Stuff I found n things I make

So of course after not writing anything for like 6 months my first gut reaction is to just try n delete this and try to start anew, like a fresh start is somehow going to miraculously change my attitude and make me a dedicated blogger. It doesn't work with ex-girlfriends, it sure as hell isn't going to work for a crappy blog. A crappy blog doesn't get you laid.

I've been keeping myself boarded up in my apartment, painting. I've been painting for ages n I don't have a single damned painting finished. How do I do this? How can one person have so many unfinished projects at any given time?
I have this thing about things ending. I used to make myself have really bad panic attacks. My 14 yr-old self would lay awake in bed and think about death until I'd get all sorts of worked up. Not about myself dying, but my friends n family. I thought it was something I'd never get over. I don't think I have, I think I've just sorta accepted it. Or maybe from having my heart broken a few times? Yeah...I'm gonna say having serious relationships at a young age probably helped with that. Get's you over the "I-can't-live-without-you" factor. Thank fucking God. I don't think I could deal with such jackassery from myself.
Anyway, I digress. What I was really trying to get into was that my family just finally got my Aunt Pearl's house all cleaned out, and we had that really weird time of going through a dead relative's things. Aunt Pearl died like 2 yrs ago, I think. But before that she had stayed in a retirement home, so my coming n going out of her dilapidated home was routine for 5+ years for lawn care and feeding the 2 feral cats that lived in there. Aunt Pearl was a crazy old cat lady... Crazy old Catholic cat lady. That means she decorated her house with all things Jesus. And if it wasn't Jesus, it was the Virgin. And if it wasn't Jesus or his mom, it was cat-related.
So, needless to say, going through Aunt Pearl's belongings....Catholic shit and cat shit. Oh and some really ridiculous costume jewelry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made these necklaces out of things I found at my Aunt Pearl's house. I've actually had the seashells lying around for years, and somehow I never lost them despite moving so many times. I hadn't only connected with Aunt Pearl in a distant way. I remember getting bedsheets for Christmas from her and I was totally stoked. Who the fuck doesn't like flannel sheets? I didn't really connect with what Aunt Pearl was until going through her things, looking at the weird shit a cat-loving, senile spinster collected. 

And then I realized that this more likely than not that I'll become Aunt Pearl. Senile. Cat-crazy. The Catholic thing isn't going to happen, but it seems we both had the same tastes in fashion. Or maybe its because we were both really short. Whatever the case, I feel like I know Aunt Pearl a little better through making these necklaces.

Upcoming Events

This Saturday! From 10-6pm! I'll be here along with my fellow artists selling wares, drinkin beers, n listening to live music!

June 9th. In York, Pa at New Grounds Galley from 6-9pm. Again, peddling my wares.

I'm super excited about this event! In Baltimore at the American Visionary Art Museum. More artists than you can shake a stick at!

New block prints

Tomorrow in Baltimore

Paula Ibey, Eduardo Rodriguez and I will be on Charles St., downtown Baltimore from 12-5 peddling our wares. Be sure to stop by n say Yo!

Art Show 4/30 At G788

This weekend, after much foot-dragging, I'll be showing in Baltimore on Saturday at Gallery 788 at the Artists' Flea Market. Lots of live music. Lots of art. Lots of cheap beer. This will give me a chance to sell some crafty things I've had lying around the studio and get some badly needed spring cleaning done. The show runs from noon- 6pm.

Stash box

Just married!

Not me, obviously. But the greeting cards I've been churning out have "just married glitter" all over them. A couple yrs ago I had the good fortune of finding hundreds of photos while trash-picking on passyunk ave in south philly. Just across the street from the Melrose, in big cardboard trunk boxes, were thousands of wedding proofs, all dated from the late 60s to 1981. From what I  figured a photographer either retired or died n his studio was cleaned out. I stuffed a backpack w as much as it could hold and took my treasure home. I tried 2 make another trip but another trash-picker (no doubt equipped w a truck) had already taken the dozen boxes.

So what do u do w hundreds of photos of stranger's weddings? For a while I would mix them up n leave them on the coffee table 2 be found by unsuspecting friends n flatmates. The most common question being "do u kno these people?" To which I answered "no."
I threw around the idea of creating scrapbooks w them- an idea that may have merit yet- but then I would be stuck w large, expensive albums that would sit in my closet (as most my work does) and not shared w many ppl. This would also mean I would be thrown head-first in2 the dark evil  world of scrapbooking- a hobby I love 2 detest- and demon "crafty mommies."

So I decided 2 turn them in2 greeting cards, accentuated w scrapbooking  papers n stickers, 2 make them in2 tasty little condescending tidbits of south philly middle-class history. Once u add a sarcastic one-word phrase on the inside of the card a whole new dimension is put on the photo. Up until the receiver opens the card they r often confused by what they r looking at...and that's exactly what I'm going for.
I can't tell u if these ppl r divorced, still married, dead or homeless, but I can poke fun at what they're wearing.

