::television sucks::

not a whole lot coming to mind at the moment. just a whole lot of yawning and sighing and painting. and when i am reminded of how unique each day is, how not one cloud in the sky is exactly ever the same and how the sun moves throughout the year, marking the season. i can rest. sleep well fair friends near and far.

::what's hot + what's not::

::what's hot::

so i have decided to join loobylu's what's hot + what's not this week, at least this week. can't make any promises to follow up next week. i have been thinking about it. what's hot? what makes me tick, what really defines the hot this week?

well, i have no idea if this counts as what's hot but, i feel like my family really ought to come in at number 1. family feels and pretty much seems like the coolest thing i could think of, lame, no! not a chance. many say about their own families that there's never a dull moment. the same could be said about fam collier. we work together, we play hard together, we party together, we debate and struggle with one another. there's growth and comfort and a deep respect for one another. conflicts have become rare and i suppose in their place, five grandchildren have appeared, almost out of nowhere. maybe that explains it.

second on my list of hot; is paper decorations! i'm dying to make. it maybe old news but it's still hot to me; loving the small objects thanksgiving paper garland.

i'm also pretty stoked about more paper cutting; found jenny lee fowler via flickr this week and am completely committed to my xacto knife, until death do us part.

a month or so ago, my mom and i went to a library book sale. i found two treasures. i wish i could wait until christmas to reveal but cannot. since i'm on hot and paper cutting/craft i've got to mention 'the christmas spider - a puppet play from poland'. i don't know that i've seen anything as perfectly sweet.

aaron tucker's work continues to be and inspiration. he recently began blogging. cutpaint securely wraps up my week of what's hot!

::what's not::

...is it just completely ridiculous to complain about the weather. the back and forth temperatures, the rain, the warmth, the cold. bottom line is that it has been downright unpredictable.

GIVE ME A BREAK! i am not buying the book. i'm not stuck on celebrity gossip either. i mean really! So can you guess what's not? i don't understand the point. NOT HOT!

last but not least. to be frank. i haven't been riding my bike as much as i would like. not hot, not cool. riding partner are you out there?

so that's it. that's all i've got. if you'd like to play along, feel free and share, just leave a link with a comment, or post it up at loobylu's.

goodnight.

::apartment living::silhouette&shadow

the collected evidence is in. the findings in this case have been recorded, the proof is in the photos. the facts are faultless. i am not a photographer. i am an artist. i am different than a photographer, but the same because we are both artists. i never was, what i'd call a photographer and this is not a sad truth but rather something i have actually known for a very long time about myself.

the happy truth is that i love my little digital camera, it is just right, just enough for me. it gets the job done and fills whatever creative gap i feel in my daily comings and goings. don't get me wrong, i'm often tempted by the polaroid, the manual or the newest and badest nikon on the shelf. really though, i am perfectly satisfied, couldn't be happier. i'm still capturing the light, the silhouettes, the shadows and i'm addicted. seriously addicted but not like i am to making art or twirling my hair when it's soft or to chewing gum. it's a easy addiction that doesn't really require a whole lot from me in the end.

i also, often think that my artwork looks better in photographs, my apartment looks cleaner and brighter, really nice autumn light or morning light looks more real than real in photographs, sometimes. maybe it's the automatic manipulation that an image taken through the lens goes through that's addictive or fascinating. like i said, i'm definitely not a pro, it's not my number 1 passion but it is wonderful and fills me with good stuff. i love seeing lines revealed and disappearing in silhouettes and shadows, it's a simple as that. it comes down to line(s) and the positive//negative space principles, you know?

so...day 3. can i do this? it may mean i take a whole bunch of really so-so photos or it could mean i take myself back to the beginning and begin again. reinvestigate my photo taking history and see what i can see. who knows?

wip::phillips family tree

with monday almost behind us here, i thought it'd be fun to show some of the process of putting together the phillips family tree. i feel like i've found my groove with this one. over the weekend the momentum just grew, so i've actually made more progress but alas, darkness falls earlier and earlier, thus poor photo ops.

