New Painting!

So I finally finished a painting that I have been working on. It is my first in what may turn out to be a series for me (we will see how it goes ;) based on Julius Shulman's photographs. The photo up top is the particular photo this painting (still unnamed as of yet) is based on.

I took a page from my sister's book and followed suit with progression photos. I am what you may call a lazy painter; I sketch on the canvas and work from there. Well, here you go and enjoy!

What Can Still Happen

Every time something really really bad happens, I spend a few moments considering quitting. Just kind of, everything. By saying this I don't mean anything like suicide, but rather just a giving up of ambition. Of trying. Overtime, I over come it. But I have only ever had to deal with emotional scars. Never physical.

The woman who painted this, Lisa Fittipaldi, is blind. She was born with her sight, and then lost it later in life. She paints with incredibly bright colors in all of her works and with soft, beautiful detail. She determines which color she is using by feeling the textures of her paints.

I realize these two things may seem non sequitur, but I promise they arn't. It always astonishes me what people are capable of after horrible things happen to them. Amazing things can always happen. It can be so hard to remember that.

The Magic of the Mouse

Alright, so its time to admit how completely smitten I am with Disneyland. I mean smitten like, will read a book about Disneyland, will collect Disneyland art books as soon as I can afford to, would spend the money to fly to and enjoy the massive consumption that is Walt Disney World, would have passes so I could go on random afternoons, love Disneyland. This is a love that stemmed from my sister Lisa who when I was little, would take me fairly often. She was so good at it too, she would get up super early with me, we would stop for Taco Bell breakfast burritos, and we would get there before they had opened Main St. Then she would go on ALL of the rides with me AND totally get into the spirit. It really was so awesome. No one had energy to go to Disneyland with a kid quite like my sister did. And because of her taking me, now I have the luxury of Disneyland really feeling SO familiar to me, in such a wonderful, comfortable way. I suppose the only place I really draw the line with Disneyland is with souvenir's. I was never really one for Mickey Mouse T-Shirts, sweatshirts, lollypops or shotglasses. I am more of a Designer Micky Vinyl Toy, Star Tours T-Shirt, maybe a piece of fudge kind of girl. AND NOW, vintage Disneyland art kind of girl.

Recently, Jeff and I went to Disneyland for our two year anniversary while we were both back in Los Angeles. While there, we came across a souvenir that we both loved. It's really quite awesome; in one of the stores on Main Street (the same place with Abe Lincoln) they have kiosks where you can search through digital archives, pick a piece of art and order prints of them. In different sizes, matted, not matted, on canvas, on paper, framed, you name it. My favorite artist that I found on there was John Hench, one of the main, original concept artists for the creation of the park. His works are BEAUTIFUL, mid-century, futuristic works of originality. We ordered a print of one with monorails and the submarines in it (unfortunately I have not found an image of it online) and we are waiting for it to arrive in the mail.

So yes, here on some of John Hench's works for you to feast your eyes on. The only way to really see his most amazing works is to buy one of his few coffee-table type books available at Disneyland and through Amazon, for scans of most of prints don't exist online.

Also, as a side note, I have been fantasizing lately about going to Disneyworld and staying in a big beautiful hotel and spending a week and a half adventuring with my love. Ha who wouldn't? (Don't answer that, I am sure many people would prefer not too lol)

Couldn't Help It

How awesome is this?

Ok now that I got that out of my system, I have to address something. I most definitely have not always been into Star Wars as much as I am now. What happened? Well, my boyfriend Jeff happened. He is hardcore on another level though. He is a collector. As in, bins of memorabilia collector. Mostly of the last three episodes, the older ones, the originals. I myself, am not that hardcore. I don't know the names of each and every battleship or location or character, I have not read the fiction set in the Star Wars Universe, I get lots of facts wrong. But I'm not sure what it is, I like being a fan of it. I know that might sound weird or unauthentic, but I'm really not trying to be. (And by it I mean the older films, not Episodes 1-3) I like getting into vintage pop culture of the late 70-90's. Are the 90's vintage already? God I hope not. But you know what I mean. I think because of growing up with my sisters who were teenagers when I was a small child, I forever will have this tendency towards 90's alternative music, cult films like Clue, Labyrinth, Legend,Big Trouble in Little China, etc and in turn, Star Wars. I also really love Kevin Smith's films of the 90's (Ok, even Clerks 2), films which consistently love to dissect Star Wars and debate on minor issues no one ever thinks about but the die hard fans. I love Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford is Han Solo. I love to make fun of Luke Skywalker. I love the way the AT AT's look. And let's face it, probably above all I love how it's this weird, funny thing that Jeff and I connect on, one of our many. It makes things so fun and interesting when you can geek out. So yes, how did I go from minor appreciation of Star Wars Films to posting pictures of Star Wars Vintage Playsets on my blog? Just because it can be so damn fun. :)

Those Natural Materials

Check out this work by Belfast sculptor Claire Morgan. Her "in movement" sculptures are simply put, fascinating. Each giving the impression of an organic moment frozen in time. From the strawberry blanket interrupted, to a flurry of feathers in a fallen bird. Really, truly beautiful.

**as soon as you can manage, take time to look at her main site where she has catalogued all of her work by year. Take the time to really look at all that she has done, so many beautiful pieces that could not all fit on this post. :)

The Cliff House

I don't know what it is exactly but this place haunts me. I originally found out about it in a coffee table book I have called Anonymous. It was a big, beautiful, victorian building that used to adorn a piece of the San Franciscan Coast. In 1863 it began as a smaller building, still calling itself The Cliff House, only to burn down in 1894. Soon afterward it was rebuilt. Except this time, it was more opulent and impressive, reaching seven stories tall. Like its father before him, this building lived in short glory, again burning down in 1907. Afterwards, The Cliff House was rebuilt a few more times for various reasons, none of the later designs even coming close to the beauty of the 1895-1907 Victorian Chateau. Most of the surviving pictures of this place are taken from the beach down below, often finding families in mid-speak, mid-smile, children in mid-step. And in the background, sometimes blurry, would be this HUGE structure looking like it housed kings and ready to teeter into the ocean right below. I love looking at these, these moments where the people in them have no idea what is to come. Of what would change around them, or imagining what their next moment looked like, the moment after the shutter closed. I know the past is littered with the ugly things just like our present is, but sometimes, just sometimes, there are these pieces of life that you wish you could go back and experience. Like being a woman on the beach in an impractical dress, playing with your child with the Cliff House in the background. I don't really want that, but I do too. Just to know what that felt like. Barely noticing what would be gone forever only a couple years later.

I told you this place haunts me, and I really have no idea why. What can I say, I am drawn to beautiful architecture of the vintage sort, especially when it is overly large and promises something like a ocean view. And then when I know that it has burnt down and disappeared a hundred times over and I never can know it? It leaves me wanting.

**To see more pictures of this amazing place, check out this site.