Squishy Paste

Fortitude

2012-02-17T21:11:00.000-08:00

Informal Statement on the Work:

Some of the wooden barns in the Pacific Northwest are 150+ years of age. Since the land was settled in the 1800's by immigrants, agriculture has been the main economy of the region, but, as a changing the economy weans out dairy farmers, fewer and fewer barnsare kept up. The springs are notoriously wet. Dilapidated barns that have not been tended over the years start to shed more than one panel at a time. These buildings become shells (barnacles) embodying stories and history.To me, barns are the very definition offortitude, embodying strength and courage in the face of danger adversity, anddifficulty.

Some of the topics that I have been thinking about throughout the duration of this project include the similarities between architecture and the body, abstract symbolism, and the interconnection of identity, memory, and place.

Fortitude, 2012
screenprinted tulle, nylon rope, found wood, furring strips, house paint, wood stain, beeswax, block print, antique barn windows, address placard, lights
14' x 12' x 10'

interior vantage point, looking up into the roof

detail

NOVA is awesome--- lice as a marker for human evolution!

2012-02-15T18:41:00.000-08:00

Blows my mind! Awesome!

Watch Lice and Human Evolution on PBS. See more from NOVA scienceNOW.

Artist Pat Perry

2012-02-14T22:16:00.000-08:00

My friend Megan sent me a link to this artist's website, which I will now share with you. Look closely at the details!

"It Happened One Night"

2012-02-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

Randel and I at the afterparty, Fifth Season.

Dan's gigantic "flesh pile" drawing. Someday we will
A. Be able to afford it, and
B. Own a house.

Ojeda/Moore, 2012

Dan and I soon after being kicked out of the gallery (along with everyone else) at 9pm.

3 Fish!!!!

Megan talking with this gentleman about my work. I was very excited that so many people explored the inside of the barn.

RAHR!!!

Alisha, he father, and Nick in the forefront. We had a packed gallery last night.

Auj's performance area and Dan's cathedral (that's my nickname for the area... not sure he'd call it that but it makes him laugh).

Familiar faces looking at Jamie's paintings.

Alisha's stunning work.

Gizeli brought her daughter, Deborah, and Deborah's friend, to the opening. The girls were explaining their ideas about my barn. They really, really loved to be inside of it. Definitely a highlight of the evening.

Arianna and I. She was a student in my first printmaking class at Stony Brook (as was Gizeli), and she is currently my TA and a very dear friend.

Blaming Pancho for not keeping a straight face :)

"It's like herding cats" to get us all together. I feel so blessed to be a part of this gifted group of people. From left to right: Jamie Macaulay, Dan Hess, Kathryn Cellerini, Jose Ojeda, Auj Khan, Kristina Stoyanova, Alisha McCurdy, and Pancho Westendarp.

A paparazzi shot...

Who's who??

Cat Shoulder Muse

2012-02-12T14:08:00.000-08:00

Randel has been training the cat to sit across his shoulders. We'll keep you posted on the progress. Her longest duration has been about a minute or so.

Vintage Dress Throwback

2012-02-02T19:01:00.000-08:00

With Mom's arrival around the corner, I have had to start looking for wedding dress styles again. While Mom is here we will go on a dress hunt. I've yet to try anything on. I am drawn to vintage throwbacks, and with my short hair I think a hairpiece like these would be fun.

Say Hello...

2012-01-26T09:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at the gallery.....

First Snow of the Season, and Vinyl!

2012-01-23T19:16:00.000-08:00

Finally some snow on Long Island!

We now look official! Vinyl lettering was applied today. Show opens February 7.

Prints

2012-01-22T20:37:00.000-08:00

Washington barns
2011
solarplate, digital print, burlap, pins on paper
22" x 30"
1/1

Barn memory
2011
collograph and solarplate on paper
22" x 30"
1/1

Today was the first say I've worked in the studio in a week. I am happy to report that I started an finished a mixed-media drawing, which I will photograph some time over the next semester. It felt good to be work on something new. Like my peers, I've been spending my hours at the gallery installing the barn sculpture, which I have decided to call Fortitude.

Fortitude: mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously

Western Oregon offers this to thier Undergrad Artists

2012-01-21T18:17:00.001-08:00

What can you do with an art degree?By the year 2012, Oregon will enjoy 17.8% growth in art related jobs.
Two-thirds of the art job categories listed in “Occupational Employment Projections 2002-2012,” published by the Oregon Employment Department, require a Bachelor’s degree as minimum education and require a Bachelor’s degree plus work experience, or else a Master’s degree, to be competitive.

The U.S. Department of Labor reiterates the need for an increase of

qualified artists in the nationwide workforce.

“Occupational Employment Projections to 2012,” published in the February 2004 Monthly Labor Review,predicts a 16.1% growth in art and design occupations.
This represents 245,000 total art job openings due to growth and net replacements from 2002-2012.
The forecast estimates 84,000 of these art related jobs require skills specific to the specialty areas listed in the proposed BFA: graphic fine art fields will grow by 16.5%.

We live in an age when visual communication is acknowledged to be a core component in transmitting and receiving information.

Visual communication crosses verbal language barriers, and is used in every culture throughout the world. The U.S. Department of Labor statistics listed above confirm the growing need for visually literate employees working in art and design occupations.

BA/BS and BFA graduates from WOU
pursue gratifying art and design careers in the following fields:

Arts education
K-12
community college
university level professor
consultant

Fine art

Gallery represented/commissioned artist
sculptor
painter
ceramist
printmaker
performance artist
installation artist
environmental artist
earth artist

Fine art technician

mould making
bronze casting
fine arts edition printer (printmaking)
offset printer

Graphic design

Print design

annual reports
book design
brochures
catalogs
posters
publications and editorial
type design
corporate reports

Experience Design

interactive and web design
information architecture
information design
interactive data visualization
interaction design
games design
interface design (software and hardware)
interactive television
virtual reality
web interface design
web interface development

Brand Experience

brand design
brand identity
brand management
brand strategy
package design
advertising
marketing

Identity Design

corporate identity
public relations
strategic design

3D Design

industrial design
environmental design
exhibition design
product design
interior design
retail interior design

Illustrator

medical
courtroom
editorial
fashion
police
product
technical
botanical
scientific
greeting cards
story board
book illustration
computerized illustration

Management

art director
corporate design
manager
studio manager
production manager
project manager
business manager
business development

Museum/Gallery

restoration
curating
art marketing
education
public arts
research
appraisers
gallery owner
exhibit installation

Planning and strategy

communications strategy
design strategy
experience strategy
product strategy

Photography

editorial
fine arts
journalistic
stock

Television/Film

animation
sound
video
computer editing
storyboarding
art direction

Related industries: paper, printing, software, hardware, product design

http://www.wou.edu/las/creativearts/art/careersinart.php

Whitman College Department of Art offers this beautifully comprehensive list for their Art Majors

2012-01-21T17:33:00.000-08:00

Suggested Reading List for StudioArt Majors:

Books:

