a composed road

and suddenly..

2012-01-13T16:56:00.000-08:00

the school books start arriving. I'm in denial that school starts on the 23rd. My long awesome break wasn't that long after all.

resolutions.

2012-01-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

after much pondering.... My resolution is to be resolved.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-30T12:22:00.000-08:00

This holiday flew by so quickly that I'm still trying to figure out if it actually happened. I managed to get the house decorated and just in time for my moms arrival. I didn't do much really, just put up the mini tree, tinseled the mantle, and strung some lights in the window. I guess I did better than I thought.

little tree and silver and sassy. And.. yes it does light up.

little mantle and adorned with holiday goodies. And.. yes it does light up.

Christmas just seemed to come and go so fast but I did manage to capture some family shots.

Penelope in her new ear muffs. I bet you can't guess what her favorite color is.

me and the sisters

mom!

My sisters family

Rachel and Theo

And that's about it. It was a lovely modest holiday really. I am a bit sad that I didn't get into the spirit more or had more time to enjoy it. I'm looking forward to the New Year so much it's silly.

I'm behind

2011-12-13T10:36:00.000-08:00

I'm behind in everything.. or so it seems. I'm behind in making books, getting Zza's window display done, anything Christmas related, and... I think this list could go on and on. gah!

I've been trying to come up a new style of binding for the vinyl books and came up with a coptic stitch binding method that I think will really work out well. See the first attempt below - lot's of work still needs to be done on this but I think it will work out.

So.. I've just got to get though today's 2 papers and school will be done! Then books, then Zza's, then Christmas. And then.. and then..

a new find:

Niccolo Paganini

(I'm wondering where I have been? His violin features are out of this world)

p.s. last night I had a dream that I found an old violin and was playing it. The violin was very unique and I was quite good actually. I think I've been listening to too much classical lately (is that possible?).

city trip to de Young

2011-12-12T10:52:00.000-08:00

Last week I went to the city again for the free day at the de Young museum. They are having a special exhibit "Masters of Venice" which I was particularly interested in.. that however was not free. Luckily for us that show was discounted for the day, I really need to get my student ID so I get discounts ALL the time.

Before we roamed around we had a nice lunch at the cafe which serves all organic and yummy food. This is where the adventure began.

yum! yum! I had a lovely sammy with wine, I was loving how they wrapped up the sandwich - it reminded me of how I often wrap things up.

I wasn't allowed to take pictures of the Masters of Venice but I did capture a couple others ones.

Below is my bud Kelly - she was not amused that I made her imitate the subject in the painting behind her but I got a good laugh out of it.

See.. it's pretty funny.

I always have a good time at the de Young and will be back soon. It's great to go with a friend who can enjoy it with you and at times laugh with you.

on the ipod:

another show down

2011-12-04T11:03:00.000-08:00

Oakland Under $100 was a lot of fun and a great turn out. The picture is at the beginning of the night.

This is the 5th event I've done and I still get nervous and filled with anxiety.

autumn shots

2011-11-30T09:24:00.000-08:00

on campus

on thanksgiving

on the turntable:

Temescal Winter Art Hop 2011

2011-11-26T10:10:00.000-08:00

Oakland Under $100 is once again apart of the Temescal Winter Art Hop!! Join us for the fun the next Friday December 2nd from 6pm-9pm

http://www.temescalfirstfriday.com

check it out!!

city trip

2011-11-23T09:51:00.000-08:00

adventures in the city!

I'm a bit late in posting these but I have recently had many adventures in S.F. Here are the pictures to prove it!

My bud Kelly and I went to the SFMOMA to see what's up. I was particularly interested in an exhibit by Francesca Woodman.

Started the adventure off with a glass of wine and a croissant the size of my head. nom nom!

This piece was super interesting and contained so many layers and strings - this was part of a special exhibit on same sex marriage.

I was super intrigued by the room containing Paul Klee and Andrew Shoultz work side by side comparing their style years apart.

You can't have a modern art museum without a long theater.

Below are just a few of Francesca Woodman's photos. She was brilliant and way ahead of her time.

You can fine more work by her here or read about her short life here.

Here I am with a lovely sculpture by Louise Bourgeois. I wrote a paper about her last semester and love her work. I got to see two pieces of hers in the MOMA.

Kelly and I roamed about the city all day and night. This is Union Square from the Starlight Lounge. After this we walked to North Beach and had an amazing hearty Italian meal.

Wish I could do this every week.

super impressed

2011-11-13T11:00:00.000-08:00

by Bicycle Coffee Co.

While at the Grand Lake Farmer's market I picked up my first pound of Bicycle Coffee Co. and got a free delish cup of joe. OMG!! this coffee is awesome! They are a small family run business that hand delivers their products by bicycle only.

I'm enjoying my coffee right now.. it's jolting me awake to create!

serenading me as I clickity clack on the 'puter:

Oakland Under $100 12/2/2011 6pm-10pm - Temescal Art Center

2011-11-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

Featured Artists:

Alice Worland

Jennifer Fuller

Shannon Walsh

Joe Rut

Caroline Hambright

Ruby Dudley

Mark Petersen

Rachel Coker

Emily Coker

Casey Fey

James Caruso

can I tell you something?

2011-11-10T10:42:00.000-08:00

I haven't been at all motivated to write lately in this blog. I'm not sure if school has sucked all the creative energy right out of me or not. I haven't been motivated to do to much these days... which has led me to think of earlier days when all I had was time to be overcome with passion and motivation. I'm not talking about a couple years ago, I'm talking about long ago days when I plopped my buns down at the Coffee Garden in SLC and wrote feverishly in my journal about everything in the world. I was young and was filled and intoxicated with creative powers - I saw every aspect to what made the world tick artistically and I wanted to be apart of it... and then again it reminds me that I was young and naive.

I guess this is my shitty attempt to tell you I've been bad at writing in my blog - and honestly, I just didn't want to. I didn't feel like I had much to say. I know that's hard to believe but it is what it is.

In other news.. I've been working to get things together with Oakland Under $100 which is seriously creeping up on me in a big way. Also working on more books for The Rare Bird and I have another shop interested in my vinyl books. I need to focus and plug out a bunch and have a stock pile. Another thing that recently happened was that I was recorded for a short segment called "Wait A Minute" by Jaded Pallet Productions. It's people in the food service industry telling the ironic stories, good or bad. I'll post it when it comes up The whole experience was a lot of fun.

Well - I guess I should get my buns in gear and find that passion and motivation I've been looking for. Get to work

In my head these days:

Testing, testing...

2011-10-21T14:56:00.001-07:00

I'm checking out the new Blogger app for the iPhone. I've been waiting for this app to come out for a long ass time. I can blog from any place at any time!! That's rad!

Its so rad it's almost better than this pumpkin. Speaking of.. Pumpkins.. I need to get into the spirit people. This is my most favorite time of year and I'm like a freakin' stick in the mud this year. Gah... I'm usually a freak around this time of year-pumpkin bread, pumpkin beer, pumpkin anything. What is wrong with me?

Autumn window display at Zza's

2011-10-20T16:09:00.000-07:00

It was time to switch up the old window display at Zza's and that's just what I did. I think about things for a while before I actually execute them, a true fact about me.

nothing says Autumn quite like leaves.. right? So I transformed my little window display into a fall madness of leafs, twigs, and pumpkins. You have to be mindful not to get too cheesy when creating seasonal window displays.

I felt that I was able to pull it off. I love the picture of it at night all lit up.

I also fixed up the other side as well. I kept the other side a bit more simple since more families eats on that side of the place.

same awesomeness and I feel does the trick. Not sure if I like the red background, but it works for now.

This picture makes me want to rush out and buy new pants. I don't know if I've lost a ton of weight or they are just so old they are stretched to all hell. Keep your opinions to yourself about my "professor coat" - I like brown corduroy, and no there aren't leather patches on the elbows. I blame my mom and Stevie Nicks.

music lately:

Anna Calvi

Neko Case (yum!)

scenes from the opening.

2011-10-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

It was a fun and great turn out. Thank you to all that came and also big thanks to the people that purchased prints etc.

goof!

