untidy revelations

ATTENTION!

2009-01-24T01:18:00.003-05:00

This blog has been migrated successfully to Word Press. Please bookmark the new link!
I will leave this one active for awhile, but all new posts can be found at:

http://electrofork.wordpress.com

thank you.

grrr

2009-01-16T00:57:00.009-05:00

Here is my big secret:
I haven't done drawings on a regular basis for many years, aside from fits and starts. False starts-- or re-visitations. As a result, I can no longer draw anything unless I've seen it, or worse: unless I can see it-- in reality, or in a photograph. I've lost my ability to add or subtract from reality with ease- on a whim. It's crippling, as an artist who once invented things at the drop of a hat. But, it's simply a lack of exercise. (That's how you lose your chops- you stop doing scales, and you stop exploring.)

I tend to blame 'design'-- that my career in design has precluded my drawing, my explorations. But that's an excuse. The real reason is fear- you get far enough away from something, and it gets harder to go back. Or, more importantly, to go forward.

Well, hello 2009. I am drawing again this year. Goddammit!
Started tonight, and it wasn't easy (but then, that's my main problem. I've come to expect- or at least want- everything to be easy.) Here's Paris:

Overheard in the ether

2009-01-15T11:36:00.007-05:00

Two things in rapid succession that meshed nicely (and made me smile):

An excerpt from an online column: "Well, that whole faux-happy moment [in our culture] appears to have expired. So you are right where you should be: full of trembling and dread, eyes wide open, unable to filter out the chaos of reality."

Followed by a snippet of conversation from an old tv show:
Adult: "How did your stream of consciousness thing go... What did your teacher say?"
Child: "She never says anything. She just checks to see if you did it."
Adult: "Well-- then how do you know if you're doing it right?"
Child: "You don't. You're just supposed to keep doing it."

Those two things are rather a good summation at the moment, hey?
Maybe at all moments. You just keep going.

Electro Fork available in Germany

2009-01-14T10:32:00.000-05:00

Year of construction: 1994 load-carrying capacity: 2000 kg unloaded weight: 680 kg of battery: 24V battery Gew: 292 - 329 kg (depending upon load) fork length: 1200 mm of operation hours: 1338h factory No.: 145E11493620 Battery charger and battery participate. The mass are LxBxH: 2300 x 800 x 1300 mm

The data are mechanically translated in the english language. Translation errors are possible. No guarantee for printed data and pricing.

1.000 EUR plus VAT

(none)

2009-01-13T13:58:00.003-05:00

Here I sit wasting time; a google search for tuckamore (Tuckamore are spruce trees that are stunted by salt spray from the coast) then led to an image search for ice boats (eisyachts, too) which naturally led to images of houses in snow. From there is was only natural to narrow the search down to the Moomin house in snow, and I learned of some Tove Jansson books of which I'd never heard (A Winter Book, The Summer Book)... Perhaps it isn'y exactly wasting time, but it certainly doesn't feel very productive.

It's time to do some drawing or designing. Or both.

drops

2009-01-07T11:42:00.003-05:00

In the kitchen, rain is falling on the skylight-- a comforting midwinter patter; a perfect song (if you get to stay inside). It's bright outside, dark inside, and I'm wearing a Grinch-green sweater. Reading the news to procrastinate, and wondering why I'm procrastinating at all.
I've actually looked forward to these slow days of early January; days with plenty of time to get the work done and have hours remaining for other creative endeavors. Yet here I sit, puttering about with intangibles.
I think the puttering is itself an "other creative endeavor," though it's hard to convince myself of it.

I am easily daunted by lists of my own making.

welcome, new year.

2009-01-04T13:38:00.003-05:00

A Sunday afternoon of puttering. Lovely!
Briefly interrupted by the realization: Network Solutions still holding my domain name hostage! (I thought I'd transferred it over a year ago.) My ongoing lease for said ephemeral domain lapsed December 29. Never having acknowledged my change of email (they had one on file from over ten years ago), received no warnings of impending digital homelessness. Now, having shelled out ridiculous fee for renewal, I once again must employ ancient fax technology to prove I am myself, then once again attempt to disavow them of electrofork.com once and for all.

:: sigh ::

Back to puttering.

Oh, also: Apologies to all who may have been expecting an electrofork calendar for 2009; the novel rather undermined my hopes-- but next year, next year! Fitting, anyway, to start up again for 2010. A nice round number.

map-making

2008-12-09T10:26:00.002-05:00

Although I found myself dabbling in cartography just last evening, I have no intention of writing about map-making (at least not in this post), but needed something other than "Cold," or "Winter" for a title. Don't you agree?

It's the thick of Holiday shopping, so I've been busy with jewelry-- making, selling, keeping track of and packaging up for shipping. I do have other work waiting on the docket, however, so the remainder of today shall have to be for such things. But a big thanks to all my lovely customers, if any of you find your way here.

I shall try to write here more regularly, although lately every time I log in and set out to say something, I draw an utter blank, as I'm doing now.

More later.

NaNoWriMo

2008-12-03T22:28:00.002-05:00

(Man, it's cold in here after the heat's been turned down all day!)

Well, It's done. It's been done for several days, in fact. The "National Novel Writing Month" 50,000 word challenge! I made it, and with about 700 or so words to spare. It's by no means "finished" of course-- now it shall require reading and editing. There will be the filling in of plot holes, the sorting out of continuity problems, a good deal of re-writing and of course the crafting of more effective and beautiful language to tell the story.
I didn't use half of the characters I'd invented, nor access a good deal of detail that I'd like to incorporate. Now's the time to go back and sort it all out. Well, soon, anyway.

I miss the frenetic writing writing writing!
Getting back to work in earnest has been a little difficult.

And, in honor of winter...

2008-11-21T14:46:00.007-05:00

I have some new jewelry pieces on the way-- some ridiculously cute new pendants and earrings. These are featuring some adorable little winter drawings instead of photographs! Look for them in my Etsy shop next week~

I will also be selling jewelry at KE Haas Salon on Wednesday, December 10th for a Holiday Party and Trunk Show.

Winter is here.

2008-11-20T11:45:00.002-05:00

I have been remiss with this lately. Writing other things- well, one thing; the book-in-progress! Nearly at 30,000 words, but still behind. Jewelry has been keeping me busy as well.
It's frightfully cold the past few days, although it's what ought to be normal for late November. Sucks having to pay for heat; it makes me miss the steam radiators of past apartments whose excessive exudations were included in the price of monthly rent! ::sigh::

Oy!

2008-11-10T20:52:00.004-05:00

Well, the folks at National Novel Writing Month weren't kidding when they said it's hard to catch up once you get behind! I'm over 3.000 words behind now, and by tomorrow even more! I have to write tonight! It's one-third through the months and I'm nowhere near one-third to 50,000 words.

::sigh::

But first, dinner...

an excerpt...

2008-11-07T02:04:00.003-05:00

From the book in progress. It's entirely likely that this, along with mush of the rest of it, will be re-written once the first draft has been completed.

___________

She continued, “They were printed with blank pages at each end, and it was on these that family trees were recorded. Many people also kept their most important papers safely folded away inside the book. They are rare these days and extremely valuable. Not just valuable because they are worth a lot of money, although that’s true-- but because the information in them often exists nowhere else.”

Emily had a way of discussing dry topics like bibles and paper so fervently, and with such interest, it was impossible not to get caught up in her excitement. The three of them sat and waited as she donned a pair of white gloves and rustled through a sheaf of papers that looked very dry indeed. They were all wondering when she was going to pull out one of these family bibles.

Instead, Emily drew three yellowed sheets of paper on which the brown ink had nearly faded away. She carefully spread them out on the table so they could all see them, and removed her gloves. “These three pages were tucked away- not in a bible, but in an early edition copy of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of the Species!”

She paused dramatically to let this soak in. When she saw they were all staring blankly at her, she sighed, and continued. “This book was one of the breakthroughs that led to modern scientific study as we know it. The man who wrote these pages was a scientist! It was his bible, you see?”

“O-oh!” the three let out nearly in unison.

___________

it wasn't even close.

2008-11-05T11:02:00.003-05:00

President Elect Barak Obama!
What an amazing Election Day (and we even knew who won before midnight for a change). You should have heard Brooklyn last night!! Horns honking, people were in the streets celebrating and whoo hoo-ing for several hours after the announcement was made. An epic victory.

It's exciting to see intelligence, reason and compassion come out on top.

EVERYBODY WINS!

2008 Time for Change

2008-11-04T15:09:00.003-05:00

Ahhhhh. I just voted, with no lines, no waiting. OBAMA!

2008-10-29T15:14:00.003-04:00

Incidentally, I should mention that I did have good birthday, despite the following day having been poor! Spoke on the phone with my Mom and Beth and Kelley; lots of well-wishing from brothers and others, too. Later, I had a happy hour beer with Kim before her internship at the theater, then I went to Beast and saw friends. Ben met me there for dinner and gave me the above antique cigarette package, from 1878. He had made it into the beautiful card pictured above; the writing on the back even more lovely than the design on the front.

