Everyday MaryElise

1.15.12

2012-01-15T11:31:00.001-08:00

I've been embroidering more handkerchiefs with portraits of Civil War soldiers...mostly Generals with interesting facial hair. Above are the first two completed handkerchiefs with General Brannon (blue trim) and General Burnside (pink trim). I've posted them for sale on my etsy site.

I brewed my first beer yesterday. With the help from a friend I brewed a Peppercorn Rye-Bock. Pictured above are some of the ingredients that went into the kettle: malt extract, rye, peppercorns, two kinds of hops, irish moss. I can't wait to taste it (It will be ready to drink February 25th) and I can't wait to brew more beer!

10.31.11

2011-10-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been attracted and inspired by wycinaki, which is Polish cut paper designs. Earlier this year I had started researching Polish folk art designs for some potential jewelry inspiration and came across wycinaki. I immediately was drawn to the layering of the cut paper, the symmetry, and the bright vibrant colors. After amassing examples of wycinaki onto my laptop, I've finally came up with some projects that I want to do using the designs. Today I started cutting out felt versions of the flowers which are commonly used in different wycinaki designs. Included in this image are the paper patterns I made as well.
I would love to wallpaper a room in wycinaki...someday I will.

10.31.11

2011-10-31T15:34:00.000-07:00

Here is my little neighbor wearing the polar bear costume I made for her! It was a little large on her when we did the fitting but with the cold weather her parents used that extra space to layer on the clothes underneath...which is great because it ruins it when you have to put your winter coat over your costume. I can say without even being biased that she was the cutest trick or treater I received.

10.30.11

2011-10-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

My flight attendant costume for Saturday night Halloween parties. I made my garrison cap hat along with the airplane on it (which I made out of cardboard and gold paint). I also made pilot wings to hand out and I borrowed a seatbelt from my local auto garage as a prop that I could use to display how to buckle up for a flight. Sadly, a mixture of snowy slush hit upstate NY so the turn out for the party was pretty sparse. I have plenty of hand colored pilot wings left over.

10.23.11

2011-10-23T19:45:00.001-07:00

Lately I've been working on Halloween related projects. I spent some time carving these Yoda and R2D2 pumpkins to decorate my front steps. However, since putting them on my steps a squirrel has eaten one of Yoda's ears and his upper lip.

My neighbors have hired my hands to make their 3 yr old daughter a polar bear costume. I used two different white furs for contrast on the belly and ears as well as a cute floral fabric to line the hood. I just finished the last few touches on it today (ice-like buttons and black claws). Tomorrow I will unveil it for the little girl. I really hope she likes it.

For my own costume, I plan on being a 1960's stewardess. I had most of the clothing items for the costume (red pencil skirt and red blazer). I found a charming silk scarf with different worldly destinations painted on it to tie around my neck. I am making a red hat and will be adding gold trim to the blazer. Above are drawings of the pilot wings I plan to make out of plastic which I will hand out to other special Halloween guests. The pilot wing design comes from a vintage pair I found online that was tagged as either being the wings for enlisted airmen or a special set of wings made to give out to sweethearts (which I liked). I chose the design for authenticity as well as for the fact that it didn't advertise any one airline.

9.28.11

2011-09-28T16:50:00.001-07:00

Lately my spirits have been quite low. I am working on many projects but yet I am not fully pleased with my surroundings. After another work day filled with brainstorming on how to improve on my situation, I left feeling low once again. But then as I was stepping out onto the brick I looked down to find that a gift had been left for me on the ground; this beautiful bird wing. It's bright yellow accents had caught my eye and while other workers passed by I gently bent down to examine it further. It made my day to find this wing and what brought even more happiness to me was knowing the perfect person to send it on to.

9.24.11

2011-09-28T16:44:00.001-07:00

For my friend Kendal's birthday I drew her in paper doll form along with several outfits that she wore in real life. On this page is an outfit she wore to an art opening; black dress and fur. I also made her a mustache face mask with a petite blonde mustache.

9.12.11

2011-09-12T16:48:00.000-07:00

I've finished my response to Lindsey's last embroidery. I decided to move in a slightly different direction from the previous ones and make an embroidery that was lighter in mood. The embroidery features five portraits of men whom I've hit on or dated; all of them wearing glasses. The text reads "I think I have a pattern. (It appears that this girl makes passes at boys with glasses.)".

8.20.11

2011-08-20T19:11:00.001-07:00

As previously seen on my blog, the above embroidery was the beginning to a project with my friend and fellow artist Lindsey Felice. Like I've said before we have been trying to get together on making a back and forth graphic novel together but always had trouble working on it. Finally we decided to make autobiographical embroideries and send them back and forth to each other in the mail; playing off of one another. I started with the embroidery of me getting out of the shower and recalling past memories. Lindsey has replied to my embroidery with the one below of herself in her own bathroom setting. I already have an idea of what I will send her next. I think it would be great if we could get these published in a book. I am really impressed with the level of skill we have both put forth.

Meanwhile I am working on trying to put together the antler beard performance in an abandoned cathedral.