Gaston Bachelard, The PoeticsSpace
David Bachelor, Chromophobia
Christopher Butler, Postmodernism: A Very Short Introduction
Jean Baudrillard, Simulations
Guy Debord, Society of the Spectacle
John Berger, Ways of Seeing
Roland Barths, Mythology
Freud, Totem and Taboo
Walter Benjamin, Illumination and Reflections
Terry Barret, Criticizing Art, Interpreting Art
Brian O'Doherty, Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space
Yve Alain Bois and Rosalind Krauss, Formless: A User's Guide
WJT Mitchell, What Do Pictures Want, The Lives and Loves of Images
Wientraub, Danto, McEvilley, Art on the Edge and Over: Searching forArt’s Meaning in Contemporary Society 1970-1990
Stuart Sim and Borin Van Loon, Introducing Critical Thoery
David Hickey, Air Guitar, The Eternal Dragon (Caution:this is the light beer of art theory and criticism)
Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita

(If nothing else, all art studentsshould have and be reading these 2 books, in bookstore):
Theories of Contemporary Art: A Source Book of Artist’s Writings
Art and Theory: 1900-2000

Essays:

Merleau-Ponty, Cezanne’s Doubt
Walter Benjamin, The Storyteller, Art in the Age of MechanicalReproduction, and Author as Producer
Donald Judd, Specific Objects
Michael Fried, Art and Objecthood
Martha Rosler, Lookers, Buyers, Dealers, and Makers: Thoughts on Audience
Jean Baudrillard, The Precession of Simulacra
Derrida, Truth in Painting
Paul Virilio, The Accident of Art
Michel Foucault, The Subject of Power, History of Sexuality
Kant, Critique of Judgement

Visual Organization/Color:

Rudolph Arneheim, Art andVisual Perception
Albers, The Interaction of Color
Johannes Itten, The Elements of Color

Spirituality:

Kandinsky, On Spirituality andArt
Upanishad Eknath Easwaran, Dialogue with Death: The Spiritual Psychologyof the Katha
Joseph Campbell, The Heroes Journey

Installation/New Genres:

New Media in late 20th Century Art
Installation Art in the New Millenium

Book Arts Related:

Betty Bright, No LongerInnocent: The Book Arts in America, 1960-1980
Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics
Cheese Monkeys (Art School Parody)

Ceramics:

Mark del Vecchio, Post-ModernCeramics

http://www.whitman.edu/art/index.html

BOUND Install, Day 3 and 4

2012-01-20T08:01:00.000-08:00

Can you see me???

Barn went up faster than I anticipated. Having numerous folks around to lift the gambrels really helped.

Jose talks business with Pete, lighting/gallery install man extraordinaire.

Applying fabric prints to the roof. Dan's drawing was being installed, too. Neither piece is lit yet.

But starting to play with shadows.

I try not to bring work home with me but in this case, I lose.

Install, Day 2

2012-01-17T17:46:00.000-08:00

Alisha unpacking her beautiful bird prints.

Olga, Gallery Helper and Art Historical Genius, doing all of Dan's dirty work. Just kidding, Dan! But in all honesty, Olga rocks, and Dan's installation is really starting to inhabit the space nicely.

My lights arrived today. As promised, here are some photos.

Strategically placing and taping the lights to the floor, underneath the barn floor. Tomorrow's goal: the walls and doors.

From South to Staller

2012-01-16T16:10:00.000-08:00

Dan, Jose, Alisha, Jonah, and I were able to fit all of the heavy artwork into four truck loads. Here we are with barn walls.

A painting of a car.

Jose taking a moment to work out.

Boys being boys. Father and son. Look at that air!

Ojeda's Bodega brought to you by a banana!

Is Dan going to shut Alisha in the trunk??

Jose drew first blood today. All for the love of art.

It felt GREAT to finally get the work into the gallery! Can't wait to start assembling tomorrow!

Barn in a corner

2012-01-15T13:38:00.001-08:00

Ready to move on Monday!

Lights!

2012-01-13T17:01:00.000-08:00

I am going to try and make some vintage drop light cages for the interior of my barn. Here is one of many websites featuring antique designs for lighting, also where I found the image: http://factory514.tumblr.com/

She Works Out!

2012-01-10T19:08:00.000-08:00

"Kitty stayed here all morning."

"NO I WILL NOT GET UP!"

"She finally got up to help me exercise but all she wanted was...

...a rub."

"Tired after her workout."

Commentary and photos from Randel.

Welcome to the World!

2012-01-10T18:56:00.001-08:00

I love my newest Godson!!!! I can't wait to meet him!!! XOXOXOX

Day in NYC with Howardena and Co.

2012-01-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the power and influence of Howardena, we were allowed to go behind the scenes at the Metropolitan Museum. Our guides were two gentlemen from the installation department. We wandered through a recently unveiled exhibition first, followed by a sneak preview of the new American Wing, which will open later next week. One of the bog highlights for me was seeing the painting "Washington Crossing the Delaware," newly restored with a replica frame. It's size was monstrous, monumental. I haven't been moved by a painting at a museum in years.

Banana Boys. Four of Six in our group bought the cheapest thing on the Met's menu: banana.

"Follow the Light." Jose doing some research for his latest piece, which will be unveiled in a couple of weeks at BOUND.

Alisha and I walked 100 blocks that day. Along the way we noticed that the Rockafeller Tree was still standing.

The tree smelled wonderful. Hats! Neither one of us apparently knew where to focus our attention, but cute nonetheless.

Good Night Analog

2012-01-05T14:29:00.000-08:00

MARQUETTE -- A new exhibit opened Wednesday at the Marquette Arts and Culture Center in the Peter White Public Library.

It's called "Good Night Analog," and artist Kristine Granger says the work comes from experiences many of us have shared, including the nightly sign-off TV stations used to end the broadcast day.

She hopes everyone who sees her work will take away something that can stir their own personal memories.
"When you have this collective memory, it's sort of a trigger that then unveils sort of this personal memory that's behind it," said Granger.
Much of Granger's inspiration for her work came from the transition from analog to digital television in 2009 and a short film she created called "Place Between Sleep and Dreams."

Granger's art will be on display at the Marquette Arts and Culture Center through January 27.

Article Source: http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/news/story.aspx?id=703961#.TwYjx3pBo-U

Congratulations to my dear friend Kristine. Her hard work and dedication are truly inspiring!!!!

Jan 2, 2012

2012-01-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

The Cat's January 2, 2012 Activities...

... I went out for a breath of fresh, cold, windy air at the beach...

...The Cat's January 2, 2012 continued Activities.

BOUND

2012-01-01T18:47:00.000-08:00

The Hornet's Nest Grows...

2012-01-01T18:39:00.000-08:00

Prints are getting thicker.

A view, outside looking in.

I plan to keep on spinning the lair. Ordered another 60 yards of fabric today and ink. The closer the deadline the more I want to do, but at least I know now what it will take to finish this beast.

Printed on the walls, and then layered tulle alongside.

Full Interview is now available for the Listen!

2011-12-27T21:04:00.000-08:00

http://ojedabodega.blogspot.com/2011/12/10-kathryn-cellerini.html

Thank you Jose! It was fun!

I have working doors!

2011-12-27T18:17:00.000-08:00

Barn doors! I love them! Positive energy in the studio today.

LOLCats

2011-12-27T08:53:00.000-08:00

A great way to start off the day: LOL CATS

Conan, Colbert, Stewart

2011-12-26T20:08:00.000-08:00

Obsessing over Rooftops

2011-12-25T13:37:00.000-08:00

Found these online. Love them.

the roof kicked my ass today

2011-12-24T19:16:00.000-08:00

Dan and I have been asking each other over the last few days whether or not we've been victorious in the studio. Dan's record this week is a winning one. Mine is not. My barn has been kicking my ass recently. Today it was the roof. It's going to be tricky to avoid making this piece look like a circus tent. When I return to the studio on Monday, I am going to clean out everything from the inside and start with fresh eyes.