Thanks again!!

Now I can sleep for a month.

the show is up

2011-10-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

I spent yesterday morning hanging up the show. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Today I'll swing by with the pricing to hang.

Tomorrow is my opening.. should be pretty fun.

sneak peek II

2011-09-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

I've worked so hard to get all the photos together and do the proper editing.

Seeing all the pictures out like this makes me feel like I may not have enough. I know I'm probably being silly and it really will be enough, I think I'm now feeling nervous about it all.

The show hangs tomorrow and I guess that is where I will truly see if it all works out.

wish me luck.

it's funny to me

2011-09-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

It's funny that within a year I went from a miserable corporate drone to a full time student. Can you guess what I'm spending my Sunday afternoon doing? Can you guess what I spend many of my Sunday afternoons doing?

If you guessed studying/homework, you guessed right. I'm currently writing a paper on the corporate influence in our education system. Yeah.. pretty heady stuff.. the kind of material that makes one pissed off and question a lot about the way things are.

on the Pandora:

zoe keating radio

with an extra influence by:

Rachel's

And another thing.....The large pot is on the stove with soup going (garden veggies with barley) and it's a rainy fall day. It's an inspiring day! If it were a little colder the day would be complete with a cozy fire and cutie for cuddling. It's going to be a good Autumn, I can feel it in my bones.

and all the while..

2011-09-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

I'm making new books for The Rare Bird. Here are a couple gems that will be dropped off on Tuesday.

I'm loving the painted style, this is the third one I've painted.

The perfect compact size for the guy or gal on the go... dontcha think?

I hope I can get at least 3 more done by Tuesday. Wish me luck.. won't you.

oh.. and Happy Autumn! Time to get cozy, make soup and have tons of fires!

sneak peek

2011-09-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

This is just one small batch of photos for the show. I plan on hanging 60 framed images of the red roof. I still have to edit this out from the 98 that I narrowed it down to originally.

Sadly some of the images didn't come out in the printing the way I would have liked, but I'll work with what I've got at this point. I don't have enough time to get new prints and I still have to edit 38 images out.

Not only am I working on the October solo show.. I'm making books for The Rare Bird.which I hope to turn in on Tuesday. I'm sure you can imagine I'm feeling a little tapped out with all of it. Oh and school. I have a big stinking paper due on Monday - so I'll be working on that as well.

gasp!

Well.. here's to making it all happen. I'm pretty sure I'm a fucking robot.

new to the library..

two words: "The Sea"

I love that song!

from the overgrown garden

2011-09-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

and here I thought nothing would come of it.. Look at those teeny tiny carrots. I ate them both and they were amazing.

now.. back to work.

hee hee!

2011-09-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

it's just so simple.

what I'm up to

2011-09-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

Editing tons of red roof pictures for my October show. There's lots and lots to do friends. Out of the 210 pictures that I've taken over two years I've narrowed it down to 98 shots. I will get 4 - 5 sets of those 98 printed then narrow it down to about 60 for the final show. Unless something else happens to change this.

stay posted for more fun and progress.

In the studio:

this is my 350th post

2011-09-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

messy desk.

shout out

2011-09-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

On Oakland Swee(t)art - Thanks Obi!!!

http://oaklandsweetart.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/good-vibes-abound-on-piedmont-ave/

or...

Good Vibes Abound on Piedmont Ave

August 21, 2011 in EXHIBITS/REVIEWS, MISC/ART STUFF

Third Thursdays are now artwalk night on Piedmont Ave. I like it. Everybody is involved, including Video Room. Heck, that’s cool. It’s right outside my front door. I’m happy. Not really a gallery among them, but you know what? the level of quality, curated retail is pretty dang high. We’ll take on any neighborhood you got Oakland in that department.

Local artists David Seiler at left and Matt Decker at right flank Erica Skone-Rees, owner of The Rare Bird (3883 Piedmont Ave) at the Piedmont Ave Artwalk. The Rare Bird is the new star in our neighborhood. An excellent mix of arty stuff.

Artist Emily Coker is pictured her standing in front of the display of her awesome, handmade sketchbooks that you can buy at the Rare Bird.

I'm baaaack.

2011-09-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

am I better than ever? Well that may need some close
consideration and determining. I was SO in need of a vacation it wasn't pretty. I did my annual trek to Utah / Yellowstone for about a week. The cabin is always a taste of heaven and I dream about it all year long until I actually get to be there. If it were up to me I'd be there ALL the time.. but alas.. I'm not there yet. It was so lovely to be in Utah as well. I finally got to listen to the symphony of crickets serenading my hammock time.

One can't help but feel inspired after being surrounded by all that nature... right.

Now.. I'm back at it... the studio needs a good cleaning, I need to start booking Oakland Under $100, I have a solo show in October (Red Roof series), continue making books for The Rare Bird, oh and did I mention I'm in school right now. Listing off everything makes me feel a wee bit overwhelmed. I realized in the past year that this is how my life is.. I wear many hats. I just need to know what hat goes best with the outfits I'm wearing.

Music:

ladies and gentlemen...

2011-08-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

it is now vacation time! I'm off on my annual trek.. and yes I will probably be blogging along the way.

new toy

2011-08-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

Look at my new toy! I was lucky to find this at the reuse the other day. This will save hours on my hands.

August Trunk Show 08-18-11

2011-08-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

August Art Gallery & Trunk Show

JUL, 27 2011
By ERICA
EVENTS
NO COMMENTS

At Rare Bird, we’re sending out summer in style with our August Art Gallery and Trunk Show, and the third monthly Piedmont Avenue Art Walk! The energy these past two months has been incredible – it is such a delight to be a part of this vibrant community and we want to thank YOU for showing your love and support for independent business and local art.

August brings new and exciting mediums to Rare Bird! Featured Artist Ken Shelf creates whimsical, lush art with his terrariums. Drawing inspiration from nature, Ken cultivates his micro-paradises using succulents and other plants expertly arranged in glass tabletop and hanging containers.

Any lover of the natural world will have the same fondness for our other Featured Artist’s craft: handmade journals by Emily Coker. Using repurposed wood and vinyl records for covers, Emily lovingly crafts each journal as a unique creation, right down to the hand-torn paper edges. The results are books that feel personal and magical at the same time – perfect for daily journals, guest books, or sacred poem diaries.

Visit Ken and Emily’s work all month long at Rare Bird, and mark your calendars for the Art Gallery and Trunk Show on Thursday, August 18 from 6-9pm, our monthly celebration of our featured artists. Admire, shop, laugh, sip wine and, as always, marinate in the sonic grooves of resident dj London Fog.

What: Art Gallery & Trunk Show at Rare Bird and Piedmont Ave Art Walk

Featuring: Succulent terrariums by Ken Shelf and handmade journals by Emily Coker

When: Thursday, August 18 from 6-9 pm

Where: The Rare Bird – 3883 Piedmont Avenue – Oakland, CA

About Ken Shelf: Ken Shelf is the co-owner (with his wife, Amy) and lead cultivator at Succulence – a life and garden store in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco that sells supplies for a succulent lifestyle. Ken also lives in Bernal with Amy and their children, Huck and Trudy. Ken’s plant art began with the creative camouflaging of marijuana plants in his tomato garden and continues with his exploration of the disintegration and reintegration of nature with itself. In his endless quest for interesting planting vessels, he has planted teapots, popcorn poppers, electrical boxes, watering cans, shoes, bicycle rims, bird-feeders, sea shells, grain mill belts, coal cans, potato and onion baskets, and a metal Hoosier flour bin for his wife’s 40th birthday. Ken teaches classes on vertical gardening and terrarium building monthly at the Bernal Heights store. Rare Bird is privileged to offer Ken’s terrarium building workshop in September! Check out our Classes page for sign up information.

About Emily Coker: Emily Coker is a self taught multimedia artist living and creating in Oakland. Inspired and intrigued by all things vintage, Emily creates unique handmade journals from repurposed wood and vinyl records. Noticing the slow demise of old practices, traditions, and routines in this soft copy world, Emily wanted to create a tactile hard copy medium for all to enjoy. Each page of her journals is torn by hand to lend a rustic feel that evokes something familiar in the user. The books are versatile and can be used for many things, including journals, guest books, or even photo albums.