7.19.11

2011-07-19T12:55:00.001-07:00

Finished painting and decorating my dining room. I've left some room on the shelf for some new finds when I had to Madison-Bouckville this August. It is a tradition to rummage for eccentric finds at this 4 day long antique sale. The deer head vase and guitar salt'n'pepper shaker are both from previous trips to Madison-Bouckville.

7.14.11

2011-07-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

Cover of new paper doll set.

Detail of hand colored timeline and heart on cover.

New paper doll set I've been drawing that represents my time while living in Seattle. There are a lot of memories to choose from but here are a selection of outfits I wore. I did noticed that I went to a lot of theme parties while drawing this. I hope the 15 folks I sent a set to will enjoy them.

7.11.11

2011-07-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

7.5.11

2011-07-06T10:21:00.001-07:00

Above: The view from the back of my apartment looking to the left. Below: View of my secret garden behind my apartment. I have planted a variety of vegetables, flowers, and two blueberry bushes. When I cleared out some of the weeds I found the garden already contained strawberry plants and a blackberry bush in the back.

7.4.11

2011-07-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything in a while due to moving cross country and getting settled in my new home and life. I have been incredibly homesick for Seattle, but that is to be expected. Everyone says that New York hasn't changed since I left but I think it has changed. I think it has changed a lot. What I knew has transformed, crumbled, or decayed in some way. And I have probably change as well. I have to build everything from scratch again just like I did when I moved to Seattle. In my new apartment I could see the 4th of July fireworks from my living room window while I painted my dining room a color called 'melted butter'.

6.3.11

2011-06-03T22:44:00.000-07:00

Packing up my belongings.

4.30.11

2011-04-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

Pancakes. I ran out of cereal and didn't want to go to the grocery store so I rummaged through my cabinets to try to make some pancakes. Amazingly I pulled off some pretty decent pancakes without soy milk, butter, or eggs. I made up for it by adding some cinnamon and ground flax seed to the batter.

4.28.11

2011-04-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to work on any of my own embroideries for the past two weeks. Instead I've been embroidering flowers on the wedding invitations of two wonderful friends of mine who are getting married in June. I have 80 invitations to embroider.

4.25.11

2011-04-30T12:09:00.001-07:00

I got another batch of strawberries in my CSA box today. They were the brightest red I had ever saw strawberries to be and their flesh glittered in the light...I almost questioned if they were real! (The photo doesn't due them justice.) These strawberries remind me of picking berries with my mom in upstate New York.

4.15.11

2011-04-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

Here is the embroidery previously mentioned in completion. I am nicknaming it 'Droplets' for the time being. It is showing a mundane memory I have that lives with me in my current life. It personally fascinates me that I remember such little things when it seems all those around me forget them. I appreciate that I have such a memory but I also feel that carrying these memories can be daunting. In the end, as this embroidery shows, these memories make up the person I am through the way I constantly relive them and learn from them.
The text on the embroidery says "I had a boyfriend who once pointed out to me that I neglected to dry the middle of my back when done showering. I remember this moment every time I towel off. It has been nine years and roughly 1,314 showers."

4.11.11

2011-04-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

My friend Lindsey who lives in Ohio and I have wanted to do a collaborative project for some time now...years even. We initially wanted to do a back and forth graphic novel but we both always had trouble starting it. Lindsey recently suggested that instead of the graphic novel we focus on something we both do very well, i.e. embroidery. We will be sending embroideries about our lives like letters to one another. I am going first and above is part of what I am working on for it. When it is finished I will explain it more.

3.22.11

2011-03-22T21:24:00.000-07:00

Here's the next embroidered handkerchief I'm working on. This is another courtesan from the 19th Century. Her name is Cora Pearl and she was one of the most famous of all the courtesans for this time period. I still have to embroider into the pearls to add emphasis to them.

In other news, my hours got cut down at work...so I'm broke.

3.14.11

2011-03-14T14:08:00.001-07:00

While working the other day I found a book in the gift shop titled Contemporary Textiles. Inside the book I found a lot of great artists working with embroidering. One of those artists is Andrea Dezso. She has created this series titled "Lessons from my Mother". Above is my favorite from the series with the embroidery of legs. Below are more examples of pieces from the series.

3.5.11

2011-03-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

Another handkerchief embroidery. This one depicts a portrait of a Civil War era high ranking soldier. I chose this particular soldier for his regal mutton chop beard.

3.2.11

2011-03-02T22:31:00.001-08:00

Here is an embroidery I finished this evening...lots of tiny stitches went into this. The embroidery is a portrait of a courtesan of the 19th Century named Lola. I have done several drawings of different famous courtesans of this century and this is the first to be turned into an embroidery. I was attracted to her facial expression and the way her hand lays over her arm. The portrait is embroidered on a vintage yellow handkerchief. Below is a detail so you can hopefully see all the stitches better.

2.25.11

2011-02-25T16:34:00.000-08:00

I like pretty lingerie and ERES makes some which I admire greatly. I don't have the sort of income to buy ERES or to buy dresses from Anthropologie so I made paper doll versions of the things I am currently admiring. I lust after the ERES Foucade collection and this twisted bodice dress from Anthropologie. I didn't draw the pattern of the dress because I didn't want to take away from the beautiful construction.