But at least I am happy with the print work on the tulle....I printed 16 yards worth yesterday and I need to buy more.

Vermont Studio Center

2011-12-21T21:08:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, I received a letter in the mail. The envelope felt slightly bulky, maybe even pudgy. The contrast of this fat envelope to the last, bulimic envelope I received made my heart beat very quickly. I opened the letter and happily read that I was accepted into the Vermont Studio Residency Program for the duration of January -February, 2013. And, to top off the exciting news, they offered me funding! Even cooler, a day later, Alisha received a similar letter! As she so eloquently put it : "I can survive outside of graduate school!"

Here is a link to VSC's website: http://www.vermontstudiocenter.org/

Amazing Lip-Reading Joke

2011-12-20T16:27:00.000-08:00

"NEWT GINGRICH" â a Bad Lip Reading Soundbite - watch more funny videos

Bad Lip Reading: Rick Perry's "Strong" ad - watch more funny videos

No Sleep?

2011-12-20T02:49:00.001-08:00

It is almost 6am and I haven't been able to sleep a wink. This expression about sums it up.

Old but Funny

2011-12-20T02:07:00.000-08:00

Jose and I, prior to this clip, had been speaking for an hour. That info is not included in this post, but the audio will be available on itunes soon. Here is a sneak peak at some of the content. Also, Jose will eventually have the full audio on his blog, www.ojedasbodega.com.
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/18238459
<p>&amp;amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;amp;nbsp; </p>

Nothing To Do With Arbroath: Owner suprised to find cat regularly catches bus

2011-12-18T15:38:00.000-08:00

Reblogged from here: http://arbroath.blogspot.com/2011/12/owner-suprised-to-find-cat-regularly.html?spref=fb

A pet cat named Dodger is living up to his name - by catching free bus trips from his home town. The ginger moggy, who was named after the Artful Dodger from Oliver Twist, has taken to hopping on and off the public transport at the bus station near his home. The 15-year-old Tom even sits on bemused passengers' laps as the bus makes up to 10 mile round trips from Bridport to Charmouth in Dorset. Dodger is such a regular customer that some of the drivers take tins of cat food to work with them to give to him. They even know what stop to let him off at. At the end of his journies the roving moggy returns to his home and owner Fee Jeanes.

Mrs Jeanes, 44, believes Dodger first took a liking to the buses as they are warm like greenhouses when the sun is on them. But the adventurous pet has since ended up being taken for several rides. Mrs Jeanes, 44, said: "We moved here 19 months ago and our house backs onto the bus station. He is an old boy and is very friendly. At first Dodger kept going to the bus station because people there fed him tit-bits and scraps of food. But then he started climbing on board the buses because they are almost like greenhouses when it is sunny. Then last week I found out he had travelled to Charmouth and back, which is a 10 mile round trip.

"I hadn't seen him all morning until my daughter Emily told me one of her friends had just seen him on the bus at Charmouth. I couldn't believe it and panicked. I got into my car to go off and look for him and then at that moment the bus pulled up near our house and low and behold he got off. He had fallen asleep on board and nobody knew about it. When the driver realised he knew who Dodger was and where he lived and kept him on board. That afternoon I saw Dodger climb on board another bus and I rushed to tell the driver. I was shocked when she told me Dodger was always on there and liked to sit on the seats because they are warm from where people have been sitting.

"The drivers buy cat food for him and he sits on people's laps. Sometimes he just sits in the middle of the road and waits for the bus to turn up before he gets on." A spokesman for bus firm First said they didn't mind Dodger on their buses but didn't actively encourage him. He said: "The drivers have been asked not to feed it because we recognise that cat has an owner and we do not want to discourage it from returning home for food and shelter, but in principle we do not have a problem with it being around the bus station. Given this cat is elderly we suspect it would be eligible for free travel, perhaps a bus puss, if such a thing existed."

Christmas Party!

2011-12-18T15:04:00.000-08:00

Randel pulled apart some of the skin on one of the turkeys by accident. Alisha to the rescue, sewing together the skin with the injection needle and butterball thread.

Surgery complete.

David arrived early to help Randel set up the makeshift frier . Here they are nabbing a turkey while Jose enjoys the warm company of the ladies. It was very cold outside.

The cat. This is how she helped prepare for the party.

It was so wonderful to see a full house of happy people! I felt very blessed.

Nick carving the turkey. He said that he has 10 years of restaurant experience! BTW--- To those of you in my family who know Alisha, Nick is the new boyfriend.

The group started to thin down by 11:30 or so.

Boys playing Battlefield 3.

Veronica and I hanging out at the party.

As a side note, 150 days until graduation, and 6 months until we move!

New Hair!

2011-12-17T07:09:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Kaitlyn at NTrigue, Port Jefferson, NY, for making my day and hair brighter. This should definitely get me through the next month and a half while I deal with finishing and installing thesis work.

Ojeda's Bodega... "Keeping Shop" Exhibition

2011-12-10T19:29:00.001-08:00

Ojeda's Bodega goes on the road-- for about 5 minutes--

...until we reached the Alloway Memorial Gallery. Alisha and I drove ahead of Jose while taking video of the car with the shop awning on the Toyota corolla, which was hilarious. As soon as Jose posts footage, I will definitely share. He had the music blasting and everything. We were afraid he might be pulled over, but we were lucky. These are the kinds of things we do toward the end of the semester.

In the gallery, at the opening. Jose was selling his wares and making new prints in the shop. Jose's mom is the adorable, kindhearted woman in the back right of the photo.

Pulling a print for a customer.

Oh, Christmas Tree

2011-12-09T21:56:00.001-08:00

Randel doing the "prep work" on the Frasier pine. This year our tree came from North Carolina. The lot didn't have any Oregon trees (not that we could have afforded one). It took us about 2 minutes to find this tree at the same lot we've gone to now for three years. It almost felt like cheating. Next year we are going back to the tradition of finding and chipping our own. Looking forward to it.

Alisha decorating the banister and adding the older, warmer lights to the room. I am getting used to the LED's on the tree after having them for several years now, but they aren't nearly as soothing as the oldies. Yep, I am dating myself now....

Tree, plus Miko. Her seasonal cat dish is underneath the tree, too. We feed her special treats in that bowl. Salmon flavor.

Tree, sans Miko. It is a really beautiful tree. Smells wonderful, too.

For my family. Mom and Nana: you should be here!

"A cure for all of your blues! "

2011-12-05T19:17:00.001-08:00

Sometimes you just need a little "adorable" in your life.

2011-12-05T19:14:00.001-08:00

nuff said.

Christmas Throwback

2011-12-03T20:05:00.001-08:00

This photo of my Dad always makes me chuckle. Not sure what year this is.

This was definitely photographed in 2002. Mom, Dad, Randel, and I went to Zoolights in Portland, and this is three of us passing time in line. Truly a prime example of why I tend to make silly faces in photographs: I get it from my Dad. What's also funny, is that the look I am giving him here is identical to my Mom's "Are you serious?" face.

Happy Holidays to my Northwest Family. Miss you guys!

We have roof!

2011-11-27T18:01:00.001-08:00

Walls were starting to be pieced together.

