[ a day in the life ]

~ NEW BLOG ~

2010-08-15T23:29:00.004-04:00

Hello my faithful readers,

After a long stint on the Blogger platform, I'm switching over to WordPress, to better integrate my blog with my website. So please continue to visit me at www.virginiamae.com/blog for beautiful photos, food, travel and adventures!

Love,

Virginia

Liberty Belle Spectacular

2010-07-04T12:19:00.013-04:00

Vintage 4th of July on the roof of the historic Empire Hotel

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Picnics in July

2010-07-02T02:05:00.005-04:00

Now that summer's out in full force, I've been spending my days dreaming of picnics in the park and vacations to the New England lakes and the rocky Maine coastlines of my childhood... but as I am perpetually trapped in the City, I've got to stirring up some picnic eats in my sunny Brooklyn kitchen and inviting friends along for the tasting! My Friday off featured a delicious Tuna & White Bean salad, from my ladies over at Crows in the Kitchen (Holly actually made this recipe for us at a Memorial Day picnic last year). It goes great over greens, wrapped in a pita (or dipped with pita chips?) or stuffed in a crusty baguette... And what picnic would be complete without a mason jar of limeade? Well, it started with limeade because Whole Foods was having a 2-for-$3 special, and then due to the quickly ripening berries in my fridge and fresh iced tea waiting on the counter, I got to mixing. The result was a strawberry Darjeeling tea with a splash of limeade. Refreshing without being too sweet or too fruity. Holly's recipe is below- I added a can of chickpeas and an ear of fresh corn to the mix just for fun. Throw in what you love!

and I got a little distracted with my latest attempt at a window garden...

Tuna and White Bean Salad

Ingredients:
1 15oz can of White Beans (drained and rinsed)
2 6oz cans of Tuna, drained
1 large tomato- seeded and diced
1/4 C finely diced red onion
1 large garlic clove- put through a garlic press
Juice of 2 lemons
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 C olive oil
Fresh chopped Basil
Salt and Pepper to taste

-Toss beans, tuna, tomatoes and onions in a mixing bowl
-In a measuring cup whisk together lemon juice, mustard, garlic, s&p
-Gradually whisk in the olive oil and pour over the tuna and bean mixture and add freshly chopped basil

and for my beverage, nothing too specific, just mix up some iced tea, mash a couple strawberries in the bottom of each cup and drop in a splash of lime or lemonade to taste ^_^ Happy Picnicking!

Campfire

2010-06-22T10:49:00.001-04:00

Winkel & Balktick get together for a warehouse art-party in Brooklyn... let's go to camp!

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Luke's Lobster

2010-06-21T21:46:00.000-04:00

a taste of Maine... in the East Village!

Bare Burger

2010-06-21T21:42:00.002-04:00

Bare Burger, Astoria, Qns

A Perfect Saturday...

2010-05-30T23:01:00.011-04:00

A brunch of avocado toast and citron presse at Cafe Gitane adjacent the Jane Hotel, followed by a stroll through the Union Square Greenmarket. I smelled the flowers, priced the herbs for my window-box-garden-to-be, and sampled every jam and honey from the tri-state area. Finally, a refreshing "Tiger Woods" at Local 138 to end the day. "It's an alcoholic Arnold Palmer!" says bartender Aaron of his summer libation, and it was so good I had him pour me a second!

Choptank

2010-02-23T22:54:00.005-05:00

A seaside holiday at Choptank in the West Village: Bucket of Littleneck Clams, Fried Chicken & Collard Greens with Black Pepper Honey, Fried Oyster Po' Boy

DuMont... duMac

2010-01-12T21:49:00.001-05:00

Got to try the DuMac & Cheese at DuMont in Brooklyn for Time Out NY today, officially the best comfort food ever! Buried treasure inside- the center's stuffed with thick chunks of bacon... mmm

Lunch at La Papa Astoria

2010-01-02T21:43:00.005-05:00

Stuffed & baked at La Papa Astoria- for Time Out NY. Nothing better for a frigid January day...

Holiday Baking

2009-12-18T14:35:00.018-05:00

Went to visit my parents in Philly this week and was sent to work in the kitchen, baking a batch of Christmas cookies, since I'm the "only one who can make them," which roughly translates to I'm "the only one with enough patience to spend hours rolling out dough and painstakingly applying sprinkles and icing to the finished cutouts." The tradition started when my sister and I were kids, it was a family affair, with all four of us rolling out batches of sweets to leave for Santa, decorating them in an assortment of colored sugar and cutout shapes worthy of a cookie connoisseur such as St. Nick. But now it's down to just me, alone in the kitchen, blasting the crackling holiday radio station and photographing my way through my favorite sugar cookie recipe.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Independence Day in Boston

2009-07-04T23:09:00.019-04:00

After the four straight weeks of torrential downpour that was the month of June, the clouds parted and gave Boston a little break from the monsoons so we could sit back and have ourselves a Fourth of July. Since it's my first summer in Boston, I felt it would be appropriate to make like a tourist, hop on the Freedom Trail bandwagon and get a refresher on my U.S. History (even if doing so on the 4th is super cliche). Since the Trail runs right through Downtown, I've already seen most of the 'stops' on the history list and I skipped them to head straight across the bridge to Charlestown and Bunker Hill. The Bunker Hill area is pretty quaint, with loads of quintessential New England architecture all decked out in flags for the holiday. After a quick walk around the USS Constitution (and an even quicker look at the mile long line to get inside the ship... apparently every day tripper in America had the same 4th of July plans as me... who would have guessed?), I headed over to the Monument. By now the mid afternoon sun was beating down on me, the shirt under my pack of camera gear slick with sweat, and I was beginning to regret the decision to wear long sleeves on a summer day. Maybe it was the heat or the lack of food and water, but I got the crazy notion that it would be fun to climb the Monument while I was here. That's right, all 294 steps. Granted, that's not quite as bad as the 463 steps I hiked to the top of the Duomo in Florence, but then again, at about stair 127 the only thought occupying my mind was 'I seriously need to cut back on the cigarettes'. So I made it to the top, got a pretty decent view of the city out of the tiny windows and decided it was high time for some lunch and relaxation.

I hopped on the T to Davis Square to satisfy my sweet tooth with a snack from Kickass Cupcakes. I got the "Lucky Cake" which is lemon cake with white chocolate buttercream frosting topped in candied ginger. And it comes with a fortune! I'm obsessed with the soda from DRY Soda Co, and highly recommend washing down your Lucky Cake with a swig of their Lemongrass Soda. I promise it's incredibly refreshing and not at all the lemon-overload you're envisioning. The Kickass cake and frosting is a little dense and extremely sugary, which isn't really my taste, but I definitely give them credit for having the most creative/weird flavors of cupcakes to sample from! Yumyum.

Some other miscellaneous things I liked in Davis:
- Magpie, unique gifts and perfectly designed letterpress stationary/cards/etc. And you know how much I love great typography...
- Poor Little Rich Girl, as if Boston doesn't have enough vintage clothing shops... here's another one to add to your retro looting list, and they have a store on Newbury

And of course, what July 4th Celebration would be complete without fireworks? The Boston Pops puts on a darn good show (that I unfortunately was too far away to actually hear...) over the Charles River, and I crowded onto the Mass. Ave bridge to watch the spectacle and finish off my holiday right!

Daring Kitchen

2009-07-01T15:23:00.004-04:00

This post is for my lovely roommates and friends over at Crows in the Kitchen. At the Daring Kitchen, new baking challenges are served up monthly! "Do you have the onions?"

Liebemarlene

2009-07-01T15:15:00.000-04:00

Liebemarlene is selling the most adorable vintage clothes and accessories online! Her vintage Lookbook blog is full of a wonderful assortment of inspirations, beautiful photos and of course, more vintage. I hope she sets up a shop in Boston! Now I need to go lock away my credit cards...

Another Slow Rainy Friday...

2009-06-19T11:28:00.006-04:00

...here's today's dose of web browsing, while I sit here at my office desk and watch the chilly rain pound Mass. Ave out my little window, and wish instead that I were still at home, listening to the rain from the comfort of my cozy bed.

Illustrations on flickr: Need to Want Less

And for all you typophiles: The Best of the First Half of 2009 on Letter Cult

Oh and make a Rilo Kiley station on Pandora, it will make you all kinds of happiness on this dreary Friday ^_^

A Date with Boston

2009-06-13T22:56:00.010-04:00

After a dismal gray week of clouds and unseasonably cold drizzle, the mist evaporated and gave way to an absolutely gorgeous Saturday in Boston. With a high of 75 and a bright blue sky, I felt it was the perfect day to go out and get to know Boston a little better. Today being the kickoff of Pride Week in Boston, I stopped downtown to catch the tail end of the parade and check out the city redecorated in rainbows before transferring to the red line T and heading out to “Hahvahd.” The Arts Fest was your typical haphazard arrangement of tents and tables displaying jewelry, art, etc. from every local artist in the metro area. There was much to look at- some good, some junk- and of course a hundred types of BBQ for cheap! I got my fill of fair and food down by the river and played around with my Lomo LC-A+ then made my way back downtown to wander with my camera, and get some nice iconic shots of Boston while the sun was still shining. I wandered from Charles/MGH station down to the Boat House, then through the lovely residential neighborhood of Beacon Hill, around the State House, through the Common, and over to the North End for some overpriced gelato countered by super-cheap fruit at the Market. This market is such a gem, probably the only place where you can get blueberries for 99 cents and six nectarines for $1. The low prices are great, but a lot of the fruit looked like it was in pretty bad shape so it definitely took a lot of digging to find good pieces to bring home. And after such a full day of walking all I wanted to do was kick back and relax so I finished up my day at Alchemist Lounge in Jamaica Plain, which is my new favorite hangout. Maybe because it reminds me a little of my favorite place in Newark, De- Homegrown Café- or maybe it’s the excellent beer list and chill environment, but it was an awesome end to an awesome day, and I just might be falling in love with my new city…

Dick Durrance at ASMPNE

2009-06-09T23:19:00.004-04:00

The ASMP New England chapter got together tonight for a meet and greet and a lecture by seasoned National Geographic and advertising photographer Dick Durrance. I was completely enraptured by the short, weathered “Ben Kingsly-looking” man standing at the front of the room, making sound effects for blasting bombs in his Vietnam photos and relaying conversations with nuns in his National Geographic trip to Romania. His lecture was a combination of his life-story/career in photography and a message on creating opportunities in this tough economy and how we often have to ‘adjust our dreams’ to make opportunities where we are. He spoke from experience about how he was drafted right after his start with National Geographic and had to find a way to get the Army to allow him to be a combat photographer, so that he could keep doing what he loved and still continue pursuing his dream, even when Uncle Sam changed his direction. He also talked about quitting the Geographic to try advertising photography, and how the editor at Geo. told him that he thought that was an excellent idea because his “greatest regret was not making enough changes.”