Thanks, everyone! :)

the culprit

2008-10-29T12:03:00.000-04:00

holding it~

2008-10-28T15:25:00.003-04:00

Update: Heat in apartment fixed, furniture successfully delivered and set up. Alas, the absurdity continues.

This morning, post-pee, a smallish plastic container of lotion fell from wall shelf into still-flushing toilet. Reached intrepidly into nasty freezing bowl to retrieve, but too late-- bottle surprisingly disappeared from view! Attempted coat-hanger to retrieve with no luck. Rushed out in pouring rain to hardware store for proper plunger. Result: continued failure and out $7.99 for unhelpful plunger.

Man sent by landlord with bizarre plumber equipment (some sort of vertical snake-in-a-pole with revolving handle), also had no luck. Thirty minutes later: he returned with additional man, much equipment. Currently have toilet on its side, on the floor (after sawing apart amid flying sparks!). Much mess. Water everywhere. Total nightmare.

Also: currently needing to pee again!

Welcome to year 38.

Leg the uglydoll

2008-10-24T14:20:00.005-04:00

the scrolling wall, complete.

(Most likely, more things will wind up on that wall. Little things in gold frames, oddments, etc. But the painting is finished at last.)

moomins hibernate.

2008-10-24T13:46:00.003-04:00

This week started off wretchedly- nothing was working out, timing was all off. Puzzle pieces mismatched.

It has gotten better and better, and things have been falling into place, but today a stumbling block! Nothing so important, just irritating, and my fault. We were expecting a furniture delivery (new living room furniture- we got rid of the futon couch last night); the place told us between eleven and two o'clock, but they would call an hour ahead of time. Well, I hadn't got the call (so I thought) and jumped in the shower. Of course, this was exactly when they arrived and they only waited fifteen minutes and my phone was in the other room, so I missed them! Oh, if only they'd have hit the buzzer! Turns out my phone volume was way down, too, which was why I missed the first call. So, probably have to wait until Tuesday to have a place to sit our asses down in the living room, unless by some stroke of luck the delivery folks have time to come back later today.

On top of this (which is mostly annoying me because it was my fault), we have been without heat since it's gotten cold, and our landlord is out of town, so it's goddamn freezing in the whole apartment.

Not a very great post, after so much time going by with none, but the need to rant is always such a motivator, huh? Ha ha! Otherwise, all is well. November is just around the corner, during which I shall embark on the adventure of >NoNoWriMo, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month, to which I look forward. I've been researching and fleshing out characters for a story I began five years ago, but never got past chapter one, which has since been dropped in favor of a better beginning. The new beginning, along with the rest of the story, has only been put into outline form, as the whole point of NaNo is to begin and complete 50,000 words in a thirty day time period.

Well, back to work and trying not to freeze. (It's amazing how cold 55-60 degrees can feel when you're indoors!)

October!

2008-10-11T10:57:00.003-04:00

Some abstracts of my new studio in my new apartment with Ben:

wall above computer, no art on walls yet

The wall above the Queen Anne (and Leg the UglyDoll!) in progress

Get to work!

And, some images of the Atlantic Antic last weekend. Warren, Kim and I shared a booth and hawked artistic wares on the folks at the street fair.

Kim at the tables with all of our collective wares

As you can see, I've been very busy with the resin and photos lately...!

A close-to of some necklaces

New this autumn: belt buckles. Available in my Etsy shop...

More to come, but there's an update on what I've been busy with over the past month or so. On the way, eventually: images from the trip Ben and I took to Rhode Island in late September.

"Reckless Example"

2008-10-11T10:55:00.002-04:00

It can't be about me; I spell it Lizzie...

Seen in the tunnel entrance to Prospect Park last weekend.

S A L E

2008-09-17T09:13:00.005-04:00

I shall soon be moving into the House of Ben, and we had a superbly successful moving sale Saturday last-- the weather held without rain, and many walkers of the Avenue stopped to look, and to buy. (The photo above shows only a fraction of the myriad what-not 'twas for sale, as I hadn't a chance to snap a photo 'til afternoon.) A busy and fun day-- whirlwind purge of duplicates and extras before the the merging of our two homesteads.

Only a few boxes remained at the end so I have far less to pack than before, and we have a good start on saving money for a new couch, sorely needed.

post script: I'm happy to report that a few thing didn't sell (things which I'd marked pricey on purpose), so I got to keep tham after all. You know, there are some things that, once you see people looking at them like they are worthless, you just don't want to part with, despite trying to pare down.

McCain

2008-09-05T10:32:00.003-04:00

*sigh* The RNC: frat party to GOP supporters and oligarchs alike. Whoo hoo!

Not even worth much in the way of typing, but...
(1) [Sen. McCain] "...and get this country back on the road to peace and prosperity."
Really? With Four More Years of same? Who got us into all this mess? The Republicans have, after all, held 20 of the past 28 years in Washington. He has plans to "shake up" Washington DC. If he has problems with the way things have been running, why has he sided with Bush on just about everything? Is he now re-negging on the past 8 years? It simply underscores that the people in that convention hall are the ones who would be there no matter who was nominated; there is no application of reasonable thought. "When he says he will "stop leaving all our country's problems for some unluckier generation," does none of the audience realize he can only be referring their party, especially under GW Bush?
It seems as ever, all a GOP candidate need do, ultimately, is say "Democrats will raise taxes!"

(2) [audience, chanting] "USA! USA! USA!"
Hmmm... Do they mistakenly think that they are at the Olympics, or some other venue in which this country is in competition with others? Do they not realize that both parties are, in fact, of and for the USA?

UGH.

Miserable Palin.

2008-09-04T15:33:00.006-04:00

The RNC speeches were baseless, devoid of fact or reason, and generally nausea-inducing. Giuliani is more desperate than ever (and such a tool)! Hard to watch the speeches; embarrassing that so many were there with their hateful BOOs and misplaced applause and cheering. Sadly, the GOP has done very well by appealing to culture-clash points and derision.

I'm pasting the following bullet points on Palin here (courtesy of MoveOn.org), just because they ought to be widespread. Book-burning. Really? So sad. Please let not a single Hillary vote go to the GOP on account of this wretched woman-- er, bulldog.

• Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even admitted she hasn't thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq."

• Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she called its 'inspiring convention.'"

• Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear whether she thinks evolution is a fact.

• Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being manmade."

• Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP.

• Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest.

• Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches.

• As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor."

• She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."

art deck-oh!

2008-08-21T12:08:00.005-04:00

electrodeck

Above is the deck I painted for the Apache Skateboards/Humble Collective "My Way" skateboard art show at Humble Gallery. I sent it off by Fedex yesterday-- nothing like pushing 'til the last minute, but it's been just too busy lately! The opening is tonight, so if you're in Santa Fe, go check it out.

b u s y .

2008-08-13T00:11:00.005-04:00

Sometimes, it's a good thing to be too busy to have much free time. Sometimes, when you're working on far too many projects, it can be good-- because it forces you to focus; forces you not only to find a way to finish things and to be creative about it, but also to have sudden and visceral responses to all the many layers in your life. This is useful, if somewhat vexing.

It can be a road to clarity.

It's interesting: Ben is my strongest association with that word, clarity, and I don't think it was a concept I ever gave much thought to outside of visuals, or in the context of writing or designing. But it has come to be such a crucial concept, a big picture thing.. (At least, in theory-- achieving the attainment of same is easier said than done, naturally.)

It calls into my mind the Thoreau bit: "Our life is frettered away by details. Simplify. Simplify." (That one reminds me of my dad.)

Hmmm...
Tonight was another sky of mad contrast- a great LIGHT in the west while a big dark storm brewed over the trees on the slope, off toward the park, at sunset. But the sky never really did open up. Not really. Dylan was playing in Prospect Park tonight. I'd entertained the idea of crashing, of listening on the lawn. I felt relieved when the thunder struck, because I knew I had to WORK. But then it didn't rain more than two minutes.

I worked anyway. (I didn't really have much of a choice.)
I'm curious how the show was. It'll be a story I hear from others; a good one, as it never did rain out.

Common enough occurrence, isn't it?

2008-08-06T15:48:00.003-04:00

a dark storm sky against the light in the west

Fifth Avenue North, Park SLope, Brooklyn. Taken Sunday, August 4.

work work work

2008-07-31T23:54:00.006-04:00

Hi. It's late and I spent the whole of the day on the TLB site, after all- didn't animate anything or work on jewelry (though it's only midnight, so I shall do that now- prep for resin-pouring).

