This was during a coworking session with a new friend. It was nice having her around to gaze at the process and comment on what the titles should be. She’s creative and was working on a few projects herself.
I looked up the smallest size USPS will accept for postcards (3.5in by 5in). After working at larger scales, it seems amazing how many I can do in a session.
“The Best Part of Waking Up is Cosmic Bunny in Your Cup”
“The Importance of Marvels (ala Magritte)”
Here, in no particular order are some drawings I did in the past month. I haven’t had the frame of mind to do blog specifically about them. I’ve been using Pinterest a lot more to gather inspiring techniques/motifs. I’ve been enjoying the layering of the Magic Pens and markers and in more recent drawings, black paint pens and corrective fluid pens.
This last couple of weeks, I was filled with a curiosity and passion to understand the “Neo-Futurists Aesthetic.” See: Neo-Futurists – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Auditions were held for the SF Neo-Futurists last weekend, and I tried out. A prepared two-minute original play was requested for each auditioner.
I created and performed the Illustrated Punologue.
[Katarina stands midstage, with a stack of 9”x12” basic line drawings with minimal coloration. The drawings are oriented landscape. She holds them in a presentation fashion, facing the audience. Each italicized-bold word is a different drawing. She effortlessly tosses each drawing to the floor to reveal the next drawing while supplies last. The drawings fall to the floor with a natural and organic spread.]
Katarina: Good evening buoys and gulls. Even, though I’m the new squid on the dock, you’re about to get schooled. Hey Anyfin is possible. There are some orcaward puns I’m going to trout. I’m not shore. Water you think? My friends bassed me to do it. Talk about pier pressure!
About me, I like to keep it reel. I can be koiand seal-y, but sometimes I can be sofishticated. I’m a snapper dresser. Also, thrifty. I’ll shop at the cheaper stores, all but Ross.
I like currentevents, but I’m open minded. I like to hear from both tides, you know, look at things from a different angler. I probably shouldn’t talk about the upcoming eelection, but I can’t kelp myself.
Gillary Clamton or her opp-prawn-nent Bermy Sand dollars? Good reef! She takes anemoney from brig banks, or at least that’s what I’ve been herring. She’s not getting my boat. I’m dolphinately rooting for Bernie. He’s salmon who moves with porpoise. He needs to fine-tuna his policies. What does he think about common coral? I think with a little mussel, he can crab the nomination. The race aincho-hvy(aint over) yet.
What whale this election mean for our future? Dystopian? Everyone dressed stingray? Scannable barracudas on every neck, canoe imagine?
Now let’s a picture a turtle 180. A future with flying carp and otternewttechnologies. Keep urchin up! Don’t just want change. Beach change!
For those arriving lake, I’m krilling it up here. It cod’nt be better! I’m kraken myself up! I egret I have no moray to say! If you see me later, feel free to wave.
CURTAIN
Below is a video of me presenting the punologue sitting down on a couch in my house.
NOTE: The audition process is a confidential event so, with the permission of the SF Neo-Futurists’ director, I will only be sharing the assignments and my pieces performed in this blog post. Also, these assignment descriptions are paraphrased.
I was called back for the second part of the audition: a creative workshop with 12 other auditioners and the SF Neo-Futurists team. In this two session event, the auditioners created new original pieces with stipulations to be performed and discussed.
Assignment 1: Before the first session, we had a few days’ notice to prepare a 2-minute play in the Neo-futuristic aesthetic and perform it at the first session. Added stipulations: the piece must use the specified word in some way. Not every auditioner had the same word, though some repeated. Mine was “floating.”
[The play starts with a black out. Katarina walks out onstage with a pink balloon attached to a pink silk ribbon that measures about 4 yards. The ribbon is in her mouth. The recording plays throughout the piece. The recording is an instrumental with a layer of clips from Katarina’s last therapy appointment, recorded and presented here with her therapist’s permission. The recording also has some dialogue which is in the script below. The light comes on after 5 seconds of Katarina moving slowly and subtly raising her arms. Katarina paces across the stage and lets out ribbon from her mouth; the balloon slowly rises. 1 minute later…]
Katarina: Okay. Hold up.
[The music and therapy track stops on the recording.]
Katarina: [addressing a higher part in the theatre, a space above the audience] This is from my therapy appointment, isn’t it?
Recording: You certainly sound sad in this session.
Katarina: Yeah. It’s not all bad though.
Recording: Here. Alright, I’m going to continue playing the track while you dance with a balloon on a possibly absurdly long string.
Katarina: Is this too personal?
Recording: Don’t worry. Just look at them.
[Katarina looks at Audience.]
Recording: The audience. They’re eating it up.
