“I'm a nut, but not just a nut.”
-- Bill Murray

FREE & CRAPPY, OMBRE HAIR + OCTOBER 1, 2010

Please let me begin by saying HELLO, October! You couldn't get here fast enough and I have been waiting and wishing for you. September was a difficult month and I will have to remember in the future to save all of my energy and birthday money in August. So welcome and thanks for coming. Please have a seat.

I spent last weekend going up and back to NYC in one single weekend, which is a feat that I wouldn't suggest to anyone in the entire world. It was hard work- I slept very little, ate very little and drank too much and I am apparently about ten years too old for that. But whatever. I have cornered the market on ridiculous for quite some time now and am sure I will do it all again sometime in the near future. (Anyone else hear ACL calling?)

Daniela's memorial was exceptional and it was the most beautiful awful thing I've ever had to deal with. I can now say that closure is divine. It does nothing to cure heartbreak, but it does allow the ability to move on without guilt. I was able to see many people that I haven't seen in years and people that love me just as much as I do them. It was bittersweet, but so many people are so kind and were amazingly generous with their homes, time, and patience.

Daniela would have been both embarrassed and proud.
An ex-girlfriend of her's is married with a baby girl, who's middle name is Daniela. There will probably be a million Daniels/Danielas by 2020.

(And although I do feel better, I still feel tragic and how do my outstretched arms not ever feel empty?)

I always start so somber... So let's talk about FREE CRAPPY PORTRAITS. Because they're amazing. And perhaps the future title of my portraits show. And who can't love a site with a header like this?
(I just die for the smell of Crayola crayons and I automatically call out colors by the names that I remember emblazoned on their sides when I were small. I insisted that we were PEACH and not actually white at all.)

Their blog has an entry called 'How to Make an Eggbeard,' which like facebook is both stupid AND amazing. But that's not really the deal- just an apparent added bonus on their blog. The premise for FCP is this: "Send any picture you want immortalized by one of three terrible artists... Give us between one and a million days to draw your portrait." I find it amazing that all artists work on the very same schedule. Here are some amazing examples: This clumsy gentleman's photo became this masterpiece...

Go to the site here. It comes highly recommended and I will check it out again if I ever need a cheap wedding present. Because they're FREE, but you apparently must plan way ahead. This one though may be my personal favorite! Once again, we begin with an innocent photo...   And we somehow (through magic and art sorcery) get this below... BRILLIANT! Can you beat that s***? No sir, you most certainly cannot.

I know that you didn't bring it up, but while we are on the subject of fabulous art making, I would very much like to discuss a phenomenon that I have noticed and will call movie michelangelo-itis. It is the condition of a filmed character to be a master draftsman, no matter what the subject (though usually of a flowy-haired female) and it is apparent in both television and film. Its additionally important to add that this character is never an artist by vocation as we would then expect him of course to draw quite well.

My first exhibit is from the movie 'the Brothers Bloom,' which I illegally downloaded and then watched at my desk as I worked. The story is about con artists and our main character played by Adrien Brody finds time to sit at a bar and create this masterpiece shown below. Astounding. As if time in a bar could alone make you an artiste-- because ladies and gentlemen, this would make me the finest artist in all of the world.

There is also the infamous Kate Winslet drawing from 'Titanic.'
Please let me know of other movie michelangelo-itis sightings (or other films that I need to illegally download.)

I signed up for twitter a few weeks ago and I have since deactivated my account. Its just too much information and I am honestly so boring that I cannot imagine even for one moment that someone would want to hear about my hangover or what's for dinner or that I'm now mixing up some purple paint. It made me feel inadequate & uninteresting. And the effort needed is far too much for what I can put forth. I just don't get it unless you are constantly on the move and that there are other people who care about what you do. Simply not the case with anjanung.

Slade's brother was married this past weekend and Slade returned home with an entire envelope full of childhood photos. All were adorable, some he found embarrassing and awkward.
These are my favorites- he is just so adorable and I am sure that he was an absolute character even as a tiny child. And Lord knows no one in the world would have ever though that I would wind up with a Boy Scout.

All of this blast from the past reminds me of an image that I saw from fashion week. The resurgence of saddle oxfords as fashionable. I can only bet that this designer (whose name I forget now) never had to wear a uniform because I loathed wearing them for thirteen years of my life, though I do have beautiful feet thanks solely to the constant childhood use of orthopedic shoes.

And PS I would have NEVER been able to wear the lace trimmed socks. Tacky tacky tacky. No one in the Preppy Handbook ever had ruffled lacy socks.

I do however love this ombre hair fad and it gives all girls a chance to grow their roots out a bit without any shame. Though as we know: Ain't no shame in my game. I think that it looks really gorgeous though and may be the future of my hair once I go back to super blonde.