2.24.11

2011-02-24T22:47:00.001-08:00

I'm of the school of courtship thinking that believe the way to a man's heart is through his belly. If on a first date a man tells me he doesn't like baked goods I know right away we aren't meant to be (and my serious baking talents would be wasted on him). I think my recipe for Chocolate Chip Potato Chip Cookies is swoon worthy. Please note the beautiful set of measuring cups that I used to bake with. They were a Christmas gift from my mother. They are very fancy but I don't know how accurate they really are. I mostly just eye things anyway; pinch of this here, more flour there. I will start with measurements and veer off. These cookies turned out really lovely - golden brown on the bottom and a little undercooked in the center.

2.18.11

2011-02-18T20:33:00.000-08:00

I made this sweet birthday present for my friend Jess. She does a lot of watercolors featuring feathers so I made a feather out of felt and embroidered it. I then set it onto some gold chain and added some of my shrinky dink birds. You should check out Jess' website to see the relation of the birthday necklace to her art work, click here.

I've been listening to this song a lot lately...late at night...in the dark. It is my current musical guilty pleasure.

2.14.2011

2011-02-14T21:04:00.000-08:00

When I was in college and I told my painting professor that I was going to major in sculpture he said to me, "ha, you'll soon go to painting when you run out of room...paintings, they can just slid right in." His words were ringing with me as I hung the bucks in my tiny kitchen today.

2.8.11

2011-02-08T21:02:00.000-08:00

A handkerchief I embroidered for a friend of mine, Andy, who is a musician under the name Astronautalis. I saw him perform live for the first time recently at the Crocodile downtown. He is a talented and charming performer. He had ladies falling at his feet in the front row and grabbing his jeans. I've included a video of his. He is going on tour soon so be sure to see him if he comes your way.

2.4.11

2011-02-05T16:33:00.000-08:00

Today we took down the Ecotone show at Ghost Gallery. Before removing the piece I made a correction to one of the shirt's prices. I realized recently that I was too kind in the pricing of this one shirt, perhaps I was biased since the relationship was still fresh in my mind. Over recent personal events I was confronted with the true character of the individual. It was very eye opening. I still feel fondly for the time we spent together but I certainly feel the price was too high. I've included a photo of the price change to document that part of the piece. I also tried on some of the shirts and #13 is really pretty. It would be nice to do a photo shoot of me wearing each suitor's shirt with their antlers on my head or holding their antler plaque like a hunter perhaps.

1.14.11

2011-01-14T17:53:00.001-08:00

Here's some photos from last night's opening reception for Ecotone via artist Jess Rees. She took a good photo of Suitor 13's shirt which shows all the hand applique work I did to create his chest tattoo (mushroom cloud and skyscrapers). There is also some dorky group photos of all the artists in front of the gallery's bathroom including someone coming out of the bathroom. (top row L to R: Jess Rees, Mary Elise, Jody Joldersma, Bottom row L to R: Michael Alm and Joey Bates)

1.13.10

2011-01-14T16:22:00.001-08:00

(Preliminary sketch of how I wanted the piece to look when installed. I'm impressed how close the actual installation looks to my drawing.)

Bucks I Have Fucked on display at Ghost Gallery, Seattle, WA.

For this piece I slugged through my memories of past lovers, contacted them, and then with their permission embroidered shirts that encapsulated their chests including every weird hair formation and chest tattoo. I then tried to imagine what kind of antlers each past lover would have. I based the size of the rack on the suitor's age or maturity, i.e. older boyfriends got bigger racks while if I dated a guy younger than me or the same age he was given a young bucks rack. I made the antlers out of steel wire and then covered them with my very own pantyhose. In this way each rack will be covered in my pheromones. I then mounted each set of antlers like a hunter would. The shirts are also priced in a very specific way. Instead of basing the price of each in a normal artistic method I came up with the prices based on the length of each relationship, the chemistry we shared, and how well they treated me overall. The highest price is $780 and the lowest is $275. The piece is a mixture of influences from animal and human courtship. For me it was a way to take ownership of my loves in a more masculine way conceptually, especially with the title being an aggressive statement. However I juxtapose the masculine concept with my execution using feminine craft like embroidering and sewing.

12.13.10

2010-12-13T15:26:00.001-08:00

Finished the shirt of 'Suitor # 5". And Hawkeye is back to his old self; no more wearing the cone of shame and he has his meat patterned scarf back!

12.4.10

2010-12-04T19:21:00.001-08:00

Suitor #2's chest hair shirt is finished (except for any little final touches).

12.3.10

2010-12-03T19:28:00.001-08:00

The art work I am generally the best at is the personal kind. I am working on a new piece that includes the embroidering of chests of former lovers. Above are the drawings I will use to work off of while embroidering. I am excited to create the piece (especially embroidering 'Suitor # 13' with the chest tattoo) but also a bit scared about letting everything hang out so to speak. I think this is a way for me to take ownership of my intimate experiences where I felt used or abused and to pay homage to the ones where I felt loved and cherished.

