Mother's Day Blood Bath

In honor of Mother's Day yesterday I thought I would share the series of drawings I presented at my open studio exhibition this weekend, which also happened to be on Mother's Day, an unplanned but felicitous coincidence, I swear. Blood Bath is a collection of nine ink drawings of figures giving birth in water. I posted the first in this set a few weeks back, but thought I would share the rest now that the lot is complete. The images were created with red ink that bled through from the reverse side of the paper. I've always been fascinated by the idea of water births, the act of pulling your own child out of you, in a serene, calm environment that eases the transition from inside the womb to outside... the womb. Though, honestly, any way you slice it, I'm pretty much in awe of mothers everywhere.

- Cathleen 

Barnacles!

Isn't this amazing?? 

Shipwrecked Armoire with Barnacles by Valerie Hegarty was just on view in a show called Altered States at Marlborough Gallery in Chelsea. 

According to artcat.com: "Hegarty painstakingly crafts her works from foam core, papier mâché and ink-jet prints on canvas that she then paints, carves, twists, drapes, amputates, and grafts to create mutated originals where the fictional disasters behave as a catalyst for the works coming back to life."

I love the idea of an artist constructing deconstruction. And then putting barnacles on it. Brilliant. 

- Cathleen 

This Week's Wish List

What I'm coveting this week! 

Adorable kindle cover from Lands' End. The cover they have for the iPad isn't as cool, and I have an iPad therefore I'm not as cool. 

Polka dot skirt from Madewell. 

Sunburst mirrors from Alexander Westerhoff. Price Upon Request- that means expensive. 

Baker's Rack from Allen and Aubert. 

Chevron creamer on eBay by Taste Setter. 

Brass doorknobs by House of Brass UK.

Whale shutters from Seaport Shutters. 

Utensil Caddy from Dayspring. 

Enjoy your weekend! 

- Grace

Late to the Party

Monday and Tuesday I was laid up on our gray sofa, wrapped in an old comforter, gulping gallons of wonton soup, nursing a terrible sore throat. I guess weeks of running to the finish line at work towards the end of term and racing to complete as much work as I could before open studios this weekend had finally caught up with me. I spent those long hours of forced relaxation watching documentaries and movies that I'd been meaning to see for awhile, many that I'd read about again and again, and had just never had the time. Here I share with you a two-line review of each, from the comforts of my now sweaty couch.

Party Girl, 1995

A colorful portrait of the 90s downtown club scene in NYC that follows 24-year-old Mary (played by Parker Posey), a Holly Golightly character who works as a librarian-by-day/party-promoter-by-night, trying to balance the task of finding love and herself all while wearing one fabulous outfit after another (all of those printed tights!).

Bill Cunningham New York, 2010

Of course I'd read about this one on tons of blogs before, and am so happy I finally got to see for myself how absolutely adorable Bill Cunningham is. His complete devotion to his work and his spartan lifestyle—literally sleeping on a cot surrounded by walls and walls of filing cabinets filled with every single negative he's ever shot—was astounding and inspiring. 

Eames: The Architect and the Painter, 2011

A decent overview of the designer couple's lives together showed me that I actually knew pretty much nothing about them beyond The Chair. Narrated by James Franco (though I tried not to hold that against it), it begins with their meeting at Cranbrook (when Charles was already married to someone else with a daughter!) and ends with Ray dying on the 10th anniversary of Charles' death. 

About Jenny Holzer, 2011 

The work that she is most known for are her text pieces, quick one liners she calls "truisms" streamed across electronic billboards like stock tickers. It was interesting to find out the origins of her work, to see that what can come across initially as a cold stream of words actually comes from a personal place, that there is something much deeper under the surface. 

Netflix has all of these streaming online. I suggest you get yourself sick and spend all day watching them immediately. 

- Cathleen

Non-Purchasing Regrets

Do you ever have regrets of things you should've but didn't purchase?

It happened to me with the above flatware set. 

This is the Loop flateware set that was sold at Crate & Barrel in the early 2000s. They no longer carry it and it is pretty much impossible to find. 

When I worked at C&B this set was super UN-popular. Like I think I sold one set in the 3 years I worked there. 

I wish I had purchased it when I had the chance. 

It is so compact, convenient, and different. 

If you ever see it for sale somewhere buy it for me. I swear I'll pay you back.

- Grace

Artist of the Week: Sarah Kay

I've been neck deep in preparations for open studios this weekend, spending as much time in here making as much work as I can before inviting any curious art lookers into my space. Whiling away the hours drawing, painting, gluing, doing, I  have discovered an amazing tool for keeping my mind stimulated when I really need to buckle down and put my hands to some mindless work: talk radio. I've listened to countless episodes of All Songs Considered, as well as The Moth podcasts, and I swear, I think I've thoroughly exhausted This American Life's entire catalog. TED Talks are a new addition to the line-up that have completely transformed my listening experience. Not only are they compelling and often entertaining, but I'm learning all of these great and interesting things at the same time! The talk above, given by spoken word poet Sarah Kay, was one that truly moved me yesterday, enough so that it was hard to keep my eyes locked on the pen I was dragging across the paper, because I couldn't stop watching her poised performance. Lately I have been really excited by reading about/watching young ladies who are grabbing life by the ass and squeezing it for all it's worth. Have a listen.

- Cathleen

Design Always Repeats Itself: Tiered Edition

Paper Art by Mark from Present & Correct

Set of four "Flavia" columns- totems. Designed by Ettore Sottsass.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! The husband has to work while I will be digging us out of the rubble from moving. 

- Grace