When not making books, Emily curates and runs an art event called Oakland Under $100 in an effort to pull together the Oakland community through the arts. She is honored to be showing at Rare Bird, which facilitates that very idea for the Oakland art community.

all turned in

2011-08-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

I dropped off 13 completed books to The Rare Bird on Tuesday. I will continue to make more before the event but am pretty thrilled with what went out.

I'm giving myself a couple days to relax before getting right back into it.again. Duty calls my friends, but it sure is nice to take a break and enjoy doing nothing for a bit. School will start back up on the 22nd, so I really do need to try and enjoy the break.

Go to check out the books - 3883 Piedmont Ave, Oakland.

it's officially official

2011-07-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

I'm now officially a featured artist at The Rare Bird!!! Check out my lovely bio here.

or...

Emily Coker

Emily Coker is a self taught multimedia artist living and creating in Oakland. Inspired and intrigued by all things vintage, Emily creates unique handmade journals from repurposed wood and vinyl records. Noticing the slow demise of old practices, traditions, and routines in this soft copy world, Emily wanted to create a tactile hard copy medium for all to enjoy. Each page of her journals is torn by hand to lend a rustic feel that evokes something familiar in the user. The books are versatile and can be used for many things, including journals, guest books, or even photo albums.

-------

I'm super excited and truly honored to be apart of The Rare Bird and also the opening which is August 18th!

please follow link for more details:
http://therarebird.com/category/events/

book madness

2011-07-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

this whole posting everyday business is gonna have to wait till after Monday. I've been in the studio hardcore trying to get everything together for my August show. And yes.. I'll post more info on that as we get closer to the opening and fully in August.

Not only have I have making wood journals but vinyl journals as well.

The book below is one of my favorites so far. Every once in a while I make a couple books that I feel are gems, they are hard to get rid of. Something about this one is so dear to me, I think it's the size and color.

Originally I bound the vinyl books with wire but they are to much a liability, as in they might get cut by any sharp edges and what not. Lovin' the book below, I will definitely be making more 7" books.

The one below is made from a lovely Robert Goulet album. You may be wondering how I pick the albums I destroy.. no rhyme or reason really. If I'm going to play the album a ton then I won't cut it up. I do try and find vinyl that is already damaged if that helps you stomach it.

I have been so busy that I'll I do is work, work, work.. I think I'm going mad.....

aaaaaarrrrrggghhhhhh!!!!!!!!

Repeat offender of my ears lately in the studio:

and...

both so good.... yummy!

I also watch lots of movies and tv shows while I work. I've been watching True Blood, The Real L Word (such drama), Bridesmaids, Six Feet Under, Big, Ghost Adventures (so dumb) and the list goes on and on!

cross your fingers I don't lose my mind over here.

I know, I know..

2011-07-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting you. As you can tell from previous posts I've been very busy having fun during my birthday month.I'm slowly digressing back into my normal patterns which translates into wearing many hats.

One hat in particular is school.. which I'm pretty much done with. I presented my final on Thursday and am just coasting through next week. Then I get a break for a month and a vacation back home and to Yellowstone.

Another hat is my art hat... I know I've been super quite about this for a while now but as you can tell I've been busy, busy, busy. A little while back I mentioned that I'm selling books at The Rare Bird in Oakland, remember?
Well I was surprised recently when they asked me to be a featured artist in August. I immediately responded with a YES! What does this mean? It means I have a lot of books in the making and am in crunch mode in the studio.

I'll post more about the opening soon.

and yes.. I promise to get in the habit of posting more.

more July birthday madness

2011-07-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

Went to a street fair.. this was before my birthday but it was all part of the July playing

The only time I truly enjoy beer is on a hot day in the sun.

Had a family birthday dinner, it was great. There were so many candles on that things you could feel the heat from miles away.

My sister gave me this little necklace type thing called "the wine yolk". It allows you to be hands free when at wine events. I think it's one of the silliest things ever.

In between all the partying and fun I found time to hide away and enjoy some quite time. I so loved being the only one here reading Jack London in the corner.

I took this last Friday off work and started it with my sisters seeing the new Harry Potter (amazing) (and yes.. I totally geek out to that stuff). It was so lovely to not only see the movie with them but to have lunch and do a little shopping.

That night I went to the A's game with my bud Amy. We had fantastic seats, some of the best I've ever had.

Here we are enjoying the fun! It was a pretty good game and we of course over indulged in bad food.

I sure have been busy playing so far this month. I really must get back on track with all other aspects of life.. but boy has it been fun! A birthday not to forget!

my birthday

2011-07-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

was yesterday and it was awesome!

now 32 and happy.

july shenanigans.. in rare birthday month form!

2011-07-09T16:19:00.000-07:00

I sure have had fun so far for my birthday month... check it out.

Some of my favorite regulars came in with this and gave me a glass... uh can you say yum!

now I can say I've had 300.00 champagne.

Then I went out with my friend and enjoyed a lovely lunch in the sun at Quin's

the view

so lovely!

I also went to the Alameda 4th of July parade with family and friends, then to work where a customer brought me sparklers!! which are totally illegal here (duh)

I made everyone working with me that night go outside and light one up to celebrate!

I also went out to karaoke.. I didn't sing for fear of making peoples ears bleed...poor innocent people. I do like watching people get into it though.

and also capture great pictures like this.

THEN... my friend took me to the fair!!! it was so much fun!!

greasy 18" corn dogs..yikes!

Look at this funny thing.. people go in the balls and try to get around like they're in some huge hamster ball. I could think of several people I'd like to see in one of those.

holy BBQ pit.

Yarr!

gay raccoon vs. cotton candy

I won a stuffed animal and got to have a fried twinkie.. can't go to the fair without eating something fried.

wee!

I've had so much good/bad food so far this month.. it's awesome.

today I was surprised by a package when I got home which contained this:

I know you may be thinking.. what the crap is so special about that? Well, it's some of the best mustard ever! My mom sent me this from when she was last at the cabin. It's Nine Fingers Mustard from Montana.. so yummy and makes me want to be Yellowstone.

So as you can see... so far the birthday month has been awesome and it's just getting started..stay tuned.

summer garden

2011-07-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

Lookie, lookie at what I pulled out of the garden.

sadly.. the radishes were eaten through by some damn bugs.. so I didn't eat them. This furthers the the push to weed and take care of the bugs. I just hate slimy bugs in the garden.. gah.

This whole gardening thing is something I really need to get over, I am working on it though. I almost feel like I have to get a nice buzz on (yes, buzz ...as in drunk) before gardening.. it helps dull the concern that I have about dealing with all the creepy crawlies. One of the last times I was out there I stepped on a worm and about died. Not because I care about the worms feelings.. but because I could feel it squirming under my shoe. I think I have a heightened tactile sensitivity. I so wish I didn't care at all.. like eff you bugs.. you're dead to me.. squish... or get the eff off my food jerk snail..swoosh.. as I throw it over the fence.

A perfect world would be getting deslish organic veggies without the hassle of maintaining it.

alas... that is not going to happen.

My whole goal is to have a garden oasis that I can sit in and sip ice tea, read a book and have my feet up.. while I enjoy the beautiful flowers, veggies and plants all put in their place artistically. Uh yeah... when that will happen is unknown to me. After rereading this post... I find myself just wanting to go shopping and not do any gardening... maybe I want good clothes and not good garden grown food.

While lounging in the garden I will listen to this:

Does certain music remind you of summer?

10 days to my birthday

2011-07-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

but who's counting..

zza's summer window display

2011-07-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

I am now the "creative director" of the display window at Zza's.

I cleared out the old menu and what not and this was my starting base. And looky here at what I created...

I have yet to see it at night but I can bet you it's awesome!

proud wine drinking artist...erm.. I mean display window creative director.

Lovin' the summer y'all.

I didn't think they boys at work were serious

2011-07-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

until I saw it for myself...

Yep.. that's the dented up old fender from my car hanging on the wall at Lanesplitter. Why yes, that's a Miller High Life sticker on it as well.