Butcher shop

Digging into our botanicals, we tried blue lotus 25x extract and kratom- not together, at separate times during the day so that we could reflect upon our experience without it being clouded by mixing the two. I mixed a gram of the extract w 2 cups of cheap, shitty white wine.
Andrew, me, n our flatmate drank it in 2 rounds.
I asked Andrew to blog about his experience:

"The blue lotus, much like the white lotus, caused a warm sensation, with a relaxation of leg and back muscles.  Feelings came on within a few minutes and lasted several hours.  The mildness of the experience was not unpleasant, in that there was no feeling that there was another level to attain. 

Consuming the kratom later on, feelings were similar to both lotuses in the sensation and duration.  It was much less pleasant to drink, but the feelings were nice."

Honestly I wasn't impressed w the kratom. I brewed a tea w a full ounce, and reduced it but not so far as to turn it into a thick syrup. We split it, and this should've been a strong dose 4 a couple of 1st-timers. Initally I felt an increase in body temp- I noticed Andrew was very warm and I got uncomfortably over-heated. I went n smoked a cigarette n noticed my muscles relaxing n a short wave of floatiness, but didn't last long. I also felt like jumping Andrew.
The blue lotus made me a little silly, but it wasn't anything really profound. Maybe I didn't drink enough. Although I drank a lot less white lotus n that seemed 2 relax me far more n made me a lot more euphoric n silly. We are totally sold on kava. We drank it first thing this morning n it got us in the right mind-set 4 a long day of working. I felt relaxed n energized, ready 2 spend hours in the clay studio. I got all sorts of work done.
Ok so the kratom sucks. It kept me up all night.

Anal retention

I made this today, along w a bowl n started a large piece.

Kava kava

I'm embarrassed 2 say I haven't been paying attention 2 the news this past week. I've been too busy trying 2 take advantage of the warm spell. Andrew n I ordered some psychoactive botanicals a couple weeks ago. It finally arrived this past Wed. We got a variety of things, but so far we've only used the powered kava root. It doesnt make u trip or anything like that, but it does relax u in a gentle warm wave that washes over u. Andrew finds great relief in drinking it after work. He wears crappy shoes so his back n knees constantly hurt. It makes Ur mouth go slightly numb when u first sallow it. N we've both taken to the taste. We've been mixing it with coconut milk, sugar, water n lime. Once we find soy lechtin in a local grocery store we'll b able 2 experiment w other receipes- coconut milk sorta limits u. I try not 2 smoke a lot of tree while drinking kava because I'm worried the effects will be lost. But a little accompanies it nicely!
We had a combination 2 c kava drink n 1 c 25x white lotus extract. The lotus seemed 2 play up the muscle relaxant side of the kava n made things a bit fuzzy n my head a little floaty. It was a great combo w the warmth that kava provides.
Oh I made chili today. I never remember 2 write down chili receipes so I never remember 2 compare/contrast batches. This is bad news. So here's what I used in this last batch:
1/2 c Bacon grease
2 lbs beef for stew
1 vidalia onion
1/2 bulb of garlic.
1 LG can of diced tomatoes
1 LG tom puree
1 can pinto beans
1 can BLACK beans
1 can Italian white beans
1 LG can dark kidney beans
2 cans corn
Various dried chili powders
Paprika
Sriacha
I have no idea if its any good, I didn't try it yet. Andrew likes it, so really that was the only thing I was worried about.

feb 15

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. The weather has finally started to warm up, so I'm trying to warm my brain n hands to work together again. This is what I'm working on.

I've discovered the Blogger app. Now I'm never going 2 evr get off my fone evr again.
Im watching the super bowl pre-game shit. I just saw  the Bill o'reily interview w Obama. What the fuck. Who the fuck is gonna buy that that was a real interview? It was laid on as thick as their cake make-up. I don't understand how people don't walk around killing kittens 2 express their outrage. Mainly bc people keep themselves ignorant 2 it. I don't like watching the NFL. Not that I don't care 4 football, I just don't like the conglomerate, the NFL. I don't like the heavy marketing of it. I don't like there's so much money tied into it. I guess it is the last real thing u can watch on tv. The only not-staged, unscripted event that happens anymore on tv. The news. Debates. The academy awards. Religious epiphanies. Nothing is not scrutinized by an editor-in-chief. Unless its sports. It's makes too much money in gambling 2 stage it.
Derek jeter is dating Cameron diaz? He fucked Madonna too. So he's in2 women w men-ass? I knew that dude was gay.
Boy I can't wait 2 have my delicate sensibilities offended by the halftime show. Fergie had a dick at one point. I'm just sayin. She used 2 b a man. Holy crap kkk-bots. And I fucking hate glee.