Thursday, July 23, 2009

Julia Kuo

Is fabulous! These images are from her sketchbook that she shares online here.

http://www.juliakuo.com/uploaded_images/21-700379.jpg

She's an illustrator who is approaching famous. But I know her work most directly because she was parked at the table directly across from mine during the last Christmas Renegade in Chicago. I spent two whole days staring at her adorable prints and ornaments and art boxes. I wanted to buy all of her stuff--but I satisfied myself with just one Christmas ornament head. Luckily, my perfect husband watched me covet her work and bought the below illustration of trees growing across the tops of a city scene.

http://www.juliakuo.com/uploaded_images/juliakuo.treesonhouses-734797.jpg

Her work delights me.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Feed the Birds by Neesha Hunter


Feed the Birds Original
this is a perfect illustration. everything is calm and subtle and cute. and it's funny and charming. the expression on the tall bird's face--sort of happy and smug--and the perfect eager tilt of the parakeet?

Yeah.

Neesha's etsy page says that she's working on a career as a children's book illustrator. I, for one, hope she makes it!

Monday, July 20, 2009

El Pollo

I was busy this last weekend--so there's a preponderance of fivetrees critters on the blog in the last few days. But this is probably the last little guy for a while.

I don't know what got me started on making luchadores. This little hombre is my fourth. I've loved Mexican wrestling for years. . . Okay, not the actual wrestling, because I don't really like any kind of violence. . . not even staged violence. It's more about the costumes. They're more romantic and beautiful than American wrestlers' costumes. And the colors are so brilliant and dramatic and cool.

So, luchadores and crochet. And wrestlers as too cute toys also seemed to demand cute names and personas as well. None of my guys have tough names, because they're not really for fighting. They're for snuggling. I've made el Choco (because he was chocolatey brown), la Leche (because many friends have been pregnant of late and those folks in la Leche League are wicked tenacious), and la Pasa (the raisin. . . just because a wrestler named "the Raisin" is redonkulously cute). And now el Pollo, because what's sweeter than a wrestler that's chicken? Cute and ironic. . .

New Rattle: Birdie!


Blue Bird.
If you know my finger puppets of old, then you'll recognize these rattles as blown-up versions of those. Turns out those designs make pretty cute rattles, too.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

New Rattle


so bashful.


Senor Rana.
(Mr. Froggy)

Good News 8: TED

So, my guess is that lots of people already know about TED: Ideas Worth Spreading and so there are people who will read this and think that I am woefully behind the times. But what a cool organization and wonderful website.

www.Ted.com

I haven't read or watched deeply enough--but this is what I know so far. This is an organization that holds conferences a few times a year and invites the most influential folks in design, science/technology and entertainment/arts from all over the world to come together to give the "Speeches of their lives."--no longer than 18 minutes in length about what they believe to be the most important topic available to them.

TED also selects TEDPrize winners every year who get $100,000.00 and, more importantly, the chance to make a wish that TED will work to help fulfill. And when you give Al Gore a wish, or Jill Tarter or Sylvia Earle or Jose Abreu, you can bet it's going to be a big one. . .

The website holds a collection of a TED films--short films of the many impressive speakers who have given talks on everything from design to music performance to the way the brain functions when making meaning to understanding social media or the ways that cults rewire the human brain. It's a website that makes available the very best college lecture series from the perfect nonexistent college campus from the last 50 years, compressed into one neat and tidy website.

This is good news, indeed. You can get smarter and happier by visiting and watching the films (because knowledge really is like joy). Plus, this organization is making the global community smaller and tighter and more interconnected while expanding our understanding of the complexity of that world.

It's good stuff.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

New Critter Rattle

Another bunny. . . but this time with a scarlet handle.

Matte Stephens

Today, I am loving Matte Stephens' art on Etsy in his matteart shop.


I love Modernism as a sensibility. I love Eames and Herman Miller . I love those big glass box homes in LA that cling to the side of the hills (such a weird choice for the land of earthquakes and landslides. . . but maybe that kind of oblivious, naive hopefulness is part of their charm). I love the idea of making the color turquoise a part of decorating. I love low slender boxy couches, open space, sunken living rooms.


So, I also love Matte Stephens.


Edwin and Rosemary upon arriving at Yosemite for their honeymoon were lucky enough to spot a rare green friendly soft tooth bear, 1927.