12.2.10

2010-12-03T19:24:00.001-08:00

First Thursday art walk in Pioneer Square. I only managed to hit up Ryan Molenkamp's 'Flood' exhibition at the Gallery4Culture. Above Ryan is talking in front of his work and below are some friendly folks discussing the group exhibition I will be part of in January.

11.30.10

2010-12-03T19:18:00.000-08:00

Each day I wake up to the sound of a Hawkeye howling and after prompting taking care of said hound, I paint another coat of rubber silicone mold making material onto my clay antlers. When I get home from work I repeat the process. I need at least ten coats before I can pry the stuff off and try filling it with plaster. I've made simple antlers but once I start pumping out plaster replicas I will then glue the smaller antler pieces onto larger ones to create more complex antlers. And then I'll make some antler beards.

11.22.10

2010-11-23T12:13:00.001-08:00

I was surprised to wake up to Seattle being blanketed with snow this morning. I didn't think this would happen until at least January. And of course the city of Seattle just about completely shuts down when there is even one inch of snow!

11.20.10

2010-11-23T12:02:00.000-08:00

I went back to New York for a few days to spend some time with family and to attend my friends' annual Funsgiving party. Funsgiving is where we all make a ton of Thanksgiving type foods and drink lots of whiskey and Saranac beer. The men folk grow their beards out prior to Funsgiving and then on the day of they shave them into odd patterns/styles. Above is a photo by my friend Kamran.

11.4.10

2010-11-23T11:54:00.001-08:00

I attended First Thursday Art Walk for the first time with Clay, Kendal, and Michael. Kendal, Michael, and our friend Jess all had art work in an all shrinky dink based show. Jess's piece and Kendal's can be seen above.

10.30.10

2010-11-23T11:51:00.000-08:00

Halloween party on Saturday at Clay's house. I wore my bear head and poised with a random girl dressed like Jasmine.

10.29.10

2010-11-01T02:33:00.000-07:00

A bar called The Living Room hosted a Halloween party on Friday. The theme was to come dressed as a famous artist or art work. Clay and I went as artist Matthew Barney (Cremaster) and his partner Bjork. I made the infamous swan dress that Bjork once wore to an award's show. I made my swan dress from scratch and I made Clay's goat ears by sewing pieces of a bald cap over some elf ears I found at a Halloween store. Overall I was very pleased with the costumes. However, at the party we weren't the only ones with this idea. There was another couple as Barney and Bjork. They choose a different Matthew Barney Cremaster character, but the girl did the same swan dress approach as I did. It was kind of funny and we all got a kick out of the doubles. My friends Jess and Brian came as a painting by Frida Kahlo, so there was double Fridas as well!

10.23.10

2010-10-31T19:34:00.001-07:00

Hawkeye got a cut on his face and kept digging at it with his claws so I had to put the cone of shame on him. He was not happy with me.

10.22.10

2010-10-31T19:30:00.000-07:00

I went over to Clay's house and we made a dinner of baked green bell peppers filled with spicy tofu scrabble and vegan cheese on top. Then with full bellies we went over to Ballard for a house party.

10.21.10

2010-10-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

I saw Phosphorescent play with full backing band at Chop Suey on Capitol Hill.

10.17.10

2010-10-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight Clay and I went to the final night of Smashputt ( Smashputt's website). I went last year and had a blast when it was in a small warehouse space on Capitol Hill. This year was even bigger and better. It's new location was in the INS Building in the SODO neighborhood of Seattle. The INS Building is a former detention facility. So imagine playing mini golf with a full bar next to solitary confinement cells ( And by the way the confinement cells were decked out with cushions, wallpaper, and lots of ambience for lounging between putting). Clay and I tried to hit up as many artfully made holes as possible. Top favorite go to the golf ball cannons (which you can see a photo of at this website). The final hole for us was one where you have to hit your ball up a slope into the hole. The hole leads the ball to a caged in drill that drills a hole into the ball and then shoots it out. Clay got a hole in one but somehow I still managed to beat him in the overall game. I wish I had more pictures of us and the building itself but the lighting was very dark.
Here's a video of someone's else time at smashputt to give you an idea of the holes. They obviously went during the day and I think it all looks much cooler and eerie at night.

10.10.10

2010-10-11T16:35:00.001-07:00

Implied Violence is a Seattle based performance art collective who are exhibiting both video documentation and props from their performances in the halls of the Frye. On the opening day of the exhibition the group did a six hour performance in the reflecting pools of the museum. Part of the performance consisted of an archer shooting colorful arrows into a wax sculpture every hour on the hour. At the end of the six hours the wax sculpture was brought into the museum and put on display as well. The group is known for using methods such as sleep deprivation, leeching, blows to the body and self ethering to achieve certain endurance states in their performances. The performances certainly have an aesthetic that delivers both a beauty and a grittiness.
(The first photo is from Implied Violence's website. The other photos are of relics from their performances which are on display currently at the Frye.)

