Feeling Broochy...

I just finished the school Holiday Art Sale at school and it was pretty successful. I decided to sell lots of left over inventory but didn't manage to clear out all of it. None the less, making pretty things and having people express appreciation for them always make me smile.

I sold my usual etched metal jewelry but decided to try my hand at some silkscreen panels and those sold fairly well. Now, I'm thinking of expanding my horizons and selling some fun brooches!! I found all of these lovely ones while perusing the Internet at my boring office job today. Enjoy!

By fineDollyLolly



By Ribizla



By IndianBlue



By murmurfremo



This one is totally my fave:
Jayne Mansfield Brooch By ultravioletglam

I just like the idea of brooches because it gives you the excuse to wear elaborate art pieces on your clothes. Plus, what a dashing and gentlemanly way to spice things up! I hope you all enjoy eating tomorrow.

A New Update

The semester is over and I'm left to process and contemplate the upcoming summer and my final year. One thing I tried this semester (and simultaneously loved and hated) was Stop Motion Animation. Below is one of the many short films I shot during the semeser during the course of my intro class. The main character is named Mr. Monkey and is my second favorite puppet creation (the first i will debut at a later date.) But for now feast your eyes on A Monkey and His Objects.

Stop Motion Extravaganza!

I caught this on the Sundance Channel a few nights ago. It's called Madame Tutli Putli and is a stop motion animation about one woman's surreal trip on a train across country. I was extremely impressed with the quality of the puppets and animation in general, though I'm sure a little CGI was used to smooth out the flow of movements. What I liked most were the expressive eyes of all the characters and the bumpy textures of their skin.




I didn't really understand the ending but I think it's worth watching for all of the creepy backdrops and colorful characters.

This is the moment where she meets a famous tennis player who is a very rude man! A man like that deserves a crisp slap across his face!

These two men are playing a wobbly game of chess while sitting in their suitcases. Another wonderful moment.

So this got me thinking that I have to plug two other favorites. I know I've mentioned this one before but it's definitely worth re-mentioning. Peter and the Wolf (2006) is a modern stop motion adaption of an old composition by Sergei Prokofiev.

"Boys like Peter aren't afraid of wolves." Awesome.

I've always had a fixation for wolves. The Bog Bad Wolf is my favorite fairytale villain and I've dated several guys because they were wolf-like (bad idea in the long run). The wolf from this tale will not disappoint. He's mean and scary and has a coat of beautiful, alluring fur.


Don't you just want to pet that lovely beast and keep it in your home as your companion?

Look at Peter's wonderful face. An example of some very fine sculpting.

This is an older live action version of Peter and The Wolf that I used to catch on the ARTS channel back in the day. It's narrated by Sting (as a puppet) and is a combination of Barnum and Bailey and nightmares from childhood. My favorite elements are the Marx brothers-esque hunters, the alcoholic duck, and the giant frightening wolf puppet with it's long, lolling tongue. To my delight the first chunk of it is available on youtube. Watch it and bring lots of joy to your eyes!

The past two weekends have been stimulation overload for me...but in a good SummertimeinChicago kind of way.

Trump Tower

I spent Saturday night in Trump towers with my good friend Sheena and my new friend Sam. We were on the 23rd floor in her deluxe suite and I couldn't fall asleep because I was deftly afraid of sleeping in a room so high up.

A king size deluxe suite at the Trump. Roughly what Sheena's room looked like.

I imagined the room splitting in half and me plunging 23 three stories below to a poisonous river death, clad only in my pajamas. I guess this means that I might be afraid of heights which makes sense considering that I've lived in 2 or 3 flats my entire life.


By the way, Artistic Liberties recently posted an extensive interview with yours truly. Read it to find out all about my humble beginnings!

Anyway, it's my bedtime. Happy Monday!

P.s - I saw a lady reading a book on the train today entitled Give Us A Kiss. I know that has to be some kind of sign. Just not sure what it means.

Fuerza Bruta!!

I apologize for my lengthy absence. If you only you had known what the past two weeks have been like for me. Nonetheless, I'm back and life has reached a nice calm plateau for the time being. But anyway let's get to it! We have much to discuss you and I.

I had the privilege of seeing Frueza Bruta last Saturday at the Harris Theater. My friend scored free tickets and very sweetly invited me along. For those of you not familiar with them Frueza Bruta (brute force) is a crazy spectacle/circus/dance/performance collective from Argentina.


The first performer (a man running on a treadmill on a flat, rolling platform) terrified me to the point of nearly having a heart attack. As he started to run, the music sped up and got louder until a loud gun shot rang out causing him to stumble and a giant blood stain to appear on his shirt. When he straightened himself out, he removed his white shirt and another (bloodless one) was underneath.

The running man breaking through a wall.