Some other notes I jotted down from the lecture were:
- Creativity without craftsmanship is like a million times zero. It equals zero.
- Your art is a litmus test for your psyche, take time to notice the patterns coming through in your work, they can tell you a lot about yourself
- On advertising photography: you can get too caught up helping others [the ad designers] realize their dreams that you loose sight of your own

Home on the Plain

2009-05-20T00:08:00.011-04:00

Welcome to Jamaica Plain, a sweet little neighborhood in the Boston Metro Area, conveniently located at the southern end of the Orange Line. 'JP' takes home the prize for being one of Boston's best neighborhoods, with the beautiful Arnold Arboretum, the Southern Corridor Bike Path (that'll take you all the way to downtown Boston!), Jamaica Pond, and a great line up of boutiques and restaurants along its South-Centre Streets. My new place is comfortably nestled right between the Forrest Hills and Green Street T stops, but I think the best place to start your tour of JP is at Forrest Hills. If it's a beautiful day and you've got your walking shoes on, get off the T at F.H. and start with a refreshing stroll through the Arboretum, have a picnic near the blooming lilacs and don't forget to check out the great view of the Boston skyline from the top of Peter's Hill. Then exit the Arboretum by the Hunnewell Visitor Center, cross the Arborway, stroll down Custer Street and you'll end up right on South Street, where you can begin your shopping!

Things you'll find an abundance of in JP are bikes, vintage clothes and organic foods. If any of those strike your fancy then you'll be right at home as you walk down South St (which turns into Centre St by the Monument). My favorite shop is Salmagundi, which has the finest hats and accessories for all the classiest retro looks. Then Dame for the pampered '60's housewife, and 40, for vintage dresses that all come with matching belts, and button-downs in ever pattern of fabric you can imagine. Of course there's always Boomerangs, for those who prefer to do their own vintage-digging straight at the thrift shop source. And while you're searching for the perfect pair of dame-worthy pumps, your boyfriend can get his testosterone fix checking out new accessories for his tricked-out bike right next door at Ferris Wheels.

Other noteworthy spots to check out along your walk of retail therapy: The Hallway, a tiny gallery that always has the most interesting work gracing its yellow walls; and Gadgets, a kitchen supply store with the strangest assortment of kitchen gadgets you never knew you needed. There's usually a craft fair/art market/yard sale to be found most weekends and holidays on the Municipal Building (Curtis Hall), Loring-Greenough House or Unitarian Church lawns. And you can leave your history buff mom at the L-G House for a historic tour of JP while you grab some much needed sake and sushi sustenance at JP Seafood. Or if raw fish isn't your thing, there's always Indian, Tai, Chinese, pubs, organic and vegan eats along the main drag where you can grab your bite. And ice cream at JP Licks is a must, for all your weird flavor-cravings. But if you're lactose-intolerant I suppose you could be just as satisfied with a cupcake from Fiore's or Blue Frog Bakery.

By now you should have walked to the intersection of Centre Street and Myrte/Green Streets. At this point, you have a decision to make. If you've had enough of JP for one day, make a right on Green Street and catch the T back to your obviously inferior neighborhood. But if you're still up for more adventure, make a left on Myrtle (followed by another left on Pond St) and gawk at the mansions overlooking Jamaica Pond, pat lots of dogs on the bike path around the water, or simply kick back on a nice bench in the shade and watch the locals out fishing and boating. And thus concludes your day-trip to Jamaica Plain. Aren't you jealous you don't live here?

Red Velvet for Mom

2009-05-06T19:39:00.009-04:00

Taking a break from packing boxes, I slipped into the kitchen to whip up some confectionery delights for Mother's Day. Since Mom has been begging me to make some cupcakes since I arrived back in PA, and since I'm a little short on time (or maybe just A.D.D.) I grabbed a box mix to throw some things together real quick. Ever since I tasted the Raspberry Red Velvet cupcakes at Sweet Revenge, I have been dying to replicate them in my own kitchen, so today is the day for a little culinary experimentation and here is my attempt at some quick-n-easy Dark Chocolate Raspberry Red Velvet Cupcakes.

Ingredients:
- 1 box Red Velvet Cake mix & ingredients specified on box (typically a configuration of eggs/water/oil/milk/etc depending on brand)
- 2 cups frozen raspberries
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- Frosting (I used whipped cream cheese frosting)
Directions:
Follow package directions for cake mix. Before pouring mix into cupcake pan, mix in the chocolate and raspberries. Then pour into cupcake pan and bake according to package directions and frost when cooled. Some ideas for garnish: raspberry syrup, chocolate shavings, jimmies...

They are so delicious, the raspberries make a super-moist cake and the dark chocolate adds extra richness. I might recommend using chocolate shavings or something lighter though, because I used chocolate chunks and the batter wasn't thick enough to support them so they all sunk to the bottom of the cupcake, which isn't necessarily bad, just meant that I had a chocolate bottom cupcake in most cases... still yummy though!

On the Road Again

2009-05-06T12:52:00.003-04:00

The sun has melted New York, revealing the monster that has been dormant from September to May: the NYC Summer. Comfortable temperatures give way to suffocating highs that inundate the streets with fetid odors and toxic air that hangs limp above the sidewalk, dripping with sweat. Public transit nears the ninth circle of hell as slimy bodies cram into tiny cars during rush hour. Sticky bodies, sticky seats. And ‘going out’ means wading your way through the crowds of tourists and people from the outer boroughs in Manhattan for an all-summer party.

And that’s why I’m off to Boston for the summer. To escape the rising mercury and rising rents, to have a little more breathing room, oh and to pursue grad school! So here’s farewell for now to everyone who’s made my winter in NYC so awesome, I’ll miss you all so much, and hopefully I’ll be back again, preferably when I can afford an air-conditioned apartment. ^_^

RATATAT @ Terminal 5

2009-04-23T05:29:00.023-04:00

Love RATATAT. Terminal 5 is a little 'meh'. You know how it goes with huge venues, too overpriced, too crowded. I like basement shows and being up-close-and-personal with the band! Oh well, got some good views of the show, great visuals and lights, awesome dancing ^_^

Williamsburg Fashion Weekend

2009-02-22T11:15:00.007-05:00

After a grueling five-subway train transfer due to a police emergency on the 2/3/4 tracks, construction on the 2/3 lines, and the weekend J/M/Z schedule, along with a mile hike from the station, I finally made it over to the Glasslands Gallery in Williamsburg to see some of Brooklyn's up-and-coming designers. Thanks to all of my travel delays, I got there just in time to watch the last collection walk off the stage (Treehouse Brooklyn) and the bands gear up for a wicked after-party. Tall-Firs opened with a great dance-inducing set, followed by Baltimore's Celebration, which was oddly remeniscent of Bmore band Beach House, on rock steroids. With the spiked hot cider flowing, the building maxxed out to capacity, and models twirling on a trampeze high above the crowd, the party raged until all hours of the morning, when Chi and I finally made it back to our corner of Brooklyn, exhausted and satisfied from another awesome night out in New York.

^ designs by Treehouse, where models are rockstars!

^ oh and did I mention we had front row seats during the after-party? Wedged between the DJ booth and the stage, if only my flash had decided not to burn out for the entire evening...

Anniversary?

2009-02-21T14:16:00.004-05:00

Well, it's official, I've been here a whole month. My 30-day metro card expired yesterday. I feel like I should tack it up on the wall, or make some sort of collage of all my expended cards at the end of each month I'm in the City, I mean, it seems strange to just 'throw out' a little card that I paid $81 for...

The Windy City

2009-02-12T12:43:00.006-05:00

Step aside Chicago, New York is claiming your title for strong gales. I didn't understand why Jessi was so distraught by the weather channels forecast of 50mph winds today, as far as I was concerned things could be worse- it could be raining, snowing or freezing. But 50 degree temps in February and a blustery morning didn't seem like much to fret about, and then I walked outside. The city had been transformed into tornado of swirling dirt and debris, sandblasting the buildings and stinging my eyes. Trash hurtling through the air at alarming speeds made my five-block stroll to Time Out a hazardous game of ducking and dodging, and my once cute hair was left a rumpled mess on top of my head.

Thank goodness I'm safe inside now. One of my favorite things about working on the 12th floor of the building is that I get to peek at all the offices as the elevator stops at different floors. Renowned designer Isaac Mizrahi must be casting models for fashion week on his floor because every time I step into the elevator I am immediately lost in a forest of tall skinny legs. I like to peek out at each elevator stop and wonder who works there. One floor is a lobby filled with green neon lights and lime painted walls with frosted glass doors. Another sports a single couch in a black-walled open space with big photo-studio lights... I suppose I could just look at the registry in the front lobby to see who else works in my building, but what would be the fun in that?!

On different note, since people keep asking me for links, I've been doing some freelance work for clients After-Image and Nakaoka/Roberts. At After-Image I work as a retoucher, which is great because it's a really laid-back environment, and is right around the corner from Time Out, so it's also super-convenient. It's just me and a couple other guys there, and we chat and listen to NPR all day while our eyes are glued to the computer screens, perfecting jewelry pictures in Photoshop. At Nakaoka/Roberts I work as a photographer and graphic designer. I get to work down in SoHo, and exercise my creative brain cells playing with logos and images all day. It's been really great to experience all aspects of design there, and work with the creative directors on branding projects. Gotta dig the freelance life... though sometimes I miss having a 'regular' schedule and steady paycheck... but at least my jobs are always changing so I never have to worry about being bored with work!

Sweetness Never Suits Me... except today

2009-02-06T19:17:00.002-05:00

I love cupcakes. Seriously, they are pretty much my favorite dessert. And when Christian told me about this place in the Village that is a bar-slash-cupcake shop, I thought he had found a little piece of heaven, and I was determined to get there. Being somewhat emo about the state of the economy and job market here in NYC has lead to me and my roommates spending a lot of evenings at the apartment craving comfort foods- and what better economic-depression-pick-me-up than beer and cupcakes! So off to the Village we went.

If there's one thing I love about the Village it's the way it feels like London (my favorite city in the world, btw), with it's old buildings, haphazardly placed cobble streets, and quaint shops. Sweet Revenge was perched in the triangle of Carmine St, Bedford St and 7th Ave, and absolutely packed. After standing around for awhile, seats finally cleared up at the bar and Chi and I examined the many wonders of the cupcake case. I chose the "Crimson & Cream" at Christian's recommendation, which was a dense raspberry red velvet cake with berries strewn throughout the center, and cream cheese frosting topped with raspberry drizzle. Chi had the "Pure" cupcake (note irony), which is Mexican vanilla cake with Mexican vanilla frosting, and maybe even better than my red dessert. Both paired deliciously with Stella, fyi. And at $3.50 each its probably the most inexpensive dessert outing you'll get in the Big Apple. Gotta love it.