10.9.10

2010-10-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

Friday night was the opening for new exhibitions at the Frye. I worked the evening and Clay came as my guest to enjoy the art and the open bar on my behalf. After the opening we went for drinks and then hit up karaoke at the Crescent Lounge. Saturday was a busy day for us. We had some pho to help our hangovers and then hit up some thrift stores on Capitol Hill. I found this vintage ring that was missing one of it's pearls. It was perfect to set my recently lost 26 year old baby tooth in. I was absolutely thrilled with the end result.
After doing some shopping we stopped by the Frye again to see the live performance art by Implied Violence. I will hopefully post some of their work up soon. Later in the evening Clay and I continued our cultural evening by hitting up two art openings. My friends Jess, Kendal, Michael, and Brian had art work at Ouch My Eye art Gallery. Jess and Kendal were also showing work at 20Twenty which is a boutique in Ballard. It was quite the long rainy art filled day.

10.4.10

2010-10-06T00:47:00.001-07:00

I embroidered this handkerchief for Clay. It has a depiction of Kurt Russell with a golden halo. It is about 2" x 1.5" in size, and therefore is probably the smallest facial hair stubble I have ever embroidered. I met up with Clay in the evening to see a silent movie at the Paramount theater. The Paramount is absolutely decadent on the inside. I was trying to take in every detail. Aside from the building itself, I also enjoyed the silent film (A Cottage in Dartmoor) which was accompanied by a live organ player.

9.28.10

2010-09-28T21:57:00.001-07:00

It is frilly vintage blouse Tuesday!

9.27.10

2010-09-28T21:43:00.001-07:00

I've begun drawing a new edition of paper dolls. I've decided to make an outfit to represent each performance I've done in the past. The end result will hopefully be a cute and creative way to see a body of my work. Above is the updated doll of myself (the hair is shortened since last doll and there is the addition of the new tattoos).

This is a sketch for the 'Cooking for Stranger' performance paper doll outfit. I've drawn one of the polaroids that I used to document the performance as well. I've left space on all of these sheets for text. I will explain each performance in the text.

Sketch for 'Tuck In' performance paper doll outfit. In the 'Tuck In' performance I would go to strangers apartments around Brooklyn and tuck them into bed as if a parent would.

Sketch for 'Locket Piece' performance paper doll outfit. I performed this piece several times and in several different ways. It was mainly a piece where I would rent out the space in my locket to a stranger and wear their picture. Next I will start sketching the outfits for my series of animal courtship performances (including making a paper doll version of the bear yurt!).

9.20.10

2010-09-20T16:51:00.001-07:00

I lost one of my last remaining baby teeth today. It had been very loose for a few weeks now and so I was happy to have it out since it was becoming difficult to chew with it. I hope to preserve the tooth and have it set like a stone into a ring that I can wear.

9.18.10

2010-09-20T16:46:00.001-07:00

After working security for a wedding booked at the Frye, I went to a party at my boyfriend Clay's house. The theme was carnival or circus side shows, so I whipped up a last minute costume of a snake charmer. I found the bustier and the skirt at Red Light vintage clothing store and I made the snake out of scrap fabric and a red men's neck tie. I absolutely adore this bustier.

9.17.10

2010-09-20T16:41:00.001-07:00

I got my arm cover up tattoos finished today. They are swollen popeye like arms for the time being. I am pretty happy with the finished tattoos. The green in the trees will become brighter after they've healed. After being tattooed I went out with my friend Emily to see the documentary 'I'm Still Here' and then had some cocktails at a bar in Capitol Hill.

9.14.10

2010-09-15T11:22:00.001-07:00

Embroidery of a Falcon with an accentuated mustache. While reading about different types of falcons the text kept referring to the markings around the falcon's beak as a mustache so I played up that feature. I also gave the falcon diamond eyes. His look and stance kind of reminds me of someone's humorous grandfather.

9.7.10

2010-09-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

I took Jesse over to Georgetown to show him some good eats at The Georgetown Liquor Company and then we hung out at Fantagraphics looking at graphic novels. I was drawn to this one comic pictured above because the female character reminded me of how I see myself. We also stopped in a music store and I ended up taking home this old accordion which I'm excited to learn how to play! I love this photo of Jesse sitting on the giant boots which are a landmark in Georgetown.

9.4.10

2010-09-14T12:53:00.000-07:00

I volunteered to work for my friend Ryan's Portrait Challenge exhibition at the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival. The Portrait Challenge is where you are given a clipping or photo of someone and must draw their portrait and there are six blank spots on the page so that several individuals will have a chance to draw the same model. Basically the Bumbershoot version was a room full of visitors drawing, a station where you can become a model, pinned up finished portrait challenges, and an area where your drawing skills can be projected live for all to see. One of these photos shows my hand on the big screen drawing my friend Michael's portrait while he sits in the foreground (like the circle of life). After volunteering Jesse and I walked around Bumbershoot and caught a performance by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

9.3.10

2010-09-14T12:50:00.001-07:00

My friend Jesse is in town visiting from New York. It is his first time on visiting Seattle so I feel the pressure to show him how great it is here. I took him around Pike Place Market. We passed this neatly designed lunch truck on the way. We walked to the Sculpture Park and then down to the water.