I feel like sharing a sneak peak at the site, anyway- as it's ALL I've worked on for the past couple of days, and it's coming along quite nicely, I think. (edit: it's live now)

have a look----> the site

balance, upset

2008-07-31T13:38:00.003-04:00

Had one of those days yesterday in which I got so much done, it was almost absurd. But today I just couldn't wake up! Slept incredibly late, and I need to have another getting so much done day! (I will). I don't seem to have gotten back on a sensible schedule since my return from Upstate, the farm.

Today (what's left of it) is for animation and for resin jewelry. I will make up for late-sleeping.
I will work into the night.

l a t e r :
I have been working at the Tara Lynne Band materials all day. They have now a blog, and an updated MySpace page. Web site will (hopefully) be finished by the end of next week. I have also to update the KE Haas Salon site, on top of about 8 or 9 other projects which will be ongoing for a few weeks at least. Whew! Busy.

l i s t m a k i n g

2008-07-23T22:19:00.012-04:00

Today I did a drawing of a rutabega (see above). A magic rutabega. (More on why later...) Oh. Oops-- turns out I've been spelling it wrong, according to Mirriam-Webster. It's rutabaga!

There is a mighty thunderstorm occurring RIGHT NOW! A beautiful summer storm, following several hours of that tinged purple sky and flashes of heat lightning. Gorgeous. (And I left the wine bar just in time so as to enjoy this storm from my front room, and not have to walk through the downpour!)

Ben is in Philadelphia for some meetings, he left this morning. I shall wake early tomorrow to catch a plane up to Rochester. Looking forward to seeing the family! And: meeting the new pup, Wolf; seeing the new barn, the redecorated kitchen, and the farm in green in general. I hope it doesn't really rain all weekend, as I'd like to swim and go riding (horse and bike!). We'll see. Will take lots of photos. Meantime there are a few from Fire Island up on Flickr now.

recent readings
* The Places that Scare You, Pema Chodron
* The Poetics of Space, Gaston Bachelard
* Lighthousekeeping, Jeanette Winterson
* The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway
* The Wapshot Chronicle, John Cheever

recent viewings
* The Dark Ages (The History Channel)
* The Spiderwick Chronicles
* Mary Tyler Moore, (eason one)
* Moonlighting (pilot- oof!)
* A Picture of England (wonderful series, with David Dimbleby)
* Barbarians (series, with Terry Jones)

lately listening
* Girls and Boys, Ingrid Michaelson
* Music for Airports, Brian Eno
* LOTR Complete, Howard Shore
* s h u f f l e

"Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs"

2008-07-21T09:42:00.002-04:00

Now that's a fantastic subject line.
The body of the email was pretty mundane, although its closing lines are equally poetic, in their way. To wit:

"Find me there and tell me a bit about your dreams.
Waiting for your answer"

Who writes this stuff? It makes you wonder how many among us (perhaps they give their job description as Internet Marketer?) are making their living in the industry of SPAM?

out of the fire..

2008-07-14T19:40:00.003-04:00

Fire Island, that is.

One full week out there and you completely forget that feeling in your lower back that arises from being in front of the computer machine all day! Alas, after a single work day, it begins to creep back up the spine. I feel fairly certain I've caught up with everything, but some emails from last week and weekend seem to have disappeared into the ether, so if you sent on e to me and haven't yet heard back, send another post haste!

Hmmm. I thought a bit of typing might be cathartic, but it appears I'm not ready.
More later.

shelter, swelter or soak.

2008-06-30T15:50:00.002-04:00

Those were the primary options over the weekend, but we had a good one of it anyway. A roving wander took us through Vinegar Hill , DUMBO and into the Heights on Saturday, finally trapped in air conditioning with beer and a Mets game as the torrents began in earnest. Tasted and bought some delicious things at the New Amsterdam Market on Sunday before being caught in another downpour on Mott street.

I've been missing Pi lately. Being a cold water fish, he never did care much for summer (I sometimes put ice cubes in his tank to melt and give him some relief from fish soup conditions). Oddly enough, he's still in the freezer, awaiting a proper burial. At Coney, later in the year, I think-- where Tres was also ceremonially laid to rest.

the Solstice has come and gone

2008-06-23T11:04:00.002-04:00

Thanks to all who made their way out to Red Hook last week, whether for the opening or since. The collection from the opening (minus the pieces that have sold, of course) are still at Metal and Thread, along with myriad other lovely things, so do stop by if you haven't yet.

It's dark dark dark in Brooklyn today, and it puts me in mind of Winter days. This year, I shall be looking forward to the month of November, if for only one reason: a strange thing called NaNoWriMo. I've signed up already and it certainly sounds like heady fun.

digital

2008-06-20T02:05:00.004-04:00

The problem of email (how or if it will be manipulated back into Pandora's box, or at least made to fit in one's Inbox); Texting; the omnipresence and simultaneous nonexistence of Blogs; IKEA: "if you build it and provide transport, they will come"; an hallucinatory human-sized bird cage; horse-porn as a tool in an Election year;

Moreover:
(from previous asides)
Were the Hulk's pants similarly affected by radiation, for there is otherwise no passable reason for "suspension of disbelief" (an ongoing problem still not tackled in 2008)--
and
How, in the future (read: now) everything is affordable, excepting the cost of living (eg: furniture; air conditioners; hi-def anything; iPhones; and external hard drives-- nearly free).

electroweb

2008-06-16T17:56:00.003-04:00

The new electrofork site is launched.
Photos and Fine art missing, but soon to re-emerge (with much more than was on electrofork) at elizabethdaggar.com

In other news, some of my artwork may be appearing in the apartment of the young and the Real on a cable network near you before long, so keep an eye here for further details. See you at Metal and Thread in Red Hook this Thursday!

Of summer and a small island off the coast

2008-06-12T10:00:00.003-04:00

A quick mid-morning missive, from an air conditioned perch in a small office building in Manhattan; I'm covering for a friend while he takes a long weekend. I woke later than planned, and had to rush but caught the N just as i descended the staircase at Atlantic, so I arrived on time.

I woke late on account, mainly, of having been up late working. Not working on what I should have been, but working (as I have been, obsessively) on the new electrofork site. It's nearly finished! The jewelry section is proving time-consuming, but nearly there, nearly there. (Honestly, it has been stealing time from other projects!) It's so close that it's just killing me to have to take time away from it lately to do "real" work.

I'm sure this is all very exciting to read. Back to work.

Electrofork at Metal & Thread

2008-06-11T10:18:00.005-04:00

Selected new works in sterling and silverplate featuring my photographs will be featured at a wine reception on the evening of June 19th, at a lovely shop/gallery in Red Hook. Come on down after work and say hello, maybe see the sun set over the harbor or show off your new art-bling at one of the local bars or eateries...

Thursday June 19th 6pm-8pm
Metal and Thread
398 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn

Art and things that start with A

2008-06-09T12:09:00.006-04:00

Amsterdam III (above) was a selected piece in Artlog's studio for this past weekend's Atlantic Avenue Artwalk, in Brooklyn. It has now been selected to go on to the Affordable Art Fair in Manhattan.

new site

2008-05-20T22:52:00.005-04:00

I am an artist and my name is elizabethdaggar.com

This will be the future home of my more art-oriented, less design-oriented works.
paintings : drawings : photographs : perhaps, jewelry...

we'll see. For now,

t r e e s .

TIME IS A LOAN SHARK™

2008-05-14T01:47:00.009-04:00

Other than that:
- Working
- Not exercising enough, but some, and enjoyably, as it's no longer winter.
- New mobile-- Alias™ with QWERTY. (have to get used to typing straight keyboard with thumbs!)
-Jewelry sales have been great for wholesale market! (nil on Etsy, but I've been remiss...) Met the owner of Fuego 718 over the weekend and he is wonderful, as are the owners of Metal & Thread. (If all my future wholesale customers follow suit, it will be an ongoing pleasure, honestly.)
- I have finally put all the business cards I've collected over the past year and a half into my Rolodex™ (so old school with the paper).
Hmmm...
- Benn doing some work in Flash again; realizing why I missed animation. (Although I still vastly prefer After Effects for it)
- I enjoyed some sun today, running errands and also running into some friends. The time of iced coffee has returned!
- Have notions for a 2009 calendar. I know I said it would happen last year, but this year, I mean it. I've realized, in the years without one, that it really was a wonderful way to stay in touch and reach out.
- I am loving springtime (even the rainy bits)
- Currently reading "The Mysterious Benedict Society"- a book after my own heart, as it covers some themes I've begun in a chapter or two of beginnings of a book... Besides, it's illustrated by Carson Ellis who is, as far as I'm concerned, an Edward Gorey for a new generation.

Alright, finished for now.

Mainly, I just wanted to point out that TIME is a LOAN SHARK. That is to say- it's a thief! and you can't ever hope to catch up.