Oh and I borrowed the above photo from my fellow Time Out intern Christian Hartman, since I was too lazy to carry my camera on this outing. Maybe I'll take my own picture the next time... ^_^

Chocolate Hearts

2009-01-28T19:02:00.002-05:00

Okay, so it may not be Valentine's Day just yet, but at Time Out we like to get the party started early. While taking a break from shooting a hundred portraits for an upcoming issue (sorry, no spoilers!) I noticed Roxana setting up some beautifully designed boxes in the photo studio and popped in to see if I could help her with anything... turns out she was shooting loads of gourmet chocolate from all of New York's finest chocolatiers for the pre-V-Day issue, and kindly invited me to assist in the styling and photographing of the countless sweets. And of course one can't have a good photo without a little sampling... I've never tasted so many good chocolates in my life! I think my favorites were from Bespoke chocolates- who provided delicate white chocolate hearts with creamy passionfruit centers. They were incredibly sweet (Roxana thought they were too sweet), and just melt-in-your mouth delicious... I think I've officially discovered my passion for food photography today ^_~

Happy New Year!

2009-01-26T18:33:00.007-05:00

Welcome to the Year of the Ox, and yet another brisk winter morning in New York City. I got up early to ride the B train over the River to Chinatown and see the Lunar New Year celebrations for myself, but on the above-ground subway ride over the Manhattan bridge I found myself more interested in pursuing some iconic photos of the Brooklyn bridge than waiting around for New Years celebrations. So off the subway I went and back over the bridge for a little walk. Unfortunately I grossly underestimated the length of the bridge and wearing nothing but my flats in the 24 degree weather, my feet nearly froze as the wind whipped me left and right over the water. But it was a nice walk otherwise... and I was sure ready for some hot dumplings when I got back to Chinatown! Thankfully I arrived back just in time for the festivities to begin. Firecracker explosions vibrated in my ears, the sky choked with confetti and the streets clogged with people. Photographers chased the dancing dragons through the crowded streets and I squeezed into Fay Da bakery for some warm Asian-pastry delights. This ended up being a mistake however, because my almost-bare feet began to thaw and tingle quite painfully once they were out of the cold.

^ I almost got run over by a dragon!

^ packed streets, and I forgot to wear my red

^ launching confetti

Free Fridays

2009-01-24T12:03:00.006-05:00

What does an unemployed college graduate do on a Friday night in New York City? Go to Free Friday at the MoMA of course! The MoMA is one of those places I went to so many times during my undergrad days in art school that I've got the permanent collection almost memorized and simply can't justify shelling out $20 to see one or two new exhibitions, so Free Fridays is a pretty great deal to me. However, every student in the City must've been thinking the same thing too, because the place was absolutely packed. It's tough-luck if you actually want to see any modern art on Friday evening, you'd have a better chance checking out a cute art student than the Brancusi sculptures. It was nothing short of a meat market, with packs of bearded boys in tight jeans roaming the galleries in search of camera-clad hipster girls posing for myspace photos with the Marlene Dumas drawings. I hurried to the new exhibitions and saw the Pipilotti Rist installation, which is a giant multimedia piece consisting of ultra-saturated video clips projected on the atrium walls. While it's visually appealing in a psychedelic sort of way, I found myself feeling claustraphobic from the crowd and relatively unmoved by the "Pour Your Body Out" piece after about five minutes and left early to stroll Fifth Ave.

Wholesome Goodness

2009-01-24T11:27:00.007-05:00

It's only been 3.5 days since I moved in with my vegan roommates and I've already consumed more varieties of tofu and soy-based products than most of you will ever have in your lifetime. And after watching me drop dollars on foul smelling bodega-produce and Easy Mac for my first few meals, they decided that I was unfit to survive in the wild on such culinary monstrosities and convinced me to ditch the mini-mart and shop at Whole Foods (as seen on the "Stuff White People Like" blog). I like the idea of Whole Foods, that I can get my groceries in a store that supports the environment and fair trade, and that I can buy products that aren't pumped full of chemicals and other artificial ingredients. But on the other hand, I can't help but wonder if it's all just a big scam, to use beautifully designed recycled packaging to charge people double for the smaller organic bananas and tiny boxes of gourmet granola. Jessi promised if I buy store brand products, they would be cheaper than the $2 canned veggies I was picking up at the corner mart, you know, the ones that are covered in dust, with cracked peeling labels and a distinct brownish hue to their contents. So I set off on the 45 minute subway ride to the nearest Whole Foods market in the Bowery.

Which leads to the next part of my adventure, The Bowery. I actually only saw a fragment of it, because I was in a hurry to get my groceries and get home. But on the couple blocks from the subway entrance to the Whole Foods store I saw a wicked Keith Haring mural and Billy's Antiques and Props. Billy's is probably the coolest store (though I don't know if you can really call it a 'store') in New York. It's a menagerie of estate-sale collectibles, movie relics and old props. As I walked by I was very intrigued by the giant tented lot, and had the feeling there was pirate loot and buried treasure in there somewhere... I will definitely be back to check it out later. Oh and after a little web-digging I found this great article and slide show on the New York Times about Billy's and the 'glory days' of the Bowery.

Houston's definitely had the hell gentrified out of it, as I found from all the joggers in their high performance outfits, stroller-pushing ladies looking more like runway models than mothers, and all the hipsters trolling Whole Foods with their organic shakes and soy-based lunches. And yet I can't help thinking it would sure be nice to live there... at least to save me the 45-minute grocery commute that left me with a paper bag full of broken eggs.

Don't Stress

2008-12-08T18:14:00.001-05:00

Graphite & colored pencil on paper

Love Me

2008-11-30T22:30:00.000-05:00

Graphite & colored pencil on paper

Fall Sunflowers

2008-10-02T18:08:00.000-04:00

Watercolor on paper

Lomography Monopoly

2008-09-28T14:08:00.006-04:00

Taking a little break from my Sunday afternoon studies for a bit of web-surfing on my favorite alternative photography site, lomography.com, I've stumbled upon the complete commodification of one of my favorite alternative photography processes. I was just about to post on all the wonders of redscale photography (an effect achieved when 35mm film is respooled backwards and exposed upside-down in an analogue camera), of which I have a roll currently loaded in my old-school Olympus-OM (I'll post pictures later). But now, Lomography has gone and taken all the joy out of this tricky twist of film by monopolizing on the fun of alternative processes and selling 'red scale film' which is already backwards and ready to shoot. First driving up the price of Holga and now this??? Lomo is stealing all the once cheap and easy alternative photography processes and making them into cliched (not to mention, expensive) fads, gobbled up by every trendy person with more cash then they know what to do with. Boo Lomo. You're driving down the value of my 'art' by making it something that any kid with a hefty allowance can attempt. I'm all for 'art' for the masses' and it's great that people have more access to this style, but at the same time, I can't help but shed a tear for the mass production of my sacred alternative processes...

Dying on the Inside

2008-09-13T14:30:00.000-04:00

Gauche, ink & collage on paper

The Ex-Lover, no.1

2008-08-30T12:43:00.000-04:00

Ink & collage on paper

Home Grown

2008-08-29T14:28:00.001-04:00

If there's one place in Newark, De that I love, it's got to be Home Grown Cafe. My friends and I have this running joke that we're not meant to drink at any other Main Street bar. Whenever we set out to hit up another spot for happy hour, our plans are always foiled and we end up right back at Home Grown. Probably because it's the best, with unbeatable drink specials, our favorite bar tenders and a trendy-yet-inviting atmosphere where we're always bound to find a familiar face or meet some new interesting folks. Like just the other night Meg and I were there to chill and no sooner had Ed poured our Dogfish then someone shouted "Go Hokies" in response to Meg's Virginia Tech t-shirt and not ten minutes/a few cell calls later we were having a mini Hokie reunion (well, minus the fact that I didn't go to Tech) in Delaware. Great place, great people, great times!

Died Young, Stayed Pretty

2008-08-28T18:44:00.006-04:00

A new indie film to watch? Died Young, Stayed Pretty might make my lists. Honestly, the trailer didn't do a whole lot for me, but the subject on the other hand, will probably make the cut. Only because I'm infatuated with rock posters and have been collecting them for ages, not to mention researching all the top poster designers in the event that I'm ever a good enough illustrator to work for one of their print houses. And then there's my silkscreen addiction, that's had me almost splurge on equipment for my own screen print studio, if it weren't for the modest size of my current living situation's inability to accommodate such a venture. So naturally this film seems like a good one to check out, maybe there will even be some rock star interviews. Though I can't help thinking that it could go the way of last year's Helvetica. Which, albeit, was a very informative look at everyone's favorite typeface, but no amount of interviews with famous designers could distract you from the fact that yes, you are watching an 80-minute film about a typeface. You silly typophile, you. And maybe if I wasn't kind of interested in the history of Helvetica, I would admit to that fact that slight boredom was lurking at the back of my mind during the movie. So I'll cross my fingers and hope Died Young, Stayed Pretty isn't a dive, and maybe my local library will get it so I can watch it outside of Montreal.

Happiness and Julia Pott

2008-08-28T18:09:00.008-04:00

I've been trying to 'get in touch' with my inner folk artist lately, playing around with my watercolors and resurrecting my collage materials and ink pens for a little summer fun. So naturally, I'm absolutely in love with artist Julia Pott. Maybe it's her creative use of type and collage (or the fact that it reminds me of my own sketchbook style). Or how she makes her art from expired love stories (watch "My First Crush"). And ok, I have to say it, her animal drawings are just plain adorable, and I love how she talks about her 'girlyness' in this interview with Etsy.

And while we're on the subject of illustrators I enjoy, here's two more I came across today, during my lunch-time web browsings. Liza Corbett's meticulous drawings are my absolute favorite. Light on color and slightly gothic...just what I like. Then there's Vicky Newman, with the pumpkin animation on her main page, and some beautiful illustrations in her portfolio. My favorite: Fat Sparrow. And that about does it for your daily dose of art and design!

Get Awesome, Get Xpro!

2008-08-26T14:40:00.007-04:00

For this week's 'things I love' the spotlight is on cross-processing (xpro). For all you non-photogs out there, cross processing is when you shoot a roll of slide film, and develop it in regular color film chemistry (c-41). The resulting images can be rather surprising... depending on film type, speed, brand of chemistry, etc, images can have any number of surprising results. I've seen people get magenta or green color casts, blown out highlights, flat vintage-looking photos, the list goes on. I've done some 'cross-processing' with my digital images via Photoshop (check out this tutorial), but never the real deal, with my very own roll of slide film and all. So this weekend, while I was down at David's beach house near Pungoteague, VA, I decided it was finally time to give xpro a whirl and loaded up my old-school Olympus OM-1 with a roll of Fuji Sensia (ISO 200). I'd read about xpro online before and there's a lot of discussion about whether to over/under expose, push/pull the processing, and shoot at different ISOs. For all you photo people who want the technical details, I shot it at the box ISO, and tried under and over exposing, and didn't push/pull process. Turns out that underexposing didn't work well for me. While overexposing about half to one stop gave me the desired over-saturated colors and blown out highlights. Though for some of the bright, outdoors shots, I exposed the film at the correct meter reading because I didn't want to blow out the sky. And I absolutely LOVE the way they turned out!

