Japan Relief Auction to support Global Giving.

My little Bento Buddies, pictured above, are included in the auction to support Global Giving's Japan relief fund here. These were custom made for the auction. I chose the 2.25" square Bento Box patch because it's such a simple, yet widely recognizable pattern associated with the basic comforts of a good meal. The fabrics were chosen because they were subtle, and the grey floral has a puffball flower very similar to the chrysanthemum. I will likely be making more of these to go in my shop, with different fabrics, but these with the purple, yellow and grey will only be available for the Namoo auction.

a new painting

Last weekend's show was a snooze customer-wise, but I had a good time - lost two pounds sweating (and gained four eating chips and guac as I fell asleep) - and I got a new painting:


My photo skills leave a lot to be desired, as evidenced by the glare - but I really like him (even if he's got a very large violin/possibly cello on his shoulder). I traded my WTC handbag for him. On the one hand I was sorry to see the handbag go - I have almost no more of that fabric and doubt I will ever sketch the September 10th skyline on a purse again - but wow, did I need some fresh art in the house, you know?

Edit: The artist is Linda Ely (click for link to her site)

And I've just posted two new purses in my Etsy Shop - which can be found amongst the others in my Cosa Verde shop.

just a little something . . .

This was the product of a couple of those 'just have to do something, even if I don't know why' days.

One of the days involved painting scraps of wood, the other involved painstakingly cutting this cluster of leaves out of a wallpaper remnant.

They were not intending to come together, but then I had another one of those 'must glue' days and this was the result.

I'm really kind of tickled with it, and it has inspired my Artomatic contribution this year. I'm still working under the theory that I am going to have a job before mid-march, because AOM's expensive when you live this far from the district, but it is an awful lot of fun!

Museum Tour

National Museum of Health and Medicine
Whether you want to see the bullet that killed Abraham Lincoln, learn about the evolution of the microscope, or marvel at the medical advances of the Civil War, you can do it all at the National Museum of Health and Medicine.

Originally established as the Army Medical Museum during the Civil War* as a storehouse of specimens, tools, and techniques, the National Museum of Health and Medicine has expanded to become one of the greatest catalogues of modern medical history in our country.

More than a mere gallery or library, museum staff have performed vital research over the decades - including pioneering photomicrography and researching infectious diseases.

One of the rotating exhibits currently at the museum is a collection of paintings on the nature of plagues. From the Renaissance religious paintings of the leporous to the modern journalists photos of an ebola outbreak, few images evoke as universal a reaction in humans as those of plague victims. The sense of suffering and the inevitability of one's own demise are inescapable.

Memento Mori, Bryn Barnard

Outbreak: Plagues That Changed History has been extended through March 7, so if you thought you missed your chance, well you haven't. The collection covers the black death, smallpox, tuberculosis, cholera, yellow fever and influenza.

Click here for directions and hours.

*you know, the War of Northern Aggression, where the Yankee banking class tried to stomp out the working class way of life in the south (why yes, I did grow up in The South, why do you ask?)

StephG Sidewalk Art - Year Round!

So, I have a bit of a girl crush on the work of Stephanie Gerolimatos, and I adore the weekly sidewalk doodles she puts up on Sundays over at d'arteboard.

I cannot tell you how tickled I am that she now has work up on Cafe Press.*

Including Monkey Freak . .

. . on all manner of accessories: I know I do not need another mug, but I just might be having one. I already have the calendar and a pack of postcards in my cart - now if last weekend's sales would just clear, dangitall!

*I think Cafe Press rocks a little more than redbubble because you can get your stuff on mugs and magnets, too.

poetic

It's no secret in this universe that if I pass someone mutter a Coleridge poem, I'm going to stop and listen, no matter how uncomfortably nutty the encounter may become.

Fortunately, today's diversions into Kubla Kahn are not uncomfortable, and I suggest you follow the concurrent path, here.

Artomatic 2009

There's only four days left to visit Artomatic - the 10th Anniversary has been fabulous and you shouldn't miss it just 'cause it's hot out and your feeling lazy.

What? You don't live in the Washington, D.C. area? Well, you can click here to get artomatic gear or make a donation for next year's event.

Call for Entries: Chromatose

Nudashank Gallery (Baltimore) has an open call for all paintings for a show titled 'Chromatose'

Submissions must be postmarked by July 10th; show to run 21 August through 19 September, 2009.

Click here for submission details.

Me, I am thinking an excess of something monochromatic that sends one into a visual coma. Of course, I won't get anything finished in time, so I am hoping some of you out there will produce something fabulous that I can come look at (and feel bad about my sloth, vow to do better next time, &c) when the show opens!

Artomatic is Coming!

Artomatic 2009 opens one week from tonight, and I urge you to come down for opening night. I will finish hanging my work this weekend (nothing like waiting until the last minute!) and will post images after opening night. You will be able to get a sneak peek on the Baltimore Etsy Team blog early next week, and I'll let you in on the title today: ripple effects.