Edwin and Rosemary upon arriving at Yosimite for their honeymoon were lucky enough to spot a rare green friendly soft tooth bear, 1927.  PRINT of anoriginal painting


Sigmund Abernathy taking a ride through Central Park On Thunder Bolt On his first Trip to the United States


Sigmund Abernathy taking a ride through Central Park On Thunder Bolt On his first Trip to the United States 16x20 print

the giant suburban bear monster

the giant suburban bear monster large print


Good News 7: Sandwiches and Love

Looking for something nice and easy to do to help out your fellow man/woman? Take a page from "Love Sandwich":


Or join the team/blog. A group of young folks who make sandwiches--as many as they can/4? 12?--and hand them out to homeless folks. I'm not too deeply into reading the site yet, but it looks like maybe this is a monthly activity. It doesn't require large-sized commitment--no van or coolers and or an attempt to reach hundreds of people. It's about what you can afford to make and can schlep on the train or the bus or your bike.

But it's this really basic and kind thing--looking another person in the eye who needs help and helping, talking, offering a meal. I'm thinking that you may find that the talking is the best part of this. . . we all need buddies. we all need a helping hand.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Delicate Flower

A new little critter.


This time a sweet little anteater.

Brave New Voices

  • The Festival
Brave New Voices is being hosted by Columbia this year. . . for the first three days of their events and I had the good fortune, luck really, to be able to judge one of the slam bouts yesterday. Teams from D.C., Rochester, Worchester, Seattle and Albuquerque. And they were amazing. I don't always love slam poetry. Admittedly, I also don't always love teenage poetry. I always love where it comes from--the intention, the hope--but the work itself isn't always great.

But these kids were amazing. Political, funny, sad, smart, lyrical. And more than that, every room was filled with excitement and love. Really. Love. A kid messes up, the whole room claps and yells shouts of encouragement. A poet finishes and kids from other teams hug them. I'm a softie and I cried through more of it than I would like to admit.

If you live in Chicago, or anywhere nearby, you should be trying to make it to the final performance. There may still be tickets and I guarantee you that this will be one of the most joyful and heartrending nights you've shared with other people in the recent past.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

beans

So, back in Cincinnati, the deer have been decimating my family's bean crop on the farm. This is frustrating my mother to no end. . . and I hate to rub it in:


but we don't have deer in Cicero.

I (bean) heart you, Mom!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Savannah Salad

Had friends over for dinner last night. We slow-cooked/smoked a bone-on pork butt on the grill for about 5.5 hours for North Carolina Pulled Pork. As one of the side dishes, I made this yummy/pretty salad:


I got the idea for this salad from a hostess in Savannah who threw an amazing brunch for my buddy Alex, the day after her wedding. Romaine and spinach, goat cheese, pine nuts and water melon. . . and I added edible nasturtium blooms. The dressing is made of watermelon juice, walnut oil, white wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.

It's the perfect summer salad and a nice pairing for entrees that are strong tasting--like the vinegary/smokiness of N.C. pulled pork. It's cool and crisp and sweet, a little creamy. And really pretty.

Badger

New little critter available soon on fivetrees--a wee dapper Badger!

Pearl

Went to an opening at Edelman Gallery in the River North neighborhood of Chicago this past friday. A very talented friend of my aunt's--Julie Meridian--was showing and it was much fun to see her and to see her work hanging in such a great gallery.

Before going, I killed some time at Pearl Art Supply. I thought I might buy a few supplies--a bone folder, paper clay, a few other things--but none of it was in stock. I worked at Pearl a million years ago and it was a huge undertaking, keeping an art supply store of that size stocked and running. But it really looks like Pearl has fallen on bad times--a third of the staff, half the stock. It was hard to see.

And weird, too, that the decoration I made in the Paper Department when Pearl first expanded into the next door space is still there--painted paper "tiles" adhered to the wall. They're about 15 years old now. . . but impressive color fastness of the watercolor paint I was given to use.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Tres Magnifique!

Monsieur I print
Jazzman print

I love blancucha's work (found on Etsy)! I have to admit that I am attracted to cute art and our house is probably filled with way too much cuteness considering that I am an adult without a child living in the house yet. But blancucha is special--though the artist is from Madrid, the work feels very french and 60's to me. It makes me nostalgic for a time and place I've never lived.


Grrrrrrr



Is this the hand of a tiny ferocious bear?

you be the judge.


grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

really, my niece is the cutest thing.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Is it stalking if it's a dog


Beaker! Almost forgot to include him!

