A Tea Leaf Blog
Congrats to Kotori, winner of the Standard Movement drawing, titled 00005! I wanted to graciously thank Jackie of Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle for taking the time to interview me and I also wanted to thank you all for the lovely comments on her post. For those out there that would like to purchase this print, it is for sale here.
Morning, morning, morning! I took a few snaps of my latest Standard Movement pieces. Did you notice how I caught some of the morning's warm rays? He he. Yes, the photos below are a bit yellow but I'm not complaining, it will be nice to be reminded later of this sunny and cozy Friday morning! Here are the beauties I worked on this week for your viewing pleasure...
"00009"
"00010"
"00011"
If you would like my Standard Movement Series to be displayed at your gallery or coffee shop this Spring... let's talk! Feel free to drop me a line.
I'm pretty excited about this weekend! I'm going to hit up the local art store and do some experimenting with some new media. My heart is just fluttering thinking about it. Hope you all have a relaxing weekend!
PS: Just a reminder if you haven't visited Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle's blog, do so! For your last chance to enter the drawing to win some art of mine, go here. "Goodbye! Chances are not forever." –Apostle of Hustle
Those darn gray clouds have gotten in the way of the midday sun here in Stumptown. For the most part I have accepted these typical March weather conditions of Portland... but today I have been pretty antsy for sunnier... warmer weather. Especially listening to the Black Kids (the band), they have that effect on me. Thought I would give you a lil' sneak peek of what I have been working on this week. I will be posting these new Standard Movement works Friday... which is tomorrow!
image source: imdb.com
So I have decided on Wednesdays I'm going to share my inspirations. For the most part this will be a weekly occurrence. Last week was Sigur Rós and now this week I will take note about Coraline... Over the past weekend I went on a movie date with my love to see the eerie Coraline flick. Going to movies is a rare occurrence for us, since it's so pricey. But we felt that Coraline could be a good reason to drop the 20 bill. The internet waves first grabbed my attention about this movie. I came across articles that explained that Coraline was a stop-motion feature shot by LAIKA, which is located here in Portland and that it's a FOCUS Feature... always a good sign. Also, I was excited that Henry Selick directed the movie, same director as James and the Giant Peach and The Nightmare Before Christmas. An intriguing article about the creators (which I highly recommend reading at Willamette Week) is what reeled my theater viewing decision home. After watching the screening we even felt more confident about our viewing purchase. Yes, after watching Coraline I have to say it's the best animated flick that I have seen in a long time.
image source: coraline.com
The Coraline website is full of spectral finds. You can download marvelous posters and desktop wallpapers that are actual wallpaper. And you can button your eyes in the Other Mother's workshop, as shown below. (I was a little spooked out about buttoning my own eyes.)
Over the past year I become a button lover, I even catch myself daydreaming about finding tops accented with prim buttons. So when I saw this poster below, I fell in love.
Listed below are some of my other finds on Coraline.com...
If you didn't notice, a few days ago– four delightful Winter Passing wooden blocks trickled their way into my Etsy shop. Talk about being sneaky! They are anxious to do some traveling to their new homes.
Title: Trying to get a paragraph out of him Purchase
Title: Must have been an interesting childhood Purchase
Title: I had to buy every book he has written Purchase
Title: Twin No. 3 Underwood Typewriters Purchase
View the interview post: http://sweetiepiepumpkinnoodle.blogspot.com
Today I have something to share with you that I am so estactic over. Jackie of Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle blog was so kind to interview moi. So make sure to head on over there! You have a chance to win a print of my art, "00005" of the Standard Movement series!
For you Portlanders out there I hope you got to absorb some of the sun's rays this morning and early afternoon!
Sigur Rós performing at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall this past October
Back in 2001 a close friend of mine introduced me to Ágætis byrjun, which happens to be a Sigur Rós album. My love for the band didn't come so soon and apparently I wasn't the only one. It took the following two years for Sigur Rós to finally got noticed internationally. I can say 2001 was also the year that I was also falling madly in love with post-emo indie rock bands... Sunny Day Real Estate, Cap'n Jazz, Promise Ring, and Joan of Arc. So it wasn't a surprise that a group from a similar genre, post-rock, would literally warm my heart. I love their minimalistic, atmospheric, and yet classical sound. Sigur Rós has not only inspired me through their melancholy music, but also through their album artwork, which has inspired me as an Artist.
Now, I don't want to get all "Wikipedian" on you, but for those out there that don't know the meaning behind Sigur Rós' album titled ( ) I feel like I should give you some insight about the album. Also known as "The Bracket Album" or "The Untitled Album" it was first released in 2002. For those out there that have no clue of this Icelandic group (I'm aware of many... still.) can you believe it has sold over 500,000 copies worldwide to date? The album's songs have been divvied up into two halves by a 30 second sound of stillness. Jónsi Birgisson, the vocalist sings a made up language throughout the whole album. The band calls this fanciful language Vonlenska which is a "constructed language of nonsense syllables which resembles the phonology of the Icelandic language." Sigur Rós wanted their fans to jot down their own interpretations of their music by providing a booklet composed of tracing paper. The 12-page booklet also included various black and white natural elements which are revealed on the front of the album through the parentheses diecut. These natural elements of grass, bushes, and ponds were manipulated from photographs the band snapped just outside of their recording studio... amazing! And there are even four versions of the album cover out there. They were distributed around the world, into four different regions...
I came across these articulate stencil graffiti images (posted below) which were created by fans. I like how the positive and negative space work hand in hand with the brick texture.
This image was originally displayed petite on the back of the CD. It's marvelous to see "sleepwalker" enlarged and stenciled on a wall in Reykjavík... and how the spraypaint runs from the boy's shoe and evolves into a shoelace.
Below are some of my other favorite Sigur Rós albums. I hope these works have inspired you as much they have for me and maybe inspire you to spend your weekend doing a little creating of your own. Cheers!
What better day to announce my new website and blog than today... a day full of warm fuzzy thoughts swirling in one's head of significant others, friends, and family... Valentine's Day! I am very excited to finally buckle-up and get this blogging shenanigan going. Within the past year, I have followed a new path in my life by moving to this new state. This has made me determined to spend each meaningful day doing what I love to do... exploring and creating. I'm loving every moment of venturing forth in Oregon's inviting array of beauty by taking snaps, drawing, and collaging. Thanks for stopping by and visit again for more peeks into my life of documentation and imagination. I hope everyone's day is filled with smiles, love, and laughter. Happy Valentine's Day!