Here is another blurry night time shot of it.

I have to admit that this is pretty funny.

car fix

2011-06-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

hey remember April fools day this year when my car was smashed up... Well I got it all fixed up now.

AND.... it was fixed in front of my house by a buddy from work.

I purchased the fender online and it was sent directly to my front door 6 days later.

It was a lovely day to hang outside and watch the magically skilled transformation. Of course I would take a picture of power lines.

and the finished product.. it's like nothing ever happened.. so awesome! It's so great to know people that are mechanically blessed and willing to help a girl out.

vroom vroom!

so remember that secret..

2011-06-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

well now I can reveal that little secret... A cute store called "The Rare Bird" picked up my books!!! Exciting right?

If you don't know what The Rare Bird is... well that click here and find out.

I feel extremely honored to be showing my books there.. and humble about the whole thing really.

This store is so charming and again I'm so happy to be selling books there. I'm in the process of making vinyl books for them as well. And now that I know what to expect I can get a bit more creative with things. They are also selling the Lil' Pocket Pal too.

The Rare Bird @ 3883 Piedmont Ave in Oakland

whoa... there's a lot going on.

2011-06-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

what the heck... I've been saying this a lot lately. I picked it up from my niece once and can't seem to shake it.... why the heck haven't I been consistent with my blogging is what I want to know?

Well.. there are a couple of reasons..

I've been busy lately with plain old life, feeling spent after serving the mass public pizza and beer, working in the studio on books, making tons of lists about things I should be doing and then becoming exhausted and overwhelmed by the long list and not doing anything, then realizing that I actually have to do the things on the list to make it go away. I've also been preparing for school which starts tomorrow. Yeah.. that whole life changing thing that happened a couple months ago is still happening. Now the second part begins... school.

feeling overwhelmed... why yes.. how could you tell?

I do however think I've finally realized that I run on overwhelmed and that it's okay. I've also realized that certain things in my life need to be taken a bit more seriously and that I need to set up a structure and plan to really get the important things done.

wow... there's that really grown up adult feeling again. It's been a while and there it is.

Don't forget that I have a secret to tell you on Tuesday. I'll give you a hint.. I've been spending a lot of time in the studio making books..... for a reason.

beautiful books with a secret... I can't wait to tell you.. are you excited? I am.

inspiring me at the moment:

the lovely Zoe Keating.

erin mckeown.

exciting news

2011-06-16T14:02:00.001-07:00

I have some exciting news to tell you... but I won't revel it until next Tuesday.

stay tuned..

my new buddy

2011-06-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

I don't know why... but recently I've been thinking a lot about guitars. For some reason I have this urge to pluck at guitar strings. One reason I think it's in my head so much is that my neighbors have a small guitar leaning up against their house. Every time I open my bathroom window I see the little guitar starring at me. The image of it perplexes me... why would anyone leave a guitar outside to get warped and destroyed.

You know how somethings keep popping up in life. Like for example you will be walking along and suddenly see a picture of a guitar and then you think about the neighbors outside guitar. Or you sit down next to people talking and you over hear them talking about guitars.. you get the idea. Yeah.. that was happening to me.

Yesterday while roaming around Oakland I stopped by one of my favorite salvage yards and guess what I found? A guitar sitting there winking at me..

I picked it up and looked at it and couldn't seem to put it down... so I bought the old beater for a whole 20.00. It needs a little work but other than that it's in decent shape.

I feel crazy even talking about this.. I don't know the first thing about playing the guitar, nor did I ever really have that much interest.. but I've been around long enough to know that when something continues to appear and present itself in your life that you should pay attention. So... I bought an old Spanish style beater guitar.. who knows what will come of it.

my first harvest

2011-06-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

Today I harvested some spinach from the garden. My little garden is coming along nicely although it's screaming for attention on the weeding front. In fact my entire yard needs attention. I'm so not a good gardener.. I want to be but I just have the hardest time dealing with bugs. I don't fear them... I'd just rather not deal with them at all... especially snails and worms (gross). If anyone out there in world wide websicles has some advice on how I get over my thing with the bugs... please let me know.

Look at that radish.. it's fierce! Rainbow carrots are in the background.. you can't really see them in this pic.

See all the weeds? Yikes! I gotta get them out before I eat that thinking it's something good. ( I so totally would do something like that)

Spinach!!

My mixed California lettuce is almost ready too. I hope I can keep up on the garden a bit more this year than last. Last year the garden went nuts and my laziness couldn't keep up with all the work. I also need to start sowing my start ups.

Music in the studio..

2011-06-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

I'm now feeling well recovered from the event and all the recent happenings.. I've been catching up on all the things I put aside leading up to Oakland Under $100. Scratching off items on my never ending "to do" list.. but boy does that feel good.

I'm still in process of re-doing my studio and will get back in there to work asap.. I have been listening to these new albums (to me) in the studio as I tidy up.

I'm into all three of these at the moment.. Kaki King is pretty mellow but great background and holy cow is she talented.. Janelle Monae is fun, funky, and upbeat. And of course everyone knows I love Ultralash, Karry Walker is awesome.. All of it is good stuff and inspiring.

Did you know..

2011-06-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

that I've kept up with my Lil' Red Roof blog?

well I have... and you can follow it here

red roof!

the suitcase

2011-06-06T15:04:00.000-07:00

Before the event I was talking to a friend (K) about how I wanted to use an old suitcase to display my work in and around. K immediately told me of an old suitcase that I could have.. she went on to tell me about this old suitcase in the her apartment buildings basement storage. She tells me that the suitcase has been there for years and years along with a ton of other crap left behind by years of previous tenants. The landlord planned to get rid of everything in the basement and K said I should come have a look.

In the basement I see a large suitcase that was underneath an upside down coffee table. I had to climb over some old bikes to try and pull it out from the rubble. The suitcase didn't have a handle any longer so it was awkward and somewhat stuck. I pulled and pulled and finally got it out. We took the case up to her apartment and opened it. This is what we found:

The suitcase was full of an array of things.. it was a little intriguing and odd wrapped up in one. There was a grooming travel case (unused), many packets of carbon paper, an envelope full of loose paper with writing on it, 2 full journals, 3 tobacco pipes, pipe cleaners, flints, and other pipe hardware, a paper bag that contained a very heavy metal/cement barb looking thing.. and a couple other random things.

Below is the barb looking thing.. it is super heavy!

The travel groom kit

Pipes and such...(the bag has tobacco in it)

Everything was pretty old and tattered.

At first I was a bit weirded out by the whole thing.. this used to belong to someone and they took the time to pack all this up for some strange reason. Not to mention it wasn't just "stuff" it was the persons journals.. someone sat down and consciously wrote out what was on their mind. The journals start in the late 60's as far as I can tell.

I emptied the contents of the suitcase into a box in my garage and cleaned it up to use at the show. I read a couple entries of the first journal. The outside of the journal had the name "Thomas Edward Francis Sevine" on it. From what I can tell so far.. the guy may have lived in that building and was a musician/artist that went to a ton of music events. I didn't really have the time to investigate further.. but I'm going to read through them and try to figure out more of a mystery that fell into my lap.

I had the thought that this person may still be alive.. so I googled the name with no results other than the Thomas Edward Francis the famous landscape painter that died in 1961.

and yes... I used the case for my art event... and had many, many compliments on it and the display. I used an old rope and fashioned into a handle for it and attached my business card to it. I plan on continuing to use it... why not. If the guy was truly an artist.. I don't think he would mind what I'm using it for.

stay tuned for more on this...

then and now..

2011-06-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

I just got my new drivers license.. I can't believe that they don't want me to retake my picture.. it's been 10 years since the photo was taken. I wasn't going to fight going to the DMV if I don't have to. My new license states that it will expire in 2016... that's another 5 years, surely I will have to get a new picture then. That would be 15 years of the same picture.. yikes.

then now

Look! here I am at 22 years old.. I look like I saw the Matrix like a million times in my pleather jacket. My hair is awesome too.. Now I just look way more tired and worn in.. but the hair is better.

now imagine 5 more years of this picture... awesome.

I'll dig up my old Oregon ID to compare.. I think that one has my binky in it.

success.. another show down.