Center for Contemporary Arts

2008-05-01T10:11:00.004-04:00

Electrofork joins the Mad Framer in donating a piece to the Center for Contemporary Art's 7th Annual Photography Auction in Santa Fe this June. The above photo (24" x 18" print from an edition of 13) will be treated to a custom, archival frame by The Mad Framer for the auction. Check out the CCA web site for more details.

a fine line

2008-03-28T13:55:00.006-04:00

Upcoming show at ARTISTS! at the Mad Framer: Opening reception on Friday April 18th.
A FINE LINE AT THE MAD FRAMER
A show featuring works by Santa Fe artist Robin Williams that feel as if she's pulled energy from thin air and transformed it into a series of blind contour drawings, and images by Brooklyn artist Elizabeth Daggar that find the quiet corners in dense urban settings. Opening Reception: Friday April 18, 2008 5pm - 9pm
(click on the postcard above to go to the site)

T'will feature a number of works that were featured in the American Artist article. If you find yourself in Santa Fe, do stop by!

Wildflowers!

2008-03-28T01:36:00.005-04:00

Wildflower Week is coming your way, New York. See here!
That feisty, windblown logo is an electrofork design. A current project, and the web site will have lots more info added over the next few weeks, so keep a lookout.

In other news, Here is a link to some pictures from Easter Sunday, which turned into an epic wander.

of magic

2008-03-25T23:34:00.009-04:00

the magic hour in the city of lights

I realized this morning that it was time for a new background image on my monitor - something colorful --not black and white-- but not yet the greens of spring and sunshine... I landed on the dusky blues penetrated by oblongs of warmth: the magic hour in Paris! Those curlicues of streetlamp and balcony ironwork are the stuff I've been waiting to see since I read (looked at) all those whimsical, wonderfully illustrated children's books from the sixties and seventies.
(Oh, and while I'm noticing- it rather resmbles that image of Amsterdam, doesn't it?)
What a complete pleasure. To see them once, then to see them again at my leisure. Life can be sweet.

It's usually the little things...

of late hours and new music

2008-03-24T23:49:00.008-04:00

It is almost midnight, and still a busy day rolls on.

Sold my first batch of wholesale jewelry to some cool fellow Brooklynite artists tonight, who shall be enjoying a grand opening in Red Hook this Saturday, March 29th: Metal and Thread. Go see their shop and visit them on Van Brunt Street soon.

In other news, preparing for an art exhibit at the Mad Framer in Santa Fe soon; to wit:
Artists at the Mad Framer : An Alternative Space for Emerging Artists. The Mad Framer sets out to redefine the dynamic between artist and gallery by providing museum quality presentation in an alternative, salon-style venue.

Watch the Mad Framer site for a revamp which will include information about this and other upcoming shows.

Work of the graphic design persuasion is also ongoing. Current listening: Ingrid Michaelson.

Did you know it takes ten pounds of milk to make on pound of cheese? It's true. Just ask Saxelby Cheesemongers.

end of summer, and strange hats

2008-03-21T10:18:00.004-04:00

Dreams of a pool next door; a guest room in a summer house owned by the Bells, all windows, with my own linens on the bed and I couldn't decide whether to leave them for a winter visit or take them off, and home.

A herd of 60 or 70 horses going hungry found its way into our pastures, homeless or driven out of wild places; making no sense- we were not feeding them (they were too many) and in the late season the grasses of our pastures were depleted almost immediately from their presence, so day after day they milled around, switched places. Each day, mid afternoon, a pack of drooling and cruel-looking black wolves would appear. I didn't see any of the horses eaten, but I knew there must have been disappearances day by day. I trusted that they'd not catch our three horses, the healthy ones, strong and fast as we'd been feeding them. As the herd grew weaker and hungrier, they'd take to lying on their sides in the nighttime, a disturbing view in such numbers- like a vision of giving-up en masse.
(Wouldn't they have been better off without fences? What good was it doing them? Keeping them away from grasses, unable to outrun the wolves.)

I wanted one last swim in the pool before the summer was gone, but I kept finding things to pack; several cloth hats of the sort that frame the face- postmodernly embellished revisitations of long outmoded headwear. I couldn't decide which one to wear. Relatives everywhere; the kids didn't know enough to be dismayed by the horses.

the moon and chocolate cake

2008-03-13T10:18:00.003-04:00

After a dinner (both delicious and healthy) accompanied by a lovely 2006 Scghesio Arneis, we split the warm chocolate cake and swooned over it. Mmmmms after every bite.

Walking home in the wind we noticed how beautiful the crescent moon was, and how it had been even more so on the previous night, when it looked precisely sideways- like a sliver of a bowl in the sky. We spoke of how great it is that we can still find the moon and chocolate cake and sex and so many other things to be amazing. Even after all the history of mankind, we can still be amazed. We spoke of time all the way back to the time of primordial ooze. It was pre-sexual and decidedly pre-cake, but the moon was there. Was the ooze amazed?

I like to think so.

Why else would it have bothered to evolve?

the usual.

2008-03-12T11:56:00.004-04:00

Vivid dreams, and numerous.

Picture them on a bed of ceremonial lettuce! Remember the days when every American restaurant adorned each plate with a sprig of some inedible green nonsense- wilted, overgreen parsley or some such?
Thank god that sort of thing has gone out of vogue.

more efork in the UK

2008-03-10T10:46:00.003-04:00

Here's a composite of some images of a tattoo that a friend of electrofork in the UK sent this weekend; his tattoo featuring the Fisher-Price™ style punk, goth, rockabilly and other weerdos from a poster I did a few years back. A sweet homage-of-an-homage! Thanks to Glenn for the photos.

whoosh!

2008-03-05T15:44:00.003-05:00

Despite the mild temperature, it is a bitter day to be on two wheels. Rode my bike to the park, and sadly enough got winded just on the way up the hill to get there. Then, all the way around the park huge gusts of wind mocked me incessantly; pointed out just how soft and weak these winter months have made me. Lost vigilance, and it's time to start paying.

That's what happens. Gotta pay for everything eventually.

deep freeze!

2008-02-28T14:55:00.002-05:00

Day two without heat in the ol' palace. And during such cold days, too! My fingers have literally been going numb at the keyboard, as I work away on web sites and other design projects. Better get out my fingerless gloves from the one Euro store in Münster!

Supposedly it is being worked on my someone in the basement right now; I'll believe it when I hear the lovely hiss of steam from the radiators...

American Artist

2008-02-26T14:57:00.005-05:00

The article about my paintings is online now! Hits the newsstands in the April issue. (Click the image above to see the article.) Three of the paintings are still available if anyone out there needs something new to hang on a wall. ;)

(However, the "Necropolis" screen print is not available die to a problem with the printing.)

bits

2008-02-23T10:57:00.004-05:00

Nothing important, just a couple of bits from text interchanges:

"Winter grows tooth-long, and its welcome wanes."

"Life goes through a frustrating phase, perhaps [inspired by, or] in concert with the moon's hiding,
All tries to escape reason."

An older bit:
"Subatomic particles will not be shouted at!"

entry No213

2008-02-22T10:25:00.002-05:00

Awoke to snow, and the streets outside my windows give the impression that the city has half shut-down. Few presences on the sidewalks, and the parking spots are almost all empty. Further evidence: in the little window on my computer for Instant Messaging, only one soul is logged on today, where on a normal day there are at least seven names lit up with the green lights. Has the whole city taken a snow day for these few inches of fluffy white?

Having checked, it appears the weather experts have issued a Severe Weather warning, with snow continuing through the day to eventually become what they colorfully refer to as a "wintry mix" (read freezing rain- the worst sort of mess to be out in).

A good day, perhaps, to get a great deal of work done from one's desk, safe inside. It beckons, though- my camera and i should venture out later to take advantage of quiet streets in snowfall.

something crooked...

2008-02-20T15:28:00.002-05:00

this way comes. Not really; just a leap year. So, February will extend its reach by a small margin, but still it has zoomed as if something pursued it! Busy and strange has been this month. (Yoda?)

I've only just drawn up a plan for 2008 (more a list) and here we approach the very third month in what feels strangely like a hurry, considering it's the dead middle of winter. Oh, time and light, all I seem to put down here lately! Too much of what's been new is not blog-appropriate (not in my mind)- personal.

Fears, doubts... I could parley some political frustration I suppose, but my forays into the News have been brief, on account of the depression they invariably cause. Speculation of worst-case scenarios.

End transmission.

a winter morning, little heat.

2008-02-12T10:32:00.003-05:00

Morning, and the spaces between Snooze:
Favorite time of Dreamers and Alarm Resistors!
Those brief, eternal windows between aural attacks that hold the magic beans of middle sleep, making all worlds accessible. Visitations to the ever that stretch on longer than the whole night, and make it feel as though it had been wasted on the deep sleeping subconscious. The vividness of dreams, (particularly within the warm embrace of goose down on a cold morning) makes me wish I'd set the alarm to go off whole hours earlier. Alas. Coffee and the Controlling world await.

peace. expansion. clarity.