While I wait for a DVD to burn, I want to share an update about my barn project. Dan, Jose, and Alisha helped me muscle on the roof today. And I am so pleased that everything fit together, and it's structurally stable! Now i can move into design phase for the next month and a half before install. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I can't express how happy it makes me to finally have the roof and siding on!

Dan and Jose posing like the rockstars they are.

OMG!! YAY! SO EXCITED!!

MORE YAY! The give you a sense of scale, the top beam is 14' tall.

Progress!!! Doug, aren't you proud???!

Contemporary Peanuts- A Jimmy Kimmel Masterpiece

2011-11-25T12:07:00.001-08:00

Cuteness Incarnate!

2011-11-24T13:39:00.000-08:00

Next Stop: MassMOCA

2011-11-17T09:49:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Alisha McCurdy for putting together a fantastic solo thesis show!

The (Barn)acle's Identity Crisis...and other Bedtime Stories: Reception

2011-11-10T07:47:00.000-08:00

Day at Storm King Sculpture Park with Janell, Part 1

2011-11-08T12:14:00.000-08:00

Meet our flower maiden for our wedding.

Engagement photo??

Nellie and Mr. Serra

Reminded me of Nana's river.

Exhaust: Open Studios 2011

2011-11-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

Pancho, "pumpkin pie" Westendarp in his studio with visitors.

Veronica and I falling asleep in my studio...
at least my hair is on fire.

Jose was broadcasting live from open studios on "Ojeda's Bodega."

We had a steady crowd of visitors from 5pm through midnight.

Andy and Esther brought a new kitty to the event.

Alisha explaining anatomy and masks to Nicole.

MFA's Dan Hess and Andreas Rentsch.

The hands!!!

Halloween Garb

2011-11-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

Behind the scenes at the house, pre-party.

Infiltrating the city of Ronkonkoma...

Patchogue Arts Biennial-- Alisha's New Work

2011-10-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I attended the reception for the Patchogue (pronounced patch-ogg) Arts Biennial at Briercliff College. Alisha was humbly speaking with folks about her new work, which included a large canary drawing on canvas, a new sculpture which is currently untitled (far right), and the piece situated on the floor entitled fourteen.

It has been very exciting to witness Alisha's work grow to speak of social and political concerns. Although Alisha finds this transition to be a little frightening because of the heavy responsibility that comes with making socially charged artwork, I can't think of better person capable of taking the time necessary to think out every little detail that will best represent the families and workers impacted by the coal mining industry in a genuine manner.

For example,the artpiece fourteen, is a poetic sculpture that intelligently and sincerely represents the fourteen lives that were lost earlier this year because of a mining accident in Mexico. The materials include dirt, coal, and fourteen hand-sewn fabric canaries. Each canary is overstuffed with coal and carefully placed on the bed of dirt. This gesture also brings to mind the history of mining, when caged canaries were taken deep into the earth to test for the presence of deadly gases. If the canary died (they have fragile systems) the miners knew to leave immediately.

The Biennial is open for another three weeks. Also, Alisha's solo thesis exhibition, seven hundred thirty-five, will open on November 14, 2011, at the Lawrence Alloway Memorial Gallery located on Stony Brook University's main campus. I suggest you check it out! Also, her website is: www.alishamccurdy.com

2011-10-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

The (Barn)acle’s Identity Crisis…and Other BedtimeStories… is an exhibitionabout the interconnectedness of memory and identity, which are both constructedfrom life experiences and fables.

Drawing Series,(Chora),2011

conte’crayon,charcoal, colored pencil, hand-pulled woodblock prints,

graphiteon paper

30”x22”

Bedroom, 2011

screen-printson tulle, copper nails, t-pins, carved fence posts, wood stain, lights, housepaint, cord, found ladder, found antique barn windows from Oregon, hay

12’x 10’

"Damn those teachers and thier hefty salaries!"

2011-10-26T18:20:00.000-07:00

This rant is re-blogged from my friend and special ed. teacher, Robin. The calculations are sick.

"Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or 10 months a year! It's time we put thing in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit! We can get that for minimum wage. That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That ...would be $19.50 a day (7:45 ...............to............... 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan-- that equals 6 1/2 hours). Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Now how many students do they teach in a day...maybe 30? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations. LET'S SEE.... That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).

What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year. Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here! There sure is!

The average teacher's salary (nation wide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77/per day/30 students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student--a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!) WHAT A DEAL!!!!"

*Please note the sarcasm in all of this

Happy Birthday Randy--and Raspberries-- from Kate

2011-10-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

This is a heart-felt letter written by my Nana dearest (Kate Hegglin) in response to yesterday's post about Dad:

Today is my very Dear Friend andson-in-law Randy's Birthday. He is 52 years young today.

Anyone who knew Randy would say:"He was like a little kid when it came to All Holidays, Birthdays and Anniversaries. He would plan surprisesmonths in advance. I have never ever known anyone so giving of his love, histime; his joy at seeing others smiling and happy. It is hard to put into wordshow much he is missed, when he is talked of here at our house we all just feelso sad and then one of us will bring up on of the fun times that we had thepleasure of his company.

These are a few memories that cometo mind:

When he was helping me get up onKip's horse Spirit, Randy lifted me so high that I went right over the horse’sback and I landed face up totally under Spirit. That wonderful horse nevermoved a muscle. God did we all laugh. Still do...

When he wanted to give Kip and I awonderful Christmas present and bought tickets for us to see Elton John andBilly Joel at the Rose Garden along with reservations for a suite at the poshFifth Avenue Suites. EJ and BJ were staying there too!

How he would take all of us girls toAlderwood Mall for the day…on the day after Thanksgiving!! Now that was braveryin the face of shopping danger!!! Of course we had to go in through Searsso he could look at all the holiday displays and goodies that he wouldeventually have!

The spectacular 4th of July parties.Randy loved setting off the mind blowing fireworks that took 3 hours to blowup. With Randy, the more the merrier was his credo, sometimes we wouldbring half a dozen Skiing Crazies with us, it was a tent city, such a gracioushost, so very generous.

How he and Kip were going to fenceme in out at travel trailer so I couldn't get up to the house and bug them.This of course was not to happen until I was old and out of control....Welaughed about this often.

Randy would always make Kip a lovelyfire in the wood stove before he went to work at 6AM.

Katie would make his lunch the nightbefore work and get the coffee pot dialed to be ready when he got up. Goodnessthey adored each other.

The one holiday the Randy waswilling to be away from their home was Thanksgiving and he would drive thefamily up here to my house for the Thanksgiving Festivities. So sweet andappreciated by all of us especially Nana.

5 days after he left us, a packagecame for Kip, a gift he had ordered as a surprise for her: a beautiful BlueRose make by Swarovski, you can imaging all the emotions. We just sat andstared at it, amazed. But that was our Randy, always showing his love in manyways.

Oh and He was nicknamed The ScrabbleNazi, for good reason!!!!

Randy could make the biggest cannonball in their pool: Usually while I was lounging and relaxing by the sideof the pool. He has the greatest smile!!

But wait, there is football!! Lord Itook a beating about “Horse Face.” We would talk a couple times a week once tomake our picks and again on game day to talk smack on each other and do theRaspberries. After he read his football magazines he would send them to me. Aspecial gift to me.

Oops...what about the dancing!? MyOh My, we thought we were so hot and perfectly synchronized, it still amazes methat one or both of us did not go thru the sliding glass door in the livingroom of the house. Damn I miss dancing with you Randy, and listening to allyour great tunes turned up to 1000 decibels.