^the boys trying to dig the boat out at low tide

^crab feast!!! I forgot just how short the depth of field is at f1.8...

There's some more info about xpro in this article from JPG Magazine, and WebMonkey's compiled a nice example-list of how different films look when cross processed. Enjoy!

Ginny Goes to the City

2008-08-22T15:29:00.000-04:00

6am. The alarm buzzes. Man I'm up early for my five o'clock interview. Doesn't matter, I was awake anyways, hardly slept a wink with all the excitement of my 'first big city interview.' It's a long commute to the Big Apple, 3 hours on the road, 90 minutes on the train, and 45 minutes walking from Penn Station to the Time Out N.Y. headquarters on 36th & 10th in my freshly ironed suit, my finest Steve Maddens and my heavy portfolio (aka, macbook). Just for the record, the Steve Maddens were a bad idea, no matter how cute they looked, I think I'm partially crippled after a day in those darn heels.

I got to the city about 3pm and found the nearest Starbucks for a quick lunch to hold me over. This Starbucks was one of those famously small NYC Starbucks- little more than a glorified closet, basically just a hallway with an espresso bar at the end. And as could be expected it's jam-packed with people, all of us pressed against each other waiting for our americanos, or trying to exit with multiple macchiatos in hand. At some point in the chaos, someone brushed past me with a delightfully chalky protein shake, which dumped all over my perfect black blazer. With an hour 'til game time I locked myself in the Starbucks' only bathroom (to the dissatisfaction of many small-bladder customers) and scrubbed my blazer to no avail. The lovely baby-food consistency of the white drink had penetrated deep into the layers of my top piece and now resembled a myriad of whitish stains down the side... So I just laughed my head off and left the store, all the while practicing various arm positions that would hide the mess. Thankfully it wasn't too bad when it dried, and that side of my blazer was facing the wall during my interview, so I don't think anyone noticed...

Time Out is a pretty awesome magazine (that's their building in the picture). I compare them to Spark here in Delaware, but with a much cooler city and a much higher budget. I've thought about working for them since I first discovered the publication in London (it's in many international cities). Filled with quirky articles and all the latest on the city's goings-ons, it just seemed like a really fun, upbeat magazine. I like that they basically cover every subject too, so there's lots of opportunities for new things to shoot, not just fashion or food or nightlife, but all of it! The associate photo editor described to me how they do almost all of the images in-house, either in their studio, sending photogs out on the street, or hiring freelance for some of the feature stories. My interview went really well, and I liked the look of the place, or at least what I saw from the bright, windowed atrium where I met with the editor. It seems pretty casual and young, but very busy, as they put out a magazine every week.

I'll be starting there in January... just as soon as I find housing in the NYC area and a part time job to cover my expenses... it's going to be a busy fall! I'm so excited though, it's going to be really great working in New York and doing tons of photography with Time Out! So if you know anyone who's looking for roommates in NYC, or want to hire a freelance photog next year... let me know! ^_^

2 Days in Paris

2008-08-15T22:47:00.003-04:00

So I just watched "2 Days in Paris" and I really liked this ending quote by Marion:

"It always fascinated me how people go from loving you madly to nothing at all, nothing. It hurts so much. When I feel someone is going to leave me, I have a tendency to break up first before I get to hear the whole thing. Here it is. One more, one less. Another wasted love story. I really love this one. When I think that its over, that I'll never see him again like this... well yes, I'll bump into him, we'll meet our new boyfriend and girlfriend, act as if we had never been together, then we'll slowly think of each other less and less until we forget each other completely. Almost. Always the same for me. Break up, break down. Drink up, fool around. Meet one guy, then another, fuck around. Forget the one and only. Then after a few months of total emptiness start again to look for true love, desperately look everywhere and after two years of loneliness meet a new love and swear it is the one, until that one is gone as well. There's a moment in life where you can't recover any more from another break-up. And even if this person bugs you sixty percent of the time, well you still can’t live without him. And even if he wakes you up every day by sneezing right in your face, well you love his sneezes more than anyone else's kisses."

Thought that was pretty well-put, though the rest of the movie was some-what lacking... kind of nonexistent plot and Adam Goldberg's character was just plain annoying with his incessant whining. Artfully directed, even if it was a little boring...

I Want: Kodak Brownie Hawkeye

2008-08-12T11:44:00.000-04:00

I can't remember exactly how I stumbled upon this new find, but it was one of those random google searches, leading to browsing photos on flickr that I saw some really sweet images taken with a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye. The Hawkeye is a little camera from the 1950's that shoots images similar to the Holga, but more sharp and 'contrasty.' Also, the lens can be easily flipped (more about the mod here) for photos that have a very small point of focus and extremely blurred edges... I've scoured all the local camera and antique shops for one, but to no avail! Anyone have a Hawkeye they want to sell?

This is my Heart

2008-08-07T22:22:00.000-04:00

Graphite on paper, digital color

New Hampshire Day Trippin'

2008-08-01T19:07:00.010-04:00

Got an early start to the morning, in hope of catching the 10am train up the Cog Railway to see the summit of Mount Washington. But there was a slight detour (rounded a corner on the road up the mountain and saw a baby black bear) and we missed the train.

^bear country!

^getting the Cog ready for it's mountain climb

So instead we hiked around the area and headed to the next best thing, the Cannon Mountain Sky Tram. The Tram is basically a glorified ski lift, but when you get to the top of Cannon Mountain the views of Franconia Notch and the former Old Man of the Mountain are definitely worth it.

^view of the Sky Tram

^atop Cannon Mountain

We also hit up the nearby Flume Gorge which was strangely like walking through a jungle, the sheer rock walls moist with spray from the waterfalls and covered in an array of green plants and mosses. Abby commented that it was like being on a movie set for Indiana Jones in the jungle. And there were so many cascading falls, I literally took another few hundred pictures and maxed out my 2GB memory card. When we'd reached the halfway point of the hike it started raining, and not just a little sprinkle, but quite the torrential downpour. When you carry around the kind og expensive camera gear that I do, you learn to always pack an umbrella, even when the day starts out sunny. But of course no one else had their umbrellas so we scurried under one of the trail shelters and waited it out. Until the shelter was so crowded with other hikers that we all crowded under my umbrella and finished up the hike. Thankfully it stopped raining before we reached the end, and even though soaked, we got to take out our cameras again and shoot some more of the Flume. Since the rain had let up, we decided that there was still more room in our day for another natural wonder and we pulled off the highway at The Basin, which is another pool and waterfall. It's different from the other falls with their rough black stone cliffs. This waterfall is one giant slab of brown stone that's perfectly smoothed and eroded the whole way down, and the basin at the bottom that gathers all the run off is a smooth whirlpool of a pit. It's really amazing how this part of the country is so uniquely carved up by all the glacial movement thousands of years ago. There are so many different landmarks and rock formations, I think I finally understand my college geology professor's excitement about how these mountains are created. All these giant rocks are so cool! ^_^

^entering the Flume Gorge

^the Basin

We also drove by the famed Mount Washington Hotel, which definitely looked like Stephen King's inspiration for The Shining. We stopped in for just a minute, because we had been planning on staying there for a night, but then opted on one more day at the condo, since it was more space for about the same price... maybe next time!

^Mount Washington Hotel

Castle in the Clouds

2008-07-31T23:30:00.008-04:00

Today's featured day trip is Castle in the Clouds, a historic mansion atop the Ossipee Mountain Range, overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee (which is surprisingly easier to pronounce than to spell). There are lots of hiking trails and waterfalls, and of course tours of the mansion, which was absolutely gorgeous. The interior was very much lodge-style, with giant stone fireplaces and dark woodwork. And the views of the Lake were stunning, however it was a rather cloudy day with storms rolling in over the mountains so visibility was limited, and we couldn't even see the giant Mt. Washington beyond the Lake. After spending the morning roaming the castle grounds, we grabbed lunch at the terrace restaurant and headed down to Moultonborough to see Lake Winnipesaukee, buy a few souvenirs, and head back to the Valley before it started raining.

^falls on the Estate grounds

^me & a view... I swear there are mountains back there!

Waterville Valley, NH

2008-07-31T22:53:00.006-04:00

After a slight detour through the White Mountains of New Hampshire, we finally made it to Waterville Valley, where we'll be staying for the next three days. A thriving ski resort in the winter months, the Valley also offers plenty of summer activities during the 'off-season.' There's lakes and hiking and plenty of nearby towns with quaint Main Streets to explore. We opted for the three-story condo, to have a bit of space to spread out, and it's pretty awesome! The condo is really nice, and overlooks the town square where there are shops, and evening entertainment for families and small children. There are a few nice restaurants, but we've got the kitchen in the condo so it will be nice to cook some good food and just relax here in the mountains. And I've got to get editing the hundreds of photos I've already taken! ^_^ The only downside is that I'm pretty sure there's no one here between the ages of 20-30. It's like everyone is parents with small children or grandparents with small children, apart from the college kids working their summer jobs here. Actually it was kind of funny when we went out to dinner tonight and they guy who waited us seemed particularly interested in the fact that there were *oh my gosh* girls his age at the Valley. But hey we're not here to party, we're here to see the great outdoors! And catch up on some well-needed relaxation! I'm so excited...

^I love with these retro signs!

^evening view of Town Square from my window

^misty mountain on the resort lake

On the road again...

2008-07-30T22:40:00.008-04:00

...Leaving Burlington after a breakfast of crepes and meandering through the mountains to Waterville Valley, NH. One of the things I love about northern New England is that there are about a zillion dairy farms every few square miles, and of course each farm has its own homemade ice cream stand. So you can be driving through what seems like the absolute middle of nowhere, but past a little ice cream shack every ten minutes. And let me tell you, this ice cream is good, no matter what time of day it is! So first things first, we made a pit stop at Ben & Jerry's to take the factory tour and sample up some fresh dessert not even an hour after breakfast. My fav B&J's flavor has got to be "Everything But The..." because, well, it's got a little bit of everything in it. Mmmm...

Then after getting lost in the White Mountain National Forest, we pulled off at the Lost River. Lost River is one of those awesome natural wonders where a glacial stream carved a series of caverns through the mountains and the park has established a series of trails along it's path- some above ground, and some deep in the mountain. There's a number of cascading waterfalls, and steep climbs through claustrophobic passages leading to some of the many caverns. In addition to the main hike through the gorge, there are plenty of other trails in the area, so after walking through the gorge, we opted for the Dilly Cliffs trail and the promise of a better view of the White Mountains. The Cliff trail was an amazing climb. And climb, it was. I quite literally thought I was going to need rappel gear to scale some of the sheer granite walls. It was the most exhausting 3/4 mile I've ever experienced. Every time I'd haul myself over another ledge expecting blue sky and summit, all I'd see is more boulders vanishing off into the scrub pines above me. But nothing is more satisfying than reaching the top, sucking in the thin mountain air and having a bird's eye view of the valley!