2008-01-30T11:59:00.001-05:00

The wind howls out there today beneath the great blue dome lit by a winter sun.

The sun's visitations in full have been scarce these January days in Brooklyn, so it is welcome with or without the wind. In the window my tallest plant, aspiring to treedom, extends itself reaching for light, and succeeds.

absent

2008-01-29T17:19:00.001-05:00

I haven't been posting on here much lately.

Whether it's the lack of proper amounts of sunlight (winter in the city, not getting outside enough) or (more likely) a whole parade of factors; I have been going through emotional ups and downs a lot this month. It is difficult to put a finger on it, but I feel utterly different from day to day and I don't like it. Perhaps as my current projects pick up steam and get in motion this will cease; action and doing are great antidotes to thinking too much, which may be the real root of my unease.

Now I have to go mail some packages and pick up laundry.

i just saw a mouse--

2008-01-25T04:39:00.000-05:00

run through my house!

The Trunk of Strange

2008-01-15T14:42:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking; it seems I really have a lot of, how to describe it? Well, S T U F F. Too much stuff. I'm such a collector and pack-rat;. The reasons it hasn't become a truly serious problem are (1) average size of Brooklyn apartments, and (2) my proclivity to move house fairly often. These factors notwithstanding, however, there is still too much. Then this morning all of a sudden I realized a potential solution.

I have opened another shop on Etsy to share some of these items with other creators. So much of what I have falls under the general catch-all of "stuff I can use to make other stuff with", eg: collage elements of the paper, fabric and object kinds. (Remember the TABLE? You see what I mean.)

This new shop goes by the (probably clunky or inaccurate) French monicker of "Le Tronc d'Étrange", or The Trunk of Strange. Tell your crafty arty friends and neighbors. I've begun the offerings with some sets of beautiful 149-year-old illustrated pages from a Natural History (such as it was in 1859) Encyclopedia...

morning in light

2008-01-10T08:32:00.000-05:00

Today when i woke suddenly and unbidden at 7:18 there was an image in my head of the panorama of Amsterdam offered by the lounge at the 11th floor of the Modern Art Museum there. Ben and I had gone up to check out the view after our day of bicycling-exploring the nascent communities to the north of the city; islands reclaimed from water as recently as 10-20 years ago, with quirky modern style dutch residences and little arched bridges between them.

We'd begun by biking from our "home" south of the Pijp neighborhood, and heading over to the neighborhood where we stayed last year, then up to (and through) Flevo Park, then over one of the bridges to the islands. Later on we biked back toward the center (but still north) and saw NEMO (a large museum that looks like a ship's hull, on the water), and from there we went up the elevator to floor eleven.

I want to make a chart or list of some kind-- of our days on this trip. It went by fast, as they always seem to do, and things by now do seem a bit of an inextricable blur... but just a bit. Today amid other duties I shall begin editing some of my images, finding selects to upload. (Still, I'm sure there will be so many!) Ben has still about 500 mb of them on his USB drive- from the day above, in fact! (Maybe that was why that day was in my mind-- I haven't looked at those yet) I shall have to leave space for them as I edit.

Incidentally, I was surprised at how early it was when I awoke, on account of the light. When we were in Europe, it was still fully dark, even at 8 in the morning!

tuesday... i think

2008-01-08T20:58:00.000-05:00

I'm battered and bruised!

Not from the trip, mind. I tripped over a rather large bentwood rocking chair earlier, after contriving a route behind it to adjust the window opening. (It's a recent addition to the apartment so I suppose I'm not used to it being there yet)

The TRIP!
A whirlwind: Rochester, NY for the Christmas holidays - fun! And not even too cold, for upstate! Snow, ice skating, food, food, food, and family. The horses were furry and fat as they tend to get in winter. The nephews and nieces were in full form of pre-Xmas excitement. Made cookies with Mom, Jordan and Em. Xmas eve at Joe and Diana's-- a feast! Some last minute shopping with Dad and Jon, and Xmas was a big breakfast at the farm followed by another feast at my cousin Nancy's house.

On the 26th it was back to Newark airport and no layover onto a plane to Amsterdam Schipol airport, where Ben was waiting for me, as he'd gone there a few days earlier. Whoo hoo! Back in Amsterdam after only a year.; it was wonderful to return- with all its canals and beautiful old houses lining them-- it's magical. We had a chance to have a fun dinner with Gerhard and Eline while there. While in Amsterdam, we stayed at a very comfortable and sweet apartment, by way of a trade with friends of friends.

On the afternoon of the 30th we hopped a train to Münster, Germany to visit with Stork and Elena again, only this time for New Year's Eve (last year we were in Berlin for the change-over). Super fun; some bike riding around town to pick up provisions for New Year's Eve, which was a night was so foggy one could barely see a half block away. We had a great time watching fireworks in the nearby cathedral square after sharing a meal with their friends in the building- raclette style (a tasty prelude to Paris).

On the 2nd, we boarded an early train which took us from Münster to Cologne, at which point we switched for the Thalys to Paris. It was the first high speed train in Europe, and we had first class tickets, as they were cheaper than the 2nd class on the longer, traditional train ride (?!). Very nice. So, we arrived in Paris at around 4:30, checked into Hotel La Lousianne, then headed out for exploration and dinner! We walked to the Isle del Cite, as it was so close to our neighborhood, and caught part of a mass going on while we wandered through Notre Dame. That cathedral is impossible to wrap one's head around; believable that it took over two centuries to complete.

Paris Paris Paris! Five days there- all of them very full of wandering and exploring-- and eating, drinking... not smoking as much as I'd expected, however, as they'd enacted the no smoking in doors rule the very day before our arrival. :( Many cafes, however, still had plenty of outdoor seating, beneath striped awnings and heat lamps. Beautiful city-- endless lovely architecture and curlicued balconies... Amazing. We also had the good fortune of being able to catch up with two Brooklyn friends while there; Steve on Friday afternoon and evening, and Alex for lunch on Saturday.

After Paris, we trained back to A'Dam for one final afternoon of wandering and relaxing. We went to several of our favorite spots, and returned to our kind hosts' apartment for dinner with them (Marloes and Jurjen: they'd stayed at my apartment, and their friends at Ben's, for a week over New Year's)

Time to end this update, as I am on Amsterdam time, where it is approximately 3:30 am. There is an obscene amount of photographs from this trip; as time allows I will sort through and upload highlights and oddities to the flickr site (see link to the right). And, of course, there will be new imagery for jewelry...

away

2008-01-04T20:13:00.000-05:00

i am abroad. This keyboard is awfully different to a US one. I will be away until Jan 9th, so if you've been looking for me, that's why I haven't been findable.

Sunday, winter.

2007-12-17T00:14:00.000-05:00

A wet and dreary outlook, weather-wise, but a fine Sunday.

Wintermarket came off very well from the looks of it (a wonderful project I've lately become involved with, as a designer).

Ben and I had a lovely dinner and visit with a friend in Manhattan tonight.

On our walk between downtown and Union Square, I stopped in at a Rad Shack and found 1 gigabyte SD cards to be on sale for 13 bucks, which means I can shoot 3 times as many photographs before requiring a download to CD. Nice!

Starting tomorrow morning I have 4 days in which to accomplish very much; work-, jewelry-, gift- and prep-for trip- wise. T'will be an intense week. (Nothing new there.) The Holidays are upon us!

And now it is 12.20. Time for sleep.

.

post script : aquarium sold, and gone, as of Thursday evening. Strange. Bentwood rocking chair - found as of previous Monday- has filled aforementioned aquarium space in apartment. Odd the way things work out sometimes.

But I still miss Pi.

post post script : 143 etsians now hearting the electrofork shop.

Hark-- hail!

2007-12-13T10:54:00.000-05:00

Cold stinging pellets are falling against my windows this morning.

Last night I was visited by some of the most intense, vivid and disturbing nightmares I've had in a very long time. (Not disturbing in any revelatory sense; just pure nonsensical surrealism that the subconscious mind so excels at, when it so chooses)

Vivid in color and texture- and also aurally vivid! I'd gone in and out of sleep, tossing and turning, drifting around and occasionally across the line of waking for what seemed hours if not days. The culmination was a semi-conscious moment at which I finally, starkly woke-- convinced I'd heard knocking at my windows, and noises away at the other end of the apartment. How could I know which noises I'd heard were dream-induced and which were real?! I was frozen in long moments of fear, until silence, wakefulness and the ongoing sounds of 5th avenue at night finally returned me to my senses (mostly).

Was it those slices from Pizza Town? Could it have been from too much coffee that morning? I will never know I'm sure, but I don't mind. I am awestruck by the occasional largess- gifts of excitement and mystery from the invisible realm.

I believe I failed to mention yesterday (in my brevity) that I had a simply awful time of going to pick up artwork from a gallery in the city. Well, awful is an exaggeration, but a frustrating afternoon nonetheless. Part of it was simple disappointment, too.

