A Sky Monet Could Appreciate

Living by the water has allowed me to enjoy some unparalleled vistas. In the early evening I can often be seen running down the street with my camera to catch moments like this one. To me, it looks like an Impressionist painting.

The Flatiron Runneth Over ...With Cups

Earlier this week, I was running through the Flatiron area trying to duck the cold when I was struck by an odd sight: a thousand (probably more) coffee cups embellished by the hand of Gwyenth Leech. They are strung in a small gallery space aptly called "The Prow" at the pointed end of the landmark Flatiron Building in Manhattan. A few of us gathered mesmerized, trying to take in the spectacle in the dwindling daylight. And this is why I have my camera sitting at the bottom of my purse at all times!

After looking for a few minutes, I quickly found a favorite with a red seaweed pattern.

The exhibit, called "Hypergraphia" runs from September 19, 2011 through February 18, 2012. The artist sits in the space in a type of performance Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. More information [like how did this all get started?] and Gwyneth's progress can be found on her blog about the project: www.gwynethsfullbrew.com

The artist's humble public work space.

Message In A Bottle - Collecting

In honor of Chinese New Year (this one, the Year of the Dragon  龍 ), I thought I'd share yet another quirky little collection with you. For years, I've been finding those small pieces of paper from fortune cookies, the reward after eating a delicious Chinese meal. Long after dinner, they somehow find their way into pants pockets, a remote corner of my wallet, or crumpled at the bottom of my messy purse. I would put them aside only to come back much later and realize that a small pile of them had formed in my studio. I thought maybe I'll make some sort of art piece out of them someday.

For now, they sit in a small pharmacy bottle, contained little notes from the great beyond, each one offering me hope and advice. Others feature lucky numbers in case I want to try my odds at the lottery or make a miniscule attempt at learning a singular word in "Chinese"- which dialect or actual language, I'm not entirely sure.

新年快樂 - Happy New Year!

Before and After - Book Page Paintings

Mitosis (left) and Early Man (right) - available in my shop.

This painting on the left is the one that started it all. It was an experiment. I liked the results, so later I came back to this idea. I ripped apart the rest of the book and painted on those pages too. And a whole new series was born. One of my most recent pieces is on the right. Using my initial motif of a cell wall with the nuclei splitting inside some of the contained areas, these small works have come full circle. Back to my scientific roots!

Floaty Travel Pens - Collecting

There's been a small collection lurking in my art studio. With a recent New Year's cleanup, I realized that I had a few of these old floaty pens lying around. I gathered them remembering trips to various locales over the years. As you can see from the photo above, they cover areas far and wide. In Spain, a couple dances the flamenco across the floor. Some are more domestic like Walt Disney World where a flummoxed Mickey Mouse gets tossed in the tide of the sorcerer's wrath. My favorite is the one retrieved from Venice, where a gondola glides swiftly past Basilica San Marco. One thing I know for sure- I need to do some more traveling soon to expand this little kitschy collection!

Bits of Philly

Here are some photos from a recent walk around Philadelphia over the holidays. They are the interior of a former private home on ritzy Rittenhouse Square, a skyline view from the sidewalks, the famous LOVE sculpture by Robert Indiana, some renegade artwork in a back alley, and a skewed cityscape. Enjoy the view from my lens.