Poly Canyon

So, I know I've been remiss, but look where I was visiting!

I sincerely enjoy having my experiences brokered by other folks that I haven't seen in years. Such it was to visit San Luis Obispo and my old buddy Phillip. These images (only one taken by me, the last) are of some of the structures in Poly Canyon, an architectural site series hidden in the back of Cal Poly campus. There are also horses and turkeys and warning signs about wildcats. Excellent fun!

The 2 featured here are Shell House and Green House. We actually could traipse around inside Shell House, which is completely wired, and even has a range, fridge, sink, lights, ceiling fans,etc. fully installed. The kitchen, to me, was wonderfully situated, with very little wasted space. However, the rest of the space was a little odd, and filled with tables places in "storage." Oh, and it had lovely kitchen garden landscaping, where I failed to catch a lizard. And it's just hanging out on a hill, anyone can visit.

Anyway, this kinda funny article seems to be more articulate than I am today, http://crimsonnews.org/?p=6047 I just drove through a snow storm, so I have an excuse...

The trouble with suits...

I've recently been having this dream about unzipping my skin. The zippers keep showing up in different places, and I'm always very excited to unzip them because there's always great stuff underneath. This is quite a contrast from my general life right now, where I'm feeling quite disconnected from my body, and the physical world in general. In fact, I'm at that dangerous point where the virtual world is beginning to feel more real. But I'm sure that will change Monday when I drive away again, southerly, mother in tow.

BTW, I'm looking into videoing the landscape as my mother reads the Crit 3 readings aloud. Sound good to anyone? They'd be available the 1st couple weeks in April...

About Mike Nichols

Ok, so I'm distracted easily from my paper writing, I admit and I am also distracted from fingerknitting and (ee-gads) have been listening to the news and also reading Vanity Fair. And so, I've been hearing a lot about Mike Nichols (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Nichols). Someday, possibly for thesis, I will write about my love of somewhat obscure comedy. I love this sketch. It comforts me in times of need.

Also, they don't start moving till halfway through the video. However, it's a radio piece, so just listen.

How you'll be remembered if you become a famous artist.

My friend Michael, who works in a variety of catering capacities at the Seattle Art Museum, sent me this image of the donar table list. Wouldn't you hate to be the one person to order the beef at Remington's or Gaugin's table?

Lately I've been watching all these science fiction films, and noticing the what I assumed were Eames furniture items featured in them. Especially the white table (2001 A Space Odyssey, Soylent Green, Solaris...) which you could practically place bets on how long it would take to show up in "the future." Surprising to me, it's actually an Eero Saarinen from 1956. "The underside of typical chairs and tables makes a confusing, un-restful world," explained Saarinen. "I wanted to clear up the slum of legs."

However, the blue chairs which show up in the helicopter control booth in "Superman" are all Eames all the time.

Anyway, those are my not very deep thoughts involving tables (and chairs).

Tinnish

William Herberholz (AKA August) is a seattle artist whose work I've been admiring as I work away at the Hi Spot Cafe in Madrona. He's got that delicate balance of lovely and kitschy that I personally aspire to.

Headed back to Tri-Cities today, and it's looking to be a lovely drive. Maybe I will actually get inspired for a thesis for this next paper... sigh...

Pop-Ups and Paperdolls

I've been escorting my friend Andrew about Seattle and today we visited Allen Library's Special Collections show "A Merry Company." I suggest watching the slideshow at the end of this link (( http://www.washington.edu/news/articles/paper-poetry-the-colorful-world-of-vintage-pop-up-movable-and-toy-books-with-slide-show)) An enormous collection of all types of pop-up books from the last 300 years, it also had a great range of paper dolls. (please excuse that these photos are all shot surreptitiously with my phone) These actually come closest to how I now envision my calendar. I especially like the headless Scotsman. The idea of physically removing myself from the objects also allows me to think about making the props themselves 2 dimensional.

I loved this pop-up anatomy diagram, the "human-o-scope." The body parts are attached to transparent pages, and printed on both sides, so you could remove the structure on one body then replace the structure on the opposing side. This could work wonderfully for actually showing the costumes, perhaps...

I know it's early in the semester, but I'm absolutely overwhelmed by how much work I have to do, and the incredible expenses I can only begin to imagine to carry out the work that interests me. UGH...

for Sarah! With an "H"!

How to simply gild some fancy cards



Any one else want me to make some videos at my kitchen table? nothing could be easier (though I have to go to the beer store to get them to load...)