The love he has and had for mydaughter and my granddaughter was awe inspiring, one of a kind. He was the Kingof his Castle and all Fair Maidens therein.

Randy, I miss you, you are so lovedby so many and I hope you feel it every day. As always and with Love, Kate

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-10-23T22:48:00.000-07:00

My dad, Randy Joseph Cellerini, and I celebrating a birthday when he was somewhere in his late 20's. I bet he was not much older in this photograph than I am currently.

If he were alive today, he would be 52. Dad was the most charismatic, generous, fun-loving person I have known, and though he has been gone for almost 9 years, his laugh and his happy dance are still vividly present in my memory. He was sensible, smart, spontaneous, hard working, and loved spending time with his family...especially on the property. Dad loved to BBQ in the rain or in the summer heat. In the summer he would check the meat on the grill in between dips in the pool. He loved taking my Mom and I camping on weekend fishing trips. I was his little girl, and he loved Mom and I more than anything.

Mom and Dad's anniversary is celebrated on October 22, followed by Dad's Birthday on the 24th. Dad loved Halloween as much as his birthday, and we always had the coolest decorated house in Colton. All of the kids in town came to our house on Halloween and they would be greeted by my parents, who in the early years dressed as a warewolf and bird (guess who was who).

And of course, what is Fall (synonymous with October in Oregon) without football games? As I have posted in the past, every Sunday was football Sunday in our house. In October, Dad would turn on his Bose speaker system so that we could listen to the games while outside decorating the house for the holidays. Living on 20 acres, we didn't have close neighbors to complain about the noise. Dad would have a mug of coffee, he would wear jeans and a flannel, and have a cigarette on his mouth while shooing the dogs away from the decorations and untangling the pumpkin lights.When the seahawks scored a touchdown, he still managed to celebrate with everything in his being while multitasking to the extreme.

Happy Birthday Dad!
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Congratulations Pancho!

2011-10-21T07:16:00.000-07:00

This photo of Alisha and Dan helping to install Pancho's thesis exhibition reminds me of an Alexander Calder sculpture.

Really, really important points being made. Life-changing, I'm sure!

.....................................................

I took my students to visit Pancho at the beginning of his closing reception so that they could hear his thoughts about memory, drawing, and print.

Pancho explaining the quote by Mr. X that helped to solidify the concepts within the exhibition space.

Motley crew hanging out near the doors of the gallery.

Barn works

2011-10-20T10:08:00.000-07:00

Whats I have been doing the last few days is acquiring siding for my barn, and painting the siding of the barn inside and out.

Alisha and I found 6 bundles of old wood on the side of the road. Lucky me! I am patching onto the barn for sure!

In fact, I was able to finish the barn doors a couple of days ago thanks to the loot (found, old wood).

A couple more gems from Randee's visit

2011-10-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

Can you see her in this madness?

Empire State at night.

We drove to Montauk so that Randee could touch the Atlantic Ocean.

We lucked out to have such beautiful weather that day.

Checking out some of the great local churches and churchyards.

The hospital/giant space mushroom.... on it's side.

Stony Brook Harbor.

Random historical graveyard on the side of the road. These are common.

Randee looking adorable at the beach in Montauk.

Randee stopped in to my class on Monday evening.

Old Field lighthouse.

Simon's Cat- Double Trouble

2011-10-16T09:46:00.001-07:00

Maybe Simon has a new kitten.

piece of a piece (repeat)

2011-10-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

This is a still image from a video I shot recently. It is being incorporated into a diptych that will be editioned and sent to exhibitions and silent auctions in Oregon and in Michigan.

Cats with thumbs?

2011-10-13T21:40:00.001-07:00

Things encountered today.

2011-10-11T22:14:00.001-07:00

A sunbathing miko, hay on long island (appropriated for art), and a junior-sized frosty. The cup wasn't longer than Alisha's pointer finger.

Watermelon Skin Carving

2011-10-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

Watermelon skin carving from Vid Nikolic on Vimeo.

While I was watching this I had one of those inferiority moments, lol.

View from the Top(s)

2011-10-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

Randee had to get her Empire State Building fix. We were only able to do all of these things in the city thanks to her daughter, Ricki, who generously provided us with three-day city passes that allowed us to see all of these things for free
.

From the top of the Empire State Building, looking south toward the financial district.

Lots of water storage units on the rooftops.

Yellow Cabs!

View from the top of Rockefeller Center, looking north toward Central Park.

From the Rock, looking south toward the Empire State.

And just a couple from the Natural History Museum....

This was cool...it is the ancestor of the elk. Look at those antlers!

Steve Jobs: How to live before you die | Video on TED.com

2011-10-06T07:24:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs: How to live before you die | Video on TED.com

Steve Jobs died yesterday. Even though I didn't know him personally, his vision and tenacity continue to inspire millions of people around the world, and that is something to admire. I watched this speech of his this morning, which was taped in 2005 at Stanford. I am thankful that I did because there were two sentences that he uttered which put some recent concerns of mine in perspective.

Thank you Steve Jobs.

A few of the NUMEROUS things we did in NYC, in pictures, day 1

2011-10-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

Deep Sea Fishing

2011-10-03T20:47:00.000-07:00

Started off with the smell of clams and oysters being chopped up to use as bait.

The weather had been stormy earlier in the day, but at the time of departure we had a reprieve from the rain and lightning.

Gorgeous, warm afternoon. Humid.

After we left Port Jefferson Harbor, we noted the ominous clouds to the west. This photograph doesn't do the color of the clouds justice... they were dark, dark gray.

The head of the storm front approached...

...and passed over us. The wind speed greatly increased, it started to pour, and the water became very choppy. I was nervous.

Gorgeous sky. I've never seen anything like it. It was as though we were underwater, looking at a wave passing over us.

The deck hands, soaked to the bone, came into the cabin to reassure us that it was "just a little squall and it will pass quickly." We heard that several times. I just wanted to know where the life jackets were. But, within 15 minutes, the rain and wind ceased and people started fishing even though the sea was still quite rough.

Randee caught our first fish.

The Long Island Sound started to calm down during sunset.

I caught the second fish. I was having trouble feeling the bites with such rough, pulling waters.

FISHING WITH RANDEE!

The clouds in the distance were sparkling with thunderstorms.

This was Randee's first day in New York. She's never been to the east coast and I have to say that this was a very memorable way to start her vacation.

The trip started out well and ended well, with a storm in between. It was great fun. We brought home 4 fish. I almost threw them back, and would have if they wouldn't have had the bends. I will let you know how they taste.

Thank you Randee!

The Big Duck

2011-10-03T06:26:00.000-07:00

Flanders, NY, is home of "The Big Duck." While driving along the highway, east toward Montauk, I was able to show Randee this Long Island staple.

Atlantic!

2011-10-02T12:56:00.001-07:00

Randee and I are enjoying the surf down in Montauk!

Bird Bee

2011-09-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

Re-blogged from Studio Notes:

Bird Crew

Replace "smokin' weed" with "Making Birds" in this epic Jay and Silent Bob Clip:

Break Time

2011-09-26T19:16:00.000-07:00


When you feel like this... you need to take a break.

So that is why Alisha and I booked it to NYC on Saturday, knowing full well that it could rain or pour on us at any moment. Lucky for us, it was cloudy and warm for the 12 hours we were out, and we were able to eat some soft serve somewhere between Broadway and Lexington in midtown.