8.30.10

2010-09-14T12:47:00.001-07:00

More intricate embroidery done on the large scale piece. I've embroidering a cross hatch like pattern on the duct tape of the suitcase.

8.29.10

2010-09-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

Clay and I went to happy hour at Plum Bistro. Despite the food being delicious the service was horrible that night so we left after only one cocktail (we had originally planned to take full advantage of the happy hour specials). We ended up grabbing more drinks over at Oddfellows and then rented some Kevin Smith films. We thought it would be a good idea to sip pink champagne with strawberries while watching said films, but we found out that pink champagne tastes really bad.

8.28.10

2010-08-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

Salt water aquarium. The pictures don't do it justice. It is much more colorful in person and there are little crabs and fish poking all throughout it.

8.23.10

2010-08-24T13:30:00.001-07:00

August's Pie-O-The Month is a pistachio and chocolate pudding pie. I'm afraid the pistachio pudding was a bit on the liquid side and may not have set. Next time I won't add as much soy milk I guess.

8.22.10

2010-08-24T13:28:00.001-07:00

I drew a new image for the wedding invitations I'm designing. This one has the deer nuzzling where as before they were just standing and looking forward.

8.20.10

2010-08-21T17:47:00.001-07:00

I invited Clay over for dinner to break in my new table and chairs. I made an amazing vegan lasagna and a lemon rosemary pie for dessert with fresh plums. After dinner we went to a midnight showing of 'The Room' at the Egyptian Theater where the writer, director, and star of the movie Tommy Wiseau was on hand to play catch.

8.18.10

2010-08-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

Custom handkerchief for someone who loves platypus.

8.16.10

2010-08-17T13:36:00.001-07:00

Today my mom and I had brunch in the University District at the Wayward Cafe and then I took her around Gasworks and to the Japanese Tea Garden in the Arboretum Park. To end her trip to Seattle on the highest note possible we had dinner at Cafe Flora. The food was probably the best fancy vegetarian meal I've had in all of Seattle. I ordered the chickpea polenta covered in roasted eggplant with lavendar. For dessert I had the vegan coconut mango cake with a golden ground cherry garnish. My mom had a dessert of chocolate mousse with warm caramel covered in chocolate and homemade coffee ice cream.

8.14.10

2010-08-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday I took my mom to see Georgetown. There was an art walk and a farmer's market happening. We had brunch at Georgetown Liquor Company (amazing vegan biscuits and gravy and huge portions, plus they have a make your own Bloody Mary station). We visited Fantagraphics comic books store and I got a copy of Paul Hornscheimer's latest books. It was extremely hot out for Seattle so after doing some walking we stopped in Calamity Jane's for some beers and then we hit up a print show at Print Zero.
In the evening we went to the Pink Door for dinner and a burlesque show. I enjoyed all the acts, but especially those by Waxie Moon who is pictured above pulling his gloves off with his teeth.

8.13.10

2010-08-17T13:23:00.001-07:00

Thursday night my mom flew into Seattle to visit me. During the day on Friday we went for lunch at Plum Bistro in Capitol Hill where I had some scrumptious vegan mac 'n' yease. I then took her downtown to walk around Pike Place Market where I spied this man selling weird balloon animal hats. He was dozing off but woke up just as I took this picture.

8.11.10

2010-08-12T14:45:00.001-07:00

Clay and I went over to the Ballard Locks to see the salmon run. We were expecting to see hundreds of salmon but there was just a few. The locks have windows underground so you can watch the fish swim by and the green grassy areas around the locks are quite lovely.

8.5.10

2010-08-12T14:44:00.000-07:00

Drawing out some new paper dolls since it has almost been a year since I moved to Seattle.

8.2.10

2010-08-03T11:38:00.001-07:00

Monday was a day of tidying. Paying rent. Cleaning house. While walking home through my neigborhood I found a set of two chairs. I've been wanting a little breakfast table area in my kitchen. Now I just need to find a table. My CSA box came today as well.

7.31.10

2010-08-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning Clay and I went to the University District for breakfast at the Wayward Cafe. We also stumbled upon a farmer's market and perused some vintage clothing stores (a blue pair of sunglasses were purchased to replace the pair that the arm wrestling champion stepped on mistakenly the previous night at the Gun Show). In the afternoon we headed back to Capitol Hill to Sonic Boom record store to see a free in-store performance by Phosphorescent. Clay captured this picture of me talking with Matthew Houck of Phosphorescent. I made him laugh with my charms.
We then went for a walk through Belltown with Hawkeye and grabbed some whiskey at Shorty's. The bartender sweetly provided Hawkeye a hotdog which he gobbled down in an ungentlemanly fashion.

Our night ended with a trip to Chiang's for a belly busting dinner. With our bellies full of pan fried noodles and bean curd we hit the Redwood for some whiskey sweet tea and then finished ourselves off at the Crescent Lounge with more whiskey and karoke watching. On the walk home we decided it would be a good idea to build a fort which is pictured above (we ran out of blankets).