Katarina: [addressing a higher part in the theatre, a space above the audience] Are you sure?
Recording: No, I’m not sure. I’m a recording.
Katarina: Right, right. Touché.
Recording: Now, just a couple more bars and finish with a bow and I think that will be it.
[Music cues back up. Katarina puts the ribbon back into her mouth, dances more, letting out the ribbon more, grabbing it with her hands, pulling it out at its full length, getting wrapped into it, lowering herself to the ground, pulling the balloon down until it touches the ground as the music ends. Lights off.]
CURTAIN
Assignment 2: Before the first session, we had a few days’ notice to prepare ourselves with a topical topic (a current event or topic that won’t be relevant in 3 months or so) to base a 2-minute play in the Neo-futuristic aesthetic and perform it at the second session. Added stipulations: the piece must use the other members of your team (there were three people in each team), write their roles with their individual voice/skills/perspective in mind. We had opportunities in the first session to get to know our team members, brief them with our chosen topics, give input and ask questions. At the end of the first session, another stipulation was added, different for each person. Mine was “audience interaction.”
[A folding chair is placed stage center in the very back of the stage. A waste basket is stage Front Left. Simon, Vanessa and Katarina stand in a row in stage center. Katarina holds a basket and open tray divided into two parts: one side has 12 blue M&M’s and the other side has 12 green M&M’s.]
Vanessa: [addressing the audience] I’d like 5 audience volunteers! Great. [She directs them to in front of the folding chair] Just stand in a line right here and face the audience, cross your arms, and look mean.
Katarina:[addressing Simon] I’m sorry. You are disqualified from the play. Just try not to get in our way.
[Simon goes to stage Back Left and tosses a crumpled up piece of paper, aiming for the wastebasket. He goes up to retrieve it and returns to stage Back Left and repeats this action for the rest of the play.]
Katarina:[addressing the audience] We’re going to have a little election. The blue M&M’s are for Hillary Clinton and the green M&M’s are for Bernie Sanders. To vote, you take the color M&M of the person you want to vote for and put it in this basket. Any questions?
[Katarina starts with audience Left, front row and offers the basket/tray to each audience member, going up the stairs and down each row, going down the stairs until everyone has had the opportunity to vote. Some might ask “What are the colors again?” Katarina is helpful and answers any questions to make sure the process is clear. Katarina returns to the stage and counts the M&M’s, then reaches into the basket and throws a small handful of M&Ms over her shoulder.]
Katarina:[addressing the audience] All those in favor of the play ending early, say aye! All opposed say neigh. Ayes have it!
CURTAIN
Assignment 3: Assigned at the end of the second session– write a 10-30 second play based off a significant moment/day in your life. Imagine the sights, sounds, smells, touches, tastes, feelings, and emotions and consider recreating/reimagining/responding to these things in your piece. You can only use one line of text.
[A folding chair is placed stage center in the very front of the stage, a couple of feet from front row. Katarina sits in it. She looks at the audience and opens up a clear glass bottle filled with a small amount (3 fingers) of water. She takes a swig from the bottle and closes it.]
Katarina:[addressing the audience, smiling, conversational in tone] He kept giving me this look… [Giving eye contact around the audience as if telling a story at a party]… like I was the killer… [Dramatic pause for effect] and I was.
CURTAIN
Ultimately, I did not get invited to join the SF Neo-Futurists. I had a very great time getting to know other creative thespians in the Bay Area and seeing amazing new work done in the Neo-futurist style. I plan on auditioning again at the next opportunity and in the meantime, exploring this aesthetic more.
A big thanks to everyone who helped me prepare with facts about the Nevada Convention and the electoral process, to everyone who gave me feedback on my plays, to my teammates for performing perfectly, to the SF Neo-Futurists who saw something in my audition and invited me to callbacks and their administration of the best creative sessions I’ve ever been to. ❤
Determined to transform the party, the senator is aiming to amass enough leverage to press his agenda at the convention — or even wrest the nomination.
In this week’s politics chat, we consider Bernie Sanders, his present and future. The transcript below has been lightly edited. micah (Micah Cohen, politics editor): It’s been awhile since we reall…
When Americans woke up on November 8, 2000—the day after the presidential elections—it was unclear whether Democrat Al Gore or Republican George W. Bush had won. There had been anomalies in the polls in Florida, and there was uncertainty as to which candidate the state should award its electoral votes, which would decide the election.