The worthy exhibitions to mention include Tabaimo's DanDan exhibition at James Cohan Gallery on 26th.

An installation that included sound, three projectors, and a walkway that resembled a half-pipe. Of course you could walk on the piece and be projected onto.

Tabaimo was referenced a lot at the Mokuhanga Conference. She is a woodblock printmaker, whose traditionally skilled sensibility was obvious and embraced by the motion/interaction of the animated prints in this work.

We also went to Lehmann Maupin to visit the work of Do Ho Suh.

We were both completely smitten with this work.

Tediously detailed on the interior and exterior... as detailed as putting tiny coupons on a dominos pizza box on a dusty floor.

Close-up of where the two houses collide.

An exterior view, looking in.

" In Home Within Home, Do Ho Suh will present a series of works that reflect the artist’s ongoing exploration of themes surrounding cultural displacement and the co-existence of cultural identities, as well as the perception of our surroundings and how one constructs a memory of a space. Suh’s own feeling of displacement when he arrived in the U.S. in 1991 to study at RISD led him to measure spaces in order to establish relationships with his new surroundings. Years later, the artist developed the idea of taking these measurements and using them to replicate and transport spaces. Suh constructs these architectural spaces and the elements within them in various mediums including fabrics, resin, and Styrofoam. Among the works exhibited in this show will be Fallen Star 1/5, Home Within Home, and a series of fabric objects, all personally revealing works which invite viewers into his homes. " --L.M. Gallery

Alisha with Do Ho Suh's photosensitive resin sculptures.

The sign on the wall said "Please refrain from touching the artwork." It was really hard not to.

Also saw Nick Cave in two different locations...


I am the one leaning forward, acting like a dinosaur.

We also went to the Metropolitan Museum and wandered around for a few hours. I definitely recommend seeing the "Infinite Jest" exhibition. It is full of caricatures and humorous prints, drawings from the last 600 years. It was wonderful! I definitely have to buy the accompanying catalog!

By the time we got home I felt like this again:

That said, I am really looking forward to Randee's arrival on Wednesday! It will be the mini-vacation we both need!

Lessons from the Essex

2011-09-23T10:08:00.001-07:00

Dan Hess (right) and Professor/Chair of the Stony Brook Dept. of Art and Theater, John Lutterbie (left)

Artists Veronica Pena and Alisha McCurdy

There were great-sized crowds in and out of the gallery all evening.

The Hands of Wisdom from behind the "Inventor" of the Hand of Wisdom... Artists Jose Ojeda, Alisha McCurdy, Jamie Macaulay and Nina Pascal.

Veronica Pena and Dan Hess discussing the nature of portraiture.

Congratulations to Dan for a successful opening and engaging exhibition!

I heart The Daily Show.

2011-09-23T08:58:00.001-07:00

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Kitty helping with work...

2011-09-20T20:19:00.001-07:00

How could anyone ignore that exposed belly??? She doesn't eat my homework but she certainly distracts me from it...

Barn Tour

2011-09-18T16:36:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of odds n' ends things to do around the studio today including working on this maquette. I still want to put a couple of little LED's on the interior so it glows from the inside out, but I needed to work on the finish first. The light today was so beautiful! The little barn and I had a lot of fun.

As a side note, does anyone know where a girl can buy hay on Long Island?

RAHR! Walls!

2011-09-17T06:29:00.000-07:00

Although I look like I am squatting on a post, at least this photo gives the viewer a sense of scale for the piece. Next up: Roof!!!!

Window Thoughts

2011-09-16T06:10:00.000-07:00

Upon returning from New Hampshire I framed out the final wall for the barn. This photo just shows that I was checking my measurements on the short wall. That is where my doors will be.

My Oregon windows arrived in a hand-made (with love!) crate two days ago! They are even hotter than I remembered!

Van, folks in my program are taking notes on your construction techniques!

The little windows I am framing out....also was checking out stains and failed to find one I like so far.

Today I am hoping to bolt all of my walls into place so I can begin constructing the roof.

Finally! An Exhibition Title and Card!

2011-09-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

2011-09-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

I am very proud of my fellow MFA friends and colleagues Jose Ojeda (artist, host), and Dan Hess (guest artist).

Here is the link to Jose's ongoing Ojeda's Bodega Project, which has 5 artist interviews currently available for your listening or watching pleasure. And the list of guests is growing quickly!

http://ojedabodega.blogspot.com/

Jeremy and Juli(anne) Got Married!

2011-09-12T21:18:00.000-07:00

Alisha, Randel, and I made a whirlwind trip to Barnstead, New Hampshire. Barnstead is lot like Colton, Oregon, in that everyone who visits thinks it is in the middle of nowhere.

The occasion was Jeremy and Julianne's wedding! They hosted the beautiful, fun event on their farm, which included a dining area inside of the barn that was built around 1900. Alisha and I were designated to photograph/document the ceremony. I am happy that I have a video recorder that you can take photos with while shooting video. Here are a few selections from the giant archive.

Jeremy (Juli's brother) hauling his babies behind him in a wagon..

Julianne being escorted by her Dad, and holding a bouquet that Kristine and I made earlier in the day with flowers from their garden and the neighbors.

The ceremony took place in a small apple orchard on the property.

It's official! The clock starts over (as Julianne put it). They've been together almost 9 years, and will be together many, many more.

Of course Kristine, Alisha, and I had some business to attend to during the reception.

At this time next year we might be married!

"Sass" being exchanged between Randel and Alisha.

Kristine used her handsome film camera to shoot some portraits of the newlyweds, and then the group showed their true colors :)

Gorgeous, brilliant bride, her handmade wedding gown, and rocking that beer! Hell Yeah!

Julianne and Jeremy requested that Randel be the pyrotechnician for the evening. Someone supplied him with fireworks and paper lanterns that floated slowly away in the night sky.

Randel and I at the evening bonfire.

Thank you Jeremy and Julianne Morse for inviting us to share this lovely, fun, refreshing, beautiful occasion with you!

Cat and Her __________????

2011-09-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

Friendly cat? Or cat who loves her "throne?"

What I did Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-07T19:24:00.000-07:00

I framed out the floor and two long walls of my barn! That hole in the floor is due to the fact that I ran out of long scraps...

The coolest thing I saw yesterday...

2011-09-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Alisha's corner clamp, screwing together lumber to create the frames for my barn floor was easy (or at least, much easier!). I love playing with new tools and gadgets!

Sahalie

2011-09-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

I was just looking through our Oregon vacation photos and came across this one. I am so excited to be marrying this man :)

Boating with the Porters

2011-09-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, it was August and at times we had to wear a sweatshirt.

I miss my three, soon to be 4! Porters!

Studio Workings.....

2011-08-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

I miss my Pacific Northwest. That is a feeling I have been vocal about.

In my quest for creating artworks that are rooted in shared experiences, I have been researching barns. My dear friend Angela, years ago, told me that she enjoyed "barning," an activity involving the search for old barns and photographing them. If you've ever been to Oregon or Washington, searching for barns is not a hard task. It is a region highly dependent upon agriculture, so the structures in their many shapes and sizes, are everywhere. Her favorites (and mine) are those that have been standing for over a century. And those, too, are a plenty.

Last time I was home, I embarked on my own version of her treasured pastime, but I intended to meet and talk with barn owners about their buildings and the history within their walls. I have started an archive of photographs and videos documenting the journey, and I have an art project in the works that incorporates a barn that I will build.

