10.27.2010

Etsy Artist Shoutout = tastesorangey

Undercover
So Cozy
tastesorangey is a shop created by Clare Elsaesser of Bodega Bay, CA. Most of her paintings show people wrapped up in sheets, squeezing pillows, sitting with ruffled hair. They are so simple yet each one manages to convey something I relate to. She adds a nice touch by stitching the prints onto paper for easy framing. 

10.26.2010

Weekend Adventure = Roadtrip North

This weekend I made the 6 hour drive north to Davis, CA to see my parents and brothers in my hometown. I haven't been home since June and I was starting to feel homesick. I know the drive up the 5 freeway like the back of my hand, but there's still always something exhilarating about getting on the road. The landscape always looks different depending on the season or the time of day so I find myself taking mental snapshots along the way (and sometimes real snapshots as evidenced by these pictures...don't tell my dad...or the CHP)

Despite miserable rainy weather for most of the weekend, I had an amazing time. I was just happy to be around my family. I love them so much it hurts.

I always feel sad on the drive back, thinking of what I miss when I am away, hoping they are proud of me (my dad always tells me he is), hoping I'm not making a mistake by striking out on my own...thankfully I had some beautiful skies and a little doggie to keep me company on the long drive.

10.21.2010

Out with the old


I need to clear out, de-clutter and start fresh. That means that my completed chairs just got posted on Craigslist for ridiculously low prices. I already have a buyer for Chair #1 arranged for tonight and someone else interested...I have this fantasy that they show up at the same time and have a crazy bidding war/slap fight.

Time to move on...can't sit around and hoard chairs in my apartment, and really, all I want is for someone to be stoked to buy something I made.

Chair #1http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/fuo/2016942345.html SOLD
Chair #2 http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/fuo/2018682839.html 

10.20.2010

Rainy Day

I did some nutshelling today. I was looking at the sky through my rain drop covered window and just had this moment of inspiration. It feels good to be there again.

Etsy artist shout out = karineleger2

Collage-Print
 
5x7 Photo Montage
Karin Eleger is a photographer, painter and graphic designer living in Montréal. Her work is simply stunning. Check out her shop and website. 

10.17.2010

Weekend Project = Chair #3 (Continued)


My hands are blistered from hours of pulling tacks and staples, but I finally got down to the webbing. 

10.16.2010

Weekend Project = Chair #3

Here's chair #3! This will be a tougher project for me than my first two, but I'm up for the challenge. I'm going to start removing the old upholstery today. I also found THIS old paint....

10.15.2010

Until the Dawn

Sometimes we love with nothing more than hope. Sometimes we cry with everything except tears. In the end that's all there is. Love and its duty, sorrow and its truth. In the end that's all we have - to hold on tight until the dawn.
-Exerpt from Shantaram (novel)...one of my favorite books of all time

10.13.2010

Weekend Adventure = South Coast Highway 101

This weekend I was feeling anxious and restless so Eric offered to take me on a mini-adventure up the 101. We drove through Solana Beach and Encinitas before stopping for lunch at this little peruvian resturant called Q'ero. It was BOMB. We ordered sandwiches and I enjoyed the best sangria of my life before we headed back up the 101, stopping along the way to take pictures (the pictures above were taken at Torrey Pines State Beach and the picture below was taken at La Jolla Cliffs). Considering I started the morning feeling miserable, it turned out to be a pretty perfect day.

10.12.2010

Friday Night

Went for a long walk to wear Willow out before hitting the road to San Diego for the weekend. I let her romp around in the grassy area at Ocean Park Blvd while I snapped some pictures. I was loving the long shadows of a day almost over. I have more pictures from the weekend that I will post later when I find some time...now I'm off to try "The Bar Method" class I signed up for with Bonnie. While I exercise regularly solo I've never taken an exercise class of any sort so I'm nervousing about being my uncoordinated self in a roomfull of strangers. Wish me luck!

10.07.2010

Etsy artist shout out = yerinmok


untitled (meredith sitting)

untitled (red umbrella)

There is such a tremendous amount of talent on Etsy, so I've decided to do a weekly shoutout of artists I'm loving. This week I'm featuring yerinmok.

I thought of the idea for a feature when I was curating my first treasury on Etsy and I was just overwhelmed with the amount of amazing work to select from. Check it out here.

10.05.2010

Early Morning

Photo by Lindsay Rosenberg
Lindsay took this fabulous picture of me a short while back. She has been shooting head shots for dancers and performers for a while, and she asked me if I would be interested in helping her arrange a more artistic/editorial type of shoot. I pull together various images for inspiration (see below...unfortunately I collected these images so long ago that I no longer know the sources) and we came up with a basic theme. We got up at about 5am and made a short trek to the beach, chair in hand. I frolicked around and tried to not look cold and uncomfortable while she worked her magic. She is a tremendously talented photographer and I feel privileged when she uses me to build her portfolio. You can see more pictures from our early morning photo shoot on Lindsay's website here.

10.03.2010

Weekend Adventure = Hollywood Bowl

On Friday night Bonnie and I saw Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers at the Hollywood Bowl. It was AMAZING. Afterward Bonnie and I decided to wander the streets of Hollywood for some local tourism and bar hopping. Hollywood is the most bizarre place there ever was, it's both disturbing and wonderful all at the same time. 
  
BEST. TIME. EVER.

10.01.2010

In a Nutshell

In October of 2009 I left my job in downtown LA for one closer to home on the west side. Although I am happy with this decision, downtown was amazing and it took leaving to realize the experience of working there was the catalyst for my passion for photography. The commute, as agonizing and time consuming as it sometimes seemed, was the perfect introduction to the city for a newcomer. In one day I would travel by foot and bus from the beach community of Santa Monica and hour east to central Los Angeles. It forced me to pass through parts of the city I wouldn't have seen otherwise. At the loneliest time in my life, I would find myself surrounded by strangers in a bustling urban environment and swimming in my own thoughts. I was forced to look outward to the streets, the people, the culture, the architecture. Slowly I fell in love with the city passing by. In April of 2009 I got an iPhone, and in June I started using the camera, my only camera, to take pictures of what I saw. What followed was the creation of a sort of photo journal I called "In a Nutshell". I just took pictures of everything I saw, everywhere I went, and tried to capture the essence of each moment. This effort was incredibly meaningful to me, and was extremely well received by my family and friends that were featured in many "Nutshells" as we began to affectionately call them.  I attempted to keep track of it in a blog format, but really that wasn't the point for me. At the time I didn't have anything to say. My feelings were too raw, and the images helped translate my experiences into something that I could share. I posted them on Facebook and created a portfolio on Carbonmade and left them alone. As things go, my life started to grow in different directions and the Nutshells dwindled over Spring. That doesn't mean they have lost any meaning to me. Recently, I have thought about taking new Nutshells even though it wouldn't be as constant as before, or incorporating them into this blog, or perhaps creating an Etsy shop of my favorite Nusthells. I don't know if they make sense in my current shop, or if I should make another one all together (Titled "In a Nutshell")?? Hmm...I don't know. Anyways, I will work on making up some prints this weekend and see how they look....