Days after a convention in which leaders incited chaos and disorder, the Nevada State Democratic Party demonized supporters of Bernie Sanders in a letter written to the Democratic National Committee.
the floor” of the state convention “ignoring the regular procedure and ramming through what they wanted to do.”— Jeff Weaver on Tuesday, May 17th, 2016 in a television interview on CNNAllegations of fraud
Three tier explanation of the Nevada Convention https://www.reddit.com/r/SandersForPresident/comments/4jid77/basic_stepbystep_of_what_went_down_yesterday_at/
Under a system of Federalism, there are levels of government – local, state, federal. Each level of government has its own responsibilities/powers. State governments have control of elections. That is why we’ve seen states pass discriminatory voting laws. It is also a matter of confusion when we go about choosing our presidential candidates (federal level) in primaries or caucuses performed in states.
As you know, a president is chosen through the electoral college system. Whichever candidate wins the most votes gets all the electoral votes of that state. The primary/caucus system is similar. There are National political parties, state political parties, and local ones. Most states use a general election for primaries. Citizens vote and a winner is chosen. Winners get delegates. Delegates cast their votes for the nominee. In some states, it is winner-take-all. In others it is proprotional. Some states are still using a caucus. A caucus is when a group comes together and openly discusses the candidates and then votes. The individual votes cast are open – sometimes by raising hands or moving to corners of the room. Very old school.
Did you hear about what happened in Nevada?
According to how that particular party at the state level has chosen to do it, the delegates might all go to one winner or it might be proportional. As far as Nevada is concerned, I’ve read conflicting accounts but it sounds as if some proper procedures were not adhered to. I’m not sure what it will mean but doubt that it will mean anything. People who control party politics like to stay in control.
Ok. Cool. Thank you. I’m going to be writing a two minute play about it for an audition to a theatre troupe. Is there anything more you’d like to add?
Superdelegates would be funny in capes.
What’s a super delegate?
Superdelegates are party members who can cast their vote for whomever they want at the National Convention. Democratic govenors and Democratic members of Congress are among them. The history of superdelegates is pretty interesting.
Do you know and could explain the history?
Up until 1972, there really wasn’t a primary system in place. The 1968 convention is historical for the rioting that took place. Afterwards, McGovern initiated getting states to have primaries and it started with the 1972 election. The democrats lost that election in a TERRIBLE defeat. The predominant thinking was that too much power was given to the primary election results when, in fact, few of the citizens were voting in them. So they wanted to give some control back to party leaders so that candidates WHO COULD WIN would be nominated.
It made sense at the time.
😕 ok. That was 40 years ago
So now we have a citizenry that DOES vote in primaries and what they want is sometimes different from what party leaders want. Yes and a lot has changed in 40 years. Especially with this large generation of millennials who are socially and politically active. Maybe you could make your Superdelegates die. Haha
In your play. You know how Superman can only be killed by kryptonite? Maybe there’s something that can kill Superdelegates.
I was thinking it would be fun to demonstrate how we vote with caucuses by showing a scene where a group of people vote on what kind of pizza they want to get.
“Rainbow Ribbon Creating Mountains, River and Tree”
“Macaw Flower”
“Did Someone Overorder Rainbow Bacon?”
“Color Explorations”
Today, I spent the evening in markerland. Listened to some Marina Abramovic talks and experimented with some new markers: Crayola Ultra Bright Colors, including tropical violet and neon yellow. My magic pens are running out of ink, especially the reactor pen, so I made some abstract colorful pieces instead of trying to contribute to the cosmic bunny series. My hand, especially my thumb, ached from the pressure of holding the pen to the paper. As the night went on, I opted for thicker strokes.
1. “Strawberry and Carrot” 2. “Spellbun” 3. “Boomface” 4. “Boomfang”
I was scoping Pinterest for inspiration to finish these backgrounds made with my magic pens and I saw this cosmic bunny: художник Нита Кравец – Освежиться. Fusing that character with Tuzki, I came up with this. As you can tell with these four iterations, that I’m still working out the specific details, but I really like the androgynous look of these bunnies and I like the low crotch, hiving the bun a bit of a dress/tunic feel on the torso. It’s fun putting the bunny into different environments and have different props (mushrooms). I like the idea of a world with just bunnies and the kinds of roles they can be endowed with. More architecture, too. It’s fun seeing the role of the mushroom change from scene to scene: a snack that brings connection, a wand to cast a spell, a find among rotten stems, an offering from a housemate?
I’m working on a bunch of these to sell at a fundraiser at the end of the week. The drawings are 8×10 on 11×15(inch) smooth textured watercolor paper.
In January, I visited with a new friend and drew on his couch while listening to Aphex Twin. Created Shelby-ception (14) and Quantum Entanglement (15). I decided to buy some watercolor paper and break out the Chameleon markers I received as a Christmas present and work on a birthday card for Nina (16). The drawings have been steadily coming out since.