2011-06-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

It was another great time at the June Oakland Under $100

Karry Walker playing pretty music.

My assistant Jen! She kept things together for me and helped all things Oakland Under $100.

Steffy Sue on the Uke! opened the show

Andy Mason.. making it happen

The Ukaladies Strumming Club

The Oakland Under $100 gift basket for the art hop raffle

Some of my chicks.. sold 3 of them

The hustle and bustle of the show

more hustle and bustle.

It was a great turn out and a lot of fun. I'm exhausted!

Oakland Under $100 is Tonight!

2011-06-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

It's finally here and it's tonight!

I'm running on 5 hours of sleep right now, I've been so busy that I forgot to buy coffee for the last two days. My house is a complete wreck and I have to work today until 4 since no one would pick up the shift (welcome to the service world, Em). Even with all the above.. I'm happy it's here and am grateful for all the press and help from friends. In fact I feel grateful for everything in my life right now.

I always seem to pull it together.. anxiety dreams aint got nothin' on me now... you had me for weeks but now.. well the event is today so restful nights are close.

See you tonight!

the last live art wednesday

2011-06-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

...... until further notice....

The rumor is that Levende is closing.. so no more live drawing for a while until it's all sorted out. I think that Obi wants to take a break so... until further notice it's done.

I stopped in last night to visit and chat for a bit but didn't draw. I was feeling overwhelmed by Oakland Under $100 and getting things done. I was also super jazzed to see that the article from Oakland Local made it on sfgate.com.

speaking of the event.. I better get my day going.

Oakland Under $100 article in Oakland Local

2011-06-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

Oakland under $100: Affordable arts & crafts June 3 in Temescal

Oakland Local edi... Wed, 1 Jun at 10:32am

Oakland under $100 poster

June kicks off another round of Oakland Under $100 - an event created by local crafter and artist Emily Coker.

What's the concept? All the arts and crafts in the show are are priced between $1 and $100. Everything is either made specially for the show, or priced down for the night.

"In 2009, I started Oakland Under $100 as a bi-annual event. I wanted to create a place where both new and mid-career artists could show and sell their work at affordable prices to the general public," Coker writes. "The challenge and fun is for the artists to come up with quality work priced under $100. Participating artists are equally responsible for marketing and making connections within the community, which includes being present during the event to discuss and sell their work.

"The impetus for this was visiting galleries in which the one-time showing of an artist’s work was outrageously priced, even though it was greatly coveted. I do not mean to say the asking price was not representative of the work, it is just usually priced so completely out of this economy’s working person’s range.

"I feel an artist’s successes should not lie in the great gap between the buyer and the gallery, with only the gallery making the profit," Coker continues. "Especially in Oakland where the art community has so much to offer, I felt something needed to bridge this gap: Support emerging artists and their followers.

"I know that while this idea is not new, Oakland Under $100 has managed to facilitate both the needs of our community and the arts while giving the patron and the artist exposure. In these two years, Oakland Under $100 has gained consistent momentum and attendance.

The show features 10-12 artists and crafts people in a dance-studio-turned-art-venue for one night. We are also accompanied by some of the best local, usually acoustic, music. The whole neighborhood is welcome to the event."

This year's artists include:
Emily Coker
Rachel Coker
Danielle Demuro
Kyle Farrand
Kate Flynn
Rachel Hubbard
Mattie Ignacio
Ryan McJunkin
Allyson O'Brien
Anne Pinkowski
Mark Peterson
Mike Woolson
Alice Worland

Oakland Under $100 is part of a weekend of Temescal fun - the eighth annual Temescal street fair takes place on Sunday.
Oakland Under $100 @ Temescal Art Center
511 48th Street, Oakland, Ca 94609
June 3rd - 6pm - 10pm

super excited

2011-05-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited about Eddie Vedder's new album "Ukulele Songs"

It comes out tomorrow!

Listen to it here

busy busy busy

2011-05-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

Oakland Under $100 is almost here and I have to say my world is a bit upside down... which is to be expected I suppose. The house is a wreck, I have a to-do list that spans what feels like miles and miles and not to mention my own personal deadlines. phew.. I'm exhausted just thinking about it all... but all of this work is for the positive and worth it.

This Friday also marks the 2nd Temescal Art Hop that my event is in.

I've been working hard pulling together different artists and musicians from my event to contribute music or art for a Oakland Under $100 gift basket as a raffle prize. I have to say I'm super excited to be apart of this event as well as being part of the future first Fridays in Temescal.

I guess for now I'm going to have to live with the chaos until after Friday.

If you're in the area.. don't miss all the fun!

my little garden

2011-05-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

is starting to take form.. I'm not sure why this picture turned out so small but it did. I ripped the fencing down since it was falling apart but now I need to get another fence up and soon.

I planted similar things as last year and will update you as things progress.

quick book making 101

2011-05-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

First off.. I have to say.. my apologies for the sideway pictures, I'm just too lazy to rotate them today.

I had several wedding guestbooks on my agenda to make. Above is the lovely wood all stained and ready for paper.

Here is my desk littered with brown packaging paper. This particular paper comes in rolls so it stays in the tube shape even after cutting it down.

every book gets the same time and treatment.

and now that the paper is hand ripped.. I have to flatten it with a lovely ironing session. I'll save you the details of that.

Paper before:

Paper after:

Getting ready to stitch it all together.

zee finished product

detail of the pages and book.

that was your quick 101 on book making Emily Coker style.

jazzing it up while I hand rip pages:

the new orleans jazz vipers.

the lil pocket pal

2011-05-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

I spent most of the day yesterday in the studio working away on books. I took a small break and made these little guys. I ended up selling all of them last night while I was out.

They are hand stitched and super compact. They fit perfectly in the coin pocket of your favorite jeans.

I know that it's not needed in today's world but that's why I made it. It's my attempt to take a step back from the smart phone.

Don't get me wrong.. I'm attached to my phone but this is just for your random thoughts or reminders etc.

not to mention it's super cute and if I saw someone pulling that out of their pocket I would die a little inside.

I'm going to sell some of these at Oakland Under $100 for 3.00 each.. and I may include mini pencils to go with them.

on the turntable with all the rain:

messy desk

2011-05-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

plugging away on the books.

I so need to clean.

getting ready for June.

2011-05-14T11:34:00.000-07:00

sThe rest of this month is going to be a bit busy for me.. I not only have a bunch of special order books to finish but I'm also doing some work for the Oakland Under $100 to hopefully sell.

The special order items that I'm talking about are for various weddings. Who knew I had a market in making guest books for weddings. Either way it's getting my buns in the studio and working again.

Here is one of my little books.. I call it "little wonder" since it's so small and compact. This of course is not for anyone's wedding.

I'm also working on the telephone pole panels.

I hope to have many more of these completed.by the 3rd.

Um.... I think it's safe to say I'm a bit busy right now.

blowing up the stereo cuz it's that time of year for me to day dream about the best concert ever!

so sad I missed the Napa show.

Do you ever associate music with certain times of the year and feelings around that time?

house sparrows

2011-05-11T11:38:00.000-07:00

I have a family of sparrows living in my porch. I've tried to take pictures of them but without fail I always get caught. So I had to borrow this image from the inner-webs.

If you can recall.. or know me well.. you will know that I had a "bird year" several years ago.. what does that mean? Any time I would be out walking I would find feathers littering my path. That was also the year I found 4 birds nest on the ground. I still have those nests.. even though I hear it's not good to pick them up. I also have a jar full of feathers.. strange huh? That was also the year a bird flew into my house and needed help out.

This year so far.. I've found another fallen nest but left it alone, I secretly wanted to take it. The house sparrows live in my porch and I've been seeing the feathers again. I also had to deal with a tragedy involving the sparrow family... let's just say they lost one of their young (enough said).

I wonder what all the bird stuff means?

I welcome the sparrow family and will name them "The Joneses" as in "keeping up with the Joneses". I don't know where this whole community of sparrows came as most of my neighbors have families living in their porches.

Welcome to the hood Jones Family.

On the turntable this a.m.

a little Neil Young never hurt anyone.