^the Ben & Jerry's van!

^down in the Lost River Gorge

^seeing if Abby can fit in the cave

^we are officially "Experienced Hikers"

Burlington, VT

2008-07-29T22:39:00.005-04:00

First stop on the New England Roadtrip: Burlington, Vermont. After driving through hours of winding roads around the lakes in upstate New York, our little sedan finally pulled into destination number one. Can’t say I was all that surprised by the hippie town perched on the hillside along Lake Champlain, it successfully fulfilled just about every Vermont stereotype I'd heard since living in NH as a kid. As a college town, I really like it. It's significantly larger than Newark and has a great pedestrian boulevard filled with a startling quantity of unique bars and shops... I'd definitely be up for staying here longer and going to every single one... ;) I really digg the relaxed atmosphere in too, everyone seems pretty chill and really into the environment, which is a big plus. Organic and vegan food options are everywhere, as well as an abundance of bikes and gas-conserving/hybrid cars. I also found out about this great organization called Climate Counts, which is trying to help fight global warming by educating consumers about companies that are reducing their carbon footprint. Climate Counts encouraging us to support those industries over the ones who are not doing their part to reduce their impact on the environment. I thought it was interesting to look at the list of companies and was surprised at which ones got high scores and which are still failing. It makes me really happy to see a whole community that's taking action to take care of our planet. Now if only UVM had a grad degree in photography, I'd be all set to move...

^happy hour at Red Square!

^a gorgeous evening on Lake Champlain

Favorite Song

2008-07-22T11:48:00.000-04:00

Acrylic + collage on wood

Sound of the Siren

2008-07-20T12:13:00.003-04:00

Ah Coney Island in the summer… that fetid mix of city filth and sticky sweat, all wafting in on the heady ‘ocean’ breeze… well all right, it wasn’t that bad, once I came to terms with my t-shirt being permanently soaked with perspiration and had downed a few ice-cold Brooklyn lagers, it was actually down-right lovely. With my hair a nest of humidity and sweltering summer temperatures, Meghan and I pushed through mobs of pretentious hipster kids to see all my favorites take the stage for the 2008 Siren Music Festival. The best act, of course, was Beach House, but only because they have a special place in my heart. I tried to get a press pass to take some ‘serious’ photos of the show, but evidentially the combination of my bedraggled appearance and the fact that one must sign up for press passes in advance denied me access to the photo-pit down center stage. Oh well, at least I got to stand backstage to wait in line and pretend I was VIP for about fifteen minutes. After Beach House performed all of the songs just like they sound on my favorite cd, Meg and I gave up on the crowds and met up with the boys down on the boardwalk, where we watched a great sunset, counted all the hipster kids that looked like my ex-boyfriend, downed more lager and suffered from starvation and heat exhaustion before finding ourselves back on the subway, then the NJ Transit, then the Turnpike, then finally back to my house at some ungodly hour of the morning. [here’s where you point and laugh at the absurdity of my run-on sentences]. But in all seriousness, it was a great [free] show. And did I mention it was free? Yes. Maybe I’ll even go again next year.

^hazy day on the boardwalk

^an ice-cold Brooklyn classic

^Beach House, as seen through the lens of my Lomo LC-A+

Beach House

2008-07-08T02:17:00.009-04:00

Fresh off the [streets?] of Baltimore, Maryland, I'd like to present to you this week's current musical obsession: Beach House. Victoria's vocals are very Nico-esque, which combine with the slightly ambient overlays of piano and church bells to give a very surreal, if not haunting, quality to their music. Like the lost melody from a childhood dream... I came across this wonderful duo while lying on the most luxurious shag carpet at one of my friends houses, pulling selections from his vinyl collection based on how much I enjoyed their album design. There was something to be said for the pile of jewels on the Beach House cover and even more to be said for the aural delights embedded in that plastic disc. And don't worry all you digital kids out there, Beach House is also available on cd! I'm trying to go see them at the Siren Fest July 19th, I realize they'll be a little closer to home, in Philly [Johnny Brenda's] this August, but the backdrop of Coney Island seems much more appropriate for their nostalgic songs- oh and it's a free show. Any takers?

Broken Hearts

2008-07-04T14:41:00.000-04:00

Graphite on paper

I Love Your Smile

2008-06-04T16:00:00.000-04:00

Graphite on paper

Sunset Soon Forgotten

2008-04-23T14:00:00.000-04:00

Ink & watercolor on paper

Go Do Something New

2007-07-11T18:26:00.000-04:00

Watercolor & collage on paper

Not So Far Away

2007-07-10T18:25:00.000-04:00

Watercolor, pen & ink, collage on paper

Le Grand Depart

2007-07-09T20:35:00.000-04:00

The Tour sprit in Hyde Park was electric as I laid in the grass soaking up some long awaited sunshine. The sky shone a perfect crystal blue for the Prologue and I spent the whole afternoon enjoying the fairground and watching hundreds of riders ‘cycle-up’ for the time trials that would determine team leaders and designate specific jerseys to the athletes with most points. The Oxford Street souvenir shops were overflowing as people from the world over poured into the city to cheer on their country’s greatest cyclists. And I have a renewed sense of respect for sports photographers after trying my hand at capturing the races. I knew a biker was coming by the sirens and cheering moving down the track like the wave at a football game. But as a pressed the shutter button I’d hear a rush of air by my face and look up to see the crowd waving down the track and an empty frame on my digital camera’s screen. After a few hours and many failed attempts later I could actually get more than the passing edge of a wheel in my image and vowed to stick to my landscapes and portraits from now on haha.
For our final taste of London night life the group opted for a slightly off the map club called After Skool, which turned out to be phenomenal, despite my initial doubts about a club that spells ‘school’ with a ‘k.’ Picture every attractive guy (or girl, if that’s your thing) that you’ve ever seen, all in one room, dancing to every one of the top songs on your iPod. And then you’ll be envisioning what After Skool was, for me at any rate. Packs of indie rockers with their shaggy hair, tight jeans and inventive eye makeup all dancing to music gods such as the Strokes, Bloc Party, Postal Service… the list goes on. It’s fantastic, going to a place where everyone’s your friend and you finally feel like you’ve found that perfect niche where you fit in. I danced till 3am, till all the VC kids had left and my roommate Eric had to drag me home. And here I am, two days later, the thumping base is still ringing in my ears. I love it.
Leaving London was really hard, a head full of mixed emotions as the sun rose on another beautiful day and the bus rolled past all the places that’d become my home for the past five weeks. In truth, I’ll say I didn’t sleep much last night, like a child on Christmas Eve, my excitement kept me tossing and turning till I finally rolled out of my bed at 5am and watched crappy tv until the bus came at noon to take us to Heathrow. I can’t wait to see my friends, my family… my dog haha. But I’m really going to miss the Leather Lane markets, the chilly English summer, and all the cool people I met, from the baristas who served up my lattes at Café Nero on a regular basis, to the Soho designers and club kids. I wish I could stay… Sitting here on the quiet plane, watching the Atlantic thunderstorms roll beneath us, a Beatles tune playing on my iPod and dreams of sleeping in my own bed are just about enough to make me ready for home. Going away is awesome, but you just can’t beat the minute you walk through the front door and know that you’re home. It’s true what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder….
Cheers London, it’s high time that I got back to my sweet Yankee homeland ☺

Purple Haze

2007-07-09T18:23:00.000-04:00

Watercolor, pen & ink, collage on paper

Asahi Fly

2007-07-08T18:21:00.000-04:00

Watercolor & collage on paper

Modern Love

2007-07-07T18:19:00.000-04:00

Collage, pen & ink on paper

Stay Awhile

2007-07-06T18:18:00.000-04:00

Collage, pen & ink on paper

Fourth of July?

2007-07-06T12:15:00.000-04:00

Bill and Ashley threw us a pretty special 4th of July- granted, there were no red, white and blue decorations or BBQ eats. We had a massive meal at the Greek restaurant Lemonia, where the courses kept coming and coming. Stomachs bulging, we all climbed to the top of Primrose Hill (the highest point in London) for a group shot with a great panorama of the city behind us, before walking down to Camden for a boat ride on Regent’s Canal to Little Venice. The ride took us past the backyards of London’s most expensive mansions- like the 30 million-pound place owned by some nameless Saudi Arabian oil mogul. The canal was packed with colorful houseboats all painted in flowers and diamonds, lined up in perfect rows. We didn’t stop in Little Venice, just turned around to ride back to Camden, where the rain had started once again.
All these free days are eating up my wallet. With no group activities planned for the rest of the trip, I’ve been hard-pressed to find inexpensive ways to pass my time. I finally woke up early enough to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. It was so crowded that I only stayed long enough to snap a few pictures and listen to the guard band play at the barracks across the street before matching on to the Palace. I loved the parade atmosphere and listening to the drums beat and trumpets sound as I walked down through St. James’s Park.
I made a list of all the iconic sights I had left to photograph and walked all around London, from Westminster Abbey to St. Paul’s Cathedral. The first time I’d walked by St. Paul’s it had been covered in scaffolding. But it was just unveiled yesterday as the city completed their multi-million pound project to scrape hundred’s of years worth of grime off it’s façade and restore the building to it’s original cream color.
I saw the Jonathan Barnbrook show at the Design Museum and although the artist wasn’t sitting in the café to meet this time, it was still a pretty good show. Barnbrook does a lot of politically-charged work in graphic design and typography. While I think his use of type is really interesting, I’m not a huge fan of his layouts as a whole. I just think his work is a little ‘busy’ to say the least. Your eyes are so overwhelmed by the multitude of typefaces, colors, patterns and images all crammed on a single page. I think his more minimal pieces did a better job at conveying their messages.
I also saw a show called “The End Begins” at this gallery near Covent Garden, called The Hospital. I really liked that show and I hope the artist names are listed on the Hospital website because I didn’t get the chance to write them down. There were mostly paintings and mixed media images, which I really prefer to the glossy Barnbrook digital prints. They have such a wonderful tactile quality and have such a presence in the gallery space, where they hang on the wall in all their three-dimensional glory, just begging to be touched. As diverse as all the art in the show was, there did seem to be a common theme, as they all had a real ethereal, fantasy quality to them, like excerpts from a fairy tale or someone’s lost dream.
I’m not sure what I’ll get into for the rest of the afternoon, I want to save some of the items on my “To See” list for the next couple of free days. While I’m excited to see the Tour de France this weekend, I kind of feel like we could’ve done without this ‘wind down’ week. With no class meeting scheduled everyone’s just getting bored and broke. As nice as it is to live in the vacation frame of mind, I’ll be thankful to be home sleeping in my own comfy bed and working and seeing my friends. London’s so darn far away from everyone I love! Although one thing I’m not looking forward to is that gross Delaware summer, with all it’s sticky heat and humidity. I’m getting good and used to the perfect London summers where I’m sitting here on a park bench all bundled in my jeans and jacket. Let’s just say I’m not a big fan or shorts and t-shirts… so in that aspect London suits me just fine ☺

My Telephone Hurts

2007-07-05T18:16:00.000-04:00

Collage, pen & ink on paper

Start A Fire

2007-07-04T18:15:00.000-04:00

Watercolor, collage on paper

Turkish Delight

2007-07-03T18:12:00.000-04:00

Collage, pen & ink on paper

Raindrops on Roses

2007-07-03T16:20:00.000-04:00

I finally got my afternoon in Kew! After getting rained out on the first try, I took my chances on a brief sunny spell and made the 45-minute Tube ride out to Kew, where it sprinkled on and off, but not enough to damper my spirits. The air smelled so fresh, walking from the train station past row after row of beautifully restored Victorian town houses, each with perfectly manicured gardens leading up to the cobbled sidewalk. I wouldn’t mind living in this corner of town, though judging from the number of Italian sport cars tucked into each petite driveway I have a feeling that lovely Kew may just be slightly out of my price range, pretty much indefinitely.