I am selling the tank- the aquarium and all its attendant accoutrement. Listed on Craigslilst a few days ago; I have a scheduled pick-up tonight which hopefully the weather will not hinder. The end of an era of large-fish husbandry for me, at least for awhile.

brevity

2007-12-12T23:21:00.000-05:00

Heading back to Europe for a spell soon! Amsterdam will be our home base, again, with visits to friends in Munster, Germany again, and then... Paris! I've not yet been there, so that will be very exciting. We will have opportunities to see some Brooklynites in Paris, as well.

On the arts fron: Etsy is treating me very well so far- been selling loads of jewelry, so that has become something that takes up a fair amount of time. As a result, I have not done a drawing or painting in awhile. (Not a complaint; I just don't want to lose those things.)

Oh, holidays holidays holidays- this time of year is always a whirlwind!
That's my short update for now. More soon.

December Third notes

2007-12-09T19:25:00.000-05:00

It's noon on a monday. I haven't showered or eaten breakfast; the apple is still in my fridge, only now there's also a fish in my freezer, too. His name was Pi, and he's been with me for a long time, as fish go. Years. His empty tank is still bubbling away with the filter on because I'm afraid if I turn it off the silence will be deafening. And my great aunt whom I've not seen in several years is dying in a nursing home upstate, and I didn't make time to see her over Thanksgiving.

Blustering wind outside, and bright sun.
Yesterday's snow has gone already.

bootleggers in Blighty

2007-11-21T12:19:00.000-05:00

electrofork bootleg!

Forwarded to me from the Smokewagon boys (for whom this poster was designed, along with Rock City Crimewave): what looks to be a vinyl messenger bag adorned with my artwork! I'd love to find out where this is; all I was told is that it was taken in London. It's too bad they squashed the poor devil so much...

jewelry!

2007-11-15T14:08:00.000-05:00

45 Etsians now calling electrofork a favorite, and I can't keep enough necklaces in stock to get past a single page of listed items! (not a complaint.) So, I have loads of new materials on the way and will be creating more necklaces, plus earrings (all sterling) as well as cufflinks (sterling and silverplate). Whoo hoo!

Now back to work.

november

2007-11-05T23:21:00.000-05:00

Last night I had a couple zoomin' brisk bike rides along 5th avenue- to and from TL's treehouse. Nice! As of this evening, 27 people call my Etsy shop a favorite- also nice! Two more necklaces sold over the weekend.

So far November in the city has been brisk, but friendly. Smells of autumn abound. The heat is coming on as needed, but today it's good for having a window open. Pi is growing, diggin' his tank (which now has a living plant in it- it thrives on the acidity of Pi.)

All is well. New projects beginning.

Oh I didn't mention it here yet, but I had a real and proper birthday party for the first time in SO many years-- since Kelley and I were roommates!-- and it was so much fun. I knew a lot of folks wouldn't/couldn't make it, as that weekend is always coincidental with Halloween (and I wasn't exactly organized about the invitation process), but lots of folks still made it. So much fun! (I'll put another *thanks* here to Ben and TL, for helping me prep, serve and host-- and for adding so much to the night overall.) *

And now, on to winter, I suppose.

RIP DST

2007-11-05T15:41:00.001-05:00

Oh how I hate the end of Daylight Savings Time!
Why must we switch back every autumn? Darkness at 5:30 has begun and I hate it!

Rrrggghhhh!

hmmmm

2007-10-31T19:33:00.000-04:00

Bike ride to and through the park this afternoon, but the autumn colors there are scant as well.

seasonal

2007-10-30T12:42:00.000-04:00

This time of year, now that the temperatures are feeling much more in keeping with our idea of seasons, makes it a difficult thing to get out of bed! The coziness of soft sheets, piled over with a down duvet; just too inviting. Discipline is required! Sheer will power!

This morning as I pulled myself reluctantly from the envelope of sleep and comfort, I smelled the tell-tale dustiness of radiator heat: winter is coming. Pi is always at his most energetic during these in-between months of coolness indoors (before the heat really gets going), being a cold water fish. He zooms around the tank, trying out impressive new moves; bending and arabesquing like one who knows he is being observed. (Well, he is, after all.)

Now if only the leaves would start to make fire with their colors.
I must try to get to the park; (surely there things are looking more aligned with the lateness of the year...)

strange sleep.

2007-10-26T10:07:00.000-04:00

Wallet lost in a mall. Twice.

Some sort of expedition: the others who came along shifted, as situations in dreams are wont to do. An icy canoe-paddling approach to a grand shopping mall whose edges were lapped with icy water- some sort of Native American Experience tour tied into the Modern American Consumer Experience- aghast! The landing was an approximation of huts and shelters meant to emulate what life might have been like for up-north Winter Natives, but for us the ice was all synthetic, and we were not frozen and soaked through, as we would have been had we gone canoe-fishing and foraging back in the day we were meant to be imagining.

Beth and Chris were there in this part of the dream, as well as Kelley and perhaps a few other Baltimorons (as she says). We entered the mall at length, found ourselves amid the roiling chaos of a large cafeteria, planning next steps, or perhaps simply planning who wanted to split up and where to meet later on. A point found only Kelley and I remaining in our seats, and we both walked away-- to realize a few minutes later that we'd forgotten our bags. Rushing back to the scene, we found our things all still there, but strewn by thieves who'd only bothered with taking the cash and cards from our wallets, and our keys (for some reason). Relived to a point that the remainders of our belongings remained, we continued on.

Later I found I'd lost track of Kelley, too-- was wandering distractedly throughout the place, unable to get my bearings, or any sense of how the layout of the place worked. Lost. And later, having suddenly caught up with Bath and Chris at what I suspected was quite the other end of the place, I told them what had happened, and I think I then lost track of them again somehow.

Then a moment that felt like waking in the middle of wakefulness- to realize I had lost my possessions, again! No coat, no bag, no wallet- all hand-held items had gone, and me with no memory of how this second lapse had occurred. Quiet breathless panic, as I commenced to run throughout the massive mall, trying to retrace steps, looking everywhere in vain.

There was more to the story, and eventually (after a cousin of mine magically appeared and magnanimously hijacked the PA system to make an announcement of reward for the wallet), I did get at least my wallet back, for which I was grateful. But still at such a loss! My sketchbook, my coat, my bag- where was the rest of it all? I didn't want to appear ungrateful, but wished that the cousin had listened more carefully before making his announcement; had included other items in the list. After all, now the wallet was empty of cards and cash, little remained in it save useless things like a Key Food card and some receipts...

There was much more, but little in memory remains.

"The Listeners"

2007-10-23T23:00:00.000-04:00

That was a phrase randomly chosen from a book: it was a title, in fact. Its influence led to some off-the-cuff writing followed by a painted drawing, both of which now share the title.

Now I am mid-stream on a similar painted drawing, except I haven't begun the painting part yet.

electrofork on etsy!

2007-10-16T14:47:00.000-04:00

edinburgh

2007-10-11T15:04:00.000-04:00

I'm happy that it's raining today.

I've been thinking about cities, about old cities; how they can feel (in some areas, certain streets) more like formations than something man-made. Edinburgh: those massive brown blocks everything is made of-- buildings that look as though they sprung from bedrock to show off, make us feel small, and in awe. Buildings whose foundations appear unshakable and indestructible (but nothing is), and as ancient as the dormant volcano just outside the city. Massive structures whose density is palpable as you look upon them, and whose stone turns streaked with dark in the rain. Impenetrable but somehow warm, and makes you want to touch it, that stone. It's history that stuck around; it's evidence.

But I'm romanticizing.

Edinburgh has other reasons, too, to be in my thoughts today. One: I was informed that one of my photographs of said city has been shortlisted for inclusion in the Schmap Edinburgh Guide. Not sure how they found my photo, but it was a nice surprise. Two: Today is October 11th, and it has been two years since a rainy night in Edinburgh on which Anders and I met up with fellow Brooklynite, Ben. It was not only a really fun evening, but also the beginning of something totally unexpected, unlooked-for.

I read this line in Oil Notes, by Rick Bass, today: "Falling in love can be a cure sometimes, but it can only be a shot in the arm if you don't need it."

change

2007-10-09T13:23:00.000-04:00

Autumn can be a time of restlessness, too.

Things change, transform. Some things die. The threat of dormancy looms. The urge for hibernation, for hiding, can come on strong and unexpected. It is a time for vigilance! One must be ready for anything-- strong and easy-breezy; carefree and confident.

It is never a good time to let things sneak up on you, but least of all at this shifting, unpredictable time of year. Don't get me wrong; it can be a wonderful thing to be blind-sided now and again, but one must know where one's weaknesses lie. One must be prepared to shift as nimbly as the wind does on fall evenings, as swiftly as firelight.