I can't believe I'm listening to something other than Brandi Carlile right now. I'm SUPER obsessed lately.

Oakland Under $100 June 3rd. 6pm-10pm

2011-05-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

It's almost here!!!

I'm lovin the flyer design by Anne Pinkowski! She's done all of the flyers for Oakland Under $100 and she does a great job! In fact I'm off to pick up these bad boys today after doing a bunch of online PR work this morning.

Should be a good time and you should come if you're in Oakland that night!!

spring clean

2011-05-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

I so need to do a spring clean on the studio. In fact I need to organize the entire room for a futon that I bought to come in. I'm turning the studio into a spare bedroom / office / studio space. This should be fun.

Look at this mess.

I'm glad these pictures are dark.. makes it harder to see how unorganized it is.

eeps! it's so messy.

no wonder I haven't done much work these days.

it's going to be interesting to see how I work in the futon and such. I plan on keeping the studio there but just organizing it in a way that is comfortable for over night guests. I also would like to get a nice set of curtains for the room to allow light during the day but hide people from the ghetto at night. (of course I'm sorta joking about the ghetto, sorta not).

I'm so happy that I'm just now feeling enough energy and becoming more comfortable in my new job and life. I was having a pretty hard time finding myself through all of the change. I spent most days burned out and waiting for work to start. This feeling human again is nice and I'll take it.

stay tuned to see what's going on with the studio / spare bedroom / office space.

Tour de Cure 2011

2011-05-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

Look at all that spandex!

Sunday I rode 50 miles in the Tour de Cure. It was the hottest day so far this year and it was absolutely glorious in Napa! We had about 30 or so riders for Team Lanesplitter and to my surprise we are in 11th place for corporate fundraising in the Bay Area. We were neck and neck with the Kaiser Team and the Craigslist Team. Way to go Team Lanesplitter!!!

On a personal note.. not only is fundraising for diabetes personal to me.. this ride also falls around the day I quit smoking. I quite smoking 6 years ago on May 2nd. You may wonder what this has to do with diabetes.. well.. I just use my personal health gain to help motivate me through out the ride and also to push my fundraising.

until next year.

spring is..

2011-04-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

sitting out in the sun drawing with a beer

looking up at the beautiful sky.

sitting outside playing with a random dog.

hey cute dog..

it's much more than that you know but it felt like an awesome spring day yesterday and all the above things were lovely to do.

craving..

2011-04-27T10:29:00.000-07:00

Finally.. I satisfied my craving for this yesterday. I have wanted one since I had it the first time a while ago.

Can anyone say southern style pulled pork with jalapeño coleslaw... enough said.

300th post.

2011-04-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

I'm celebrating my 300th post with these awesome new "Live Art Wednesday" drawings:

You may not be able to tell but these are done on small wood panels. I really needed a good night at Live Art Wednesday. The last time I was there I was to drained to create anything. This time I just kept to my comforts and and tried something new with it and it worked. I got a lot of positive feedback which was so nice and validating. I felt proud of myself and the start of a new series.

Yesterday was just the "pick me up" I needed. Like the weather, I've been all over the place over the last month. One day I'll feel fine, the next day I will feel defeated or drained. I think it's to be expected with all the major life changes I've gone through. Just have to make sure and keep the long term goals in sight and go for it.

Other than all that.. I just really want summer to be here. I want to the sun to decide to stay out for more than two days at a time. At times I deeply miss Utah spring/summers. You could wear a t-shirt at night and not be chilled. I miss driving through the canyons with the windows rolled down and feeling the warm air on your skin. The temperature would rarely go below 75 at night and often would stay in the low 80's. It's funny I get so nostalgic for that, I'm sure if I lived there it would be different. I never did mind being hot, I actually love to sweat in hot weather. Come on Summer!

and that my friends.. is my 300th post.

On the iPod lately:

2011-04-16T12:18:00.000-07:00

sad pandas

2011-04-13T11:31:00.001-07:00

I'm sad that I've lost my following with switching my website name. such a bummer.

wiener dog races

2011-04-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

(aka dachshund races and Golden Gate fields)

Yesterday I spent the day at Golden Gate fields watching the wiener dog races and horse races. I've never been to the horse track, bet on a race, and all that. What a perfect day for me to go with the wiener dogs racing as well.

a lovely track and well maintained field.

You didn't think I was joking did you?

Look at his little number jersey.

wieners everywhere..

The only thing missing is our large hats.

people get the finish line ready for the dogs.

The dogs are accompanied by two handlers/owners. One owner is at the start line and the other at the finish line. The owners at the finish line try to woo the dogs with treats, toys, and whatever else will get them to run like mad to them. It was super cute to watch.

I know the video is hard to see and even a bit wobbly but you get the idea.

Here is a better video:

We saw several horse races as well and I even bet on a couple but lost.

Horses coming out from the start gate.

Here they come..

Before the race you can go and see them getting ready and decide up close which horse looks the strongest etc. If they poop during this time it means they supposedly will run faster during the race.

My picks: horse 1 and 3. Horse 3 had a female jockey.. I couldn't resist but to bet for her.

dang.. better luck next time. I wish we could have bet on the dogs like we did on the horses.

catching up

2011-04-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

I've been super terrible about maintaining my blog recently and for that I'm sorry. As you've read in the last several weeks my life has been all about tremendous change. This change has consumed the bulk of my energy and I find my myself simply wiped out and unmotivated at the end of the day. I had a feeling that would happen but the good news is that I'm starting to feel somewhat "human" again.

so what have I been up to? Well.. here are a couple of recent pictures.

I took myself out an a lovely hike in the redwoods.

Look at that awesome view.

This hike was last Sunday and I sadly fell sick after... so my week was spent getting better. I thankfully didn't feel well enough to take pictures of that.

This Friday was my nephew's birthday and I spent time with family.

Here is Theo showing off his new lego castle thingy dingy

and of course every rose has its thorn. Here is Penelope with a very familiar angry look. (she even scares me)

No need to wonder where she gets this look. Here is my sister and her husband doing a lovely imitation of their sweet, sweet daughter.

A family that scowls together stays together.

and clearly Theo is not impressed.

After dinner I was surprised by some spontaneous street entertainment from my niece.

and yes.. that's her beat boxing.

I'm happy to say that I'm finally feeling a bit better and as you can see.. thoroughly entertained.

and we're back...

2011-04-07T09:37:00.001-07:00

looks like I forgot to update my domain name so I switched back to ecoker.blogspot.com. Sorry for the hassle folks.

Napa day trip

2011-04-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

We had a very unnaturally warm week last week and luckily for me the hottest days fell on my days off. I convinced a friend to play hookie and take a day trip to Napa.

It was such a lovely day of soaking in the vitamin D and taking in the beautiful landscape. Look at the beautiful mustard in between the grapes.

This picture is one for their catalog:

Cuvaison was such a pretty tasting room and experience

..This is my try at a Julius Shulman shot:

The trip was short and sweet and hit the spot.

I often forget and take for granted that I live in such a diverse area and that places like Napa are literally in my back yard. I need to take more day trips now that I've caught the spring/summer fever.

rolling through my mind and the hills in Napa:

so not funny

2011-04-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

look at the little April fool's gift that happened last night.

sure wish this was a joke.. but it's not. this is the result of a hit and run that happened as I was actually trying to avoid being hit/a victim of a crazy driver.

return of the humming birds

2011-03-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

The same person that bought the humming bird shadow boxes bought a book. I wasn't surprised when she asked if I could put a couple humming birds on it.

I hope she likes it. The picture doesn't do it justice but it has that old ripped wallpaper feel about it.

work lag

2011-03-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

today was the first day since starting my new life that I finally woke up getting the appropriate amount of sleep. I have what I refer to as "job lag"... close to "jet lag" but without the travel. Now you can understand the lack of posts on the blog. I've just been to darn tired to sit down and put it in words. I've been working like crazy woman and can't seem to find the appropriate motivation to write blog posts at 2 a.m.

I'm also not used to waking up at almost 11 a.m. feeling so happy to get some rest. It's strange how life can just simply change in a matter of weeks.