Bill wasn’t kidding when he said the Royal Botanical Gardens were like “Longwood times ten.” Built as a country estate/ hunting ground for King George III (I think?) and added to by almost every monarch since, there are multiple conservatories, cottages, temples and Kew Palace it’s self, all perched along the Thames. I love the conservatories for their blend of man and nature. The painted steel architecture juxtaposed with leafy trees and vines meld into one, giving life to the structure. You can almost hear it breathing with every slow creak and sigh of the ancient Victorian windows opening and closing to the sky.

While the rain paused I explored the grounds, quietly padding down soft earthen trails still damp with the recent rain. I came upon a few strange birds, braving the weather under some bushes. I’ve never seen a creature with such color- it looked like a small hen but with feathers of reds, yellows and even shades of blue and green. There were other little surprises dotted about the garden as well, you’d come across a statue or a little shrine in the middle of a vast grove of trees or in a dark corner where you weren’t expecting anything.

Aside from the gardens, which were magnificent, Kew as a town is quite a nice little place. I had afternoon tea at a scrumptious Parisian Café [complete with genuine French people] and poked around in some of the overpriced bookshops and garden stores before getting back to the train. I think it’s funny that Kew Station is appropriately decorated all over in wrought-iron flowers and Victorian garden motifs.

This next bit is kind of random, but I love those ten or so seconds before the Tube arrives. When the flyers on the wall begin to ruffle just ever-so-slightly and there’s the static of electricity crackling down the tracks. A muffled growl from deep inside the dark tunnel and suddenly, as if out of no where, the train is racing past, just inches from your swaying body pushed up to the edge of the platform. My hair gets sucked in all directions and swirls around my head, delaying my step up into the car until I can get my eyes untangled haha.

And no sooner had I boarded the Tube back to central London than the rumble of the thunder grew loud enough to match the clamber of the train roaring down the track. And at the very next station the heavens opened and buckets of pea-sized hail plummeted down on the platform, bouncing and pinging off the metal and spraying inside the car. Lightning cracked across the sky and I wondered if Tube cars ever get struck, I mean, it is pretty much a giant metal Twinkie that we’re riding in… Thankfully the storm had spewed out it’s worst by the time I reached my home stop at Chancery Lane and I could walk without my umbrella, avoiding puddles and flooded drainage ditches as I went.

Everything's Just Peaches & Cream

2007-07-02T18:11:00.000-04:00

Letterpress & collage on paper

London to New York

2007-07-01T18:09:00.000-04:00

Water color, collage, pen & ink on paper

Where Did Hope Go?

2007-06-30T18:08:00.000-04:00

Collage, pen & ink on paper

The Weird and the Wonderful

2007-06-29T18:07:00.000-04:00

Collage on paper

Drowned in Dover

2007-06-29T14:45:00.000-04:00

For once the weather man was right- it was a torrential downpour in Dover. And such a shame for it seems like quite a lovely place. The moment I stepped off the train my umbrella was whipped inside out and snapped like a twig by the hurricane force winds and my body instantly soaked in the chilly rain. My poor camera is swimming at the bottom of my backpack and my sneakers are making that super “squish’ sound when I walk, and I’m huddled here at the train station shivering uncontrollably and feeling positively ill. But wet jeans aside, I really did enjoy my outing. The clouds mostly obscured the trademark White Cliffs, and the cliff-walk hike was closed due to the hazardous weather conditions. However, I did get to see Dover Castle, which is pretty much the most ‘badass’ castle out there. Built up on the cliff, it overlooks the quiet little town and the rough waters of the channel. I don’t recall any of the tour info actually stating the date when the castle was built, just that the oldest building is the Saxon Church, erected over 2,000 years ago, and the rest of the structure was built around it, with some of the houses as recent as the 1800’s. Deep passageways were chiseled into the chalk cliffs during the medieval period and revamped for use during the Napoleonic wars. Then during WWII even more tunnels were made to house the naval headquarters and barracks for soldiers. I got to see those tunnels on a guided tour that talked all about the war effort here in the 1940’s. I can’t imagine how some 700 people could have lived down there, it was so musty and damp. From the top of the hill you could see all of Dover and the lush rolling hills behind it. I wish I could come back on a sunny day and get better pictures…

Pretty Baby

2007-06-28T18:05:00.000-04:00

Collage & ink on paper

Beachy Brighton!

2007-06-28T09:15:00.000-04:00

Well, to my great disappointment, it doesn’t rain candy in Brighton, just the usual mix of water and acid. I saw the sun for about five minutes when I first hopped of the train, but as I walked down to the water, I saw the foreboding black clouds billowing up out of the horizon and threatening to rush in on the shore and over take the cheery seaside city. And Brighton really is quite the bustling little city. I was imagining a tiny ocean town comparable to York, Maine. The kind where there’s one main street of shops and a handful of bed & breakfasts. But instead I was greeted with a thriving Victorian resort city, complete with an amusement park pier and lane after lane of high-end boutiques. There was so much to see, from the stony beach and antique carnival rides, to the vast array of colorful clubs and restaurants. I’d skipped breakfast to catch an earlier train and the smell of a hundred fish & chips stands firing up their grills was making my stomach rumble. So I headed to one of the many beachside places built into the seawall, and when I asked if there were more seats inside they lead me to a wonderful little pillow-lined loft with two table and a great view of the ocean, but out of the icy wind blowing off the water. I ordered a massive English Breakfast (pot of tea, egg, bacon, beans, sausage, tomato, mushrooms and toast) that left me pleasantly full for the rest of the day.

All the shoreline ironwork is painted a trademark ‘Brighton Blue,’ which is a glorious shade of teal that just about matches the color of the English Channel. After shooting a few rolls of film and doing a bit of shopping I caught the movie Zodiac at the local big screen. And for the record, watching horror flicks on a dark and stormy night when you have to sleep all alone in an ancient Victorian b & b isn’t such a super idea. It was raining when the movie let out and my teeth chattered the whole walk home from the icy wind cutting through my thin summer jacket.

The Churchill Guest House was alright, for 36 pounds I can’t complain. My room was dark and a little gloomy, the decorations not so tasteful. But I got a private bathroom (which was immaculately clean), cable tv and a full English Breakfast this morning, so I’ll forgive them for not hiring a better interior designer. The sun is shining now and I have the beach to myself, lying here on the warm stones. Depending on how the weather holds, I’m not sure what time I’ll head back to London. It’s supposed to pour rain the next few days so we’ll see. I wasn’t able to get a room in Dover (no vacancies across the board, due in part to all the people staying overnight to catch the ferries across the channel), so I’ll just be taking a day-trip there tomorrow.

Verbal Cancer

2007-06-27T18:01:00.000-04:00

Collage, pen & ink on paper

A Dash of Letterpress and some Bizarre Collections

2007-06-26T20:30:00.000-04:00

I went to see the Wellcome Collection during some of our free time today. This guy Henry Wellcome was sort of a contemporary of Ripley, traveling the world and collecting cultural oddities and relics. Shrunken heads, Chinese torture instruments and even a lock of King George’s hair are some of the many things that made up the thousands of display cases in the collection. Random stuff, but pretty interesting.

I ditched the Tube and decided to walk on all my errands, no more stale recycled air on the Central Line during rush hour for me! At least until my legs burn out haha. Now that I’m getting to know my way around the city, it seems a whole lot smaller, strolling from Parliament down the lovely tree-lined Victoria Embankment back to my flat in Holborn was a walk in the park. And thankfully today I didn’t have to use my umbrella, not once! Yes!

The prior morning was spent at the London College of Communication for a letterpress workshop. Unfortunately what could have been a wonderful playdat in the extensive L.C.C. press turned out to be a rather rushed attempt to force out a poster in randomly assigned groups. And naturally I got stuck in a group who’s sole inerest was printing profanity and not doing anything in the least bit interesting with the typography. The thing with letterpress is that it’s such a painstakingly tedious process, that to print a boring poster that is entirely unworthy of the technique is just a waste. Honestly, you can whip out that sort of graphic design rubbish in about five minutes on the computer, and personally I don’t have the patience to spend and entire day printing a poster that reads “fat white b*stard” in a lame typographic layout. So I quickly ditched the group and printed off a few things for my sketchbook before cutting out early to catch the L.C.C. graduate shows.

And it’s off to Brighton tomorrow. I absolutely love that name, Brighton. It just makes you think sunshine and butterflies. I bet it even rains sugar and gumdrops. Of course.

When it Rains, it Pours

2007-06-26T17:59:00.000-04:00

Water color, ink & collage on paper

When Sofas Get Lucky

2007-06-25T17:58:00.000-04:00

Collage, pen & ink on paper

Amphibian

2007-06-24T17:54:00.000-04:00

Pen & ink, collage on paper

Freaks in the Street

2007-06-23T23:45:00.000-04:00

The Hatton Garden flats were all out early this morning to beat the rush and get some bargains at the Portobello Road Market. But after warning from Bill the day before about the crowds and pickpockets being something like five times greater than those at Borough Market, I opted to sleep-in for once and enjoy a few precious hours of the flat to myself. Did I write about Borough Market before? We went as a class during the first week of the trip to experience the oldest running market in the city, but sadly most of the ‘quaintness’ was lost to me as we struggled to elbow our way through a crowd so dense I could barely make out what goods were being sold to either side of the aisle. The way to make sense of direction was by scent- curry? Ah there’s that kabab stand nearby. Or perhaps the pungent smell of the Thames? Must be the fish market. And is that the cheese stand I smell or did someone forget their deodorant this morning? The air was so heavy and moist you could barely breathe, let alone shop, so I can’t even imagine what sort of joys await at Portobello Road. I am happy to have that experience stay unknown to me.