7.30.10

2010-08-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

My coworker Carlisle had a Gun Show themed party (referring to muscles not firearms). These photos are from my coworker Ryan's camera. I believe we are watching a push up competition in one and the other is the finals of the arm wrestling competition . It is hard to tell but I am wearing a shirt with chest hair and arm pit hair embroidered on it.

7.28.10

2010-08-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

A hand made card for my Grandmother's birthday.

7.25.10

2010-07-27T13:54:00.001-07:00

Found this little bird on the way to work. He probably fell out of his nest before knowing how to fly. I hung out with him for 2 minutes and during that time named him Gus. I tried to direct him to a pavement incline that would take him into the bushes which would provide him with more protection from predators. Eventually I accepted that Gus would probably not make it and such is life. I looked for him or signs of him on my walk home though.

7.24.10

2010-07-27T13:47:00.001-07:00

Clay and I went to the International District/Chinatown. We had some dim sum for brunch, walked around, and poked some gooeyducks. We stopped in the Yummy Bakery for some bubble teas and I marveled at the lovely slices of cake. We headed back into downtown Seattle where we roamed Pike Place Market and then had some margaritas at Shorty's which were 90% tequila. It was a very touristy Seattle day.

7.23.10

2010-07-27T13:45:00.001-07:00

Watched a double feature of Night of the Lepus (pictured above) and Killer Klowns at Clay's house. Night of the Lepus is so bad it's good - adorable giant bunnies killing people!

7.22.10

2010-07-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

I worked on my beard kissing antler sculpture.

7.21.10

2010-07-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

Taking a photo with Hawkeye is difficult. He does what I like to call the "oscillating fan" move where he slowly moves his head from side to side. Although I did like the mishap of a photo that was created above with the two of us looking opposite directions.

7.18.10

2010-07-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

A Sunday Hobo BBQ at my friend Michael's place in Georgetown (he lives in a studio below Trevor). We climbed out his window and onto some railroad tracks to shoot some targets and dine on some grilled mango.

7.13.10

2010-07-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

Pie-O-the Month: July is Peach Pie!

7.12.10

2010-07-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

Possible wedding invitation design with simple layer style pop-up and hand embroidered flowers.

7.11.10

2010-07-12T13:49:00.001-07:00

I found this interesting flower while walking with Hawkeye to Volunteer Park. I was attracted to the bluish purple hairs above the layer of petals and the ornate stamen/pistil.

7.10.10

2010-07-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

Clay and I went to brunch at the Plum Bistro in Capitol Hill. Clay ordered the Mofongo which is mashed plantains with baked tempeh and salsa criolla. I had the Pina Colada Pancakes which consisted of coconut milk and wheat pancakes topped with pineapple and hot buttered rum sauce served with jalapeno tofu scramble. It was all fancy and delicious. I am certainly going to take my mom here when she comes to visit in August! In this photo Clay looks like he is going to do some bad things to that Mofongo.

Later, I baked an apple pie which you can see in steps below.

7.9.10

2010-07-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

I went to a midnight showing of Barbarella with Clay at the Egyptian Theater.

7.8.10

2010-07-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

Heat wave! We had a brown out at the Museum. The power went off and so we had to escort the public out and shut down the museum early. I got to go home early too. To cool off Hawkeye I gave him some ice cubes.

7.7.10

2010-07-08T17:19:00.001-07:00

My friend Clay and I went on a picnic after work. Some summer heat has finally hit Seattle so it sounded like the perfect idea. We walked over to Volunteer Park where we hankered down on a spot of grass near a stage where apparently some actors were putting on a play called 'An Inconvenient Squirrel". At first glance we thought it was just some hobos yelling with packs on their backs, but it turns out those were the actors' squirrel tails. We also spied some folks sword fighting to our left and a couple taking a cat on a leash for a walk through the clover. As it got dark we headed down the hill where we drank our whiskey and teas at Cal Anderson park and made future plans to pour soap in the fountain.

7.5.10

2010-07-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

CSA box is getting yummier and yummier. This week had Rainer cherries, corn, beets, blueberries, apricots, and nectarines.

7.4.10

2010-07-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

Trevor and I went to our supervisor's Ryan's cabin on Lake Stevens for Independence Day festivities. Sadly the day was quite cold and cloudy which didn't really make anyone want to take on the opportunity of swimming or tubing. We mostly just ate and drank and some played bocci ball. The best part was watching a bald eagle swooping, soaring, and putting on a show for us as if he knew it was his day to shine.

7.3.10

2010-07-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

More hexagons completed for my Grandfather quilt.

7.2.10

2010-07-05T15:12:00.000-07:00

I went to the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park to see an exhibition of Japanese woodblock prints titled 'Fleeting Beauty' with my friend Stubby. I was extremely impressed by the amount of detail and pattern in the prints. After going through the exhibit we headed down the hill to hit up the Seattle Art Museum downtown but got sidetracked when we decided to stop in a bar for some mint juleps. While sipping our mint juleps in an unfamiliar bar we were approached by a very drunk man who called himself Bruce and claimed he was a man of the cloth; a deacon. Although he did not appear to be so from his appearance of dirty blue jeans, sunburned leathery skin, and aviator sunglasses covering his eyes. He asked for our hands. Stubby gave him his hand first and Bruce took it to his lips. He licked Stubby's hand with his soft yellow tongue. Bruce then asked for my hand. I told him I would never give him my hand! Bruce proclaimed that he was horny and then eventually left us alone. As much as these interactions are weird they are certainly interesting and I got a good laugh at Bruce licking Stubby's hand. I would soak that hand in Purell if I were him.

