You need this

Global Wind Day

Global Wind Day

24 hrs in NYC

We saw and ate a lot even though we were in NYC for just one night. We saw the Claes Oldenburg exhibit at MOMA which was excellent. I loved his oversized plaster sculptures of food and other miscellaneous objects. A photo of his plaster hat is included here. We went to my favorite Ukranian restaurant, Veselka, and dined on borscht, potato periogis, and stuffed cabbage. It was heaven! We also went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and to Shopsins for brunch. Shopsins was out of this world. Kenny Shopsin was there, and yes, we were a bit starstruck having seen the doco, "I Like Killing Flies." The diner is now in a cute indoor market on Essex Street and the food is AMAZING!

I hate cars but like these ones

Car culture is such a drag. I hate having to own a car. I hate having to drive everywhere. Traffic is such a godawful bore. I'm going to have to replace my current car in the not too distant future. It would be really cool to get one of these vintage Citroens. They're so pretty, fun, and a little silly. I really love them.  

I kind of want to get a Smart car. If you hate cars, having a cute little car is the way to go. The cuteness makes it more like owning a pet.

More Spring walks

This tree top is heart shaped!

Bird church.

I love forsythia!

Spring flowers!

I take my camera with me when I'm on foot around town. The Spring flowers are in full bloom and they are spectacular! Here are some of my shots...

Documentary craze - Marwencol

Marwencol is such an incredible documentary. It's the story of Mark Hogancamp, a 40-something-ish regular dude who was randomly attacked outside of a bar by a gang of guys. They beat him up so bad that he was in a coma and almost died. When he recovered, he not only had to re-learn how to do everything, his memory was completely gone. So he had no idea who he was and what he had done in his life before the attack. It's really sad and strange to see this gentle lost soul try to figure out who he was by going through old photos and journals. It turns out he was a pretty decent illustrator. But that skill is now gone. What Mark has not lost is his imagination. And it's through his imagination that he creates Marwencol, a doll world in which all of the action figures represent people in his life. It evolves into a kind of therapy that helps him process and heal. Mark also embarks on a vast and prolific photodocumentary of Marwencol, but he does all of this for his own enjoyment and personal satisfaction. He's not trying to make art, but his photographs are eventually discovered. I found Mark's story so sad, but fascinating and uplifting. His obsession with the details of Marwencol is impressive and also kind of hilarious. If you are inspired by Mark, you can go to the Marwencol site and donate to the local craft store where he buys all of his supplies.

Documentary Craze - Hit So Hard

Hit So Hard is so awesome and inspiring. You must see it. It's also on Netflix 'Watch Instantly' (as are the docs in this blog series). It's about Patty Schemel, who is most widely known as the drummer for Courtney Love's band, Hole. In the doc, Patty tells the story of her life. Patty threw herself completely into drumming at a young age and kept at it despite the difficulties female drummers faced, even in the 1990's. It's fascinating to hear Patty's stories of her early success with Hole, her collaborations and friendship with Kurt Cobain, and her struggles with coming out and addiction. Patty is so instantly likable - she's immensely talented but also funny, authentic, and down-to-earth. It's truly shocking to hear how close to the edge addiction takes her. But fortunately she makes it out alive with her talent and spirit in tact, and quite a story to tell. 
Hit So Hard is a 2011 American documentary film directed by P. David Ebersole.

Documentary craze - I Like Killing Flies

Oh-my-garsh! I love this documentary! It's on Netflix 'Watch Instantly' so you should definitely check it out. And it's not about killing flies either - so, I don't know why they gave it that title. It's about Shopsins restaurant in NYC and follows the daily work and musings of eccentric owner and head cook, Kenny Shopsin. I love it because it makes me feel like I'm in NYC. I also love watching and listening to Kenny work. His kitchen is old, run-down, and held together with all kinds of oddball homespun fixes. It's a refreshing break from the HGTV-ified universe where everyone has to have the latest, greatest, top-of-the-line oven in order to steam a vegetable. It's fascinating to watch Kenny cook. He's sloppy looking and just looks like he's slopping all these random  ingredients together while he talks non-stop about random subjects. But anyone lucky enough to sit at one of his tables knows that this low-tech, sloppy dude is a culinary genius and creator of over 100 dishes on the menu, all of which he makes completely from scratch. 