but sticking with my personal decision to use what i already on hand, i decided to use martha stewart's labels and cut out the center in order to frame each family members face. this just felt like the right thing to do, especially after having done a little bit of research.

talk about easy too, i guess the only difficult part was trying to decide how to crop each face. lucky for me i had 16 labels and there are 16 faces. crazy!

i also pulled out the kenneth james fibres wallpaper sample book i got years ago and found the perfect papers. there are a few, each a little different but reminiscent of tree color and texture. after laying the family tree out on the back of the wallpaper i proceeded to draw a simple sketch of a tree around the framed faces.

there's been so little preplanning here, that it's been a delight to just move through this project with more ease than what i originally thought i'd have.

i plan to complete finish cutting out the tree tonight and get a nice "underpainting" layer of nice golden green and blue tissue paper mod podged to the surface of the canvas. i guess painting in and around might become the slowest part of the project. i am still debating on whether or not to incorporated any lettering toward the bottom that says "phillips family tree". i actually have an idea; and will just need to patiently get there, you know?

i might be even crazier to think i can finish before the end of the week. i'm absolutely going to pace myself and not kill myself without sleep. with that said, my coffee is growing cold and the xacto knife has got to be warmed up. and and and, so you think you can dance is on. did i mention i'm a little bit excited about this season! sssshhhh!

::apartment living::autumn light

the weekend is now coming quickly to a close. it felt like a vacation what with the beautiful weather, autumn light and time to dwindle away. i forgot to bring along my camera for most of it, i missed taking the excellent opportunity to take any photos while with my nephews. i guess that means i will need to take them out again. but the nieces are next on the list.

i managed to make headway, the phillips family tree is chugging right along. i have taken a whole much of wip images and will be sure to show progress this week. with a week of much planning behind me, i'm looking forward to finishing this project within the coming week. i see it being completely possible. that is if i don't get distracted by all of the other little projects i'd like to try my hand at. for instance. i have fallen in love with molly's perfect hurricanes. i feel i must try making at least one of these before, well before i bust or something.

i'm also super glad that andrea has decided to post everyday. november is only days away, i'm not sure if i'm up for it, though. it's a nice idea and super inspiring but, i've never been able to post daily. i have never tried and am wondering if i should just give it a go, unofficially that is. for now. at least i've stock piled some photos, just in case.

recently found out that the paper quilt project is back! looking forward to see what dawbis comes up with next for the project. she was looking for 21 artists to fill in some of the gaps left in some of the months. be sure to to check it out! especially if you're finding yourself spinning out and need a hand getting back to creating something (everyday).

and one last thing; very excited to see this up&coming and her brand new website! keep up the great work heidi!

okay so, here's to posting everyday, finishing commission, then making something fun and fall-ish, and to another great week of weather. i'm crossing my fingers.

::apartment living::big happy puppy attack

even though this week has just begun, i am looking at a booked calendar of a few meetings, a luncheon, and a few more meetings. two meetings to prepare for an open house//art exhibit event in my apartment building during mainx24. a meeting with the ever talented sarah n. and fellow jessica from createhere to go over installation plans for the summer dregs release party on november 7. there's luncheon my mom is speaking at on thursday afternoon and another evening meeting. i think this maybe exactly what i need. to be more active and productive in a variety of ways. it just doesn't feel all that bad. i like the hustle and bustle. putting the puzzle pieces together in a way that make sense and correspond. it leaves me feeling even more motivated.

i came up with a few more halloween decorations and have transformed my apartment for the autumn season.

and a couple weeks ago, i sifted through my closet and found a few things to give up at a friends clothing swap. i have a pair of brand new brown converse, that i've worn like one time that i need to either sell or give away. i think they are size 3??? i have some baking to do and of course i will be getting down to business, creating the phillips family tree.