While at the Northside Parade, I couldn't stop staring at a little doggie who was with his girl, watching the parade. He was clearly the girl's best bud, but he looked sort of apathetic about the whole event. And apathy has never been quite so cute:



Monday, July 6, 2009

And a Cool Parade

So, Northside in Cincinnati is a pretty cool little neighborhood. Tons of old amazing homes. A main street of great shops and cafes. A tight multi-ethnic community that has a history of going its own way in a sometimes conservative town (gateway to the south and all)--proudly being green friendly, organic friendly, queer friendly, vegan friendly. Like Chicago's Wicker Park without all of the self-referential, hipstery-ness.

My folks participate in the farmer's market there and have met a lot of great people in the process. Home to the coolest bar in Cincinnati (the Comet) and the best record store (the previously displayed "Shake It"), it should come as no surprise that it's also home to the best parade in the Queen City.

Here are some highlights:



i love this woman. . . her butterfly. her red shoes. her blue socks. her green pants. i want to dress like this every day.


this lone roller skating dude with the flag. in my head, i want to remember him with long hair, shirtless wearing a red white and blue headband/sweatband--super 70's to go with his super fast weave and circle in the parade route.

and admittedly, I didn't get a good picture of the famous men's drill team (men marching in formation weilding battery-powered power tools) or the synchronized folding chair lady dancers. Neither activity was as photogenic as I had heard. But it's a small town parade with a lot of heart and eye on family fun and we had a great time.

and any parade that ends in this way. . . a final pick-up blaring fun music daring you to dance along behind it (and all of the parade spectators did!), is the finest 4th of July parade there is by my calculations.

Art this past weekend

Obviously, there was the music of Zapruder Point--but also knitting on my part for the niece and a big on-going installation prep for Casey.


A little dress for Morgan that, as she grows, will become a tunic.
Perfect pattern from Knitty--search the archives for "Anouk" and you will find it.
It's weird to spend tons of time making baby clothes that get grown out of in mere weeks--so when you find a pattern that makes something that grows with the baby, keep it forever!!!

And here's a little taste of the fabulous Casey Riordan Millard's next show.




Hmmmm. . .
drawing, painting, sharkgirls, handmade and painted fabric flowers and large sculptural bits of styrofoam?
How will it all come together?

Wait and see. . . or go see the show in September:
September 18, 2009

In the meantime, check out the rest of her work here.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Carriage House Farms Takes No Prisoners

CHF LLC is doing great--per usual this time of year. This is the time of the year that everything is coming in on the farm in Cincy--carrots, onions, garlice, beans, and tomatoes and peppers seconds away from being ready. And so this is also the time of year that I'm sad to be so far from home.

We took bags of produce home with us from this weekend's visit. . . . but it's not the same. It;s way better to be there and to help out.


Rich picking onions out for us from the drying masses


baby grape vines


carrots picked only moments ago


Dan in basil heaven--it's like a giant raw stand of pesto


They're doing farmers' markets and they have a group of folks volunteering labor hours for produce pay-offs, and Richard is selling his honey and some produce to a few fancy-schmancy local restaurants--Chalk is one of them.

So. Cool.

Epitome of Cute v. Creepy



The Keepers' Tea Party

found Lisa Evans' illustrations on Etsy. Everything is round-headed and big-eyed and inarguably cute. . . but also the teensiest bit off. Upsettingly long tentacle-y arms? Lots of scenes against deep dark black skies.

love it. Check her out on Etsy at her firefluff shop

What a great week

It'll take me some time to get this all up, but after a great week of hanging out with Tom and Casey in Chicago (and the first week of HSSI!!! Success! Much art and smartness being created on campus!), we followed them back home to Cincinnati for the 4th of July weekend and to meet our redonkulously cute bebe niece.

We got more T'n'C time, plus family, plus niece, plus farm, plus small town funky 4th of July parade in the Northside neighborhood of Cincinnati.

T and C have been trying to lure us back to Cincy for a few years now. They send us listings for old farm houses that cost $40,000 less than our own Cicero bungalow, but sit on an acre of land and are 2000+ sq. feet of living space. It hasn't worked yet. But they may have figured out the perfect equation for Dan:

Impromptu Zapruder Point reunite/jam + crazy northside parade + kickass record store = Dan giving this some serious thought.


Shake It Records--really great.