 I Like Killing Flies, made in 2004, was produced, directed, filmed, and edited by Matt Mahurin. 

It's not corned beef and cabbage...

IT'S BEANS! Actually it's homemade baked bean casserole. I made it in the crock pot. I know it's not traditional St. Patrick's Day fare, but it's hearty, delicious, and also very economical - so I feel it embodies the Irish spirit. It's just navy beans, a meaty beef bone, onion, dry mustard, honey, vinegar, and tomato juice. Let me know if you want the recipe! ☺ 

Sur la table

The kitchen table is not where we eat. It's where I do my drawing, so it's always covered in art supplies, reference material, and stacks of various projects. This random arrangement of ruler, circles template, and magazine cutout caught the eye...

Is it Spring yet?

We still have several inches of snow hanging around from recent storms here in central Massachusetts, but there are signs of Spring! One or two birds are singing in the early morning, the sun is warmer, the days are getting longer, and the air has a hint of that sweet smell of things to come... green grass, leaves, flowers, birds.
In the meantime, I have tulips from Dave! ♥

Worcester Writer's Collaborative

Many thanks to Cheryl Cory for featuring Hot Donut Salad in "New Releases" on the Worcester Writer's Collaborative website!
 

The WWC was started by the inspiring, clever, and uber-talented Cheryl Cory, local author of multiple books including the acclaimed Must've Done Something Good. The WWC is a great resource for Worcester writers. They have 'Write-Ins' on Tuesdays and Saturdays, where you can hang with other local writers and then work for a couple hours, alone but together.

Everything in Perspective

Perspective! for Comic Book Artists is the resource I've been using in my perspective independent studies. I first read it a few years ago, and I refer to it all the time. I ripped the binding apart and duct taped it back together so I could lay it flat and refer to it while I work. Understanding how to convey perspective in a drawing does not come easy to me - this book has really helped me to get somewhat of a grasp on it. I still have a lot to learn!

A Better Perspective?

I got some great feedback on this drawing (thanks Andy!) and made these changes:

I put the rear booth tables and seats in perspective.

Also, for lamps below the horizon line, you only see the side. For the lamp above the horizon line, you see a bit of the bulb underneath.

So - I don't know - I think it's an improvement. I'm struggling the most with the booth seats in back.

I welcome your thoughts!

Perspective Study

I went all out on this perspective study - I think I'm starting to get a handle on it. It's so important for drawing backgrounds, which is a challenge for me.

That's going to be Sexy Veg(TM), Ms. Connie Potato, in the foreground.

Get it while it's hot! Hot Donut Salad!

BUY IT TODAY!

Click on image to buy!

What if cupcakes fell out of the sky into your bathtub? What if your spouse left you and bought you a pet monkey to make up for the loss? What if Saddam Hussein made you pancakes in bed? The answers to these and many other burning questions are covered in this important, nutritious collection of weird, bizarro tales that is Hot Donut Salad.

Strange Cravings

Over the holidays I got really into this British comedy, Peep Show. It's hilarious. David Mitchell is genius as his character - the nerdy, uptight, workaholic, scolding, self-hating Mark Corrigan.

There were a billion episodes on Netflix, but now suddenly there are none (???).

Anyhoo, in one episode Mark and his polar opposite roommate, Jeremy (lazy, out-of-work, wanna-be musician mooch) get an Indian takeaway dinner, and talk about the onion bhajees, which I'd never heard  of - I don't think they're on the menu in the US.

They're deep-fried, breaded, curried onion clusters. Mmmmm. They look mightily delicious, no?

For the curious and ambitious: Onion Bhajee recipe

I've been working out!

Still in the early stages, but I can already see a huge difference!

Mythical Monsters - Shaggy Beast

I like how oblivious the two kids in front are, "La-la-la."

Ow. 

Mythical Monsters - Nasnas

This half dude is awesome!

Why is he nude?

Mythical Monsters - Catoblepas

Dave unearthed this book from his childhood collection. The illustrations and descriptions are hilarious. 

Um who hasn't.