This sequence continued possibly two or three more times and included him breaking through walls and trying to run while holding on to tables and chairs. In addition to a mild case of agoraphobia I am also very deeply disturbed by loud noises, particularly gun shots. I didn't realize that I was hunched over covering my ears until my friend stroked my arm reassuringly and tried to distract me by calling my attention to two aerial artists doing a very graceful routine against an aluminum "wall".


The second time I nearly lost it was during the water choreogaphy. Out of nowehere a giant pool appeared above us with a woman gracefully splayed out in a minimal amount of water.



More women entered the pool as it lowered over us and the crew members encouraged us to raise our hands up to touch it.

The pool being lowered over the audience. My favorite experience from the show but also the most terrifying.

The women at first interacted with the audience by pressing themselves and their hands against the pool. Towards the end of the routine, they began jumping and slamming their bodies against the pool as hard as they could!



I imagined the entire thing collapsing, leading to a bloody, watery death for us all but fortunately it was over before I reached my breaking point. But just when I thought things were once again safe, the running man appeared shortly after.

The running man again- this time with some friends!

The show ended with lots of loud music, flashing lights, and a smiling audience, soaking wet and dancing in damp confetti remnants. I had a great time. Go see it if you're in Chicago and in no way bothered by death-defying feats!

On semi- related news I got hired for my first non-Redmoon Theater related puppeteering gig! I am now a puppeteer for a sci- fi comedy web series entitled Human Resources. It's written by a sister writing duo (Kozi and Kyra Kyles) about alien abductions in the work place. You can read a little more about it here.

Also my friend just finished interviewing me for her Artistic Liberties series. I will post a link as soon as the interview is up and running!

Aside from that I am now two years shy from being a quarter century old and aerial classes start next week! Yay!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and Updates Galore!!

It's almost finals guys so please bare with me. I'm hoping I can get all of my projects done this week and then: SUMMER BREAK! Which will hopefully include:

- A pilgrimage to Ace Deuce to visit some lovely vegans and vegetarians
- A birthday evening spent on the beach!
- Lots of hugs and kisses!
- Aerial Classes at the Actor's Gym!!
- A successful craft experience at the Gold Coast Art Fair (see bottom)

Aside from that, here are some things that have been going on:

- After nearly losing my mind at Artropolis (I don't care to talk about it) I attended a monthly Peace Concert at the Chicago Culture Center for Soka Gakkai International. The performance was put on by the Buddhist youth of the organization and was centered around gun violence in Chicago neighborhoods. It primarily consisted of short dance- related vignettes that told various gun violence narratives, which was bookended by a surprisingly good spoken word/ slam poetry piece performed by a teenage boy.

Chicago Culture Center, a building I never knew existed.

Afterwards, me and my newly made Buddhist friend (the one who brought me to the event) attended an informational meeting/ chanting session. I left feeling a little overwhelmed what with the youth performance (that reminded me so much of highschool, it was unnerving) and with the steady stream of people who shook my hand and informed me on the benefits of Buddhism. However, everyone was very welcoming and pleasant and it was a wonderful way to end a pretty humdrum week. I like making new friends.


- My school recently hosted a lecture/ round table discussion with Allyson Mitchell. Allyson is a Canadian fiber artist who uses crafty materials (faux fur, rugs, crotchet, and knitwear) to create sculptural pieces relating to female sexuality, the female body, and queerness.


She spoke a lot about using these universal materials as a way to communicate to a broader audience (those outside of the academic institution). It also seemed to be a way to tackle complex and loaded topics while not making people feel stupid or defensive. I really enjoy her Lady Sasquatches.

Big Trubs 2004 (This sculpture is about 13ft high)

Midge 2006


Various Sasquatches 2006



Squassdog 2005

Something that came up during the round table discussion was the idea of "queering" craft. To "queer" something means to simply change its expected meaning and thus make the meaning more complicated. I was surprised by how personable and funny she was during her lecture and roundtable talk...but really anyone that refers to their work as "pussy art" kind of automatically gets a thumbs up in my book.


Hungry Purse 2006 A scented, fibrous, secluded room that's an obvious reference to the female anatomy. Looks like it would be a nice place to take a nap.

Hungry Purse 2006

Look at more of her stuff and let me know what you think!

- Lastly, just found out that I got into the Gold Coast Art Fair which will take place August 20- 22 in Grant Park!!! I'm a little overwhelmed with the thought of how much inventory this will require but I am blindly excited none the less. If you'll be in the area, swing by my table and say hello. I'll be the girl with the bow in her hair and a table full of lovely adornments!

Happy Spring everyone!

p.s - Did you know that Tina Turner is Buddhist??

Spring things...[Spring Updates]

So to all of you out there that are just dying to find out- I did not get that lovely huge grant I applied for. (BOOOOO!!!) After cursing and swearing at my computer screen for a lengthy amount of time, I decided that all is well and I will still continue to make the art I make, with or without their filthy money. (You hear that art school!?)