Artist as Traveler

2007-10-01T14:20:00.000-04:00

the corner with my works on canvas, Object Image Gallery

Saturday was the opening reception for the Artist as Traveler, a group show in which I participated with four other artists, held at the Object Image Gallery on 5th Avenue here in Brooklyn. It was a wonderful turnout and I want to thank everyone for supporting! And thanks to Bob, the owner and fellow artist, for inviting me to show my work.

dark and rain.

2007-09-22T12:33:00.000-04:00

I've had to turn on a light at noon! And outside it's now raining, not a little.
I'm due to pick up some packages from Mailboxes on Fifth-- including frames from Beth in Santa Fe, with which I will kit out the paintings for next Saturday's show.
I ought to have gone and got them earlier, but I had no idea rain was imminent.

Last night and this morning I have been doing digital prints of photographs, also for the show at Object Image; this invariably involves a fair amount of tweaking, re-printing.

spam:

2007-09-19T12:23:00.001-04:00

"We make things that make meat work."

Now that's funny.

dream:

2007-09-15T18:08:00.001-04:00

In which my family were living back in the house at San Doris Circle, which was much changed.

My mother had a militant and energetic little black dog of a breed called a Fire Terrier, as well as two huskies-- the inimitable Bo (free of leg problems in the dream) and an elderly Chinook. Add to this small menagerie the following:
A rooster, who lived in the house in a wire cage that sat on whatever surface was near to the people (a social bird, with a large black beak that was most un-chicken-like). This handsome fowl was ostensibly quite friendly, but threatened to bite me whenever i got close.
Another bird- perhaps a a parrot or macaw of some sort, whose personality I didn't get a chance to fathom.
I can't recall what else, but I know there were others...

Jon was there, as well as Flip. I believe Jon lived there, but Flip and his family just spent a lot of time there. I was merely visiting, and to the majority of animals, an interloper.

There were a number of staircases in the house, all of which were curving, steep and incredibly difficult to navigate. The main stair led up to the bedrooms, and appeared to have two sections which looked at odds with one another; poorly designed for use, although it made an interesting visual. The portion that gave an impression of having been added on hurriedly bent away toward the master bedroom. There was also a servants' stair, which went from the semi-below ground garage up into the kitchen, and was quite curving after the fashion of a spiral staircase, but larger, and I never recalled that being in the house before. (Indeed, the garage had never been remotely sunken before!) Next to this garage-room was a sort of alleyway, also with stairs, and to the right was a door through which to get to the garage, and on the left another door- looking into a kitchen. (At first I took this to be some second kitchen- perhaps lately of use for the servants of the spiral stair-- but then I saw some strangers in it and realized it belonged to the house next door.).

I'd been following my mother up this stair-alley and we came out upon a vast backyard, where a party seemed about to begin; people here and there and it was a lovely sunny day. She told me to walk around and see the front yard-- see what they'd done to it. I was just in awe the whole time because most of it was very different and much larger than I'd remembered it (and completely different, of course, to what the house was like in reality)-- the decor was of such and eclectic style-- combinations of brightly colored modern exaggerations of victorian pieces and patterns mingled with kitschy fifties elements and some really wonderful chintz. Unbelievable, but somehow very homey and comfortable too. There were strange toys on the floor- like blocks that were also little army tanks, and they made a sound like industry or monsters.

other news

2007-09-11T12:55:00.000-04:00

Hoover died last evening. During my nap I think.
I had got accustomed to him, as had Pi, I think; at some point I began thinking of him as Pi's monster, like he was Pi's pet or something. He seemed fine when I got home, but later on when I peered into the tank looking for him ("Where's your monster, Pi?"), I saw that he was upside-down.
Dead.
Once again, the Pi stands quite alone.

catching up

2007-09-11T07:58:00.000-04:00

Since last Wednesday, I have been working each day in an office in Manhattan.; I'm covering for a friend and colleague, who took the time off for vacation. It has been a good exercise for me (and has reacquainted me with the reasons I have stuck with freelancing in spite of its drawbacks). The work at the office has been steady, but not overwhelming, and the people who work there are all quite agreeable and friendly, so why do I feel utterly worn-out by the time I've taken the subway back to Brooklyn and walked home? I'm not sure, but I do have a renewed empathy for all who do this routinely. I keep finding myself pushing back things on my to-do list until Thursday, when my friend for whom I'm covering will be back in the office, and I will once again have an entire day in which to tackle "life things". :: sigh ::

* * * *

Lots of bike riding of late! Ben and I biked to some friends' BBQ in the South Slope on Thursday night. We did some afternoon bike-riding over and around Red Hook on Saturday afternoon. Sunday we were out from 1:00 until 10:30 at night! Not all biking, of course, though. We tooled around from place to place- things in between involved watching an hour or so of the Mets game, a game of bowling at Melody Lanes, a ride through Sunset Park, checking out a new wine bar, and finally biking over to Smith Street where we sat outside for a late dinner at Patois. Wheels beneath one shrink the borough greatly, putting much more within reach at speed.

Announcements:
Finally I have dates for the openings of both group shows in which I'll have artwork:

Saturday 29 September
Object Image Gallery
(time to be announced)

Friday 05 October
MCCNY Gallery
(time to be announced)

"macchiato"

2007-09-06T15:29:00.000-04:00

Having been driven to a Starbucks™ on account of my dozing off while reading in the park, I wondered for the three hundred and twelfth time what the hell a macchiato was. I am happy to find that it is of legitimate origin via Italian baristas (baristi?), and not some nonsense invented by the McCoffee chain. Whew!

Now that's taken care of, on to other topics.

August is nothing more than a wisp of memory now, it seems, the leisurely day of Labor having passed and September already teething, but in these recent times of Global Warming we do seem to enjoy what used to be called Indian Summer, back in less politically correct times. I know I've been enjoying them. it certainly makes up for the dour and long, wet springtimes that seem to preceed them...

Rambling-- so many words and so little said!

Tara Lynne and I rode our trusty wheeled steeds again to the Isla del Coney on Tuesday. A different route- McDonald Avenue, of elevated train tracks, double parking, mechanized shadows and angles unexpected. A zigzagging whir of helmets and red metal fleck gleaming and disappearing into shadow alternately as trains passed over our heads and traffic kept us guessing... A hot, still day and us riding fast, as we'd lost time and got a late start-- by the time we reached the boardwalk it was time to swim, and we didn't even bother with finding a stair to the beach, just climbed through the fence and raced to the ocean.

Riding bikes in this kind of atmosphere, and for such a purpose as "emergency swimming" (as T.L. put it), makes me feel very much like a kid again.

a funeral by the sea

2007-08-29T11:42:00.001-04:00

Tara Lynne and I buried Trés deep in the sands of Coney Island yesterday.

We rode our bikes out to the seaside, by way of Bedford Avenue, lined with so many large old houses, with proper yards and driveways-- "real" houses. The day was balmy and pleasant with sun and breezes, and it was a good ride. On the ride back darkness came quickly as soon as we got away from the shore.

We played Nines with a deck from Rehoboth Beach, sitting at a table in front of Ruby's. We wondered whether Ruby's will survive the impending re-development of Coney. The 6 Spades card fluttered from the table at one point, and slipped easily between decking boards, lost forever! So we altered a Joker to take its place, and made up special rules about it.

tuesday

2007-08-28T11:10:00.000-04:00

Tres has left these shores.
Pi is alone again.

trouble

2007-08-27T11:40:00.000-04:00

I am simply having a devil of a time taking care of the behemoth fishes these days. Tres somehow managed to injure himself over the weekend; apparently in the wee hours of the night. At feeding time Sunday morning, I noticed he was lying in a corner on the bottom and didn't immediately swim up for food (always a bad sign). He has a cut on his lip, and has mostly been lying on his side since, occasionally getting up and swimming around normally, but with struggle.

He has often exhibited signs of what I can only associate with epileptic seizures, if those are possible in a fish-- wherein one moment he is swimming along, quite in control, and the next he is overcome by a twitching and shaking, often leading him to collide with the sides or bottom of the tank. My assumption, as he shows no outward signs of illness, is that he must've had a bad one, and has got himself very bruised up as a result. I added a tonic for wounds to their tank water, but I think there may be nothing else I can do but allow him to rest. Nothing else I can think of. Pi is perfectly healthy (if a little freaked out), so it's definitely not the water.

I am feeling discouraged. Between my summer-long fight with cloudy water, and now this, I really don't know what to do.

s p a m

2007-08-24T13:41:00.001-04:00

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missing

2007-08-24T13:10:00.000-04:00

Daydreams of the spires of Prague
and other old world cities;
Red rooftops;
Street lamps with foreign shapes.
Unfamiliar syllables and
sinistra in the sottopassaggio!
Winding streets that lead somewhere
I've never been.
I'm missing Europe, and autumn will not likely send a return ticket this year.

- - -

Everyone I know seems to be coming to new terms with adulthood lately,
or the dawning of new phases.

