peacoat is for. 

REPRINT

Boxes and boxes and boxes of CDs arrived at my door. All of them a little yellow, all of them with a giant bird on the front. Now, 5 of those CDs remain, sitting in my closet, rather obnoxiously. The time has come for a repressing, and a redesign! Jake redesigned the album art and this is what he came up with. The image on the back is a very old family photo that I found at my great uncle's house. I love it. Soon, boxes and boxes and boxes of CDs will arrive at my door. All of them beautiful. 

BOHEMIAS // PART ONE

This is my friend. Her name is Whitney and she can beat you up. She makes a mean chocolate cake, is one of my favorite illustrators, and knows how to build bridges in the woods without tools. We've been friends since we were both awkward, and she's mastered the art of making us both laugh without saying a word.
She, Amy (stay tuned), and I put together this shoot at the very last minute with various sundries from our wardrobes and storage closets. To see more of this shoot, visit Amy's blog. You'll like it. If you've never painted your face, worn fringe and stomped around in the woods, you should. You'll like that, too.
Check in soon for Part Two...if you dare.

TIBERIUS

We rented a car in Jerusalem, and hit the road for Nazareth, encountering many adventures along the way. Adventures like random baptisms, banana generosity, and frapuccinos with ice cream on top. Our first stop was here, Tiberius, which we hit on the Sabbath, and therefore found deserted..so we left. I loved these docks on the Sea of Galilee, though. I looked at them for just a little too long, which is what I wanted. 

WOOLEN MONSTERS

Jake and I needle felted these lamb's wool terrors. Sasquatch has a hand-whittled peg leg, neccessary after a terrible battle with Beowulf back in the 60s. Yeti has a delicately hand-crochetted cap, and real feather wings, which she has great difficulty preening. Both beasts were terribly fun to create. They now reside in the far away bedrooms of our niece and nephew, where they occasionally break their claws, but thanks to the medical breakthrough of super glue, nothing is ever too critical.

WOODLAND SWAG - DIY

I'm fairly convinced that my homemade fringe pendant gives me super powers. Perhaps not the sort of super powers that make me able to breath fire or kill cougars with my bare hands, but the kind of powers that give me confidence to walk into scary-hipster coffee shops in the heart of Melbourne and order a Tall Dark with a sense of entitlement and understated panache. My fringe necklace gives me bonfire prowess and woodland swag....and making them gives me something to do.
You can make one too. It's so easy that you don't even need step by step photos. Instructions are below.

1. Buy things:   Leather square in any craft section $5 (You can make about 8 necklaces from one square.) 
                       Spoon bails from the bead store $5
                       Gorilla glue $3
                       Thickish wire
                     
2. Use a pencil to trace your shape on to the leather.

3. Cut out your shape with a pair of trusty scissors. Cutting the fringe is tricky. Go slow, and draw a temporary line that tells you where to stop cutting.

3. Gorilla glue the spoon bails to the front or back of your cut leather, depending on what look you like.  Don't touch the gorilla glue. Trust me, the result of skin+gorilla glue is horrendous. Don't use too much glue, either. It puffs up three times it's size when it's dry.

4. Glue the thickish wire all the way across the back of the cut leather. This keeps it from folding up in a heap when you wear it on a chain. I use really cheap, thin bangles for my wire. I just cut them, straighten them out, and fold them in half.

5. Draw lines, shapes, or anything your creative heart desires onto your new pendant. Acrylic paint is also a nice touch. Use a very, very small paint brush, or even the tip of a pencil to apply the paint.

6. Don't get mad when your first one looks horrible. That's a part of making good things. You have to be willing to make ugly things first.

WHERE < WITH

When traveling, "with" is far more important than "where". Always.
Matt is the world's most entertaining onion-eater and quote-maker. Annie likes whistling and laughing at every joke. Jake is not afraid to talk to any and all strangers. Maggie can Slumdog Millionaire through even the thickest market crowds. Brian will Tom-York-Dance in Nativity square, or at the Western Wall. These are the kinds of people you want to travel with to any where.

HOME ON INSTAGRAM

Home doesn't happen all that often lately. When it does, however, it's perfect. I'll admit, the Hasselblad isn't mine. It's Jake's brothers, but I have one in my heart, so that counts. 

OH DEER!

On occasion, the mere thought of speckled fawns reduces me to a little puddle of squealing glee. It's embarrassing. It was during one of these random fits that I decided to channel the gleeful overflow into a watercolor. Here is "Oh Deer", a portrait of a particularly fickle and misbehaving fawn, who has just stolen (or perhaps borrowed-without-asking) my polaroid camera.

HOLD FAST STRAPS

If this all leather gun holsteresque strap isn't the coolest thing ever, I'm not sure what is. Jake purchased this right before our trip to the Middle East, and I'm pretty sure it made his photos better.
Try one for yourself, and magically transform into the fastest draw in the west. http://holdfastgear.com/

JERUSALEM // ISRAEL

We found ourselves in the Middle East again, because we needed more footage to complete the documentary that Jake is a part of. This time, we traveled with two of Jake's film students, and Brian, who is scoring the film. We were based in Jerusalem, where we spent many days wandering in the ancient streets, or racing in a panic for taxis. Jerusalem is a magical place, seeped in thousands of years of tradition, culture, and absolutely mesmerizing architecture. I've never seen a melting pot like this. There's the Mamilla, with it's lavish shoppes and twinkling lights, or the Arab market, a heyday of hookahs, antiques, spices, and merchants, or the hipster hangouts on Jaffa Street. Mosques and Synagogues mingle with Cathedrals and Universities to create the phenomenon that is this city.

None of this could top the laugh we had after getting thrown out of the Upper Room, though. Excessive happiness is not always an asset.

SPRUCE UP

I live with the itch to simplify. I'm constantly suppressing the strong desire to get rid of lots and lots of things, and to reorganize everything that's left. Here's the result of our most recent simplification fiasco. The couch, mirror, chalkboards and desk are all thrifted. I made the teepee last year with a student, in an attempt to see if it could be done for under $30. (It most certainly can.) 

WINTER IS EXPECTED SOON

There's a certain slant of light, on winter afternoons // That oppresses, like the weight of cathedral tunes.

Heavenly hurt it gives us; We can find no scar, // But internal difference where the meanings are.

None may teach it anything, 'tis the seal, despair, // An imperial affliction sent us of the air.

When it comes, the landscape listens, shadows hold their breath; // When it goes, 't is like the distance

On the look of death. -Emily Dickenson

GOING

It's usually great, but then sometimes it's just....this.