On a similar yet happy note, I have so far gotten into one of the craft fairs I've applied to! Yippeee!!! I will be a proud participant in the Mercadito DIY Arts and Crafts fair at the Rumble Arts Center on Mother's Day, May 8th from 11am-3pm. If you are in the Chicago area or more specifically in Humboldt park, please stop by my table and say hello. I will have lots of lovely jewelry waiting to greet you!!

Recently went to an artist talk with David Leggett at the 65 grand gallery. I really am fascinated by his work and some of the stories that went along with it but a lot of his art makes me so sad, I just want to pretend it's not there. Even though he had a great sense of humor, my heart hurt a little when I left.

From the book Until Friday, 2006

Red Hoodie Slow Jam, 2008 (currently at 65 Grand)

Smoke the purple out of the rainbow, 2010 (Currently at 65 Grand)

From the book Until Friday 2006

Sometimes his level of honesty in art just kind of makes me want to back away. (Which I think says a lot about my character, unfortunately.) He did, however make me want to go home and listen to some Parliament and dance! Check out his art and tell me what you think!

I've got some new jewelry in my etsy shop. Feel free to tell me what you think about those things, too or you can always just buy stuff!

Social Butterfly Earrings. For all you ladies who dream of one day flying away!

Round and Pretty Earrings go great with tea!

So that's that! I need a hot shower and a warm hug. Happy Tuesday. <3

my hand wil always be imperfect because it's human

I just watched an art:21 episode that featured Margaret Killgallen and Barry McGee and I highly recommend it to any of you out there interested in folk- inspired illustrations and graffiti.


Margaret Killgallen was a San Francisco based illustration artist who was part of the very influential Mission School movement in the 90's. I first heard about her and Barry McGee in a documentary called Beautiful Losers which I encourage you all to check out.





It took me a while to warm up to her work but after I heard her talk about it, I appreciate how rich and how alive with narrative it is.






"And in my own work, I do everything by hand. I don't project or use anything mechanical, because even though I do spend a lot of time trying to perfect my line work and my hand, my hand will always be imperfect because it's human."






Barry Mcgee was her partner for many years, before her untimely death in 2001 (due to breast cancer.) He was another artist to come out of the Mission School movement, who occasionally goes by the graffiti name Twister. A lot of his art work comes from his pessimistic view of San Francisco culture which he believes to be rampant with addictions and hollow commercialism. He makes a lot of installations with these weird zombie mannequins doing graffiti on the walls.




The art:21 interview showed a lot of delicious establishing shots of their studio space packed with collected found objects and images painted directly on the walls. There were also a lot of nice scenes of them painting on non- art related objects like box tops and narrowly getting caught doing graffiti on trains.

The graffiti of Matokie Slaughter and Twister (Margaret and Barry)

I think it must be so wonderful to have a partner who's also an artist. Though I mostly prefer to do studio work alone, every now and again it seems like it would be nice to share that personal space with someone, or to have someone around to snap photos of your graffiti work before it gets demolished.

Watch both documentaries and tell me what you think!

mr. fox has marble eyes

I've been super busy this week (3 crits so far) which is why I've been so illusive. Anyway I spotted this video back in October on an amazing blog and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. It's like the acid trip/dark side of Fantastic Mr. Fox (which I still haven't seen by the way).



Check out More from Max Swinton. He also made a similar video called Mr. Pike.

On a related note, I just registered for an awesome class next fall called Alternative Animation: 1960- present. I'm so very giddy about it because we'll be viewing the work of Janie Geiser, Jan Svankmajer, and Susan Pitt to name a few.

If you have any animation recommendations, I'd love to hear it. And I hope you all are soaking in some fickle April sun!

I wish I had 2,010 dollars...

I hope everyone had a blast ringing in the 2010! I attended a party filled with lovely ladies and danced myself into exhaustion...a lovely way to start a new year!

Speaking of new, I nearly ran myself ragged trying to find the perfect pair of heels to caress my feet on the big day. Sadly, I found a bunch online that were a little out of my price range. I primarily drooled over these:

And these:

It would be real nice to afford $300 shoes.

Anyway I finally had the opportunity to see Dante's Inferno last week. What I thought would be a movie with ok puppets and a bunch of dick and fart jokes ended up being a movie with amazingly detailed puppets, a well thought out script, and a bunch of dick and fart jokes. The story follows Dante, a young man who wakes up in a drunken haze in another dimension and meets Virgil, a mullet - toting poet from ancient Rome. They travel together through all the dimensions of hell ending with an encounter with the Dark Prince himself. It's definitely worth a look for the charming, well- choreographed puppets and all the political figure/ pop culture icons dispersed though out Hades. Incidentally, one of the head puppeteers is Paul Zaloom of Beakman's World fame and my friend's puppetry teacher in college.

So that's that. I leave you with this wonderful piece of art from Michel Gondry and Lauri Faggioni. Enjoy.

A Red Ribbon. Music by Devendra Banhart