Tomorrow is the Texas/OU game in Dallas, which should be an absolute madhouse and thankfully I will watch it from the comfort of my own home and not from the State Fair of Texas. While I do indeed LOVE fried food, I do believe that there are two groups of people: those who enjoy the State Fair and those who do not care for the ignorant, unwashed masses. Perhaps you can guess which category that I fall into. But only perhaps.

You want to know what's better than a happy dog? TWO happy dogs, that's what.

That's all I got today, folks. Happy October! xoxo

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FABULOUS NEWS + SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

I have just received an e-mail telling me that one of my paintings has been featured on Etsy! Thank goodness! I know that its not like Oprah is sending me to Australia, but very happy and hopefull that we will now get a sale, because I could really use it! Hurrah! See it here.

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TERRORISM, FAT LEGS, VENA CAVA'S SHOES + SEPTEMBER 11, 2010

I never really saw all of the people that inhabit NYC until the morning of September 11th, when all of us emptied out from our buildings, stood shoulder to shoulder in the streets and watched two buildings burn and then fall. And while I do appreciate that this day was scary for everyone glued to their TV sets in the comfort of their homes or offices, it was without a doubt a bit different for those of us who were in the city.

We watched lower Manhattan smoke from our sweet spot in DUMBO and then it began to rain and we knew that no one would be saved.
I was attending Parsons School of Design then and the New School was turned into the meeting/posting place for families trying to find their loved ones that they of course would never find.

I am tired of having this day crammed down my throat and I cannot watch the first plane hit over and over and over again on the news. It is disturbing in a way that perhaps only PTSD can grasp, can explain and I want to think of something else, wish that someone would ask me about something else on this day in September that I prefer to think of as my beautiful Aunt Liz's birthday.

I do not believe in God and I personally believe that any effort put into religion can just as easily be put solely on oneself to be kinder, gentler, more enlightened, more knowledgeable & thoughtful. I believe that extremists are in every religion and having grown up in the insanely backwards Bible Belt I know first hand of the bonkers actions of people in the name of Christianity and Jesus Christ, (without him I have been told NOTHING is possible.) Can I also add that the Pope scares the crap out of me and his church is unbelievably out of touch with modern society and he does indeed keep the ignorant and poor pregnant & ignorant & poor?!

I have been shocked by all of the hoopla regarding the proposed mosque near Ground Zero. Has anyone else ever been to NYC?? The place is FILLED with people from everywhere. Every other block is referred to as a town of another ethnicity. And aren't we just as misguided and hate filled if we act in such stupid ways? Even Fox News has said: "If you're for freedom of religion, you're for the mosque."
I don't hold Islam responsible. I hold extremists responsible.

And on this September 11th, I am done with the wallowing of any kind and I will celebrate the only true religion of Texas, college football.
Slade and I will go watch the Texas Longhorns kick the ever-living hell out of Wyoming this evening. Slade will be in heaven and I will yell and scream until I am hoarse.

On a lighter note, photographs have been everywhere this week of Richardson's crown jewel, Jessica Simpson, judging the finale of Project Runway. I haven't watched Project Runway since it hit Lifetime, for reasons I need not expand on.

She has apparently fallen off of the edge of personal hygiene & health and I am appalled that she is allowed to talk about FASHION. I do understand that she has lines of clothing, shoes and bags that sell quite well in malls and I suppose that she is further proof of the fattening up and dumbing down of America.

I do understand that in these difficult economic times, the need for lower cost luxe separates is the future of the fashion industry, but I certainly never believed that Ms Simpson would be the one to guide us, the one that we should ask. I have never found anything luxe about her and even when she were thinner, I recall lots of skintight Cavalli. She smacks of a girl who used to work the makeup counter.

I would suggest to all "ladies" that were raised without manners and class of any kind to not cross your fat little legs if they do not in fact cross. And if we only get a view of the underside of your fatty, orange, spray-tanned thigh, perhaps you just mash your chubby little knees together.
Truly the vision of a trailer park beauty queen. Would just die to hear what Michael Kors had to say later after a couple of drinks.

Jeez Louise. I think that that was enough negativity, no? I'm finished, I promise. Swear to God, *wink wink.

Let's talk about beautiful work... I forget how I found these images, but I adore the fact that this couple had portraits that one another drew in magic marker tattooed on eachother. Is that love or what?

Its a smidge too goofy for me and for the permanence of tattoos, but they're gorgeous and you have to admit that that's love, man.