This barn is in Snohomish, WA. This is probably my favorite so far due to it's dilapidated nature.

Arlington, WA. Dairy Barn built in the 1920's. Metal roof later addition.
Doug and I taking measurements.

Somewhere between Granite Falls, WA, and Arlington.

Granite Falls, WA. This is Doug, who is famous in my life for many things, including introducing me to my first constellation when I was four year old (Orion and his belt). Doug is also a master framer/carpenter/designer/housing construction manager extraordinaire. He can build anything. Anyway, I asked Doug to help me design and measure out a couple of barns that I could reduce in scale for my thesis project. Here is is taking down notes and sketching.

This barn was also amazing, and has inspired me to buy a property with two barns: one that I will convert into an amazing studio space, and the other for livestock. The smell of dirt, cow, and hay made me giddy.

Part of the exterior of the barn.

---------------------

How is this being translated? I have a few barn gesture drawings but I don't have any photos, so the maquette photos will have to do for now.

I had some ply left over from the frames Dan built for my drawings, and in the spirit of reusing material, I decided to build the maquette using only stuff I had laying around. The scale here is 1" = 1'

The interior is going to be a very dreamlike, playful, space. Kristeva's 'chora' essay is one of a few references on the growing list for this work.

A closeup. The fabrics used on the monkey bar/bunkbed and the exterior of the barn have been screen printed with my drawings and organ doodles... even the tulle and the mesh.

In other words, the chora drawings for what now will be the interior looked like this:

The maquette obviously doesn't look as developed as the drawings, but the full-scale experience will hopefully evoke similar emotions and qualities.

-------

At full scale- the bunkbed-- 102 inches tall, 53 inches wide, 76 inches long.

This is before I started carving the wood and wrapping the structure with screenprints. Dan and Jose found the old ladder and gave it to me.

Starting to wrap the carved structure with the first layers of screen print.

The found ladder being transformed into the wedding ladder...

A close-up of two layers over the carvings...

And this is how the tulle looks hanging in space, screenprinted with black ink. For my Full Circle Friends, note the YU booklet on the wall in the background...

The full-scale bunkbed is almost finished. Now I am waiting for the tuition refund check to buy lumber to build the barn for all of this to go in! So far the planned dimensions are 12'h x 12'l x 10'w.

Pink Hair to Set off the School Year Right!

2011-08-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

I had a hair appointment scheduled for today, and despite the coming hurricane, all of the stylists were in the shop. So, I went in and said that my head was a blank canvas and I want pink :)

YAY!

We're Engaged!!!!

2011-08-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

There are numerous reasons why my trip to Oregon was memorable. But this moment, that I have been hoping for, finally arrived.

This is a tucked in area of the Sahalie Falls hike, just south of Koosah Falls.

This is me, super excited to be in Oregon again. Yes, the river is actually that color, and the trees are hundreds of feet tall. I didn't think I could be more elated. Little did I know a few minutes later Randel would propose to me in this spot.

We were down a hill near the river. You could see Koosah falls in the background. Truly one of the most beautiful places I've been. Here Janell, Randel, and I reconvene. This is immediately post-proposal.

Time to hike back up the hill to where Van and Kathee are.

RING!!!!

We made a split-second day trip to Granite Falls to share the news with Mom and Nana. They were ecstatic! We didn't stay long but our short time was priceless.

Mom bought us wedding bell balloons :)

Mother of the bride to be :)

Then when we saw the Porters a few days later...

When we finally saw the Porters, we told them that they had to open a package of goodies from Japan...

... but the first thing they saw was this hand-made sign.

"Really?" --Angela
"Liars!"-- Eric
Then hugs of excitement!!!

This is Randel explaining what my face looked like when he asked "the question."

Noah started to open the actual gifts from Japan that were still in the box.

Full Circle Gallery Reception

2011-08-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

Full Circle Gallery has been open since March of this year. Located in the Lower East Side of Portland, Oregon, what I found in the building called "Warehouse 640" was a lovely, lively, engaging artist community willing to welcome a newbie (that's me) to the area.

I found Full Circle on the Regional Arts and Culture Council website. We had just returned from Japan, and I was struggling with jet lag and not getting quality studio time into my schedule. In an effort to feel like I was doing something productive with my time, I was searching for exhibition opportunities that I could apply for. That's when I emailed Elaine Treadwell, curator and artist.

After a couple of emails and a chat on the phone, Elaine and I were both excited about my August show at Full Circle. We talked about what work to include, and I came up with the show title "Cogitations." What I love about this word is that it translates to mean "agitation of mind/thoughts." The work I included was a self-published book of research and images from my February show Vinculum (state I), photographs, personal essays, and drawings illustrating the new direction following vinculum. I solicited the expert carpentry skills of comrade and artist Dan Hess, who built four beautiful frames for my drawings (I was watching, helping, and soaking up the knowledge).

Here are some photos from the reception. I met several wonderful people, including Full Circle co-owners June Underwood and Jim Orman. It's a small world. June was at Stony Brook in the early 70's! June also wrote a lovely review of my work: http://fullcirclegallerypdx.net/2011/08/05/kathryn-cellerini-to-say-the-things-that-are-ones-own/

I was also greeted by friends I haven't seen in a couple of years. Overall the evening was full of fun and engaging conversations.

Before you walk into the gallery, you encounter photos, essays, and a book about recent projects.

Once inside, you encounter the drawings...

... and a small maquette that was a study for the larger work in the photographs. Van helped my build the beautiful cedar table the night before we delivered work to the gallery.

Yep.... love these moments..... (sarcasm)

While I was inside chatting it up, friends and family conversed outside where there was a cool summer breeze.

Van, Wei, Ying, Eric, Angela, Janell, Noah, and Randel

Dave and Aurora also made it to the event. My godson running around. He has legs as long as Jack's Beanstalk!

Em and Bianca drove in from Vancouver!

A great welcome back to Portland it was! Hopefully in less than a year it will be a permanent stay. :)

Another blurb from June: http://southeastmain.wordpress.com/2011/08/05/while-waiting-a-bit-of-framing/

10th "Year of Togetherness"

2011-07-29T21:32:00.000-07:00

We spent a wonderful day together. We went swimming at the beach, went out for a nice dinner, walked around town afterward, and watched a movie at home. Randel also made me crème brûlée from scratch, and it's probably the best I've ever tasted.

"Can you believe she's still with this guy?"
-Randel

Final Moments in Japan-- Day 12-- Gotokuji

2011-07-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

On the last day of our Japan adventure I still hadn't picked out the perfect lucky cat to take home. Randel did some superb interweb exploration and found that we could actually visit the birthplace of the maneki neko (bekoning cat). So, the morning of our airline departure, we trained 25 minutes south to Setagaya (mind you we were still in Tokyo...even 25 minutes south) and began a walk to find the Gotokuji Temple. We got lost. Eventually a nice man and a monk helped us find our way.

The main entrance to the shrine. I really wished I could read the seals that had been placed on it.

I donated 50 yen so that I could light incense in the giant... would we can that an urn? It was full of ash.

Detailed image. It was exquisite.

More graveyards on site :)

If you go to Gotokuji Shrine, you can buy lucky cats. Some people purchased the cats and left them as offerings on the grounds.

We saw some Japanese adults doing this, so when they were done, we quickly participated too.

In the end we bought two, which had to be carried onto the plane. But they made it safely back the the States, as did we. Truly a great note to end the trip on.

