Monday, November 19, 2007

cool bugs



Went to an amazing craft fair the other day. Well over 200 hundred booths and this blew me away- not one was for a corporation that I could tell. No signing up with Well's Fargo, no insurance brokers, no cars for sale. It was all art! I never saw anything remotely similar in all my years in California! And the quality was incredible- it was more than crafts, it was craftsmanship. There were only a couple booths that were kind of so-so. So I ran around like a rabid Fizzgig, Sammy Hagar hair bouncing around in the wind. One of the coolest things I saw was a guy making bugs out of metal and stained glass. One will soon be replacing a fish on my wall because there was no way I was leaving without one!
Bugs are of course, my number one favourite thing. Fish are a close second, but my true love is bugs. And in honour of bugs I'm posting the site of an awesome artist who does amazing work in California
www.patrick-e.com

Also, here's the guy whose work I bought at the craft fair- The site isn't up yet, but I'm hoping it'll be soon. His wife does amazing shirts with her super cool characters embroidered on them. I'll be asking for one for Christmas!
www.theloungecollection.com

And here's a pic of one of the bugs I made while having a rare but wonderful art day with Petaluma artist Richard Benbrook. A fabulous artist, poet and crazy-man, one day I'll have one of his pieces in my house too. He sadly doesn't have a website. Oh, actually I'll post a pic of my favourite of his pieces- a jackrabbit. In any case, the bug is just a beetle and he's a candy dish. My first try at carving foam and using this crazy latex-y type stuff.
He's going to kill me when he sees I've posted his pic. HA!



Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Pandora's Lunchbox


Just some crappy sketches for the next fabulous Gregangelo Pink Room commission (have I mentioned that man is the bomb?). He asked for something Pandora's Box-ish. And if anyone remembers any of their Greek Mythology, it's box holding all the evils of the world and what's left inside is hope. Has Pandora saved, or captured hope? Who knows- what I do know is Pandora's Lunchbox would make a hilarious addition to a room where everything is just like a little girl's pink princess bedroom- only slightly off. So here we have some ideas (okay, these are really bad sketches! I don't have very much time these days!)- the 'Baloney' Sammich, the Bad Apple, a thermos full of... something I haven't figured out yet, and for dessert- the ever endearing Ho(pe)-Ho(pe)