I do have quite a few large color studies in the works right now and I am trying to mute some of the colors. I also need to rethink pricing as it would benefit me to move all of them as opposed to none.
My Etsy site has received quite a few views , but still nothing moving and I cannot pay the rent if nothing sells. So I am thinking that prices will be slashed, but may have to raise the shipping. It costs a boatload of cash to ship a six foot by five foot painting-- Suckers are heavy, too.

I spent my first year at Parsons with Lisa Mayock of Vena Cava and enjoy watching her shows more that anyone else (with the exception of Miu Miu, which I just DIE for.) Their Spring 2011 line looks fabulous as always and I especially love this video that was made for their collaboration with Tenoversix for shoes. It will leave you screaming SHOES! SHOES! SHOES! THESE SHOES SUCK!

This is my favorite look from their show. They had quite a few of these bright turbans with the bright lips. I think its very glam-- Read somewhere that it was very 'Dynasty.' Isn't that great?? I'm also a fan of the short shirt with the sliver of stomach. It seems to only work with a high waist, but I think that its super sexy without being too revealing. Just a sweet, innocent slice of skin. I think that its also a look that most chicks could pull off as opposed to many of their looks that had insanely plunging necklines, which would be obscene if someone buxom like myself were to wear. She looks like she reads good books, has dates with handsome men, and travels to Marbella and never Ibiza. Fashion is indeed fantasy. Just phenomenal. Wish I had been there to see it live.

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I NEED ONE MILLION DOLLARS & A PARTNER IN ART CRIME + SEPTEMBER 01, 2010

Having completed my EAST application today I feel like I need to do a bunch of work. Exactly what are all of these people going to be looking at in my house with only some walls covered and about four million things unfinished?! I have really got to get my shit together. And by shit I meant stuff. Reminds me of something funny that I found on the internet- you know, while I was not doing any work at all...

On the super exciting side though is that my dear friend Brian Hull will be here during EAST and will show some of his metalworks in my home. This means that I won't be bored for a single moment and that I will have a partner in art crime to help me out. This way we may both escape for bits of time to go see other galleries, which I believe was one thing that I was very sad about missing last year.

Since all of my work is two-dimensional, his work is able to be everywhere else in the house. I will be so happy to have him. Hurrah.

Last week I put a bunch of artwork on Etsy.com and while I have had a few people look at my work, not a damn thing has sold. From what I can tell by snooping around the site, it apparently takes hundreds of views for someone to finally purchase something.

Man oh man, I sure hope that people spend their Labor day weekend pulling up artwork on Etsy. Who the hell is outside during Labor Day weekend? Not a darn soul, that's who.

Its also still hot as all hell here in Austin. Its a fairly common practice to observe polar hibernation in Texas, where many of us hole up in our ultra air-conditioned homes and stay there until the more agreeable weather of late September. Just a few more weeks to go and boy oh boy I am sick to death of all of this.

One of the world's greatest writers, Douglas Coupland (Generation X, Life After God), who prior to being a writer was an art and design student in his native Vancouver, has come out with a line of clothing, tables, bags, skateboard decks that are being carried by Roots.

The motherboard pattern is brilliant. And I love the use of colorbars. And how fabulous would everything look on this table?! Ugh- I love him so much. What a brilliant dude. Perhaps if I wrote some crazy books people would be interested in my artwork. Check it all out here.

Now that I can't shake Mr Coupland, I must add my very favorite from him, the story of Doggles:

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OK, OK, OK... Apparently I wake up just as sad as I can be if I hear from Daniela's dad before I go to sleep. All is back to normal now.
Do not be blue and play sappy sad country music- it will almost kill you off. It's why people drink more when they listen to country music (a proven fact that I am far to lazy to find sources for.)

And I would like to say that I have found something awesome, something beautiful and inspiring and if I were more ambitious and well put together this would be my blog: www.compaiblog.com
It's a great mix of DIY's, graphic and interior design.

Above is her post from today. Unlike me, she apparently doesn't bring any of her messy emotion to the table.
Super cute site. Stable woman who writes it.

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SADDNESS STICKS TO ME + AUGUST 20, 2010

Had you told me ten (or fifteen) years ago that my art school education would be put to use to design the invitation to my dearest friend's memorial I would have never believed you.

I hope that I do not feel so raw and so broken forever. And the guilt. The guilt may just swallow me whole.
I cry without end- without any kind of knowledge of how to stop.

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So FINALLY I have a box full of invitations ready to leave the house. The damn monogrammed seal that I ordered for the back flaps took almost 3.5 weeks to get here, can you believe it?! And it finally got here and now I hate the way that they are addressed, so I am guessing that I must double up the names on the front-- the vellum is super see through and its very distracting from the front address.
Perhaps I can wrap the invitations (that I thankfully can put off for quite a bit) with some sort of cutout or layer of paper. Let me go work on these addresses...