We are already planning to return to Japan. We loved it there.

Tokyo, Day 11

2011-07-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

I don't know how I forgot to mention that in addition to everything we did in Tokyo on day 10, we also went to the Ghibli Museum. It was the first thing we did. The tickets we received were actually film snippets from the most recent film released in Japan last year (not yet released in the states). So you just have to hold it up to the light and see the magic :)

We were only allowed to take photos outside of the building. But, like the Miyazaki movies, the interior of the museum was a magical wonderland consisting of historical-looking machines, original sketches and drawings, and a film room. It was pretty damn cool.

This was the first day it had rained on us in Japan... during rainy season! We felt very lucky and embraced it like the Oregonians we are :)

So on to Day 11...

We went to the Tokyo Museum of Modern Art. I hadn't actually tried to look at any artwork since the conference, and just briefly wanted to take a look. My favorite piece was in the contemporary wing (which was full of goodies). It is called "Death of Woods" by Toya, Shigeo, created 1989.

I geeked out over this work for a good 15 minutes. Just ask Randel if you don't believe me.

Another work, much more traditional, circa 1936, that kicked my ass. Love this. I've not seen anything like it. The artist is Ota, Chou, and the work is called "Woman Observing the Stars."

After the museum, we walked across the street to the Imperial Palace Grounds. The area in general felt a lot like downtown, Government Building neighborhood Salem, Oregon. Or perhaps the financial district of NYC. And the park felt like Central Park, except less crowded.

Crossing the bridge to get in.

Old stairs...

Yeah, nerding out over texture and wood craftsmanship.

Palm trees?! Randel and I were taking note of plants, flowers, and trees that we would like to have in our yard someday.

Like everywhere else we'd been on our trip, there were many water features. We never got tired of them, though.

Randel and I decided that dragons tried to breach the walls of the palace grounds thousands of years ago.

The obvious draw of the park at the moment were the irises. Note that nobody is wearing a rain coat because it is damn hot and humid by this time (mid-day). Everyone carries umbrellas every day during the month of June apparently, just in case.

This sticker was given to me at the museum when I asked if I could take photographs of the work. Apparently you are not allowed to take photographs of the artwork, collection or not, if you do not have a good enough reason. So, I was an official photographer that day. The pigtails really scream "official," don't they?

Super thick, tall bamboo!

Carp!

Our happy selves in front of a patch of bamboo.

We got back to the hotel room, and decided to head out for a nice dinner. Since we didn't have reservations, we ended up at a small Italian restaurant in our building. The food was really tasty.

By the way, our hotel room was on the 35th floor, and had a city-wide view out this window. We could see the Tokyo Tower, and buildings as far as the eye could see. It was incredible.

Tokyo, A Very Full Day 10

2011-07-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

On the 16th we mailed a full package from Osaka to the States because we were unable to carry everything on the trains that we had procured so far. And the trains didn't have baggage limits... we just didn't have enough space in our bags to comfortably travel around since we were doing most of our travel by foot. Mailing a package was an expensive endeavor. We had teh choice to send the package two-week or two-month delivery. Even though we shipped at a slow, two-week rate, we certainly paid for it.

Once we left the post office, we jumped on subway that took us to the JR shinkansen station and made our way back to Tokyo. Riding on the bullet train is a lovely experience. Very quiet, smooth, comfortable; and depending upon age of the train, there is wifi. There was also a concessions cart pushed by a beautiful young lady, who bowed every time she entered and exited each car. And it wasn't just her. It was all train personnel.

Our hotel was located in the area around Shinjuku Station, which is one of the busiest train stations in Tokyo. But it was manageable.

We only have video of our travel day, so here are some photos from our first full day in Tokyo.

We each had a couple of "must-see" items on our Tokyo list. Our first stop was the Kodokan International Judo Center. We were not allowed to take photographs of the museum portion of the building, which is unfortunate because there were many original writings and documents from the founder of Judo in the exhibit.

One of the upper floors. This was the competition arena. There were also off-limits practice areas, too.

Since nothing was going on, we snuck downstairs for a photo.

Next stop: Akehabara. Also lovingly knows as a geek-gamer-anime-date hub.

This is next to the train station.

Yes, there were several ladies dressed up to sell the wares of the market, but surprisingly we didn't see much in the way of public cosplay.

We did go into some of the stores to play with gaming electronics, which was fun.

Off to Tokyo Tower...

Leaving the train station and getting our bearings.

Even in huge Tokyo there were shrines and temples. Also many parks and green outdoor spaces.

Shinto shrine....

Made it! Ate some crepes at the bottom of the tower before heading up.

!

We decided to wait for the nighttime views....

Getting darker...

Getting moody...

Serious urban sprawl. Makes NYC feel tiny.

One level of the tower was a bar.

Trying to get that night shot....

Yay!

It was a full but wonderful day!

Osaka, Day 8

2011-07-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

We spent an entire day in Osaka and had a wonderful time. We trained to the Osaka Aquarium, which, if you know our love for animals, was a huge treat. We spent 4 hours walking inside. You actually start on the top floors of the building and work your way down and through the tanks/ecosystems. This aquarium was also interested in providing exhibits from the various countries/ecosystems around the "Ring of Fire" (the rim of the Pacific Ocean).

And of course they pull you in with cuteness.

In a lot of the tanks there were above and below water views so that you could get a sense of the total environment.

Capybara! For more info about capybaras, click here. Also, just wait a few years and visit our house because Randel really, really wants to have one. It was a treat so see some in person.

It's like he knew we were posing for a photograph.

This aquarium is famously known for its whale shark. Here it is, swimming toward us. Also, if you look at all of the windows, you'll realize that this tank was several stories tall and hugely wide. The plexiglass was over 6" thick.

Away she goes with her crew.

This ray was my favorite. So graceful. And playful, too, as you will see.

Who are those people?

Looking across to the story below. The turtle tank was large, too.

Japanese Spider crabs are a physics anomaly. They certainly aren't built to walk on land, that's for sure.

This one had a staring contest with me and slowly walked to the edge of the glass. It began to rear up, spread out two of it's legs, and challenge me. They are really quite aggressive.

The special exhibit was about shrimp and lobster.

We are descending along this tank. The ray is playing and swimming through the bubbles created by the air tank of the person swimming around in there with food.

It kept swimming in circles.

Closer to the bottom.

Sharks! Thought of Eric.

.................................

After we left the aquarium, we decided to ride on the "World's Largest Giant Wheel." Because the wheel doesn't stop moving, you ave to enter a cabin while it is turning. It took about 20 minutes for one full rotation, and yes, you have to de-cab while it's moving. To enter the wheel, you also had to climb flights of stairs. The cab was air conditioned and had windows on most sides (the exception being the door and the floor). Pretty awesome!

About halfway up!

We are close to the top at this point. Our train had to pass by the giant mural to get to this neighborhood.

Another attraction in the neighborhood was this ninja. Randel wanted to challenge the ninja, but the ninja didn't even budge. Poor Randel.

In the evening we walked to Dotonbori, which is famous for it's shopping, nightlife, date scene, etc.

Looks like that 'gravatron' amusement park ride sign.

Dusk. The darker it got, the more people there were.

Made us laugh.

Don't eat the Fugu unless you really, really, trust your chef. Niether Randel or I were brave enough this time.

Yep, smokin' Beaver.

Couldn't pass this one up. Randel didn't sample any of the octopus, though.