In other news.. I also changed my hair.. I'm now a lovely brunette with some blondish highlights.

look.. you even get to see me in my nerdy glasses!!

and yes... I have been in the studio and such more to come about that later.

in my head:

just another day at the office...

2011-03-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

Last night was my first closing shift at the split. From corporate America to late night beer slinger in a matter of days. I worked during the day Monday and made myself stay up late that night to hopefully prepare a bit for last night. I'm not sure if it really made that much difference or not.in the end. Staying up late was like propping toothpicks under your eyelids to keep them open. I think I made it to 11:30 and folded myself away to dream land.

Well.. I did survive last night but it was hard. I hit my sleepy bed time at about 10:30 but then got a second wind at 12. Obviously it's going to take some time to adjust to an opposite schedule. I didn't get home until about 2 and wasn't able to fall asleep until about 2:30. The world is a much different place that late in the evening/early morning... there is a quite and still peace about it and shadows are a bit darker in a way.

I wasn't able to sleep in as late as I wanted since my body has been trained to wake up so early for so long. I was awake at 8:30 and rolled out of bed with a full body ache. My arms, back, feet, legs, and everything else was screaming about the changes. Once I stretched out.. I quickly wrote ibuprofen on the shopping list.

This definitely will take some time to get used to.

sunday night

2011-03-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

I had some friends over last night for a small(ish) dinner party. I made two pot pies, one veggie and one chicken. I love pot pies and making them. Nothing like chicken pot pie after a ton of rain and earthquake threats to warm the soul. We also enjoyed salad, delicious appetizers, wine, and homemade molasses cookies.

There was no particular occasion to celebrate other than life and good friends. It was very much what I needed after all the draining (yet positive) changes.

I have very fond and saturated memories of Sunday night dinners while I lived in Portland. I lived in a very large, funky house that we called "the far out house". I know that it sounds a little hippy dippy but the house was actually named that because of it's location.

"the far out house" was located on the out skirts of town next to the airport and just a smidge away from the Washington border. I lived with 4 other people and paid the cheapest rent I've ever paid. The house was more of a community than just a bunch of house-mates hating the space they shared.

and yes.. we were either hippies or punks so the "far out" name really wasn't that off. Every Sunday night we would have friends over, make a huge feast and watch "The Simpsons".

Everyone contributed something, it was a very warm welcoming environment that we all looked forward to. I have never been able to emulate the PDX days but I know I've come close.

It was a lovely dinner and I believe that everyone enjoyed themselves. Until next Sunday...

a beginning, end, and all the rest.

2011-03-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

While I was gathering the studio up to move to the garage.. I picked up a random piece of paper and produced this:

I think I was avoiding pulling apart the studio..but was happy by the distraction and what came of it.

This little doodle caught the attention of a friend who bought it just off seeing a picture. I said I would frame it and such for her. It's funny how something done just on a random whim can catch someones eye.

Since this drawing was done.. the potential house-mate has backed out due to personal circumstances. The studio is in a state of disarray and I'm contemplating putting it back together until I figure out some things. I feel that I need a little time to adjust to my new life. I woke up this morning with the urge to tear things apart and put them back together in a new way. I believe this to be very natural in the progression of things. I have to think of it as "spring cleaning for the soul".

Like everything else I will take it one step at a time... and truly..that's all we really have.. is"now". We have this very minute to do what we want, go where our hearts push us, and live. No, I'm not losing my mind, I'm actually becoming more aware of it. This world seems to be falling apart and I think it's important to know what truly is important here.

Anyway.. here's to right now.

dwindling to the end

2011-03-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

Friday is the last day at the job I've had for the past six years.Time to put down the safety glasses, lab coat, and box cutter. It's the end of an era, it's the final countdown. I'm still "dealing" with this massive change in life that is on the nearing horizon. I've gone through a whole span of emotions, change is not easy... no one ever said it was. I'm proud of myself for jumping into many positive changes even though it's rough.

I also have a new housemate that moves in this weekend. I'm in the process of dismantling my much loved studio and moving it back down to the garage. So.. yes as you can see it's a lot of change.

more to come.. like pictures of my studio change etc.

happy pi day!

2011-03-14T13:57:00.000-07:00

Today is Pi day but yesterday was the 5th annual pi(e) party. I spent most of the night with a pie coma after trying about 20 different pies from savory to sweet. I had pie with bacon and cheese on it, to little devilish butter pies.. yes butter pies.

Here is a picture of the stage and sitting area before the masses attacked. Some great bands played including the unkaladies strumming club, karry walker (heart), and many, many more.

Sweet pies looking pretty.

oh.. why are you so fattening butter pie bites.. why...

early in the evening before more pie and more people

a mystical door that leads to the unknown. Actually, it's an art piece by Joe Rut. He drilled teeny tiny little holes in the cracks of an old door and fed LED strings through it.

Every year there are prizes to be won and this year I donated one of my chicken drawings all framed and nerdy with tons of "pi" references.

I'm not sure who won this little gem but I hope someone awesome that appreciates the true nerdiness of it.

in my head lately:

all i can say is...

2011-03-14T11:18:00.001-07:00

Brandi Carlile in Napa = pure joy!

108 at the Hive

2011-03-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

last night was Marlene White's "108" show opening at The Hive.

It was a great turn out and a lot of fun.

Below is my favorite!

Yours truly and the artist in charge!

Marlene had a video showing part of her process in creating the "108" show. Watch out folks.. Marlene is a double threat with her video/editing talents as well.

Just a short snip it.

Congratulations Marlene on a very successful opening!

brilliant

2011-03-09T21:43:00.000-08:00

I ALWAYS have this movie in my mind:

thank you sofia coppola.... so brilliant!!

the soundtrack is amazing!!

seriously can not stop thinking about this movie.

brilliant!!

the distorted moments continue

2011-03-09T12:20:00.000-08:00

My glasses are still making me feel wonky not sure it that's normal. I picked up my new contact, put it in and to my surprise it's not the right prescription. I'm wondering what the hell happened here.. I had to make another appointment to fix all this craziness. gah!

glasses

2011-03-08T06:51:00.000-08:00

picked up my new glasses yesterday. They are cute and very hard to get used to. I know that my doctor wants me to wear them all the time but this will take some time to get used to.

Here I am modeling them for the first time.

I love this picture for the fact that it reminds me of how I looked during my childhood. One eye is a bit squinty and the closed mouth smirk smile.

This picture was taken with a computer camera. Computer cameras are strange because it's like looking into a mirror since you can see yourself looking back Hence that unsure sideways glance.

Well.. that's it. Again, I'm not sure if I will end up wearing them all the time but they do sharpen things quite nicely. I didn't realize that I wasn't seeing things as clearly as maybe I should be. Perhaps my art will change?

art murmur fun

2011-03-05T09:31:00.000-08:00

ventured into the art murmur last night with a friend and had some photo fun

On gallery was a room filled with mirrors that said "facebook" on them. Couldn't resist snapping some pics. This one was our favorite.

Next door was another quirky little gallery with various different works.One sculpture had this strange distorted glass so we took a couple more pics through the glass.

This picture is my favorite!! it's just strange and awesome! We visited several galleries and sipped on wine with up turned pinkies.

It was a fun night and we managed to avoid almost all of the downtown Oakland madness..I don't like having young hipsters surrounding me, I feel suffocated, antsy, and old. Yes - I said it old.

I did see one artists work that caught my attention:. Jody Medich.

These were amazing! These pictures are small but these drawings were very large (36x48") and all were done with watercolor and a bic pen. GAH!! so great!

Here's my date and I in front of one of those amazing drawings.

It was a lovely evening really.

serenading this blog post:

on vinyl! takes me back to living in PDX

a whole new/old perspective

2011-03-02T06:58:00.000-08:00

I went to the eye doctor yesterday and had my full exam which was way overdo. I was surprised to learn that on top of the contact (have to get a new one of those as well) and lens implant it is recommended that I wear glasses.

My optometrist kept saying things like "well now that you'll be in school you will really want to be able to see not only your book but the chalkboard", this is after I mentioned going back to school. I have an unnecessary habit of saying useless random information to anyone who will listen.. like my eye doctor, or that lady in line at the store, or anyone really. I guess those embarrassing moments as a child listening to my mom divulge any information to strangers didn't wound me enough not to do it myself.