Speaking of crowds, all the VC flats got together for a huge night of fun at one of London’s premier nightclubs, Fabric. It was a big night for famous names in the realm of five-star dj’s and the cover charge stood to prove it. Once through the doors day-glo colors, strobing lights, and that distinctive throbbing base immediately overwhelmed your senses. I can’t say I’ve ever been to a rave, but I can guess that it would be just like Fabric. Your sense of direction is stripped away, all perception of time is nil, and you’re left tumbling down the rabbit hole. I’m not sure I could tell you how many rooms or floors we stumbled upon even if I wanted to. One moment we’d be running down a neon-purple corridor then suddenly passing through small rooms that opened into big rooms. Up and down staircases, all alive in varying shades of color and sound. And no, I swear we weren’t taking any drugs! Fabric is just that trippy haha. As the subject of crowds is what got me started on this story, I’m sorry to say they’re what will end it as well. Fabric was packed so tight there was hardly room to twist your shoes on the dance floor. It was more of a mosh pit, a pulsing, sweaty mass of flesh. After having all our toes crushed from being stomped on, and acquiring bruises in places we’d never thought possible, our party opted to hit the 24hr KFC and get some ice cream, rather than stay till 7am to watch Goldie’s famous set. The clouds of dry ice and cigarette smoke were nearly asphyxiating; lungs burning and bodies aching we burst into the street gasping for air and marveling at how even London’s most polluted street smog felt refreshing after only a few short hours deep inside Fabrics’ dance halls.

After my experience at Fabric I took the rest of the weekend to make my pilgrimage to Camden Town, which, for those who are unaware, is like the punk rock center of the universe. As someone who’s had a brush with various shades of hair dye, chunky black eyeliner and studded leather jewelry, I felt pleasantly nostalgic walking down the streets of Camden, florescent Mohawks and facial piercings passing by in flocks. It’s that entire extreme that I dreamed about during my ‘rebel years’ but never quite reached [thank goodness], because for me, it was merely a phase I grew out of, not a lifestyle like it is for the residents of Camden. When you hop off the tube at the tip of the Northern Line, it looks as though you’ve landed in some deranged quarter of Disney Land. Buildings come in all shapes and have their facades decorated in a multitude of blaring colors and signs. Kind of like if Hot Topic and Spencer Gifts got together and took over a whole town. Markets full of knock-offs and every type of shredded clothing and accessories one could ever need to create a punk costume plug up every crevice all the way to Camden Lock, where sketchy bars and nightclubs crowd the rancid waterfront. It’s definitely not the kind of place I’d want to be caught in after dark. But during the day the sun illuminates the streets and alleys in a warm enough glow to banish any shadowy fears and welcome a few ‘outsiders’ into this strange piece of world.

I pretty much wore out the soles of my shoes crawling all over Camden and eventually had to go back to the flat and start planning my five-day break (which starts this Wednesday). Looks like I’ll be down in Brighton for a couple days, then over to Dover to hike along the White Cliffs and back to London for a weekend day trip to the Royal Gardens at Kew. So if you don’t hear from me for a few days next week, never fear, I haven’t drowned in the Thames of been swallowed up by the streets of Camden, but am merely taking a bit of a ‘holiday’ from the city :) cheers~

Somewhere to Chill

2007-06-23T18:51:00.000-04:00

Collage on paper

The Lemonia

2007-06-22T18:50:00.000-04:00

Watercolor & ink on paper

Turn off your tele and go play outside

2007-06-21T19:45:00.000-04:00

I hate television, with a passion. Of the four channels we have at our flat, there is nothing but the most awful British reality tv, daytime soaps and cheesy game shows on 24/7. And I mean 24/7, because that’s how often my roommates feel the need to have the darn thing on and that's exactly all that's ever showing. I swear I can feel my brain turning to oatmeal just being in the same vicinity as that blaring box. So here I am, sitting in the park freezing my pants off watching pigeons and trying to get a little peace and quiet. They’ve planted some new flower in the St. Andrews Courtyard so it’s a bit less bleak than usual and the rain clouds look like they’re might be drifting off for the night so hopefully I can sit here and not get wet again.
We went to the studio of Satwinder Sehmi yesterday, who we’ve actually already met because he came to do a calligraphy workshop with us at Delaware sophomore year. Sehmi is one of the few remaining fine art calligraphers who does all his work by hand. With the move toward computer-generated scripts, it’s sad to see such talent dying out in the nations art schools. No one teaches it anymore, and an aging Sehmi is trying to reach as many students as he can, to carry on such a beautiful tradition. I think he’s pretty awesome, and I like that laid-back, almost Zen approach he takes to making his pieces, even if he really is the twitchy coke addict that past students have rumored. Whatever, his art is better than yours, computer typographers.
There was this excellent salvage company set up in the abandoned cathedral across the street from Sehmi’s studio. They take old furnishings and architectural pieces from old buildings scheduled for demolition and restore them for the wealthiest of England’s estates. There was so much cool stuff in there, like a multimillion-dollar yard sale of the past few centuries. Everything from giant golden mirrors and tapestries, to great marble fireplaces and weathered statues of saints and kings. Even a few gothic chandeliers fit for any fine banquet hall. I want to work for them. Forget this design business, just watching the truckloads of dirt-coated pieces pulling up for restoration got me tingling with excitement. Oh to dig through those piles of history and polish up a shining gem. It’s like archaeology, except more profitable.
After our chat with Sehmi we traveled deeper into the notorious East End, which despite all the claims it has made about being on the rise as a trendy artist hotbed, still shows every sign of the past hundred years of poverty and crime that have flourished there. If it weren’t for the prestigious White Cube Gallery, it would still be considered the dump that it so evidently still is. Crumbling buildings, boarded up storefronts and narrow alleyway streets make up this corner of town. We were supposed to have a writing workshop with this gal, I think her name was Wendy? But it turned out to be a pretty huge joke. Poor Wendy (let’s just go with that name) decided to hold our ‘workshop’ in this grungy little park, where the grass grew in muddy patches and the mangy-looking pigeons seemed friendlier than the sketchy sort of locals mulling about. There was so much construction and demolition going on around I could barely hear her soft voice, and what I could decipher was a whole lot of her talking in circles and never really saying anything. And she was so darn A.D.D. that I had a hard time following her talk. One minute she’d be going on about marketing then all of a sudden her sentence would turn to how attractive than man walking by was, or how she loves the police that ride horses and “wouldn’t that be the best job in the world.” It was more like she was just having a conversation more with her self than with us. I was so disappointed. I had actually really been looking forward to doing a spot of writing or actually learning something. I’m sorry to say that the most interesting part of her talk was when it was interrupted by this greasy old bum who cam and plopped himself right in the middle of our circle and requested to sit and listen to Wendy’s talk. So of course Wendy just chattered away to the ancient man, who told us that he was the son of one of the Cray brothers (a murderous duo from back in the day, as Wendy filled us in later) and how he was fresh out of prison and awaiting trial for all the people his gang family had killed. Peaches and cream. And Jesse got the idea to whip out his massively expensive camera and get all up in Mr. Cray’s space, which set him off on how infamous he was and how he’d give us all autographs. I was secretly hoping he’d snatch Jesse’s camera, it would serve him right cause that boy just doesn’t know when to quit, like when is not the most appropriate time to be a flashy rich kid. I thought the old man was just nuts, and Wendy kept encouraging him by going along with his loony banter. He finally wandered off, yelling some nonsense down the street as he went, but not before begging Wendy to give him the address to the American Embassy. I’d really like to see him show up there later haha. Wendy said she thought he was the ‘real McCoy’ because his father had been all over the news back at the height of their murder spree and she reckoned the old man did share a slight resemblance. Ah London, always full of surprises… *shudder*
After our visit in the park we went to the White Cube to see the latest work by Damien Hirst, which wasn’t the least bit cheery, just his usual tortured animals in vats of colored formaldehyde. Since we had the whole afternoon off I rushed back to civilized central London and caught a matinee of the musical “Wicked” at the Apollo Victoria. It was a fantastic production, with streamers shooting into the audience and gigantic lighting displays, flying broomsticks and a large mechanical dragon. The best was how the theater reserves a few front row tickets each morning for last minute bookings and I got one for only 25 pounds! And I was practically on the stage! It was pretty rad. Go see it if you haven’t already. I’ve had the soundtrack since it was out on Broadway in New York, and it’s definitely the best.
Anyways, it’s getting late and there’s a few shady bums crawling into the park to sleep for the night so I guess that’s my cue to get back to the flat before dark. Looks like rain. Later.

My Muse

2007-06-21T18:49:00.000-04:00

Watercolor & paper on collage

Got a hunger you can't seem to get full

2007-06-20T18:46:00.000-04:00

Newspaper collage on paper

City Blocks and Ugly Frocks

2007-06-19T22:13:00.000-04:00

I’m really disappointed in the London fashion scene. The whole empire-waist trend needs to move on because I’m tired of looking at aisles of ‘maternity wear’ in every clothing store. Then there’s the fluorescent colored tops in prints that look as though they’ve been resurrected from a wallpaper catalogue circa 1970, the end result being a top that’s just trying way to hard to be ‘retro.’ And thanks to China and cheap industry practices, everything appears to be made from some low-grade synthetic blend. Where have all my quality-stitched cottons and natural earth tones gone? Alright, so maybe I’m a little sour because I spent an entire afternoon on fashion row and didn’t find a single outfit that was even the least bit enticing. All I wanted was a single new shirt, is that too much to as for? *sigh*
At any rate, I got a decent walk through Harrods, in search of something nice for the parents. Once I’d bypassed the tourists in their Disney World t-shirts and baseball caps, snapping pictures in front of $100,000 handbags, I found the store to be just as classy as I’d hoped. Maybe even a little too classy, as walking down gilded corridors and oak paneled stairways, passing items that cost more than my parents house, in my book bag, jeans and flip flops began to feel uncomfortably inappropriate for such a luxurious place. But not to worry, I made it out alive, wallet still intact and now I’m back at the flat, bored out of my mind, staring out the window, or at the four tv channels, or at my roommates bored faces staring back at me. It’s raining, and our grocery bills are cutting into our clubbing fund, so we’ll either have to stop eating or suffice to three more weeks of dull evenings on Hatton Garden. Maybe we should just take up smoking or something, I hear that curbs your appetite pretty good… except that London is going smoke-free in a couple weeks and a box of cigarettes costs more than two boxes of Frosted Flakes so I guess it’s not such a great idea after all… haha *wink*
I suppose you’re wanting to know how all of our studio visits have been going, but there’s not a whole lot to say… I mean, you see one designer and you’ve pretty much seen them all… ok so maybe that’s a bit of a gross generalization, but I’ve still yet to experience this “life changing” event that Bill promised us back in November. Don’t get me wrong, this trip has been amazing, and I have no desire to ever go back to America, but at the same time I was really banking on London to be a sort of inspiring miracle that would shake me out of the creative slump I’ve been in for the past semester, but apparently no about of artistic stimulation can suck me out of that dark place. Oh well, I do what I can.
We met with the Central Illustration Agency today, which was an informative look at the role of an agent for a freelance artist. I’d already done a lot of research on various agencies, so most of the talk wasn’t anything new, but it was still good to have some questions answered and hear a positive take on the often uncertain realm of freelance careers. And they gave us toys, always a bonus.