i had the photo images resized to fit perfectly into the martha stewart labels i am going to use as frames, to hang in the family tree. excited about the idea
and am now pretty confident of the next steps, to completion.

i was gently attacked by a dog in my apartment building, which was surprising to me. the owner of the dog, let it off it's leash and it came bounding toward me in a big happy puppy sort of way but still, i felt a little unsure. the owner lady was pretty apologetic and all, no worries. i've just mentioned many a time to myself, how odd it is to me that so many of my neighbors have dogs, living in the tiny little apartments. they have no yard, no place to run and jump and play around in. what craziness. so. that is apartment living, for now. any thoughts on dogs in apartments would be much appreciated. should i carry around a bag of bacon strip treats, or what?

::on the wall::

i promise if i had the time, the skillz, the wall, legal or not, i would be a graffiti artist. it must sound stupid right, i mean, who gives a flip? i want to hide in the dark corners, wait until the coast is clear and throw up all over a great big city wall. if only. i'm just a little white girl who dreams just a little bit, that she'd grown up understanding, developing and producing graffiti on the streets. my ideas in this context are completely romanticized and utterly embarrassing, because, really what do i know about being a graffiti artist. all i want to do is change the perspective and learn the ropes. all i want to do is bridge the gap between what is seen and what people hear about the "graffiti" genre of art. yeah, i know, it's been done, it's happening all over the world. just not on my street corners, not on the decaying dilapidated buildings in my city.

so much of my personal development as an artist came from drawing. i think that's true for most artists, though. my drawings directly correlate with my larger complete works. i would not say i am exactly limited by paper or canvas or by size or shape. it's more than that, the limitations are primarily, only in my head. even though my series of trees have taken me almost as far as i could have originally imagined i am still thinking about ways of incorporating new layers, new concepts, fresh perspectives. even if i only create trees for the rest of my life i will figure out a way, no matter what. i suppose as long as i'm drawing, my work will change and become what i see in my head. eventually. and if the opportunity strikes and i do find myself with a spray paint can in hand, i will feel really darn good about it.

this week's list consists of:

secretly making a birthday present for my bff.

cleaning house for autumn-ish g.n.o.

organization of all the little details of...stuff.

check it out the CD is here and it has my artwork in it!

and i'm working on posting more, can you tell?

::goodbye until we meet again::

last weekend i decided to pack away my summer sunshine yellow eggcup collection to make room for autumn, i've never done this before. i am learning to pace myself and the seasons within my ::apartment living:: decor . i found my 'happy halloween' banner and hung it up and am using a ledge between my kitchen and dining//living room space as the focal point for the season. it'll be fun to bring out the yellow again next year and absorb the freshness in color again. for now i'm embracing the warm cozy feelings of fall. with the ever beautiful hues and tones of this time of the year.
i gathered a couple of pumpkins and a handful of tiny warted gourds today, along with an assortment of baking ingredients. i'm thinking another round of sticky buns might be nice.

this evening the sliding glass door to the balcony is open, the a/c is off. i'm imagining the there are autumnal city sounds, just as there are autumnal country sounds.

there's plenty of things that are keeping me busy. i feel like i've barely crossed a thing off my list of things to do. it's just all so preliminary. at least my shop is full, just in case, wink*wink*. and i've started the next commission piece; the 'philips family tree'. i met with v.d. this afternoon to talk about her commission piece. the color of her kitchen walls are to die for. i'm excited about starting the project. and will make sure to include w.i.p of both projects.

the website is coming along fine and dandy, summer dregs release party date + venue has now been nailed down, november 7. i've still not been to blacksmith's - to meet/hang my work. i am planning and open house/art show during mainx24 and am asking the clothesline ladies to participate. and then then then, i'll see what's next. possibly traveling over thanksgiving. am working out those details.

i am not as overwhelmed today, i spent the morning replying to stack of emails that had piled up. forgive me if you've emailed me and i've not yet responded. i promise i'll get back to you asap.

have a lovely evening, the beer in my fridge is calling my name.