Later I worked on producing the Save the Date card for my friends Beth and Tim's wedding. Let me know what you think of it.

6.30.10

2010-07-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

After watching an episode about Berlin, Germany of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations with Clay the other night I had a real hankering for curry wurst and spatzle. So today I ran to the grocery store after work and picked up the necessary items (see photo 1). To make a really simple curry wurst sauce one can just cook ketchup while adding spoonfuls of curry powder to it. A fancier sauce could involve can tomatoes, paprika, curry, chopped onion, and white wine. Running on three hours of sleep I chose to make the simple sauce and boxed spatzle. Although I must say for other vegans out there that this boxed spatzle is not vegan ( with more time I would like to make my own spatzle from scratch). I rounded out the meal with some green beans sauteed in olive oil and garlic.

Note: I used Field Roast apple sage vegan sausages for my 'wurst'. Field Roast is a brand of wheat gluten (see: seitan) based products made in Seattle. They are delicious and some of the best vegan sausages I've tasted. And for those of you who don't live in Seattle, I noticed on a trip to Albany, NY that the Honest Weight Food Co-op carries some of the Field Roast's products.

6.29.10

2010-06-30T14:51:00.001-07:00

I went to a show in Ballard to see Kimya Dawson play but when I got there it was to capacity. Luckily my friends Clay and Ken were on hand to entertain me. Ken left the evening early but Clay and I stayed out to see the last band Defiance, Ohio and to do some urban hiking. While hiking we noticed this sign flashing from behind. We walked to see the front of it to see what it said.

6.28.10

2010-06-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

I've been turned onto brussell sprouts lately by my friend Emily. She made some for me the other night baked in olive oil with curry powder dusted over them. The outsides get kind of crispy which is mighty tasty. I tried to recreate them for myself this evening but I was surprised to find that I didn't have any curry powder on hand. The ones pictured here were made with olive oil and dusted with salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast.

6.26.10

2010-06-28T15:38:00.001-07:00

After work I walked with Hawkeye to my friend Emily's house. Saturday was beautifully sunny out. On our way to her house Hawkeye and I stopped to take in the view from a little park across the street from Lake View Cemetary on 15th Avenue. There is a view of Portage Bay and Union Bay in the photos. Emily shares an adorable bungalow house with her boyfriend Owen. It was previously a carriage house for horses back in the early 1900's and contains an antique cooking range. Emily made some bourbon sweet tea and we sat on the grass basking in the sun with Hawkeye.

6.25.10

2010-06-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

I am highly interested in Victorian hair mourning jewelry and wreaths. My old professor Dan Buckingham first turned me onto hair jewelry. He collects it himself. I would like to make my own. I now have a reason to keep growing my hair long. And my relatives should be aware that I may want to use their hair as well. Hair wreaths were sometimes made of several individuals that were connected in some way (church, school, or family). The above photo is of a hair wreath I found while searching online.

6.23.10

2010-06-24T18:48:00.001-07:00

I went to Vermillion this evening to drink and draw. My supervisor/friend Ryan is featuring his Portrait Challenge at Bumbershoot this year and needed the help of fellow artists to get some pages started. The concept is that you are presented with a photo of a model in the top corner of the paper and then you along with five other individuals take a stab at drawing said model. The photo above shows two of the many portraits I drew tonight.
At Bumbershoot the public will have a chance to fill in the rest of the squares.

6.22.10

2010-06-24T18:47:00.001-07:00

I cut a hole in the second layer. It was taking quite a risk...I think it will work out.

6.21.10

2010-06-24T18:45:00.001-07:00

The red dress strikes again. I don't understand it's magic, but I get glances and comments whenever I wear it.

6.20.10

2010-06-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was supposed to have a the day off and so I awoke around 10am. As I was walking Hawkeye I tried to piece together what tasks I should do throughout the day: workout/yoga, wash dishes, work on embroidery, and so on. Then I got a call from work asking me to come pick up a shift. Of course I said yes. After work I went over to Tim's house. He made dinner; a vietnamese dish consisting of tofu and rice vermicelli. Post dinner, He read me some of his poems and short stories. I was impressed with the pairing of his sentences.

Sunday. Another day guarding at the Frye. It is my sixth day working in a row. I'll have Monday off and then I'm back to work on Tuesday (and will be working another six days in a row). The museum was really busy today. Perhaps due to Father's Day.

A bush in front of my apartment seems to be growing men's toupees. I am used to seeing the 'coffee cup bush' or the 'crumpled pack of marlboros bush', but not as much with the 'toupee bush'. The flora and fauna of the Pacific Northwest are so intriguing.