swallowfield

linkarific

this has been a busy week for me, and i've been feeling kind of quiet to boot. yesterday there was a dusting of slushy snow on the ground in the morning. what?! i don't feel ready for that nonsense, not at all.

i wanted to share a bunch of assorted stuff  i'm liking right now:

it was a dark week for marriage equality here in maine. i was really disappointed + sad about the outcome of the vote. my friend liz made this handy map to show the cities and towns that did support equality.

brandi carlile's new cd, give up the ghost - i've been listening to this a ton lately. love it.

we love you so, a blog dedicated to many of the artists and influences behind the magic of where the wild things are.

maria has curated and installed a show called come darkness at chelli wilson here in portland. it looks amazing and i can't wait to see it. the opening is tonight for first friday art walk.

meg mateo ilasco has published craft inc business planner, a follow up to the great craft, inc. (i was interviewed for this book, along with a bunch of other arty folks you very likely know. )

let them sing it for you, one of the coolest things i've seen around the internet in a long time, via all songs considered. you can send someone a singing telegram love note, if the spirit moves you.

the kids and i are super excited to see fantastic mr. fox.

i now have a selection of prints in stock at rare device in san francisco. (and i am looking forward to a solo show there in september, 2010! thanks lisa and rena!) and speaking of shows, i wish i could see lisa and amy's show, gently by the horns, in person.

phew! that's a lot of links. hope you all have a great weekend.

boo.

trick or treating starts in, well, seven hours and i've still got one costume to make and some pumpkins to carve. zoinks. wish me luck! what time is it socially acceptable to start drinking beer and swearing at the sewing machine and trying to lower my kid's expectations? that's what i want to know.

in the meantime, here are some pretty pictures i took this week. i love the colors outside right now.

 

 

 

have fun tonight!

new prints

i've added five new prints to my shop this morning.

and i wanted to remind you that there are three more days to take advantage of my october sale.  thank you so much to everyone who has come by and shopped. i've had fun packing up all of your orders and imagining them landing in your various corners of the world. 

and pssst!! i love this sweet halloween pdf card from emily at the black apple. can't wait to give them to my kids.

wary meyers' tossed and found

a few weeks ago i had the opportunity to go and see john and linda meyers talk about their new book, wary meyers' tossed and found: unconventional design from cast-offs at longfellow books here in portland. you might know them best as the design duo wary meyers, or recognize a few of their interiors from, well, every design blog i've ever looked at. the image below is sort of eponymous of their aesthetic. isn't it gorgeous?

and, um, how awesome is their kitchen? damn! double damn! i love it so.

they have a really unique, fun + quirky style, and though i've known them a little from the arts scene here in portland and caught glimpses of them at yard sales over the past few years, it was really interesting to hear them talk about the book, their various projects, and what drives them artistically. i have really been enjoying reading their blog, which features stuff from the book as well as various awesome finds from yard and estate sales.

i've been happily devouring their book. you can buy it locally at longfellow books, or here.

today was perfect

today was a perfectly gorgeous, warm and sunny fall day...the kind that doesn't come along often enough. the kind that instantly warmed the dark depths of my cold, cold heart.

 

 

 

 

i could use a bunch more just like this one, please.

halloween snuck up on me this year

did you know that halloween is right around the corner? i sort of forgot about it, for a minute, even though the kids have been diligent about reminding me. this year's costume requests: a piece of cheese and a totoro costume. the hunk of cheese is achievable with cardboard, paint, and some suspenders (thanks to the elaborate 10 year old sketches provided to me on a regular basis) but i am a little bit anxious about the totoro situation. i can't sew worth a damn, and it makes me laugh on a regular basis that some of the most-searched posts on this blog are for things i bumbled through with my sewing machine or embroidery floss. this year will probably be a lot like last year's uglydoll costume, in that i will lie him down on the fabric, trace the general shape around him, and pray. there will probably be beer and swearing involved, too. possibly some tears. possibly many tears.

 there are actually a few tiny pumpkins around the house, finally.  i think the kids would happily tell you that one of my biggest shortcomings as their mother is my complete unwillingness to buy creepy, talking, moving, plastic halloween decorations. it isn't enough for them to enjoy these things when we trick or treat in the neighborhood, so the kids roll their eyes and hand me more sketches of what our house could look like 'if only it was awesome.'

new table mats!

i've been itching to share this news here for awhile, and i'm so glad i finally can!

last summer i had the pleasure of working with modern twist to create a design for a table mat that is exclusive to nahcotta, as part of nahcotta's ongoing artist series. the mats arrived at the gallery on a day i was there a few weeks ago, and it was so much fun to finally see them in person.  they're hand silk-screened, and have a really fun tactile quality. they're easily washable, and kids and adults might be happy to know they can be drawn on with washable markers, too! one thing i really like about them is how different they look on different table tops. the smoky grayish-blue design really pops on a white backround, but looks super subtle on a darker background.

i have been really wanting to do some surface design projects for awhile, and i was so happy that this was such a great first experience for me.

you can buy them here if you're interested. and there's a nice deal if you buy four at once.

public bookstore

if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you probably have a good idea of the warm feelings i have in my heart for eyebuzz gallery in tarrytown, new york. i had a show there last spring, and i have really enjoyed getting to know the owners, tim and tara thayer over this past year. so i was excited when they approached me about being a part of public bookstore. in their words: Public Bookstore is a publication of Eyebuzz Fine Art. A printed collective of visual and written work. For this first issue of Public Bookstore, available mid-October, 2009, there is no theme or topical guidelines. Drawing, mixed media, collage, photography, painting, pen and ink, poetry, short prose, random rants and scribblings. The book will be perfect bound, black and white, 8" x 8".

if you're in the area, tonight at the gallery they're hosting an opening reception with some of the work featured in the first issue of public bookstore. i wish i could be there! i have two original pieces for sale in the show, including house on a hill, below. you can contact them directly if you're interested.

where the wild things are

we went to see where the wild things are last night - it is the most beautiful movie i've seen in a long time. i can't stop thinking about it. watch the trailer here.

 

i love these featurettes with everyone involved in the movie.

a sale

i wanted to let you know that i am having a sale in my etsy shop from now through october 31st. i love offering a deal close to the holidays, and it is my hope that by doing it a bit earlier, it will feel saner around here in december this year!

if prints of drawings or collages are your thing, you can buy any two prints and get a third one (size 8.5x11" or smaller) for free! just let me know which free print you want in the notes to seller. as with all my prints, i only ever charge shipping for the first one you buy, and additional prints ship for free.

 

if you've been considering an original collage, (see above) now is a great time to buy one. i recently added all of my jen-11 pieces which finally made their way back from a three gallery exhibition tour, so there are more pieces in the shop than usual and they're all affordable - plus, i am offering free shipping, anywhere in the world, for any original you choose between now and 10/31. 

please feel free to email me if you have questions or special requests. thanks a lot. enjoy your weekend.