Last sunday, Ry and I went to Cafe Ladro on fifteenth and I had my first medici. Dark chocolate and orange zest mocha. Fantastic. As per my new sunday routine, here is the resulting sketch.

Art Collective
Why this makes me happy:
I’ve been drawing swirly flowers for a long time. Art Nouveau is my favorite art movement followed closely, ever so closely by surrealism.
I went to dahlia lounge for my birthday last month and the matchbox has this motif. Reminds me of a nice time celebrating myself.
I like silver sharpies…
I’ve never painted canvas without a frame (or board) attached. It takes some time and gesso.
It’s pretty big. Nothing can top the crappy mural I did in my first place out of my parents, but the quality and mobility is of greater value. 30inches by 70inches
I love this phrase “avoir atomes crochus” (yes, the distracted make typos). It sums up a lot of things in my mind about romantic france, souls, science, art, love and loss. It means what we would call “having chemistry” or a connection with someone romantically. Literally, it says “to have connected atoms.” I read it in a book, I highly recommend, by Douglas hofstadter, I am a Strange Loop. The book goes into depth about a soul being a pattern of thought that is often replicated in other people’s minds, so when you die, you the essence you, lives on in other’s minds, though perhaps ill-conceived, still… conceived. ?
This painting is for Ryan; see sketch of him.
My friend Mike was telling me about a concert he saw recently starring Jason Webley and Amanda Palmer in their Evelyn Evelyn show. He showed me a button depicting the Elephant Elephant (a siamese twin elephant pair, two heads one body) and I thought it was really cool. Over the week, I had this thought, query, “if you could buy happiness, would you?” Yesterday we had a conversation about Happiness and Meaning. He said that he wouldn’t buy happiness because it would have no meaning. He made the distinction that you can’t force happiness (with meaning), you can only find it.
Inspiration for the background from my Japanese Textile book.
The elephant’s names in this painting are Find and Force.
I read a book called “the god of Small Things” and mentioned that the world is filled with “hope, love, madness and infinite joy” the last one the character said in the saddest tone. I want to say that I misspelled “maddness” on purpose to emphasize a point…
The sushi painting is a textile based idea I am hoping will win a design contest for Uwajimaya’s grocery bags. Initially I was going to paint a landscape with a few geisha, but after reviewing some reference photographs, I became more intrigued by the patterns on the kimonos.
The others have been lying around. I sometimes prepare for company and like it when all the paintings up are complete and of my own creation. That is my ideal when I am arranging an interior space. I was inspired by the Japanese textile book I borrowed from the library.
Thank you to Dave for framing my work so elegantly. I adore the extra love people give my gifts when they hang them. The work’s destiny is fulfilled.
Thanks to Mike A. for reccomending Archy and Mehitabel. Cool book. It was quite magical stumbling on this quote “procrastination the art of keeping up with yesterday”. It was quoted somewhere else out of context and I wrote it down in my journal and seeing it in its original meaning so many years later makes me smile.
On my way to the library, I walk by a patch of white daffodils. Their style and gentle nature make me smile when I see themwith my deer series.