We all miss a summer cottage,
or aspects thereof.

- - -

Pi responds fluidly to change,
his movements exercises in poetic efficiency:
to move is to breathe,
so he never stops moving.

- - -

There are portraits of handsome horses at the flickr page.

Same day, later.

2007-08-15T19:39:00.000-04:00

Just been skimming through the past. (Yes! I have realized, as a result of this experiment of "blog", that the aspect of it which keeps me at it is this: time travel. I can skim a sliver of the past- thoughts, happenings, life-changes: all are here in one place for me to reflect upon. In five minutes I can see where I was last summer; read about how I was feeling- what was present, missing. It's quite powerful, and a useful tool in the ever-present present.)

Anyway. It just made me feel very thankful, and a happy soul. Progress, joy, love, art, accomplishments, future, friends, family. &c. (Not necessarily in that-- or any-- order) I realize over the past year there have been some mighty gaps in my record. I shall try to avoid such in future; post more often. (If anyone else out there gets something out of it all, well, that's just a bonus. btw- Michele, Happy Birthday, a wee early!)

Signing off, as I must arrive soon at Beast for my Wednesday night shift.

resurfacing

2007-08-15T11:12:00.000-04:00

The acrid, sticky smell of new blacktop is drifting i through the front room windows, which is a very summer smell. Several things from childhood summers relate to tar, and as we all know, scent is the most direct instigator in the resurfacing of memories.

One of these things was a general, all-summer kind of occurrence, involving old men sprinkling of tar from a metal watering can over the dirt roads in the area where my family had a cottage on a small lake. The roads would otherwise get exceedingly dusty in the dry days of sun; tar was a way of minimizing the great choking clouds of dust.

The other was a singular incident which took place in Niagara Falls (where my family would go once every summer for a day trip, generally leaving from the same cottage, as we spent the whole of each summer there for years). Walking along a sidewalk on the Canadian side, past some construction going on up above, my brother suddenly yelled, "Hot tar!". Several gobs had landed on both he and I, though I didn't feel it as hot, as it had only fallen on my sweater, which was unhappily ruined. It is still an anecdote that comes up from time to time, as my brother's outburst had initially sounded like gibberish, and my parents had no idea what he was yelling about!

This past Saturday, Ben and I went up to the River house of his sister again. We tubed along its length in the mid afternoon, and it was delightful, relaxing. This time I did remember to bring my camera upstate (though I wish I could have brought it on our trip downriver). Here's one of the river...

(More photos are at the flickr page, link in the column at top right...)

occupation

2007-08-11T08:38:00.000-04:00

Last night (or this morning) another dream of being amidst a war-torn, occupied country. Germany again? And again, the switching of Point of view from being in it to being an observer; at times it was a movie made after the fact and in the movie (based on the dream version of history) the Nazis had occupied most of Europe until 1968. Little in the dream bore resemblance to anything real, of course. I don't even know if the oppressors were Nazis; I recall no swastikas nor word of camps. It was a rotting and dangerous mess in many places where I found myself, though. People in hiding, starving, living amid ruins and rotten animals' skeletal corpses.

mmmmm plastic.

2007-08-10T10:25:00.000-04:00

There appears to be a swirling mass of plastic debris in the Pacific ocean that is TWICE the size of TEXAS; a very high price for an unnecessary convenience. This article on Salon gives a brief overview, and also points out s few new laws designed to discourage usage. It is a simple thing to bring your own bag, but what about those times when you find yourself at a store unexpectedly? One answer is this black mesh bag which compresses down to a pocket-sized wad when empty, meaning it can be kept on-hand in a backpack, purse, briefcase or glove compartment, so you won't be caught bag-less.

That comes off like an advertisement, but damn! Doesn't everyone hate plastic bags? They really are unnecessary.

the aural backlash, and lost photographs

2007-08-09T13:43:00.000-04:00

speaking of dreamlike images taken with a holga...

As I mentioned, I awoke (awakened? the usage of words of or relating to waking are enigmatic to me; perhaps to most...) with a head cold; not too bad, mild congestion and that space-brain sensation. So I took good care of myself all week so far. Yesterday even had a walk to the park, sat in the shade for awhile. By last evening I was feeing almost 100%. I went to Beast for my 8:00 helper-monkey shift behind the bar. Admittedly, towards the end of my shift I had a couple of drinks, but also a lot of water. As time to go home approached, I could feel my left ear beginning to plug! Acchhh! This has happened to me before, particularly in the middle of or at the end of being sickly. It is a most disconcerting experience; one loses sense of volume, depth, even balance to a small extent. It's a feeling I have come to loathe and fear.

This morning I woke up for the first time at 8:30: ear(s) ringing, painful-- troubling! I decided there was nothing for it in the immediate, so went back to sleep.

Having hit the "snooze" button more times than ever in history, I had many many dreams. One of them stands out. I was in a house, with some family members and others. The whole dream had the tone and softness of a super 8 reel (color film; flickering shadows and nothing sharp-edged; quite beautiful, if sad-looking) The only portion I recall clearly now was an incident involving a camera. I had a camera with me; it was one I'd not used in ages, and appeared to be a medium-format Holga (that is to say, larger by quite a bit than an actual Holga; as if it shot on a roll of film that made 4x6 negs). I was trying to take some photos with it, and kept seeing things that weren't -but that had once been- through the viewfinder. It was not nearly as disturbing in the dream as it should have been; I continually made adjustments, perhaps thinking it was a play of light, or my imagination.

Then all at once, a large photographic print came slipping through one of the cracks in the approximate-at-best engineering of the camera body-- it was a copy of some photograph I had taken years before with the camera! At length, having absolutely no luck finding anything of the moment in the (admittedly non-SLR) viewfinder, I opened the camera body. Inside were crammed, somehow, a slew of these ghost-prints from long ago times! Photos of Buck, photos of my mother and grandmother, photos of people dressed up, people younger, photos of friends I'd not seen in years, photos of abstractions and textures that were very beautiful and sad, all bearing that soft brownish twinge of age and neglect. It was phenomenal- a sunken treasure recovered! Just how they came to be in there I could not fathom nor explain (but, gift horse and all that). I wanted to go through them all, slowly, and recall each day or moment, but soon they were being passed around and gawked at by the others who were in the room, which was interesting, as I heard exclamations and recollections, the "other" perspectives of others in this way added to my own slantwise ones (to which I always attribute the feeling of wistfulness; sadness always sharing some of beauty's qualities in the mind of a romantic)...

All elliptical drifting aside, it was a good dream and I wish I could remember the rest of it, but more than anything I'd like to have those lost photographs (none of which had ever actually existed. they were, after all, dream images.) Still. I'd like to have a chance to look at them more closely, any way.

(whoa- way to segue and digress!)
Point being, my ear is no longer ringing, and after sleeping away the whole morning, I feel a bit better, but still one ear is plugged and a little painful and I no longer feel nearly 100%. Feeling poorly, working through it.

the Monday "ugh"

2007-08-06T10:16:00.000-04:00

Well, the very full weekend has taken a toll- I awakened this morning to a Midsummer's head cold! I could feel it making its languorous approach last evening, and was relieved to find I still had some Airborne™ left from winter, but it wasn't quite enough. Morning arrived with congestion and a headache. I hope Ben is faring better!

In other news, I have finally been drawing again-- many sketches in the new book last week, some of which are posted at my Flickr™ page (see links on this page).

A very full weekend indeed.

2007-08-05T20:44:00.000-04:00

Friday night: dinner and drinks with some friends we hadn't seen in awhile. Saturday: a delightful bike ride through Gowanus and into Red Hook, where we had brunch, then watched the Mets lose to Chicago. Dinner at Anders that night, then a screening of "The Ghosts of Flatbush", which had some really phenomenal old footage. Today, we woke early and went into Times Square to get in line at TKTS to buy half-price matinée seats for "Frost/Nixon", which was very good. In between the getting of the tickets and the matinée, we walked to MoMA to see the Richard Serra works- the new ones are amazing. Unbelievable, really. Following that, grabbed some lunch to go at Whole Foods and sat in Central Park til it was time to head to the theater.
We'd been up late last night, so waking at 8:15 to go wait in line was a little difficult, but worth it.

Now: Tired.

the arrival of heat

2007-08-03T13:37:00.000-04:00

Just in time to coincide with August. Perhaps brought on by the two full moons of July.

Electrofork is busy once again. Many design projects in progress and several about to begin. Also preparing for two group shows which will take place in September, but whose exact dates I have yet to learn. Thinking that the show in Chelsea will be more about photos and prints than paintings, but there is time yet to decide for certain (though not much!)

:: sighs ::

I have been reminded lately of Regina Spektor's lyrics from "Somedays".
(Somedays aren't yours at all,
They come and go
As if they're someone else's days)

Time for that last bit of coffee left in the pot.