I was inspired by the surreal flora from the Voynich Manuscript and created some pieces based off of my favorite flowers. I particularly liked a flower that had the body of some four-footed creature. I’m planning on finding other places for him/her. I initially wanted to give it a centaur body, but it overpowered the geometric flowers. The creature is a soft, tinier thing that is shy, maybe passive, and solitary. In Thought Fountain, the creature is so lovely, I don’t know if I can make anything else as lovely.
I drew Catalyst and the Zodiac for a new love interest, Cassidy. I wanted to celebrate these parts of myself that fractured into nameable entities during a tumultuous time in my life. Ask me about it if you want to know more. I’m still metabolizing these mental happenings into stories to tell myself and others.
The J is for Jonathan. One of my first friends in California. A very loving guy, gentle and witty.
Cottonwood Sky (8), Sky Turtle(3) and Traveling Sprout(6) were created while Cassidy was out of town. Perhaps, I wanted to reach out across the distance in my own version of a whale song. Cottonwood Sky is based off of a visit I had to Colorado recently. We went to a hot springs at night and gazed up at the stars. Sky Turtle is a dreamy, stained-glass-esque piece, inspired by Terrence the Turtle, a character Cassidy made up during a therapy exercise to represent caution and slowness. Traveling Sprout: I’ve been chatting to Cassidy a bit through FB messenger. We talk about our new relationship being a sprout that needs tending and gentleness. We use that sprout emoji and lately, I’ve been drawn to using more stickers and emoji in my work, since it’s been a huge part of my visual language with him.
Dopamine (19) The week after we met was valentine’s day. I gave Cassidy this card. He joked saying “Thanks for the dopamine, etc.” It’s an honest and fun sentiment on this day so overwhelmed with heart iconography. I had to draw some dopamine (and seratonin).
Tuzki Flame (20) It was a birthday for one of my new friends who’s a spiritual person. I wanted to capture some of their personality while celebrating with a friendly face. Tuzki has a facebook sticker set, so it came to mind… do I spend too much time communicating through FB messenger that my visual language is clogged with others’ characters?
For Emma (21) Also a birthday present for one of my new friends who’s soon to be married. I met her fiance first, actually, though not by much. They identify with bears, so I thought a cute bear stack with some swirly night (with magic pens) would be a good birthday art.
Floating Cosmic Chocolate Mote (22) Sweet Cassidy constructed a haikube poem while he was away. I hold it as one of my most favorite poems– it’s about us. I’m a sucker for silly little love songs. “Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs/ And what’s wrong with that.” (Source) I really like cut-up poetry, words clumsily falling into place creating fresh and unstable imagery. I ended up not printing the words in this drawn piece. It’s so mysterious. What if I lose the words and all I have are these boxes…
Swimming Magic Otters (23) Also during Cassidy’s absence from California (am I fueled by distance?) I used the magic markers to create a drawing that reveals a second nature when markered on. I brought the 9” by 12” piece to his house and simultaneously, while on his bed, we magic-penned the surface, a white marker with special chemical, slowly and gratifyingly revealing the black parts to have two different colors, the Significant Otter facebook sticker — of course, our relationship is littered with these things, a sticker, something so casual and yet, friendly. It’ll do. This image is the pre-magic version. I’ll post the post-magic version, if I can get a picture. It’s at his house.
EEE Gamercat (24) Pink is a major theme my latest stuff. No doubt inspired by Cassidy and his pink persona. His curtains are pink. His hair is pink. The haze in my mind when I think of him is pink. Again here, a facebook sticker of something I only know as a FB sticker character. I hope to go back and trace these images to their original context and enjoy their original selves, instead of affectionate avatars, that I send over and over again to convey visually joy that might have come out more ambiguous if I had to type the feeling that they evoke.
In an exercise in getting to know someone and sharing information about myself, we created collages that represented family. The one above is the one that I did. I’ve been a little distant with my family, thus, the still waters, house of faces in the top lefthand corner. The butterflies for my oldest sister, Jenny. When I stayed with her briefly in 2003(?), she was working on a butterfly piece, but also, she’s just a bit on the fringe. My sister Natalie is a smart social dolphin personality. I am represented as the figure covered in flowers hiding in a jungle with a reflective little star following me– my muse, I imagine. To right, a rocky pink craig cut into the sape of a four-leaf clover, representing my new love interest as well as two cards representing a pillar of my life and love, someone who has been supportive and driven, with courage as well, going into a spiral cut out of a skyscraper and meadow with pink abstract birds swirling around it, representing my energetic optimism.
Kismet Arts Tangent 