Diary

2007-06-19T18:44:00.000-04:00

Pencil & collage on paper

BBH Black Sheep

2007-06-18T18:42:00.000-04:00

Watercolor & collage on paper

Rainy London Mondays

2007-06-18T10:03:00.000-04:00

I’ve plopped myself on a cushy velvet sofa in the two story Starbucks to watch the rain wash down the front of Harrod’s before I venture out across Hyde Park to find the Royal College of Art Show.
Our free weekend turned out great; we beat the rainy weather in Bath and then again at Leeds Castle on Sunday and now all I want to do is curl up in my pajamas with a good cup of English tea and sleep the rainy day away. But no suck luck haha, as the VC itinerary must continue on!
The three-hour bus ride to Bath was definitely worth it as we pulled into a city built around the river Avon and reminiscent of somewhere like Venice, with its stucco buildings, terracotta roofs and gondolas on the water.
There were extensive parks and gardens with weathered Roman statues still keeping watch over the flowerbeds and rivers’ edge.
The Roman baths were contained within one museum-building, where most of the remains were locked behind glass or scale replicas of what used to be there. The main pool was the most impressive, as a long pillar-lined rectangle of fetid pea-green water. I was under the impression that there was a modern spa built around the thermal hot spt (as this was the case with the Georgian baths in TeAroha, NZ) and had a moment of embarrassment when our group asked where the bath was that we could swim in… we’ll just pretend that we were kidding and didn’t actually have our swimsuits in our bags…
The Bath Abbey was also quite a sight, with the high vaulted ceiling all intricately hand carved and painted. I seriously think I took about two hundred pictures haha.
Sunday Craig and I got up early to get off to the Kent countryside and see Leeds Castle. I was a little disappointed because it wasn’t quite as ‘castley’ as I was hoping. A noble country estate until the 1930’s, the decorations inside were relatively modern, and all roped off. But there was a moat, and some turrets and a tall hedge maze, complete with about a thousand screaming children out celebrating Father’s Day with their dads. It was such a gorgeous sunny day and wandering around the gardens was nice and relaxing after the three hour tube-train-bus adventure it’d taken us to get there.

Get Happy

2007-06-17T18:40:00.000-04:00

Letterpress on newsprint

Les Chapeaux

2007-06-16T18:38:00.000-04:00

Watercolor, ink & collage on paper

On the Bus to Bath

2007-06-16T10:10:00.000-04:00

A man got mugged outside our building the other night. I was half asleep and vaguely remember hearing someone shouting for help and sobbing in the street and the next morning Craig said he saw three guys in hoodies running off the and the police come about ten minutes later. Now we’re all scared to go out at night, there’s something eerie about Hatton Gardens at night. It’s more of a business district without many residential buildings, so after about 5pm there isn’t a soul around, the shop fronts are all locked up and the street is completely deserted.
We woke to a dreary London morning, but as Craig put it, it doesn’t really ‘rain’ in London but rather just spits at you. It’s true, little bursts of drops here and there from the sky, more than a drizzle, but not a steady downpour. So we made it to the bus without our umbrellas and it looks as though it just might clear off by the time we reach Bath.
Yesterday we had a lovely surprise, as our trip to Baseline magazine was afternoon tea at the Bradbourne country estate, about an hour’s train ride outside the city in West Malling. The house is rented out for weddings, parties, etc and is owned by the horticulture society, who keep the farm and gardens up and running. Baseline magazine has their ‘HQ’ in the old stable building and after treating us to tea and cookies we got to browse their design library and wander the grounds. It was a beautiful day and it was a nice change of pace to breathe some fresh country air and have a break from the city. Hans, in his thick German accent, gave us a talk on how HDR Visual Communications acquired the Baseline account, while his wife gave us complimentary issues of Baseline #49.
The prior evening was spent with Graham Fink at Finktank Design. Graham was soft-spoken and more interested in going out to the bar with us afterwards than giving us a lecture. In the typical all-black attire of a designer I didn’t find his as inspiring as I hoped, although it was kind of nice to encounter a designer who actually didn’t have any answers for us. Once again we heard about how this field will kick your butt, and how we’ll spend many sleepless nights for the rest of our lives and that’s that. I think these agency designers need to relax and enjoy their lives a little bit more. I mean I guess if design is all you’ve got… but seriously. Graham Fink’s studio space was really cool, it's in this building decorated by Daydream Network, who covered the walls in doodles and crazy fluorescent wallpaper, which kind of reminded me of out studio space in Recitation Hall. The neat thing about Daydream is that they’re always looking for new artists and after seeing a few of our sketchbooks they encouraged us to submit our work, I’ll have to check them out when I get back to the U.S.
We’re stuck in some pretty hardcore traffic on the way to Bath right now. Alicia and the girls took the $80 train ride to get there faster…but I still think sitting in traffic for $32 is better than spending that much for the train *crosses fingers* maybe the bus’ll be on the move again soon…

Wall Space

2007-06-15T18:37:00.000-04:00

Collage on paper

Blue Print

2007-06-14T18:35:00.000-04:00

Collage on paper

Abbey Road

2007-06-14T16:45:00.001-04:00

Craig and I got such a steal on a bus trip to Bath! I was getting worried when looking at 40pound train tickets online, when I realized that the ‘scrap paper’ the STA Travel Agent had written the train info on was a brochure of bus tours to surrounding UK hot spots, and it just so happened that there was one to Bath this weekend! 16pounds round trip almost gets me as excited as the prospect of seeing Roman ruins haha. And it looks like there might be a bunch of other VC people coming too so it should be a fun day.
We got up early this morning to go see Abbey Road, and the crosswalk from the Beatles album cover is actually right in the midst of a very busy intersection so we had to snap our pictures fast. Everyone then proceeded to whip out their Sharpies and add their signatures to the wall in front of the recording studio- cheers from America!

Fish 'n Sick

2007-06-13T22:30:00.000-04:00

Ugh. I had the worst experience with fish and chips for dinner, and its really a shame because it smelled so promising and I was really looking forward to a supper-time splurge on some good ‘ole fried food. But then when I got my battered piece of haddock it was a sticky, slimy mess, skin, bones, soggy batter and all *shudders* my flat still smells of it and its making my stomach roll…
On a slightly less repulsive note, we had a great lecture at the Art Workers Guild again today, this time by the owner of a fine binding press and complete with complimentary glasses of chardonnay. He talked about the history of fine bookbinding and the making of “The Great Omar” a half million-dollar book that sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic when shipped to America on the Titanic. I don’t know what would possess a person to create, or purchase for that matter, a book like that. Inlaid with precious stones and coated in exquisite gold leafing, along with thousands of leather on-lays, the whole thing just seems a bit over the top. That sort of opulence is borderline gaudy, like all those luxury materials overwhelm a simple block of paper pages. Dare I say it almost seems a waste to give all that attention to an object that will just spend it's life on a shelf or in a box in someone’s collection…
Bill finally gave us our money for the theater and I can’t wait to go book tickets for Wicked later. I hope they aren’t too pricey so that I can get more than one show out of the 50 pounds.
Oh and it looks like Craig and I are going to try and book a bus trip to Bath on Saturday to see the Roman ruins! Sweet as!

le Paul

2007-06-13T18:34:00.000-04:00

Napkin & watercolor on paper

UK OK!

2007-06-13T09:35:00.000-04:00

After our lecture at Central St. Martin’s School of Design, I’m really glad I go to Delaware. I don’t care how many famous designers they’ve popped out in the last century; I’ll still take UD for it’s modern facilities and less ‘art school’ aesthetic. Although I will say I got the impression that their photography students actually know how to take pictures, as the instructor who talked to us emphasized that the faculty is there to provide them with the technical skills the students need to carry out their concepts. If there’s one criticism I do have about UDVC is that I haven’t learned jack about photography, and all our class time is spent developing concepts, whish I think is an inherent process to begin with. Either that’s how you think or you don't. But when you’ve got concept down it’s not going to do you a whole lot of good if you don’t have the technical knowledge required to render it properly…
Anyways, after a long morning bordering on the verge of utterly boring, we were off to the Art Workers Guild to watch Peter Saville nervously bite his nails on the throne of the Guild’s inner sanctum. Apparently Peter is ‘god of design,’ so of course I’d never heard of him. An interesting character, who doesn't work anymore as he doesn't believe in it, and is more interested in being a cynical old man than designing Joy Division album covers. Yet despite all the negativity he emitted, he was actually pretty cool, perched on the throne with his shaggy hair and attire making him look like some burnt out rock star left over from the ‘70’s. Like maybe he’s a long lost member of the Rolling Stones.
Next was Michael Johnson at Crescent Works, who does a lot of identity work for charities and played us some wicked blues guitar. I really liked the work he’s done for Japan, with the mixture of kanji and western letterforms.
Then we rode the tube for half an hour out into the ghetto to visit Eye Magazine, a graphic design quarterly which I’ve never read due to the $30 newstand price. There was a fire drill and we spent our visit in the park with John Walters using us as a demographic survey, like what were out thoughts on the future of design and what makes us buy Eye Magazine.
Today will be another busy day, with visits from 11am-8om… ugh, I’m tired just thinking about it. Our ‘free weekend’ is coming up and I still don’t know what I’m going to do. Everyone’s booked flights to various corners of Europe and all I know is that I’d still like to see the Royal College of Art show on Saturday, and maybe take the train to Brighton if I can ever get internet access long enough to check ticket prices haha.

Sir Salvador

2007-06-12T18:32:00.000-04:00

Newspaper collage on paper

'Oh the places you'll go...'

2007-06-11T18:31:00.000-04:00

Ticket stub collage on paper

Another week down...

2007-06-11T13:30:00.000-04:00

Hit up the British Library this morning to view the “Sacred Show.” It consisted of all ancient holy texts from Judaism, Christianity and Islam. There was the Gutenberg Bible, the first printed book from Asia and pieces of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The beauty of these centuries-old books is just incredible. Imagining someone hand lettering and illustrating these giant books just blows my mind… talk about focus. But then again that’s coming from me with my attention span of a gnat.