So yes.. the optometrist, the receptionist, and the technician in eye wear shop had to hear a string of nervous stories about my life. Through all of my chatter I did manage to pick out a pair of modest glasses that were reasonably priced. Of course my sights were set on the Gucci, Lucky's, Coach, and all other designer glasses but knowing that my life is on the verge of change I thought I should be modest.

They look something like this:

not exactly... but similar.

I pick them up in a couple weeks and have to have a consultation about "learning to wear them". My doc. suggested those fancy gradated glasses... so I can see far away and read in one lens. No more reading glasses if I don't want them.

It's been a long time since I've had to wear glasses full time but I'm sure it will just come right back to me. My inner geek can't wait to get out and just in time for school.

impromptu monday night sketchy session

2011-03-01T07:04:00.000-08:00

One pad of paper - one girl and a pen.

I was partially drawing others conversations as well as my own stuff.

scratchin' at the speakers:

Holly Wach at ZZA's

2011-02-28T06:21:00.000-08:00

This weekend was Holly Wach's opening at ZZA's.

roar!

It took me a while to figure out what medium she used. The textures was very different to me, almost like a charcoal. After meeting and chatting with the artist she revealed that it was pastels. I'm jealous that she has mastered pastels. I would like to learn how to use pastels properly.

I only captured a couple images but you should really just go and check it out.

It was a lovely turn out and a nice evening chatting with various people. This show, "Hear Me" is up until April 1st. You can check out more of Holly Wach's work here.

roar!

Marlene White studio visit

2011-02-27T09:02:00.000-08:00

Marlene is gearing up for her solo show at The Hive in March. She asked me to come by and take a look at some of the work going into the show, I happily accepted.

First I have to say that I'm always impressed by Marlene's color choices. The colors pop off the canvas with bright saturation. I'm relieved someone out there isn't afraid of using colors and can make them work. I'm still totally afraid of bright colors and tend to stick to "bruise" tones as I think many artist do.

The show is a continuation of the "108" body of work and theme. As a viewer you can clearly get the intention of the work and the deeper reflecting messages. I think the use of origami paper as a reference to prayer and self is brilliant.

I don't want to give to much away since the show isn't up yet. I also have my own interpretation of the show and wouldn't want to harbor your view in any way.

I felt honored to be invited to Marlene's studio again.. Not only did I feel special seeing the sneak peek of show but I also love being surrounded by other artists studio space. Something about another artists process is so inspiring, don't you think?

Here is the flyer front for the show.

The opening is March 11th 5-10pm at The Hive in Oakland.

See you there!

the jump

2011-02-26T08:33:00.000-08:00

If you read this blog you are probably wondering the the hell I've been talking about over the last several posts. Well.. "the jump" or "massive change" has been put out there. Now I can actually talk about it instead of sounding all mysterious.

Yesterday I put my resignation in at my job. I've been with the company going on 6 years and I decided to take a huge leap of faith and change my life. - you may be thinking I'm nuts to leave the science industry, the comforts of corporate america and all that tenure and stability. In ways I am.. can't deny that..but after a lot of thought and many failed attempts to further myself in business or new jobs. I decided that I need own my future and will make it happen for me.

I'm open to listening to where the universe wants me to go. I have a plan in place and it's starting now. My goal is to go back to school almost full time while serving table. I know in the past that I had the idea to study physical therapy, in fact I've had so many ideas over the last million years and they were all really great ideas. Sadly, nothing quite pushed me the way I needed, nor held my true interest.

I'm going back to school and taking baby steps toward my goal of obtaining a degree. In fact, my dream goal would be a double major - Business Marketing / Fine Art. I know this is a long and rough road but I'm making it happen.

So please join me in the journey.. it won't be easy, it won't be pretty at times but it's time. Yay!

(it was a long day yesterday.. check this out)
After I gave my resignation yesterday and was driving home from Stanford I got pulled over. I was given a fix-it ticket for expired tags while the officer was leaving, I noticed my car had died. I asked the officer if he could jump my car.. Cops can't do that.. just in case you're wondering. I called my roadside asst. plan on my car and they told me I didn't have that feature (this is while I'm looking at my membership card that states it's valid until 2012)... ok. I ask a lady who pulled up to park in front of car if she could help.. guess what? she couldn't because she drives a prius - those cars can't give jumps either. I looked around me and noticed that the car parked behind me was also a prius. GAH!! I'm sure you can imagine how frustrating this all was.
I finally flagged down a guy across the street who saved the day. When everything was running and ready.. I looked at my watch and it read 3:33. Interesting.. this all happened in 3 hours and was 3 things.

I must take this as a good sign overall.. even though it was a bit awkward at the time.

jumping...

2011-02-25T07:47:00.000-08:00

crouching down low - arms at my side with tight fists gaining the energy to jump. And when I say jump.. I mean jump high, strong, and far. The kind of jump that changes your life forever.

That jump is happening today.

frank sinatra is haunting me

2011-02-24T06:21:00.000-08:00

Yes.. it's true. Have you ever had moments in your life when a particular song comes on and seems to outline exactly everything going on. Frank Sinatra has managed to do that for me in the last several weeks. Don't ask me why or how but it's true.
\
even this picture has that inquisitive look that says: "I know what you're up to - but I know better".

Song that have been popping up:
"That's Life"
"Pick Yourself Up"

Oh Frank.. you really do have a way with words and advice. But it's not just old blue eyes, it's every song that comes on the iPod or Pandora.. filled with encrypted universal messages.

What does this all mean? Well.. let's just say things are on the verge of massive change.

new book on Etsy

2011-02-23T07:07:00.000-08:00

I just posted a new book on my Etsy page - Check it out! Just click on the link to the right to get the full tour.

I have 2 more books that I'll be posting tonight.

live art wednesdays

2011-02-22T21:50:00.000-08:00

I will be drawing tomorrow in live art wednesdays 5-8, 827 Washington St. Oakland..

(photo: Mr. Casey)

Come on down and enjoy the live art and drink deals.

old things - new things

2011-02-22T21:37:00.000-08:00

I had some extra time this weekend in the studio to figure out the teeny tiny details of making a book from vinyl. I've made these books in the past but never with hinges or cut this nicely. I've recently been dreaming about vinyl and manipulation with blow torches.... then suddenly I had a dream and all that blow torch madness wasn't doing anything... I eventually worked it out in sleepy land and woke up with a fresh view/idea.

I still have some kinks to work out but overall I'm proud of the results.

I also made 3 other books this weekend. I need to find/make the time to do a photo sesh to place them on Etsy.

Modern wood vintage vinyl manipulation.

l.r.r. is back

2011-02-21T09:27:00.000-08:00

My lil' red roof is back!! Someone who I won't mention stole the house as a "joke" of sorts and last night it was returned.

Do you see the relieved yet tired expression on my face? That's due to the long sleepless nights of worry and stress wondering where red roof was. Look at how crazy funky my hands look, creepy.

I'm now pondering whether or not to start my red roof blog again. I don't like the fact that facebook currently is the only display place for it. hmm.. lots to think about.

rainy studio days

2011-02-20T11:25:00.000-08:00

It's 37 degrees right now.. yes 37 degrees. It rained all last week and all freakin' day yesterday. I did manage to capture a couple great shots this last week, including this one. At times I'm impressed by the iphone camera and other times not so much.

I love when the sky looks like a painting.

Rainy days translates into working even more in the studio.

I don't know if it's me or what but I usually have to move around after sitting in one place for to long.. Not only was I working on projects but I was cleaning and straightening up the studio. I typically have several projects going on at once. While cleaning I came across an old sketch book. I was surprised to see several sketches that weren't to bad for the past years.

This makes me want to draw hands more often.

Who was I drawing?

This one is definitely my style.. bloop bloop. Do you see the cute little Valentine's the octopus is holding?

and of course.. my favorite thing in the world to draw.. trees (and telephone poles).

and now I must get back to the studio... please excuse me.

In the studio: